by T. L Smith
“You didn’t tell me you looked like this. That man is crazy to walk away from you.” I don’t reply, it’s not something I want to talk or even think about right now. “Well, how about you come out with Howard and me.” When I stand she shakes her head. “Not wearing that. We are going to Roger’s after all, and that bar doesn’t deserve a dress like that.”
She’s right. Going upstairs to my old room, I find some jeans and shirt and throw them on before heading out. Howard offers me a big cuddle as I get to the car. He and Mel have been together forever. He’s good for her. They have one of the best relationships I’ve ever seen. And he’s for sure her ten.
“I feel I should pre-warn you before we get there, Matthew will be there.” I look to Mel who just rolls her eyes as she climbs in the car.
“Who fucking cares,” Mel says ending that conversation.
They hold hands on the drive while he gives her secretive looks. I’ve seen it all before, but never really paid so much attention. Maybe it’s because I just saw my date kissing someone else when he took me somewhere I had no place being. Or, maybe it’s just because I’m jealous that I haven’t found what they have.
As soon as we arrive, I practically jump from the car. Walking inside, not waiting for them, I step over to the bar and start ordering as many shots as I think my belly can handle.
“I didn’t think. I’m sorry.”
I detest that she knows why I’m upset, and I hate that I’m making her apologize.
“I sent him home.”
I look past her and don’t see Howard. Reaching for her cell, I press his number and he answers straight away.
“Get inside, your woman’s being silly.”
“Are you sure?” If I was a crier, I would break down in tears. They care, and right now I know I’m in the best place for me. “Yes. Now come and drink with us like we used to.” Hanging it up, I pass Mel’s cell back as Howard walks in. Handing him a drink he takes it then kisses Mel on the neck before he drinks it.
“Oh, fuck off asshat, before I kick you in the balls again,” Mel says looking behind me.
“I just wanted to say hi. No need for hostility, Mel. Howard you should learn to control her better.” Howard straightens and I don’t have to turn around to know Matthew is now backing away. Howard may be pussy-whipped as some like to say, but his love for Mel knows no bounds that’s for sure. When I do finally turn around, I see Matthew standing in the corner with his friends as they drink and play pool.
‘“I plan for you to roll me out of here,” I say to Mel as I down another drink.
She laughs. “Howard will help,” she says clinking our drinks together.
“Stormi, Stormi, you need to wake up. Your mother thinks you’re dead.” Mel’s pushing me and I feel like death. Death I tell you. What the fuck happened? I don’t remember. Turning my head to the side and squinting through one half-opened eye, I see her sitting on the edge of the bed, she’s all smiles and I want to know how. Didn’t we drink the same amount? Why does my head hurt so much?
“What happened?”
“Oh, you weren’t lying. Howard and I practically had to roll your ass out of there last night.” She giggles sitting up straighter. Her laugh hurts my ears, so I close my eyes again. She hits me making everything ache. “If I were you, I would get up fast and maybe brush your teeth, you smell like something died.”
“Go away.” I turn away pulling the covers up.
“You called him last night. Do you remember?” I stay quiet trying to remember, and when it comes back to me, I almost want to die.
“You’re an asshole. An asshole.”
Mel tries to take my cell off me, but I won’t give it to her. “Who does that to their date? Assholes do,” I slur into the cell.
“Red, where are you?”
“And what a fucking stupid name. Call me by my own name, you asshole.”
Mel walks off shaking her head, and I try to follow her, but I miss my step and hit the gravel floor.
“Fuck, I’m bleeding. Now, I have blood all over me. Asshole.”
“Storm, where the fuck are you?”
“Oh, now you want to use my real name, asshole. How about you go fuck yourself, and your skank of an ex. Who does that to someone? Kiss someone else on their wedding day. Assholes that’s who. You two deserve each other.”
“Fuck Storm, you’re bleeding,” Howard says as he reaches for me.
“You don’t have to carry me.”
“Yes, I fucking do...”
I forgot I had the cell to my ear as Howard walks with me over his shoulder.
“Storm, last chance where are you?”
“Bye, asshole.”
“Oh my God, tell me I didn’t.” My head wants to explode, but that memory makes me want to bury myself.
“You did, and he’s downstairs talking to your mother right now.”
“You’re lying. I didn’t tell him where I was,” I say sitting up. She passes me some water, and I take a sip of it watching the door.
“Oh, you did, and it was funny. Howard had trouble getting the cell off you.”
Pulling the blankets away, I realize I have no pants on. “Where the fuck are my pants?”
She giggles again. “You bruised my poor Howard. He will never look at you the same way again.”
Fuck my life. I tore my clothes off the minute he put me down for bed, and I did so with him and Mel still in the room.
“I’m going to owe him so big for this.”
She nods her head smiling in agreement. “Maybe just more visits.”
I nod agreeing.
She stands to open the bedroom door. “Now, I’m off to thank my hunk of a man for all his help, with my mouth wrapped around his cock.” She salutes me as she walks out. When I think she’s gone her head pops around the corner. “Your mother is showing him pictures of Matthew.” Then she disappears.
I jump from the bed and run downstairs to my mother, who’s sitting next to Echo, drinking tea? No photographs in hand at all. Mel giggles even more as she walks out the door with Howard behind her.
“Thanks, Howard.” He nods and smiles as they leave.
“Storm, put on some clothes,” my mother screeches. I look down at my G-string and shrug. He’s seen it all before, nothing new there.
“Can you give us a few minutes, Mom?”
She nods and stands walking out the back door. I wait for the click before I open my mouth. “You need to leave.”
He shakes his head as his eyes trail over me. “We need to talk, and I don’t want to leave until we do.”
“You need to leave, now. I don’t want to talk. Especially not today.” He steps forward his hand lifts and touches my hip. I try taking a step back, but he follows me when I do. “Now, Echo.”
“You stink.” My eyes go wide at his words. Those aren’t the words I was expecting. But he’s right, I do really stink. My breath is probably terrible. “But I’d still kiss you anyway.” He goes to move forward, I turn so he can’t touch my lips.
“Oh, fuck no, you need to leave.” Getting out of his grasp, he shakes his head.
“When are you coming back?” he asks sliding his hands into his pockets.
“It’s none of your business, Echo. Now, please leave.”
His jaw clenches. “I didn’t want this, you have to know that?”
“It doesn’t matter what you want, we were a fling, Echo. Nothing more. Why make this more complicated than it has to be?” His hand runs through his hair, and I watch as the muscles in his arms bulge. Then I remember the way he fucks me and how all his muscles bulge in the most perfect way.
“You’re right, I won’t bother you again.” He turns and walks out.
And the minute the door shuts behind him my heart aches, hurts with pure pain. I’m not sure I even understand why. Crawling my way back up the stairs, I reach my bed creeping into it. My cell is lying on it, and on the screen is a photo of Echo and he’s smiling. The ache doesn’t leave my hear
t, not when I fall asleep and not even when I wake up later that day. It sits there like a snake waiting to constrict its prey. And unfortunately that prey today is me.
18
Echo
“Maybe she’s right? Maybe you should forget about her and move on,” Elicea says as she rubs her big belly.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to do all week.” Getting over someone is easier said than damn well done.
“The boys were saying you haven’t wanted to escape lately. That usually, you run away to the beach.” Creed’s listening I know he is, he’s never too far from Elicea. He had a call and walked off leaving us sitting to talk.
“I don’t want to escape, not yet anyway.”
She leans forward and touches my knee. “I know you’re worried about her, but have you thought about talking to your brother? He was hurt in this as well.” She sits back. “I know some of the story, but he’s still your brother.”
“Elicea,” Creed says as he walks back in.
She raises her hands in surrender.
“Did you at least tell him he’s been calling trying to get hold of him?”
That’s news to me. I look at Creed who’s already looking at me.
“Is it true?”
He sits down, his eyes on Elicea and her belly as he answers me, “Yes, he’s called.”
“What did he want?”
Creed looks up to me. “You.” Looking at my cell, I don’t see one missed call from him. Surely he has my number. “You never gave anyone your new number last year after you smashed your old cell phone, remember.”
Oh, shit. That’s right. Only the boys and Red have the number.
“He’s only going to blame me, it’s what he’s good at.”
Elicea leans forward, Creed places his hand on her leg to stop her from getting up. “Maybe you should just call. If my brother were here, I would call him.” Tears start falling from her eyes, and I’m taken aback as to why. She gets up and excuses herself as she leaves.
“Her brother died, he was also her twin.”
Oh, that explains why she’s pushy about it.
“Do you think I should call him? You know what an ass he is. I mean he took Selena from me. That’s like me taking Elicea from you.” His nostrils flare at my words. “Not that I would and you know that, but who does that to someone they call family.”
Creed looks back over his shoulder to where Elicea disappeared then back to me. “I would bury you so no one could find you if you did that.”
I laugh because it’s true. He passes me a piece of paper. “Your choice. But if you need help hiding the body…” a huge grin forms on his face, “… call me.” He gets up walking away more than likely to go to Elicea.
Those two were made for each other.
I’ve never once seen him care about someone the way he cares for her.
“I didn’t think you’d call.” Mike’s voice is strained on the other end of the phone line.
“You’ve been trying to reach me, so here I am.”
“Is that all you have to say to me? No sorry. Nothing?” He harrumphs through the cell.
“I did nothing wrong, Mike. Maybe you should be asking your wife for the apology.” Walking back and forth in my house, I can smell Red from the last time she was here. I shouldn’t have driven to see her, but she has this way of making me not see straight when it comes to her. Especially, when I heard another man’s voice, it was too soon. We hadn’t ended it, she couldn’t end it over something I didn’t do.
“You didn’t do it? Are you joking, you deny what I saw with my own eyes?”
I have to remember he is hurting too, just like I was from the same evil bitch when she left me for him.
“And you would have seen the fact that I, in no way, kissed her back.”
“Is it your goal in life to ruin me?” he asks with such anger.
“You’ve lost it, fucking lost it. That’s what this bitch has done to you. She’s playing you just like she played me. But she got out of you what she couldn’t get out of me, a damn ring.”
“Fuck you.”
“Tell me… did you make her sign a prenup?”
“No.”
I laugh. “Good luck to you then.”
“Echo….” He goes quiet. I can only hear him breathing on the other end. “I loved her, and believe it or not I love you, too.” He hangs up, ending the call. I look at it unsure of what to say or even what to feel after that. It’s the first time in over twenty years my brother has acknowledged I am more than just the scum of the family. I can’t exactly remember when we stopped liking each other, but when we did I found new people, my friends, who have been with me throughout everything. That’s what I call a true family.
Opening up my last messages Storm’s name appears, and I know right then and there I want her back in my life. Red is someone who was put in my life at the perfect time and isn’t someone who’s after me for what I can give her. Or what I have. I like that the most about her, that she’s successful in what she does and gives everything her all. I can see it in the way she works and the way she fucks. Because she can fuck, and just thinking about it makes me want her right now. Now, I just have to work out how to get her back, because I have a feeling we’ve passed the sex only rule. I did that when I asked her to come to the wedding. I’m not sure if I did it intentionally, but I knew I wanted her there with me if I had to go through that pain. And I was right, she is the girl I want. It just sucks balls how it ended.
Fuck.
My.
Life.
19
Storm
“I don’t know if I should kiss you or punch you,” Mel says sitting next to me. I have to go back home, missing one day of work is bad enough I can’t miss any more.
“Neither,” I comment pushing her back, so she lays on the bed as I finish getting my shit together.
She’s looking up the ceiling when she answers, “He’s your ten. So what? Sometimes he likes to kiss his ex, who he may be in love with. So what? You said the sex is great.” She laughs.
“You did not just say that.”
She sits up, all sarcasm is gone from her face. “He did come all this way to talk to you about it. Maybe it was a mistake? We all have them.” She shrugs.
“You’re on his side now?” I ask now more confused than ever. Rubbing my head, I can’t make out what’s happening.
“No, what he did was a dick move, but did you actually let him explain? Because from what you said the ex is a real piece of work and maybe you should hear him out?”
I close my bag and pull it from the bed. “I don’t want that, Mel. I don’t want complicated. I want easy. I deserve easy.”
She scoffs loudly at me as she gets up from the bed straightening her skirt. “If I had easy with Howard we wouldn’t be together. Did I tell you I second-guessed us a few years ago?” Her hand goes to her hip. “I kissed someone else and he saw me, but because he loves me, he wanted to hear why. And guess what, that night I knew he was it. I knew he was my forever. No man knocks someone else out after kissing their girlfriend then walks back to her and asks her why with hurt written all over his face. He gave me the benefit of the doubt. He loves me, and I knew right then and there that I would do everything in my power to prove to him that he was it. Which took a while considering I broke our trust.”
“You didn’t tell me that.”
She looks away as I lay my hand on her shoulder. “It was just… I didn’t know if I wanted to spend my life with only one person. But I do know now. He never doubted us. It was only me. He knew I was it, and it took me a while to reach him, but I’m there now. And never plan on leaving.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I hug her tight. “You two are perfect for each other. He calms your crazy.”
She laughs as I pull away wiping her tears.
“He does, doesn’t he?” We both nod in agreement. “Howard likes Echo, by the way.”
“He met him?” I didn’t know that.
I figured he came straight here.
“Yep, he took the cell from you and told him your address.”
“He wanted to explain. Explain what?” I shake my head as I start walking out the door.
“You should still hear what he has to say, at least. I’ve never seen you get completely fucked up over a guy before. Not even Matthew, and you were with him for years.”
“If I let him explain, it will lead to one thing, sex. It’s what we’re good at.”
She fans her face as we walk down the stairs. “I would let that man ride me… you know… if I wasn’t engaged.”
My suitcase drops from my hand. Turning fast, Mel shows me her hand that’s already stretched out.
“You’re engaged, and you didn’t tell me the minute it happened?”
Her ring has small diamonds wrapped around a pearl. It’s stunning and so Mel.
“I did. Why do you think I’m here, woman?”
“Oh my God, it just happened and you let me go on and on about myself?”
She shrugs as we both look down at her ring again. “You and Howard are the most important people in my life. Your problems are just as important as my engagement.”
“I really do love you, you know?”
She nods her head with a smile on her face. “I know.”
“When is it going to be your turn? You know I want grandbabies before I die.” My mother appears at the bottom of the stairs holding my discarded suitcase.
“Matthew and I are never going to happen, Mother,” I say stepping down, reaching out I take my bag from her.
“What about that new guy? I quite liked him. He’s easy on the eyes as well.”
I cringe and cover my eyes. “You did not just say that to me.”
“Oh, she did, and she’s right. He’s your perfect ten.”
“I have to go. I have to go home to get ready for work tomorrow,” I say turning to them. “Mel, send me all the details. Dates and ideas. We’re planning a wedding.” She nods her head excitedly. “Mom, I love you and promise I won’t wait as long to visit.” I kiss her cheek and she holds my face.