Hunger: A Dark Love Story by Monique Edenwood

Author:Monique Edenwood [Edenwood, Monique]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-01-01T16:00:00+00:00

“Well, here we are,” announces Yoshi, his tone half cheery and half nervous as Indie inhales audibly, leading us down the steps and to the front door of the bar.

33

Greyson

I hear and smell the place before I make it through the interior doors. Raucous laughter, loud guffaws, animatedly sung sentences and the clink of glasses fill my ears a few seconds before the smell of ale hits my nostrils.

I walk in behind Indigo and her friend only to be enveloped by warmth which melts away the unseasonably cool September air which whipped my skin outside.

And as I enter further, the darkness from out there is replaced by a soothing bath of fiery light. I scan the room: the entire place is constructed in glossy varnished wood in a cherry color, from the floors to the walls, to the booths to the bar behind which stand two scruffily dressed and tattooed barmen bearing wide grins.

The place is in the style of an old Irish pub, the likes of which I haven’t been to in a very long time, frequenting as I do the more exclusive bars in the city, their lines angular, filled with tones of black and gray, the textures and materials modern—steel, glass, concrete.

This feels like stepping into another world—familiar, and so congenial that it knocks me off balance for a moment.

A few feet ahead, I see Indie warmly embracing a tall woman, and then another. Both women turn to Yoshi and wrap him in a hug as Indigo whispers something into the tall woman’s ear. Her shrewd eyes immediately flit to me, observing me most keenly, not the hint of a smile in sight.

Indie speaks something quietly into the second woman’s ear, who in turn pivots to look at me, her large brown eyes piercing as I realize that the welcome from them may not be quite as warm as from Yoshi.

I certainly don’t want to ruin anyone’s birthday party, and for a second, I contemplate leaving, waiting in the car until it’s over in the hopes that she’ll talk to me then. But I watch as the tall woman approaches in cautious strides.

“Hello,” she says, her voice raspy, her tone fearless.

“Hello. I’m Greyson. I… I really don’t want to inconvenience anybody by being here.”

She studies me harshly without apology, glancing at Indigo for a moment before holding out a hand. I take it, noticing how firmly she grips mine.

“We’ll let you know if you are,” she retorts stiffly as the woman who comes to stand next to her shakes her head with a smile. “I’m Marilla,” the first woman adds in a thick Scottish accent. “One of Indie’s mothers. This is Orpha, her other.”

“Nice to have you here,” Orpha replies in an American accent, her altogether more affable than mom number one.

“Well, thank you for letting me stay.”

“For now,” Marilla corrects and I bow my head, my gaze steering towards Indie’s. I can’t quite tell if she supports her mother’s prickly sentiments or wants her to tone it down a tad.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.