It's been several hours and fifteen days since you took your love away.
Serene watched one woman lean forward on her chair, her eyes widening with pleasure at Ramani's voice. Serene had forgotten what a good singer her mom was. Really good. As Ramani took on the emotion of the song, Serene felt goosebumps spray her skin from the feeling and power Ramani emanated in her performance. Her suntanned skin was coppery under the lighting, and the blue of her eyeshadow shockingly sensual as she closed her eyes and crooned out the lyrics, swaying to the rhythm. Someone whistled.
“Sing it, Mama,” the woman leaning forward at the next table yelled out, completely enraptured.
When Serene glanced at Aarav, she saw that he sat still as a statue, his features made gaunt and hollow in the lighting. He removed his glasses and, with a trembling hand, wiped his eyes with his napkin, then stood.
“Where are you going?” Serene whispered.
He didn't answer, making his way out just as Ramani opened her eyes. Her voice cracked but then fell back in tune and she shut her eyes again, squeezing them tight.
46
Night of the Get Together - July 15, 1996; 8:15-8:30 PM
"Dad's going to kill you dead for taking those," Carrie said, watching Steve grab a couple of six packs of their dad's Budweiser out of the larger box kept in the pantry.
Serene laughed at Carrie's serious expression.
Carrie made a face at her. "He will. Our dad goes through beer like water, and plus, he'll be pissed about Steve drinking because he's not," she made air quotes, "twenty-one yet."
Steve stacked the packs under one arm and placed a hand on Carrie's shoulder.
"Relax, little sis. He never looks in here. It's Mom who puts the beers in the fridge. I didn't touch his cold beer, and if he were to get suspicious, the only thing he'd suspect is Mom letting the supply run out, and Mom is so zonked out from wine every night, she'd believe him."
Carrie rolled her eyes and gave him a pretend punch in the stomach.
"Wanna come with us to Enzo's?" He offered.
"And hang out with that slut, Taylor? Dude, no thanks."
"There'll be other people there."
"Yeah, but she'll be sucking all the oxygen out of the air like the decaying pile of shit that she is."
"Noted, you hate Taylor," Steve said with a sharp grin.
"Just a little," Carrie quipped. "Besides, I've got summer school, remember? I'm going to tackle that essay I have for English on what I liked or hated about our move to LA."
"Which is it?" Serene asked.
Carrie rocked her hand side to side. "A little of both, I guess."
Steve headed out of the kitchen. "Catch you later."
Serene followed him.
"What time should I expect you home?" Carrie called after him.
"What do you care?" Steve said over his shoulder as he and Serene moved toward the front door.
"Enquiring minds will want to know when they get back to their castle, along with 'what happened to the beer?'"
Steve laughed. "Tenish."
"Tenish it is," Carrie shot back.
As they stepped outside, Serene felt a warm feeling spread through her belly. Steve and his sister were fun together, and through them Serene got to vicariously experience what it was like to live in a normal family. Just last week, she and Steve made up. He'd taken her out for several drives in the Mustang her grandmother had left him in her will. “We can share it when you get your license,” he'd told her the first time she'd climbed into the vehicle, his face set in an anxious frown, and added. “I didn't know Barbara was going to do this.”
Serene had placed her hand on his lap. “It's fine. I shouldn't have given you a hard time. I want you to have fun, like Barbara wanted.” Of course she didn't remember how she'd reacted, and a small part of her did feel a twinge of hurt. It wasn't really about the car, but about the relationship Steve got to have with her grandma, a relationship she’d missed out on. Barbara seemed like someone Serene would have liked to know. The sort of grandma she would have wanted in her life.
Kanani answered Enzo's door. She and Bets had walked over when Serene crossed the street to Steve's to retrieve him. Really, it was an excuse for five minutes of quick sex in his room since his parents were out for the night.
"There you are," Kanani yelled out jubilantly. "I thought I was going to have to send out one search party."
Bets squeezed around Kanani and grabbed Serene's hand, pulling her inside.
"We need more backup. Why didn't you tell me Cruella was going to be here?" She said in a low voice.
A look of slight bemusement and a tinge of leeriness advertised itself through the flickering grin on Steve's lips at Bets’ remark. You could never quite let your guard down around Taylor. Serene could hear her loud flirtatious laugh from the kitchen.
"I thought you knew she'd be here," Serene said in the same low voice.
"Um. No. I didn't." Bets chewed at her black painted pinky nail, glanced over her shoulder and said, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have come."
Serene shrugged. "She's Enzo's girlfriend."
Bets adjusted her leggings. "Was, I thought. Didn't they break up?”
Serene and Kanani shared a look. Another thing Serene had missed in the two-week time lapse when Dora took over.
"What?" Bets said, catching their silent communication. "You didn't know they broke up?"
"Come on, sis. Don't let her get to you like that," Kanani spoke up, throwing an arm around Bets' tense shoulders.
Steve strode ahead and Serene followed him, her gaze focused on his long legs, narrow waist and broad shoulders, images of their recent sexual encounter producing a flash of heat between her legs. Enzo
