Chapter 7

• Two weeks of no days off, too many beers and exhausting sex had caused me to sleep until almost two in the afternoon and waking up with no energy at all. My head was throbbing, and my body ached like someone was trying to break it in half. Was it really like that? I laughed at the thought, remembering what happened this morning. With a blanket over my head, I found myself alone in this bed and room. There was a glass of water and a Tylenol on the bedside table. In two nights, my hosts have gotten to know me quite well. I swallowed the pill, drank some water, went to the bathroom and found a toothbrush and two pink bottles of shower gel and shampoo. The level of care was impressive and embarrassing at the same time, and by all the laws of bad luck, there must be a catch to such gestures. I had too much experience with jerks. But the thought faded quickly, replaced by a headache.
• The shower gel smelled of roses and spring mornings, the lather enveloping me as I ran my hands over my skin. And memories danced in my head, Owen was pulling me tight against him, of Aaron was gently penetrating me and biting the skin on the back of my neck. My stomach ached and I wanted to feel his hands on me again, to give in to the passionate desire.
• The shower brought relief, the painkillers began to work, and sober thoughts replaced the daydreams. I wanted so much to meet them, to spend the night with them again. And then? I was sure that even a second night couldn't have a sequel, so I planned to escape in the morning. So, I didn’t know what will happen next, I didn't even want to think about it, but I wanted to stay here a little longer. Just a little longer, that's all.
• I blotted my hair with a towel, they should have had a hair dryer, and without my creams my skin was so dry. Skin care is number one on my list. As soon as I became a beautician, I practically stopped wearing makeup, but I am not afraid to go out in public without it.
• As I was about to put on my robe, I was surprised to see three of them. Last time I figured out that the white one was Owen's and the black one was Aaron's. And it suits them so well; one is pure evil; the other is also evil but pretends to be a white and fluffy sheep. The thought is amusing, but the third bath robe, the pink one, was clearly meant for me, or it's constantly being pulled out of the closet to give to the next girl they seduce. The thought made me angry. But then I thought about the first night I wasn't supposed to have anything in this house but breakfast and a shower. Then I was like other one-night stands, and tonight... I didn't finish the thought. Hypothesizing was useless when a robe is just a robe. I put it on and leave the bathroom. The house was quiet. If I had decided to run then, it would have been the perfect moment. The living room and the kitchen were empty. The last time I was there, I was greeted by breakfast and delicious coffee, but this time, there was no sign of food on the table. "Have they really left me alone?", I whispered, as if they'll show up after I say it. I went upstairs to check the last place they might be.
• I knocked, but there was no answer. I opened the door.
• "You're awake!" Owen smiled, sitting at his desk, wearing glasses and a white polo shirt. His hair was neatly styled, giving him a fresh and somewhat office-worker look. I opened the door wider, and across the hall from my desk was Aaron in a black t-shirt, his hair falling over his forehead as usual. He smiled at the sight of me, stood up from his desk, and walked over.
• "Did the robe fit?"
• I nodded, a little confused, and he wrapped both hands around my face and kissed me. I held my breath in surprise. This wasn't a light 'Good morning, baby' kiss; it was an 'I'm going to make love to you right here' kiss. And it probably would have been, but Aaron stopped in time and looked at me.
• "Owen went shopping today, thought you might need some things."
• I smiled and thanked him, my voice suddenly timid. How cowardly of me to be when someone cares about me. I'm a coward. 'Olivia, focus!'
• "I thought you did it for all the girls you sleep with," I decided that snark was the best thing to do right now, but I failed. Aaron and Owen both grinned and ignored my words as if they were conspiring to do the same thing.
• "You must be hungry, come on, it's lunchtime too", Owen, who had been standing by the table the whole time, walked to the door, lingered for a few seconds, kissed my cheek and headed for the stairs, and I shuddered. I could see Aaron was watching my reaction, catching every gesture. And that made it even more awkward. Last time, things were easy between us, that's why I liked the morning atmosphere so much, we didn't care what happened next, we enjoyed the night, had a great morning. Why was it so complicated the second time? Or was I the only one who made things so complicated? And would it be different if there weren't two of them?
• "We ordered food, we didn't know what you liked," Owen said, already setting the table and arranging the packaged food.
• "Olivia, please warm up, and I'll make some coffee," Aaron ordered.
• While we were all busy with our tasks, no one spoke, which heightened the tension, and it peaked when we sat down at the table. I wanted to run away, but that would be rude.
• "What are your plans for today? How do you usually spend your weekends?" Aaron asked.
• "I usually sleep."
• "We've noticed that," Owen laughed, and I laughed back, the air between us warming.
• "My weekends have been boring lately. I spend my time doing chores, and then sometimes I go out to a bar or watch a TV show with snacks and wine."
• "Wine and a TV, sounds like fun", Aaron said, as if it were a toast or an invitation, and I immediately sorted through the best ways to leave their house in my head. These awkward conversations had brought me to the point where I decided to thank them for everything and left. Thinking from a distance was better, and I needed to think things through before things get complicated. The damn robe turned out to be more than just a robe. Before I could say anything, Owen touched my arm and said:
• "Stay at least until tonight".
• Is he reading my mind? Oh, they're private detectives, so they can read people’s mind. I couldn't think of a single viable way to back out. In my mind I tried to attack my grandmother, because 'My grandmother is not well' sounds the easiest and is almost true. But in the end, after suppressing a slight panic, I remember that just half an hour ago I wanted to stay a little longer - the fickle female nature in all its glory.
• "Okay", I agreed without further ado.
• After breakfast, I changed, and we walked to the coast. The cottages stretched along the beach. It was practically empty, except for a dog playing in the distance. The waves lapped against the velvety sand. The ocean breeze was cool, but the sun was scorching. I was drawn to the water; if I had a bathing suit, I wouldn't hesitate to take a dip.
• I moved from Lancaster right out of high school. I lived in different parts of LA, but when my brother bought a house in Santa Monica, I started coming here more often and just fell in love with the area. This part of the beach was far away from the center of attraction and the famous Ferris wheel. It felt like a different city — not so loud, but cozy, quiet, and measured. This part of Santa Monica had quiet beaches, quiet streets, a lot of surfers, and the best waves.
• I have never decided to surf, but I love the water. The vast ocean made everything easier. When you saw the huge waves breaking over and over again, crashing against the rocks, foaming and making noise, all your problems paled before the eternal ocean. The time I had with this ocean was incomparable, so why complicate things?
• I wet my feet in the water, splashing on my T-shirt. Owen came up behind me, and I turned around.
• "I know what I have to do to make you stay", he put his hands on my waist and pushed me back, and I had to pull away. I saw the water disappear from under my feet and my feet sank into the wet quicksand, and I sank into Owen's green eyes. Under the power of his gaze, I took a few big steps back and before the wave caught up with us, he kissed me. The water hit my back with force and pushed me into Owen's arms, and it was as if he's been waiting for it, pulling me closer to him. The water receded and I can breathe. My clothes sticked to my body, my hair is tangled, I smelled of salt and wind, and I was completely dazed. The water receded again, only to came at us again. Owen continued to pull me against him and took another step toward the ocean. This time the wave was stronger, covering us head on. He kissed me again. And that finally melted my heart, my legs buckled and I held on to Owen's shoulders. He pushed my hair out of my face and took my hand.
• "Let's run", he pulled me to the shore, the waves tried to swallow us again and we laughed. Aaron was sitting on the shore, watching us with a smile on his face. As we got closer, he held out his hand and called to me.
• "I'm wet".
• "I don't care", he took my hand and I found myself in his arms. It felt strange, but there was no way to put it into anything that could be labeled, categorized, or understood. It was just a mix of different feelings. It was like someone mixed a cocktail of emotions. Aaron hugged me tighter and I leaned against him, staring out at the waves. Owen lied carefree on the sand. And it was as if time has stood still.
• "When's your next day off? " Aaron asked.
• "In four days".
• "If we were in town, we'd pick you up right after work", he kissed my shoulder, and I nodded back. "I wouldn't let you go anywhere, but we have work to do."
• I decided that this was the perfect time to find out more about what they do. Aaron told me everything and answered all my questions. Three years ago, they became private investigators for a company that assigned them to the West Coast. They were based in Santa Monica and took assignments in nearby cities, sometimes working with the police when a case got serious.
• "Most of the time, we just went after unfaithful wives or husbands. Sometimes, we were hired to find a missing relative. These were the most common jobs. Sometimes, there were force majeure situations, but the work was not difficult, and the pay was good".
• "What did you do before?"
• "A lot of things," he smiled.
• Obviously, this part of the story would be revealed later. I decided not to insist, but another question I just had to ask, even if they wouldn't answer.
• "How long have you been practicing this kind of relationship?"
• A big wave crashed to the ground and slowly slid back down, a soft white foam. My hair dried quickly in the sun, and a few curls fluttered in the wind. I could almost feel Aaron's heavy sigh. Owen rolled onto his side, put a hand under his head, looked up at me, and said, "We had three girls."
• At this point, Aaron raised his hand and waved, as if he wanted to tell it all himself. Owen didn't mind; he lied back down and looked up at the sky.
• "I don't count my first relationship, but Owen doesn't think so. We'd only been together a month, and we didn't really know who we were or what we wanted. We were exotic to the girl; she had a good time with us, but she didn't have any feelings... Unlike..." he seemed to want to say "unlike Owen" but hesitated and said, "unlike us. "Anyway, it was over quickly. Later, our longest relationship began, we lived together. We weren't private investigators yet; we were working in bars, cycling. It was a time of parties, alcohol, and even drugs. It would have ended anyway because we weren't ready for a relationship, and also the girl started manipulating us, turning us against each other. She just picked one of us and wanted a normal relationship. I should have broken up with her sooner," Aaron said with bitter regret in his voice, and Owen smiled wickedly.