Page 38 of Eye of the Hurricane (Weathering Doves Harbor #2)

Ares

I haven’t been to a party since last year. Which is crazy to say for someone who used to do a lot of partying. Lately that just doesn’t seem like the most exhilarating brand of fun anymore.

That being said, Halloween parties will have to be taken from my cold dead hands. Everything about a Halloween is party is so exciting. Everyone is in costumes, the place is usually decorated, there’s more turn out than usual. They’re just such a good time.

Usually I go for the easiest costume possible. This year I was asked by a certain beautiful blonde that I can’t say no to if I would coordinate with her. I thought on it for a very long one second before I gave her a resounding yes.

Audra and Roman are dressed up as Harley Quinn and The Joker. Ravyn is dressed up as some kind of fairy or woodland creature. Beck and Sebastian are going as Mario and Luigi.

Katherine didn’t tell me what she was going as but I have to assume she’s going as some kind of angel considering she asked me to dress as a demon.

My costume consists of an all black outfit with black feathered wings. Audra and Ravyn insisted I wear eyeliner with it to complete the look. I insisted it was girly and in return got called a misogynist. So we compromised and I have on eyeliner.

Me, Roman, Beck, and Sebastian are getting ready at Roman’s house. Katherine, Audra, Luna, and Ravyn are all getting ready at Katherine’s house. We’re all going to meet at The Sand who’s hosting the party. Although if I know anything, it’s that the girls will be late.

“Is that makeup?” Roman asks, poking a finger at my eye. I flinch back because it’s my eye.

“Yeah. Audra and Ravyn said the look would be incomplete without it.” I shrug. Him, Beck, and Sebastian all look me up and down.

“No they’re right I think it ties the whole demon thing together,” Beck chimes in.

“Yeah. Makes you look less like a frat boy with wings,” Sebastian adds.

“Still seems girly to me.” Roman shrugs.

“Careful, you’ll get a lecture about the female gaze vs. the male gaze for that. Ask me how I know.”

“They are very different,” Roman agrees. I just laugh.

“Are we waiting for them to be ready or are we just going?” I ask.

“Up to you guys,” Roman tells us.

“I’d rather wait for them there than wait for them here,” Sebastian replies.

“Let’s head out then,” I say, nodding my head toward the door .

“I’ll call the Uber.”

“I’ll tell Auds that we’re going now,” Roman adds on our way out of the door.

We don’t have to wait long for the Uber to pick us up which seems rare considering it’s Halloween, one of the biggest drinking nights of the year. Not only that but it falls on a Saturday this year. It feels a little silly getting into an uber with wings strapped to my back.

The drive is short, we’re only going into the heart of town. It’s only about ten minutes from Roman’s house. Still, better than anyone having to stay sober to be the designated driver for the night.

The Sand has a strict ‘No Costume, No Entry’ policy for Halloween. Which in turn means that every single person in this bar is dressed in some costume. Some are simple like a certain style of clothing to represent a character. Some are entirely unrecognizable in costume.

I’ve never seen The Sand so packed. I have to imagine this is great for business. Especially considering the line we’re waiting in just to order a drink.

I scan the room and think about how excited I would have been a few years ago about all of the women in corsets and tiny little skirts. Now they might as well be in paper bags for all I care. All I can think about is Kat. She’s all I ever think about anymore.

I’m equal parts excited and nervous to see her. I haven’t seen her since the day of her interview. I’ve also been waiting on bated breath to hear if she got the job. Every day that I don’t hear the good news, my heart sinks for her.

The way Kat and I left things is weird. Uncomfortable to sit with at the very least. We’re in this weird purgatory where we’re both aware of how into each other we are. Yet somehow there is no guarantee that we’ll ever be together.

The idea that Kat and I would never end up together feels far away. Like some worst case scenario that would never happen. I don’t know what that says about me.

I don’t know where she’s at. All I know is where I’m at.

And where I’m at is that I know exactly what I want.

If I tried to dream up a perfect woman, she still wouldn’t be as good as Katherine.

She’s as good as it gets. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to find something that feels the same when I already know it’s not out there.

Finally, I get to the front of the line and I order myself a beer. I also have the foresight to order Katherine an espresso martini so she won’t have to wait in the line that I just did.

The girls walk in, laughing loudly. It doesn’t draw much attention because they’re not being any louder than everyone else in here. My eyes are glued to them though. Well, let’s be really honest. My eyes are glued to Katherine.

As if she isn’t angelic enough on her own, she’s dressed as one. She’s got on a tight, white, corset with all kinds of lace on it. It’s complete with the tiniest mini skirt I’ve ever seen to match. And to top it off, tights that have little tiny diamonds running up and down her legs.

I see now that this night out will be short-lived. Why? Because I’m taking her home and throwing her on the bed the first chance I get. I can’t think straight looking at her, maybe because all of my blood is rushing in the opposite direction.

Before I know it she’s standing in front of me with a bright smile on her face. I hold the martini glass out to her and she takes it from me.

“Line was crazy, I didn’t want you to have to wait in it,” I tell her, leaning down to her ear so she can hear me over the crowd.

“Thank you.”

“You look really fucking good, Kat.” My voice rasps in her ear. I lean back, gauging her reaction. A light blush blooms on her cheeks.

“You look sexy like this,” she replies, pushing up on her tiptoes to get closer to my ear. Now I’m the one blushing. And picturing myself carrying her ass out of here, but that’s neither here nor there.

“Happy Halloween, shithead,” Ravyn says, nudging my arm harshly.

“Happy Halloween, Ray.” She slips through the crowds of people and makes her way to the line for drinks.

Katherine leans up on the tips of her toes again, attempting to whisper in my ear. I lean down some, allowing her to be in ear range.

“I need to talk to you later.”

“Why not now?” I question.

“Because it’s too loud in here and we’re rude if we step outside so soon,” she explains.

“Okay, just don’t leave me hanging.” She nods her head in confirmation.

Once everyone has had a chance to get some drinks in them, we all head to what is usually the dance floor. Although tonight The Sand is so packed that any room not occupied by a table, has become a dance floor.

Audra and Roman are off dancing. Somehow Luna has convinced Sebastian to dance with her. Although, according to Kat, she could convince anyone to do anything. Ravyn is dancing with some woman I’ve never seen before, which is typical for her .

Kat and I are standing around, waiting for a good time to slip outside and talk. Which seems like the time might be now. Until I realize Beck is standing alone with a dispassionate look on his face.

“I want to check on him, then we’ll talk, okay?” I ask. She nods and follows me over to where Beck is standing.

“You okay?” I ask. He gives me a stiff smile and holds his drink up to me.

“Yeah, just people watching,” he responds.

“You don’t want to dance with someone. There are lots of single women in here. Or men, I don’t judge.” The last part earns a laugh from him.

“I don’t really do the random women thing… or men. I’m okay though, promise,” he assures me.

“You could always try getting to know one of them,” I suggest. He shakes his head.

“None of them are what I want.”

“You’re sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah, man. Thanks for checking though.”

“Okay. We’re going to slip outside for a minute to get some air. We’ll be right back,” I tell him. He bursts into laughter.

“You’re not coming back,” he says through laughs.

“No, we are. She just wanted to talk to me for a minute.”

“Yeah… Okay,” he says, clearly not believing me.

I just wave him off and turn to look at Katherine. I take her hand in mine and weave us through the crowd of people. I think at some point we even bump into a blow-up dinosaur?

One of the only drawbacks to the South is that when you’re looking to step outside for fresh air, the air is not fresh. Even at 10:00 P.M, the air is warm and thick from the ocean.

“Let’s walk,” she says, tightening her grip on my hand and dragging me away from the double doors .

Doves Harbor is always aesthetically pleasing but nothing compares to it at night. String lights hang between buildings making every alley and walkway lit with warm twinkling lights.

“So what’s the meaning behind this walk?” I finally ask. We’re far enough from the ocean that you can’t see it but close enough that you can smell it when the wind blows.

“I heard back about my interview,” she tells me. I swipe my eyes over her face, searching for some sign of excitement or sadness but it’s void of either. Either she has an excellent poker face or it’s just a second interview.

“And what did you hear?” I press. Her cool expression cracks open into a toothy grin.

“I got the job!” she exclaims. A pride so big it feels like I can’t fit it all in my chest grows where my lungs should be.

“Oh my God, Kat. I’m so fucking proud of you,” I pull her arm, tugging her into my chest for a hug. My arms wrap tightly around her and hers around me.

“Only Luna knows.”

“When do you start?” I ask.

“I start three weeks from Monday. Until then I’ll continue shadowing and finishing my last course at DHU.”

“This is huge! You worked so hard for this. We should do something to celebrate,” I tell her.

“I had something in mind for that,” she says with a shrug.

“What did you have in mind? We’ll do whatever you want.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” she starts, adjusting her necklace and twirling a piece of her hair.

“All my life I’ve had a laser focus on this one thing.

This one path. I didn’t leave room for much else.

I made a strict plan and forced myself to never deviate from it.

Until I met you, then the lines of the plan got blurry.

Still though, I didn’t let myself step fully out of line.

It was all to get here. And I finally did it.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that the plan is over now and I have time.

For this—us.” I don’t know if she’s done talking yet or not but I crash my lips into hers anyway.

Because I’m not wasting another second not having this when it’s all that I want.

“I got the call and the first person I wanted to tell was you. I asked myself what all I wanted to do with my newfound freedom and all I could think of was you. It’s just you, that’s all I want.”

“Well, what are we still doing standing out here? Call an Uber. I’m ready to take you to bed. Have been since I saw the costume but especially now.”

“And that is what I had in mind to celebrate,” she says, ordering the ride. This woman’s going to be the death of me.