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When Ellis tells her Annie is throwing a party in Ramona's honor, Oona laughs so hard she nearly spits out her drink.
Sully smacks her with a towel. "Don't you dare get that Raspberry Limeade Realness on my apron," he says.
"Oh my god, get over yourself babe. That's what they're meant for."
"I can't believe your mom's let you choose the menu item names," Ellis says, looking bewildered but smiling.
"And they've been increasing sales ever since," Sully responds, punctuating each word with a shake of his ass.
"Like seriously, does Annie have a death wish or something?" Oona asks, once she finally catches her breath from laughing,"or does she have a rage baiting problem. Ramona hates parties."
"And people," Ellis says.
"And fun." Sully agrees.
"I don't know, it's kind of sweet. She wants to thank Ramona for letting her stay in Gord's house. You know, instead of kicking her out and letting her get eat by a bear."
Sully throws Oona a look and they both groan. "Of course you think it's sweet, it's like every time you see her you're a cartoon character with hearts for eyes," Oona says, playfully.
"Simp," Sully says at the same time.
"Whatever, it shouldn't be too big. I think Annie just wants it to be a few people. You guys are welcome to come."
"Aww, look at you two, already cohosting. Heterosexuality is so sweet," Oona reaches out to ruffle Ellis' hair. He only lets her do it for a second and then backs away.
Sully mutters something about changing his apron so he's ready if any cute customers walk into the cafe and ducks into the back of the store.
"So," Oona says, dragging out the word, "what's the guest policy on this party? I was kind of thinking about bringing a plus one."
Ellis shrugs. "I mean yeah, sure."
She lets out a little squeal. "Yay, thanks you're the best. She's chill, I promise, and like, totally, a vibe."
The door of Little Gem jingles open and like a angel, Stacey Mallory floats through the door. The rest of the cafe isn't particularly busy right now since the lunch rush has filtered out in the past half hour and Oona takes it as her cue for her lunch break. She pulls off her own apron and flings it onto Ellis' shoulder.
"The lady hath arrived," she says as she walks past him.
"How do you still have this job," she hears him say.
As she's walking over, Oona takes a glass of water from a passing waiter.
Stacey Mallory, stunning as always, is a vision in what is clearly are her running clothes. Her hair is pulled back into an updo underneath a bright red bandana which matches the rest of her workout set, making her look like the world's most attractive stop sign. There's a thin sheen of sweat near her temples, but other than that, there's no sign of exertion. She hasn't seen Oona yet because she's looking down at something on her phone, but when she looks up, her face breaks out into a grin.
Oona puts on her most flirtatious smile and holds out the glass of water. "Hi, beautiful. Need a drink?"
They make small talk until Oona asks if she's busy tonight and wants to go to the party. Stacey Mallory tells her she's actually free the rest of the day (why she was on a run) and asks her if she knows any good swimming spots. She yells behind to Sully to ask him if he can bring Maple over to the party later as they walk out the door to Stacey Mallory's Jeep.
Oona directs her to a local park and they walk to a lesser-known collection of docks. They spend the rest of the afternoon swimming in the lake and on the dock, splitting between sunbathing and lazily making out. Stacey Mallory is a great kisser and they're both clearly into making out, but neither of their hands move to untie the other's bikini strings or move past each other's hips. Oona's secretly grateful it doesn't turn into anything more serious. For one, she's not about to get sunburned in any weird places, but this is her favorite part about girls like Stacey Mallory: it's never anything serious. It's fun, it feels good, they enjoy each other's company, but at the end of the day, the girls she finds are perfectly content with superficial summer flings, to go back to their lives and boyfriends and families at the end of August without even a second thought of Oona. There's no hard feelings, no complicated emotions, no declarations of love, which she's not sure she could give them anyway. It's better this way, she tells herself, but mostly it's just easier.
By the time they get out of the water, the sun has sunk lower in the sky and they're both starting to shiver. Oona grabs her clothes and pulls them on, but leaves her shirt unbuttoned. Stacey Mallory carries their towels that she grabbed from the back of her Jeep and they walk back to it in a comfortable silence. When they get back to the Jeep, she tells Oona she needs to shower but she'll be back in a few hours so they can walk to the party together.
The party is in full swing when they arrive with people she doesn't recognize lingering on the screened-in porch, cans of seltzer in their hands, and spilling out from the doorway. Ramona must hate this, Oona thinks fondly.
Then, she sees her through the doorway and sees the tension in her posture, the controlled way Ramona's arms are held away from her body, and knows she does, all these strangers in her house. There's a flutter of something inside her and Oona walks towards her friend.
"Ramona, hey," Oona says, bracing her hands on Ramona's back. She feels the jolt of surprise under her fingers and then Ramona relaxes once she realizes who it is. Unable to resist, even though they just saw each other this morning, woke up in the same bed together, Oona pulls her into a hug.
"Hi," Ramona says, softly. They wrap themselves around each other, into each other. Oona feels the soft fabric of Ramona's bandana against her cheek, the comforting smell of Ramona's shampoo enveloping her.
"So, woah, this is fun," Oona scans the room in front of them, clearly these people have made themselves at home. She spots Sully talking to some gym-bro looking guy she doesn't recognize, two more are in the middle of a heated round of Jenga set up on the coffee table, and there's a guy behind them in front of the fireplace going to town on a burger that Oona can only assume are the leftovers from Ramona's fridge. It's certainly something.
"Yeah, I don't know if that's the word I'd use to describe it but—"Oona half-hears Ramona, but Stacey Mallory walks in from the porch.
"Um sorry, this is the beautiful Stacey Mallory," Oona introduces. They arms bump into each other and their hands slip together. Now that they are aren't touching, Oona sees the tension flood into Ramona's body again.
"Hi," Stacey Mallory waves at Ramona. She smiles at her but does not wave back.
"She's a counselor at Camp Queen E," she adds, but Ramona doesn't look to interested, probably thinking about how the group of guys might fuck up the house. She doesn't want to stress Ramona out more than necessary, so Oona pivots, looking around for the drinks.
"Do you want a drink, babe?" Stacey Mallory nods. "I'll see you in a bit?" She asks Ramona, squeezing her shoulder as she leads Stacey Mallory over to the drink cooler. Sully waves at her and after picking their drinks, they go and sit with him.
Two and a half drinks later, Oona is pleasantly tipsy, content to listen to Sully and Maple go back and forth on the benefits of long-form journalism, until she realizes she has to pee. When she gets back from the bathroom, she realizes she hasn't seen Ramona for a while and walks over to Annie to ask if she knows where she is.
Annie turns to face her, eyes widening. She always has this deer-in-headlights look and Oona isn't sure if it's the usual out-of-touch-from-the-city tourist look or if it's just Annie's natural expression, like she can't stop herself from ruminating about ten different scenarios at once. Whatever the case, it's endearing.
"Hey, Oona, hi," Annie greets her. Oona can practically see gears in her brain start to grind into motion. "Uh, Ramona was just looking for you. Outside, I think." She turns and points out the front door.
"Okay, cool. Uh, okay, see ya." Oona walks past Annie, barely hearing the other girl's response. Some of the guys drinking out on the porch try to stop her, asking her to join them in a drinking game. They seem harmless enough, but Oona's not in the mood for straight-male fuckery right now. The glare she shoots at them does the trick of shutting them up and they let her pass.
She's oddly nervous as she walks down the wooden steps to the private dock. Oona knows Ramona's general disposition towards parties, but she's barely seen her since they arrived. Usually, she wouldn't think this much about it, but considering everything Ramona's been dealing with, Oona doesn't want her to be alone. A nagging voice in the back of her head wonders if it's because of Stacey Mallory, how they came to the party together, but that's ridiculous. Ramona's been around lots of her flings over the years and been perfectly fine. That's not true, the small voice says, she nearly ripped your head off when talking about Annie. It doesn't even count since they weren't talking like that, Ellis and his boyish charm and brown puppy-dog eyes made sure of that.
Mostly, she's just worried about Ramona.
A surge of relief rushes through her when she sees Ramona sitting on the dock. She didn't know what to expect after Annie said that Ramona was looking for her. A part of her was scared Ramona had done something rash like jump into the lake fully clothed and swim all the way across, but there she is, dry and safe, joint going from her hands to her lips. Oona takes in a breath of air and tries to calm down. She tells herself her panic is a result from drinking, that her heart can stop relax, but her heart doesn't listen. It is a small animal, racing around its cage, trying to get out.
"'Mona," she says, slipping into the nickname only she gets to use. "Hey."
"Hi," Ramona answers. Oona moves to sit down next to her and drops faster than she intends to. Ramona stays unmoving, looking out over the water. "Having fun?"
Oona looks back at the house. "Yeah, it's a good vibe in there," she says earnestly. Despite whatever reservations Ramona has about it, Annie is throwing her a good party, even if there are too many straight men in the house right now.
"Yeah, it's a good vibe," Ramona scoffs, her face contorting into something Oona's never heard before.. She wordlessly hands the joint over to Oona.
"Thank you." She takes a drag, aware her lips are touching the same place as Ramona's just were, and the smoke goes right to her head. A pleasant, melting feeling spreads over her whole body. Oona puts the joint to her lips again, wondering if she inhales hard enough she'll be able to taste Ramona's lips on the paper.
"Think Stacey Mallory's okay, you leaving her alone this long? You know, her being sedentary, not running," Ramona asks, her voice full of the dry, mocking humor that only she can pull off.
Oona laughs, leaning back. "Well, she's a trooper. You know, she's soldiering through."
Ramona does not laugh. She doesn't say anything for a minute and then in a quiet voice, "Do you—do you think you like her?"
"I mean…" Oona trails off, "I like all of them." Ramona isn't looking at her, but staring off into the distance, some point on the lake only she can see.
"Right."
"Like, she's not just another camp counselor in a long, very hot line of camp counselors," Oona almost adds and tourists and middle-aged women who hate their husbands. Why are they talking about this? Ramona's never shown interest in any of Oona's constant and ever-changing list of hookups. In fact, she hasn't shown interest in any girl, really; at least that Oona can remember.
She leans closer to Ramona, says conspiratorially, "I think she might be the one."
There is a long pause. Ramona looks at her with that same unblinking, tension-filled expression from before. She finally says, "oh," and looks away.
The weed is getting to her head now, smoke forming shapes of questions she doesn't want to think about. Clearly, it's getting to Ramona too since she doesn't understand Oona's sarcasm, doesn't understand this conversation is one big joke.
"I'm joking, babe," she admits, tilting her head towards Ramona. "No, she's not the one."
"Okay," and she's rewarded with one of Ramona's smiles: a real one that lights up her whole face, instead of her usual snarky grin. Smoke tendrils ease out of her mouth, passing through her teeth like floss.
"Nah, it's just like a casual hookup." This time, when Ramona brings the joint up to her mouth, Oona's eyes follow the motion. She lets her eyes focus, unfocus, and refocus onto Ramona's mouth, the shape of her lips around the joint, her fingers holding it in place, the soft, glowing burn of the embers.
"Why?" She leans forward, interested in Ramona's interest of her, so she doesn't miss the answer. It's well worth it: her expression scrunches up for a second, relaxes, and ends with Ramona shaking her head softly. It's cute, Oona thinks. "No reason."
She presses Ramona again. A question tickles the base of her brain and she only asks because it's the furthest from the truth she can think of. "Why? Are you jealous?" Oona asks, soft and teasing.
The first way she knows something is wrong are Ramona's eyes; they flash with something Oona's only seen in wounded animals in Maple's nature documentaries before shifting away, pointedly not looking at her. The longer the silence lingers between the two of them, Oona panics. They sit there unmoving, except for the smoke exhaling from their mouths. Ramona still won't look at her, her face has morphed into this unaffected, guarded expression that Oona recognizes from when she talks about Gordon now, the one person in her life that meant more to Ramona than she did. It's the last piece her brain places into this puzzle; the picture not clear until this revelation: Ramona is jealous.
Ramona is jealous because she has has feelings for her. Ramona has feelings for her.
For all her bravado and flirting, the only thing that comes out of Oona's mouth is, "oh."
The next thing is easy, so easy that it happens automatically. Her eyes are on Ramona's lips before her brain has a chance to fully process the desire behind it. She wonders what it would be like to kiss her, to be inside Ramona's mouth like smoke.
She doesn't seem to notice Oona's staring, her need to press against Ramona's body with her own, since Ramona's still looking out into the distance, eyes unfocused. Still dazed, Oona starts to turn away, but then Ramona moves her head and their eyes find each other like magnets snapping together. They're looking at each other as if they're meeting for the first time.
Oona feels that jolt in her stomach again, the gravitational pull of Ramona's lips, and her eyes slide down once again. She feels rather than sees Ramona's eyes flick downwards to her own lips and when she looks up, Ramona is still staring at them. They are orbiting around each other; an asteroid and her moon, the heat of their gazes tethering them together through space.
Oona watches Ramona's eyes concentrate on her lips as she closes the gap between the two of them. Their faces are closer together than they ever have been before, now just centimeters away. She feels Ramona's hand on her shirt sleeve, feels how her body shifts her weight to move her hand up to Oona's face. How will it feel on her cheek, on her neck, in her hair? The anticipation of Ramona touching her in a way that's never happened before makes her body hum with potential energy. She's never wanted anything more in her life than for Ramona's lips to find hers; Oona can see it Ramona's face she's feeling the exact same way.
"Oona," Stacey Mallory calls. Her name echoes like a siren across yard, piercing the private universe they've created. They break apart sharply and Oona whips her head around, worried Stacey Mallory witnessed the whole interaction, even though her voice sounds far enough away they still have some privacy. Disappointment passes through her like a knife and she tries to look to see what Ramona is feeling but she is back to looking at the ground, her cheeks red in the fading light.
"Um," Oona tries to say something, anything to make this moment not the most awkward moment of her life, but she can't think of anything. As if knowing what she's trying to do, Ramona shakes her head, exhaling heavily. They've always been good at communicating without talking.
"Oona, get back here," Stacey Mallory shouts again. A knee-jerk surge of anger rips into her head and Oona almost yells back, but stops herself at the last minute. That would probably just make things worse, something she's great at, if her mom is to be believed.
"I should probably go," she says. Does Ramona know that she doesn't want to? That she'd rather sit out on this dock with her for hours than ever hookup with girls like Stacey Mallory ever again?
"Yeah," Ramona agrees. God, Oona could scream. Sometimes her one word answers are so infuriating. Whether it's a reaction from Stacey Mallory's interruption or Ramona instantly shutting down again, Oona decides to take matters into her own hands. "Yeah," she repeats, moving her own hand—deliberately slow so Ramona has time to react—to rest on Ramona's thigh. Her skin is warm in the cool night air and Oona can't resist the urge to rub her thumb across the line of muscle there.
"I'm gonna go," she repeats, tapping her thumb on Ramona's leg. She tries to convey a lot of words she's not sure she'll ever be able to say in front of Ramona through their shared eye contact. Hopefully, Ramona understands.
Now that she's touching Ramona, it's hard to let go. Similarly, Ramona seems to be frozen in place, too. She lets out a breathy, "yeah" that's more air than sound. Oona watches Ramona glance at her lips again and her heart picks up. She tells herself to move and meet up with Stacey Mallory instead of her finding them like this, tectonic plates slowing inching closer and closer. Four more seconds, then she'll get up. Maybe five actually.
With enormous effort, Oona pulls her hand off of Ramona's leg. She hops up, not looking back or else she'll be tempted to stay, and walks away. Stacey Mallory calls her again—maybe Ramona had a point about her not being able to be left alone—and she responds, "yep, I'm here," not bothering to raise her voice.
Stacey Mallory is standing on the porch, car keys in hand. She smiles at Oona, completely unaware of what almost-happened-but-didn't down at the dock. "Hi, I was worried about you. I thought you fell in the lake or something."
She goes in for a hug, which Oona lets happen, but turns her head at the last minute so Stacey Mallory's kiss lands on her cheekbone. It's stupid and childish, but Oona doesn't want Stacey Mallory's mouth anywhere Ramona's could have been. Luckily, Stacey Mallory doesn't notice.
"Oh, I was bird watching," the lie is out of her mouth before she has a chance to stop it.
"It's dark," Stacey Mallory says, tilting her head in confusion.
"I actually know bird calls so…" she cringes internally. "It's more like Marco Polo since I can't see them."
"Oh cute. You'll have to teach me some." Stacey Mallory accepts her answer without question and Oona thinks Stacey Mallory is a better person than she ever will be.
"Of course."
Stacey Mallory steps closer to Oona. "I was thinking, you wanna come back to my place tonight?"
Suddenly—and always—she's grateful that she has Maple as her younger sister. "Aww, I would, but I gotta put the little one to bed. We can walk you to the Marina, though," she says.
"I heard that," Maple yells from inside the house.
"Not a problem," Stacey Mallory says, smiling at Oona.
She grabs Maple, who protests—of course—saying she was in the middle of telling Sully about the benefits of soil aeration, and they start towards the door. Oona gives the room a quick glance for Annie, but doesn't find her. The last thing she wants is to find Annie and the Finn Wolfhard look-a-like boy she thinks is named Rory making out next to the sink or something so they leave without saying goodbye.
The walk back to the marina is quick. Her and Maple lead the way since they've done this walk thousands of times and Stacey Mallory follows. When they get to the marina, this time Oona does kiss Stacey Mallory, but it's quick and unremarkable.
"Did you have fun at the party?" She asks Maple later as they're getting ready for bed. She nods and asks, "did you?"
"Yeah, it was pretty chill, I guess."
Maple gives her a mischievous grin. "How was birdwatching?"
"Shut up," Oona rolls her eyes. "Don't make me smack you with a pillow."
"I'm serious," Maple groans.
"It was fine," she says. "Ramona was just down at the docks. I don't think that party was her idea of a good time."
"She doesn't like Stacey Mallory very much," Maple says wisely. Oona has the strange urge to laugh, but instead asks, "do you?"
"Does it matter?"
She considers this. Not really, if she's being honest. It doesn't really matter what her little sister thinks of her hookup-of-the-week.
"Touche."
"Ugh Oona, you know I hate when you say it like that. It's touché," Maple complains.
"Come on, toosh, let's go to bed," she says.
Maple falls asleep almost instantly, but Oona has a hard time going to sleep. It's almost 1am but she feels wide awake. Every time she closes her eyes, she can see Ramona's face centimeters away from hers. She feels her hand against Ramona's thigh, warm and pliant, and it makes her squeeze her legs together once or twice. Eventually, when she finally does fall asleep it's to the image of Ramona in her bed: just how they were this morning, wrapped up in each other, and happy.