Page 39 of A Vine Mess
“I’ve been watching you two all night. You’re orbiting each other now, both on slightly different planes. But I can sense these things, and your paths are about to align. Remind me where you’re headed and how long you’ve been on the road.”
“We’re on day three of a two week trip to Portland.”
Gertie nodded sagely and reached for my hand, rubbing it between her palms. “You’ll figure it out well before your destination.”
“Not if she keeps flirting with that tool,” I mumbled under my breath.
Gertie’stinkling laugh filtered into the night around us. “Do not worry about D’mitri, dear boy. He is not a threat to you or her.”
With that, she walked away, and her movements were so graceful despite the uneven ground that she appeared to be floating.
Was she right? I didn’t typically put stock in witchy woo-woo shit, so maybe I was only latching onto Gertie’s words because they were ones I desperately wanted to hear. I wanted to believe Gertie sensed something between me and Ella, that crackling energy I’d felt in the air around us since the day we’d met.
But as I watched D’mitri pull her chair closer to his and sling an arm around her shoulders, tucking her against his side as they laughed about something, I was having difficulty imagining Ella felt it too.
Later, after what felt like a few interminable hours of listening to Ella and D’mitri flirt, I’d had enough. The pot brownies combined with the two shots of tequila I’d taken earlier had settled warmly on my limbs, loosening them, and I could feel my tongue and my control loosening along with them. So I rose from my chair, folded it up and slid it back into its bag, then slung it over my shoulder and bid everyone around the fire good night.
My footfalls were heavy and heated as I weaved around smaller outcroppings toward our campsite, thankful I’d remembered to set my tent up earlier—and grateful I wouldn’t have to spend the night in her proximity.
I sensed shuffling footsteps behind me, and glanced over my shoulder to find Ella toddling after me. With the moonlight illuminating her face, I could see her eyes were glassy, and I was glad she’d at least remembered to bring her own chair back withher.
“Where are you going?”
“To bed.”
“But it’s early yet.”
I flicked my wrist to check my watch, the face lighting up to show me the time.
“It’s actually almost two a.m.,” I said flatly. We’d reached our campsite, and I crossed to the van, wrenching the door open and throwing my chair across the passenger seat.
“Fucking hell,” she breathed, and I heard her stumble to a stop. When I turned to check on her, I saw she had her phone out, squinting at the screen. She murmured, “How did this happen?”
“You were busy flirting withD’mitri.” I spat his name. “I’m surprised you didn’t follow him back to his tent.”
Ella gasped and yielded a step, her phone slipping from her hands and clattering to the ground.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“What is wrong with you?” she asked.
I drove my hand through my hair, pulling on the ends and willing the stinging in my scalp to shock some sense into my brain.
“Earlier, I told you I’ve had a crush on you foryears, and you responded by openly flirting with some random guy right in front of me? That feels like a slap in the face.”
Ella reared back like I’d slappedher, hand coming up to cover her mouth.
“Sorry,” I said again.
“No, you’re absolutely right,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’thave done that. I guess…”
“What?” I prompted.
“I guess I just missed flirting with someone.”
A growl left me, and I moved fully into her space, grasping her chin in my hand and forcing her to look at me. Those glossy green orbs latched onto mine, pupils wide in the darkness.
“You wanna flirt with someone? You flirt withme.”
