A week had passed since Tristan had last seen Aven. She had holed herself up in the bedroom except toward the end when she would venture out to work. He never bothered her while she was doing her job, but he had once or twice waited in the kitchen for an hour or more to see if she would come in. She hadn't.
Ayanna had told him earlier that morning that Aven was better now, but she had skipped breakfast to work a few extra hours. He had been told that she wanted to make up the hours she had lost. Ayanna seemed to notice that he was looking a bit lonely and had told him that as far as she knew Aven would be free for the evening.
As Ayanna was preparing a marinade, she looked at the green numbers on the microwave. It was six thirty, the exact time she had told Tristan that Aven would be off work. She wondered how long it would take him to make it up the stairs and to hunt her sister down. Part of her felt jealous that Aven was getting so much attention from the new tenants. She just couldn't decide if she disliked that her sister was being taken from her or the tenants.
The stairs creaked and she turned her attention toward the basement door as it opened. Tristan appeared with a DVD in hand and shut the door behind him. When he noticed her in the kitchen, he pointed toward the living room door.
“I'm sorry, hon. She went upstairs with Noah. I guess she is tired of him asking her to do the interviews.” She picked up the chopping board and dumped the square chunks of pork into the teriyaki marinade. Her metal bowl slid slightly to the left as she did so. “I could watch a movie with you.”
Tristan shook his head and began to turn around to head back downstairs.
“Oh, come on.” Ayanna made her way across the kitchen floor and snatched the movie from his hand. “I'll be quiet, I promise.” She looked at the title of the movie and made a disappointed face. “Yup, this looks like an Aven movie.” She snatched up Tristan's hand and pulled him toward the living room. “Do you want some popcorn or anything?”
“No.” Tristan wasn't sure how he ended up on the couch as the woman in front of him put the DVD in.
She plopped herself on the couch and hit the buttons on the remote to begin their movie, before smiling at the man sitting beside her. “This will be nice, won't it? You and I never hang out together.”
He wanted to tell her that there was a reason for that, but he could already hear Eric's voice in the back of his mind telling him that was not polite.
There would be no silence as the movie played on and thirty minutes into it, Ayanna had to ask her forth question.
“Wait.” She hit pause on the remote. “Who is this guy?”
“He is the general from the opening scene.”
She looked confused for a moment as she stared at the man's face. “The general?”
Tristan nodded. “He ordered them to drop the bombs, remember? He is the reason they are in this mess.”
“Oh! That's right. Ok.” She hit the play button.
It continued this way for the rest of the movie. Ayanna would pause it every few seconds to ask him a question about the movie and he would patiently answer. It was annoying, but he knew better than to get up and walk out.
Ayanna, on the other hand, was looking for any question she could. She liked that Tristan was forced to answer her in more than two words. Not only that but he was patient in his answer, unlike her sister who would snatch the remote away and tell her to shut up or leave. She hoped that Noah would steal her sister more often.
Noah had purposely place a few items out in hopes that Aven would take interest in them. He knew that if any sort of friendship would take place between them then she would have to know more about him. She would also need to want to know more.
“And this is my office. I use the master room for it, since I rarely sleep anyway.” He shut the door. “That's where all the magic of writing about the character I base off you will happen.” He told her as he opened the smaller bedroom door. “And here is my bedroom.”
Aven noticed that he had a desk and laptop set up in the bedroom as well. She wondered why he didn't move the desk into the living room, there seemed to be enough space in there.
“You are wondering why I have the desk crammed in here, aren't you?” He smirked. “I don't feel comfortable working outside the bedroom. I have always written in one.” He stepped inside the room and grabbed his notepad off his desk, before sitting down on the bed. “Come in. Have a seat at the desk.”
She hesitated as she realized that she was going to enter Noah's bedroom, but ignored the feeling. Her sister and Tristan were downstairs, nothing could really happen and he never showed any real interest in her, not the romantic or sexual kind anyway.
Noah watched as she sat down at the desk before he stood up. “Let me get a cup of coffee, do you want some?”
“No.”
Aven watched him leave the room, before turning her attention to the desk. He had a few papers with what seemed like ideas on them, but what caught her eye was the picture. Picking up the frame, she looked at a happy looking Noah and a very attractive woman. She was thin with curly brown locks and green eyes. Her smile was bright and she looked truly comfortable, something that Aven hadn't really felt in a long time. The comfort of being with someone that you felt safe with.
“That's my wife.” Noah told her as he entered the room. He was pleased that she had found something of interest.
“I didn't ask.” She set the photo down and turned back to Noah who was sitting on the bed.
“Why don't you ask me where she is? I'll tell you.”
“It's none of my business.” Aven folded her hands into her lap.
“It could be a number of things, couldn't it? Aren't you curious?”
“She either left you or she died. There is only two.” She told him so bluntly that Noah's heart dropped at the lack of compassion in her voice.
He smirked, “I guess you are right. However, there would have to be a long story behind each scenario. Like maybe she cheated on me with someone famous or a friend, and left me desolate.”
“So, she died.” Aven leaned back further in the office chair. She didn't know how, but she could see the pain in his eyes as he spoke about her and she could relate to it.
He took a sip of his coffee before setting it on the desk. “Yeah, she died.” He picked up the photo of his wife and looked at it for a moment. In order to get it, he had to brush his arm passed Aven's own, which sent a cold shiver down her spine. “Now, I feel terrible about trying to get you to ask me.”
“It was none of my business to begin with.”
He looked up from the photo, “What exactly is your business, Aven?”
“What affects me.”
“Don't you ever think that what affects people around you should affect you? That's what relationships are about. Sharing each other's fortune and misfortune. Caring about their stories and making their lives your business.”
She took the photo from his hand and placed it back on the desk. “Are we interviewing now?” She grabbed a pen off the desk and handed it to him.
Noah had left the notebook on the bed and picked it up after he took the pen. “So?” He asked as he opened the notebook up.
“Other people's business is their's alone. If they want to include you in it, you won't have to ask. Like just now with your wife. You wanted me to know, didn't you?”
The sounds of the puppy whimpering behind the living room door were initially the only noise in the kitchen as the group of four sat down to eat.
Tristan was pouting over his movie buddy being stolen away and he tried his best not to get caught glaring at the other man in the room. Noah was lost in thought about the woman he had just been talking to and the woman they had been talking about. Aven was just her silent self and didn't seem to be affected by anything that had happened.
Ayanna had noticed the strange mood that had fallen over the two men and she had kept her silence for a time. “Tristan and I watched a movie together. Some war movie. I'm more of a romantic comedy girl myself.” There was a long pause as she waited for someone to respond to her. “I... read a lot of romance novels too.” She was beginning to feel nervous like she used to when it was just her and Aven and she had to carry a conversation by herself.
Noah snapped out of his thoughts when he realized that no one else would answer the woman. “Yes, well women are emotional creatures. Love stories seem to be their favorite outlet.”
She smiled when she realized her chat pal had returned to her. “What do you like? Drama?”
“I am a man like any other, while I do like drama on some levels, I appreciate a good action flick from time to time... even mysteries. When I was a child, I read Sherlock Holmes books constantly.” He filled his fork up with the stir fry vegetables and pork. “What of you, Tristan? Do you enjoy reading?”
“No.” He continued to eat his meal without any further explanation.
“Ah, well, I know Aven likes to read.” Noah said looking at her, but the woman offered him no reply.
“Yes, she reads anything.” Ayanna told him. “When we were little she would read the moment she got home from school. Heck, I even saw her reading at school during lunch break. Our mom would force her to stop and do her homework. I don't know how she made it through college.” She chuckled along with Noah, “Did you graduate from college, Noah?”
“Yes, I have a bachelors in English. A worthless degree. A complete waste of money and time, unless you want to become an English teacher. Do you have a degree?”
Ayanna shook her head. “School was never my thing. I always felt like I was being shoved into a mold and the more I let them push me in the more I lost myself.”
“A free spirit then?”
She gave a nod as she had just filled her mouth full, when she finally swallowed she spoke again. “Was the interview a success?”
“Yes, but we have planned several more.” He folded his hands together over his plate with his elbows on the table. “I realize now that Tristan is much like your sister. An interesting case. Have you ever wondered how a romance would work between two people like them?”
The conversation peaked Tristan's interest, but he pretended not to listen.
Ayanna laughed. “Oh, I don't know. Maybe one too many long nights on a couch watching movies together.”
“Ah, yes, stick with reality. Then what? An accidental touch, perhaps? It sends shivers through both of them. The feeling forces them to look into each other's eyes to ask the other, 'Did you feel that too?' With that knowing look they lean forward...”
Aven stood up from the table, leaving her bowl on the table and returned to the living room.
“I guess she didn't like this conversation.” Ayanna cleared her throat.
“It was all in good fun. She should learn to appreciate being teased.” Noah returned to eating his meal.
“Maybe she doesn't want you planting ideas in our heads.” Tristan stood up from the table and headed down into the basement.
“Another long sentence from the boy!” Noah pointed his fork toward the basement door. “I think he's coming around.” He smiled as Ayanna giggled at the joke.
Ayanna had been surprised when Aven offered to do the dishes for her. She quickly slipped away and rinsed herself off in the shower before heading to her bedroom. The room held all the furniture that she had growing up. A white dresser with a couple pink flower stickers that she had put on it when she was six. Her bed was her mother's and Aven had refused to sleep on it. Besides a white nightstand and the television stand next to the dresser that was all the room held. She liked to keep her room as simple as possible and didn't even put up pictures.
She always wondered if she did that so when Aven got better she could move out right away. As if she was waiting to move out. She still had two suitcases full of clothing that she refused to unpack in her closet.
Sitting down on the dark brown comforter, she picked up the remote from the bed. The living room belonged to Aven and all she had was these four corners that were really her own. Aven never came into her room not even when the house was completely theirs.
As she flipped through the channels a humming noise began to vibrate through the room. She turned to look at the nightstand and the cell phone that laid on top of it.
Crawling across the bed, she picked it up and looked at the caller ID before answering. “Hey, Scott.”
“I was calling to say good night. You sound down.”
He always called before he went to bed, and she usually just answered to quickly tell him good night. Tonight, she had answered differently.
“Just feeling a little darkened, I guess. Hey, Aven did the dishes tonight.”
“You're kidding.”
“No.” She giggled. “I was shocked when she offered, but she was actually doing them when I left the kitchen. It almost makes me suspicious.”
“Maybe you were right. Bringing other people into the house might be healthy for her. You said she is watching movies with one of them, didn't you?”
Leaning back on her pillows, she sighed. “I watched a movie with him today. He was really nice whenever I had a question. I don't know what it is, but he is so slight that I feel excited when he actually talks to me. Maybe it's the immature girl thing that we like the silent types because that means when they talk to us we become special.”
“Are you saying you like this guy?”
She laughed. “It was the first real time I ever hung out with him, besides I am not interested in a real relationship. You know how I am. If I had a real boyfriend then I wouldn't be able to pay our bills on time.”
“That's not the truth. Why do you think you can lie to me?”
Ayanna smiled sadly. “I wonder why I even bother as well.”
“You can't let what happened to you control your life forever, Ayanna.” He exhaled, “Hell, I don't even know what happened, but it had to be bad if you are acting like this years later. I know it had something to do with that guy...”
“Stop prying, Scott. He broke my heart, I told you that a thousand time before. I am just not interested in relationships anymore... not unless there is something to gain from it. Anyway, good night.” She hung up the phone before he could respond and immediately turned her phone off.
Laying it on the night stand, she curled up in a ball on the bed. She hated it when he brought that up. She was trying to forget and all Scott ever wanted was for her to relive it.
Tristan watched her as she finished up the dishes. She wore the same floral apron that her sister usually wore, but he caught himself thinking that it looked better on her. He wanted to say something to her for her to acknowledge that he was in the room.
“I watched that movie.”
Aven looked up from the glass cup, “Alone?”
“With your sister.” She had looked at him and that simple gesture was exciting to him. He wasn't sure what was going on as he had never really felt this way before, but it felt like a pleasurable pain shooting through his chest as of late.
“She is annoying to do that with.”
“Yes.” Tristan partially smiled, but Aven didn't see it as she had returned to her task.
“Just tell her to shut up.”
“I don't plan on repeating the experience.”
Aven smiled very briefly.
They fell into a comfortable silence again and Tristan continued to sit at the table. He wondered if it was strange for him to do so or if she would get weird ideas about him. Though he didn't know if he wanted her to get a weird idea, and he wasn't really certain what that meant as of yet either.
His conversation with Eric had left him with more questions than answers. The one thing that worried him was Eric told him that love was about getting to know a person, and understanding them. He liked being with Aven because there was very little talking. How could he possibly get to know her? Would it be a slow process that lasted over months or years?
Tristan shook his head to clear his mind of the thoughts. He didn't even understand what he was thinking about. Why was he even worried about something he didn't really want anyway?
Watching as she took off her apron, he decided that they would have enough time to watch a movie tonight. “Do you...”
The upstairs door flung open and Noah stepped into the room. “Hey, guy.” He smiled at Tristan and walked over to the sink to wash his coffee mug.
Aven moved to stand next to the table. “Do we have to finish tonight?”
Noah briefly looked over his shoulder. “It shouldn't take long, just a few more questions then you can get back to Tristan.” He teased.
“Tristan and I don't have anything planned.”
“Ah, well, then perhaps a bit longer then.”
The look on Aven's face told Tristan that she was damning herself for saying such a thing.
“I was going to ask if you want to...” Tristan began but was quickly interrupted.
“Nope, too late!” Noah turned around. “I have already taken up the lady's time. Better luck next time, champ.”
“I'm not 'champ.'” He grumbled.
“No nicknames either?” Noah chuckled. “No nicknames, no talking, no fun at all. You two are just something else.”
Tristan and Aven shared a brief annoyed expression.
“Let's go.” Noah walked over to the door and held it open for her. “Come on. The sooner you get it done, the faster you can be gone from my presence.”
She sighed audibly and gave Tristan a quick glance before she headed up into the apartment. Noah looked over at the man sitting at the table. “I'll try to be quick about it and have her back to you as soon as possible.”
Tristan didn't reply and simply made his way downstairs.
“So, you haven't dated at all in three years?” Noah asked as he sat on his bed and Aven at the desk next to his laptop. He watched her shake her head in response. “What about sex?”
“No. I haven't dated so I haven't had sex.”
He stared at her blankly. “You haven't had sex in three years? Are you serious?”
“That's what I said.” She picked up a pen from his desk and began to play with it. “What about you? Have you slept with someone since your wife's death?”
His face darkened briefly. “In attempts to forget, yes.”
“Did it work?”
“Briefly, but it was worth at the time to forget for those few minutes.” He sat up straight on the bed and leaned back on the wall. “It's been four years since that night, but I still wake up sometimes and expect to find her next to me. Other times, I will start to talk out loud and realize she isn't in the room.” He grinned cheerlessly as he tapped his pen against his notebook. “You ever experience that?”
“No, I know they are dead.”
“All the time?”
“All the time.” She made the office chair squeak when she sat back in it before tossing the pen back onto his desk.
“How can you manage to live with that thought constantly on your mind?”
“That's why you are interviewing me, isn't it?” Her eyes connected with his own.
“Haven't you thought of trying to find ways to get your mind off of it? Doesn't the pain just feel like too much of a burden sometimes?”
“I feel guilty.” She swallowed hard.
Noah made his way to the end of the bed, closer to her. “Guilty?”
“If I forget about him or my mother, I feel like I am dishonoring them.”
“So, you think they would want you wallowing in your loss and constantly thinking about them?”
“No.” She looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap. “It still doesn't change the fact that I feel guilty.”
“Why?”
“I was suppose to go grocery shopping that day, but I forgot. We didn't have anything for breakfast, so they had to take a late trip out to get some things. They decided to just do all of the shopping while they were out.” She began to scratch at her hand. “If I had done what I had been asked to do...” She cut herself off.
“I see.” Noah sat up slightly. “So, all that you are doing is punishment to yourself? You aren't allowed happiness or to be satisfied in anyway?” Looking down at where she was scratching her hand, he watched a small drop of blood roll down her pale flesh and onto her purple pajama bottoms. Reaching his hand out, he grabbed her own and looked at the freshly inflicted wound.
“Shit.” Aven mumbled when she realized what she had just done. Her eyes concentrated on it for a moment, before she looked up at Noah with slight horror in her eyes. “Don't tell Ayanna.”
“You have done this before?”
“I used to, yes. I promised I would stop and I have. Don't tell her. It'll make her cry and I can't stand that.”
He shook his head. “She'll probably notice it though and putting a band aid on it always makes people ask questions.”
“I got some medical glue downstairs. It's fine.” She pulled her hand out of his and rubbed the wound against her pajama bottoms, then pressed it down firmly to help stop the bleeding.
“Don't you ever just want to forget for a while?” He continued questioning her when she didn't leave.
“Maybe... sometimes... yes.” Her words became increasingly less audible.
He nodded his head and leaned back on his hands. “Human after all.” He smiled lightly. “That's nice to know.”
“Will you show me your way?” Her question was so blunt that he didn't even have an answer for her right away.
“My way to forget? You mean by having sex?” He chuckled in discomfort. “It doesn't really fix anything.”
“I know.” Aven stood up and for a moment he thought she would get on the bed with him. “I'll let you give it some thought.”
As she left the upstairs apartment, Aven wondered why she had just done that. It had to be because he shared a similar loss and she felt somewhat of a kindred soul with him. Noah was annoying at times, but she liked that someone could understand her. She didn't expect anything from him, just what he had promised a few moments to be away from that pain.
Noah wondered how he would react to Aven that morning, but when he reached the kitchen the table was empty. Ayanna was the only one making a breakfast of homemade waffles, and she smiled when he stepped into the room.
For a brief moment, a memory of Autumn standing next to the kitchen sink with a large plastic blue bowl crossed his mind. She loved that cheap bowl even when he had bought her a more expensive set. On Sunday mornings, she would always make something in it. The smell of syrup always brought to mind the scent of her breath after the meal, a sickly sweet scent. It was a scent that could only be topped by the smell of wine on her breath.
“Noah?” Ayanna's voice told him that she had been talking to him.
“Pardon?”
“I asked if you wanted fruit on your waffles? I made a strawberry topping last night.” She grabbed a small jar from the counter. “Strawberries and whip topping?”
“I prefer butter and syrup, but thank you.” He sat down at his usual spot at the table. “Where is everyone?”
“Aven was asked to work this morning and Tristan's agent came to take him somewhere. They didn't say where. So, it's just us for the morning.”
Noah's seat put his back to her which he was glad for. He hadn't admitted it up until that point that Ayanna did remind him of his late wife at times. The thought of comparing her to anyone made his blood boil, and he didn't know whether this would make him like her or despise her.
After a few moments, a glass of milk and two waffles were placed in front of him. Ayanna took a seat with her own plate and smiled at him. “You look a little worse for wear. Didn't stay up too long with Aven, did you?”
“Oh, no. It isn't her fault.”
It was but he wasn't going to admit why to her sister. The woman had him up all night trying to figure out what she was up to. One moment she can barely stand the idea of talking to him and the next she is offering to sleep with him. Granted, he did consider seducing her if the friendship angle didn't play out well, but of all the twists and turns he predicted this was not one of them. This girl was definitely going to be a great character, all he needed was a plot to surround her.
“Noah?”
He realized that Ayanna had been speaking again. “I'm sorry. My mind is wandering this morning.”
“Thinking of a new story? I hear authors can get that way when their mind is creating.”
“Yes.” He began to cut up his waffle with a fork. “Did you use a boxed batter?”
Ayanna shook her head. “My grandma's recipe. When we were young whenever we visited her house, she would always make us waffles. I haven't made them in a long time. I just wish Aven could have joined us.”
Taking his first bite, the sugary sweetness hit his tongue and he was reminded all over again of the woman he was trying to forget. She couldn't be forgotten. Autumn was every where even four years later.
“Is it ok?” She asked with a worried look in her eyes.
“It's very good, Ayanna.”
Tristan stood near his old band mates as they announced a reunion tour that would not include him. He had given the excuse about he wanted to continue his studies and that this tour would only get in his way.
“Does Tristan's violent and drug abusive past have anything to do with why he isn't going to be part of the tour?” One reporter asked.
“No.” Spencer, an old band mate, responded.
All four men were tall and thin. Most had even questioned if they were brothers since they looked so much alike. If it weren't for their different hair colors people might have actually believed it.
“Tristan's past has nothing to do with his decision not to join us.” Gus, another band mate, continued. “He has moved on and gone through rehab. He is completely healthy.”
Tristan didn't say anything as he stood on the platform with the other three, and looked over a sea of reporters. The truth was his past was very much the reason that they didn't want him to go.
“Mitch, Tristan beat you into a coma for four days. Do you hold a grudge against him?” Another reporter asked.
Mitch put his mic up to his lips. “That wasn't Tristan, that was the drugs. I know my real friend and he would never do that to someone. To answer your question, no, I do not hold a grudge.”
That was another lie and Tristan knew it, but they had to pretend that everything was alright between them in order for his band mates to make a quick buck. He also had been promised some money from their tour if he just played along.
“Are you going to continue using your band's name now that there is only three of you?” A question from the sea floated to their ears.
“Yes.” Gus answered. “The name is just as valid. Tristan is still a band member. He just can't participate in this tour.”
Tristan wondered why this had become about him. He knew he was the most news worthy of the bunch considering what his past held, but he had been told that most of these questions would be off topic. Instead, he was once again being reminded of the mistakes in his past. The only way he would ever be able to live them down was to escape into obscureness.
For several moments, Tristan completely checked out of reality as his band mates answered questions even some directed at him. He had always been seen as the strong, silent one of the group, so his silence was nothing out of the ordinary.
When the questions finally ended, he exited from the platform and found Eric. The two quickly made their way to his car and Tristan made himself comfortable in the passenger seat.
“You didn't look happy up there, that's why they kept bombarding you with questions about your absence.” Eric told him as he started up the car. “If you had looked pleased with your friends' accomplishments and decisions...”
“Just shut up. Every one knows the reasons I am not going on this tour. I dislike lying.”
“You used to do a lot of it. Weren't you a master?”
Tristan glared at the man beside him. “This is the problem when you recover and try to fix yourself. People bring up the past and don't allow you to move forward. They want to keep you in that dark little hole.”
“Fine, I'm sorry. You hate lying. It's part of the business and you know it. Besides it wasn't really lying, it's true for the most part, but just a smaller reason for the whole decision.” Eric sighed. “Anyway, how is that girl you called me about?”
“I never called you about a girl.”
He snorted as he pulled into traffic on the highway. “You called me late at night to ask me what it's like to be in love, if I recall.”
“None of your business.”
“Fine, keep your secrets.” Eric laughed.
Hanging up the phone, Noah looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost ten in the evening and he could hear Ayanna downstairs cleaning up her mess. She usually took a shower after dinner then cleaned the kitchen up. He didn't want to go down there and speak to Aven in front of her, but he didn't want to wait too long and have Tristan monopolize her.
He had just gotten off the phone with Camille and informed him of the curve ball that Aven had thrown his way. She told him that the best way to understand the character would to not only be friends, but to have more than friendship as well. He told her that Tristan seemed capable of getting to that side of her, but she insisted that watching a relationship from the outside isn't the same. He found it strange how she had been against this before, but now seemed in favor of it.
Standing up from the black leather couch, he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Ayanna didn't even notice that he was in the room and he decided to just enter the living room without her permission. Once inside, he found Aven at her desk with her back turned toward him. She too seemed oblivious to his presence. He wondered if the sisters were just this careless or if he was just that unnoticeable.
“Aven.” He kept his voice low so Ayanna couldn't hear. As he approached her, he noticed she had headphones on. Pulling them from her ear, she immediately looked up at him. “About that thing... no, about sleeping together, did you mean it?”
“I don't often make jokes.” She told him then turned her attention to her solitaire game.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
Noah crouched down next to her chair. “Why would you want to do that?”
“You said it helps you forget and you feel better for a moment. Or were you lying?” She looked back at him.
“No, but it doesn't fix anything.”
“I'm not asking to be fixed. I am asking for you to prove it.” She continued to play her game. “If your answer is no, then I won't be hurt. I'm not in love with you or any such nonsense.”
He remained quiet for a several seconds. “What about Tristan? Don't you have feelings for him?”
“No.”
“Oh, I thought...” He waved the sentence away. “So, we'd be fuck buddies, nothing more is what you are saying?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
Aven turned her chair toward him which forced Noah to move away from her slightly. When she finished, he stood up and stared down at her. “On whether it works or not. Besides, wouldn't sleeping with me be good for your story?”
“Yes, it would and that's the only reason I am even considering this.”
She nodded. “Therefore we both understand where we are coming from and there won't be a problem with needless emotion, correct?”
He still couldn't wrap his mind around her reasons. “Let me get this straight. I told you that I slept with people to forget, and you immediately got the idea to sleep with me to forget? What I am saying is; it didn't take you very long to come up with that idea.”
“You asked me if I wanted to forget. I thought you were going there anyway. Was I wrong?” Aven stood up from her chair nonchalantly and began to stretch out her arms and legs.
“I see.” He cleared his throat. “If you are fine with it and understand why I am doing this, then I have no problem with it.”
“I'll be up in a little while.”
“Tonight?”
She turned to face him. “Might as well get it over with. We have to set some ground rules first. Why are you busy?”
“No. Not at all.”
Pressing the pause button for the eighth time in a half hour, Tristan cursed Noah. When he entered the kitchen with his DVD, he had made his way toward the living room door. Ayanna had been standing at the sink and stopped him with two words. 'She's upstairs' was all it took for him to know he was about to be kidnapped by the younger sister again.
Yanking him by the hand into the living room, she put the movie on and they were once again watching a movie together. Or whatever it was they were doing by pausing the DVD and answering her damn questions that could have already been answered in the movie. All the girl had to do was pay attention.
“I saw your press meeting today.” Ayanna suddenly said. “It's so not cool what they are doing.”
Tristan didn't want to talk to her about this. He just wanted to be left alone. “It doesn't matter. Watch the movie.” He put his elbow on the armrest and rested his cheek against his fist.
She was used to Aven treating her in this manner and decided to just silence herself on the topic. At least she didn't have to hear 'whatever' a hundred times in one conversation.
“Wait, who is that?”
“The president.” He didn't even bother to press pause for that question.
Ayanna sighed as she pulled her feet onto the couch and covered her legs up with the afghan blanket that her mother had made.
“I have watermelon. Do you want some?”
“No.”
She was bored with this movie and her mind was searching for topics to discuss and things she could do that wouldn't seem like she was abandoning him. She didn't want to leave his side as she liked that he talked to her, but she hated action films.
Adjusting her legs again, she pulled them up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. “What about popcorn?”
“No.”
She sighed and looked at the puppy who was sleeping in her kennel next to the television. That animal was lucky to sleep through this. She had thought.
“Oh, I have a big bag of M&Ms!” Jumping up from the couch, she ran into the kitchen to find the big blue bag. She quickly returned and began to struggle with it.
The crinkling noise began to send waves of annoyance up Tristan's spin. He reached out for the bag, tore it open and handed it back.
Ayanna smiled at him. “Thank you.” She offered out the bag for him to take some.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the bag and gave a no thank you by waving his hand. This girl drove him insane. She wasn't comfortable.
Ayanna had told him earlier that morning that Aven was better now, but she had skipped breakfast to work a few extra hours. He had been told that she wanted to make up the hours she had lost. Ayanna seemed to notice that he was looking a bit lonely and had told him that as far as she knew Aven would be free for the evening.
As Ayanna was preparing a marinade, she looked at the green numbers on the microwave. It was six thirty, the exact time she had told Tristan that Aven would be off work. She wondered how long it would take him to make it up the stairs and to hunt her sister down. Part of her felt jealous that Aven was getting so much attention from the new tenants. She just couldn't decide if she disliked that her sister was being taken from her or the tenants.
The stairs creaked and she turned her attention toward the basement door as it opened. Tristan appeared with a DVD in hand and shut the door behind him. When he noticed her in the kitchen, he pointed toward the living room door.
“I'm sorry, hon. She went upstairs with Noah. I guess she is tired of him asking her to do the interviews.” She picked up the chopping board and dumped the square chunks of pork into the teriyaki marinade. Her metal bowl slid slightly to the left as she did so. “I could watch a movie with you.”
Tristan shook his head and began to turn around to head back downstairs.
“Oh, come on.” Ayanna made her way across the kitchen floor and snatched the movie from his hand. “I'll be quiet, I promise.” She looked at the title of the movie and made a disappointed face. “Yup, this looks like an Aven movie.” She snatched up Tristan's hand and pulled him toward the living room. “Do you want some popcorn or anything?”
“No.” Tristan wasn't sure how he ended up on the couch as the woman in front of him put the DVD in.
She plopped herself on the couch and hit the buttons on the remote to begin their movie, before smiling at the man sitting beside her. “This will be nice, won't it? You and I never hang out together.”
He wanted to tell her that there was a reason for that, but he could already hear Eric's voice in the back of his mind telling him that was not polite.
There would be no silence as the movie played on and thirty minutes into it, Ayanna had to ask her forth question.
“Wait.” She hit pause on the remote. “Who is this guy?”
“He is the general from the opening scene.”
She looked confused for a moment as she stared at the man's face. “The general?”
Tristan nodded. “He ordered them to drop the bombs, remember? He is the reason they are in this mess.”
“Oh! That's right. Ok.” She hit the play button.
It continued this way for the rest of the movie. Ayanna would pause it every few seconds to ask him a question about the movie and he would patiently answer. It was annoying, but he knew better than to get up and walk out.
Ayanna, on the other hand, was looking for any question she could. She liked that Tristan was forced to answer her in more than two words. Not only that but he was patient in his answer, unlike her sister who would snatch the remote away and tell her to shut up or leave. She hoped that Noah would steal her sister more often.
Noah had purposely place a few items out in hopes that Aven would take interest in them. He knew that if any sort of friendship would take place between them then she would have to know more about him. She would also need to want to know more.
“And this is my office. I use the master room for it, since I rarely sleep anyway.” He shut the door. “That's where all the magic of writing about the character I base off you will happen.” He told her as he opened the smaller bedroom door. “And here is my bedroom.”
Aven noticed that he had a desk and laptop set up in the bedroom as well. She wondered why he didn't move the desk into the living room, there seemed to be enough space in there.
“You are wondering why I have the desk crammed in here, aren't you?” He smirked. “I don't feel comfortable working outside the bedroom. I have always written in one.” He stepped inside the room and grabbed his notepad off his desk, before sitting down on the bed. “Come in. Have a seat at the desk.”
She hesitated as she realized that she was going to enter Noah's bedroom, but ignored the feeling. Her sister and Tristan were downstairs, nothing could really happen and he never showed any real interest in her, not the romantic or sexual kind anyway.
Noah watched as she sat down at the desk before he stood up. “Let me get a cup of coffee, do you want some?”
“No.”
Aven watched him leave the room, before turning her attention to the desk. He had a few papers with what seemed like ideas on them, but what caught her eye was the picture. Picking up the frame, she looked at a happy looking Noah and a very attractive woman. She was thin with curly brown locks and green eyes. Her smile was bright and she looked truly comfortable, something that Aven hadn't really felt in a long time. The comfort of being with someone that you felt safe with.
“That's my wife.” Noah told her as he entered the room. He was pleased that she had found something of interest.
“I didn't ask.” She set the photo down and turned back to Noah who was sitting on the bed.
“Why don't you ask me where she is? I'll tell you.”
“It's none of my business.” Aven folded her hands into her lap.
“It could be a number of things, couldn't it? Aren't you curious?”
“She either left you or she died. There is only two.” She told him so bluntly that Noah's heart dropped at the lack of compassion in her voice.
He smirked, “I guess you are right. However, there would have to be a long story behind each scenario. Like maybe she cheated on me with someone famous or a friend, and left me desolate.”
“So, she died.” Aven leaned back further in the office chair. She didn't know how, but she could see the pain in his eyes as he spoke about her and she could relate to it.
He took a sip of his coffee before setting it on the desk. “Yeah, she died.” He picked up the photo of his wife and looked at it for a moment. In order to get it, he had to brush his arm passed Aven's own, which sent a cold shiver down her spine. “Now, I feel terrible about trying to get you to ask me.”
“It was none of my business to begin with.”
He looked up from the photo, “What exactly is your business, Aven?”
“What affects me.”
“Don't you ever think that what affects people around you should affect you? That's what relationships are about. Sharing each other's fortune and misfortune. Caring about their stories and making their lives your business.”
She took the photo from his hand and placed it back on the desk. “Are we interviewing now?” She grabbed a pen off the desk and handed it to him.
Noah had left the notebook on the bed and picked it up after he took the pen. “So?” He asked as he opened the notebook up.
“Other people's business is their's alone. If they want to include you in it, you won't have to ask. Like just now with your wife. You wanted me to know, didn't you?”
---***
The sounds of the puppy whimpering behind the living room door were initially the only noise in the kitchen as the group of four sat down to eat.
Tristan was pouting over his movie buddy being stolen away and he tried his best not to get caught glaring at the other man in the room. Noah was lost in thought about the woman he had just been talking to and the woman they had been talking about. Aven was just her silent self and didn't seem to be affected by anything that had happened.
Ayanna had noticed the strange mood that had fallen over the two men and she had kept her silence for a time. “Tristan and I watched a movie together. Some war movie. I'm more of a romantic comedy girl myself.” There was a long pause as she waited for someone to respond to her. “I... read a lot of romance novels too.” She was beginning to feel nervous like she used to when it was just her and Aven and she had to carry a conversation by herself.
Noah snapped out of his thoughts when he realized that no one else would answer the woman. “Yes, well women are emotional creatures. Love stories seem to be their favorite outlet.”
She smiled when she realized her chat pal had returned to her. “What do you like? Drama?”
“I am a man like any other, while I do like drama on some levels, I appreciate a good action flick from time to time... even mysteries. When I was a child, I read Sherlock Holmes books constantly.” He filled his fork up with the stir fry vegetables and pork. “What of you, Tristan? Do you enjoy reading?”
“No.” He continued to eat his meal without any further explanation.
“Ah, well, I know Aven likes to read.” Noah said looking at her, but the woman offered him no reply.
“Yes, she reads anything.” Ayanna told him. “When we were little she would read the moment she got home from school. Heck, I even saw her reading at school during lunch break. Our mom would force her to stop and do her homework. I don't know how she made it through college.” She chuckled along with Noah, “Did you graduate from college, Noah?”
“Yes, I have a bachelors in English. A worthless degree. A complete waste of money and time, unless you want to become an English teacher. Do you have a degree?”
Ayanna shook her head. “School was never my thing. I always felt like I was being shoved into a mold and the more I let them push me in the more I lost myself.”
“A free spirit then?”
She gave a nod as she had just filled her mouth full, when she finally swallowed she spoke again. “Was the interview a success?”
“Yes, but we have planned several more.” He folded his hands together over his plate with his elbows on the table. “I realize now that Tristan is much like your sister. An interesting case. Have you ever wondered how a romance would work between two people like them?”
The conversation peaked Tristan's interest, but he pretended not to listen.
Ayanna laughed. “Oh, I don't know. Maybe one too many long nights on a couch watching movies together.”
“Ah, yes, stick with reality. Then what? An accidental touch, perhaps? It sends shivers through both of them. The feeling forces them to look into each other's eyes to ask the other, 'Did you feel that too?' With that knowing look they lean forward...”
Aven stood up from the table, leaving her bowl on the table and returned to the living room.
“I guess she didn't like this conversation.” Ayanna cleared her throat.
“It was all in good fun. She should learn to appreciate being teased.” Noah returned to eating his meal.
“Maybe she doesn't want you planting ideas in our heads.” Tristan stood up from the table and headed down into the basement.
“Another long sentence from the boy!” Noah pointed his fork toward the basement door. “I think he's coming around.” He smiled as Ayanna giggled at the joke.
---***
Ayanna had been surprised when Aven offered to do the dishes for her. She quickly slipped away and rinsed herself off in the shower before heading to her bedroom. The room held all the furniture that she had growing up. A white dresser with a couple pink flower stickers that she had put on it when she was six. Her bed was her mother's and Aven had refused to sleep on it. Besides a white nightstand and the television stand next to the dresser that was all the room held. She liked to keep her room as simple as possible and didn't even put up pictures.
She always wondered if she did that so when Aven got better she could move out right away. As if she was waiting to move out. She still had two suitcases full of clothing that she refused to unpack in her closet.
Sitting down on the dark brown comforter, she picked up the remote from the bed. The living room belonged to Aven and all she had was these four corners that were really her own. Aven never came into her room not even when the house was completely theirs.
As she flipped through the channels a humming noise began to vibrate through the room. She turned to look at the nightstand and the cell phone that laid on top of it.
Crawling across the bed, she picked it up and looked at the caller ID before answering. “Hey, Scott.”
“I was calling to say good night. You sound down.”
He always called before he went to bed, and she usually just answered to quickly tell him good night. Tonight, she had answered differently.
“Just feeling a little darkened, I guess. Hey, Aven did the dishes tonight.”
“You're kidding.”
“No.” She giggled. “I was shocked when she offered, but she was actually doing them when I left the kitchen. It almost makes me suspicious.”
“Maybe you were right. Bringing other people into the house might be healthy for her. You said she is watching movies with one of them, didn't you?”
Leaning back on her pillows, she sighed. “I watched a movie with him today. He was really nice whenever I had a question. I don't know what it is, but he is so slight that I feel excited when he actually talks to me. Maybe it's the immature girl thing that we like the silent types because that means when they talk to us we become special.”
“Are you saying you like this guy?”
She laughed. “It was the first real time I ever hung out with him, besides I am not interested in a real relationship. You know how I am. If I had a real boyfriend then I wouldn't be able to pay our bills on time.”
“That's not the truth. Why do you think you can lie to me?”
Ayanna smiled sadly. “I wonder why I even bother as well.”
“You can't let what happened to you control your life forever, Ayanna.” He exhaled, “Hell, I don't even know what happened, but it had to be bad if you are acting like this years later. I know it had something to do with that guy...”
“Stop prying, Scott. He broke my heart, I told you that a thousand time before. I am just not interested in relationships anymore... not unless there is something to gain from it. Anyway, good night.” She hung up the phone before he could respond and immediately turned her phone off.
Laying it on the night stand, she curled up in a ball on the bed. She hated it when he brought that up. She was trying to forget and all Scott ever wanted was for her to relive it.
---***
Tristan watched her as she finished up the dishes. She wore the same floral apron that her sister usually wore, but he caught himself thinking that it looked better on her. He wanted to say something to her for her to acknowledge that he was in the room.
“I watched that movie.”
Aven looked up from the glass cup, “Alone?”
“With your sister.” She had looked at him and that simple gesture was exciting to him. He wasn't sure what was going on as he had never really felt this way before, but it felt like a pleasurable pain shooting through his chest as of late.
“She is annoying to do that with.”
“Yes.” Tristan partially smiled, but Aven didn't see it as she had returned to her task.
“Just tell her to shut up.”
“I don't plan on repeating the experience.”
Aven smiled very briefly.
They fell into a comfortable silence again and Tristan continued to sit at the table. He wondered if it was strange for him to do so or if she would get weird ideas about him. Though he didn't know if he wanted her to get a weird idea, and he wasn't really certain what that meant as of yet either.
His conversation with Eric had left him with more questions than answers. The one thing that worried him was Eric told him that love was about getting to know a person, and understanding them. He liked being with Aven because there was very little talking. How could he possibly get to know her? Would it be a slow process that lasted over months or years?
Tristan shook his head to clear his mind of the thoughts. He didn't even understand what he was thinking about. Why was he even worried about something he didn't really want anyway?
Watching as she took off her apron, he decided that they would have enough time to watch a movie tonight. “Do you...”
The upstairs door flung open and Noah stepped into the room. “Hey, guy.” He smiled at Tristan and walked over to the sink to wash his coffee mug.
Aven moved to stand next to the table. “Do we have to finish tonight?”
Noah briefly looked over his shoulder. “It shouldn't take long, just a few more questions then you can get back to Tristan.” He teased.
“Tristan and I don't have anything planned.”
“Ah, well, then perhaps a bit longer then.”
The look on Aven's face told Tristan that she was damning herself for saying such a thing.
“I was going to ask if you want to...” Tristan began but was quickly interrupted.
“Nope, too late!” Noah turned around. “I have already taken up the lady's time. Better luck next time, champ.”
“I'm not 'champ.'” He grumbled.
“No nicknames either?” Noah chuckled. “No nicknames, no talking, no fun at all. You two are just something else.”
Tristan and Aven shared a brief annoyed expression.
“Let's go.” Noah walked over to the door and held it open for her. “Come on. The sooner you get it done, the faster you can be gone from my presence.”
She sighed audibly and gave Tristan a quick glance before she headed up into the apartment. Noah looked over at the man sitting at the table. “I'll try to be quick about it and have her back to you as soon as possible.”
Tristan didn't reply and simply made his way downstairs.
---***
“So, you haven't dated at all in three years?” Noah asked as he sat on his bed and Aven at the desk next to his laptop. He watched her shake her head in response. “What about sex?”
“No. I haven't dated so I haven't had sex.”
He stared at her blankly. “You haven't had sex in three years? Are you serious?”
“That's what I said.” She picked up a pen from his desk and began to play with it. “What about you? Have you slept with someone since your wife's death?”
His face darkened briefly. “In attempts to forget, yes.”
“Did it work?”
“Briefly, but it was worth at the time to forget for those few minutes.” He sat up straight on the bed and leaned back on the wall. “It's been four years since that night, but I still wake up sometimes and expect to find her next to me. Other times, I will start to talk out loud and realize she isn't in the room.” He grinned cheerlessly as he tapped his pen against his notebook. “You ever experience that?”
“No, I know they are dead.”
“All the time?”
“All the time.” She made the office chair squeak when she sat back in it before tossing the pen back onto his desk.
“How can you manage to live with that thought constantly on your mind?”
“That's why you are interviewing me, isn't it?” Her eyes connected with his own.
“Haven't you thought of trying to find ways to get your mind off of it? Doesn't the pain just feel like too much of a burden sometimes?”
“I feel guilty.” She swallowed hard.
Noah made his way to the end of the bed, closer to her. “Guilty?”
“If I forget about him or my mother, I feel like I am dishonoring them.”
“So, you think they would want you wallowing in your loss and constantly thinking about them?”
“No.” She looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap. “It still doesn't change the fact that I feel guilty.”
“Why?”
“I was suppose to go grocery shopping that day, but I forgot. We didn't have anything for breakfast, so they had to take a late trip out to get some things. They decided to just do all of the shopping while they were out.” She began to scratch at her hand. “If I had done what I had been asked to do...” She cut herself off.
“I see.” Noah sat up slightly. “So, all that you are doing is punishment to yourself? You aren't allowed happiness or to be satisfied in anyway?” Looking down at where she was scratching her hand, he watched a small drop of blood roll down her pale flesh and onto her purple pajama bottoms. Reaching his hand out, he grabbed her own and looked at the freshly inflicted wound.
“Shit.” Aven mumbled when she realized what she had just done. Her eyes concentrated on it for a moment, before she looked up at Noah with slight horror in her eyes. “Don't tell Ayanna.”
“You have done this before?”
“I used to, yes. I promised I would stop and I have. Don't tell her. It'll make her cry and I can't stand that.”
He shook his head. “She'll probably notice it though and putting a band aid on it always makes people ask questions.”
“I got some medical glue downstairs. It's fine.” She pulled her hand out of his and rubbed the wound against her pajama bottoms, then pressed it down firmly to help stop the bleeding.
“Don't you ever just want to forget for a while?” He continued questioning her when she didn't leave.
“Maybe... sometimes... yes.” Her words became increasingly less audible.
He nodded his head and leaned back on his hands. “Human after all.” He smiled lightly. “That's nice to know.”
“Will you show me your way?” Her question was so blunt that he didn't even have an answer for her right away.
“My way to forget? You mean by having sex?” He chuckled in discomfort. “It doesn't really fix anything.”
“I know.” Aven stood up and for a moment he thought she would get on the bed with him. “I'll let you give it some thought.”
As she left the upstairs apartment, Aven wondered why she had just done that. It had to be because he shared a similar loss and she felt somewhat of a kindred soul with him. Noah was annoying at times, but she liked that someone could understand her. She didn't expect anything from him, just what he had promised a few moments to be away from that pain.
Noah wondered how he would react to Aven that morning, but when he reached the kitchen the table was empty. Ayanna was the only one making a breakfast of homemade waffles, and she smiled when he stepped into the room.
For a brief moment, a memory of Autumn standing next to the kitchen sink with a large plastic blue bowl crossed his mind. She loved that cheap bowl even when he had bought her a more expensive set. On Sunday mornings, she would always make something in it. The smell of syrup always brought to mind the scent of her breath after the meal, a sickly sweet scent. It was a scent that could only be topped by the smell of wine on her breath.
“Noah?” Ayanna's voice told him that she had been talking to him.
“Pardon?”
“I asked if you wanted fruit on your waffles? I made a strawberry topping last night.” She grabbed a small jar from the counter. “Strawberries and whip topping?”
“I prefer butter and syrup, but thank you.” He sat down at his usual spot at the table. “Where is everyone?”
“Aven was asked to work this morning and Tristan's agent came to take him somewhere. They didn't say where. So, it's just us for the morning.”
Noah's seat put his back to her which he was glad for. He hadn't admitted it up until that point that Ayanna did remind him of his late wife at times. The thought of comparing her to anyone made his blood boil, and he didn't know whether this would make him like her or despise her.
After a few moments, a glass of milk and two waffles were placed in front of him. Ayanna took a seat with her own plate and smiled at him. “You look a little worse for wear. Didn't stay up too long with Aven, did you?”
“Oh, no. It isn't her fault.”
It was but he wasn't going to admit why to her sister. The woman had him up all night trying to figure out what she was up to. One moment she can barely stand the idea of talking to him and the next she is offering to sleep with him. Granted, he did consider seducing her if the friendship angle didn't play out well, but of all the twists and turns he predicted this was not one of them. This girl was definitely going to be a great character, all he needed was a plot to surround her.
“Noah?”
He realized that Ayanna had been speaking again. “I'm sorry. My mind is wandering this morning.”
“Thinking of a new story? I hear authors can get that way when their mind is creating.”
“Yes.” He began to cut up his waffle with a fork. “Did you use a boxed batter?”
Ayanna shook her head. “My grandma's recipe. When we were young whenever we visited her house, she would always make us waffles. I haven't made them in a long time. I just wish Aven could have joined us.”
Taking his first bite, the sugary sweetness hit his tongue and he was reminded all over again of the woman he was trying to forget. She couldn't be forgotten. Autumn was every where even four years later.
“Is it ok?” She asked with a worried look in her eyes.
“It's very good, Ayanna.”
---***
Tristan stood near his old band mates as they announced a reunion tour that would not include him. He had given the excuse about he wanted to continue his studies and that this tour would only get in his way.
“Does Tristan's violent and drug abusive past have anything to do with why he isn't going to be part of the tour?” One reporter asked.
“No.” Spencer, an old band mate, responded.
All four men were tall and thin. Most had even questioned if they were brothers since they looked so much alike. If it weren't for their different hair colors people might have actually believed it.
“Tristan's past has nothing to do with his decision not to join us.” Gus, another band mate, continued. “He has moved on and gone through rehab. He is completely healthy.”
Tristan didn't say anything as he stood on the platform with the other three, and looked over a sea of reporters. The truth was his past was very much the reason that they didn't want him to go.
“Mitch, Tristan beat you into a coma for four days. Do you hold a grudge against him?” Another reporter asked.
Mitch put his mic up to his lips. “That wasn't Tristan, that was the drugs. I know my real friend and he would never do that to someone. To answer your question, no, I do not hold a grudge.”
That was another lie and Tristan knew it, but they had to pretend that everything was alright between them in order for his band mates to make a quick buck. He also had been promised some money from their tour if he just played along.
“Are you going to continue using your band's name now that there is only three of you?” A question from the sea floated to their ears.
“Yes.” Gus answered. “The name is just as valid. Tristan is still a band member. He just can't participate in this tour.”
Tristan wondered why this had become about him. He knew he was the most news worthy of the bunch considering what his past held, but he had been told that most of these questions would be off topic. Instead, he was once again being reminded of the mistakes in his past. The only way he would ever be able to live them down was to escape into obscureness.
For several moments, Tristan completely checked out of reality as his band mates answered questions even some directed at him. He had always been seen as the strong, silent one of the group, so his silence was nothing out of the ordinary.
When the questions finally ended, he exited from the platform and found Eric. The two quickly made their way to his car and Tristan made himself comfortable in the passenger seat.
“You didn't look happy up there, that's why they kept bombarding you with questions about your absence.” Eric told him as he started up the car. “If you had looked pleased with your friends' accomplishments and decisions...”
“Just shut up. Every one knows the reasons I am not going on this tour. I dislike lying.”
“You used to do a lot of it. Weren't you a master?”
Tristan glared at the man beside him. “This is the problem when you recover and try to fix yourself. People bring up the past and don't allow you to move forward. They want to keep you in that dark little hole.”
“Fine, I'm sorry. You hate lying. It's part of the business and you know it. Besides it wasn't really lying, it's true for the most part, but just a smaller reason for the whole decision.” Eric sighed. “Anyway, how is that girl you called me about?”
“I never called you about a girl.”
He snorted as he pulled into traffic on the highway. “You called me late at night to ask me what it's like to be in love, if I recall.”
“None of your business.”
“Fine, keep your secrets.” Eric laughed.
---***
Hanging up the phone, Noah looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost ten in the evening and he could hear Ayanna downstairs cleaning up her mess. She usually took a shower after dinner then cleaned the kitchen up. He didn't want to go down there and speak to Aven in front of her, but he didn't want to wait too long and have Tristan monopolize her.
He had just gotten off the phone with Camille and informed him of the curve ball that Aven had thrown his way. She told him that the best way to understand the character would to not only be friends, but to have more than friendship as well. He told her that Tristan seemed capable of getting to that side of her, but she insisted that watching a relationship from the outside isn't the same. He found it strange how she had been against this before, but now seemed in favor of it.
Standing up from the black leather couch, he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Ayanna didn't even notice that he was in the room and he decided to just enter the living room without her permission. Once inside, he found Aven at her desk with her back turned toward him. She too seemed oblivious to his presence. He wondered if the sisters were just this careless or if he was just that unnoticeable.
“Aven.” He kept his voice low so Ayanna couldn't hear. As he approached her, he noticed she had headphones on. Pulling them from her ear, she immediately looked up at him. “About that thing... no, about sleeping together, did you mean it?”
“I don't often make jokes.” She told him then turned her attention to her solitaire game.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
Noah crouched down next to her chair. “Why would you want to do that?”
“You said it helps you forget and you feel better for a moment. Or were you lying?” She looked back at him.
“No, but it doesn't fix anything.”
“I'm not asking to be fixed. I am asking for you to prove it.” She continued to play her game. “If your answer is no, then I won't be hurt. I'm not in love with you or any such nonsense.”
He remained quiet for a several seconds. “What about Tristan? Don't you have feelings for him?”
“No.”
“Oh, I thought...” He waved the sentence away. “So, we'd be fuck buddies, nothing more is what you are saying?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
Aven turned her chair toward him which forced Noah to move away from her slightly. When she finished, he stood up and stared down at her. “On whether it works or not. Besides, wouldn't sleeping with me be good for your story?”
“Yes, it would and that's the only reason I am even considering this.”
She nodded. “Therefore we both understand where we are coming from and there won't be a problem with needless emotion, correct?”
He still couldn't wrap his mind around her reasons. “Let me get this straight. I told you that I slept with people to forget, and you immediately got the idea to sleep with me to forget? What I am saying is; it didn't take you very long to come up with that idea.”
“You asked me if I wanted to forget. I thought you were going there anyway. Was I wrong?” Aven stood up from her chair nonchalantly and began to stretch out her arms and legs.
“I see.” He cleared his throat. “If you are fine with it and understand why I am doing this, then I have no problem with it.”
“I'll be up in a little while.”
“Tonight?”
She turned to face him. “Might as well get it over with. We have to set some ground rules first. Why are you busy?”
“No. Not at all.”
---***
Pressing the pause button for the eighth time in a half hour, Tristan cursed Noah. When he entered the kitchen with his DVD, he had made his way toward the living room door. Ayanna had been standing at the sink and stopped him with two words. 'She's upstairs' was all it took for him to know he was about to be kidnapped by the younger sister again.
Yanking him by the hand into the living room, she put the movie on and they were once again watching a movie together. Or whatever it was they were doing by pausing the DVD and answering her damn questions that could have already been answered in the movie. All the girl had to do was pay attention.
“I saw your press meeting today.” Ayanna suddenly said. “It's so not cool what they are doing.”
Tristan didn't want to talk to her about this. He just wanted to be left alone. “It doesn't matter. Watch the movie.” He put his elbow on the armrest and rested his cheek against his fist.
She was used to Aven treating her in this manner and decided to just silence herself on the topic. At least she didn't have to hear 'whatever' a hundred times in one conversation.
“Wait, who is that?”
“The president.” He didn't even bother to press pause for that question.
Ayanna sighed as she pulled her feet onto the couch and covered her legs up with the afghan blanket that her mother had made.
“I have watermelon. Do you want some?”
“No.”
She was bored with this movie and her mind was searching for topics to discuss and things she could do that wouldn't seem like she was abandoning him. She didn't want to leave his side as she liked that he talked to her, but she hated action films.
Adjusting her legs again, she pulled them up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. “What about popcorn?”
“No.”
She sighed and looked at the puppy who was sleeping in her kennel next to the television. That animal was lucky to sleep through this. She had thought.
“Oh, I have a big bag of M&Ms!” Jumping up from the couch, she ran into the kitchen to find the big blue bag. She quickly returned and began to struggle with it.
The crinkling noise began to send waves of annoyance up Tristan's spin. He reached out for the bag, tore it open and handed it back.
Ayanna smiled at him. “Thank you.” She offered out the bag for him to take some.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the bag and gave a no thank you by waving his hand. This girl drove him insane. She wasn't comfortable.