Always Belle

A week passed since the events of Castle Slate. I was hanging out with my friend Devin at a bar, catching up over happy hour beer.

"Hey Dev, appreciated you swinging by to drop off those items last week."

"No worries. Hope my coat fit alright." He clinked my glass. "By the way, you saw the cam, right? Did you have any questions on how to use it?"

"All good. Thanks for always looking out."

I for sure wasn't going to tell Devin what I had used his spy camera for (i.e., capturing hedonistic footage of my future aunt-in-law at a sex party). For my purposes, I had already downloaded all the castle footage I'd recorded, then deleted all other copies of its existence.

I withdrew the tiny black circle from my pocket and offered Devin's spy cam back to him.

"Keep it, it's yours, Ken," he said.

"No Dev, I can't keep something this expensive!"

"Don't sweat it. Consider it a token of our friendship. Plus, I've got a few more if I need them."

"You sure?"

"You're good, dude."

Man, I couldn't help but feel grateful I had a friend like Devin in my life. Always loyal, always there in a pinch. When it came to our dynamic, I felt bad that I didn't give as much as I took.

"Dev, um, my uncle mentioned you were in a rush for your graveyard shift last week. Hopefully my pitstop didn't make you late?"

"My dad chewed me out a bit, but eh, it's whatever. Doing building security with him is slowly killing me. I need something more rewarding."

"I hear ya. Same here, dude."

"Hey Ken..." Devin's tone turned fragile. "I know I didn't go to as good of a school, or even have the same degree as you, but if you see any jobs up my alley, I'd appreciate a shout."

"For sure," I said, taking his words to heart. I checked the time on my watch. "I should head out soon, I'm kinda cutting it close. Are you still cool to give me a ride?"

"Of course. Where to?"

"A restaurant for a family dinner. It's my cousin's birthday."

***

Devin had dropped me off at an expensive steakhouse in the fancy part of town. When I walked inside, I was led to a private dining room where I spotted Colin and my uncles sitting at a long table.

"Ken, right on time!" Uncle Frank shouted.

"Grab a seat, I got your wagyu order in." Uncle Artie warmly welcomed me.

I walked over to the man of the hour. "Hey Col, happy 21st birthday!"

"Thanks Cuz!" He fist-bumped me. "Tomorrow's my actual birthday though. When the drinking fun begins," he said excitedly.

When I sat down next to my cousin, I noticed a purse hanging over my chair. I figured Belle was probably in the restroom. "So what's planned for tomorrow?" I asked.

"Swantree Lake!" Colin replied. "You're coming right?"

"Dunno how I'm getting there but yeah, count me in!"

"I got you. We'll carpool in my car."

A female voice caught my ear, "Hey Cuz, you're in my seat."

I turned around, surprised to see that it was my other cousin. "Roux! I didn't know you'd be here!"

"Flights weren't cheap, but this little shit is lucky I love him." She ruffled Colin's hair, getting him to playfully slap away his older sister's hand.

I scooted one chair over to give my female cousin her seat back.

"How are you, Ken?" she asked. "The 'real world' treating you well?"

"Still looking for a job, but otherwise, life's good."

"I bet! You're living in Uncle Artie's mansion. Must be a dream." She gave me a knowing wink, likely alluding to the fact that I lived under the same roof as a certain blonde.

Belle was a topic Roux had frequently teased me about in high school, never letting me live down the wall poster I had pinned in my room. It was the same poster I'd detached and unfolded from a magazine—the grand origin of my longstanding fascination with Belle.

I pivoted the topic. "So, are you excited to finally graduate next spring?"

"Can't wait! I've got a standing job offer in Manhattan. Moving straight there after the school year."

"Holy shit, that's great! Congrats!"

"Thanks! It's gonna be exciting living that New York City life, especially with a solid income to do so."

As happy as I was for Roux, I couldn't help but feel sorry for myself. Here I was, already graduated, yet still figuring out my life. Meanwhile, my younger female cousin, who was still in college, had already locked down a job, with a great salary apparently, biding her time until she moved to one of the best cities in the world.

"How long do you plan on staying at Uncle Artie's?" Roux asked.

"Hopefully just until I get settled," I replied, unsure when that point in time would actually be.

"Well, be grateful their mansion's got plenty of space. It definitely won't be like that for us in New York. It's so cramped out there."

"Us?"

"Yeah, my boyfriend and I. Darius is coming tonight, so you'll meet him. He already lives in New York, so he flew in separately from there. Should be on the way now."

"Does your dad or Colin know you're dating someone?"

"Nope, but funny you ask. I told my dad to save an extra seat here, but I didn't say for whom. Wait until you see his reaction."

"Why's that? Is Uncle Frank gonna freak out or something?"

"I'd wager something to that effect." She giggled. "Anyway, you're coming to Swantree Lake tomorrow, right?"

"Yep, Colin just told me about it."

"Gosh, last time I was there, we were all kids having snowball fights outside the rental cabin."

"Talk about a blast from the past. I wonder how much it's changed," I said.

"That bar our parents went to, Moosejaw, it's still there. That's where my brother wants to buy his first legal drink."

Later into our meal, we were all enjoying each other's company, chomping down on prime ribs, wagyus, and filet mignons. A tall, mid-twenties Black man in a suit randomly entered our private dining room, seemingly waiting for us to acknowledge him.

"Can we help you?" Uncle Frank asked. "I think you got the wrong room, buddy."

"No, he doesn't." Roux stood up, then walked over to the Black man. "This is Darius, my boyfriend."

"

This

was your plus-one?" Uncle Frank replied, eyes popping out of his head.

"His name's Darius. Don't be rude, Dad." Roux then addressed her boyfriend, introducing him to the men of our family.

"Nice to meet y'all," Darius said, looking spiffy in a tailored suit, minus his off-center tie and loosened collar.

"Ah Darius, I know that wardrobe well," Uncle Artie said. "That's a look like you just got off the clock."

"It was a crazy flight from New York, but s'all good, I got a bit of rest before I got here. I'm straight now."

"What line of work are you in, son?" Uncle Frank asked, slowly cutting his steak with his serrated knife, making a display of it.

"Dad," Roux interrupted. "He works for the mayor of New York, going on what, D, a year now?"

Uncle Frank cut in, "Is that how long you've been dating my daughter then, Darius?"

"Dad, chill," Roux replied.

Uncle Artie added, "Frank, let the poor guy get something in his stomach first. Darius, hope you like steak. They have chicken here too if you prefer that instead."

Jesus

. Uncle Artie could've left that last part out, however well-meaning his intentions were. I looked at Darius and he thankfully didn't seem bothered by the racially-tinged comment.

Uncle Frank then gestured for the couple to take a seat, hilariously pointing to open chairs with his steak knife.

Roux and her boyfriend swung around to my side. "Ken, can you move across so I can sit next to Darius?"

"Of course. Nice to meet you, man." I extended my hand, which he returned with a firm shake.

"D, I thought you were supposed to come a little earlier," Roux said.

"My bad, Roux. When I landed, I went straight from the airport to the hotel to check in. I had a small drink at the bar there and lost track of time."

"You must be starving. Order whatever you want here, don't be shy," she said.

Later on, as our meal was coming to a close, it occurred to me that Belle hadn't arrived yet. She had told me earlier she was meeting privately with her agent Sol, and that she'd swing by the restaurant after.

"Uncle Artie," I shouted across the table. "Is Belle not coming anymore?"

He simply pointed with his eyes toward the entryway of our dining room, where Belle was walking toward us holding a cake. It had lit candles with the numbers 2 and 1. She broke into the happy birthday song, getting the rest of us to join in. She then placed the cake on the table in front of Colin as we finished off the tune.

Colin took a second to bask in the moment, before blowing out the candles as we cheered and applauded for him. Belle took hold of Colin's head with two hands and gave him an exaggerated kiss smack dab on his cheek, getting him to recoil in embarrassment.

"Thank you everyone!" Colin warmly said to all of us.

Belle then circled the table saying hi, apologizing for her tardiness. When she noticed Roux, she excitedly rushed over, pleasantly surprised to see her future niece-in-law.

"Oh my god, Roux! Come here, girl! Gimme a hug!" Belle said.

"Hi Belle! Long time no see! You look gorgeous as always."

"You as well, lady!"

"This is my boyfriend, Darius, by the way," Roux said.

Belle turned to the man, gave him a curious look, almost one of disgust. Darius politely waved hello in return.

Jeez, what the hell was wrong with my family! It was like they had never interacted with Black people before. Why couldn't they all just treat Darius normally...

Belle parked herself in a seat next to me. "So Ken, what'd I miss?"

"We're almost done eating. You hungry? You can have the rest of my steak."

"You're a lifesaver, thanks! I'm starving, you have no idea."

"How was your meeting with Sol?" I asked, passing my plate over to her.

"Good. It went way too long, but he's further along in getting me a deal with that athleisure brand."

"Oh nice. You know, I never saw an email from that company. The one you'd told me to look out for the past week."

"You didn't see it? It definitely came in."

"Really? Let me check again."

"Don't bother. It's in the past now."

What the hell?

I swear, Belle must've been pulling my leg or something. There was no such email... unless.... unless she was subliminally referring to that email from Ned? A week ago, when she had instructed me to look out for that so-called message from an athleisure brand, she'd said something to the effect of:

When you see it, you'll know. Don't let it get buried too deep in my inbox.

Buried too deep? Like deep in an archive? Had she secretly been trying to clue me in, getting me to check her email account's Archive folder for Ned's invitation to Castle Slate? I scoffed, feeling like that was a stretch. But I don't know... Maybe Belle

was

that transparent, that obvious. Maybe it

was

another (alleged) invite for me to spy on her.

I shook the confusion off my face, moving past it. "Um, do you need me to do any work tomorrow? Colin's celebrating his actual birthday up at Swantree Lake. I was hoping I could spend the day with him. Roux's going too."

"Of course. You're free as a bird. I'd hate to deprive you of quality time with your cousins."

When our meal ended, we all began to filter out of the restaurant. I told Uncle Artie to wait for me in the car, after I realized my phone wasn't in my pocket.

As I sauntered back to the private dining room, I caught Belle conversing with Darius in the corridor where the restrooms were. She had a distressed look on her face, arms crossed over her chest. He, on the other hand, seemed coolheaded, simply listening to her.

The two then turned their heads, catching me in their periphery. I immediately sped away, back toward our dining area, where I spotted my phone sitting on the table.

As I made my way out, Belle intercepted me, Darius no longer in sight.

"Forget something?" she asked.

"Just my phone," I replied. "Everything okay with Darius?"

"Yeah. We were just chatting. Come on, let's go home."

***

The next day, late afternoon, Colin picked me up at my uncle's mansion so we could head off to Swantree Lake. When he arrived, he moved over to the passenger seat, letting me take control of the wheel for the 3-hour drive.

I noticed a large duffel in the back seat. "Col, are you spending the night in Swantree Lake or something?"

"Nina rented an overnight room for me and her at the lodge there."

"Oh." I quickly surmised Nina's intentions with my cousin. "Sounds like she's got you locked in for a long night. Maybe don't drink

too

much."

"I'll do my best." He laughed, taking my suggestive comment in stride.

"Eva texted me earlier that she was also coming tonight. Does that mean she's staying at the lodge too?" I asked the question, keeping in mind the previous threesome she had had with Colin and Nina.

"You should text her later," Colin suggested. "Maybe you two can book a room there to crash for the night. The lodge has plenty of availability."

"Cool, I'll keep that in mind," I said, absolutely looking forward to that possibility.

After the adventure Eva and I had had at Castle Slate, she and I had grown closer, texting and calling each other every day since, making time to hang out in between. At this point, I found myself constantly thinking about our connection, wanting to deepen it, take things further. Our attraction felt mutual to me, but I was cautious... I didn't want to fuck things up with assumptions.

Colin broke me from my reverie. "Cuz, we'll link up with Roux and Darius tonight. The dude rented a luxury car to drive there. Guy must be making decent money in New York."

"Col, what'd you think of him?" I asked, curious his thoughts.

"Darius seems like a cool guy. I think my sister's really into him. Must be, if they're gonna be living together in New York."

"Where'd they stay last night? No way your dad let him sleep over your guys' house."

"No kidding." Colin chuckled. "They stayed at a nice hotel downtown. Probably on his dime as well."

"Do you think your dad's got an issue with him being Black?"

"Nah. To be honest, I think my dad just got blindsided last night, thinking Roux was gonna invite a female friend as her plus-one. None of us knew she was even dating anyone. Plus, for what it's worth, Roux also likes to push my dad's buttons, kinda like my mom."

My mind wandered, suddenly remembering something. "Hey Col, I never told you this, but... we actually saw your mom in Vegas. She was with a man."

"It's cool, I know about Jordan. This morning, my mom treated me to a birthday breakfast with Roux. She told me and my sister she'd been dating this Jordan guy for a while now, even showed us some trip photos they'd taken."

"How do you feel about it? If you don't mind me asking."

"It's chill. After the divorce, my mom and dad deserve to be happy with whomever. It's kinda funny though, how my mom and sister are both dating Black dudes. Which I've got nothing against. Love who you love. Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors."

"Dude, that's like the most poetic thing I've ever heard you say," I said, mockingly. "You get that quote off a lingerie ad or something?"

"Maybe I did." He smiled. "Hey, let's change hands at the next rest stop. I can take over the wheel the rest of the way."

***

After a brief restroom break, Colin took over driving, which allowed me to communicate with Eva. I checked my phone to see that she had already texted me, saying: "Ken! Are you two already on the road?"

I texted back: "We are! Be there in maybe 90 minutes. Are you in Swantree Lake already?"

Eva responded immediately: "Yeah, we're at the lodge."

"Did Nina really book an overnight room there?"

"Oh god, we'll chat about that later. I'm probably gonna need a fallback plan. See you tonight." Eva added a kissy face emoji, making me smile.

With more than an hour left until we arrived, I decided to take a small nap. I was later awoken when Colin tapped my knee, letting me know we were pulling into Swantree Lake's quaint village area.

I noticed that the usually snowy grounds were a faded greenish-yellow at this time of year. Otherwise, everything else still looked the same as how I'd remembered it as a kid: the same tall pine trees, looming behind cabin-style buildings along scenic Main Street.

One establishment in particular caught my eye—a twee-looking diner that I remembered our families had brought us to for breakfasts. A memory of sugary pancakes imbued my senses, making me reminiscent of more carefree days.

Colin reached the end of Main Street, which fed into Swantree Lake Lodge, a three-story edifice overlooking the shimmery lake itself. After we parked, he retrieved his duffel bag from the backseat and slung it over his shoulder.

Once inside the lodge, Colin located the reception area while I hung back and soaked in the lobby's forest-chic ambiance. I plopped onto a cushioned bench made with rustic wood, which encircled a cozy indoor fire pit.

I figured Nina must've paid a pretty penny for a room here. It looked like it made for an ideal, intimate setting after a night of drinking, where she'd surely want to

celebrate

my cousin's special day with him in their bed.

I texted Eva: "Colin and I just arrived. Where are you guys?"

She responded: "Nina and I went out into the village. We booked spa appointments. Sorry we missed you! Meet later? =)"

"Sounds good," I replied, sending a kissy-face emoji back her way.

Colin returned to me, holding a room key in hand. "Alright Ken, all checked in. I'm gonna take a nap before we hit the bar later. I think my room has a couch if you need to recharge too, or if you just wanna chill."

"You know what, I was thinking of hitting up the diner. I saw it on our way in and got a bit nostalgic."

"No prob. Meet me back here in about an hour. Or knock on Room 249."

"Hey, where'd your bag go?"

"Gave it to the porter to bring up."

"Lazy much?" I laughed.

"Sue me, it's my birthday!" He smiled with outstretched arms.

***

After Colin left for his and Nina's room, I made my way to the diner nearby on Main Street. Inside, it was barely occupied, with a few people enjoying their dinner. I ordered a cappuccino and parked myself at the dining counter, certain erotic thoughts infiltrating my mind...

Was Colin really taking a nap in his room right now? I feared Nina and Eva were actually there, engaging in another threesome. How would I feel about that? Admittedly, it'd hurt, knowing that I hadn't been notified about it in advance this time.

I could see Nina being the instigator, getting her best friend to join in too. Would Eva text me before it'd happen? Would Colin? I'd feel let down if neither of them did.

-Ken you idiot, don't spiral into paranoia. There's not gonna be a threesome right now.

-You don't know that for sure!

-Colin himself invited you to come up and chill in the room. Not to mention, the girls are in the village doing that spa thing. Eva wouldn't lie to you.

-I think I should check on Room 249!

-Alright then, knock yourself out!

As I motioned to leave, a random mid-forties man, dressed in a red and black flannel shirt, plopped himself onto a seat next to me on the counter.

"Hey sorry, were you heading out?" he asked me.

"Uh, yeah..." I replied, wary of this stranger's approach.

"I was going to ask you something about the menu."

"Might want to ask the staff about that."

"Looks like she's pretty busy."

I peered beyond him, seeing the elderly waitress chatting with another patron at the counter.

"Anyway," he continued, "it's my first time in here. Any recommendations?"

"I'm no regular. Been here two, maybe three times when I was younger. Listen man, I've gotta go do—"