Giggles spill from my lips at the distress in his voice, my eyes shut and I pull the duvet over my head. He owes me an apology, after that, I might let him in on the location of the pillows, maybe give him the beddings and join him on the bed. A tug on the material causes me to pull it down and my lips move into a scowl when I see Brandon standing by the side with a similar scowl on his face.
He says, "I need the pillows and bedsheet."
"Say sorry, apologise first," I reply.
His nostrils flare and he crosses his arms over his chest. The muscle of his biceps ripple, I am tempted to touch them, see if they are as firm as they look. Light brown hairs are scattered all over his chest haphazardly, trailing a line down to his stomach where they disappear into the
"Elna!" I jump in fright at the sound of the voice, eyes wide open and lips pulled into a frown as I turn around to face whoever thinks it fun to shout out my name on a warm, beautiful evening. "Get away from there.""Goddamit Brandon, lower your voice," I scream back at him and push away from the railing. "You are screaming like a crazy banshee whose wife left him a day after their wedding and now his life is a mess."What am I even saying? I offer Brandon a sheepish smile, thankful to see that he finds my statement funny. "Sorry," I murmur. This is what I become when my best friend is upset with me, a swearing mess.
My mouth drops open, I blink twice, he's the reason Pa was fired? Pa was miserable for a short period until the marriage proposal came up and the culprit is right here wearing a proud smile. I jump from the couch to come and stand in front of him."You!""He told me to shove my apology far up my dirty, white ass because I refused to clean the coffee spill," Brandon murmurs with his hands raised in surrender. "That's racist."I huff and shake my head with a frown. "That's not racist and your ass is dirty for making an old man clean up your mess. You dirty, white ass," I say and we both
His lip closes over one of my clothed nipples and a wave of emotions wash over me. I don't get to bask in the excitement of his last statement before he sweeps me off my feet and my legs wrap firmly around his waist.Brandon wants me to be myself, be his wife, no submissive, no dominant
A sigh leaves my lips, my shoulders sag, I don't know what to say and I am grateful for the fact that he doesn't try to continue the conversation. I don't want to mess things up again by saying the wrong things.The bra drops from my hand to the floor, I shrug off my shorts and panties, stand
My head sinks into the pillow, my side digs into the bed, the knots in my shoulders have disappeared and a feeling of peace washes over me. The need to pee is strong but I don't want to move from this position, I feel relaxed, content with my position in his arms.Brandon's arm is around my belly, my back is pressed against his chest and his face is tucked into the crook of my neck. His breath tickles my ear in the most delightful way and the heat from his body keeps us warm. I don't even notice the AC that's on full blast.Afraid to ruin the sanctity of this priceless moment, I remain there for a while and sink my teeth into my lip when the lower part
His last statement piques my curiosity, this is the first time he's talking about his family without me asking but that isn't it, it's the guilt laced in his words. He still blames himself for whatever happened with Eunice. I don't know her but I don’t like that he’s beating himself up over it. We all do regrettable things as teenagers, I ran our only car into a ditch. Pa nearly had a heart attack and Ma, she refused to talk to me until he calmed down. It was my fault, I should never have done it because of a stupid dare.I wait with my lip between my teeth for him to continue but he doesn't and I sigh, I guess that's all the childhood information I will be getting from him today. Or not.
The elevator slides open, Brandon and I step out with our hands interlaced. I stifle a giggle when he clamps down on my wrist to stop me from withdrawing my hand and one of my legs shoots out to show him the lace of my sneaker that has come undone.Brandon crouches to tie the shoelace and my skin flushes when some heads turn in our direction. Their eyes bore into me unt
My body lights up in response to the kisses Brandon begins to litter all over my neck, trailing a path up my ear for his teeth to gently scratch my earlobe and a shiver runs through me. His fingertip grazes my lower lip, my tongue comes out to wet it and my breathing becomes shallow when he pushes it inside my mouth. He pulls his thumb out, I swallow and blink morosely as his lips come closer to mine, afraid and excited for them to tango
"You promised," he whispers. He lets go of me to run his hands through his hair. "You promised me, Elna. Your beginning, middle and end." Jumping to his feet, he folds his hands behind his head and murmurs, "You promised. You can't leave me. Baby, please."Unable to look him in the eyes, I bury my face into the pillow and continue shaking my head. I know the answer to his question now, I am so certain of it. Do I still want him? Yes, I will always want him, more than I have ever wanted anyone but I can't have him.Murder is murder and he killed his brother.And it hurts.It hurts every fibre of my being. I love him so much it hurts to think of a future without him. I don't think I can stop loving him but when I look at him, all I see is a killer. If I cannot look past his sins then I shouldn't be in his life. It will be our secret, it's not in my place to tell other people and I am fine with that. I wi
It is hard.Really hard.
He doesn't regret it. But he feels bad. What does that mean? I race down the stairs as fast as I can, my car keys dangling in my hand. Hopefully, I look sane with the way I hurriedly dressed and left. I need to talk to Clarissa but about what? Do I want to tell her what Brandon said? What if she calls the police on him? Will she do that? She won't.
I wake to amber eyes staring down at me. I flash Brandon a sleepy smile, he presses a kiss to my hair and I giggle, he must love my new shampoo. "You slept well?" I ask.He nods, placing another kiss on my temple. "I did, you?" he says against my skin and I hum in response, loving the wet kisses he litters on
The next day, my phone is pinging with notifications. David shoots me a grateful text I don't reply, I am sure he doesn't expect one, we are not friends. My finger hovers over the delete option on his contact, I hesitate. It won’t hurt to have it so I save his number, something I had failed to do. Bored, I send Brandon an SOS and switch off my phone.Time to take matters into my hands.Bathed, shaved and clad in lace lingerie that barely holds my breasts and reveals my bump, I sit up, legs crossed while awaiting that click that will announce his entrance. He won't talk to me like a normal person and now, I am pissed. And horny. And frustrated.The click to signify his presence sounds, reverberating in the room. I shoot up from the bed as fast as a pregnant woman approaching her third semester can and saunter to the door, swinging my hips. Brandon eyes me from head to toe, the appreciative glint in his gaze is missing but I shrug tha
Curiosity kills the cat. Satisfaction brings it back. It has to. That is the reason I am in this café, waiting for David after I made the spontaneous decision to see him. I pull my oversized tracksuit over my belly, trying and failing to blend in with the scanty crowd.A wave of nostalgia hits me when someone passes with a tray of fish and chips. I need to call Clarissa. I don't understand how we let life, thesis and coursework pull us apart but we need to meet. Sending her a short text, I roll my lip between my teeth while awaiting her reply. If she replies before David comes, I will cancel our meeting. She comes first.I shouldn't be here.That seems to have become my new mantra and each time, things turn out better than I expect. I hope it's the case today. Taking a swig from the water bottle on the table while I wait for the first person to show up, I try to push the nagging thoughts out of my head.
Seconds of silence pass, when Josh doesn't seem to be leaving, I ask, "Who is Brendan?""Our brother, Brandon's twin." I blink, my head spins from the sudden information and my thoughts crash to a stop when he adds, "He is dead." Josh's smile is pitiful, I don't know when I move to stand beside him. I pat his shoulder. "He died in an accident."Brandon has a twin, a dead twin. It's all I can think while my hand meets Josh's shoulder in an awkward show of comfort. He pries my hand off him with a smile I don't comment on because of how fake it is. I rub my hand against my hip. Brandon has a dead twin.Seeing how shaken I am by the news, Josh pushes me into his seat, I sink gratefully into it. I shouldn't have asked. My husband should have told me himself. "When did he die?""A while ago."I snap. "How long is a while ago?""Five years," he rep
Josh catches up to me before I reach the house, he offers me a smile, I shrug. None of this is his fault. We take a seat by the kitchen window, staring at the trio seated inside the gazebo. From our position here, we can't see their lips moving but I can't help wishing they will start a conversation. Talk to each other even if it ends in a screaming bout."Do you think they will reconcile?"Josh snickers. He hops to the fridge like he pays rent and returns with a huge chunk of cake. The leftover I had saved to munch on later because I can't resist anything sugary and his family didn't let me enjoy it. Fleeting anger surges through me, I close my eyes."Nope. Not a chance," he says. I turn to see him dragging another stool close to me.The poise and gracefulness he was forced to adapt when we were outside vanish when he gobbles the cake. I smile foolishly, this is the Josh I know. Slapping his knee, I mot
The gazebo is deathly quiet and the tension promises to suffocate us. Everything is going well, if you count the curt greetings from Brandon's snobbish parents. Queen Elizabeth doesn't hold a candle to Brandon's mother with her prim and proper manners, wrinkles and white hair cropped short. All she needs is a crown and I'll genuflect before her.Brandon's dad is an older beardless version of him with thinning hair. He is so quiet, the kind of quiet that allows his haughty wife freedom to speak to people as she pleases. A minute after exchanging greetings and I can already tell it was a bad idea to invite them.Seated beside Brandon, muscles tight and frustrated at my lack of release, I drum my fingers on my legs hidden under the table. He didn't have to punish me this way. I am pregnant, he shouldn’t leave me horny. One look at him shows that's the least of his worries.He is as tensed as I am, maybe even more and a wave of gu