Edge of Something More

by Andi Loveall

  She ran down the hall. He went after, following her into the master bedroom. She took hold of the painting over the vanity.

  “It’s kind of amazing,” she said, jiggling it loose. “The things that people will say in front of you when they think you don’t know what they’re talking about.”

  She revealed a little gold key, dangling on the hook.

  “Shit,” he said. “This is such a violation.”

  “What they don’t know won’t hurt them. We’ll be in and out. It’ll be no big deal.”

  “Please, can’t we just—”

  “What,” she said, looking at him teasingly. “Are you afraid?”

  “If we get caught, they might not forgive us.”

  “We won’t get caught. Come on. They’re ten minutes gone.”

  “How do you know that they didn’t go five minutes down the road and turn around?”

  “Because,” she said, heading for the study. “Then they’d miss the movie.”

  “Maybe they forgot something.”

  “They’re too smart to forget,” she said, sticking the key in the door. It clicked unlocked.

  Devin cursed himself. Sweat was gathering on his forehead. There were so many reasons why this was wrong. It wasn’t only private space, but a top-secret passageway within private space, so it was doubly offensive. Yet there he was, following her in.

  She went over to the globe and twisted off the top, revealing the control panel from her description. She pushed a button, which started a mechanical humming sound. The bookshelf moved forward and slid sideways, revealing a dimly lit passageway.

  She looked at him, smiling as if to say “told you so.”

  “Shit,” he whispered. “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever done.”

  Maybe just a quick look would be all right. One quick look and they would never speak of it again.

  She led him down the stairwell, which was all gray and spooky looking, like the inside of a military bunker. They reached the bottom and went through a door. Cora flipped on a light, and the room illuminated.

  “Holy balls. Walter and Raven are growing weed in the basement.”

  “ … Yup.”

  They moved slowly, intoxicated by both the scent and the sight of it. There were six or seven plants in each of the big boxed tents, fluorescent lighting glowing above them. Workbenches lined the right side of the room. They were divided into four sections, each with the colors below painted a different color: one red, one blue, one yellow, one black.

  “Hey,” he said, grabbing Cora’s arm. “Stop touching everything.”

  She set a notepad back down. “What are you so nervous about?”

  “You’re moving stuff,” he said. “You have to leave everything exactly as it was or else he might know. Anyway, we can’t just hang out down here. Come on, we saw it. Let’s go.”

  “We still have hours before they get back.”

  “The others might wonder.”

  “They’ll think we’re off hooking up somewhere.”

  “Let’s go prove them right,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “Come on, I want to eat your pussy.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Not here. Back at the cabin. In our fort.”

  “I don’t know,” she teased. “If you’re making me go all the way up the hill, I want a guarantee you’re gonna be good at it.”

  “I made you come pretty hard last night, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah. But I figure there’s got to be a catch with you. Like, maybe you suck at giving head.”

  “Interesting that you use the word suck.”

  She let out a little laugh, cheeks flushing. He grinned with success.

  “Come on, let’s go.”

  There was a noise from above. He raised a hand to his lips.

  “Shh,” he said. “What was that?”

  “Why are you so jumpy?”

  “There it is again!”

  A voice. Then another voice. Then the long, slow noise of the front door swinging open.

  Zrrrmmmph, krrrnnph. That was what it sounded like.

  “Shit,” Devin said. “It’s them!”

  A jolt of adrenaline surged through his blood, sending him stumbling backward onto the floor. He scrambled to his feet and ran across the room after Cora. They ducked behind one of the grow labs.

  She covered her face and tried to quiet her laughter.

  It infuriated him, but giving her a threatening stare only made her laugh harder, so he shut his eyes and began to pray.

  There was a bump and a bang and then quiet. Then, footsteps on the stairs. They came all the way down, slowly but surely.

  “If someone’s in here,” Walter’s voice boomed. “There’s no point in hiding.”

  “Don’t worry,” Cora whispered. “I’ll take the blame.”

  Devin shook his head, holding a finger over his lips.

  She made a face like, “what?”

  He shook his head again, harder this time.

  She ignored him, crawling out into view. He grabbed her by the ankle and tried to pull her back, but she kicked him away.

  There was a long silence. He just sat there, covering his mouth with his hands.

  “For the love of the Lord,” Walter said. “What have you gone and done?”

  “I thought you were going to a movie.”

  “Forgot my wallet.”

  Devin flailed silently.

  “You alone?”

  “Devin’s in here too. But it’s not his fault.”

  There was another silence.

  “Devin,” Cora said, annoyed. “You can come out.”

  He opened his eyes and climbed to his feet, feeling wounded. Walter looked a lot angrier than he sounded.

  “Aye,” he said. “Come up, then. I suppose we better have a talk.”

  Devin bit his thumbnail and looked at the ground, hoping that wasn’t code for “I’m going to shoot you.”

  Raven was waiting in the study. Her eyes were full of questions.

  “You two stay here,” Walter said, pointing at Devin and grabbing Cora by the arm. “And you—let’s go.”

  “Wait.” Devin stepped forward. “W-what are you gonna do?”

  Walter glared. “Word to the wise, son—now isn’t the time to be asking questions.”

  Devin swallowed. He looked at Cora.

  “It’s okay,” she said firmly. “I’ll tell him everything.”

  He watched them go and then turned to Raven, lips quivering.

  “I’m sorry.” His vision blurred with tears. “We weren’t going to touch anything.”

  Raven looked merciful. She came over, taking him in her arms and soothing him. If he was more of a man, he would have done something slick, like blackmailing them into giving him a cut of their business. But apparently, he was going to cry like a kid with a skinned knee.

  “Honey, it’s okay. But tell me—how did you know it was down there?”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “She had the key?”

  He swallowed, remembering the painting, which was still off the hook in the bedroom.

  “It … I … I didn’t see a key.”

  “You can tell the truth.”

  There was shouting from the other side of the house. He shifted in his seat.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “He’d never lay a hand on her.”

  “I am telling the truth. I didn’t see.”

  She nodded, and he could tell she didn’t believe him.

  “You know it’s funny,” she said, going over to the globe and shutting the passageway. “We were going to retire a few years back. Then, I got sick. And we spent a lot of money getting me better. All of our savings. I used to think of myself as a rebel, fighting for the cause. Now, it’s just about the money.”

  “I understand why you don’t want to tell everyone. But I, for one, think it’s awesome.”

  They heard footsteps outside. Cora appeared, eyes all red from crying. Walter popped
his head in behind her and motioned to Raven. He looked at Devin.

  “Keep an eye on her until I get done talking to my wife?”

  “Um … yeah.”

  “I swear to you,” Walter said. “That girl would find trouble if the last of it were locked in a box at the bottom of the sea …”He and Raven left the room.

  Devin rushed to Cora’s side. “Are you okay? What happened?”

  “It’s okay. He’s mostly mad at me.”

  “I’m mad at you. Why didn’t you listen to me?”

  She shrugged. “Be mad if you want. What’s done is done.”

  “What did you tell him? I didn’t want to say anything about how you went and got the key.”

  “I told him he should be thanking me. Now he’s aware how unstable his system of security is.”

  “And what did he say to that?”

  “He didn’t like it much,” she said. “But I could tell that he knew it was true.”

  “If you say so.”

  She made a face. “Do you hate me?”

  “Not even if I wanted to.”

  She hooked her finger into his belt loop, pulling him over and stepping up onto his feet. He smiled and just as he was about to kiss her, the door opened and Walter and Raven were back.

  They all faced each other.

  “Aye, so here’s what it be.” Walter paused, touching his brow. “Option one, you both agree to never speak a word about this to anybody, pack your things, and hit the road.”

  “No, no.” Devin held up his hands, “We don’t want that, we want to—”

  “Option two.” Walter eyed him. “You agree never to speak a word about this to anybody … and you stay. The only difference being that you’ll now be privy to some knowledge, which means you’ll be working extra hard to earn my trust.”

  Devin was nodding enthusiastically. “Yes, most definitely. Thank you, Walter. You’re so cool—”

  “Understand that this isn’t forgiven.” Walter stuck out his hand. “Not yet.”

  Devin took his hand, giving it a firm shake. “Absolutely. You won’t regret this.”

  He looked at Cora and smiled, his head spinning.

  ***

  The earth was shaking. No, not the earth—the bed. Why was the bed shaking?

  He opened his eyes and jerked, startled to see their faces staring down at him.

  “Happy birthday,” Cora said.

  A pillow thumped against his head, making everything dark. He pushed it away just as another one clobbered him.

  “Earthquake!”

  Panky and Cora jumped on the bed and began bouncing up and down.

  “Agh!” He winced, dodging their trampling legs. “Jeez, if you guys want to have a threesome with me, just say so.”

  “Threesome?” Lucius cocked an eyebrow. “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

  “Oh dear God, no.” Devin laughed as the girls wrestled him down. “I’m gonna hurt you all.”

  He gave in and curled up in a ball, shielding himself as they pummeled him with pillows. It topped a birthday beat-down from Aaron and Dave. Taking a punch from one of Dave’s skinny little fists was like being stabbed in the shoulder by a chicken bone. It also didn’t result in anywhere near as many “accidental” boob and ass grabs.

  “Happy birthday, busboy,” Cora said, kissing him.

  “Mhm,” he said. “Best birthday treat ever.”

  “Ugh,” Panky said. “You two really have become an epidemic.”

  “And you’re jealous,” Cora said. “Like usual.”

  “I am jealous. It isn’t an insult when I openly admit it.” Panky sneered and climbed up. “Come on, let’s go make him breakfast.”

  “Fair warning,” Cora said, looking over her shoulder. “It may just be toast and jam.”

  Devin smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

  Lucius packed him a bowl and they sat together, smoking and listening to Bob Marley.

  “Your future looks bright, my friend,” Lucius said, handing over the pipe. “The birds are singing, the sun’s shining, and you’ve had two women in your bed before noon.”

  “Thank you, thank you,” Devin said, taking a hit.

  “I’m a little jealous too. You’re like, right there.”

  “You’ll be there again soon, dude.”

  Devin leaned back, letting the sun hit his face. He was stoned in that way that only a wake and bake can do, and it made the secret even heavier. He couldn’t tell Lucius, even though normally, he would be the first he would choose to tell. Stumbling upon a hidden pot lair would have been the perfect thing to happen to a dreadlocked stoner like him, and now he was on the outside.

  Lucius took a hit, doing a French exhale.

  “Last night,” he said, voice choking. “I had a dream about a girl crushing me with her huge knockers.”

  “You’re always talking the talk, why not prove your theories correct and manifest a chick?”

  “I’d probably have to go to town once in a while for that to happen.”

  “You’ve been chilling on the mountain, doing your thing. You haven’t wanted it. But if you’re ready, we should get to visualizing. Come on, let’s visualize.”

  “All right,” Lucius said. “What you got?”

  “Pretty eyes,” Devin said. “Amazing intellect. Breasts heavy enough to kill a man.”

  Lucius laughed. “Sounds good.”

  “If you seriously want to find someone, we should all go out on the prowl sometime. Find a party.”

  “I’m not sure about the prowling,” Lucius said. “But the party is a good call.”

  “Why no prowling?”

  “I’m kind of shy around women, to be honest. Not always, but in a romantic situation.”

  “Well, isn’t that cute. Work it. Women love shy.”

  “A lot of them approach me first. Mostly because of the hair. But sometimes it’s difficult for me to keep a conversation going.”

  “What, do you freeze up and get quiet?”

  “Yeah, sometimes.”

  “See, I’m the opposite. I just keep talking no matter what.”

  “There’s a reason you rap and I beatbox.”

  They looked at it each other, contemplating the depths of what he just said. After a second, it made Devin laugh.

  “Dude, I’m so stoned.”

  “It’s your birthday! Lucky duck.”

  “Walter is hiring a new worker soon. Maybe she’ll be another paradise-worthy beauty.”

  Lucius chuckled. “Here’s hoping. Then again, I might wait until we get to India. There’s no point in me finding someone and then leaving. Plus, backpacker girls are so comfortable and natural—”

  “Until we go?” Devin felt his face brighten. “So you want to go for sure?”

  “Well, I can’t turn down a trip to India, can I?”

  “Dude … This is gonna be so sweet!”

  “Yeah? I wasn’t sure you’d be up for it.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re not thinking about sticking around here? Shacking up with Rapunzel?”

  “No, I … ” He paused, shaking out his head. “Are you kidding me? We’re going.”

  “Quality. The only question is, when?”

  “I have no idea. August?”

  “August!” He grinned, giving him a high five. “Happy birthday, brother. The best is yet to come.”

  So, that settled it then. He was going to India in August—and of course he wasn’t thinking about shacking up … That would be crazy.

  The girls did a good job with breakfast, which was a strawberry protein smoothie, and toast and jam. A thunderstorm started rolling in around eleven, and they all went down to the house and hung out on the Internet for a few hours while Raven and Lucius worked to prepare lunch and his birthday cake. He wasn’t allowed to help because, by tradition, the cake was supposed to be a surprise. All he knew was that it was a raw chocolate cake—one of Raven’s oldest and most finely tuned recipes.

  He
sat on the computer, scrolling through his emails. Cora lay on the nearby floor and read a magazine. Panky was absorbed in the screen of her tablet.

  There were emails from Michael and Aaron. Both were short and sweet, and Aaron’s included the assurance that Dave was still gay—and that he said hello. Devin responded with some stuff about the farm and the fact that he now had a buddy to come with him to India. Then, he went on to talk about Cora.

  “You’d like Aaron,” he told her as he typed. “He’s a nice guy. I know you’d like him. I’m not sure about Dave.”

  “Oh yeah? Would they like me?”

  “Yes—without a doubt. I’m describing you to Aaron now.”

  “You are?” She sat up. “What are you saying?”

  “Not telling,” he said, pressing send before she could look. “But my descriptions of some of our activities were quite graphic.”

  “You’re lying.”

  The back door opened and Walter came in from the kitchen, all wet from the rain.

  “Here you go, son,” he said, holding out a manila envelope. “This just came for you.”

  A package? He drew a complete blank until he noticed the return address.

  “Holy crap,” he said. “My passport.”

  He pulled out the navy blue booklet, running his finger over the bald eagle on the cover. Lucius ran into the room, nearly bouncing off the ground with excitement.

  “Law of attraction in action, my brother! The universe is getting us all set up.”

  “Us?” Cora said.

  “Uh, yeah,” Devin said. “We decided this morning that he’s going with me to India.”

  He watched her face for any sign of disappointment. A twinge of the cheeks, a softening of the eye, a slight downward curve of the mouth—anything to show him that she didn’t like the idea of him vanishing to the other side of the planet.

  Instead, he got a smile. “You guys! That’s so great! Let me see your picture.”

  He flipped through the pages. There he was, glossy and sparkling with a dorky grin on his face. On that day, his only problem had been that he couldn’t get to India soon enough. It seemed like long ago when he was sitting on that sweaty airplane, gallivanting off toward a destiny unknown. Back then, the guarantee that life would be different three months in the future thrilled him.

  Now, for the first time ever, he didn’t want anything to be different. If asked to rate various periods of his life, he would have rated the majority of them somewhere between okay, crappy, and bad enough to want to bash his head into the pavement. Now, life was perfect, and he wanted to soak up every moment like a sponge, squeezing them all onto the atmosphere and staining it perfect forever.