Free Yours Truly, Taddy by Avery Aster Page A

me forgiving myself.”
    “We’ve got too much to live for now. There’s college, our future.”
    “I swear on Hedda, I won’t ever try again.” She cupped her hands with mine. “I’m looking forward to school. If you want the money, girlie, it’s yours. We’ll catch the boat in two days.”
    We walked into the castle.
    “Look honey, that’s the pretty lady that got sucked out of the plane,” a passenger said. 
    “Thank heavens you’re alive,” someone else exclaimed.
    The building was impressive and dramatic, like nothing I’d ever seen before. I’d set foot in another world. You know, that look that some amusement parks have, where everything is pristine and picture perfect, so much so it appears fake, almost tacky.
    Not here at Eden.
    Idyllic yet real, this place felt good. There seemed to be something intangible in the air causing everyone to smile, especially me.
    I introduced myself to the Eden staff. They called their doctor and wanted me to get an exam to make sure I didn’t have a concussion or anything from the crash. After all, I had been sucked out of an airplane and plopped into the middle of sea.
     

     
    Two hours later, the Eden doctor told me that aside from my scrapes and bruises, everything seemed fine.
    I ate two servings of Eggs Benedict in Lex’s room with her and Vive. Hedda sat on my lap which, oddly enough, gave me a huge feeling of calmness. We drank a pitcher of mimosas and talked about our college days ahead. 
    Did I tell them about Leon?
    Hells no! I couldn’t. Shame? Perhaps. I didn’t want to hear it from them. They’d think I was a freak of nature, finding these two guys hot and all. I mean really.
    When I went into Blake’s room, he was sound asleep. Vive had mentioned that the pain medication the Eden nurse had given made him drowsy. And that he’d been up most of the night hollering at her just as I had just done. 
    A tea pot steeped in our room. The Master had sent it up with lemon wedges to help my nerves. He’d had some sundresses in various bright colors and sandals in size large, placed in my closet. I ran a bath, filling the basin with a creamy paste the Master had promised would alleviate the abrasions on my skin.
    While I waited for the bathwater to get to a temperature I liked, I sat on the edge of Blake’s bed and drank the tea.
    His hands were the only part of him that wasn’t blistered from the fire. I could tell that his scars were going to be bad.
    “Taddy…” he muttered. His piercing gray eyes opened.
    “Hey, babe.” I leaned down and planted a peck on his lips.
    “Did a spaceship drop your hot ass off here? One of those Pod People took over your body, didn’t they?” He joked and tried to sit up.
    “I wish,” I said, taking him against my bosom. Then I fixed his pillows on his bed and we talked for a while about the accident.
    “Maybe you should skip college, you know, enter the Olympics for swimming.” Blake swiped the mug out of my hand and took a sip.
    “Leon could. He’s a great swimmer,” I said, feeling my lips curve into a grin when saying his name.
    “I’m sure he is, boo.” Blake’s manicured eyebrows arched. 
    “Did you know he and Fabian were together?”
    “Nope. Not until last night when Fabian had a breakdown. He was convinced you two were goners.”
    “Vive mentioned it.”
    “You were right about Fabian. But I never saw that Leon thing coming,” he pouted. “I’ve put a call in to Mother Nature and asked her to repair my gaydar. Apparently it’s broken.”
    “Hahaha! Well, are they gay or bi?”
    “Potato, patato—tomato, tamato.”
    “Huh?”
    “Does it matter? They both suck cock. Who cares!” Blake’s sarcasm, that I’d grown to love over the years, never ceased.
    “Jealous?” I thought about Leon and Fabian as Blake described them, sucking one another’s cock.
    “No, boo. School starts in one week. I’m sure I’ll make some new friends. Ones who don’t get us arrested like Vive,