Chapter 4- I love her

An hour later, we are walking through the mall downtown. Zara’s bought a couple of lingerie pieces and a teddy bear for the baby. She’s also purchased a couple of gender-neutral baby clothes that look too cute to pass up. A little exhausted and hungry, we stop at an ice cream stand to get two cones. 

"So, do you think Jaden will be happy if I showed up in a trench coat and lingerie?” she’s not yet done with her ‘Jaden questions.’ I sigh.

“What if you show up and he has someone over?” I ask.

She shrugs, “I would just leave.”

“Wouldn’t it break your heart?”

“No, I’m not in love with him... I’m just trying to see what that mouth does,” she replies. 

I groan. “That is my brother, so I don’t want to know that.” She laughs.

“All of y’all are nasty, mom and dad, Brin, you, every single one of y’all.” She is still laughing as something, or someone catches my eyes. I tilt my head to the side, staring at the person who looks a lot like Xoi. He’s walking with someone, and his hands are around a woman’s waist. My heart sinks; it’s not him; please don’t let it be him. Xoi loves me; he would never cheat on me...he turns around; it’s him. Every emotion known to man passes through my body. 

“What’s the matter?” Zara. I look again and think maybe I see things. Perhaps I’m losing my eyesight.

“Am I going blind?”

“Huh?” Zara asks, still confused because she has yet to see what I'm looking at. 

“Zara put up two fingers." She furrows her brows but slowly does what I ask her to do. 

 “One, two, so I’m not going fucking blind.”

 “Ami, what?” I storm past her towards the lovely couple as he holds her face and kisses her.

“Xoi!”He jumps.

 “Amaija.”

 “So it’s Amaija now; it’s no longer your fucking heart,” I sarcastically tell him. My heart rips into a million pieces, but my anger is the single thread holding it together.

“Xoi?!” Zara finally realizes everything. She looks at the girl and then me.

 “ これらの女性は誰ですか (who are these women)?” the girl asks.

I scoff. “彼の妊娠中の女の子、はじめまして。(His pregnant girlfriend, nice to meet you).”

“ 妊娠中(pregnant)” the girl slowly says.

I nod, “ 妊娠中(pregnant).” Then, I turn to the side to show my belly.

The girl turns to Xoi, “私の人生の5年間、あなたの嫌いな人はあなたに無駄になりました(you asshole, five years of my life wasted on you)”.  She says before slapping him across the face and storming off as her words finally connect. Five years? I’m the other woman.

“Wei, please wait,” Xoi calls the girl. He tries to follow her, but Zara grabs him.

“Where the f**k do you think you’re you going?” she angrily asks him.

Still stunned, I repeat, “Five years." I look at the man that I have loved for the last two years. All of it was a lie.

 He turns to me, “Amaija, I’m sorry."

“Five years,” I repeat.  

 “I never meant to hurt you, you were just...so beautiful, but I love her,” he tells me.

“Five years!” I snap. I jump on him, grab him by the neck, and start choking him.

“Ami, come on,” Zara tries to pull me off, but I keep squeezing. Finally, she manages to pry me off him.

“You love her?!” I shout, tears running down my cheeks. “I’m pregnant, you piece of shit. You lived in my house, spent my money for two fucking years, but you love her?”My anger rises, and I try to get free from Zara, who’s holding me, but she pulls me back.

 “I never wanted you to find out like this,” he tells me.

“F**k you!”

"Let’s go, Ami,” Zara tells me. She pulls me away as people start pulling out their phones. She grabs the bags we drop and usher me out of the building. I walk lifelessly back to the car. Two years of my life have been a lie. How could I not see it? Why did everyone else think he was a phony, but I couldn’t see it? He doesn’t love me.

“I’m so sorry, Ami, I’m so sorry,” She wraps her arms around me, and I break down sobbing.

Zara

******

We arrive at Jaden’s apartment thirty minutes later. Amaija has been sobbing nonstop and holding her stomach. My heart breaks for her; what do I say to her? Nothing will comfort her. I know from my own experience that words of solace more often comfort the ones who express them and not those receiving them.

I park the car, then walk to her side and help her out of the vehicle. She looks so fragile, and now I regret not letting her kill him. We make the short walk to the elevator then ride in silence to Jaden's floor.

 “I was the other woman.” She whispers.

“No, Ami, you weren’t,” I tell her.

She looks at me; her eyes are lifeless. “She was with him for five years; I was with him for two. Five is longer than two; he loves her.” She starts crying again; I hurry to her side and hug her.

“You were too good for him,” I say, trying to give comfort.

“He doesn’t think that,” she responds.

“That’s because he’s an idiot,” I answer, which is true anyway.

The elevator opens to Jaden's floor, and we walk to his door and knock. I called him earlier and let him know what happened. Of course, I had to talk him down from murdering Xoi. “Imoto,” Jaden says.

 “Oni chan” She runs in his arms and hugs him, sobbing.

“You were right,” she says between sobs. My breaks as I watch her. 

 “I didn’t want to be, not about this,” Jaden tells her. She sobs, gripping him, and I realize how much she was holding back with me because she’s now wailing.

  “It’ll be ok, Imoto, you’ll be ok. I'll always be here for you."

Thirty minutes later, I’m sitting on the couch. Jaden walks in and sighs.

 “How is she?” I ask.

 “As expected, she’s fallen asleep. I can’t believe that asshole; I’m going to f**k him up.” He clenches his fist.

“You can’t be fighting all the boys who break your sisters’ hearts,” I say.

“Oh? Watch me.”He walks to the liquor cabinet and pours a drink.

                “Want anything?” he asks me. Liquor would not be suitable in any situation while dealing with Jaden since I get drunk quickly. I would have a sip and then start [professing my crush. 

        Let's have a safe choice. “Orange juice.”He nods, walks to the kitchen, and comes back.

                “Anything else?” His gaze fixed on me, and any other time I would have made a suggestive comment, but it doesn’t feel right at this moment.

                “I have to go; I have dinner plans with my parents,” I tell him.

                “Ohh” is his only response. He pulls away. “Please don’t tell Aunty Kenya about Xoi...”

                “I know she would kill him,” I reply. We laugh; she has threatened many of Amaija, Brin, and Katrina’s boyfriends over the years. Because of her, our fathers and brothers rarely had to do anything because she was ready to go. That is why I didn’t introduce Marcus until after we eloped. I stand; he walks up to me and wraps his arms around me. Do I have to go? I ask myself as I inhale his cologne. I feel a little intoxicated as he pulls away. He walks me to the door.

“Call me if she needs me,” I say.

“How long will you be in town?” he surprisingly asks.

"I’m moving back...permanently.”

Jaden grins, “Great; I’m looking forward to your house calls, Doc.”

Heat flushes through my body as he closes the door. I want to scream; oh my god, he just flirted with me. I do a mini samba in the hallway, shaking my hips when I hear someone laughing behind me. I freeze.

“I didn’t mean to spy on you; you forgot your purse.”I turn around, slowly mortified; I’m so embarrassed, ground, please swallow me whole. I groan as I walk over to him.

“I got a text message, my residency transfer to NYU was successful,” I lie; my transfer has been approved for weeks, but he's finally showing interest. I can't look like a loser now. 

“Oh, congratulations.”

"Thank you.”

“See you later,” he bids goodbye.“Yeah, see you.”I walk over to him, take my purse then flee the scene.