Wingless, book 1 of Wingless Series

Idle time

It's hard getting used to anything. And it's taking time to adjust to moving in with Evan. It's new and I like it. He isn't always home, I hadn't noticed until I moved in how much he works.

The days he works I try to stay busy. I rearrange his entire dvd collection. I pull weeds; I do a lot of things I never have done before.

The best part of my day is when Evan comes home.

I decide to lay outside, the weather is nice, and it seems like the perfect thing to do to pass the time. Kenny is on his way out, and Ari is cleaning up the kitchen.

"Are you going to lay by the pool?" Ari ask.

"Yeah, you want to come?" I welcome the company.

"Yeah, sure, let me change."

I spread my towel out, enjoying the sun.

Ari lies down next to me in a tiny black bikini. She is already plenty tan. I watch her apply tanning oil, she has a lot of bruises on her legs, arms and ribcage.

"I don't think since the two of them moved in I have ever seen them use the pool more than once," she says, laughing.

"I almost forgot there was one." I slip my sunglasses on and lay down.

Ari sighs, interrupting my daydream.

"How do you like living here?"

"I like it. He's gone a lot, that takes some getting used to."

"Carlo knows how to overwork his employees," she says. "I think it's all they do sometimes."

"Why so much?"

"There's a lot to be done. And Carlo expects his boys to do it. That and they're good at what they do," Ari explains.

I look her way; "How do you stay so upbeat all the time?" Knowing what I did about Kenny and Ari it's hard to believe she is happy, especially as happy as she seems all the time.

"Oh, I have my ways. Kenny makes sure of that."

I pull off my sunglasses. "What does that mean?"

She tosses a bottle of pills to me.

"That's where I get my good mood from." She runs her hands through the grass.

"Oh." I don't know what else to say.

"If you want some, just ask," she tells me. "Kenny brings them home every week."

"I'm not into pills, nothing against you." I never want to rely on substances to maintain my sanity. I refuse to be that kind of person.

She flips over. "Don't knock it till you try it."

I wonder what else Kenny does for her. It's pathetic she has to drug herself to live a normal life.

"So, Ari, tell me what you know about Evan." I'm curious as to what she knows.

"I don't know. Like what?"

"Anything you're willing to tell me." I want to know it all.

Ari rolls over to face me.

"He's not a man whore if that's what you're asking. He's been on a few dates arranged by Kenny, but nothing has ever come from it." She studies her nails. "Every girl had a crush on Evan when we were younger. I had a crush on him way before Kenny; way before crushing on a boy meant anything. But he never paid me the time of day."