31.
Levi
After Ella had stormed out, I went out looking for Isla. For some reason, I had it in my head that I was going to round a corner and there she’d be, and there’d be a moment or two of silence and then I’d open my arms and she’d walk over and embrace me. I’d whisper how sorry I was and that the kiss she had walked in on meant nothing, and all would be forgiven. To make it up to her, I’d take her back to the villa and give her as many orgasms as I could.
I let this fantasy play out in my head as I walked, and it allowed me to lose track of time. How long had I been walking for? Where the hell was Isla? Had she gone back to the house?
I pulled my phone out of my pocket, realizing that I had turned the ringer off. But there were no calls from her, just a bunch of missed calls and texts from Alfie, who I wasn’t in the fucking mood to talk to right now. If I talked with him, it’d probably end up with me telling him to eat shit and die.
I called her, knowing that she wouldn’t pick up, but hoping I was wrong. Maybe I should just go back to the house and wait; all her stuff was still there, so she’d at least have to come back to get her passport before she could leave. All I needed to do was see her in person and I’d be able to explain it.
“Isla,” I said to her voicemail. “It’s me. I’m running around here looking for you, except you seem to have vanished. I know you’re pissed, and I don’t blame you; I didn’t mean for you to walk in and see that. I mean—shit. That came out wrong. I wasn’t kissing Ella. Well, I was, but I didn’t initiate and I had just told her that you and I were together. I swear. And then—” I was interrupted by the incoming call tone. I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at the screen. “Fuck off!” I shouted, seeing Alfie’s name appear. The voicemail was still recording. “Shit,” I said. “That wasn’t directed to you, that last part. Isla, just call me back, okay?” I hung up.
“Yo, Levi!”
I turned and saw this guy Joel ambling over. Joel was a friend from New York, super into the party scene, had his own place here not too far from my own.
“Oh, hey,” I said. He held his hand out and we slapped fives. His eyes were hidden behind his aviator sunglasses.
“You cool?” he asked. “You look like you need a little something to mellow yourself out.” He slid a joint from behind his ear and tried to hand it to me. “Try a puff of this. You got a lighter? It’s Afghani Daydream and it’s fuckin—”
“No, I’m all set,” I said. “I’m actually looking for someone.”
“Oh, I just saw Ella over at Boho Bar. I was going to say what’s up, but she looked pissed. She should still be over there though.”
“No, not Ella. Isla, actually.”
“Isla? I don’t think I know her.”
“Sure you do. Remember how I had a stepsister in high school? That was Isla.”
Joel frowned. “Isla . .
.” he said. He snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah! The fat chick? I remember her.”
“She’s not fat anymore.”
“Yeah, well, she used to
be. That’s so funny that you mentioned her, because I actually saw her a little
while ago.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. I was eating lunch at Gordina’s. I thought she looked familiar, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember where the fuck I had seen her. But that’s it! Hell yeah you’re right—she’s not fat anymore. She looked fuckin dope. Amazing transformation. She got in a car with someone.”
“What? A car? With who?”
Joel shrugged. “I don’t remember, man, sorry. I was too busy staring at her
ass. It was a dark car, I think.”
“A dark car. Great. Thanks. That’s entirely helpful,” I said.
Joel grinned, not catching my sarcasm. “Any time, man.”
Who had she gotten into a car with? Whoever it was, they were probably giving her a ride back to my place this very second so she could get her stuff and leave.
“When was this?”
He glanced down at his wrist, even though he wasn’t wearing a watch. “I’m not
sure . . . it was a little while ago, at least. No more than hour, I’d say.”
“And you don’t remember
who she was with?”
“Sorry. It wasn’t a taxi, though. I know that for sure.”
“I gotta run,” I said to Joel.
“You do what you gotta do,” he said. “But we should chill soon. Bring Isla!”
“Yeah, sure,” I said. I turned and started walking back to the house, looking for a taxi. Of course the only ones that went by were already occupied. If Isla hadn’t gotten into a taxi, then who had picked her up? She wasn’t friendly with anyone out here, as far as I knew, though I supposed that didn’t mean she couldn’t have made friends without me knowing. People were like that around here, very friendly, just interested in having a good time.
I had to get back to the house before she did; I just needed to be able to explain everything to her in person, and let her know that what she just saw with Ella was not at all what she probably thought it was.