Valinta - Chapter 1

 Valinta

Chapter 1

“Fuck, Siri,” Julian gripped the oak tree and inclined one foot against it, leaning forward to stretch his calf. “You didn’t tell me this trail was so steep.”

Sirina laughed and pulled her loose hair back into a ponytail. The mid-March Californian sun beat down on the two, making Sirina’s strawberry-blonde hair glow golden and Julian’s bronze. Julian’s chest heaved for air, and this seemed to convince him to pull his long waves back as well. 

“It’s pretty though, huh?” The two looked out over the skyscape of northeastern Los Angeles- the modest suburbs of the San Fernando valley and the glittering high-rises of Glendale and North Hollywood, with verdant trees and bungalow neighborhoods populating Pasadena. Sirina smiled- it was in moments like these, high above smog and traffic and cigarette smoke and dirty alleys that she could see /all/ of LA. She felt overwhelmed with gratitude. 

“Yeah,” Julian agreed, switching to the other foot. “I’m glad you woke up in time for this.” 

Sirina rolled her eyes and laughed. “Oh, please. Just because you get up at 6 AM on weekends, like a freak…”

“Yeah, and you normally get up past noon, you vampire!” Julian’s hazel eyes sparkled like they always did when he was having fun teasing Sirina. “See, isn’t it nice to be out among the living?” 

“I don’t know if anyone is ‘living’ at 8 AM on a Saturday.”

“That’s because you’re not normally awake to see it.” Julian’s mouth quirked, a sly smile. “You know what would be good after this?”

“Coffee?” Sirina asked, almost desperately. She needed another cup…

“I mean, for you, maybe. I was thinking food.”

“Yeah, because food and coffee are never sold together,” Sirina teased.

“Ha. Anyway, Foxy’s*? I could go for some huevos rancheros right about now…”

“Wow, I’m surprised you didn’t say Zankou*.” Sirina grinned, poking her friend’s shoulder. “Had too much garlic sauce and now you’re sick of it, Jules?” 

Julian laughed heartily, his hair shaking loose as he tossed his head back. He bent down to pick up his elastic band. “Oh, Siri, I will never get sick of their garlic sauce. But Zankou Chicken is for lunch. You do know what lunch is, right? Have you ever been awake for it?”

Sirina rolled her eyes again. She did this often around Julian. “You know I work normal hours, right?”

“Hey, just checking.” 

Julian and Sirina were relatively quiet on the descent, which was a fairly normal state for them whenever Julian was hungry and Sirina craved caffeine. Once they folded their sore limbs into Sirina’s RAV-4, they were on a mission to get some grub. Julian grabbed the auxiliary cord, plugging it into his phone. 

“There’s a new song I have to show you. It’s trance, but pretty fast. Even a basshead like you will appreciate it.”

“Oh yeah? I’ll believe it when I hear it.”

Julian grinned, leaning on one arm behind his back and stretching. Sirina swallowed. It was /not/ fair for him to look so good, the sweat on his skin drying, his broad chest stretching the thin fabric of his shirt, the bulge of his bicep glistening…

“Earth to Siri!”

“-Wha? Oh, yeah, uh huh.”

Julian laughed, shaking his head. “You weren’t even listening!”

“Sorry…I spaced out for a second. What was that?”

“I was wondering how you were doing. You know, with the breakup. I can’t imagine how stressful the past few months have been, moving out so quickly…and with work and your health…”

Sirina smiled softly. Julian was always so concerned about her- she was lucky to have such a caring friend. “I appreciate that. Yeah, I’m doing okay. I mean, it’s for the best, right? Andy and I…we ended up wanting different things.”

“Do you still talk to him?”

“Yeah, sometimes. It was hard for us both. I’m hoping we can be friends again someday.”

Julian shook his head again. “I don’t know how you do that, stay friends with someone you’ve been in love with.”

Sirina shrugged. “I mean, we dated.” 

“Yeah, but that was in high school. You know what I mean…I mean, you guys had sex. How can you be friends with someone after that?”

“I don’t know…I don’t stop loving someone just because I stopped being in love with them. Andy’s a really good guy. Plus, I’m still friends with Martin.” 

Julian held up his finger, as if to illustrate a point. “Another person you didn’t actually have sex with.”

Sirina laughed. “We loved each other. We had phone sex, because to my 19-year-old-good-Catholic-girl mind, that didn’t count.”

“Yeah, because it doesn’t.” 

“Oookay, Mr. Experienced.”

Julian laughed. “Hardly! I’m in the same boat as you. Marina’s the only girl I’ve been with. I’m just saying, even exes I didn’t have sex with, I couldn’t really stay friends. It’s too hard, once you’ve been in love.”

“I mean, I can see that perspective. I just feel differently in my own life, I guess.” Sirina pulled back into a parking space and straightened out her RAV before shutting off the gas. “Anyway, I haven’t had enough coffee to be talking about exes.”

“Fair enough. I’m starving.” 

Once the friends’ orders were placed and Sirina had a mug of steaming coffee in her hands, Julian leaned forward, almost conspiratorially.

“I had this idea.” He grinned. “We both have a shitload of time off. I know you do, you work so much overtime. You need a vacation.” 

Sirina cocked an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. You know that trail you always talked about? The Pacific Crest Trail? Well, backpacking even part of it would probably suck, with all the mosquitoes and your pelvis and all. But what if we just did day-hikes along it and stayed in little inns and stuff at night? We could just take a week or so. I think it would be really fun.” Julian smiled shyly. He really seemed excited about this idea.

“I mean, I’d have to plan some time…but that /does/ sound really fun.” 

“If you can get the time off, I’ll plan everything so that you don’t have to worry. The route, what trails we wanna take, all of the lodging…all you have to do is pay for half.”

Sirina smiled. This could be exactly what she needed to unwind. Time in some of the most beautiful places in nature, among birds and trees and alpine lakes…and with Julian. 

“Can I think about it and let you know? I really do want to, I just want to make sure I /can/.” 

“Of course. Just let me know when you’ve decided.”

Sirina reached across the table and patted Julian’s hand. “Thanks, Jules. You’re a really good friend, you know that.” 

“Oh, you won’t be saying that when I wake you up at 7 every morning…”

…

“Sirina!!” Lex jumped off of the couch and ran over to his friend as soon as she walked through the front door. 

“Lex!!” Sirina shouted back, jokingly, before realizing just how worried he looked. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Winston. He’s not doing good.”

Sirina’s blood ran cold. Winston was her 15-year-old cat. 

“What do you mean? Where is he?” 

Lex walked over to the living room, and Sirina followed. Winston, her tuxedo British Shorthair, was lying on the floor, his eyes narrow and his breathing slow.

“He was walking earlier, and then just fell to the side and puked. He hasn’t really moved since then.”

“Perkele,” Sirina murmured, tears stinging the back of her eyes. “Thank you, Lex. I’ll call Martin.”

She dialed up the veterinarian on his personal number, feeling sick to her stomach. She knew Winston was an older cat, but he still seemed so healthy…

“Sirina?” Martin’s warm voice answered. “What’s going on? You always text, unless Winston-“

“Winston is sick!” Sirina rubbed her eyes, tears already streaming. She choked on a sob. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll be right over.”

“I live with my friends now. I’ll text you my address. I’m in Glendale now, but that’s closer to you. Martin- thank you.” 

“Hey, don’t worry. Just sit tight, okay? Winston is gonna be all right.”

Sirina nodded, thanking Martin again and hanging up the call. She knelt beside Winston, stroking his back. 

“You’re gonna be okay, baby boy. Dr. Martin is gonna help, okay, sweetie?”

Winston purred softly. Sirina had read that cats sometimes purred when they were in pain, and that just made her cry harder. 

Within half an hour, Sirina heard heavy knocking at her door. She rushed to it, opening it for Martin. He kicked off his shoes and hurried inside. 

“Can you pick Winston up and put him on a table? It’ll be easier to inspect him that way.”

Sirina wiped her eyes. “I don’t want to hurt him…”

“Okay, let me try…” Martin gently rested his hand on Winston’s back and stroked him softly. Winston meowed, weakly, in greeting. He had always liked Martin. “Can I pick you up, Mr. Winston?” Martin asked gently. He curled his fingers underneath Winston’s belly before the cat yelped. 

“Okay, okay, that does seem to hurt him. I’ll just take a look at him on the floor. What happened?”

“I wasn’t there, but Lex said he was walking earlier before falling on his side and vomiting.”

“Hmm…let me take a look at his eyes…” Martin shone a light in between them. “His pupils are super dilated. Have they been like this lately?”

“Come to think of it, yeah.”

“How long?”

“I’d say a year or so.”

“Hmm…” Martin inspected Winston some more, gently pressing his fingers at various pressure points and taking the cat’s temperature. “I have good news, sort of. I think Mr. Winston has some mild cognitive dysfunction. It’s sorta like cat Alzheimer’s, and it’s very common in cats over the age of 12. It causes dizziness, and that dizziness can cause nausea. I’ll prescribe him some pills that will help with the nausea and dizziness. Winston is gonna be okay, though he might start getting confused.”

Sirina threw her arms around Martin. “I can’t thank you enough. How much do I owe you?”

Martin shook his head, smiling. “Nothing. No way. Nada.”

“Please, Martin? I feel bad. And you’re my guest. At least let me make you some coffee or a drink.”

Martin laughed. “Always the consummate hostess. Okay, sure, I’ll take a cup of coffee. And while I drink it, let’s talk about why you’re no longer living with Andy.”

Sirina sighed. “I mean, that’s a long story…”

“I knew you guys were arguing a bit several months back, but I really thought you would work it out…I’m sorry.” 

“It’s really okay. Honestly, I saw it coming for a while. Maybe even a year or so…”

“That’s rough. I’m sorry…” Martin hugged Sirina. “Why didn’t you reach out? I could be your wingman and help you get laid.” 

Sirina laughed. “I don’t ‘get laid,’ Martin.”

“Well,” he grinned, “I could’ve at least taken you for a drink so that you could drown your sorrows in gin.”

“Honestly, what I really want is a vacation. Jules suggested hiking the PCT…” Sirina poured the grounds onto the filter and switched on her coffee pot. 

“A vacation? It’s funny you should mention that…” Martin grinned. It always meant he had an idea, and usually a bad one. 

“Should I be worried?”

“Only if you /hate/ lounging on the beach in Los Cabos, drinking margaritas and dancing to reggaeton.”

“Oh?”

Martin grinned, almost devilishly. The man was way too handsome for his own good. With wavy black hair, glasses, and gorgeous skin the color of caramel, even just looking at him made Sirina weak. And she wasn’t the only one he had this effect on. His cosplay Instagram had over 100,000 followers, and he regularly had people sliding into his DMs to request anything from a hookup to marriage. 

“I’m going to a veterinary conference in Mexico. There will be another doctor there, and he and I used to fool around. For one thing, I need to have a friend there to keep me from making the same mistakes. For another, if you’re there with me, maybe he won’t even talk to me at all. Plus, I have a room for two, and I can easily get another free plane ticket…”

“When is this conference?” 

“Not for another month. Do you think you could get the time off?”

Sirina bit her nail. “Maybe…it does sound really fun. Are you sure you want /me/ to go with you? I’m not sure what you’re expecting, Martin, but-“

“I’m not asking you along so that you’ll sleep with me, Sirina.” He rolled his eyes. “I could sleep with anyone I wanted to at that conference, believe me. Honestly, I think you could use a vacation, and you can keep me out of trouble. What do you say?”

“Well…that’s a really, really kind offer. And I do owe you one…but can I think about it? You should ask other friends too, I don’t want you waiting on my answer. Can I tell you some time over the next week? I did get an offer to go on vacation with Julian, too…”

“No problem. Just let me know in the next week or so. Oh, hey, and look who’s come to say hi to us!” 

Winston trotted into the room and jumped up onto Martin’s lap. He laughed. “Hey there, Win-win! How’s it going, buddy?” 

“Aww,” Sirina cooed, “He really likes you. Hey, Winston, do you wanna thank Dr. Caballero for taking a look at you?”

Winston meowed and butted his head against Martin’s stomach. He laughed. “Gosh, he’s a cutie. I wish my cats were that affectionate. Mind if I keep him?”

“Sorry, he knows I have all the treats. He’ll never leave.” 

…

“Uh oh, look who just walked in…” Krista murmured, pointing at the auburn-haired man in the doorway. He glanced around, eyes wide, and fiddled with his shirt collar. “He looks like a deer in headlights. You should go talk to him.” 

“Ah, God, I can’t!” Sirina wrung her hands. “He’s too cute, Krista. And his accent- I’ll start blushing and it’ll get weird.” 

“You never get this nervous around men. Just go say hi! Worst-case scenario, he’s a total dud and then you can stop crushing on him.”

“Nnnh…fiiiiine.” 

Krista patted Sirina’s back. “Atta girl! Remember, you are a /Lioness/. Go get that little British lamb.” 

“Okay, now you’re making it weird…”

Krista laughed and pushed her friend forward. “Go! Before practice starts.”

Sirina awkwardly slunk across the room, feeling more unsure of herself by the second. What if Arthur thought she was a creep? He didn’t even know her name, and as the accompanist, everyone knew his. However, inertia kept her feet moving, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of him- the devastatingly handsome Englishman that she’d always found adorable. She loved the way he got flustered whenever anyone praised his playing, or how his voice pitched up whenever he was nervous. Yeah, okay. She could do this. 

Fuck. She couldn’t do this. Sirina opened her mouth to speak, but only a croak slipped through. Her cheeks flushed, and suddenly the room was unbearably hot. Arthur just stared at her, making it all so much worse. 

“You play piano...” Sirina laughed awkwardly. “Sorry. I mean, you play piano really well.”

Arthur smiled, and God it almost made all of the embarrassment worth it. “That’s really kind, thank you. For what it’s worth, I think you sing really well, Sirina.”

He actually knew her name! Sirina couldn’t hide her smile. So he knew she existed! It was a start. “That’s so nice of you. But I’m serious- I’ve been playing piano since I was a kid, and I still can’t read sheet music. You’re amazing.” 

“Ah, I’m sure you’re quite good yourself. It just takes practice…” Arthur nibbled at the corner of his lip, looking clearly uncomfortable. Was Sirina bothering him? Oh God, maybe she really did look like a creep. 

“Yeah! So anyway-“

“How long have you been-“

“Oh, sorry.” Sirina smiled. This was almost unbearably uncomfortable. “You first.”

“Oh, uh…how long have you been singing?”

Sirina couldn’t tell if Arthur was simply keeping this conversation going to be polite, or if he was actually interested, but she wasn’t about to let the opportunity to talk with him slip away. “Gosh, since I was really little. I wasn’t very good, but that never stopped me.” She laughed, trying not to sound quite so nervous. “How about you, with piano?”

“Well, you’re amazing now, and that’s what matters.” Arthur offered Sirina another bright smile. He had no idea just how much it melted her. “I’ve been playing piano since I was twelve. I was a bit of a late starter, at least in the piano world, as I’m sure you’re aware, but I took to it immediately. Now, mind you, my poor parents had to sit through years of listening to me try to bang out tunes before I got any good.” The two chuckled. “But, yeah…it’s been a passion of mine for a long time.” 

“Are you a musician?” 

“No, I’m actually not. I’m a pharmacist.” 

“Oh, you don’t say? That’s really impressive. My bachelor’s is in pharmacology.”

“Oh! Do you work in the field?” 

“Not so much anymore- I’m a QC specialist for a diagnostic lab, now. I really admire what pharmacists do, though.” 

Arthur grinned, leaning in as if he had a secret. “Really, I just became a pharmacist for the flexibility. I work four days a week, and that suits me just fine.”

“The hours and budget to do what you love when you’re off work. You’re smart.” Sirina grinned. “My dad wanted me to be a pharmacist. A lot of my friends from school are pharmacists now…but I can’t multitask the way you guys do. I’d rather get hyper focused on an experiment.”

“Well, I can imagine lab work is stressful sometimes.” 

Sirina laughed. “Definitely not as stressful as being a pharmacist. Do you work in retail or a hospital?”

“Hmm, what do you think?”

“I’m gonna say retail. No way would you get such good hours if you were a hospital pharmacist.” 

Arthur laughed. “You know the field too well. Yes, I work in retail. At the Walgreens off of Colorado in Pasadena.”

“Ooh, you’ll hate me. I’m a CVS girl.” 

Arthur’s reserve had softened somewhat, and Sirina relaxed. The pianist smiled, the corners of his blue eyes crinkling. He was even more handsome up close, with wispy, chestnut hair that fell just past his angular jaw. He had a lovely smile, too- pale lips that stood out against his even lighter, freckled skin. 

“I suppose I can’t hold a grudge against you. After all, you’re one of the first singers to come talk to me in the six months I’ve been here.” He leaned in, lowering his voice as he grinned. “Am I really that scary?”

Sirina laughed. “Not scary. Just mysterious. And quiet.” 

“Ahh, yes, I’m a real man of mystery. Sometimes I get /really/ crazy and go out for sushi on a Tuesday night.” 

“You absolute madman. So, should I not be calling you Arthur, Dr….?”

“You should /definitely/ call me Arthur. Please. But I’m technically Dr. Kowalski.” 

“I was expecting you to have a very English surname?” 

“Oh really?” Arthur’s eyes lit up. Oooh…they were just /so/ blue. “Like ‘Sconesbury’ or ‘Godsavethequeen’?”

“Something like that. Instead, you have a very Polish one.”

“Ah, so you’re aware! Yeah, my dad is from Poland originally. Are you also Polish?” 

“Hm, not quite.” Sirina extended her hand, which Arthur gently took in his to shake. “Sirina Peltonen.” 

Arthur smiled. “Finnish. You know, that doesn’t surprise me. Finnish people are said to have the most beautiful voices in the world. Your tradition of singing poetry and all that…”

“You know about that?” 

“Oh, a little. A friend of mine at Uni was just /obsessed/ with Sibelius. She had me read the Kalevala just to understand the ‘melodic imagery’ in his songs. Quite interesting stuff.”

“Sounds like you have a very cultured friend. My friends and I were more into talking about memes and terrible movies than poetry at that age.” 

“Hey, nothing wrong with-“ Arthur’s sentence was cut short as the conductor walked in and assumed his place in front of the rafters. As the chatter died down, Sirina gave Arthur a small smile. 

“Talk to you soon, then.” 

Arthur nodded, returning the smile. “It was a pleasure, Ms. Peltonen.” 

Sirina assumed her position with the rest of the Altos, right next to Krista. However, she found it difficult to pay attention to the sheet music in front of her. Her eyes always seemed to drift back to Arthur, who was sitting rigidly at the piano, his focus entirely on the keys in front of him. He puzzled her. Their conversation had gone well- really well, even- but it didn’t seem like he was in any real rush to talk again soon. He hadn’t asked to add her on social media or offered his number. Was he just being nice? The rest of practice seemed to pass by in a blur. Sirina sighed to herself as she and Krista stepped out into the parking lot. 

“He doesn’t seem interested in me, Krista.” 

Sirina’s friend rubbed her arm. “Maybe he has a partner already? Hey, I’m proud of you for putting yourself out there. That’s hard to do.” 

Sirina forced a smile. She was /not/ going to keep being a sad-sack; she’d had enough moping post breakup. “Thanks, dude. You’re right, at least now I know…”

“Plus, he’s really shy. If you really wanted to know how he felt…why don’t you ask him out.” 

Sirina glanced over to where Arthur was standing. He was leaned up against a tree, fiddling with his phone. His eyes lifted from the screen, meeting hers for a moment, before he quickly looked back down. 

“You know…you’re onto something. Next time. I’ll give it one more practice.” 

Krista folded her arms. “I’m gonna hold you to that, bro.” 

Sirina teasingly folded her arms the same way, smirking. “Why are you ‘bro’-ing me? Don’t believe me?”

“Hey, girl, I’ll believe it when I see it.” Krista grinned. “I have to be tough on you, otherwise you’ll keep putting it off.” 

Sirina glanced over at Arthur, whose gaze was already on her. She gave him a small wave. He stiffened before returning it. 

“Girl, he’s into you. I’m a lesbian. I know these things.” 

Sirina laughed. “You’re so full of it. What does being a lesbian have to do with it?”

Krista threw her hands in the air. “We know everything!”

…

“L’Chaim, bitches!” Krista raised her vodka-tonic up high, and the other roommates did the same. Aharon stuck with his usual, an 805 Ale, while Lex indulged in the sweetest cocktail he could find on the menu, which just so happened to be something called “Fruit Salad Calypso.” Sirina ventured from her usual gin and soda to go for a Cadillac Margarita. 

“You’re saying it /all/ wrong,” Aharon groaned. “It’s embarrassing.” 

Krista stuck out her tongue. “You’re just being grumpy because Evelyn never called you back. Don’t take it out on me, pissy pants. You’ll find someone else.” 

“Wait, I thought you and Evelyn had a good date.” Lex looked up over the rim of his Calypso. “What am I missing here?” 

Aharon sighed. “Do we have to talk about this? Sirina’s single, too!”

Sirina grinned. “Nuh uh, boo. We’re talking about you right now.”

“You Catholics…it’s like the Inquisition all over again.” 

Lex laughed. “Fine, you don’t have to talk about it. Do you want me to talk to Andrea for you? I’ll be discreet.” Evelyn was Andrea’s - Lex’s girlfriend’s- sister. 

“Ugh…I just thought it all went well.”

“Well, did you send her a text?” Sirina squeezed a lime into her margarita.

“I didn’t want to seem clingy.”

“Aharon!” The three other roommates shouted simultaneously. 

“I swear to God,” Krista groaned, “you are so hopeless.”

“I don’t want to pressure her! Plus, she asked me out, I thought she would say something!”

“Which is exactly why you should text her and say you had a great time!” Sirina chuckled, shaking her head. “And apologize for being a dummy!”

Aharon pinched the skin just above the space between his eyebrows. “You really think so?” 

“Aharon, I don’t get you.” Lex rolled his eyes. “You’re simultaneously one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, and also a fucking idiot.” 

“Hey, I’m trying! This isn’t ‘bully the engineer’ night, you assholes.” 

“Okay, okay, sorry.” Sirina patted Aharon’s hand. “We’ll lay off of you. As long as you text her.”

He quirked a smile. “I will. Anyway, I heard you talked to ~Arthur~.” Aharon wiggled his brows. 

“Krista, I will kill you.” 

“Honey, we’ve kept a running bet on how long it would take for you to talk to him,” Lex informed.

“Is that why you told me to go over there?” Sirina laughed incredulously. “Are you profiting off of this, bro?” 

Krista grinned. “It’s all in the favor of a good cause.”

“You three…yes, I did talk to Arthur. And he was /charming/ and /funny/ and /cute/ and he’s a /pharmacist/ and ugh! He’s so out of my league it’s unfair. Did I mention he has an accent?”

“Only about ten times.” Aharon took a swig of beer. “Did you ask him out?” 

Sirina sighed. “No. The conductor came in and I lost my nerve. Ughhh, he’s so hot, I wanna lick his face!”

“Well, don’t tell him that, weirdo!” 

Lex shrugged. “Or do. He might be into that.”

Krista shook her head. “I met the guy. He’s insanely shy. He’d probably combust if a woman said something like that to him.” 

Sirina grinned. “Anyway…it’s not like he’s the only guy I have a crush on.”

“Well, no duh. We also have a running bet as to when you and Julian are finally gonna fuck.” 

“Aharon!” Krista chided, “/That/ one was supposed to stay a secret!”

“I had thought you two would get together before you ended up talking to Arthur. Thanks for making me lose twenty bucks,” Lex teased. 

“Why am I even friends with you guys?”

“I ask myself that same question all the time,” Aharon consoled. “If you figure out an answer, let me know.” 

“Well, I’m not going to /fuck/ Julian if we’re not together. Even if that would be hot. He did invite me on a vacation with him, though.”

“Ooh, lala, you didn’t tell us this!” Krista sipped her vodka-tonic. “When?”

“I’m not sure yet, I still haven’t said yes. He wanted us to do day hikes along the PCT.”

“You two do love hiking,” Lex affirmed. “I feel like that could be really good for you. You need to take a break, especially after everything that’s happened recently.”

“Yeah…but, then, Martin also invited me to a conference with him. Get this, it’s at some super fancy resort in Cabos San Lucas.”

“What? Then go there! I would /kill/ to go to Cabo right now. If you don’t go with Martin, I will,” Aharon vowed.

“Yeah, but isn’t that weird? I mean, we used to date…he says he wants me to keep him out of trouble, because some guy he used to sleep with will be there.” 

“Hmm,” Krista’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know…I mean, Martin’s cool, but he’s a total horndog. You won’t be sharing a bed, right?”

“Uh…” Sirina blushed. “I mean, I didn’t ask…they only gave him one room. But I’ll be good! I just want some sunshine.” 

Lex shook his head. “Sirina, this is so weird. Like, I don’t even think Martin has any bad intentions, but it’s still weird. Even a trip to Cabo couldn’t make me share a bed with one of my exes.” 

“Are you guys listening to yourself? It’s a free trip to Cabo! Are the drinks and food paid for and everything?” 

Sirina nodded. “They are.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Aharon sighed. “God, you Americans are such prudes! Go have fun, Sirina, and even if you guys bang, so what? You get a free trip and as much champagne as you want out of it. I say go for it!”

“We’re not gonna bang!” Sirina protested. “But I agree with the rest of that. I mean, it’s free!”

Lex folded his arms. “He’s gonna get morning wood and it’ll be /so/ weird.” 

Krista mulled this over while taking another sip of her drink. “I mean…what do you want to do, Sirina?” 

Sirina bit her lip. “I don’t know…I can’t go on both vacations, can I? And I kinda wanted to visit my family in Finland this summer…I should really be saving my vacation days.” 

Lex patted Sirina’s arm. “You’ve always wanted to hike the PCT, and Julian is awesome. You’d have a great time.” 

Krista made a sound. “Hmmm…do you really think that’s a good idea either, Sirina? There are definitely sparks between you and Julian, but you broke up Andy because he couldn’t commit. Julian broke up with Marina because /he/ couldn’t commit. If something happened between you two on the trip, I’m worried he’d get really weird about it.” 

“Yeah…you’re not wrong. Fuck, I feel like I need Rija’s advice on this. She’d give me some neuropsych articles to read over to tell me to stop being such a horny idiot when it comes to guys.” 

Aharon smirked. “Like that’ll help. You’ve been a horny idiot since I’ve met you.” 

Lex grinned. “Maybe you should fuck Aharon to get it out of your system.” 

Aharon and Sirina stared at Lex, mouths agape. 

“Um…./ew/!” Aharon simply stated, as if it were the most disgusting thing he’d ever heard. “I would sooner fuck a corpse! No offense, Sirina. You’re like a sister to me. A really weird, horny sister.” 

“Oh, none taken. Lex, you’re so drunk! I would /kill/ Aharon before I slept with him.” 

“Yes, please do,” Aharon agreed. “I would sign off to say it’s euthanasia.” 

Lex and Krista cracked up. “I just wanted to see how you’d react.” Lex wiped his eyes, still grinning. 

“Sirina,” Lex continued, “Whatever you decide, just have fun. You’ve always been so practical- you’ve never even had a fling before. You deserve to not be so responsible for once. Whatever makes you happy, we’ll support you in it.” 

Sirina grinned. “You guys are so sweet.” 

“I’m not,” Aharon took another sip of his beer, “but I agree with Lex. Do what makes you happy. You were really miserable earlier this year, and it freaked us all out.”

…

…

…

What did you decide? Will you:

A) Hike the Pacific Crest Trail? (Julian Path)

B) Go to Cabo? (Martin Path)

C) Stay in Glendale? (Arthur Path)

…

Notes:

Foxy’s is a famous diner in Glendale. It has a unique design- it’s built like an angular lodge, but with architectural and design features that were popular with modern designers in 1960s Los Angeles. It’s a cute place that serves classic American breakfast along with great Mexican food. 

Zankou Chicken is a local chain in Los Angeles. Founded by Lebanese-Armenian immigrants, it’s very popular among middle eastern people in SoCal, especially Armenians, and even more so, Glendale Armenians (Glendale, which is right next to LA, is California’s “Little Armenia). It’s famous for its garlic sauce, which it serves with every meal.