Ariel is… not the most tactful person. And I… Forest always says I fill the silence. Talk a lot. Not too much, since he likes it, and he’s quiet, but a lot.
Ariel laughs. Then blushes. “He, um…” She looks to me for help. Should we tell her this?
I shrug. What do I know about interacting with teenagers?
“We, um, should probably not discuss that,” she says.
“Oh.” Daisy’s nod is knowing. “If you don’t want to talk about sex, don’t. But don’t act like I’m some innocent flower.”
“Are you not?” Ariel asks, not at all aware of her bluntness. “You’re even named after a flower.”
“You’re named after a mermaid,” Daisy says. “Can you breathe underwater?”
I can’t help but laugh. She’s funny. And bolder than she looks. “I am not omnipresent.”
They look at me like I’m crazy.
“Like the sky? It’s everywhere.” When they don’t laugh, I move on. “When do you turn eighteen?”
“This summer.” Her smile is warm. “I may not have a lot of experience with guys, but I’m not innocent.”
Ariel shoots me a yeah right look.
Daisy catches it. Does nothing to hide her frown.
I nudge Ariel. “Maybe, uh, maybe that’s true.” I turn to Daisy. “Besides, there’s more to life than sex.”
“There is?” Ariel asks.
“Oh my God, you’re so horny.” I laugh. “All the time.”
“I know.” She pouts. “I can’t work. Or watch TV. Or take walks. My head keeps going back to sex.”
“Chase?” I ask.
“Or other guys?” Daisy asks.
“Always Chase.” Ariel beams. “He’s just so…” Her sigh is dreamy. “He is… We are… we can’t be as rough anymore.” She rubs her stomach. “Charlotte gets in the way.” She looks to me. “Do you think you and Forest will have babies?”
“We aren’t even—” I clear my throat. “We just kissed once.”
“You did!” Ariel looks to Daisy. “Can you believe it? They finally kissed. Oh my God.” She wraps her arms around me. “That’s amazing.”
“You’ve only kissed?” Daisy asks.
“Well… so far.” I release Ariel. Take another sip of Thai iced tea. It’s rich and sweet, but it fails to cool me off. Forest’s lips… they’re so soft. I want them again. All night. But we… he…
I have no idea what it means.
If it means anything.
Maybe he got caught up in the moment. Maybe that’s all it is.
“I would have thought…” Daisy takes a long sip of her soda. “You two seem comfortable together.”
“We are. Sorta.” I can’t think about it right now. “So you and Holden, huh?”
“We’re just friends.” Her cheeks flush. “He helps me out sometimes.”
Disbelief spreads over Ariel’s face. “You’re a virgin, right?”
“Ariel!” I press my palm into my forehead. Laugh even though I shouldn’t.
“What?” Ariel asks. “She is. Should I not ask?”
“I don’t see why that matters,” Daisy says.
“Do you like him?” Ariel asks.
Daisy turns bright red.
I clear my throat.
Ariel shoots me a what look.
“You’re modeling now?” Daisy changes the subject. “When did that start? Is it full time?” She stares at me like she’s sure I’m a model. Like there’s absolutely nothing weird about me making a living as a model. Like I’m not too short, too big, too weird.
“Not yet. But this job will… well, it’s not enough to move out. Not yet. But soon,” I say.
Ariel nods. Refuses to accept this change in subject. “You seem nice, Daisy. And smart. But Holden is very charming. It’s easy to miss what a troublemaker he is.”
“I know,” Daisy says. “He’s just a friend.”
“But you do like him,” Ariel says.
“It doesn’t matter. I know where we stand.” Her blue eyes fill with regret for a moment—she can’t stand that he isn’t hers, that he won’t be hers, that he sees her as a kid—then she blinks, and her expression is pure acceptance.
God, I know that feeling.
Only when I try to find it—
It’s gone.
I can’t accept this anymore. I can’t accept friendship and nothing more.
I need more.
I need everything.
Ariel continues. “Keep it that way. He sleeps with everything that moves. And he doesn’t… there’s nothing wrong with that. If you want that, go for it. But he’s not the kind of guy who sticks around after. You know what I mean?”
It’s surprisingly tactful for her.
Daisy nods. “I knew that after ten minutes of talking to him.”
I chuckle. “It is obvious.”
“What about you and Forest?” she asks. “He was looking at you like he couldn’t wait to take you upstairs.” Her blush deepens. “Back upstairs, I guess.”
I don’t know what to say, so I take another sip.
“Was he really—” She nods to her crotch. “The whole time.”
“Not the whole time,” I say.
Ariel clears her throat. “Please do not talk about my brother’s boner. I don’t need to hear that.”
Daisy giggles. “Sorry.”
Ariel looks to me. Mouths oh my God, she wants him.
She does. But there’s nothing we can do about it. The more we tell her to stay away from Holden, the more she’ll go after him.