Chapter 13

Come morning, I stirred later than usual, awakening with the languor of a contented soul. Like a cardsharp who’d secured a fortune in the nick of time, I had slept the sleep of the saved and thankful. All felt harmonious with the world, as though the universe had shifted into proper alignment.

My bedfellows slept on beside me, deep in the throes of slumber. Gingerly, I disentangled from the sheets, extricating myself from the bed with the utmost care so as not to rouse the pair, before ambling off to the bathroom.

Afterwards, when I returned, I hesitated at the threshold, absorbing the beguiling scene before me. Shafts of sunlight filtered through openings in the drawn drapes, and the morning light bathed the room in a golden, ethereal glow. Two graceful figures reclined peacefully beside each other on the bed, as if their bodies had been meticulously arranged to accentuate their allure.

While she slept, Andra’s robe had shifted, revealing more than it concealed. My eyes lingered on her breasts as they rose and fell softly with each breath. It was a mysterious thing how the garment could magnify her already considerable allure and yet veil so little.

In the centre of the bed, Enide lay prone, her face obscured by a cascade of gold strands. Like cushions under pressure, the contours of her breasts had flattened, their rounded fullness pushed invitingly outwards. The linens had conspired to unveil her exquisite beauty, draping themselves sensually below the sumptuous swell of her buttocks. Her back was a magnificent landscape unto itself, with delicate lines and taut sinews tell-tale signs of lean muscles sculpted by athletic pursuits.

A fiery surge of desire coursed through my veins. Like a ravenous animal, I wanted to ravage Enide, yet it wasn’t restraint for her sake that kept me from descending upon her. What held me back, painful to say, was a bout of nagging self-doubt.

The affection shared by Enide and Andra, I couldn’t help but notice, might cause even the most intimate bosom pals to blush with envy. Even in my wildest dreams, I hadn’t imagined navigating such tantalising yet murky waters. I didn’t have the foggiest clue what unwritten rules or expectations would guide our relations. For instance, if I were to allow myself to pounce on Enide with debaucherous intentions, would it upset Andra or ruffle her feathers?

Without wishing to put too fine a point on it, as a young man, brimming with vim, vigour, and base impulses, the prospect of bedding two comely young women was rather appealing. However, once I took account of faculties beyond those governed by my more carnal instincts, I knew in my heart that I was, first and foremost, devoted to Enide.

Of course, I adored Andra too — a sentiment that went beyond lustful adulation. I would have wrestled tigers for her, even if we hadn’t indulged in amorous relations. Andra had been a faithful, devoted friend to both Enide and me. It was she who had brought us together when it seemed we might drift apart. For this alone, I will always cherish Andra and so I was determined to spare her from any hurt or offence.

I heaved a weary sigh — my reflections had left me none the wiser and served only to thicken the plot of my dilemma. With tentative steps, I retraced my path towards the bed, where my eyes were once more drawn to Enide’s sleeping figure. Despite the subdued light, the luminous golden hue of her skin was still discernible. It was as if she had struck a private pact with the sun, for there wasn’t the faintest signature of tan lines to be seen. Every inch of her had received the uninterrupted embrace of sunlight.

An old yet familiar memory barged its way into my consciousness. It was an image that would periodically resurface in my thoughts, seemingly undiminished by the passage of time. I had inadvertently stumbled upon Aunt Broni in, as they say, a state of nature. Some specifics have since blurred and faded: Enide’s whereabouts at the time or why her mother had been so at ease lounging in the garden with visitors in the vicinity, wearing nothing more than a wide-brimmed sunhat. Such an occurrence was certainly far from ordinary and it never repeated itself in my presence.

That fleeting glimpse had etched itself into my grey matter and lingered vividly in my thoughts as I observed Enide, sprawled on the bed, mirroring a similar pose. While differences existed between the two, Enide’s and her mother’s physiques were alike — a lithe upper body paired harmoniously with voluptuous hips and generous buttocks. Their faces, softly feminine and delicately chiselled, crowned the bodies of fertility goddesses.

In my mind’s eye, I pictured mother and daughter nestled beside one another as their lustrous bodies lay glistening in the sun. The seductive lushness of the vision coaxed a groan from the recesses of my core and set my heart racing.

Carefully grasping the sheets, I drew them over Enide’s tranquil form. Without a hint of awakening, she nestled into their embrace, yielding to the comforting warmth. It may have only been my imagination, but it seemed as if a trace of a smile played across her lips. I lingered by the bed, kneeling in vigil beside her, thanking my lucky stars.

Engrossed in my thoughts, time slipped before it seemed that Andra had begun to stir. A soft moan escaped her lips, but she rolled lazily onto her side, once again lost to the realm of dreams. Her movements, however, managed to wake Enide from her slumber. The blond girl lifted her face from the pillow and as her drowsy eyes met my watchful gaze, her face was illuminated by a radiant smile.

“Good morning,” I whispered and leaned over to place a kiss on her shoulder.

Enide’s eyes sparkled and her lips curled into a broader grin. She extended her limbs and stretched with a deep sense of contentment. Then all of a sudden, her eyes widened in alarm. “What time is it?” she demanded but didn’t wait for an answer. She grappled with the sheets and then leapt from the bed with the agility of a startled hare. “Andra! Wake up! Get to your senses!”

On the opposite side of the bed, the tumult startled poor Andra awake, jolting her upright. It was as though a fireman had been summoned in the dead of night to confront an inferno. “Enide ... what in the world!?” she gasped.

The ruckus put rather a dampener on the romantic ambience that had enveloped me. Rising with a resigned sigh, I set about trying to calm Enide who was busily ricocheting around the room like a pinball. “It’s alright, Enide ... we have plenty of time,” I said, my head whirling around as I tracked her frenetic pace.

The source of Enide’s agitation was immediately apparent to me. She and I had known one another since our earliest days and were experts in each other’s idiosyncrasies. Enide had a strange, deep-seated aversion to imposing upon the goodwill of others. This might sound ludicrous, and in Enide’s case, one could say it bordered on the pathological, but I dare say we all harbour peculiarities of one kind or another.

The root of this curious quirk remains a mystery to me. Aunt Broni, a woman of principle, had taken pains to ensure the behaviour of her two daughters remained far removed from the snobbery and arrogance that marred many of their peers. Still, ever pragmatic, Enide’s mother was not entirely averse to letting store clerks or waitstaff fawn over her. Enide on the other hand, was an altogether different story. When we were children, she would give me the extra confectioneries the kindly shopkeeper put in our bags because she was too guilt-ridden to enjoy them herself.

I knew Enide would be mortified if we failed to vacate the premises on time. Moreover, she would feel compelled to restore the place to a condition resembling its state on our arrival before she could feel any semblance of satisfaction.

Enide had slipped into her dressing gown during her first orbit of the room. As she whizzed by, I made my move and nabbed her mid-flight. Such was her momentum that she let out a faint ‘Oof’ as though she’d been tackled. Still, she offered no resistance as I drew her close in an affectionate embrace.

“It’s alright sweetheart ... we’ll be ready in time,” I assured her.

She lifted her face, her eyes flashing with annoyance, but the hardness in them melted away in an instant. As the tension faded, her eyes brimmed with a deep, contented affection. I couldn’t help but kiss her.

The calm tranquillity I had hoped to instil was somewhat short-lived. All too soon, and earlier than I’d wished, Enide extricated herself from my embrace and nudged me towards the door, all the while playfully insinuating that I was always the one prone to dawdle. Once I’d been shooed away, I stole a last glance back and caught a glimpse of Enide attempting to coax Andra from the bed as the latter voiced her protests with commendable vigour.

Outside in the adjoining lounge, I called reception and asked for a light breakfast to be brought up to the suite. Determined to be ready before the girls, I went back to my room and set about showering and packing.

When I next entered the lounge, I did so with briskness that left no room for accusations of tardiness. From the corner of my eye, I caught my reflection in the mirror and sighing, moved closer. ‘Such are the pitfalls of haste,’ I mused as I cast a critical glance at my freshly scrubbed reflection. I undid my tie and with deliberate finesse, set about crafting a more pleasing knot.

A few minutes later, the door to the girls’ bedroom swung open and Andra stepped out. She had donned a simple summer dress and looked rejuvenated, her loveliness revealed with understated charm.

“Is Enide still tinkering about with the room?” I asked flashing a knowing grin. Andra rolled her eyes theatrically in response, her expression conveying patience in the face of life’s inexorable absurdities.

As we waited for Enide, I felt a need to express my gratitude to Andra. But as I tried to conjure up the right words, a veil of uncertainty clouded my thoughts. I shifted towards the window, shielding my face from her. What, precisely, was I thanking Andra for? Had she played matchmaker for Enide and me, or was there perhaps an implied arrangement encompassing all three of us?

I began to drift in the quagmire of my musings. Had Enide meant it when she’d called me her boyfriend? Was my tryst with Andra just a fleeting dalliance, a blip, or an indication of things to come? Truth be told, it all seemed rather complicated.

A crisp knock drew me out of my introspection. At the door, a pleasant young woman greeted me, poised beside a trolley laden with our breakfast. She wore an immaculate white tunic and in keeping with the Imperial’s reputation, exuded an air of cool refinement. I offered a polite greeting and beckoned her inside. The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee melded with the inviting scent of warm bread and pastries as she positioned the trolley in the lounge. I gave her a tip as a token of my gratitude and she left with an unmistakable spring in her step.

Andra surveyed the spread with satisfaction. “Good thinking Rody,” she commended, as she poured coffee for us. As she leaned over the tray, my gaze drifted towards the tempting expanse of cleavage revealed by her dress. I reluctantly tore my eyes away and sat on one of the sofas, pondering the curious nature of manhood. It’s as though we’re fated to teeter between unwavering devotion to our beloved one moment, only to be enticed by the contours of another maiden’s bosom in the next.

Almost as if my thoughts had summoned her, Enide appeared at the door to join our midst. She was barely adorned yet aglow with an innate beauty. Furthermore, she appeared more relaxed, likely because she noted that both Andra and I seemed ready for departure. I instinctively began to rise in greeting, and she was by my side in a few strides. With a quick, playful gesture, she planted a kiss on my cheek.

“Might I inquire,” she began with an exaggerated air of formality, “as to the well-being of my dashing boyfriend on this fine morning?”

To my ears, Enide’s words were like an arcane incantation that left me feeling unburdened. The myriad doubts and uneasy feelings that had nagged at the edges of my thoughts vanished like morning mist. Enide had chosen me. She had affirmed it — I was her boyfriend.

For a brief moment, I remained rooted in place, grinning like a dunce.

She had spoken the same words in the secrecy of the night, but now, under the clear light of day where emotions are more tempered, she had repeated them. A newfound confidence bloomed in my chest, filling me with hope that all would be well. The uncertain place Andra held in our lives no longer weighed on my mind. I believed that whatever lay ahead, Enide and I would find our way through it.

I was gearing up for an earnest reply to my ‘girlfriend’ when Miss Ginger Mop piped up. “Ooooh, so he’s your boyyyy-friend, huh?” she sang, batting her eyelashes dramatically. “Whatcha’ gonna’ do, Rody? Carry her books for her?” she teased, mimicking the tone of a schoolgirl. “Are you going to hang around the gates after school waiting for Eni?”

I scooped up a heavy dollop of butter on the end of my knife and prepared to catapult it in Andra’s direction but alas, the coward took refuge behind Enide, using her as a shield to thwart me.

We chatted over breakfast but afterwards, there was another flurry of activity as we ensured our formalwear was properly stowed. I picked up the phone and summoned a porter to take our luggage, then with a pronounced clank, returned the handset to its cradle.

In no time at all, a chap clad impeccably in the hotel’s livery appeared at our door. As we made to depart, I found my feet slowing and my gaze turning back towards the rooms. While some might deem it sentimental, to me, the suite had become a hallowed place. I endeavoured to commit every detail to memory, then closed the door behind me.

Outside in the softly lit corridor, Enide paused, allowing the distance between herself and Andra to grow. She smiled as I approached, slipping her arm delicately through mine, and together we strode towards the elevator. By now, I’d learned that even Enide’s smallest gesture of affection could lift my spirits higher than victory over a formidable opponent in the boxing ring.

Once the elevator arrived, the three of us clustered toward the rear of the car, with Enide and me in intimate proximity, while Andra stood slightly apart. The porter and the operator stood facing the doors, with the luggage cart occupying the space in between. I followed Enide’s glance as she looked across at Andra. It was clear from her barely contained smirk that Andra was itching to tease us again. Were it not for the decorous presence of the hotel staff, Enide and I would undoubtedly have been the epicentre of her jests and jibes.

At first, Enide responded with an aloof, regal lift of her chin. However, she quickly thought better of it, and discarding any pretence at ladylike decorum, stuck out her tongue at Andra. Predictably, this was all the invitation Andra needed. She launched into a series of increasingly silly and downright obscene gestures, embellishing each with a suggestive waggle of her tongue. I darted embarrassed glances at the elevator doors, hoping their polished surface wouldn’t betray the girls’ antics to the two men while Enide delivered a string of hissed reprimands to Andra.

I heaved a sigh when the elevator reached the ground floor without an awkward incident. The gilded doors gracefully parted, revealing the opulent expanse of the Imperial’s lobby. Once we’d exited the elevator car, our porter ushered us toward the reception desk where a small throng of people had gathered.

To the casual onlooker unaware of their recent antics, the young ladies by my side would have seemed paragons of refinement and charm. Oh, the tales these walls could tell if they could only speak.

We waited near the reception desk surrounded by hushed, anticipatory chatter from bleary-eyed guests. When our turn came, I busied myself with the formalities of settling the bill and signing paperwork. The clerks, who seemed to wear their dignity as effortlessly as their tailored suits, conducted the task with a mixture of ennui and precision. One man picked up a telephone and requested that Enide’s car be brought to the front and then, in a quiet tone, instructed the porter to ensure our belongings found their rightful place in the waiting car.

Stepping out into the bright cloudless morning, I slowed my pace deliberately and let Andra descend the stone steps ahead of us. The valet held the door of the gleaming automobile ajar, awaiting her entrance. Enide, her fingers lightly resting on my arm, lingered beside me, a curious glint dancing in her blue eyes. I turned to her and gently pulled her close by the waist, her closeness blurring the world around me.

Peering into her eyes, I spoke softly, wanting the words to remain between us, “You know, walking through that place ... with you on my arm ... I felt like I was showing off a trophy.” I hesitated, searching her eyes for understanding, “Nothing is impossible anymore — everything feels as if it’s just beginning.” Her eyes fluttered, silently acknowledging my confession before she leaned toward me and kissed me softly.

We began the drive back to Earnell through the sprawl of the city. The engine hummed rhythmically, in harmony with the bustling tempo of the traffic and before long, the tightly packed structures gave way to less densely built suburbs. Dappled sunlight filtered through the canopy of trees lining the road, casting playful patterns on the car’s sleek bonnet.

Beyond the city’s boundary, the terrain unfolded like a pastoral canvas. With the road open and less congested, I pressed down on the throttle and increased our pace. Around us, fields stretched out in a patchwork of green and gold, delineated by hedgerows and stone walls. Despite the sweep of clear sky above, patches of woodland cast deep, enigmatic shadows, playing mysterious tricks on the ground beneath.

Enide nestled beside me, her body gently pressing against mine. The soft lilt of the girls’ laughter punctuated our exchanges as playful banter flowed between us. In the back seat, Andra had stretched out and discarded her shoes. She perched her bare feet on the front seat, catching the breeze with her toes.

As we drew closer to Earnell, the frenetic energy of the metropolis felt distant, almost illusory. The unashamedly provincial town that greeted us was drenched in calm. Here time seemed to meander rather than march, the pace distinctly more unhurried. The contrast was almost jarring — as if we’d traversed not just miles, but eras.

The car’s exhaust gave a subtle purr as I brought it to a halt outside Andra’s house. Amidst the soft rustling of skirts and the click of heels, we attended to the luggage. There was an undercurrent of urgency to the scene as Andra and Enide were both tugged by the cords of obligation.

In her brother’s absence, Andra had assumed additional responsibilities within the family, necessitating her presence elsewhere for the remainder of the afternoon. Meanwhile Enide, now an ‘old girl’ at Lilac, had committed to assist with coaching gymnastics at her former school. Though it was all very commendable, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of selfish longing for their company.

I had intended to call for a taxi but Enide wouldn’t hear of it. “What sort of girlfriend would I be,” she mused, her words a blend of affection and mischief, “if I left my new beau to fend for himself on the streets?” Her words only served to fan the flames of my already shimmering ego.