07-18-2015, 04:39 PM
The happy humming was the soundtrack to their breakfast. Ayanna made their meal while Aven hid herself behind her veil of hair with the sound of her cereal being chewed acting as the percussions to her sister's song.
Azelea was there and had her baby in her arms as she fed her. There wasn't much conversation to be had and though the humming was a strange addition, no one really thought anything of it. When the ordinary breakfast of eggs and bacon was placed before them, Ayanna quickly sat down and smiled.
“I have an announcement!” She spoke cheerfully.
Aven only allowed her eyes to wander up, while the two men looked directly at her.
“Tristan and I are now a couple!” She clasped her hands together in excitement.
Tristan's face didn't portray the shock and anger that brewed in his chest upon hearing her words. He couldn't believe that she had just done that especially in front of his comfortable person.
Noah, on the other side of the table, glared over at the other man. He knew how Tristan felt about Aven, so he could only imagine the reasons why Ayanna would say such a thing.
“That's great, Ayanna.” Azelea finally spoke when no one else spoke, she grinned partially at Tristan. “Congratulations. Take care of my sister.”
He didn't know how to respond and his eyes immediately went to Aven to see her reaction. She had returned to eating her cereal and didn't seem to be bothered by the news.
“This seems out of the blue.” Noah tried to suppress a feeling in his chest that he knew he didn't want there. “How did this happen?”
“Last night when we were watching a movie together, we succumbed to our emotions.” She winked at Tristan and then smiled at Noah. “It's awesome, right? You and Aven are together and now Tristan and me. It's almost like fate, isn't it?”
Azelea noticed that Noah seemed at a loss for words. “Yes, it really is.” She tried to fill in the silence, even though she had no idea there was something between Noah and Aven.
Everyone began to eat their meal, but the youngest sister was more interested in the strange environment that Ayanna had created. These people were easy enough to read through small glances. Noah would look toward Ayanna, Ayanna toward Tristan, and Tristan's eyes wandered to Aven. Aven, however, kept her eyes in her cereal bowl, but that was only because she didn't like to see other people's meals. Azelea wondered if Aven's would be focused on Noah if she wasn't so fearful.
She tried to think of what she could do to help her sisters, but knew there was nothing. This was something that the four of them would have to work out by themselves. “I am going to leave after breakfast.”
“Aww.” Ayanna looked at her. “Can't you stay for another day?”
“No, I have to get home to Ike. He'll want to see his daughter. He wasn't too happy that I had to take her with me, but he works so it was a must.” Azelea looked at her eldest sister. “I am sorry that we didn't get to really hang out. We will do it next time.”
“Whatever.” Aven mumbled and then stood from the table before exiting the kitchen.
“That's still her favorite word, I see.”
Ayanna chuckled. “Only for us. Everyone else gets real answers. Isn't that right, Noah?”
“It seems to be, yes.”
The conversation fell into bland subjects that Tristan wasn't interested in hearing. Instead, he fumed over the announcement that had just been made. He knew that morning that it had been a mistake and he had planned to explain himself to her after breakfast. He couldn't believe that she had gone so far as to make such an announcement. Was this woman insane?
Even though he wasn't in the mood to go after hearing that morning's big news, Noah knew he had to keep his promise. If he had known that day the zoo was going to be packed the way it was, making the experience unbearable, he would have canceled on that basis alone. They were already there and decided to go in despite the half hour wait to buy tickets.
Apparently one animal or another had just given birth and her cubs or whatever the animal's infants were called were now on display. It was an annoyance, but as they made their way through the crowd he began to find an interest in Aven's behavior.
She had latched onto his shirt to keep herself from losing him and she looked like she was seeing through the crowd to the animals. It was as if she was trying her best to pretend she wasn't surrounded by strangers some of which had forgotten their shower that morning. Every once in a while, the crowd's pull would be too much and she would release his shirt and become lost in the crowd.
Noah would have to stop walking, thereby blocking traffic, and try to pick her out in the sea of people. Every time she would appear in front of him, looking a little worse for wear. He began to feel pity for her since this experience was obviously not what she wanted to be submitted to.
“This isn't working out.” He said referring to her holding onto his shirt. He grabbed her arm and placed her in front of him as they began to make their way to the next enclosure. In order to have a link between each other, he took her hand gently. “Try to keep your back as close to me as you can, but so I can still walk.”
The method worked for a brief time, but her arm having to be pulled back slightly began to wear down the novelty. Finally, Noah threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him. They began to walk side by side and he kept a tight grip on her so she couldn't be stolen by the random crowd.
After a couple hours of looking around the large zoo, she sat down on a bench and Noah went to purchase something to eat. He came back with a corn dog for both of them and hoped she would eat some of it.
Sitting down beside her, he offered the food to her. “I know it's not what you usually eat, but if you don't eat something for lunch you'll crash. Especially when we have to deal with this mess.” He gestured with the corn dog at the crowd.
Aven looked at the food being offered to her. “I have slim jims in my pocket.”
He chuckled, “Don't turn down my thoughtfulness.”
She wanted to tell him she didn't want it, but instead took it from his hand. Nibbling at the bread, she wondered how much of it she would be forced to eat. She really didn't like the idea of eating it and held back the urge to gag. The only reason she had taken it was because she cared about hurting his feelings and that alone scared her. Her heart had skipped a beat when he had brought the food to her even though it was a common enough gesture.
“I wonder if we will even be able to see the whatcha call it babies.”
“I think it's a tiger.”
Noah looked over at her and noticed she had only made a dime size bite in the breading of the corn dog. He had already finished his own. Shaking his head, he snatched the food away from her. “Alright, thanks for trying.” He began to eat it himself.
Aven smirked shyly before pulling her own meal from her pocket.
“Why do you think tiger?”
She pointed to the poster in the distance. “They are all over the place.”
Noah looked around the area and there were several posters with a tiger cub on the front. “Well, I guess we know how aware I am of my surroundings now.” He joked.
“I barely noticed them through the crowd. There are too many people here.”
“Shall we go home and come back another day?”
“Yes, please.” She stood up from the bench quickly which only punctuated her response.
“How about we go out for lunch?” Ayanna asked when Tristan emerged from the basement for his midday meal. She was already dressed with her purse in hand and standing near the front door as if she expected him to say yes.
He looked around the kitchen to see if the other two were in the room.
“They went out, remember? We should too. What do you say?” She skipped toward him in an attempt to look cute.
“No.” He sat down in his usual chair and folded his hands on the table. It was going to be awkward having a meal with just her, but he was too hungry to hide away downstairs like he had been doing all morning.
Tossing her arms around his shoulders, she pressed her cheek against his. Her purse slid down her shoulder and collided with the side of his chair, which only increased his annoyance level. “Please?” She tried to use a pouting voice.
Unwrapping her arms from around him, he gently shoved her away. “Stop it.” He didn't bother to even look up at her.
Ayanna put her hands on her hips and stared down at the man in front of her for several seconds. “Are you mad at me?” She waited but got no answer from him. “It seems like I have done something to piss you off.”
Standing up from the table, Tristan made his way back to the door. Ayanna rushed and placed herself between him and his sweet escape.
“Is it because I told everyone we are dating?” She tried to look up into his eyes, but he seemed to be avoiding eye contact. “I'm sorry. I got too excited and I...”
“Enough!” Tristan barked, but held himself back from shoving her to the side. “Don't you see that you are doing all this on your own?”
She stared at him for a moment as if she was processing what he was trying to say and attempting to get over the fact that he had raised his voice. “I didn't ask your permission first, right? So that's why you are mad. Ok, from now on I'll ask...”
“Stop it!” He watched her flinch as he briefly punched the wall next to the door. It wasn't anything vicious and caused no damage, but it was enough to get his annoyance across. “You don't get it, do you? This isn't how you made it out to be. We aren't what you think.” He was trying to be gentle with his words, because he didn't want to get kicked out or hurt her feelings too much. She was Aven's sister after all and if he caused trouble for her then his chances would decrease with his comfortable person.
“Right. I jumped to conclusions, didn't I?” She chuckled and it seemed that she was trying to ward away her own embarrassment over the matter. “Here I was, just deciding that we are exclusive when you probably aren't ready for that.”
He ran his hand through his hair and exhaled his frustrations out. “Are you being willfully ignorant right now?” He shoved her to the side and opened the basement door before slamming and locking it.
She knocked at the door a couple times once he was inside, but Tristan didn't bother to answer. He needed a moment to figure out what he could say to her and how he should say it. He wanted to call Eric and ask for his input, but he knew he would have to explain the situation to him. He didn't want to scare Eric into thinking that he might be kicked out since most of Eric's worries already surrounded him.
Laying on the couch, he propped his feet up on the arm rest and put his hands behind his head. This was all his fault and he knew it. He had allowed his moment of sorrow to screw everything up and for what exactly? He wondered if he thought he was getting back at Noah or if he was attempting to punish Aven in some way. He couldn't say for certain, but there was a vindictiveness to his actions that he couldn't place into words or even thoughts.
They had stopped on the two hour drive home for some ice cream. Noah had gotten himself a small container and was sitting in the cool shop with Aven sitting across from him. She had noticed that there was two spoons right away.
“Isn't it basically like tapioca?” Noah offered out the second spoon to her.
“You seem dead set on getting me to eat something today.” Her eyes remained on the spoon as she spoke.
He smirked, “Am I being pushy? I think I just got such a high when you tried that corn dog that I thought I could push my luck.” He set the spoon down on the table and began to eat.
Aven thought it was over and began to look around the colorful ice cream shop. Noah watched her for several moments. She had worn jeans and a black t-shirt that day with her hair pulled into a ponytail. There was no make-up and few acne scars could be seen under her chin, which was usual for her. She seemed to get acne once a month or around stressful situations, and then she was always left with a slight discoloration. It could easily be hidden with foundation, but she never seemed to wear any.
“You know, when you are with me, aren't we suppose to be able to forget?” He continued to eat his ice cream.
“I don't think that was the agreement.” Her attention returned to him. “I thought sex was for forgetting.”
Noah licked some ice cream from his lower lip before speaking. “Since we are friends now, I thought that it would cover our whole relationship.”
“You made a decision without consulting me then, and now you are surprised that I don't know the change in your rules.”
He nudged the spare spoon toward her with his own. “Give me another high.”
Aven looked between him and the spoon several times, before she sighed and picked it up. She collected a small amount of ice cream on her spoon. Looking at the spoon, she thought about eating it. When she opened her mouth, she found herself with a large wad of ice cream and Noah retracting his own spoon from her mouth.
“It's easier when you just take the big steps sometimes, instead of screwing around with the baby ones.” He half expected her to spit it out with the way she stared at him as if she had been betrayed.
Aven closed her mouth and allowed the ice cream to melt. When the last of it was gone, she began to speak. “Are you trying to plump me up?”
“I thought I made that obvious.”
They stared at each other for several seconds, before Aven plunged her spoon into the ice cream and pulled out another large spoonful. She began to eat it and even snatched the container from Noah. She quickly finished off what was left and then tossed it onto the table.
“Happy now?”
Leaning forward, Noah put his hand around her upper arm and squeezed gently. “No, still too thin. We will need more.” He stood to purchase some more.
“Don't push your luck.”
He smiled down at her. “I guess I have accomplished more today than Ayanna has in the past couple of years. I shouldn't get greedy.”
She stood up from her chair and began to head for the exit. Noah made his way to stand beside her and opened the door when they had arrived.
“I ate some Mexican food with Tristan the other day too.” She told him as they walked to the car.
“Aww, she giveth and she taketh away.” He smiled at her confused look. “Here I thought that you only did it for me, and now you are taking my happiness from me. Cruel woman.”
Aven giggled shyly.
Ayanna sat on the stool that was positioned at the bar in Scott's house. He sat beside her as she laid with her head on the counter and her arms wrapped around it. He was horrified by the story that he had just heard and his heart was shattered. He knew he had to play it off like he wasn't bothered at all by her own life's recent events.
“You just threw yourself at him like that?”
She nodded. “He is shy to begin with and I think I came on too strong. Maybe that is why he is so upset. I just don't understand.”
Scott wondered if the man viewed it as a one night deal, but he was afraid to say anything like that to Ayanna. He didn't want to hurt her feelings.
“I feel a connection with him. I can't explain it.” She lifted her head. “It's like when I am with him there is no expectation. I can just be myself and he won't judge me for it.”
He swallowed down his jealousy and the question that asked her why she didn't feel that way with him. “Maybe he just wasn't ready for it to be announced or maybe he was shy like you said. I mean this type of guy doesn't sound like he is willing to talk about his feelings. A relationship with a guy like that will be difficult.”
“I know, but I have dealt with Aven so I can understand him just fine.”
He wondered if she could even hear herself anymore. In the past, he was certain he had told her she only had feelings for this man because she was used to Aven. Of course, there was no way he could convince her that she was acting like an insane woman. This was something that he could only stand back and watch. He hoped that his patience would some day be rewarded.
“It's only been one day. I do not know why you are so stressed out about this. It's not like he has been treating you like this for weeks now. Maybe he'll get over it and everything will be fine. For all you know he doesn't care anymore.”
“You think so?” Her eyes perked.
“I wouldn't.” Then again, he wasn't this guy. If Ayanna had thrown herself at him, the next day would not only be announcements but he would ensure that it was a day of complete bliss. Anything that she wanted would come to fruition and he would do his best to keep her from having any more worries or hardships.
He wanted to be able to speak those words to her, but with this other man in the way, it would only harm their relationship. Before it was due to her not wanting anything serious and now it was due to another man. It felt like there was always an obstacle in his way.
“Do you want to stay for dinner?”
“I can't. I have to make dinner for everyone back home.” She jumped down from the stool and smiled at him. “Thanks for listening to me bitch.”
“Any time, Ayanna.” He got down from his own stool and walked beside her to the door. “I wish they wouldn't treat you like a maid.”
“They pay extra so that I will. Noah gets really upset when he doesn't get the services that he pays for.” She chuckled. “Did I tell you that he and my sister have something going on?”
“Aven, really? I was beginning to think she'd never open up again.”
Ayanna nodded her head happily. “It seems like our idea to have tenants ended up being just what we both needed. Who would have thought that we would find people to fall in love with?”
Scott fought his jealousy and grief as she spoke. “Yeah, I guess sometimes love is staring you in the face and you don't see it.”
“That has nothing to do with what I said. Are you actually listening to me?” She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I'll see you later.”
“There are some running around action scenes. It can at least put money in your pocket and get your foot in the door.” Eric spoke quickly as he was being shoved out the front door.
“It's still a romance movie.” Tristan barked.
He kept his foot in the door way so his client couldn't close it. “Tristan, you have got to stop doing this. Look how you are living and there are people out there that are willing to give you work. Who ever heard of an actor that turned down work when he is down and out like this? You seriously can't be picky.”
Pressing the door into his friend's foot, he looked out through the crack that had been created. “I am not going to do it.”
“Is it the kissing scenes or the sex scenes that bother you? I can find ones without any sex. Hell, there have been romantic movies without any kissing scenes.”
Tristan glared at the man on the other side of the door frame.
“Ah, I found the reason, didn't I?” Eric smiled victoriously. “I can get you roles that aren't the lead. Usually those guys don't get anything like that, but I know you don't like playing the bad guy which they mostly are.”
“Excuse us.” Noah's voice came from the area of the porch that Tristan couldn't see.
Both men stepped away from the door frame in order to allow the two arriving residents in. As Aven was about to enter, Eric caught her arm. “Tell him to do this movie.” He thought that perhaps the girl of Tristan's dreams might be able to change his mind.
“Don't involve her!” Tristan snapped.
“It's none of my business.” Aven responded.
“He is running out of money. He has to do something or he won't even be able to pay for his apartment here.” Eric explained.
She shrugged her shoulders and pulled her arm out of his grasp. “Then he'll be evicted. It's his problem, not mine.”
“I'll pay you.” He pleaded as he tried to use his body to stop her from going inside the house. “You get him to agree to doing this movie and I'll pay you a large lump sum. We can work out the amount later.”
Aven stared at the man briefly in disbelief. She couldn't believe he was adamant about this. “I said it is none of my business.”
Stepping in between her and Eric, Tristan tried to prevent them from having any more contact. Noah had already gone upstairs, which was a relief, to not share his shame with more than one housemate.
“Fine!” Eric's frustration was coming out in the volume of his voice. “I am sick of doing this for you. I bend over backwards day after day trying to find you something. There are no more....” he got caught up in his own words. “no more... no more 'things' that I can do for you. When you want to make fucking money, you know my number, but I'm done. I am not trying anymore. You are on your own. Got it?”
“Got it.” Tristan slammed the door in his face. He took a deep breath as he tried to push away all the anger that was mounting within his chest.
Aven was standing in the kitchen and watched as Tristan made his way over to the basement door. “Is it true?”
Tristan stopped and looked at her. “What?” He didn't want to answer her question, because he didn't want her to know how much of a loser he was.
“Are you running out of money?” She placed her hands on the back of the chair as she asked her question.
“It's none of your business. You said that yourself.” He watched her nod her head in agreement and then head off into her own unit of the house.
Dinner seemed a little quieter than usual. Ayanna was focused on the blonde in the room, instead of the brunette that she usually chatted up. She didn't say anything to Tristan, but her eyes kept wandering his way throughout the meal.
Noah had tried to have a conversation with her, but she would become distracted so he eventually quit. It was more out of jealousy that he wasn't the focus of her meal and less out of frustration of hearing her ask what every five minutes. He too found himself looking at the man across from him. What could he have possibly done to get such a reaction out of Ayanna? He was certain that she wasn't the type to enter into any sort of serious relationship. So why would Tristan change her mind?
Tristan had his own focus as he sat at the table eating his peas and carrots. Their chicken was over cooked and he didn't bother to pretend to eat some as he normally did. He didn't want Ayanna to think he was making any effort to please her. Once in a while, she would reach out her hand to touch his elbow or forearm and he would retract it then check to see if Aven noticed.
It wasn't like the damage wasn't already done. After all, that huge announcement early that morning had pretty much destroyed his chance with the other sister. He knew this would come back to haunt him and he cursed himself for letting the annoying woman get her way.
Though Aven seemed to be hidden away in her own little world, her own thoughts were also on someone at the table. Noah had nearly made her heart beat out of her chest on several occasions that day and she knew she couldn't allow it. There was a deal between them and she couldn't break her promise. This had been a poor decision on her part and she knew it should end before things got worse, but the thought of destroying it was just as heartbreaking.
“We went to the zoo today.” Noah finally spoke again and reached out his hand to touch Aven in the same manner Ayanna was touching the other man in the room. He knew in the back of his mind that he was doing it to incite jealousy in Tristan.
“Did you see the new baby tiger? I saw it on television on the other day, super cute.” Ayanna smiled.
“No, it was very busy and we decided to leave early. We stopped and got some ice cream.” He informed her.
“We? Did Aven eat some?” She seemed to perk up when she asked the question as hope filled her chest.
Aven was annoyed that he would say anything. Tristan would have kept his mouth shut and would have allowed her to continue the process on her own.
“A little.” Noah winked as Aven.
“Oh my goodness, that's great!” Ayanna clasped her hands together. “You should have taken pictures. I am left to my imagination and that's always fuzzy and in black and white.”
“It looked a lot like her eating tapioca, so don't feel too left out.” They both laughed.
Tristan looked at Aven out of the corner of his eye. He thought she was only comfortable doing that around him and his heart dropped when he heard Noah was part of the circle now. He also was very aware on the other hand that he was touching her inner arm. He wanted to grab it and toss it off, but he knew better than to say or do anything. This was not something that he could get involved in. He would just have to let Noah break her heart before he would be allowed any chance.
“Now I want a root beer float.” Ayanna announced and looked at Tristan. “Do you want to go out to get ice cream with me?”
“No.” He stated flatly and shook her hand off again.
She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I think I have vanilla and some diet soda in the fridge, so maybe I'll have a Coke float instead.”
“With diet? That sounds awful.” Noah's face held his disgust.
“Beggars can't be choosers.” She shrugged. “I take it you won't be wanting one then?”
“My eating was something that was between us and not to be shared with others.” Aven stated coldly as she entered into the bedroom behind Noah.
He sat down at his desk before looking toward her. “I didn't realize it was a big secret.”
She crossed her arms and frowned. “I am a private person and if I want someone to know something about me I'll tell them. You do not have the right to decide what other people know about me. Are we clear?”
Noah watched her facial expression for several seconds. “You are really upset with me, aren't you?” When he didn't receive a response, he continued. “Alright, I apologize. I won't say any more about you to your sister.”
“To anyone.”
He gave a nod. “To anyone then.”
Aven sat down on the bed and grabbed her book from the desk before she laid back and brought her legs up to give leverage to the book.
Noah began to type at his computer and the room was silent except for his key strokes. After half an hour, he got up from his desk and sat down on the bed in front of her. He placed his chin at her joined knees and watched her read for a moment, before she finally found a place to stop and look up at him.
“Is that book really that interesting?”
She put her bookmark in and set it beside her on the bed. “They were a very popular boy band and then they suddenly fell apart. It seems like they blame Tristan for their failure though they are trying to only hint at it.”
Part of him was jealous that she had chosen to read Tristan's book but had no interest in his own work. It seemed that he was feeling that emotion a great deal in these past few weeks. “Thrilling.” He spoke sarcastically. “You two seem a great deal alike. Isn't it strange that your sister would pick a man that needs a lot of personal care after losing you?”
“What my sister does with her personal life is not something that I should involve myself in. She has the right to pick whatever partner she wishes, whether it's unhealthy for her or not is for her to decide not anyone else.”
Noah briefly licked his bottom lip. “That seems pretty cold.”
“Not really. You have to allow your loved ones to make their mistakes and to learn from them. The only thing you can do is support them in both good and bad times.” She had crossed her arms and continued to talk to Noah with his chin on her knees.
“So you agree that Tristan is a poor decision?”
She shrugged. “From the outside looking in, yes, but I can't judge a relationship unless I am in it. They might end up being good for each other, though I suspect this is something my sister has pushed onto him.”
“Why do you say that?” He began to lightly run his fingertips over her calf.
“She kept touching him and he kept brushing her hand away.”
Noah thought about her words for a moment. “Don't you think something had to have happened between them in order for her to make this announcement?”
Aven chuckled. “If there is one thing that I both loathe and love about my sister; it's her ability to jump to conclusions without consulting others. She is then very stubborn about her decision and will hold steady in it until the other party gives into her way of thinking.”
“She doesn't seem stubborn to me. Since I have lived here she has always given way to me.” Noah sat up straight.
“Yeah, she has, hasn't she?” Aven began to pull out the blanket beneath her. “Maybe you two should be together.” She meant it as a joke, but it surprised her how much those words hurt her own heart. Little did she know she made Noah's ache as well.
“Tristan?” Ayanna made her way down the stairs. It wasn't until she was half way down, and the creak of the wood awoke her worried mind, did she realize that she hadn't knocked and that this was his apartment.
Sitting on the couch in the dark with the television on an infomercial program, Tristan looked at the woman coming down the stairs over his shoulder. Annoyance built in his chest immediately. Partially due to the fact that he had hoped it was Aven as well as it being the one person he did not want a visit from. He was already having trouble trying to figure out how to get himself out of this mess.
“I didn't knock. I'm sorry. I got... I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I just wanted to talk to you, that's all.” She hurried down the stairs and toward the couch as quickly as she could.
The apartment was filled with mismatched furniture and looked more like the first apartment of a kid fresh out of his parents' house. It also had a distinct odor that Ayanna decided was just Tristan's natural smell.
“We have nothing to discuss.” Tristan told her as he began to stand up. He was going to walk her to the stairs and make her leave, but before he could grab her arm she grabbed both of his hands.
“I am really sorry that I didn't talk to you first before I started doing what I wanted. I mean, this is something between two people and I can't just do things on my own.” She smiled sadly up at him and hoped that his response would be positive.
Tristan exhaled audibly. “I don't know how many ways I can put this before you finally understand. You are misunderstanding our situation.”
“I thought so. Maybe to you, it was a one night stand, but it was more to me. I think if you give me the chance that you'll be pleasantly surprised. I am done sleeping around and causing trouble. I am going to start working more with Scott to earn more money, and...”
“Enough, Ayanna!” He yanked his hands away.
She grabbed his shirt with both hands. “Please, Tristan. Don't think of me as some slut like other guys do. I really need someone to believe that I am capable of being more than I was. I wish that person was you because I feel so calm and confident around you. So, please, let me try to prove myself.”
Pulling her hands away from his shirt, he tried to keep his temper down. He recognized that her words were something he would like to say to Aven, but in a less irritating and whiny way. He wondered how it was that this girl could have the courage to say such things to him, but he was unable to give any indication of his feelings toward the girl he couldn't stop thinking about.
As he opened his mouth to respond, he found himself being yanked down by the collar and Ayanna's lips on his own. He lifted his hands to shove her away, but the thought of being kicked out of the house passed over his mind. He would never see Aven again if he hurt her sister.
Standing completely still, he didn't kiss the woman back, but he didn't fend her off either. He was conflicted as to what would be the proper protocol in all of this. There would be no way to stop this woman without hurting her and she seemed unstable enough as it was.
Ayanna finished her kiss and smiled up at him. “I can tell you are still unsure, but I'll take it that you are considering giving me a chance since you didn't push me away. Thank you for at least thinking it through. I'll leave you alone now.”
Tristan watched her head up the stairs and second guessed himself on pushing the woman away. Had that been the proper thing to do? Had he screwed himself over even further now?
In the end, would his only options be to leave or to stay with Ayanna so he could in turn stay with Aven? She was the only person besides his father that he had ever felt comfortable around. He truly believed that he could learn to be himself in front of her even more than he was in front of Eric. All he needed was her permission, but he didn't know how to ask.
When he could hear the soft breaths that told him Aven was sleeping, Noah slipped out of bed and headed down to the kitchen. It was almost two in the morning, but he figured he wouldn't get much of a chance to talk to Tristan without the girls around for some time. It wasn't good enough to wait and he needed to get something off his chest. He didn't even bother to knock as he walked down the stairs and found the man sitting alone on his couch.
Tristan had thought it was Ayanna again and jumped up. “Listen, you can't just...” He stopped himself when he saw the man before him. “Do people in this house not know how to knock?”
“I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake the girls.”
“Get out.” He hissed.
Tristan's obvious annoyance and dismissive nature of him made Noah toss all of his calm plans for discussion away. Without thinking it through, Noah charged to man and grabbed his collar. “What the fuck is your problem? We both know you have a thing for Aven. So, why would you screw around with her sister?”
“Take your hands off of me.” Tristan was the taller of the two men and glared down at him easily.
Shaking the man within the shirt he was holding, he repeated, “Why are you screwing around with Ayanna?”
“Why do you care?”
Noah was about to answer but then closed his mouth as he tried to think through a rational answer. “Aven, if she found out you weren't serious, she...”
A light bulb went off in Tristan's own mind as he recognized the look on the man's face. “You are into Ayanna.”
The other man didn't answer. He thought denying it would be too childish, but he wasn't even ready to admit it to himself yet.
“Don't worry. She's just a fuck buddy. Consider me layaway.” He tossed the writer's words back into his face. He knew how pissed off they had made him.
The first punch was thrown by Noah. He had never fought before and didn't really know what he was doing, but he just wanted to hit the man.
Tristan stumbled back and smirked at him. “I promised myself that I wouldn't get into anymore fights, but I can make an exception for you if you really want an ass whooping.”
“That's the longest sentence I have ever heard you speak.” Noah said before he charged at him.
Both men ended up on the floor and punches were not used sparingly. They rolled around trying to get the upper hand for what seemed like hours, but in reality was no more than ten minutes. Once they were done, it was obvious that Noah had not been prepared for this. Tristan had purposely held back and had taken more hits than usual. He didn't know if it was because he sympathized with Noah or because he wanted to be hit as a punishment to himself.
Leaning against the back of the couch as they sat on the floor, the two men breathed heavily. “It's going to be tough explaining any bruises.” Noah wiped some blood from his mouth away with his thumb before looking at it.
Tristan chuckled as he looked at the other man.
“We put ourselves in a bad position here, bud.” He told the blonde man beside him. “You can't just switch sisters.”
“I didn't want to switch. I... Ayanna is fucking insane. She throws herself on me and the next day she is saying I am her boyfriend. What is that?”
Noah looked him. “Are you serious? I thought you said you were fuck buddies.”
“I can't even get off with her. She makes me uncomfortable.” Tristan didn't know why he was being honest, but he felt like this was some weird male bonding moment.
Deciding that he wouldn't delve further into what had been said, Noah exhaled. “We are so screwed right now.”
“What do we do?”
“Not a damn thing. Deal with our problems individually and hope we get a favorable outcome.” He smirked. “Lets walk to the convenience store and buy some beer, shall we?” Noah stood up when he got a nod from the other man and offered out his hand to help him up.
Azelea was there and had her baby in her arms as she fed her. There wasn't much conversation to be had and though the humming was a strange addition, no one really thought anything of it. When the ordinary breakfast of eggs and bacon was placed before them, Ayanna quickly sat down and smiled.
“I have an announcement!” She spoke cheerfully.
Aven only allowed her eyes to wander up, while the two men looked directly at her.
“Tristan and I are now a couple!” She clasped her hands together in excitement.
Tristan's face didn't portray the shock and anger that brewed in his chest upon hearing her words. He couldn't believe that she had just done that especially in front of his comfortable person.
Noah, on the other side of the table, glared over at the other man. He knew how Tristan felt about Aven, so he could only imagine the reasons why Ayanna would say such a thing.
“That's great, Ayanna.” Azelea finally spoke when no one else spoke, she grinned partially at Tristan. “Congratulations. Take care of my sister.”
He didn't know how to respond and his eyes immediately went to Aven to see her reaction. She had returned to eating her cereal and didn't seem to be bothered by the news.
“This seems out of the blue.” Noah tried to suppress a feeling in his chest that he knew he didn't want there. “How did this happen?”
“Last night when we were watching a movie together, we succumbed to our emotions.” She winked at Tristan and then smiled at Noah. “It's awesome, right? You and Aven are together and now Tristan and me. It's almost like fate, isn't it?”
Azelea noticed that Noah seemed at a loss for words. “Yes, it really is.” She tried to fill in the silence, even though she had no idea there was something between Noah and Aven.
Everyone began to eat their meal, but the youngest sister was more interested in the strange environment that Ayanna had created. These people were easy enough to read through small glances. Noah would look toward Ayanna, Ayanna toward Tristan, and Tristan's eyes wandered to Aven. Aven, however, kept her eyes in her cereal bowl, but that was only because she didn't like to see other people's meals. Azelea wondered if Aven's would be focused on Noah if she wasn't so fearful.
She tried to think of what she could do to help her sisters, but knew there was nothing. This was something that the four of them would have to work out by themselves. “I am going to leave after breakfast.”
“Aww.” Ayanna looked at her. “Can't you stay for another day?”
“No, I have to get home to Ike. He'll want to see his daughter. He wasn't too happy that I had to take her with me, but he works so it was a must.” Azelea looked at her eldest sister. “I am sorry that we didn't get to really hang out. We will do it next time.”
“Whatever.” Aven mumbled and then stood from the table before exiting the kitchen.
“That's still her favorite word, I see.”
Ayanna chuckled. “Only for us. Everyone else gets real answers. Isn't that right, Noah?”
“It seems to be, yes.”
The conversation fell into bland subjects that Tristan wasn't interested in hearing. Instead, he fumed over the announcement that had just been made. He knew that morning that it had been a mistake and he had planned to explain himself to her after breakfast. He couldn't believe that she had gone so far as to make such an announcement. Was this woman insane?
---***
Even though he wasn't in the mood to go after hearing that morning's big news, Noah knew he had to keep his promise. If he had known that day the zoo was going to be packed the way it was, making the experience unbearable, he would have canceled on that basis alone. They were already there and decided to go in despite the half hour wait to buy tickets.
Apparently one animal or another had just given birth and her cubs or whatever the animal's infants were called were now on display. It was an annoyance, but as they made their way through the crowd he began to find an interest in Aven's behavior.
She had latched onto his shirt to keep herself from losing him and she looked like she was seeing through the crowd to the animals. It was as if she was trying her best to pretend she wasn't surrounded by strangers some of which had forgotten their shower that morning. Every once in a while, the crowd's pull would be too much and she would release his shirt and become lost in the crowd.
Noah would have to stop walking, thereby blocking traffic, and try to pick her out in the sea of people. Every time she would appear in front of him, looking a little worse for wear. He began to feel pity for her since this experience was obviously not what she wanted to be submitted to.
“This isn't working out.” He said referring to her holding onto his shirt. He grabbed her arm and placed her in front of him as they began to make their way to the next enclosure. In order to have a link between each other, he took her hand gently. “Try to keep your back as close to me as you can, but so I can still walk.”
The method worked for a brief time, but her arm having to be pulled back slightly began to wear down the novelty. Finally, Noah threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him. They began to walk side by side and he kept a tight grip on her so she couldn't be stolen by the random crowd.
After a couple hours of looking around the large zoo, she sat down on a bench and Noah went to purchase something to eat. He came back with a corn dog for both of them and hoped she would eat some of it.
Sitting down beside her, he offered the food to her. “I know it's not what you usually eat, but if you don't eat something for lunch you'll crash. Especially when we have to deal with this mess.” He gestured with the corn dog at the crowd.
Aven looked at the food being offered to her. “I have slim jims in my pocket.”
He chuckled, “Don't turn down my thoughtfulness.”
She wanted to tell him she didn't want it, but instead took it from his hand. Nibbling at the bread, she wondered how much of it she would be forced to eat. She really didn't like the idea of eating it and held back the urge to gag. The only reason she had taken it was because she cared about hurting his feelings and that alone scared her. Her heart had skipped a beat when he had brought the food to her even though it was a common enough gesture.
“I wonder if we will even be able to see the whatcha call it babies.”
“I think it's a tiger.”
Noah looked over at her and noticed she had only made a dime size bite in the breading of the corn dog. He had already finished his own. Shaking his head, he snatched the food away from her. “Alright, thanks for trying.” He began to eat it himself.
Aven smirked shyly before pulling her own meal from her pocket.
“Why do you think tiger?”
She pointed to the poster in the distance. “They are all over the place.”
Noah looked around the area and there were several posters with a tiger cub on the front. “Well, I guess we know how aware I am of my surroundings now.” He joked.
“I barely noticed them through the crowd. There are too many people here.”
“Shall we go home and come back another day?”
“Yes, please.” She stood up from the bench quickly which only punctuated her response.
---***
“How about we go out for lunch?” Ayanna asked when Tristan emerged from the basement for his midday meal. She was already dressed with her purse in hand and standing near the front door as if she expected him to say yes.
He looked around the kitchen to see if the other two were in the room.
“They went out, remember? We should too. What do you say?” She skipped toward him in an attempt to look cute.
“No.” He sat down in his usual chair and folded his hands on the table. It was going to be awkward having a meal with just her, but he was too hungry to hide away downstairs like he had been doing all morning.
Tossing her arms around his shoulders, she pressed her cheek against his. Her purse slid down her shoulder and collided with the side of his chair, which only increased his annoyance level. “Please?” She tried to use a pouting voice.
Unwrapping her arms from around him, he gently shoved her away. “Stop it.” He didn't bother to even look up at her.
Ayanna put her hands on her hips and stared down at the man in front of her for several seconds. “Are you mad at me?” She waited but got no answer from him. “It seems like I have done something to piss you off.”
Standing up from the table, Tristan made his way back to the door. Ayanna rushed and placed herself between him and his sweet escape.
“Is it because I told everyone we are dating?” She tried to look up into his eyes, but he seemed to be avoiding eye contact. “I'm sorry. I got too excited and I...”
“Enough!” Tristan barked, but held himself back from shoving her to the side. “Don't you see that you are doing all this on your own?”
She stared at him for a moment as if she was processing what he was trying to say and attempting to get over the fact that he had raised his voice. “I didn't ask your permission first, right? So that's why you are mad. Ok, from now on I'll ask...”
“Stop it!” He watched her flinch as he briefly punched the wall next to the door. It wasn't anything vicious and caused no damage, but it was enough to get his annoyance across. “You don't get it, do you? This isn't how you made it out to be. We aren't what you think.” He was trying to be gentle with his words, because he didn't want to get kicked out or hurt her feelings too much. She was Aven's sister after all and if he caused trouble for her then his chances would decrease with his comfortable person.
“Right. I jumped to conclusions, didn't I?” She chuckled and it seemed that she was trying to ward away her own embarrassment over the matter. “Here I was, just deciding that we are exclusive when you probably aren't ready for that.”
He ran his hand through his hair and exhaled his frustrations out. “Are you being willfully ignorant right now?” He shoved her to the side and opened the basement door before slamming and locking it.
She knocked at the door a couple times once he was inside, but Tristan didn't bother to answer. He needed a moment to figure out what he could say to her and how he should say it. He wanted to call Eric and ask for his input, but he knew he would have to explain the situation to him. He didn't want to scare Eric into thinking that he might be kicked out since most of Eric's worries already surrounded him.
Laying on the couch, he propped his feet up on the arm rest and put his hands behind his head. This was all his fault and he knew it. He had allowed his moment of sorrow to screw everything up and for what exactly? He wondered if he thought he was getting back at Noah or if he was attempting to punish Aven in some way. He couldn't say for certain, but there was a vindictiveness to his actions that he couldn't place into words or even thoughts.
---***
They had stopped on the two hour drive home for some ice cream. Noah had gotten himself a small container and was sitting in the cool shop with Aven sitting across from him. She had noticed that there was two spoons right away.
“Isn't it basically like tapioca?” Noah offered out the second spoon to her.
“You seem dead set on getting me to eat something today.” Her eyes remained on the spoon as she spoke.
He smirked, “Am I being pushy? I think I just got such a high when you tried that corn dog that I thought I could push my luck.” He set the spoon down on the table and began to eat.
Aven thought it was over and began to look around the colorful ice cream shop. Noah watched her for several moments. She had worn jeans and a black t-shirt that day with her hair pulled into a ponytail. There was no make-up and few acne scars could be seen under her chin, which was usual for her. She seemed to get acne once a month or around stressful situations, and then she was always left with a slight discoloration. It could easily be hidden with foundation, but she never seemed to wear any.
“You know, when you are with me, aren't we suppose to be able to forget?” He continued to eat his ice cream.
“I don't think that was the agreement.” Her attention returned to him. “I thought sex was for forgetting.”
Noah licked some ice cream from his lower lip before speaking. “Since we are friends now, I thought that it would cover our whole relationship.”
“You made a decision without consulting me then, and now you are surprised that I don't know the change in your rules.”
He nudged the spare spoon toward her with his own. “Give me another high.”
Aven looked between him and the spoon several times, before she sighed and picked it up. She collected a small amount of ice cream on her spoon. Looking at the spoon, she thought about eating it. When she opened her mouth, she found herself with a large wad of ice cream and Noah retracting his own spoon from her mouth.
“It's easier when you just take the big steps sometimes, instead of screwing around with the baby ones.” He half expected her to spit it out with the way she stared at him as if she had been betrayed.
Aven closed her mouth and allowed the ice cream to melt. When the last of it was gone, she began to speak. “Are you trying to plump me up?”
“I thought I made that obvious.”
They stared at each other for several seconds, before Aven plunged her spoon into the ice cream and pulled out another large spoonful. She began to eat it and even snatched the container from Noah. She quickly finished off what was left and then tossed it onto the table.
“Happy now?”
Leaning forward, Noah put his hand around her upper arm and squeezed gently. “No, still too thin. We will need more.” He stood to purchase some more.
“Don't push your luck.”
He smiled down at her. “I guess I have accomplished more today than Ayanna has in the past couple of years. I shouldn't get greedy.”
She stood up from her chair and began to head for the exit. Noah made his way to stand beside her and opened the door when they had arrived.
“I ate some Mexican food with Tristan the other day too.” She told him as they walked to the car.
“Aww, she giveth and she taketh away.” He smiled at her confused look. “Here I thought that you only did it for me, and now you are taking my happiness from me. Cruel woman.”
Aven giggled shyly.
---***
Ayanna sat on the stool that was positioned at the bar in Scott's house. He sat beside her as she laid with her head on the counter and her arms wrapped around it. He was horrified by the story that he had just heard and his heart was shattered. He knew he had to play it off like he wasn't bothered at all by her own life's recent events.
“You just threw yourself at him like that?”
She nodded. “He is shy to begin with and I think I came on too strong. Maybe that is why he is so upset. I just don't understand.”
Scott wondered if the man viewed it as a one night deal, but he was afraid to say anything like that to Ayanna. He didn't want to hurt her feelings.
“I feel a connection with him. I can't explain it.” She lifted her head. “It's like when I am with him there is no expectation. I can just be myself and he won't judge me for it.”
He swallowed down his jealousy and the question that asked her why she didn't feel that way with him. “Maybe he just wasn't ready for it to be announced or maybe he was shy like you said. I mean this type of guy doesn't sound like he is willing to talk about his feelings. A relationship with a guy like that will be difficult.”
“I know, but I have dealt with Aven so I can understand him just fine.”
He wondered if she could even hear herself anymore. In the past, he was certain he had told her she only had feelings for this man because she was used to Aven. Of course, there was no way he could convince her that she was acting like an insane woman. This was something that he could only stand back and watch. He hoped that his patience would some day be rewarded.
“It's only been one day. I do not know why you are so stressed out about this. It's not like he has been treating you like this for weeks now. Maybe he'll get over it and everything will be fine. For all you know he doesn't care anymore.”
“You think so?” Her eyes perked.
“I wouldn't.” Then again, he wasn't this guy. If Ayanna had thrown herself at him, the next day would not only be announcements but he would ensure that it was a day of complete bliss. Anything that she wanted would come to fruition and he would do his best to keep her from having any more worries or hardships.
He wanted to be able to speak those words to her, but with this other man in the way, it would only harm their relationship. Before it was due to her not wanting anything serious and now it was due to another man. It felt like there was always an obstacle in his way.
“Do you want to stay for dinner?”
“I can't. I have to make dinner for everyone back home.” She jumped down from the stool and smiled at him. “Thanks for listening to me bitch.”
“Any time, Ayanna.” He got down from his own stool and walked beside her to the door. “I wish they wouldn't treat you like a maid.”
“They pay extra so that I will. Noah gets really upset when he doesn't get the services that he pays for.” She chuckled. “Did I tell you that he and my sister have something going on?”
“Aven, really? I was beginning to think she'd never open up again.”
Ayanna nodded her head happily. “It seems like our idea to have tenants ended up being just what we both needed. Who would have thought that we would find people to fall in love with?”
Scott fought his jealousy and grief as she spoke. “Yeah, I guess sometimes love is staring you in the face and you don't see it.”
“That has nothing to do with what I said. Are you actually listening to me?” She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I'll see you later.”
---***
“There are some running around action scenes. It can at least put money in your pocket and get your foot in the door.” Eric spoke quickly as he was being shoved out the front door.
“It's still a romance movie.” Tristan barked.
He kept his foot in the door way so his client couldn't close it. “Tristan, you have got to stop doing this. Look how you are living and there are people out there that are willing to give you work. Who ever heard of an actor that turned down work when he is down and out like this? You seriously can't be picky.”
Pressing the door into his friend's foot, he looked out through the crack that had been created. “I am not going to do it.”
“Is it the kissing scenes or the sex scenes that bother you? I can find ones without any sex. Hell, there have been romantic movies without any kissing scenes.”
Tristan glared at the man on the other side of the door frame.
“Ah, I found the reason, didn't I?” Eric smiled victoriously. “I can get you roles that aren't the lead. Usually those guys don't get anything like that, but I know you don't like playing the bad guy which they mostly are.”
“Excuse us.” Noah's voice came from the area of the porch that Tristan couldn't see.
Both men stepped away from the door frame in order to allow the two arriving residents in. As Aven was about to enter, Eric caught her arm. “Tell him to do this movie.” He thought that perhaps the girl of Tristan's dreams might be able to change his mind.
“Don't involve her!” Tristan snapped.
“It's none of my business.” Aven responded.
“He is running out of money. He has to do something or he won't even be able to pay for his apartment here.” Eric explained.
She shrugged her shoulders and pulled her arm out of his grasp. “Then he'll be evicted. It's his problem, not mine.”
“I'll pay you.” He pleaded as he tried to use his body to stop her from going inside the house. “You get him to agree to doing this movie and I'll pay you a large lump sum. We can work out the amount later.”
Aven stared at the man briefly in disbelief. She couldn't believe he was adamant about this. “I said it is none of my business.”
Stepping in between her and Eric, Tristan tried to prevent them from having any more contact. Noah had already gone upstairs, which was a relief, to not share his shame with more than one housemate.
“Fine!” Eric's frustration was coming out in the volume of his voice. “I am sick of doing this for you. I bend over backwards day after day trying to find you something. There are no more....” he got caught up in his own words. “no more... no more 'things' that I can do for you. When you want to make fucking money, you know my number, but I'm done. I am not trying anymore. You are on your own. Got it?”
“Got it.” Tristan slammed the door in his face. He took a deep breath as he tried to push away all the anger that was mounting within his chest.
Aven was standing in the kitchen and watched as Tristan made his way over to the basement door. “Is it true?”
Tristan stopped and looked at her. “What?” He didn't want to answer her question, because he didn't want her to know how much of a loser he was.
“Are you running out of money?” She placed her hands on the back of the chair as she asked her question.
“It's none of your business. You said that yourself.” He watched her nod her head in agreement and then head off into her own unit of the house.
---***
Dinner seemed a little quieter than usual. Ayanna was focused on the blonde in the room, instead of the brunette that she usually chatted up. She didn't say anything to Tristan, but her eyes kept wandering his way throughout the meal.
Noah had tried to have a conversation with her, but she would become distracted so he eventually quit. It was more out of jealousy that he wasn't the focus of her meal and less out of frustration of hearing her ask what every five minutes. He too found himself looking at the man across from him. What could he have possibly done to get such a reaction out of Ayanna? He was certain that she wasn't the type to enter into any sort of serious relationship. So why would Tristan change her mind?
Tristan had his own focus as he sat at the table eating his peas and carrots. Their chicken was over cooked and he didn't bother to pretend to eat some as he normally did. He didn't want Ayanna to think he was making any effort to please her. Once in a while, she would reach out her hand to touch his elbow or forearm and he would retract it then check to see if Aven noticed.
It wasn't like the damage wasn't already done. After all, that huge announcement early that morning had pretty much destroyed his chance with the other sister. He knew this would come back to haunt him and he cursed himself for letting the annoying woman get her way.
Though Aven seemed to be hidden away in her own little world, her own thoughts were also on someone at the table. Noah had nearly made her heart beat out of her chest on several occasions that day and she knew she couldn't allow it. There was a deal between them and she couldn't break her promise. This had been a poor decision on her part and she knew it should end before things got worse, but the thought of destroying it was just as heartbreaking.
“We went to the zoo today.” Noah finally spoke again and reached out his hand to touch Aven in the same manner Ayanna was touching the other man in the room. He knew in the back of his mind that he was doing it to incite jealousy in Tristan.
“Did you see the new baby tiger? I saw it on television on the other day, super cute.” Ayanna smiled.
“No, it was very busy and we decided to leave early. We stopped and got some ice cream.” He informed her.
“We? Did Aven eat some?” She seemed to perk up when she asked the question as hope filled her chest.
Aven was annoyed that he would say anything. Tristan would have kept his mouth shut and would have allowed her to continue the process on her own.
“A little.” Noah winked as Aven.
“Oh my goodness, that's great!” Ayanna clasped her hands together. “You should have taken pictures. I am left to my imagination and that's always fuzzy and in black and white.”
“It looked a lot like her eating tapioca, so don't feel too left out.” They both laughed.
Tristan looked at Aven out of the corner of his eye. He thought she was only comfortable doing that around him and his heart dropped when he heard Noah was part of the circle now. He also was very aware on the other hand that he was touching her inner arm. He wanted to grab it and toss it off, but he knew better than to say or do anything. This was not something that he could get involved in. He would just have to let Noah break her heart before he would be allowed any chance.
“Now I want a root beer float.” Ayanna announced and looked at Tristan. “Do you want to go out to get ice cream with me?”
“No.” He stated flatly and shook her hand off again.
She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I think I have vanilla and some diet soda in the fridge, so maybe I'll have a Coke float instead.”
“With diet? That sounds awful.” Noah's face held his disgust.
“Beggars can't be choosers.” She shrugged. “I take it you won't be wanting one then?”
“My eating was something that was between us and not to be shared with others.” Aven stated coldly as she entered into the bedroom behind Noah.
He sat down at his desk before looking toward her. “I didn't realize it was a big secret.”
She crossed her arms and frowned. “I am a private person and if I want someone to know something about me I'll tell them. You do not have the right to decide what other people know about me. Are we clear?”
Noah watched her facial expression for several seconds. “You are really upset with me, aren't you?” When he didn't receive a response, he continued. “Alright, I apologize. I won't say any more about you to your sister.”
“To anyone.”
He gave a nod. “To anyone then.”
Aven sat down on the bed and grabbed her book from the desk before she laid back and brought her legs up to give leverage to the book.
Noah began to type at his computer and the room was silent except for his key strokes. After half an hour, he got up from his desk and sat down on the bed in front of her. He placed his chin at her joined knees and watched her read for a moment, before she finally found a place to stop and look up at him.
“Is that book really that interesting?”
She put her bookmark in and set it beside her on the bed. “They were a very popular boy band and then they suddenly fell apart. It seems like they blame Tristan for their failure though they are trying to only hint at it.”
Part of him was jealous that she had chosen to read Tristan's book but had no interest in his own work. It seemed that he was feeling that emotion a great deal in these past few weeks. “Thrilling.” He spoke sarcastically. “You two seem a great deal alike. Isn't it strange that your sister would pick a man that needs a lot of personal care after losing you?”
“What my sister does with her personal life is not something that I should involve myself in. She has the right to pick whatever partner she wishes, whether it's unhealthy for her or not is for her to decide not anyone else.”
Noah briefly licked his bottom lip. “That seems pretty cold.”
“Not really. You have to allow your loved ones to make their mistakes and to learn from them. The only thing you can do is support them in both good and bad times.” She had crossed her arms and continued to talk to Noah with his chin on her knees.
“So you agree that Tristan is a poor decision?”
She shrugged. “From the outside looking in, yes, but I can't judge a relationship unless I am in it. They might end up being good for each other, though I suspect this is something my sister has pushed onto him.”
“Why do you say that?” He began to lightly run his fingertips over her calf.
“She kept touching him and he kept brushing her hand away.”
Noah thought about her words for a moment. “Don't you think something had to have happened between them in order for her to make this announcement?”
Aven chuckled. “If there is one thing that I both loathe and love about my sister; it's her ability to jump to conclusions without consulting others. She is then very stubborn about her decision and will hold steady in it until the other party gives into her way of thinking.”
“She doesn't seem stubborn to me. Since I have lived here she has always given way to me.” Noah sat up straight.
“Yeah, she has, hasn't she?” Aven began to pull out the blanket beneath her. “Maybe you two should be together.” She meant it as a joke, but it surprised her how much those words hurt her own heart. Little did she know she made Noah's ache as well.
“Tristan?” Ayanna made her way down the stairs. It wasn't until she was half way down, and the creak of the wood awoke her worried mind, did she realize that she hadn't knocked and that this was his apartment.
Sitting on the couch in the dark with the television on an infomercial program, Tristan looked at the woman coming down the stairs over his shoulder. Annoyance built in his chest immediately. Partially due to the fact that he had hoped it was Aven as well as it being the one person he did not want a visit from. He was already having trouble trying to figure out how to get himself out of this mess.
“I didn't knock. I'm sorry. I got... I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I just wanted to talk to you, that's all.” She hurried down the stairs and toward the couch as quickly as she could.
The apartment was filled with mismatched furniture and looked more like the first apartment of a kid fresh out of his parents' house. It also had a distinct odor that Ayanna decided was just Tristan's natural smell.
“We have nothing to discuss.” Tristan told her as he began to stand up. He was going to walk her to the stairs and make her leave, but before he could grab her arm she grabbed both of his hands.
“I am really sorry that I didn't talk to you first before I started doing what I wanted. I mean, this is something between two people and I can't just do things on my own.” She smiled sadly up at him and hoped that his response would be positive.
Tristan exhaled audibly. “I don't know how many ways I can put this before you finally understand. You are misunderstanding our situation.”
“I thought so. Maybe to you, it was a one night stand, but it was more to me. I think if you give me the chance that you'll be pleasantly surprised. I am done sleeping around and causing trouble. I am going to start working more with Scott to earn more money, and...”
“Enough, Ayanna!” He yanked his hands away.
She grabbed his shirt with both hands. “Please, Tristan. Don't think of me as some slut like other guys do. I really need someone to believe that I am capable of being more than I was. I wish that person was you because I feel so calm and confident around you. So, please, let me try to prove myself.”
Pulling her hands away from his shirt, he tried to keep his temper down. He recognized that her words were something he would like to say to Aven, but in a less irritating and whiny way. He wondered how it was that this girl could have the courage to say such things to him, but he was unable to give any indication of his feelings toward the girl he couldn't stop thinking about.
As he opened his mouth to respond, he found himself being yanked down by the collar and Ayanna's lips on his own. He lifted his hands to shove her away, but the thought of being kicked out of the house passed over his mind. He would never see Aven again if he hurt her sister.
Standing completely still, he didn't kiss the woman back, but he didn't fend her off either. He was conflicted as to what would be the proper protocol in all of this. There would be no way to stop this woman without hurting her and she seemed unstable enough as it was.
Ayanna finished her kiss and smiled up at him. “I can tell you are still unsure, but I'll take it that you are considering giving me a chance since you didn't push me away. Thank you for at least thinking it through. I'll leave you alone now.”
Tristan watched her head up the stairs and second guessed himself on pushing the woman away. Had that been the proper thing to do? Had he screwed himself over even further now?
In the end, would his only options be to leave or to stay with Ayanna so he could in turn stay with Aven? She was the only person besides his father that he had ever felt comfortable around. He truly believed that he could learn to be himself in front of her even more than he was in front of Eric. All he needed was her permission, but he didn't know how to ask.
---***
When he could hear the soft breaths that told him Aven was sleeping, Noah slipped out of bed and headed down to the kitchen. It was almost two in the morning, but he figured he wouldn't get much of a chance to talk to Tristan without the girls around for some time. It wasn't good enough to wait and he needed to get something off his chest. He didn't even bother to knock as he walked down the stairs and found the man sitting alone on his couch.
Tristan had thought it was Ayanna again and jumped up. “Listen, you can't just...” He stopped himself when he saw the man before him. “Do people in this house not know how to knock?”
“I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake the girls.”
“Get out.” He hissed.
Tristan's obvious annoyance and dismissive nature of him made Noah toss all of his calm plans for discussion away. Without thinking it through, Noah charged to man and grabbed his collar. “What the fuck is your problem? We both know you have a thing for Aven. So, why would you screw around with her sister?”
“Take your hands off of me.” Tristan was the taller of the two men and glared down at him easily.
Shaking the man within the shirt he was holding, he repeated, “Why are you screwing around with Ayanna?”
“Why do you care?”
Noah was about to answer but then closed his mouth as he tried to think through a rational answer. “Aven, if she found out you weren't serious, she...”
A light bulb went off in Tristan's own mind as he recognized the look on the man's face. “You are into Ayanna.”
The other man didn't answer. He thought denying it would be too childish, but he wasn't even ready to admit it to himself yet.
“Don't worry. She's just a fuck buddy. Consider me layaway.” He tossed the writer's words back into his face. He knew how pissed off they had made him.
The first punch was thrown by Noah. He had never fought before and didn't really know what he was doing, but he just wanted to hit the man.
Tristan stumbled back and smirked at him. “I promised myself that I wouldn't get into anymore fights, but I can make an exception for you if you really want an ass whooping.”
“That's the longest sentence I have ever heard you speak.” Noah said before he charged at him.
Both men ended up on the floor and punches were not used sparingly. They rolled around trying to get the upper hand for what seemed like hours, but in reality was no more than ten minutes. Once they were done, it was obvious that Noah had not been prepared for this. Tristan had purposely held back and had taken more hits than usual. He didn't know if it was because he sympathized with Noah or because he wanted to be hit as a punishment to himself.
Leaning against the back of the couch as they sat on the floor, the two men breathed heavily. “It's going to be tough explaining any bruises.” Noah wiped some blood from his mouth away with his thumb before looking at it.
Tristan chuckled as he looked at the other man.
“We put ourselves in a bad position here, bud.” He told the blonde man beside him. “You can't just switch sisters.”
“I didn't want to switch. I... Ayanna is fucking insane. She throws herself on me and the next day she is saying I am her boyfriend. What is that?”
Noah looked him. “Are you serious? I thought you said you were fuck buddies.”
“I can't even get off with her. She makes me uncomfortable.” Tristan didn't know why he was being honest, but he felt like this was some weird male bonding moment.
Deciding that he wouldn't delve further into what had been said, Noah exhaled. “We are so screwed right now.”
“What do we do?”
“Not a damn thing. Deal with our problems individually and hope we get a favorable outcome.” He smirked. “Lets walk to the convenience store and buy some beer, shall we?” Noah stood up when he got a nod from the other man and offered out his hand to help him up.