by Annie Green
I watched her go before turning to see Damien sitting on the stairs leading to the second floor. My heart dropped in my chest. He looked broken and I immediately wondered if that was the elusive ex girlfriend who I’d just told Nik about.
“Damien?” I moved toward him, careful to not get too close. I needed to prepare myself for the possibility that he wouldn’t want me near. “You okay?”
He glanced up at me, a mixture of emotions flooding his eyes. “I don’t know.”
I nearly choked back bile. “Who was that?”
“Shit…that was…” He gulped. “That was Deidre, my sister.”
The world, which seemed to have spiraled out of control, came to a standstill. I grasped the banister and exhaled loudly, “Your sister.”
He merely bobbed his head in affirmation, not recognizing my obvious relief.
“Where was she going?”
“I told her she couldn’t stay here,” he replied and my mouth nearly dropped open. I couldn’t’ imagine ever kicking Jed out of my house, let alone tell him he couldn’t stay with me. It was unacceptable.
“What? Why?”
My tone had his eyes snapping up to meet mine. “We had a…disagreement a few years ago. We’re not close.”
“What happened?”
Damien ran his hand over his face and didn’t respond.
I didn’t let this discourage me. Placing my hands on my hips, I slanted him my sternest gaze. “Damien, you call your sister this instant and tell her she can stay here. She can use my room.”
He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“You can’t just kick her out. Unless she did something terrible,” I paused for a moment before asking, “Did she do something terrible? Like murdered-someone-terrible?”
“No, she just made her decision a long time ago. She picked her side and lost my respect when she did it.”
I lowered myself next to him. I wanted him to tell me what was going on and even though I knew there was a slim chance he’d actually open up I asked, “What side did she pick?”
“My dad’s.” He glanced over at me and at the questions in my eyes, he explained, “She’s my half sister. My dad had an affair on my mom before I was born. So we’re really close in age, like four months apart. I’m twenty-one and she’s twenty-two.” He sighed, as if suddenly weary. “She’s always craved my dad’s affection, so when she had to choose between me or him, she picked him.”
“Damien,” I said, putting my arm around his back. “How long ago was that?”
“Three years.”
“And now she’s here?”
“Yeah. I guess she needs a place to stay while she gets on her feet.”
“And you won’t help her because of a stupid decision she made years ago?”
He glanced over at me, the muscle in his jaw ticking. “It’s more than that, but yeah.”
“Damien, she’s obviously here because she knows she made a mistake. You can’t just ignore her. She’s your sister. Call her now, tell her to come over and she can sleep in my room.” I knew Damien would be reluctant to let Deidre sleep in his room. After all, he wasn’t even welcoming her into his house.
“And where will you sleep?” Damien asked.
“With you, of course,” I replied, only half joking. He didn’t seem to think it was funny. “No, I’m just kidding. I can stay on the couch downstairs.”
“The hell you will. If Deidre stays here, you’ll stay with me.”
Even though it was a terrible idea, I didn’t need to be convinced. “Fine. Fine, you win. Now call her and tell her to come back. I’m going to get ready for class.”
I stood up and left Damien to call his sister while I put on my makeup and did my hair. As I was packing up my school bag, Damien appeared at my door.
“Called her,” he said quietly.
“Good,” I said with a reassuring smile. “You did the right thing.”
He shrugged like he wasn’t sure. “She’ll be here soon.”
“Good.”
He glanced down at his shoes and suddenly looked incredibly nervous. “Will you come home after class and be here with me?”
Oh my God. My heart swelled and I nearly fell in love with him right then. It felt so good to be needed by him for something other than sex. Maggie and our usual lunch date could wait. “Of course. I’ll come back right after class.”
“Thanks. I just don’t know what to do with her…what to say.”
“I’m sure she feels the same way.”
Damien glanced down at his phone. “You should probably get going.”
“Right,” I replied grabbing my bag and walking toward him. I stopped in front of him and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “You did the right thing.”
His eyes darkened as our gazes locked. A moment later, his lips slanted over mine and before I could even protest, I was pressed up against the wall.
Let’s just say I was late to class.
***
“You’re late,” Maggie hissed as I slid into my desk chair. I glanced at my phone, knowing I was well over twenty minutes late to class. It had been worth it, I thought as my skin flushed.
“I know. I was preoccupied.”
“You crazy girl. You need to tell me all about it after class,” she whispered to me.
I shook my head. “Can’t. I have to go home. Damien’s sister showed up.”
Maggie’s eyes widened and she leaned closer to me, not caring that Professor Howe was eyeing us. “He has a sister? Since when?”
I glanced up at the teacher and pretended to listen until he looked away. Turning back to Maggie I replied, “Since forever, and she’s his half sister.”
“Holy fuck. Who would have known? So you’re going home to do what exactly?”
“To help him talk to her. I guess they’re not close.”
Maggie tapped her fingers against her lips as she thought. “I wonder why.”
I opened my mouth to explain why when Professor Howe stopped lecturing. “Magdalena and Temperance, if you two would see me after class.”
I flinched as Maggie bit down on her bottom lip in frustration. She hated her given name, hated that now everyone knew what it was, and probably hated Professor Howe even more for insisting on calling her that despite her request that he call her Maggie.
“Fucker,” she bit out quietly and I scooted a little my left, distancing myself from her. I didn’t want to get into more trouble.
We were quiet the rest of class and as the rest of the students made their way out of the lecture hall, each giving us pointed stares, we made our way down to Professor Howe.
“Magdalena, Temperance,” Professor Howe said, pulling his glasses away from his face and rubbing a hand over his large mustache. “We need to talk about your participation in class. You two have been incredibly disruptive and I won’t tolerate it. I can drop you whenever I want.”
I glanced at the floor, feeling incredibly bad despite hating my major. Even so, it didn’t give me the right to disrupt class for others.
I felt Professor Howe’s eyes on me and I glanced up. Disappointment flickered through his eyes and I knew what was coming.
“Temperance, you’re not doing well in my class. I suggest you pay more attention to lectures rather than gossiping with your friends.”
I nodded.
“If you don’t do well in this class it could set you back a semester. You need this as a prerequisite for the next music theory class.”
“I know. I’ll make sure I try harder,” I said softly.
Professor Howe nodded, appeased by my remark. “You do that and next class please be respectful of everyone else. No disruptions.”
I nodded as Maggie crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. She did nod after I nudged her in the ribs, however. She needed this class to continue on in our major. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to be attending school next year. Every class I attended just seemed to solidify the fact that this program wasn�
�t for me.
After being thoroughly chastised by Professor Howe, Maggie and I made our way outside towards the parking lot.
“So just give me a quick update,” Maggie said, her eyes meeting mine. “You and Damien are still together?”
I nodded happily. “Yeah, we are.”
“So you decided to keep it casual then? You won’t be breaking it off anytime soon?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m not ready to end it and we made some rules.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Rules? Like what?”
“Like we keep the sex exclusive. We can’t go off screwing other people, but we can date if we want.”
Her eyes widened. “So you can’t have sex with other people, but you can date other people. What if you date someone you want to have sex with?”
“I won’t want to have sex with anyone else,” I muttered, my cheeks warming. “I like being with Damien.”
She placed a hand on her hip. “Yeah, I know you do, but you need to keep your options open. He has issues and probably isn’t going to be able to make a commitment to you.”
My eyes lowered to the pavement. “I know.”
“Well, I’ll keep my eyes out for a hottie you can go on a date with, okay? Promise me you’ll at least date other guys even if you won’t sleep with them.”
I kicked a piece of gravel and it bounced across the parking lot. “Okay. Deal.”
Maggie pulled me into a hug. “Good. Then my work is done.”
I met her gaze and saw concern flash through her eyes. I knew she was worried for me. Sheesh. I was worried for me. But I wasn’t ready to give up now. I’d just gotten Damien. I wanted a little time with him before we went our separate ways.
“Oh yeah, before you go could you put this up at work?” Maggie reached into her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper. It was a flyer for piano lessons with her name and phone number on the bottom.
My eyes widened. “You’re going to teach piano?”
“I have no choice. One of my scholarships didn’t go through, so I need the extra cash.”
“God, Mags. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well, what was I supposed to say? You have enough shit to deal with at the moment.”
“Yeah, but Mags, you’re my friend. I want to be there for you.”
She shrugged and pushed her hair behind her ears. “It will be fine. I’m sure I can make this work.”
“Well, I’ll help in anyway I can,” I said. “I promise to redirect every customer to the board. You’ll have students in no time.”
Maggie didn’t look as hopeful. I knew she had a lot on her plate. I was fortunate. My parents paid for my school. Maggie’s parents weren’t able to do that. Sometimes I wished my parents would use their money on a more worthy subject instead of forcing it down my throat. Maggie would have loved to have help through school. Even though she didn’t show it, I knew the financial pressures were getting to her.
“I’m parked over here,” Maggie said before adding, “Let’s hang out soon, okay?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “I want to hear about you. I feel like all we do nowadays is talk about me.”
“Well, that’s what friends are for. We each have our seasons. This season it’s all about you, soon it’ll be my turn.”
I nodded, feeling bad, knowing I wasn’t being a good friend. “Thanks for understanding.”
“No problem. I’m happy you’re finally living, doing things for yourself. For a long time it was all about me. I’m glad I can be there to help you.”
I pulled her into a hug. “You’re the best.”
“I know,” she said with a smile as she flicked her hair over her shoulders. “Now go home and rescue your man from his evil sister. And make sure to tell me about it later.”
I walked as quickly as I could to my car, shooting Damien a text on the way.
I’m on my way home right now. How’s it going?
Almost as if he’d been waiting for my response, he texted me back immediately.
She just got here. This is fucking awkward. What am I supposed to do?
Make small talk.
Jesus. This is terrible. I shouldn’t have listened to you.
You will be fine.
How much longer will you be?
Five minutes. Now stop texting me and talk to your sister.
Shit -_-
I smiled widely at the emoticon he sent me as I pulled out of the school parking lot. I liked how honest he was over text. I’d probably have to text him more often. Maybe then I’d finally know what was going on in that head of his.
Chapter Thirteen
Damien
I glanced over at my sister who was sitting awkwardly on the couch, alternately biting her fingernails and bottom lip. She looked guilty as hell, which made sense. She had betrayed me in a big way. If Temperance hadn’t made me feel like a total tool, I wouldn’t have even called Deidre back. I would have let her deal with her shit on her own, just like she’d left me to deal with mine. But now she was in my house, examining the floor while I stared at my phone. What the fuck was I supposed to say to her? Good to see you? Hell no. I wasn’t going to pretend with her.
I don’t know what had compelled me to ask Temperance to help me through this awkwardness, but just the thought of having her here lessened my anxiety. I just wanted her to show up already so I could breathe again.
“Look Damien, I’m really…really…sorry about everything,” Deidre finally said, her eyes flicking up to meet mine. She glanced away quickly, guilt infusing her features.
“Sure you are,” I muttered, turning my eyes to the time on my phone. Temperance should be here any minute.
“I really am. I made a mistake. I chose Dad over you. I didn’t realize…”
I clicked my phone on and off. Jesus, the time on my phone hadn’t even changed. What a terrible time for my clock to stop working.
We sat in awkward silence for a minute before Deidre swallowed audibly and asked, “How’s Sophia?”
My heart stuttered in my chest and I took a deep breath. “She’s dead.”
Her face paled. “What? Oh my God…what happened?”
“You don’t know?”
She glanced at the carpet, blinking rapidly. “Do you think I’d be asking if I knew?”
I shrugged. I didn’t know my sister well at all. In fact, the more I sat there staring at her I realized she looked tired, and not in an I-got-no-sleep-last-night way, but a I’m-tired-of-life kind of way. It made me feel a little better.
“Brain cancer. She died a year ago.”
“Oh my,” she whispered, obviously thrown off guard. I hadn’t realized she wouldn’t have known what happened to Sophia. Three years ago I hadn’t bothered to divulge the reasons why I was dropping out of school, and since I’d lost contact with my dad and Deidre, they had no way to know what had happened. “I had no idea.”
“Yeah well, you wouldn’t because you chose your side. And that money dad took away…” I couldn’t even finish that sentence. Just thinking about it made my chest constrict painfully.
“Oh my God,” Deidre said, her voice cracking. “You could have used it for her, for treatments.”
I nodded, swallowing back the anger and hurt welling up within me. We had both been young and naïve. I had no clue how much alternative treatments would cost that weren’t covered by insurance. It was a whole hell of a lot more than what I made working odd jobs. In any case, Deidre had chosen the wrong side and based on the fact she was here and not with Dad meant that something had happened between the two of them. I should have asked, it would have been the decent thing to do, but I couldn’t bring myself to care that much. Not yet. I needed time to get over everything that had happened between us first.
“Hi.” Temperance’s voice floating through the house had the tightly coiled tension in my muscles slowly ebbing away. It was amazing how important she had become to me in just a few days. It was more than just the sex too. I didn’t wan
t it to be more, but there it was. I was starting to rely on her. I pushed the thought and guilt away as Temperance joined Deidre and me in the family room. I could worry about all of that later.
“Hi,” she said, smiling sweetly at Deidre who visibly relaxed in her presence. “I’m Temperance. Damien’s roommate.”
“I’m Deidre,” my sister said, giving her a small wave. I could see the question in Deidre’s eyes and I wondered if she could tell that Temperance and I were involved. I wasn’t going to offer that information freely. She’d have to ask me and even then, I probably wouldn’t tell her.
Temperance lowered herself next to me and placed the hands that had jerked me off earlier in her lap. Just the thought of that had me shifting on the couch. Temperance seemed to understand the reason for my sudden movement because her eyes twinkled and her smile widened. She rarely bestowed that smile on me and I loved it.
“So you’re Damien’s sister,” she asked, her eyes moving back to Deidre.
“Half sister,” she corrected, biting her lip.
“That’s so cool. I had no clue he had a sister, but then again Damien doesn’t share much.”
My eyes narrowed at Temperance, but she didn’t seem to care. She merely diverted her gaze and focused on Deidre.
“So where are you staying?” Temperance asked, feigning like I hadn’t shared anything with her.
Deidre shrugged and glanced at the floor, almost as if she was ashamed. “I don’t have a place to stay…”
Temperance reached over and patted my knee like I was her damn grandpa and not the guy she was fucking. I needed to talk to her about that. “Well, there’s no question about it. You’ll stay here with us. In fact, you can have my room.”
“What…no…” Deidre began to protest, but was cut off by Temperance.
“I insist. Just until you find a place to stay.”
Deidre seemed shocked at the kindness she found with my roommate. She had to know it had nothing to do with me. It was all Temperance. I wouldn’t be this nice to her.