Page 31 of Clouded by Envy

“I’m twenty. You?”

“You know, you weren’t even supposed to be in that bar. You’re just a baby,” she groaned. “I’m twenty-four.”

“I do like them older.” He scanned her over and liked what he saw even more.

“Whatever.” Rana laughed. “So where do you live?”

Brenik pointed her in the direction of his home up ahead. Because of the hidden cabins, Rana joked she was inclined to believe that maybe tonight was her night to die. But he wouldn’t let himself get out of control.

When Rana pulled up to the cabin, she sat in the car for a moment.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, not sure what to make of this girl.

Without looking at Brenik, her head fell to the steering wheel. “It’s just… Look, like I told you before, I’m only coming here to hang out, not todoanything. It’s incredibly cliché, but my boyfriend cheated on me with my roommate, who is no longer my roommate. That’s the first serious relationship I’ve ever been in. Growing up, my parents were incredibly strict, until I moved out on my own a few years ago.” She lifted her head from the steering wheel to look at him. “Anyway, I don’t know why I’m telling you all this, but I’m here right now toescape.”

Brenik understood the need to escape more than anything. “We’ll just head inside and watch some TV, and then you can go home. How does that sound?” Brenik didn’t really know her, but it bothered him that she was unhappy.

“It sounds brilliant.” A grin spread across her face, and Brenik wanted to brush his thumb right under her lip where her mole was.

“What do you want to watch?” Brenik asked as he turned on the TV. To get rid of the static, he straightened out the antenna to get a stronger signal, but the screen was still a little fuzzy.

The main channel that worked was playing an old episode ofGilligan’s Island. Rana shouted, “Leave it here! I love old television shows.” So did Ruth, but she had been around when the original episodes aired.

Brenik took a seat beside Rana on the old cloth couch and studied how entranced she was with the show. Her eyes sparkled, and she laughed at things Brenik did not quite understand. A smile crossed his face every now and then from her giddiness.

He had adjusted well to becoming semi-human and losing his wings. It was as if he had never been anything other than what he was now.

After a few episodes, Rana looked down at her watch. “Well, it’s getting late. I have to help a friend move her stuff into the apartment tomorrow morning, so I better head out.”

A surge of something unfamiliar found its way inside Brenik’s chest, and he didn’t want her to leave. Yet he still told her it was okay.

“It was interesting meeting you—maybe I’ll see you around?” Rana asked.

“Okay.” He didn’t sound hopeful or optimistic as he stared at the floor, while she stood in the doorway.

He watched her velvety hair bounce against her shoulders as she descended the porch steps. At the last second, she turned around. “Hey, if you’re up for it, some of my friends and I are playing charades tomorrow night if you want to come over.”

Brenik thought it over for a minute and knew he wanted to go. “Sure.” Charades was something he had only seen on TV—it wasn’t a game he had played with Bray or Ruth. Something about that made him feel invigorated.

“Great. I’ll pick you up around five—or do you want to walk again?” Rana smiled, and it reached all the way up to her caramel eyes, highlighted from the porch light.

“I can walk.” He didn’t mind walking.

“That means I’ll pick you up. See you then, stalker.”

Brenik ran a hand across his face and shook his head.

“Right, maybe I shouldn’t joke about such a serious subject.” She laughed and waved goodbye as she headed to her car.

Brenik shut the door behind him and crashed his back against the wood, sinking down to the floor.I have to figure things out, he thought as he gripped his hair tightly.

The gnawing inside him had begun to stir again, drowning out the goodness of the evening. He knew it would take over eventually, and he almost hated admitting to himself that he had liked the rush of pleasure when it had happened the first time.

One thing he did know: this time he didn’t want it to happen around Rana. He desperately wished it hadn’t happened around Jeremy either.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door, and he jumped up to answer it.Maybe Rana had forgotten something.

He tore the door open to a face that was not Rana’s. It was a short, bald man wearing a police uniform.

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