Page 6 of Always and Forever
Crap, I’m being dramatic.
Carl assured me that Rhia knows the truth, but hammered into me that I can’t be in touch with her until all the drama around our supposed deaths has well and truly subsided.
God, I miss her!
Tears well up and my throat closes over.
But Tiero doesn’t want to wait anymore. What am I going to do?
“Hey, what’s going on?” Claudette asks, noticing my impending meltdown. “Everything will be fine, darling. This is meant to be a happy time.”
I swallow the lump obscuring my airways and wipe at my eyes.
“Ignore me,” I tell her. “Hormones,” I deflect.
If I talk about Rhia now, I’m going to dissolve into a mess.
Understanding dawns on Claudette’s face, and she turns to take me into her arms. Thankfully she lets go quickly and points to the row of ingredients on the kitchen bench.
“I’m surprised you don’t need a recipe.”
I tap the side of my head. “It’s all in here,” I say. “I’ve made gingerbread and ‘Linzer Torte’ since I was four. First with Oma and ma, and then when we moved to Dublin Rhia joined the fun. It became our tradition. This year will be the first time since meeting Rhia that we won’t be together for Christmas.”
And now I’m thinking of my best friend again.Great!
Willing the tears back, I stare out the far window. Melancholy about a Christmas without my best friend settles in as memories of our baking adventures play out in my mind.
“When Rhia and I were making gingerbread as teenagers, her cookie shapes got quite obscene. One year, she shocked her nana when she gave her a tin of cock-shaped gingerbread. The cookies all had different colored icing, and she told her grandmother that the cocks were wrapped up in flavored condoms. Red for strawberry, blue for blueberries. And then there was one where the cock was shriveled up and the balls were blue.”
Claudette bursts out with laughter, and I’m happy to join in.
“Hey, I was proud of that gift and fully intend to make cock cookies again,” a voice that sounds an awful lot like my best friend’s says from behind us. “They were fun to eat, weren’t they? I think this year I’ll add a cockring.”
Oh. My. God!
Chapter Four
Ella
I’msureI’mhallucinating.I’m hearing voices now.
My mind must be making things up because I miss Rhia so much.
Still, my heart rate gains momentum. Like in the movies, I turn around in slow motion.
Oh my, my hallucination looks damn convincing.
But there’s no way Rhia is here.
“Surprise!” the Rhia Fata Morgana squeals.
My jaw drops. I want to say something but nothing comes out.
Surprise is an understatement.
Rhia drops her backpack and barrels toward me. The next second I’m engulfed in her arms. Mine band around her waist and pull her closer, her fiery red hair cushioning my cheek.
She’s real… Rhia is here!