“Coraline, a word,” Arlo says from the entryway of the kitchen.
For fuck’s sake.
“Arlo, just give me a second,” I say to him.
“She needs to go to the bathroom. Duty calls,” Stella says with a smile, pushing me toward the main level bath.
Arlo’s eyes narrow even more, but before he can say anything, I take off quickly.
I make my way through the kitchen and to the right, where the main-level bath is. I knock and hear Pike snap, “Who is it?”
Quietly, I whisper, “Me.”
I ease the door open and walk in. Before I can take a breath to say anything, Pike slams the door behind me and locks it. Then he pins me against the door, fuming, dressed only in a pair of jeans, the top still undone.
“What the actual fuck, Cora?”
“I . . . I wanted—”
“Wanted to what? Humiliate me in front of all of my colleagues?”
I bite my bottom lip. “That, uh, that was the plan.”
“For what? To get rid of me?” I look to the side, but he grips my cheeks with one hand and forces me to look at him. “You’ll tell me the goddamn truth.”
Keeping my eyes on him, I say, “Yes, to make you want to leave.”
He pushes away from me, and I feel foreboding ricochet through me.
He pushes his hand through his hair and then turns on me again. “You went too far, Cora. How would you like it if I embarrassed you in front of your co-workers at Frankie Donuts?” When my eyes widen, he says, “Yeah, I fucking know you work there. Would you have liked that? Would you have thought it was okay?”
I shake my head.
“And what about—fuck, what about the last few days? Were you just using me? Did those moments mean nothing to you?”
“I . . . I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” His brows raise. “If you don’t know, then clearly they didn’t mean anything.” He zips his jeans and buttons them. Then he pulls his shirt over his head and slips his socks and shoes on.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“What does it look like? I’m getting dressed.”
“Don’t you, uh, don’t you want to talk about this?”
His eyes shoot to mine. “There’s nothing to talk about.” He straightens and fixes his hair in the mirror. He then turns on me and steps in close. “If I could, I’d leave immediately, but given I came with you, I’ll need to stay here in my humiliation. Quite frankly, I never would’ve thought you’d be capable of something like this, Coraline.”
And with that, he pushes past me and out of the bathroom, back into the party where I shamed him. Instead of joining him, I shut the door and take a seat on the counter as my head begins to spin and the alcohol begins to do its job.
He’s so angry, so hurt. I’m not sure I know how to fix this, even if I wanted to.
I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused in my life about what to do. All I know is that I hurt Pike, and it’s not sitting well with me, not one bit.
Hopping off the counter, I face the mirror and take in my reflection.
I don’t even recognize the girl staring back at me. She’s deceiving, blank, and lacking life.
But why?
Yesterday, when I looked in the mirror, I felt like everything was . . . right.
But today, I feel off. I feel like I’m not in the right place.
What is the right place?
Not in this bathroom.
I exit the bathroom and head back to the party area. Do I apologize to the group? Tell them it was just a silly prank on the new guy? Would they believe that? Shit. But, as if nothing happened, Romeo, Stella, Gunner, and Lindsay, his fiancée, are in the pool playing volleyball. Arlo is standing in the corner with Greer. From her body language, it seems as though she’s trying to calm him down. And sitting on a lounge chair, side by side, are Keiko and Pike. When did they become such great friends?
Doesn’t matter. Maybe he needs a friend.
Suddenly, the doors to the pool area are thrown open, startling everyone at the party.
Standing in the doorway, chest heaving and looking frantic, is Kelvin Thimble, sweating profusely in a button-up Hawaiian shirt.
“Kelvin?” Keiko says while standing up. “The aggressive propulsion in which you swung those doors open could have driven a large-diameter dent into the wall. A dent that would’ve required drywall repair.”
Heaving for breath, Kelvin raises his finger and points right at Pike. Gasping for air, he shakily says, “I knew it.”