Zenon's Game Chapter 212

This was not the right time for our conversation. My head was not functioning properly and there was no way I could keep up a rational conversation with him.

"Don't run away from me, Candy," he picked up his pace as I started to run up the stairs.

I should really know by now that I don't have a single chance at outrunning Zenon. -0.0000001% chance to be precise.

And that's not even precise.

"You're the one running!" I called out, swinging the wrong way down the hallway.

Damn Bryce and his massive house. The end of the hallway had a giant crystal encrusted mirror - and represented a dead end.

"Let's talk," Zenon said, standing at the entryway and effectively blocking off my exit, "It's obvious we need to."

I know we need to, but I need to wait for the aspirin to kick in and to find the right words to express how I'm feeling. I really didn't want to get into a fight.

"We're fighting a lot," I said, giving it a go.

There we go. That's my attempt.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I stood there in silence because I don't know how to explain what I mean. I'm not prepared for this conversation.

"It feels like we're operating on different levels right now. And there's not much forgiveness. Why are you judging me for throwing up? I'm sorry. I'm sorry I puked on you but I didn't do it on purpose."

"What should I do?" he asked, trying to figure out how he could make this better, "We're on vacation and now I have to babysit you so you don't totally lose it? What's gotten into you?"

I just told you.

Zenon said, "I left you for twenty minutes and when I came back you were wasted."

"I'm feeling left out, Zenon. I know you're here with your friends and you want to be with them but I..." I struggled to finish the sentence so I tried again, "You left me alone for most of the night actually and I... I just felt left out."

Cynthia came running down the hallway with a towel over her shoulder, "Beach! Get into your swimsuits, the cars are leaving in ten minutes!"

I looked up at Zenon and I felt his piercing blue eyes on me. I knew he could see the distress in my face.

Bianca opened the glassed door from the outside where she had been tanning and walked up the stairs in her white bikini and matching wrap. "You two may want to change unless you like skinny dipping."

"Not now Bianca," Zenon snapped, "Stay the f*ck out of this."

He was angry. No doubt about it.

Everyone was going to the beach and I wanted to tap out of that activity. I really didn't have the mental capacity for it, but Cynthia convinced me to go. So, I wore my swimsuit under a pair of shorts and halter top.

When I padded to the front door in my flip flops, I found Bryce there in flippers.

"I NEED BIGGER FINS!" he yelled out, raising his knees and testing his waddle.

A maid came running from another room with a few more pairs of flippers.

"What's going on?" I asked him, staring at all the flying flippers.

"You don't have a scuba diving license, do you?" he asked me, trying on the next pair of flippers.

"No, it was either the scuba license or my helicopter license, so..." I started to joke, but realized he wasn't joking.

"OK, then you'll be in the snorkeling crew," he answered, grabbing his other diving equipment, "With Cynthia, Oma and Axel."

I took a minute to process the names he mentioned. "So that means you, Zenon and Bianca will be...?"

"Scuba diving," he filled in, like it was the most obvious thing.

I faked a smile. "Perfect."

There was nothing perfect about this setup. I was standing in a wetsuit with a pair of flippers and a mask that made me talk funny. Meanwhile, Bianca had gone off with my boyfriend to explore the underwater wildlife on a magical aquatic adventure.

"Raise your left arm if you don't know how to swim," the instructor told us.

We were standing knee deep in sea water, with the sandy beach behind us. I looked down the line at Cynthia, Axel and Oma. At least Cynthia was getting some personal time in with Axel. They kept talking in between the instructor.

"Here, you have the strap on backward," Axel offered to help adjust her mask, "Does that feel better?"

Cynthia nodded and pressed her hands over the band, "A lot better, thank you. How's yours?"

"Mine's fine," he said, looking down at the water he wanted to swim in.

I tried to ignore the pang in my heart. Why couldn't we still be like that? Zenon-

"Can anyone name any fish?" the instructor asked us and caught me staring at Axel and Cynthia, "Candace?"

"Goldfish?" I ventured.

"No. Grouper and sunfish are two examples of fish you will see in these waters. Let's talk briefly about what to do if you see a shark," he said, "Now it's more likely to happen to your expert diving friends than here on the shallow end, but still worth a short safety briefing."

Our expert diving friends... what a joke. I could just imagine Bianca holding onto Zenon for dear life at the sight of a friendly shark minding its own business.

We arrived home long before the 'expert diving' group. If they're so expert, why aren't they quick?

Back at Bryce's villa, dinner was being prepared by a chef tonight. The raw food was already on display on his prep table. I sat at a bar stool by the kitchen island to watch the chef work. I also stole a walnut.

I had 101 questions about cooking that I wasn't shy to ask. My first question: What does sweating an onion mean?