The West Wind

by Morgan Douglas

  “But my chai!”

  “Now, Jaime demanded as she pushed past Jessica. “Jealous bitch,” she spat.

  “Brainless posh-zombie,” Jessica spat back.

  When the girls had left, Jessica and Xander ordered coffee and she dragged him to a loveseat against the wall farthest from the entrance. He settle himself as deep into one corner as he could without making it seem like he was trying to get away from his date. Not that he wanted to, but he was uncomfortable after the exchange at the door.

  “So, I take it you and those girls don’t get along.”

  “Ah, no,” Jessica said a little sheepishly. “I’m sorry about all that. It really wasn’t how I wanted to start our date.”

  Xander relaxed a little. “I hope not. Though if you could plan that, I’d be impressed. You’d have to be psychic.”

  She smiled, her blue eyes sparkling mischievously. “How do you know I’m not?”

  “Well, since I’m not psychic, I guess I don’t,” he said playfully.

  “Good answer,” Jessica said, sitting with one knee crossed in front of her and the other dangling off the couch. One shoulder pressed into the cushions at its back while she leaned just the slightest bit forward. “So, tell me about yourself.”

  * * *

  Hero lay on her bed in the dark, staring at the lights coming from the Brighton House cupola. Jaimie had texted her as soon as she had left Ambrosia to let Hero know that ‘Adonis’ had been there on a date with Jessica Crowley. Ugh. She couldn’t remember when Jessica had become her nemesis. They had been friends briefly when Hero had first moved to Vista Bay, but it hadn’t lasted long. Maybe it was because Jess was everything Hero was not: forward, overtly sexual, powerful in the way of a woman who wasn’t afraid to use her body to get her what she wanted. It didn’t surprise her that Jessica was drawn to Adonis. Damnit. She had to find out what his name was, she couldn’t keep calling him Adonis. It was ridiculous. It did fit though. No man had the right to be that good looking. Especially that good looking and that talented. She sighed and squeezed her blankets, imagining his deltoid firm under her hand as they danced.

  She wondered if he was the one who kept the lights burning in the cupola. Was Jessica there with him? A flash of jealousy sparked within her. It was her fantasy to spend evenings in that tower, looking down at everything. It wasn’t fair that her enemy got to do so. She shook the jealousy off. It was stupid, she didn’t even know if Jessica was actually there. If she was, was he taking her in his arms and dancing with her the way he had with Hero? She had to remind herself that she didn’t care. The guy was a jerk anyway.

  Her phone buzzed with a text from Leana.

  Leana: OMG Adonis is so hot.

  Hero typed a brief message, had a second thought, then sent it anyway.

  Hero: Yeah, genius, that’s WHY Jaimie calls him Adonis.

  The phone buzzed again almost instantly.

  Leana: lol oh I didnt no

  Hero sighed. She hated the way people spelled when texting.

  Hero: Sorry to be rude, but was there something else you wanted to talk about? I’m kind of tired of hearing about Adonis and Jessica. That’s all Jaimie can talk about tonight.

  Leana: Oh sorry. 1 more thing. Jaime and Jess were so busy bitching they weren’t listening. I don’t think he meant to call u a slut

  Hero: What do you mean?

  Leana: He said that wasnt wut I meant. Wut he meant. U know wut I mean

  Hero: Alright. Thanks. I’m going to bed now.

  Leana: Ok. gn

  Hero turned her phone off. Sometimes it just wasn’t worth the effort. Maybe he hadn’t meant to say she was easy. She didn’t know what to think. It was much less confusing to be angry. She sighed again and watched the cupola lights until she fell asleep. When she woke, she thought she remembered seeing a shadow block one of the windows, and the lights go out.

  Trouble

  Three days later, Hero saw him again. She and her friends had agreed to meet at Ambrosia. When she arrived he was already there, sitting across a tall table from Jessica with his back to the entrance. Hero wondered if his closet had anything other than tight black t-shirts in it. Even from the back he was handsome and she caught herself imagining playing with the hair on the back of his neck. She shook her head clear. What the hell was going on with her? She never thought about guys in that way.

  Jessica glanced at her briefly, smirked, and went back to her rather animated conversation with Adonis before he could notice. Hero ordered a caramel macchiato then sat down with her friends, who were talking loudly at a table on the opposite side of the café. She took a chair that blocked the redhead from her view, but left the boy in it.

  Jaimie hissed as she sat down. “Did you see? They’re here.”

  “I’m over it, Jaimie. I don’t care what some random stranger said to me on the dance floor four days ago. Life goes on,” Hero said, almost convincing herself.

  “Is that why you’re sitting in the one seat he’s visible from?” Brian asked as if he could see right through her.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said facetiously.

  “Well, they do say love is blind.”

  “Shut up, Brian.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Hero turned to Jaimie and asked, “Why do we hang out with these boys again?”

  “They’re pretty. If I wanted smart, I’d get a dog.”

  “Ouch,” Evan commented.

  “Evan’s company excepted, of course. He’s smart and pretty, that’s why he’s mine.”

  “I bet Adonis is smart as well as pretty,” Leana chipped in.

  Jeremy piped up, irritated. “What is it about this guy that makes all the women want to rip their clothes off?”

  “It couldn’t be that they think he looks like a Greek God, could it?” Brian asked sarcastically.

  “He looks like a younger, hotter version of Matt Damon,” Leana said.

  “Really? Matt Damon? I don’t see it,” Brian replied, sounding as though he was seriously considering the comparison.

  Before the conversation could go on, the barista called out Hero’s name for her order. Hero got up and went to the counter, leaving the banter behind. She took her drink and thanked Emily, the barista. She was about to turn back when someone spoke behind her.

  “I hear I’m in trouble,” a baritone voice that sounded something like crystal honey said wryly.

  She turned to look at him, her own stuck in her throat.

  Xander had been sitting, waiting for Jessica to return from the bathroom when the barista had called out Hero’s name. He figured there couldn’t be more than one Hero in a town this size, so he waited to see if it was her. Sure enough, there she was again. A white sundress covered in white lace mesh hung from spaghetti straps at the shoulders down to a few inches above her knees. Blue checkered cork platform heels gave her an extra inch over what she stood in her Aris Allens. “Wow,” he had breathed.

  Hero looked up into his blue eyes and tried not to get lost. She was so startled that “Adonis?” was all she could manage to say.

  The young man looked at her strangely. “Adonis?”

  “Uh, nothing. Sorry. What did you say to me?”

  “Your friend told me I was in big trouble. I think I might owe you an apology,” he said.

  She felt like he was staring right through her, or so deep into her he could see parts of her she didn’t even know existed. Hero collected her thoughts.

  “Oh. No big deal. Leana told me you said you didn’t mean it.”

  “I assume Leana is the brunette, then. I’m pretty sure the blonde won’t forgive me til there should be time no longer.”

  Hero raised an eyebrow, “Til there should be time no longer?”

  “Oh, sorry. That’s from Revelations. I get it from my dad,” he shrugged unapologetically in spite of his words. “More importantly, I hope you will forgive me a little sooner. I didn’t mean to insult you. I definitely felt the
same thing you did, I just didn’t want to rush someone whose name I didn’t even know. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “You think you know how I felt.” Hero stated, a steel warning in her voice.

  “You are the woman I danced with, right? Hero?” he asked.

  “How do you know my name?” she demanded, starting to get perturbed. It was irritating that he knew and assumed so much when she had spent days wondering who he even was.

  “I told him, DiBenedetto,” Jessica said as she came up and took Xander’s arm possessively. Something flashed in Xander’s eyes, but left too quickly for Hero to read.

  “Why are you talking to her anyway, Xander?” Jessica asked.

  “I came over to apologize.” A sharp edge entered his voice. “Contrary to what seems to be popular belief around here, I don’t make a habit of calling women sluts. Or easy.”

  “Are you done, then? Come back to the table.” Jessica walked away with his hand between hers and came to an abrupt stop at the end of his arm when he didn’t move. She flushed a little, embarrassed. Neither Hero nor Xander noticed.

  “That depends,” Xander said, his eyes still locked on Hero’s. He had to remind himself to breathe. “Am I forgiven?” he asked her.

  “Umm. Sure. Yes. Fine,” she stammered. At that point, she would have said just about anything to get out of that awkward situation and free of the stare that made something inside her melt.

  “Thank you,” he said as if she’d given him something precious.

  She gave him a strange look.

  “I’ll see you around, Hero,” the blue eyed Adonis said. He let Jessica drag him away, who immediately started talking about something he wasn’t listening to.

  When Hero sat back down with her friends they all leaned in toward her.

  “So. . .” Jaimie began, “What did Adonis have to say?”

  Evan broke in, a bit jealous. “Do we have to keep calling him that?”

  Hero smiled at Evan’s predicament. “No, we don’t. His name is Xander.”

  “Xander? Pussy name. Worse than Adonis,” Jeremy offered. Everyone ignored him.

  “He apologized for the misunderstanding. End of story,” Hero told them.

  “End of story? I thought you two were going to eat each other, the way you were staring. In a good way or a bad way. I couldn’t tell,” Jeremy replied.

  The rest nodded.

  “Yeah, I don’t think that’s the end of the story either. But enough of that. Did you guys hear about the pick-up football game last night? I heard some dude got his arm broken.” Brian winked at Hero and she gave him a big smile in thanks. The conversation turned and the evening wore on less eventfully.

  Hero and Brian were the last to leave. She gave him a hug then headed toward the marina where the family boat was moored. When she neared the ramp leading down to the docks, she noticed someone nearby. Resting on a post half his height was Xander, watching her. Hero looked around to if see if there was anyone else nearby. Other than random people going about their business at the marina, there was no one she knew.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked as she walked up to him, her head tilted to one side in curiosity.

  He smiled. “Waiting for you.”

  “That’s not creepy at all. How long have you been down here?” she asked as she kept walking.

  He stood and fell into stride beside her. “Honestly? Longer than I wanted to be, but there was something I wanted to do.”

  “What? Murder me and dump my body in the harbor?”

  Xander laughed. “I think that’d be a waste.”

  Hero raised an eyebrow. “A waste of what?”

  “An amazing dancer.”

  “Oh,” she said, caught off guard. “Thank you.”

  They walked along in silence. It seemed to Hero that the quiet should make her more uncomfortable than it was, so she decided to break it. “So, what did you want to do?”

  “Talk to you. We didn’t really get a chance the other night.”

  “As I remember, you spoke more than I wanted.”

  “I apologized for that.”

  “And then you dropped me.”

  “You slapped me!” Xander exclaimed.

  “Do you drop all the girls who slap you?” Hero asked, one side of her mouth quirked up in a teasing smile.

  “Since it’s only happened once, yes.”

  “I was your first, was I?”

  He didn’t miss a beat. “Hopefully my last, too.”

  His words had sincerity behind the playfulness that stopped Hero in her tracks. She wondered if he ever said anything without multiple meanings in the words. Xander took a few steps before he realized she wasn’t beside him anymore and turned to look at her with a question in his eyes.

  “Umm. . . This is me.” Hero gestured toward a power boat tied up in a slip nearby.

  “Looks cold,” he said with a straight face.

  She laughed. “Don’t be an idiot. I live on the island.”

  “Right, La Casa Loco, or something.”

  “La Hacienda Noblé.” She looked at him suspiciously, a little worried. “How do you know that?”

  “Your favorite person in the world told me all about you and your little ‘coven’.” Xander made quotation marks in the air with his index and middle fingers as he said coven.

  “Coven?” Hero asked indignantly.

  “What, you didn’t know you were a witch?” he laughed. “I made a joke that you, Leana, and the blonde might be the Wyrd sisters. I’m afraid it might have stuck.”

  “The Weird Sisters?” Hero looked taken aback.

  “No, no, w-y-r-d. The Wyrd Sisters. They’re the witches from MacBeth, you know? Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble and all that jazz. They’re actually meant to represent the Fates.”

  He took a breath to continue, but she started laughing. His eyebrows scrunched up, and she laughed harder. “What?” he asked, a little offended.

  “If I had to take more lectures from people who looked like you, I might pay more attention in class. Or less, perhaps.”

  He leaned his head to one side. “What do you mean?”

  Hero bounced up to him, stood up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re cute. Goodnight, Adonis.” She laughed again.

  “Why do you keep calling me that?” he demanded.

  She hopped in the boat and started it. “Goodnight,” she said as she started to back out of the slip.

  “Wait, why do you keep calling me Adonis?” he asked again as he followed the boat as far down the dock as he could.

  “Goodnight,” she said, drawing the second word out into two syllables.

  “Can I see you again?” he shouted out to her. Her response was lost in the roar of the engine as she pushed the boat into drive and sailed out into the bay. Xander shoved his hands into his pockets and headed home.

  * * *

  “Hey, how was your date?” Zach asked when Xander arrived home, his voice breaking through Xander’s replay of his conversation with Hero, which was playing over and over in his head.

  “Oh, good. Jessica’s pretty nice.”

  “Pretty nice? Really? Girl like that and that’s all you have to say?”

  “Yeah. But, hey, I finally got to talk to Hero.”

  His father’s face became serious for a moment. “You’re not gay, are you? I mean, it’d be Takei, but. . . “ He stopped, taking in the look on his son’s face.

  “Ah. Hero is NOT a man.”

  Xander shook his head, quite unamused. “No. She’s the girl I dropped.”

  “I hope you don’t plan to go around introducing her that way. Hero, this is Grandma. Grandma, this is the girl I dropped.”

  “Come on, Dad,” Xander protested. He laughed. “Jessica’s great, I guess. She’s gorgeous and fun. But Hero. . . “ He paused, bit his lip and looked his father in the eye. “I barely know her, but there’s something about her that makes me want to take her dancing
in the rain.”

  Pride, ache, and sadness all flew across his dad’s face at once. Zach put an arm around his son’s shoulder. “Well, then I would definitely like to meet the girl you dropped someday.”

  “I hope you get to.”

  “Need any advice on how to win the girl?” Zach asked his son.

  “Nah,” Xander said with a smile. “I learned from the best.”

  Hellespont

  Hero looked nervously toward Hellespont’s entrance for the fifteenth time in as many minutes. There was no band tonight, just a DJ playing a list a little too loudly from his laptop. Hero’s hands smoothed out the bell of her black vintage dress impatiently. A thick red halter strap ran from behind her neck down the sides of the empire bodice and around the back. A matching belt was sewn into the high waist. She had danced several times since the Coven, as she’d secretly started calling her friends, arrived, but had been too distracted to really enjoy herself. Every time she could get away with it without insulting her current partner, she craned her neck to see if Xander was somewhere in the crowd.

  “Who are you looking for?” Jaimie asked her. Hero hadn’t told her about the conversation she had had with Xander. She wasn’t sure why, but she wanted to keep it to herself.

  “Probably hoping her Adonis will show up so he can drop her again,” Jeremy supplied, somehow making ‘Adonis’ sound like an insult.

  “His name is Xander,” Hero said a little too quickly.

  Jaimie looked shocked, “You are looking for him, aren’t you? Did you forget that he called you a slut?”

  “He apologized for that. That’s not what he said, anyway. That wasn’t what he meant.”

  “Have you been sneaking around behind my back?” Jaimie asked, pretending to be a jealous lover. When Hero didn’t answer she took Hero’s silence as proof. “Oh my god, you little tramp.”