A Boat Made of Bone (The Chthonic Saga) (13 page)

There was a long pause and then Ty yelled down, “Off belay.” She let out some rope when she felt him tugging at it, and then he shouted that he was back on and Kate lowered him down slowly so he could clean the route—removing the quick-draws he’d placed on the way up.

When Ty landed gracefully beside Kate, Malcolm gave him a locker-room style slap on the butt, “Nice job, man.”

“Yeah it was a sweet warm-up climb. You smoked at belaying, Kate,” Ty said. “You know, a reliable partner is hard to find, but you were on top of everything.”

“Thanks.” She flushed at the compliment, and had sudden visions of the two of them going all over the world together, climbing in exotic places.

“You ready to do this?” he asked, beginning to switch the rope around so that he could belay her on a top-rope climb.

“Yeah,” she said.

“Sure you don’t want to lead it?” Malcolm asked. His hands were tucked under his arms like he was cold. They stood in the shade of the west-facing mountain and a cool breeze had kicked up, blowing up from the river that was still swollen and choppy with frigid, winter runoff.

“I’m sure,” she laughed, hesitantly. She really didn’t want to lead. Not today. She just wanted to have fun and get to know Ty, and if she belayed well enough that he wanted to take her out with him again, fantastic.

“Lay off, Mal,” Ty muttered.

“Someday, Kate. I know I’ll see you leading 13-d’s,” he said in what he might have thought was an encouraging voice. Instead it sounded aggressive.

“Thanks, Malcolm. What’s this one rated anyway?” she asked.

“Not too high. Just an 11-d,” Ty answered.

“Not too bad, then, I guess,” she said, feeling optimistic.

“Nope. You should have no problem with it after those routes you were doing at the gym,” Ty said, cinching the rope tight in a figure eight and then double checking everything.

“Cool.”

Someone shouted for Malcolm’s help and he walked away. Ty flashed her a playful grin and slapped her butt like she was one of the guys—was that good or bad?—as she walked to the wall. She took several deep breaths and set her hands against the cold stone, finding the small cracks and tiny ledges to fit her fingers onto. This close, she could smell the fragrance of pine, dirt, and the dust of ages. She closed her eyes, opened them, set her feet, and moved her hands to the next holds.

When she was on the wall, she realized how much she loved climbing. That place, of all places, was where she really belonged. It was just her and the mountain, interlocked in a dance that only sex, a
pas-de-deux
, or maybe
Dancing with the Stars
, could replicate. She would never do a
pas-de-deux
or
Dancing with the Stars
, so this was it for Kate. She got into a place of Zen where she spoke only to the rock and the rock spoke back, as she moved across it like the wind. Somewhere in the distance she heard Ty urging her on with positive feedback.

Before she knew it, she’d made it to the chains. She turned and looked out at the canyon.
I could live here,
she thought. The wind ruffled her hair and sparrows darted in and out of the trees beneath her and from nests hidden within the cliffs. A hawk soared above, a brown dot against the deep blue, doing lazy circles in the sky.

“Ready to come down?” Ty’s voice reached her, sounding faint.

No. I’m not. I’ll never be ready.
“Yeah,” she shouted, settling back into her harness like it was a chair. She felt the comforting tension in the rope as Ty took her weight and lowered her down.

8: Waking Revelation

“He’s hot, that’s all that matters,” Audra said, smoothing hummus over a piece of bib lettuce.

Around them, Amir’s Raw Food restaurant buzzed with conversation. The place smelled of Nag Champa and exotic hand-milled soaps made with goat milk. Shelves lined the walls, full of everything a person might need to turn their life around with an all-raw diet—sprouting kits, Vita-mixes, and dehydrators that cost a thousand dollars. Behind the drink bar a college-age guy mixed up exotic beverages, his dirty-blond hair in dreads and covered with a burnt orange scarf. Kate overheard the customer standing on the other side of the bar order a goji berry, cacao smoothie. 

Kate rolled her eyes at Audra’s assessment of Ty’s appearance. “Well, no it’s not, but if all I want is a hunk of meat, I guess you’re right.”

Audra stopped eating and glared at Kate like she should have known Audra was employing hyperbole. “Don’t use that word in here, Kate.”

“What word?
Hunk? Meat?
” Kate’s plate was dotted with a constellation of the remaining bits of the walnut and sunflower seed mixture that had been the filling of the raw taco. She watched as Audra finished off the macadamia nut hummus. Beyond Audra and the drink bar, Kate saw the afternoon darken through the glass front of the restaurant as storm clouds gathered outside. 

“Duh.
Meat.
But anyway, you knew what I meant. If you want to get over these dreams, you need to get some action in the sack. Are you still having them?”

Kate nodded sheepishly. “They’re more frequent now, in fact.”

Before Audra could pronounce any further judgments, Amir appeared beside their table, asking how their meal had been and if they needed anything else. Both girls gushed and told him they loved it. In fact, Kate was still hungry, not that she’d tell Amir as much.

Amir clapped his hands. “Let me know if you need anything else. We’d be happy to put another entree together—crisp lettuces, organic tomatoes, delectable sauces, and of course, love,” he said, gesticulating with his hands and flashing them his trademark bewitching smile.

“I’m completely sated, but thank you,” Kate said.

“Same here, Amir. But you know we’d order the entire menu if we could afford it,” Audra confessed.  

“Oh stop! I love you girls. Thanks so much for coming in, ladies,” he said, picking up Kate’s empty plate and walking away briskly, pausing briefly at another table to check on them.

“More frequent?” Audra asked, returning to their conversation, her eyes focusing on Kate like a hawk sighting its prey. The dark-haired girl continued to munch on a hummus-covered piece of lettuce, her head cocked to a sympathetic angle.

“Yep,” Kate admitted, twirling a strand of hair around a finger as she fought to suppress a blush. 

“Well, can’t say that I’m too sorry, I mean, why complain about that? I’m a bit jealous to be honest.”

“It’s driving me crazy. I don’t know who he is once I wake up, but in the dream, we know each other. Oh, and the dragonfly showed up again recently.”

“Really? The dragonfly? Oooh,” Audra said, jokingly. “No, but seriously, that’s weird. You know, Kate, maybe you need to seek professional help.”

“I’m surprised to hear that from you—you have such a high opinion of your qualifications. I thought you were my professional.”

“Well, I am, but me aside, maybe some medication might help?”

Kate grinned. “Huh, I didn’t know they made an anti-sex dream pill, but can’t say I’m shocked. There’s a pill for everything these days.”

“Yeah, really.” Audra pushed her plate aside, wiped her hands on her paper napkin, and leaned her elbows on the scratched, wooden table. “So what are you going to do?”

“What
can
I do? Not sleep?”

“Are you that desperate yet?”

Kate shrugged and leaned back in her chair. “Getting there. It’s just aggravating to have these vivid dreams with the same guy over and over and not know his name.” She sat forward suddenly and rubbed her thumb and forefinger together as though she held something tiny between them, like an eyelash or the wing of a moth. “I feel like the thing that separates the dreams from my reality is so thin. And it’s like I’m about to have a breakthrough, any minute now. Maybe I’ll turn a corner on the street and he’ll be standing there. Or I’ll realize
this
,” she drew a circle in the air in front of her, “is the dream. And he’s the reality. Anyway, it’s beginning to really suck. I always wake up and miss him.” She plunked back into her chair, blew her lips out, and shook her head.

“Awww, sweet doll. That breaks my heart a little,” Audra said, patting her chest tenderly.

“Shut up,” Kate laughed.

“I mean it. And by the way, I’m not a dream. You wish. Sorry! But this is your cold, hard reality. Me, sitting here, spending all my disposable income on expensive raw food and getting you to do the same, because I’m so persuasive.” Audra nudged Kate’s foot with her clunky blue skateboard shoe.

“What was that for?” Kate blinked, startled.

Audra smirked. “Hey, look on the bright side, doll—maybe if you get involved with Ty, like I prescribed the other day, maybe that would cure you.”

“I’ve wondered the same thing. But it’s not like I can rush into that. I’m not that forward.” Kate cringed at the thought of throwing herself at Ty just to cure the dreams with her mystery lover.

“So just how often are you having them now?”

“Almost every night.”

Audra let out a low whistle that was more of a raspberry. “I can’t whistle very good. That was supposed to be a whistle. My official prognosis: I think you’re sick, like ill, sweetheart. Something’s wrong. Maybe it’s like that girl who’s been in a constant state of orgasm for years from an accident, you know what I’m talking about? Maybe you’re the dream equivalent. A neuron is firing every night that influences you to have these dreams. Maybe?”

“Perhaps. There are worse problems, I guess,” Kate said, without any conviction. The conversation was beginning to tire her. There were no answers. She’d hoped Audra would have some insight—but prescribing that Kate sleep with Ty was no help at all. That would never happen. And anyway, she wasn’t sure she was ready for a physical relationship with a guy she barely knew. A secretive guy, no less. Was that fair? She didn’t know. Everyone hid their true identity at first. It was just that it was so obvious with Ty, it made her hesitate.

“For sure,” Audra said, her own voice lacking enthusiasm. “I can easily name off six other conditions you wouldn’t want to have.”

“Don’t. It would just make me worry.” Kate watched through the glass windows at the front of the restaurant as a large group of people dressed in business attire convened outside and then came inside. A quick glance around and Kate knew it would help Amir out if they left now and gave up their table. Audra’s back was to the front of the restaurant, so she was still oblivious to the state of things.

“So did Ty set up another date with you?” Audra asked in a careful voice, like she’d been mulling over whether or not to bring it up.

Kate shook her head, “No. He didn’t, actually.”

“And?”

“And what?” Over Audra’s shoulder, Kate saw Amir scurry to greet the corporate-looking group. His arms were crossed over a stack of menus. He smiled ingratiatingly and then glanced over his shoulder, doing the math on how to seat the new group. 

“Come on, don’t be coy. How do you feel about it?”

“Crappy,” Kate said, refocusing on her friend. She held out her hands to demonstrate her impotence. “But what am I going to do? Chase him down?”

Audra considered it, her chin tilted to one side. “Well, would that be so bad?”

“Yes, yes it would.”

“Ha. Well, talk to me about that in two weeks when you’re still having the dreams and not having sex with Ty.”

“You have such a way with words. I’m
so
glad we’re best friends. Let’s go. Amir just struck gold and we’re taking up his table needlessly.” She stood up, pushing her ratty, upholstered chair out with the backs of her knees.

Audra turned in her chair, her face full of doubt, as though she suspected that Kate was merely trying to get out of the awkward conversation. When she saw that Kate wasn’t lying, she stood up too. “Babe, don’t reduce us to best friends. You’re my hetero-eternal companion or nothing.”

Kate laughed loudly. “Thank heavens.”

***

At work that night, Kate felt surly and irritated. The conversation with Audra and the reminder that Ty left their climbing date without setting up something else made her feel like she should write the whole affair off. The fluorescent lights buzzed and the air was sticky with the humidity of the unexpected late-spring storms that had been going since noon. In the corner devoted to used video games, the TV flashed soundlessly as some 1970s show played that had been exchanged earlier that month but had only just been priced and put out for sale.

Kate slouched behind the counter, her backside balancing against the low shelf that held the printer, only half paying attention to the pretentious conversation occurring between Ferg and a couple customers. Kate shook the price-gun and muttered under her breath. She couldn’t get the stamp to strike evenly on the price-tag sticker.

No, it’s fine. It’s fine,
she thought, recognizing that her mind was somewhere else most of the time anyway and that wasn’t exactly fair for Ty. The guy in her dreams jumbled her thoughts up. The stupid, stupid dream guy.