by Todd, E. L.
“This is her first real relationship. I don’t want her to screw it up by being an idiot.”
“She can’t. Sean would never leave her.”
“I hope so.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin then placed it on the table. When I looked at Janice, I admired her exceptional beauty. Her lips were thin with a slight curve. Her eyes sparked like diamonds. “Baby, can I ask you something?”
She looked at me. “You can ask me anything. You already know that.”
I took a deep breath. “Have you ever been in a relationship before?”
“Of course.”
“I mean a serious one. Serious like us.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Yes.”
I felt my heart fall. I don’t know why it bothered me. It was ridiculous to assume that I was the only man she ever really cared about. “Did you—love him?”
“I thought I did.”
“Why did you break up?”
She shrugged. “We just fought a lot until we were both tired of it. It came to a point where we both loathed each other. We went our separate ways.”
“Do you still talk to him?”
“Sometimes but very rarely.”
I nodded.
“Does that bother you, Ryan?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “No.”
She stared at me. “I never loved him the way I love you. I want you to know that.”
“Okay.”
She started to pick her fries again.
“Did you ever talk about marriage?”
She shrugged. “It came up but we didn’t have a serious conversation about it.”
“Did you want to marry him?”
“The relationship wouldn’t have ended if I did.”
That made me feel a little better.
“Please don’t let it bother you, Ryan.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I love you and only you.”
“Did he meet your family?”
“Yes. He’s a close family friend.”
Now I felt panicked again.
“I live here with you.”
“Do your parents know why you moved here?”
She was quiet for a moment. “I told them I moved for a job.”
That hurt. I assumed she told them about me. “Oh.”
“Don’t take it personally, Ryan. I didn’t want them to think I was crazy for moving to the other side of the country for a guy I just met. And I started living with him right away.”
I said nothing.
“Ryan?”
“Why haven’t you told them about me now? We’ve been together for six months. I told you that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Her eyes softened. “I’ll tell them, okay?”
“And I want to meet them.”
“You do?”
I nodded.
“Have you ever met a girlfriend’s parents?”
“No.”
“Are you sure you want to?”
“Of course. I’m serious about us, baby. And if they have a problem with you moving here for me, I have to prove how much I care about you.”
“Okay. We can wait a while. We don’t have to do this now.”
“I’m ready whenever you are.”
She stared at me incredulously. “You don’t have to prove anything to me, Ryan.”
“How often do you talk to this guy? What’s his name?”
She stared at me. “Some girl calls you nonstop two nights in a row then you go out to the bars with all your buddies. I’ve never questioned you or assumed you were being anything less than honest and trustworthy. I deserve that same respect, Ryan.”
I dropped my gaze. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“I know you wouldn’t betray me, but I was just wondering. It doesn’t matter how many different girls call me because I’ve only loved one person for my entire life—you. No one even comes close. But you actually loved this guy. It’s just different.”
She sighed. “His name is Adam. We’ve only talked once since I moved here and it was short and boring.”
“Did you tell him about me?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I just said he was a close friend of my family. Obviously, he would tell them.”
I nodded.
“So, since you are being so nosy it’s my turn to ask some questions. “Why does that girl keeping calling you?”
I knew I should have backed off. Now I was pushed into a corner. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to lie to her. “She doesn’t mean anything to me, Janice.”
“I know that, Ryan, but that isn’t what I asked.”
“You know about my past. I had casual sex with a lot of partners. She was one of them. You can figure it out.”
She leaned back in her chair. “I figured.”
“I don’t want her,” I said quickly. “Just you.”
“I already know that, Ryan.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“And you better trust me.”
“I do, baby.”
“It didn’t seem like it.”
“I—I just got jealous. I’m sorry.”
“I accept your apology.”
“Thank you.”
She nodded.
“Can you promise me something?”
“Anything.”
I smiled. “If we ever do fight, you won’t leave the apartment. We stay together.”
She nodded. “I promise.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“I wouldn’t run anyway, Ryan. And I can’t see us fighting.”
“We’ll see. Every couple fights.”
“We aren’t like other couples.”
“Definitely not.”
She leaned back in her chair and looked at me.
“You ready to go?”
She nodded.
We both rose from the chair then walked back to the apartment. When we were walking down the street, a few shady guys were nearby. I tightened my hold on Janice and held her to my chest. I could tell she was scared. After Carl harassed her she seemed to be frightened of everything. I understood her fear. I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be so small and weak. We passed them by with no incident. Janice breathed a sigh of relief.
“Baby, you never have to be scared when you’re with me.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I just want you to know that I’ll protect you.”
“Okay.”
We made it back to the apartment then walked into our bedroom. Scarlet’s bedroom door was closed. Normally when she was depressed I would lie on the floor next to her, but I didn’t think this situation warranted that. The reason why they were fighting was because of her—not Sean. We went into our bedroom then closed to the door.
I sighed as I took off my clothes.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I don’t mind having Scarlet here but I miss my privacy.”
“I know what you mean.” She crawled into bed then lied down.
I slid in next to her then climbed on top of her. “I hate having to be quiet.”
She placed her hand on my chest. “I don’t want to do it when your sister is here.”
“We’ve done it before.”
“But it’s just weird.”
“Who knows how long she’ll be here.”
“Ryan, we’ll survive.”
I pressed my forehead against hers and stared at her. “You will make love to me. You don’t get a choice in this manner. Do you understand me?”
She was quiet for a moment. “Yes.”
“Good.” I separated her legs with mine then leaned over her, inserting myself within her slowly. Before she could moan, I pressed my lips over hers and kissed her gently. I ran my fingers through her hair while I moved deep inside her. She was wet like she always was. I was careful not to slam the headbo
ard against the wall while I made love to her.
We had never been quieter when making love. The sound of her breathing was all I heard. I could hear the sound of my cock sliding into her because of the moisture between her legs. The sound was making me even more aroused. She scratched my back then grabbed my ass, pulling me further into her. I knew she was about to come.
“Baby, try to stay quiet.”
She moaned quietly.
I moved into her faster, rattling the headboard slightly, and felt her tighten around me. She bit her lip while she came. Her hands tightened on my shoulders, digging the nails into the skin, but she remained silent. She breathed heavily and started to sweat. I knew she was done when she loosened her nails. Then, I let myself go.
“Baby,” I said as I felt myself come inside her. “I love this.”
She moaned.
“I love making love to you.”
She cupped my face as she kissed me. I finished emptying myself inside her then remained still.
“You feel amazing,” she whispered.
“Because you’re so tight for me.”
“No. You’re just big.”
“I like the sound of that.” I kissed her on the forehead then pulled out of her. When I lied beside her, she snuggled next to me like she did every night. “Good night, baby.”
“Good night.”
7
“This is stupid. I shouldn’t be here.” Scarlet rolled her eyes at me while she stood behind the counter.
“It’s better than you moping all day. At least you’re productive.”
“I actually work for a living.”
“Moping around is not work.” I handed her the cash and the books then placed them on the table. “Get to work.”
“Have Janice do it.”
“No. Janice actually works for a living.”
“It doesn’t seem like it. She’s never spent a dime.”
I stared at her. “Just try to get your mind off of it.”
She said nothing.
“If you’re really that depressed then just go home.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I’m not apologizing. I did nothing wrong.”
“You’re so fucking stubborn. I can’t believe you.”
“Sean is being unreasonable.”
“And you’re being psychotic.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I have to ink. Finish this and we’ll go to lunch.”
“Fine.”
I walked back to the front then escorted my first customer into a chair. I finished a tattoo on his arm before I moved onto my next customer. I was getting so busy that I was considering hiring another artist to help me out. But then I would be stuck paying them if it got slow. As long as there were no more break-ins it shouldn’t be a problem. At least it would allow me more time to take care of the business and be away from Janice for less amount of time. I wanted to spend all my time with her. I loved inking but I loved being with her more.
After I was done with the customer, my phone rang.
“Hiya,” I said.
“Hiya?” Cortland asked.
I ignored him. “What’s up?”
“Lunch?”
“Nah. I’m with Scarlet. I kinda want it just to be us.”
“That’s cool.”
“Can you take her out to dinner? She seems really depressed. She tells me everything but I know you guys have more of an emotional relationship than she and I do.”
“Of course I will.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll talk to you later.”
“See ya.”
I hung up then dropped the phone into my pocket. I cleaned up my supplies before Scarlet and I locked the shop and left. We went to a deli down the street and took a seat by the window.
Scarlet picked at her food without really eating it.
“Just go home, Scar. This is stupid.”
“No.”
“So you’ll fuck him in the middle of the night but not go back to him?”
Her cheeks blushed. “You heard that?”
“Janice and I aren’t deaf. It sounded like we were in an IMAX theatre.”
She said nothing for a moment. “It’s my wedding day. I want it to be perfect.”
“It’s his day too, Scar.”
“I know, but I would never make him do something he was this uncomfortable with.”
“You should try to compromise—like adults.”
“Shut up, Ryan. Just because you’ve been with Janice for six months doesn’t make you an expert.”
“Well, I’ve lived with her for awhile and we don’t have any bullshit problems like this. Maybe I am an expert.”
She rolled her eyes. “How are things with you two?”
“Amazing.”
I smiled. “I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Yeah.”
“Is it getting serious?”
I knew what she asking. I mentioned something about marriage on the phone but I didn’t want to discuss it. I trusted Scarlet, but Janice was her best friend. I was afraid she would let something slipp. “We’re great.”
She stared at me for a moment but said nothing.
“Don’t you miss Sean?”
She sighed. “More than you will ever know.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t going to waste my time repeating myself.
“I just miss talking to him. I tell the guy everything. Obviously, I can’t call him to complain about him. That would be weird.”
I finished my sandwich then wiped my mouth. “If Janice told me you couldn’t be at our wedding, I would dump her, Scar. I’m surprised Sean hasn’t dumped you.”
“He would never do that. He loves me.”
“I hope you’re right.”
She pushed her food away and looked at me. “I’m going to go back to the apartment. Do you need any more help at the shop?”
“No. Thanks for everything.”
She nodded. “I’ll see you later.”
“I hope not.”
She smiled at me before she walked away. I threw our trash away then headed back to the shop. I finished my clients for the day and locked up. I was just about to leave when my phone rang. It was Sean. When I answered, he asked about Scarlet and how she was doing. We decided to meet at a bar down the road.
When I met Sean, he said he wanted to bring Scarlet back home. I was relieved that he was willing to put up with Scarlet’s bullshit. I thought he was an idiot but I was grateful that my sister had a man in her life that wasn’t afraid to call her out on her shit.
We headed back to the apartment and walked inside. I was so relieved that they were going to work it out. Scarlet would be out of the house and I could fuck Janice as loud as I wanted to. When we walked inside, Janice and Scarlet were sitting on the couch. When I heard Scarlet speak, I felt my heart drop.
“No. I’m never going to tell him about Cortland. It will just ruin everything.”
I knew this was going to be bad. Sean marched out of the apartment then slammed the door behind him. Scarlet chased him a second later.
Janice looked at me with fear in her eyes. “I had no idea Sean was with you.”
I covered my face with my hands. “Fuck. This is going to be bad.”
She rose from the couch and approached me. I heard Scarlet and Sean fighting in the hallway. “Should we do something?”
“I don’t know,” I said quietly. “What are we going to do?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know.”
I opened the front door and walked out into the hall. Scarlet was collapsed on the ground. Sean was so red he looked like a tomato.
Sean looked at me. “Help me get her shit.”
I didn’t know what to do. He was breaking up with my sister. I didn’t want this to happen. I knew it would break her heart.
“It doesn’t matter if you help me or not. I’ll get it.” He walked away and headed toward the stairs. I ran after him.
“Sean,” I said as I followed him.
“Shut up, Ryan.”
“Listen to me.”
He said nothing.
I grabbed his arm. “I know you’re pissed right now and I completely understand why but just listen to me for a second.” He glared at me. “Scarlet isn’t a liar. The only reason why she didn’t say anything is because she didn’t want to ruin this family.”
“That justifies nothing.” He turned away.
I grabbed him again. “It justifies everything. Scarlet may have told you about our mother and what she did to us, but I can promise you that you only know a sliver of her abuse and torment. Just a sliver. If she told you everything, the entire truth, it would cripple you with depression. And without that knowledge, you will never understand how important all of us are to Scarlet. We are the family that she never had. Please understand that. If you knew she slept with Cortland it would change everything. That’s the last thing she wanted. If it were anyone else she would have told you.” He didn’t seem convinced. He just stared at me. “Please don’t leave her because of this. Please.”
He put his hands in his pockets then said nothing for a long time. I had no idea what he was thinking. At least he wasn’t yelling at me anymore. Perhaps I had convinced him. Finally, he ran his fingers through his hair then looked at me. “Nothing you said makes her behavior acceptable. I understand her need for this family, but I should come before Cortland—not after.” I felt my heart fall. They were over. “But I want to spend the rest of my life with her no matter what she does to me. I can’t live without her. If I didn’t love her so much I would just walk away and never look back.”
My heart squeezed with hope. “What does that mean?”
He sighed before he walked up the steps. “That your sister is lucky that I love her so fucking much.”
I breathed a sigh of relief and followed him back to the apartment. He disappeared into Scarlet’s room and they talked for a while. Janice came back into the living room and sat beside me on the couch.
“What are they saying?” I whispered.
“I don’t know. But they are both calm. I think that’s a good thing.”
I nodded. “He said he loves her too much to leave her.”
“Good.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad they decided to work it out.”
“Yeah.”
After a few minutes, Sean left the bedroom then walked out of the apartment without saying goodbye.