07-18-2015, 04:41 PM
A month and a half flew by in the blink of an eye and nothing had changed in the household. The day after the men had fought there had been bruises and bleeding lips. Ayanna was the only one to question it, but to Aven it was obvious that the two had fought. The men never gave an answer as to what had happened except that they worked out a problem between them.
The night before, Noah had asked Aven not to come up to his apartment and she had done as he asked. It surprised both Ayanna and Tristan to see Aven come into the kitchen from her own area of the house. Noah, himself, had been rather sparse in his appearances over the last week and barely made it down for one or two meals.
Aven sat down at the table and poured herself a bowl of cereal, while Ayanna finished up lunch for everyone. When it was done, she went to Noah's door and knocked. “Lunch!”
“Use the intercom.” Aven commanded.
Walking over to the barely used, expensive technology Ayanna pressed the button. “Noah, lunch is ready.” Sitting down, she looked across the table at her sister. “He's been acting weird for a while now. Do you know what's going on?”
She shrugged. “He hasn't said.”
Tristan ate his sandwich and chips ignoring the conversation around him. He was a bit worried over Noah's behavior though. They hadn't become best friends since their fight but there was an open channel of communication between them now that wasn't there before. They understood each other's positions and were able to sympathize. The last week however the channel had been closed.
“He's a writer, I guess. Maybe he is working on something.” Ayanna decided and looked at the sandwich she had made for him. “Nyx will be happy to have that.”
“You are going to make her fat. Feed it to Tristan.” Aven continued to eat her cereal.
“Oh, so make him fat instead?”
Tristan smirked at the comment, and when Ayanna got up to get herself a glass of soda, Aven stole a potato chip from his plate. She often did such things when her sister's back was turn. Tristan, personally, liked it. He felt like he was helping her pull a prank on the annoying woman and it gave him some sort of victory over her.
“See if you can get him to come down, Aven. He normally shouts for us to go away. I am a bit worried.” Ayanna sat back down at the table with her soda glass in hand.
Standing up, Aven slowly worked her way over to the intercom. “Noah, make some noise so we know you aren't dead.”
When there was no response, she sat back down and shrugged.
“This is the third time that I've seen you come in from your own room. What is he saying?” The younger sister asked as she tossed some chips into her mouth.
“He says he wants to be alone.”
“And you leave it at that?” She looked shocked that someone would actually give someone time to themselves when asked.
“Of course. If he wants me to know then he will tell me.”
Ayanna rolled her eyes. “Sometimes people want you to pry because they want to know that you care enough to ask.”
“Not Noah.” Aven tried to eat her cereal quickly so that she could scurry back to work and not be bothered by the same conversation they had had for a week.
“But...”
“Every one wants to be by themselves sometimes.” Tristan tried to defend Aven, whom he could tell was growing weary with her sister. It seemed whenever he interjected himself that Ayanna would quickly agree with whatever he had said.
“Yes, I guess you are right.” Ayanna looked at Noah's door with worry in her eyes, before she returned to eating her lunch.
Aven and Tristan had planned to head out to the lake the day before and since Ayanna hated to hike around her sister didn't bother to invite her. They had kidnapped Nyx for the cool walk around the lake and the little dog seemed to be enjoying herself. They had her on a leash, but allowed her to run around mostly where ever she wanted.
Tristan had asked Aven to go with him since he was missing the mountains and the wild a bit as of recent days. He usually did something to be in nature at least once a month, but in the past couple of years he had stopped due to his own depression.
“I didn't know you could fish up here.” Tristan commented when he saw some fishermen in the distance.
“Yeah, they stock the lake with bass, I think. Just need to get a license.” Aven told him as she watched the little black dog play with the waves. They had stopped for a break on some large rocks to eat some trail mix and drink some water.
As they sat watching the beauty around them, Tristan noticed when his hand touched the woman's beside him as they both reached into the ziplock bag. She seemed unaffected by the sudden touch but he could feel himself fighting a blush. It was so rare that he actually touched her and it always seemed awkward.
“It's a nice day.” Aven said when a gust of wind played with her ponytail. “Couldn't have asked for better weather.”
“Yeah.” He ate the handful of mix that he had pulled out. “Are you... you aren't worried, are you?”
“About what?”
“Noah.”
She shrugged her shoulders gently. “There is something going on with him, but we can't help unless he asks us to.” She took a large swig from her water bottle. The water had been frozen over night and there was a large chunk of ice in the center.
“He hasn't seemed himself lately.”
Turning eyes to the man beside him, she gently grinned. “You sound worried. It's not like you to give concern for another.”
“It... it isn't?”
“I have noticed that you have been thinking about others more often these last few weeks.” Aven chuckled and ate another handful of trail mix. “It looks like we are all somewhat healthy for each other, despite our own imperfections.”
“You are eating more.”
“That's what I mean.” She held up her arm as if to show him even though she was wearing a tank top and her arm was plain to see. “I think I have gained ten pounds, maybe more. Before Noah went into his depression, he was telling me how much better I look. I feel better too.”
Tristan wondered why she had been eating more and the answer was of course obvious. Noah had been the reason that she seemed willing to better herself, but he had not noticed that he was changing himself. Who was it that had him concerned for other people? Was it Aven or Ayanna, perhaps Noah? Maybe it was the simple act of living with them all, but he had not really cared about Eric's problems and he had lived with him a great deal longer.
Jumping up from the rock, Aven stretched her arms about her head and yawned. Her pale stomach showed and for a brief moment Tristan had to fight the urge to touch the flesh there. He had found himself fighting that urge more often than not.
“Shall we get going?” She turned around to look at him.
With a nod, Tristan packed up their water and snacks in the backpack he was carrying and they continued on their journey with little else said.
Ayanna tapped her finished nails on the counter of Scott's breakfast bar as he made them lunch in the kitchen. Noah hadn't answered when she asked if he wanted her to make dinner, so she had decided to come over to her friend's house for the meal. Besides, she had something she had to complain about once again. “How can they just go out like that?”
Scott decided not to answer and simply gave a sympathetic look over his shoulder.
“Why would a sister go out with her sister's boyfriend?” She stretched her neck with her hand touching it and tossing it back in an effort to relieve stress. “It doesn't make any sense.”
“Didn't they do things together before?” He asked as he walked over to the fridge to pull out a bag of lettuce for their salad. “Maybe they are just friends.” He pulled the chopping block up and began to cut up an assortment of tomatoes, onions, pickled asparagus, and other veggies for their chicken salad dinner.
“Leave the asparagus on the side.” Ayanna told him before she continued with her problem. “I know and I keep telling myself that, but it feels like Tristan doesn't want to spend time with me.”
“Didn't you already say that you had to convince him to give you a chance? Maybe he just doesn't like telling people no.” He dropped the julienned onion into the large glass bowl with the lettuce.
“I don't care.” She smacked the counter top. “I am going to make him see me for what I am and no matter what he'll turn his feelings toward me. I know I can do it. There has never been a man that I couldn't crack. You know that.”
“Yeah, but you usually go after rich and confident guys who don't mind strong women. This guy from what I hear is a bit shy and maybe you are intimidating him.” Scott hated that he had to sound like he was giving good advice. All he really wanted to do was tell her that this was crazy and she was being a stalker, before shoving her to the ground and showing her the tactics himself.
Ayanna exhaled and straightened herself out on the bar stool. “Sunflower seeds?”
“I forgot to buy some. I have sesame seeds.”
She shrugged lightly, “I guess that'll do.” She continued to watch him cook the meal for a moment. “You are probably right. Aven is so non-threatening. She doesn't really judge or really get in your business. She usually just sits quietly with him and allows him to be himself. I should have started as friends with a guy like this, but I got impatient. I'm in this relationship by myself, aren't I?”
He didn't want to answer that as there was no correct answer that wouldn't upset her. “Cesar or Italian?”
“Cesar, please.” She added some salt and pepper over the breakfast bar as he went to grab the salad dressing. The chicken had already been cooked and was resting before he would dice it up for them. “You have Parmesan cheese, don't you?”
He snorted as he turned around. “A giant block. Shredded or shaved?”
“Shaved. You know I wish I could find a guy that I could just do things like this with. Just make a meal together and have conversations, but instead I am attracted to a guy that it will be impossible to have such a relationship.” She sighed.
Scott felt slightly heartbroken that she didn't even realize that she had a guy that she was doing all this with. “If he isn't what you want, then why be with him?”
“I don't know. Maybe you are right. Maybe I am sick and want someone I can take care of like I had to with my sister. That makes me feel whole. Someone that basically relies on me for everything. Now that Aven is finding some independence... I don't know. Is it ready?”
“Yeah, do you want to eat here or in the dining room?” He hoped here, because he could sit closely next to her at the bar.
“Here, I guess.”
The lights were off in the kitchen when Aven and Tristan unlocked the door and stepped inside. The puppy was released from her leash before they entered and she disappeared toward the dining room table with her tail wagging. Tristan turned on the lights to find Ayanna sitting at the table with two bottles of wine in front of her. One was empty and the other was half gone. They were expensive bottles so Aven knew that she must have gotten them from Scott.
Tristan quickly made his exit downstairs to avoid any conversation with the woman, and Aven decided she didn't want to deal with her drunk sister and headed toward her bedroom. Once inside, she began to peel away the sweaty socks and shoes, but before she could change her clothes the bedroom door flung open.
“What the fuck is up with you?” Ayanna barked. She was holding a glass of the chardonnay in her hand.
Sighing, Aven knew this would happen. Whenever her sister drank to much it was because something was bothering her and she wanted courage to stand up to her. “What is it this time, Ayanna?” She pulled her shirt off to prepare for a shower.
“Boyfriend thief! Home wrecker!”
“You are upset that Tristan and I went hiking then?” Aven began to take off her pants as the little black puppy entered the room and attempted to jump on her bed. She missed the first couple of times, but finally made it on the third attempt.
“You don't... you don't get to... shut up!”
Aven tried her best not to laugh at her drunk sister as she gathered up some pajamas to put on. “We were friends before you two created this relationship with each other. I think it would be unfair of you to tell us we need to stop. It's not like I have any feelings for him, so you don't have to worry.”
“Fuck you. You don't understand me!” She leaned against the door frame and took another sip of wine.
“I don't know why you are bothered by this anyway. It's not like I have a history of stealing your boyfriends away.”
“Michael and Toby.”
She chuckled at her sister's answer. “Toby was in the third grade and he wasn't even a boyfriend. We were eight. Michael had a crush on me, I couldn't help that. I never dated him. I have only ever dated Curtis and you know that.” When she saw her sister was about to take another drink, she grabbed the wine glass and downed it. “You've have enough.”
“You... you drank it.” She stared at the empty glass. “You drank new stuff.”
Pulling her sister toward her, she kissed her forehead. “Come on, I'll put you to bed.” In her underwear, Aven led her sister to the bedroom across the hall. It was dark and she couldn't see much, but she laid her down and took off her shoes for her, before covering her up with the comforter. “Go to sleep. You are going to feel awful tomorrow.”
“You don't know!”
Aven allowed her sister to have the last word and made her way back out into the hall. She grabbed her clothes from the bedroom and entered the bathroom. Nyx followed her and had the door shut in her face since Aven didn't want the dog to watch her shower.
Once inside the dark green and white bathroom, she removed the remainder of her clothing and turned the water on. There was a loud thud from upstairs that caused her to look up at the ceiling. She assumed that meant Noah was still alive, before she placed herself under the hot water. She could hear the water being used in the basement as well and knew Tristan was removing the grime from his body as well.
She shook her head and smiled at her sister's drunk words. Tristan and she didn't seem like a fit and she wondered what exactly was going on in her sister's head. She had never been interested in dating seriously and then suddenly her mind had been changed. It seemed she would have to discuss these issues with her when she was in a more lucid state.
While her sister was in the shower, Ayanna sneaked down the stairs to find Tristan. Her fighting spirit wanted a confrontation even if her mind and body wanted rest. He had forgotten to lock his door again and it was easy for her to slip down and wait on the couch while he finished his shower.
When the bathroom door opened, Tristan stepped out in nothing but a towel around his waist. He didn't see Ayanna on the couch as she had laid down, but as he made his way to the bedroom she sat up. His heart nearly flew from his chest as he jumped back in fright.
“Sorry.” Ayanna stood up from the couch and headed toward him.
Putting up his hands, it looked like he was ready to fend off her attack. She tried to hug him immediately and he was able to catch her shoulders.
“Why don't you take me out?” Ayanna began to sob when she realized that he wasn't going to let her hold him. “I want to hang out with you too!”
“I don't want to.” He spoke bluntly.
“Why?” She cried out the word and gave Tristan a whiff of her wine.
Blowing air out of his mouth once quickly, he tried to remove the taste. “That's disgusting.”
Ayanna put her hands over her mouth while he continued to hold her back by her shoulders. “I thought you were going to give me a chance! Why don't we go out?”
“I said I don't want to.” He could feel his towel was beginning to loosen and he didn't know which consequence he would dislike more. If he let go of Ayanna she would probably hug him and if he didn't then he would be nude in front of her. After a moment, he decided he could always peel the girl away and so he released her to get a hold of his towel.
Moving quickly in hopes she wouldn't grab him, he made his way to the bedroom and grabbed some boxers that were on the frame-less bed. He tried to put them on before the towel fell off but knew Ayanna had gotten a eye full of his rear end. When he turned around, she was leaning against the wall in the hallway where he had left her.
He took the opportunity to grab a shirt and some pajama bottoms, before heading back out of the room to deal with her. Ayanna's head was against the wall and her eyes were closed. He thought she had passed out while standing up, but as soon as he approached she tossed her arms around his shoulders.
He thought about shoving her off, but knew if he was too forceful the drunk would fall over. “I don't like people who drink.” He had no idea why he said that, even if it was true. He would later guess that he was trying to give her reasons why he didn't like her.
“Huh?” She turned her head to face him and gave him another mouthful of alcohol smell and flavor.
Tristan cleared his mouth again. “Disgusting!” Grabbing her shoulders, he pushed her back and Ayanna allowed him to do so. “Go to bed.”
“I don't think I can climb the stairs.” She giggled. “Can I sleep down here with you?”
“No.” He began to help her toward the stairs and then up them.
“Oh! Is daddy going to put his naughty girl to bed?” Ayanna asked when they stepped into the kitchen.
Aven was standing next to the sink pouring herself a glass of water. “What the...” She cut herself off. “I put you to bed already.”
“I'm grown! I know how to get out of bed! It's not a crib!” Ayanna snapped at her sister before tossing her arms around Tristan. “I'll stay if Tristan puts me to bed.”
The eldest sister looked at the blonde man and seemed to ask with her eyes if that was alright. He gave a deep breath and began to walk her to the living room door.
“Carry me!” She lifted one leg in front of him.
Looking down at her, he frowned. “Don't push it.”
“Ok.”
Tristan entered the kitchen once he had fought to leave the Ayanna's bedroom. Aven was standing by the table and seemed to be waiting for him.
“I'm sorry. I put her to bed, but I guess she slipped out when I was in the shower.” She explained before taking another large gulp of water.
He shrugged his shoulders. This wasn't Aven's fault and he felt no anger or annoyance toward her. Instead, he focused on her wet hair and a small area on the back of her neck that she hadn't dried properly. For a brief moment, the image of licking the water away entered his mind before he shook it away. It wasn't often that he had sexual thoughts but they seemed to occur more now with Aven as his female lead.
“She likes to get drunk and confront people.” She chuckled. “It's kind of funny after the fact, but not while you are in the moment, I guess.”
He heard her words but he couldn't really understand them as his thoughts were lost on her neck. “Yeah.” He finally responded. “Your neck is still wet.” He told her as he reached out his hand and with his bare palm wiped the water away as best he could.
Aven felt the back of her neck after one swipe from the man's hands and then quickly used the collar of her light blue pajama top to dry it. “I always forget to dry that and my back.”
Tristan's hand tingled at the touch of her bare skin. He hoped that the feeling would last him a while as he rarely had the courage to place a hand on her. Looking down at the table, he saw that Aven had poured the rest of Ayanna's wine into a goblet.
“Are you drinking that?”
“I don't want it around, but it seems wasteful to dump it out. I don't mind that Noah keeps some in his apartment, she can't get to it then, but down here...” She sighed. “I'd offer you some but I know you don't drink.”
“From the biography?”
She nodded her head before sitting down at the table. “Do you want to watch a movie?” She asked before looking at the microwave clock. “It's only eight.”
“Sure. We've watched all mine though. So, if you have any.”
“We can always order something on demand.” She took a sip of the wine before taking a swig of the water. Aven had never really been a fan of wine. She also knew she would become much like her sister if she drank it too quickly.
The phone rang and Aven stood up to answer it. The woman on the other end quickly introduced herself as Camille.
“I've been trying to call his line, but he isn't answering.” She explained, her voice sounded frantic. “I completely forgot until I looked at my calendar.”
“Forgot what?” Aven asked confused.
“Autumn, Noah's wife, died on this day. He always hides himself away for a while before it happens and just drinks away his pain, but normally today he'll drink a lot. In the past, he has gotten violent and has accidently hurt himself to the point of going to the hospital.” Camille sounded close to tears. “Please, see if you can check on him and make sure he is alright.”
“Oh, alright.” She had no idea how to reply to what she had just learned. She felt guilty that she hadn't really given any thought to why Noah was acting so strangely. He hadn't given her any clues that something of this importance was coming up, beside his change in behavior. Normally he wanted her to know certain things and would leave hints around his apartment for her.
“I normally spend today with him and make sure he is alright, but I completely forgot. He must be so alone right now. I am such a horrible friend. Thank you so much for taking my place.” There was a man's voice in the background and Camille answered him with a yes. “I have to go. I'll call back later tonight.”
Her own voice was now frantic as she knocked on Noah's door and then ran to the intercom to get him to answer her. Tristan had never seen Aven offer so much emotion before and he felt somewhat detached from her while also feeling worthless and sympathetic to her.
“He isn't answering. What should I do?” She turned to Tristan in hopes that he would have an answer, but the blank look on his face told her that was nothing. “Camille said that he has hurt himself in the past. What if he is up there bleeding to death since this morning?”
“I don't think he would hurt himself on purpose and besides if he did he would probably try to contact us for help.”
“But if he knocked himself out or he can't make it to the phone or intercom...” Aven suddenly seemed to realize how panicked she was and took a couple deep breaths. “Should we call an ambulance?”
They both stood in silence as they tried to decide if that was the best next course of action. They knew Noah could just be ignoring them because of what today meant to him.
“Oh, I know.” Aven's voice perked up and she hurried toward the door. “Ayanna knows where the spare keys are.”
She ran into the living room and down the hall to the bed where her drunk sister was sleeping. Grabbing her shoulder, she shook her. “Ayanna, hey, wake up. I need to know where the spare keys are. The ones to Noah's apartment.”
Her sister simply moaned at her and then tried to bat her away.
“This is serious, you need to wake up!” She shook her several times but the girl felt like dead weight in her hands.
She offered nothing but another moan in response.
Aven could feel her blood starting to boil and told herself that she would destroy her sister if something happened to the man upstairs. “Of all the days for you to do this.” She shoved her sister's shoulders in the bed and made her way back to the kitchen. Tristan stood waiting to hear what had happened. “She's too damn drunk. The damn light weight.”
Running over to the intercom, she pressed the button again. “Noah, seriously, if you are alright just say so and we will leave you alone. We just want to hear your voice.”
Tristan saw how distressed she was and made his way to the intercom. “If you don't answer us and tell us you are alright, then we will call the fire department and an ambulance.”
There was a couple moments of silence and Aven took hold of Tristan's forearm as they waited to see if there would be any answer.
“I'm fine.” Noah's voice came through clearly. He didn't sound like he was drinking. “Leave me alone.”
They both released a held breath and looked at each other. Aven looked so relieved that he thought she might cry. Placing his free hand on top of her head, he gently rubbed her hair. “It's fine. He's just being a dick like usual.”
“I can't believe he is that cruel.” She was trying to hold back relieved tears from her eyes and even hide them from Tristan.
When she attempted to walk away, he grabbed her and pulled her head into his chest. He refrained from wrapping his arms around her as he didn't want to hold her. Not only did it seem too personal but he was afraid that his arms would betray him and tell her everything. It was obvious that she had feelings for the other man and he feared the rejection.
Aven sobbed quietly and then wrapped her own arms around his chest. “That asshole. I was so worried about him and it took a threat to get him to talk.” She was upset that Noah didn't seem to care how panicked she had been. It was another reminder that Noah didn't care about her feelings in the least and that she really was just some one to sleep with.
“It's alright now.” Tristan tried to soothe her with his voice and kept his hand on top of her head. “He's fine. Let's watch a movie and forget the whole incident.”
Tristan sat on the couch and tried to watch the movie, but he kept finding himself looking out of the corner of his eye at the woman beside him. He could still feel the phantom moisture from her tears on his chest and the pressure of where her head had rested. The moment was lost forever, but he second guessed himself on whether he should have hugged her. At least then it would have been once in his life that he held someone.
He couldn't ever remember hugging anybody before. People had tried to hug him and the most he ever gave was a tap on the back while they did it. It wasn't normal for a man his age to not know what it was like to be hugged, he had thought to himself. His father had hugged him sometimes when he was younger, but as he became a man it was all handshakes and back pats.
Aven kept looking over the couch at the kitchen door. He knew she was thinking about checking in on Noah again. It had been almost two and a half hours since they had last checked in on him and they were on their second movie together. She didn't seem to want to go to bed and Tristan even though he was tired couldn't walk away from spending more time with her.
He wondered when the silence around them had started to become awkward. Several times he caught himself thinking of something to say, but then remembered they were watching a movie. It was probably how Ayanna felt around him.
“Do you want me to check on him?” He gave in to his desire to hear her voice.
Aven turned her attention from the door to him. “Sorry. I can't keep my mind on the movie.” She looked back at the screen, but found it was shut off.
Tristan put the remote back down on the couch. “He wants some time alone. I don't think we should bother him.” He knew he wasn't saying that for her benefit; he just didn't want to lose Aven to the other man that night.
“I know.” She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her thighs and sighed. “Why did you turn the movie off?”
“Not worth watching if you aren't paying attention.” He didn't mean to sound so passive aggressive. “I mean, neither one of us is watching it anyway.”
“Was I bothering you?”
Tristan didn't answer her and simply stood up from the couch. “We should probably go to bed. I'm sure Noah will make an appearance tomorrow.”
As Aven stood up and Tristan made his way to the door there was a loud crash from the floor above. It was followed by several smaller ones, then by a huge thud before all went quiet again.
“Did you hear that?” Ayanna quickly appeared in the living room with her hand on her head. She looked hung over and couldn't stand up on her own, so she used the wall to drag herself against and keep herself upright.
Everyone waited quietly for another sound, but there was nothing but silence.
“Someone should check on him.” Ayanna finally suggested and looked toward Aven.
“Where are the spare keys?”
Her sister thought for a moment and then made her way back into her bedroom. She was gone for several moments. Tristan watched Aven standing near the couch and felt regret that she would go upstairs with Noah. If he had left the television on then maybe they wouldn't have heard the noises.
“Here.” Ayanna appeared and offered the keys out to her sister.
Snatching the keys away, Aven hurried passed Tristan and disappeared into the kitchen without a word to anyone.
Tristan turned to head back downstairs, but was stopped by the woman's voice behind him.
“Can we please talk for a moment?”
He exhaled in defeat and turned back around to face her. Ayanna made her way down the hall and he assumed that meant he was supposed to follow.
Sitting down at the edge of her bed, she looked at the tall man who had stopped in the doorway. She partially smirked when she realized that he was afraid of entering her bedroom.
“Do you think I'll rape you or something?” She asked with a playful smirk on her lips and waited for his response. Her head was killing her but she wanted to have this conversation before all of the courage she had drank was gone.
Tristan moved further into the bedroom and stood stiffly in front of her dresser. He wanted to be as close to the door as possible so he could leave quickly.
“Why won't you go out with me? I mean actually go places with me.” She had to look up now in order to see his face.
There was a long pause as he considered what he would say, but he knew that nothing would get through. Ayanna didn't like the words he had to say so she would twist them into something else.
“I'll pay for our dates if that's what you are worried about.” She waited and there was still no answer from him. “Who pays when you and Aven go out?”
Crossing his arms, he glared down at the woman. She was becoming more annoying by the day and he couldn't think of anyway to get rid of her. At least nothing that didn't involve getting kicked out or causing trouble for Aven.
“I know I am drunk right now so you are probably mad, right?” Ayanna was picking at straws in hopes that one of them would get a reaction from him.
When there was still nothing, she dropped from the bed straight to the floor on her knees. Reaching for Tristan's pants, she tried to unzip them but he grabbed her hands.
“No.”
Standing up in front of him, Ayanna looked into his eyes while he held her hands tightly. “You let me do it once, so why not now?”
“You misunderstood.”
She couldn't hold back her tears and several dripped down her cheek. “I know, but can't you just let me continue to?”
“No.” He dropped her hands and began to turn to leave, but Ayanna grabbed his shoulders and pressed him against the dresser. She quickly wrapped her arms around his waist and put her head where her sister's had been moments before.
“I know I seem crazy, right? I just don't know how to act properly with a guy like you. I feel so uneasy all the time. Every move I make is the wrong one. Tell me what I have to do.” Her sniffles were muffled by his shirt.
Tristan tried to pry off her arms. “Stop this.”
“You can pretend I am her.” She sobbed the words and had to repeat them a couple times before they were clear.
The words made him lose all the fight he had in him to pull her off. His heart began to beat fiercely at the thought that his feelings had been found out. “What?”
“Aven. We look a lot alike don't we?” She looked up at him. “In the dark, you can hardly tell the difference.” To make her point, she hit the light switch behind him. “See?”
“I... I...”
“You know that Noah and Aven are just sleeping with each other to help heal one another. Don't you?” Ayanna knew she was being desperate now, and the voice in the back of her mind told her to stop but she refused to listen. “They are using each other, so why can't we do the same? Aven seems to have feelings for Noah, so why can't you just use me while you wait?”
She knew this would never work. He wouldn't suddenly start having feelings for her because she slept with him and pretended that she was her sister. Ayanna knew that she was out of options and this was her last desperate plea.
Standing on her tip toes, she gently pecked his lips and when he didn't pull away, she began to kiss him more deeply. After a few moments, Tristan pushed her away.
“It doesn't feel like her at all.” He mumbled before heading out of the room with a look of shock upon his face.
The lights weren't on in the apartment and Aven had to flip the switch at the bottom of the stairs in order to climb them. When she reached the living room, she turned on the lights but most of his lamps didn't turn on and there was only one working at the end of the room. The couch had been moved and the bookshelves were knocked over. Several knickknacks had been broken and the laptop laid on the floor. On the ground, she counted five wine bottles and wondered if there was more scattered around the apartment.
She picked up the laptop at her feet and put it on the coffee table. Noah wasn't in the room so she assumed he had to be in the bedrooms, but she was hesitant to go investigate. He had wanted to be left alone, so she wondered if it was a good idea to just barge in like this. Even if she was the land lady, she needed a valid reason to go into a tenant's unit. She didn't know if loud noises was a plausible reason even if it was coupled with the information she had received from Camille.
Taking a step into the destroyed room, she broke something under her foot that caused the sound of breaking glass to erupt in her ears. The noise must have alarmed Noah, because she heard him moving around in his office.
Stepping out of the room, he held his photo of his wife and glared at Aven for a moment. “I'm sorry for com...”
“Autumn.” Noah dropped the photo still in it's frame and the glass cracked. He stumbled his way across the mess and even fell into the wall twice before finally reaching her. Aven had to help him stand up when he nearly slipped in front of her. She could smell the wine on his breath and thought to herself that this was her second drunk person of the day.
Before she could offer to take him to bed, Noah grabbed her face and kissed her. His fingers slipped around the back of her head and his thumbs rested on her cheeks close to her ears. Aven attempted to push him away at first, but gave in quickly and simply touched his elbows.
She knew he had just called her Autumn and that was the reason that he was kissing her so passionately. She could barely keep up with the kiss and the taste of wine was overpowering, but her heart beat frantically. Before she could completely process what was going on, she found herself flipped around and pressed against the wall. Noah yanked down her pants barely to her mid thigh and began to kiss her neck and suck on her ears while he had his way with her.
One of his hands kept her head turned to the side, while the other held tightly around her hips. He placed a great deal of his weight on her and she tried to hold strong. Every few seconds he would whisper his wife's name.
It hurt both emotionally and physically, but Aven didn't say anything. She let him take it out on her and never told him that it wasn't Autumn. She assumed the dim lights, his depression, and his drunk state had caused all this.
He seemed to give up trying to reach a finish and he slipped to the ground and forced Aven to go with him. He held her tightly and kissed her several times. “I only loved you.” He sobbed.
Her arms were tied down by his own so she could offer no comfort but to allow him to hold her. She decided to remain silent because she didn't want to upset him further. A thought crossed her mind and she wondered if he did this with Camille too, since that woman had said she often comforted him during this time.
“Why? Why did you... wasn't I more important?” He squeezed her more tightly. “They were going to die anyway. Why did you destroy everything we worked for?”
For as drunk as he was, there was no slurring in his words. He seemed to hold his liquor rather well despite the obvious insanity he was going through at the moment.
When he loosened his hold on her, Aven got up on her knees in front of him and tilted his head back to kiss him again. She knew it was wrong and that they weren't supposed to kiss each other, but she wanted to satiate some of her own desires for a moment even if there would be consequences later.
The night before, Noah had asked Aven not to come up to his apartment and she had done as he asked. It surprised both Ayanna and Tristan to see Aven come into the kitchen from her own area of the house. Noah, himself, had been rather sparse in his appearances over the last week and barely made it down for one or two meals.
Aven sat down at the table and poured herself a bowl of cereal, while Ayanna finished up lunch for everyone. When it was done, she went to Noah's door and knocked. “Lunch!”
“Use the intercom.” Aven commanded.
Walking over to the barely used, expensive technology Ayanna pressed the button. “Noah, lunch is ready.” Sitting down, she looked across the table at her sister. “He's been acting weird for a while now. Do you know what's going on?”
She shrugged. “He hasn't said.”
Tristan ate his sandwich and chips ignoring the conversation around him. He was a bit worried over Noah's behavior though. They hadn't become best friends since their fight but there was an open channel of communication between them now that wasn't there before. They understood each other's positions and were able to sympathize. The last week however the channel had been closed.
“He's a writer, I guess. Maybe he is working on something.” Ayanna decided and looked at the sandwich she had made for him. “Nyx will be happy to have that.”
“You are going to make her fat. Feed it to Tristan.” Aven continued to eat her cereal.
“Oh, so make him fat instead?”
Tristan smirked at the comment, and when Ayanna got up to get herself a glass of soda, Aven stole a potato chip from his plate. She often did such things when her sister's back was turn. Tristan, personally, liked it. He felt like he was helping her pull a prank on the annoying woman and it gave him some sort of victory over her.
“See if you can get him to come down, Aven. He normally shouts for us to go away. I am a bit worried.” Ayanna sat back down at the table with her soda glass in hand.
Standing up, Aven slowly worked her way over to the intercom. “Noah, make some noise so we know you aren't dead.”
When there was no response, she sat back down and shrugged.
“This is the third time that I've seen you come in from your own room. What is he saying?” The younger sister asked as she tossed some chips into her mouth.
“He says he wants to be alone.”
“And you leave it at that?” She looked shocked that someone would actually give someone time to themselves when asked.
“Of course. If he wants me to know then he will tell me.”
Ayanna rolled her eyes. “Sometimes people want you to pry because they want to know that you care enough to ask.”
“Not Noah.” Aven tried to eat her cereal quickly so that she could scurry back to work and not be bothered by the same conversation they had had for a week.
“But...”
“Every one wants to be by themselves sometimes.” Tristan tried to defend Aven, whom he could tell was growing weary with her sister. It seemed whenever he interjected himself that Ayanna would quickly agree with whatever he had said.
“Yes, I guess you are right.” Ayanna looked at Noah's door with worry in her eyes, before she returned to eating her lunch.
---***
Aven and Tristan had planned to head out to the lake the day before and since Ayanna hated to hike around her sister didn't bother to invite her. They had kidnapped Nyx for the cool walk around the lake and the little dog seemed to be enjoying herself. They had her on a leash, but allowed her to run around mostly where ever she wanted.
Tristan had asked Aven to go with him since he was missing the mountains and the wild a bit as of recent days. He usually did something to be in nature at least once a month, but in the past couple of years he had stopped due to his own depression.
“I didn't know you could fish up here.” Tristan commented when he saw some fishermen in the distance.
“Yeah, they stock the lake with bass, I think. Just need to get a license.” Aven told him as she watched the little black dog play with the waves. They had stopped for a break on some large rocks to eat some trail mix and drink some water.
As they sat watching the beauty around them, Tristan noticed when his hand touched the woman's beside him as they both reached into the ziplock bag. She seemed unaffected by the sudden touch but he could feel himself fighting a blush. It was so rare that he actually touched her and it always seemed awkward.
“It's a nice day.” Aven said when a gust of wind played with her ponytail. “Couldn't have asked for better weather.”
“Yeah.” He ate the handful of mix that he had pulled out. “Are you... you aren't worried, are you?”
“About what?”
“Noah.”
She shrugged her shoulders gently. “There is something going on with him, but we can't help unless he asks us to.” She took a large swig from her water bottle. The water had been frozen over night and there was a large chunk of ice in the center.
“He hasn't seemed himself lately.”
Turning eyes to the man beside him, she gently grinned. “You sound worried. It's not like you to give concern for another.”
“It... it isn't?”
“I have noticed that you have been thinking about others more often these last few weeks.” Aven chuckled and ate another handful of trail mix. “It looks like we are all somewhat healthy for each other, despite our own imperfections.”
“You are eating more.”
“That's what I mean.” She held up her arm as if to show him even though she was wearing a tank top and her arm was plain to see. “I think I have gained ten pounds, maybe more. Before Noah went into his depression, he was telling me how much better I look. I feel better too.”
Tristan wondered why she had been eating more and the answer was of course obvious. Noah had been the reason that she seemed willing to better herself, but he had not noticed that he was changing himself. Who was it that had him concerned for other people? Was it Aven or Ayanna, perhaps Noah? Maybe it was the simple act of living with them all, but he had not really cared about Eric's problems and he had lived with him a great deal longer.
Jumping up from the rock, Aven stretched her arms about her head and yawned. Her pale stomach showed and for a brief moment Tristan had to fight the urge to touch the flesh there. He had found himself fighting that urge more often than not.
“Shall we get going?” She turned around to look at him.
With a nod, Tristan packed up their water and snacks in the backpack he was carrying and they continued on their journey with little else said.
---***
Ayanna tapped her finished nails on the counter of Scott's breakfast bar as he made them lunch in the kitchen. Noah hadn't answered when she asked if he wanted her to make dinner, so she had decided to come over to her friend's house for the meal. Besides, she had something she had to complain about once again. “How can they just go out like that?”
Scott decided not to answer and simply gave a sympathetic look over his shoulder.
“Why would a sister go out with her sister's boyfriend?” She stretched her neck with her hand touching it and tossing it back in an effort to relieve stress. “It doesn't make any sense.”
“Didn't they do things together before?” He asked as he walked over to the fridge to pull out a bag of lettuce for their salad. “Maybe they are just friends.” He pulled the chopping block up and began to cut up an assortment of tomatoes, onions, pickled asparagus, and other veggies for their chicken salad dinner.
“Leave the asparagus on the side.” Ayanna told him before she continued with her problem. “I know and I keep telling myself that, but it feels like Tristan doesn't want to spend time with me.”
“Didn't you already say that you had to convince him to give you a chance? Maybe he just doesn't like telling people no.” He dropped the julienned onion into the large glass bowl with the lettuce.
“I don't care.” She smacked the counter top. “I am going to make him see me for what I am and no matter what he'll turn his feelings toward me. I know I can do it. There has never been a man that I couldn't crack. You know that.”
“Yeah, but you usually go after rich and confident guys who don't mind strong women. This guy from what I hear is a bit shy and maybe you are intimidating him.” Scott hated that he had to sound like he was giving good advice. All he really wanted to do was tell her that this was crazy and she was being a stalker, before shoving her to the ground and showing her the tactics himself.
Ayanna exhaled and straightened herself out on the bar stool. “Sunflower seeds?”
“I forgot to buy some. I have sesame seeds.”
She shrugged lightly, “I guess that'll do.” She continued to watch him cook the meal for a moment. “You are probably right. Aven is so non-threatening. She doesn't really judge or really get in your business. She usually just sits quietly with him and allows him to be himself. I should have started as friends with a guy like this, but I got impatient. I'm in this relationship by myself, aren't I?”
He didn't want to answer that as there was no correct answer that wouldn't upset her. “Cesar or Italian?”
“Cesar, please.” She added some salt and pepper over the breakfast bar as he went to grab the salad dressing. The chicken had already been cooked and was resting before he would dice it up for them. “You have Parmesan cheese, don't you?”
He snorted as he turned around. “A giant block. Shredded or shaved?”
“Shaved. You know I wish I could find a guy that I could just do things like this with. Just make a meal together and have conversations, but instead I am attracted to a guy that it will be impossible to have such a relationship.” She sighed.
Scott felt slightly heartbroken that she didn't even realize that she had a guy that she was doing all this with. “If he isn't what you want, then why be with him?”
“I don't know. Maybe you are right. Maybe I am sick and want someone I can take care of like I had to with my sister. That makes me feel whole. Someone that basically relies on me for everything. Now that Aven is finding some independence... I don't know. Is it ready?”
“Yeah, do you want to eat here or in the dining room?” He hoped here, because he could sit closely next to her at the bar.
“Here, I guess.”
---***
The lights were off in the kitchen when Aven and Tristan unlocked the door and stepped inside. The puppy was released from her leash before they entered and she disappeared toward the dining room table with her tail wagging. Tristan turned on the lights to find Ayanna sitting at the table with two bottles of wine in front of her. One was empty and the other was half gone. They were expensive bottles so Aven knew that she must have gotten them from Scott.
Tristan quickly made his exit downstairs to avoid any conversation with the woman, and Aven decided she didn't want to deal with her drunk sister and headed toward her bedroom. Once inside, she began to peel away the sweaty socks and shoes, but before she could change her clothes the bedroom door flung open.
“What the fuck is up with you?” Ayanna barked. She was holding a glass of the chardonnay in her hand.
Sighing, Aven knew this would happen. Whenever her sister drank to much it was because something was bothering her and she wanted courage to stand up to her. “What is it this time, Ayanna?” She pulled her shirt off to prepare for a shower.
“Boyfriend thief! Home wrecker!”
“You are upset that Tristan and I went hiking then?” Aven began to take off her pants as the little black puppy entered the room and attempted to jump on her bed. She missed the first couple of times, but finally made it on the third attempt.
“You don't... you don't get to... shut up!”
Aven tried her best not to laugh at her drunk sister as she gathered up some pajamas to put on. “We were friends before you two created this relationship with each other. I think it would be unfair of you to tell us we need to stop. It's not like I have any feelings for him, so you don't have to worry.”
“Fuck you. You don't understand me!” She leaned against the door frame and took another sip of wine.
“I don't know why you are bothered by this anyway. It's not like I have a history of stealing your boyfriends away.”
“Michael and Toby.”
She chuckled at her sister's answer. “Toby was in the third grade and he wasn't even a boyfriend. We were eight. Michael had a crush on me, I couldn't help that. I never dated him. I have only ever dated Curtis and you know that.” When she saw her sister was about to take another drink, she grabbed the wine glass and downed it. “You've have enough.”
“You... you drank it.” She stared at the empty glass. “You drank new stuff.”
Pulling her sister toward her, she kissed her forehead. “Come on, I'll put you to bed.” In her underwear, Aven led her sister to the bedroom across the hall. It was dark and she couldn't see much, but she laid her down and took off her shoes for her, before covering her up with the comforter. “Go to sleep. You are going to feel awful tomorrow.”
“You don't know!”
Aven allowed her sister to have the last word and made her way back out into the hall. She grabbed her clothes from the bedroom and entered the bathroom. Nyx followed her and had the door shut in her face since Aven didn't want the dog to watch her shower.
Once inside the dark green and white bathroom, she removed the remainder of her clothing and turned the water on. There was a loud thud from upstairs that caused her to look up at the ceiling. She assumed that meant Noah was still alive, before she placed herself under the hot water. She could hear the water being used in the basement as well and knew Tristan was removing the grime from his body as well.
She shook her head and smiled at her sister's drunk words. Tristan and she didn't seem like a fit and she wondered what exactly was going on in her sister's head. She had never been interested in dating seriously and then suddenly her mind had been changed. It seemed she would have to discuss these issues with her when she was in a more lucid state.
---***
While her sister was in the shower, Ayanna sneaked down the stairs to find Tristan. Her fighting spirit wanted a confrontation even if her mind and body wanted rest. He had forgotten to lock his door again and it was easy for her to slip down and wait on the couch while he finished his shower.
When the bathroom door opened, Tristan stepped out in nothing but a towel around his waist. He didn't see Ayanna on the couch as she had laid down, but as he made his way to the bedroom she sat up. His heart nearly flew from his chest as he jumped back in fright.
“Sorry.” Ayanna stood up from the couch and headed toward him.
Putting up his hands, it looked like he was ready to fend off her attack. She tried to hug him immediately and he was able to catch her shoulders.
“Why don't you take me out?” Ayanna began to sob when she realized that he wasn't going to let her hold him. “I want to hang out with you too!”
“I don't want to.” He spoke bluntly.
“Why?” She cried out the word and gave Tristan a whiff of her wine.
Blowing air out of his mouth once quickly, he tried to remove the taste. “That's disgusting.”
Ayanna put her hands over her mouth while he continued to hold her back by her shoulders. “I thought you were going to give me a chance! Why don't we go out?”
“I said I don't want to.” He could feel his towel was beginning to loosen and he didn't know which consequence he would dislike more. If he let go of Ayanna she would probably hug him and if he didn't then he would be nude in front of her. After a moment, he decided he could always peel the girl away and so he released her to get a hold of his towel.
Moving quickly in hopes she wouldn't grab him, he made his way to the bedroom and grabbed some boxers that were on the frame-less bed. He tried to put them on before the towel fell off but knew Ayanna had gotten a eye full of his rear end. When he turned around, she was leaning against the wall in the hallway where he had left her.
He took the opportunity to grab a shirt and some pajama bottoms, before heading back out of the room to deal with her. Ayanna's head was against the wall and her eyes were closed. He thought she had passed out while standing up, but as soon as he approached she tossed her arms around his shoulders.
He thought about shoving her off, but knew if he was too forceful the drunk would fall over. “I don't like people who drink.” He had no idea why he said that, even if it was true. He would later guess that he was trying to give her reasons why he didn't like her.
“Huh?” She turned her head to face him and gave him another mouthful of alcohol smell and flavor.
Tristan cleared his mouth again. “Disgusting!” Grabbing her shoulders, he pushed her back and Ayanna allowed him to do so. “Go to bed.”
“I don't think I can climb the stairs.” She giggled. “Can I sleep down here with you?”
“No.” He began to help her toward the stairs and then up them.
“Oh! Is daddy going to put his naughty girl to bed?” Ayanna asked when they stepped into the kitchen.
Aven was standing next to the sink pouring herself a glass of water. “What the...” She cut herself off. “I put you to bed already.”
“I'm grown! I know how to get out of bed! It's not a crib!” Ayanna snapped at her sister before tossing her arms around Tristan. “I'll stay if Tristan puts me to bed.”
The eldest sister looked at the blonde man and seemed to ask with her eyes if that was alright. He gave a deep breath and began to walk her to the living room door.
“Carry me!” She lifted one leg in front of him.
Looking down at her, he frowned. “Don't push it.”
“Ok.”
---***
Tristan entered the kitchen once he had fought to leave the Ayanna's bedroom. Aven was standing by the table and seemed to be waiting for him.
“I'm sorry. I put her to bed, but I guess she slipped out when I was in the shower.” She explained before taking another large gulp of water.
He shrugged his shoulders. This wasn't Aven's fault and he felt no anger or annoyance toward her. Instead, he focused on her wet hair and a small area on the back of her neck that she hadn't dried properly. For a brief moment, the image of licking the water away entered his mind before he shook it away. It wasn't often that he had sexual thoughts but they seemed to occur more now with Aven as his female lead.
“She likes to get drunk and confront people.” She chuckled. “It's kind of funny after the fact, but not while you are in the moment, I guess.”
He heard her words but he couldn't really understand them as his thoughts were lost on her neck. “Yeah.” He finally responded. “Your neck is still wet.” He told her as he reached out his hand and with his bare palm wiped the water away as best he could.
Aven felt the back of her neck after one swipe from the man's hands and then quickly used the collar of her light blue pajama top to dry it. “I always forget to dry that and my back.”
Tristan's hand tingled at the touch of her bare skin. He hoped that the feeling would last him a while as he rarely had the courage to place a hand on her. Looking down at the table, he saw that Aven had poured the rest of Ayanna's wine into a goblet.
“Are you drinking that?”
“I don't want it around, but it seems wasteful to dump it out. I don't mind that Noah keeps some in his apartment, she can't get to it then, but down here...” She sighed. “I'd offer you some but I know you don't drink.”
“From the biography?”
She nodded her head before sitting down at the table. “Do you want to watch a movie?” She asked before looking at the microwave clock. “It's only eight.”
“Sure. We've watched all mine though. So, if you have any.”
“We can always order something on demand.” She took a sip of the wine before taking a swig of the water. Aven had never really been a fan of wine. She also knew she would become much like her sister if she drank it too quickly.
The phone rang and Aven stood up to answer it. The woman on the other end quickly introduced herself as Camille.
“I've been trying to call his line, but he isn't answering.” She explained, her voice sounded frantic. “I completely forgot until I looked at my calendar.”
“Forgot what?” Aven asked confused.
“Autumn, Noah's wife, died on this day. He always hides himself away for a while before it happens and just drinks away his pain, but normally today he'll drink a lot. In the past, he has gotten violent and has accidently hurt himself to the point of going to the hospital.” Camille sounded close to tears. “Please, see if you can check on him and make sure he is alright.”
“Oh, alright.” She had no idea how to reply to what she had just learned. She felt guilty that she hadn't really given any thought to why Noah was acting so strangely. He hadn't given her any clues that something of this importance was coming up, beside his change in behavior. Normally he wanted her to know certain things and would leave hints around his apartment for her.
“I normally spend today with him and make sure he is alright, but I completely forgot. He must be so alone right now. I am such a horrible friend. Thank you so much for taking my place.” There was a man's voice in the background and Camille answered him with a yes. “I have to go. I'll call back later tonight.”
Her own voice was now frantic as she knocked on Noah's door and then ran to the intercom to get him to answer her. Tristan had never seen Aven offer so much emotion before and he felt somewhat detached from her while also feeling worthless and sympathetic to her.
“He isn't answering. What should I do?” She turned to Tristan in hopes that he would have an answer, but the blank look on his face told her that was nothing. “Camille said that he has hurt himself in the past. What if he is up there bleeding to death since this morning?”
“I don't think he would hurt himself on purpose and besides if he did he would probably try to contact us for help.”
“But if he knocked himself out or he can't make it to the phone or intercom...” Aven suddenly seemed to realize how panicked she was and took a couple deep breaths. “Should we call an ambulance?”
They both stood in silence as they tried to decide if that was the best next course of action. They knew Noah could just be ignoring them because of what today meant to him.
“Oh, I know.” Aven's voice perked up and she hurried toward the door. “Ayanna knows where the spare keys are.”
She ran into the living room and down the hall to the bed where her drunk sister was sleeping. Grabbing her shoulder, she shook her. “Ayanna, hey, wake up. I need to know where the spare keys are. The ones to Noah's apartment.”
Her sister simply moaned at her and then tried to bat her away.
“This is serious, you need to wake up!” She shook her several times but the girl felt like dead weight in her hands.
She offered nothing but another moan in response.
Aven could feel her blood starting to boil and told herself that she would destroy her sister if something happened to the man upstairs. “Of all the days for you to do this.” She shoved her sister's shoulders in the bed and made her way back to the kitchen. Tristan stood waiting to hear what had happened. “She's too damn drunk. The damn light weight.”
Running over to the intercom, she pressed the button again. “Noah, seriously, if you are alright just say so and we will leave you alone. We just want to hear your voice.”
Tristan saw how distressed she was and made his way to the intercom. “If you don't answer us and tell us you are alright, then we will call the fire department and an ambulance.”
There was a couple moments of silence and Aven took hold of Tristan's forearm as they waited to see if there would be any answer.
“I'm fine.” Noah's voice came through clearly. He didn't sound like he was drinking. “Leave me alone.”
They both released a held breath and looked at each other. Aven looked so relieved that he thought she might cry. Placing his free hand on top of her head, he gently rubbed her hair. “It's fine. He's just being a dick like usual.”
“I can't believe he is that cruel.” She was trying to hold back relieved tears from her eyes and even hide them from Tristan.
When she attempted to walk away, he grabbed her and pulled her head into his chest. He refrained from wrapping his arms around her as he didn't want to hold her. Not only did it seem too personal but he was afraid that his arms would betray him and tell her everything. It was obvious that she had feelings for the other man and he feared the rejection.
Aven sobbed quietly and then wrapped her own arms around his chest. “That asshole. I was so worried about him and it took a threat to get him to talk.” She was upset that Noah didn't seem to care how panicked she had been. It was another reminder that Noah didn't care about her feelings in the least and that she really was just some one to sleep with.
“It's alright now.” Tristan tried to soothe her with his voice and kept his hand on top of her head. “He's fine. Let's watch a movie and forget the whole incident.”
---***
Tristan sat on the couch and tried to watch the movie, but he kept finding himself looking out of the corner of his eye at the woman beside him. He could still feel the phantom moisture from her tears on his chest and the pressure of where her head had rested. The moment was lost forever, but he second guessed himself on whether he should have hugged her. At least then it would have been once in his life that he held someone.
He couldn't ever remember hugging anybody before. People had tried to hug him and the most he ever gave was a tap on the back while they did it. It wasn't normal for a man his age to not know what it was like to be hugged, he had thought to himself. His father had hugged him sometimes when he was younger, but as he became a man it was all handshakes and back pats.
Aven kept looking over the couch at the kitchen door. He knew she was thinking about checking in on Noah again. It had been almost two and a half hours since they had last checked in on him and they were on their second movie together. She didn't seem to want to go to bed and Tristan even though he was tired couldn't walk away from spending more time with her.
He wondered when the silence around them had started to become awkward. Several times he caught himself thinking of something to say, but then remembered they were watching a movie. It was probably how Ayanna felt around him.
“Do you want me to check on him?” He gave in to his desire to hear her voice.
Aven turned her attention from the door to him. “Sorry. I can't keep my mind on the movie.” She looked back at the screen, but found it was shut off.
Tristan put the remote back down on the couch. “He wants some time alone. I don't think we should bother him.” He knew he wasn't saying that for her benefit; he just didn't want to lose Aven to the other man that night.
“I know.” She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her thighs and sighed. “Why did you turn the movie off?”
“Not worth watching if you aren't paying attention.” He didn't mean to sound so passive aggressive. “I mean, neither one of us is watching it anyway.”
“Was I bothering you?”
Tristan didn't answer her and simply stood up from the couch. “We should probably go to bed. I'm sure Noah will make an appearance tomorrow.”
As Aven stood up and Tristan made his way to the door there was a loud crash from the floor above. It was followed by several smaller ones, then by a huge thud before all went quiet again.
“Did you hear that?” Ayanna quickly appeared in the living room with her hand on her head. She looked hung over and couldn't stand up on her own, so she used the wall to drag herself against and keep herself upright.
Everyone waited quietly for another sound, but there was nothing but silence.
“Someone should check on him.” Ayanna finally suggested and looked toward Aven.
“Where are the spare keys?”
Her sister thought for a moment and then made her way back into her bedroom. She was gone for several moments. Tristan watched Aven standing near the couch and felt regret that she would go upstairs with Noah. If he had left the television on then maybe they wouldn't have heard the noises.
“Here.” Ayanna appeared and offered the keys out to her sister.
Snatching the keys away, Aven hurried passed Tristan and disappeared into the kitchen without a word to anyone.
Tristan turned to head back downstairs, but was stopped by the woman's voice behind him.
“Can we please talk for a moment?”
He exhaled in defeat and turned back around to face her. Ayanna made her way down the hall and he assumed that meant he was supposed to follow.
---***
Sitting down at the edge of her bed, she looked at the tall man who had stopped in the doorway. She partially smirked when she realized that he was afraid of entering her bedroom.
“Do you think I'll rape you or something?” She asked with a playful smirk on her lips and waited for his response. Her head was killing her but she wanted to have this conversation before all of the courage she had drank was gone.
Tristan moved further into the bedroom and stood stiffly in front of her dresser. He wanted to be as close to the door as possible so he could leave quickly.
“Why won't you go out with me? I mean actually go places with me.” She had to look up now in order to see his face.
There was a long pause as he considered what he would say, but he knew that nothing would get through. Ayanna didn't like the words he had to say so she would twist them into something else.
“I'll pay for our dates if that's what you are worried about.” She waited and there was still no answer from him. “Who pays when you and Aven go out?”
Crossing his arms, he glared down at the woman. She was becoming more annoying by the day and he couldn't think of anyway to get rid of her. At least nothing that didn't involve getting kicked out or causing trouble for Aven.
“I know I am drunk right now so you are probably mad, right?” Ayanna was picking at straws in hopes that one of them would get a reaction from him.
When there was still nothing, she dropped from the bed straight to the floor on her knees. Reaching for Tristan's pants, she tried to unzip them but he grabbed her hands.
“No.”
Standing up in front of him, Ayanna looked into his eyes while he held her hands tightly. “You let me do it once, so why not now?”
“You misunderstood.”
She couldn't hold back her tears and several dripped down her cheek. “I know, but can't you just let me continue to?”
“No.” He dropped her hands and began to turn to leave, but Ayanna grabbed his shoulders and pressed him against the dresser. She quickly wrapped her arms around his waist and put her head where her sister's had been moments before.
“I know I seem crazy, right? I just don't know how to act properly with a guy like you. I feel so uneasy all the time. Every move I make is the wrong one. Tell me what I have to do.” Her sniffles were muffled by his shirt.
Tristan tried to pry off her arms. “Stop this.”
“You can pretend I am her.” She sobbed the words and had to repeat them a couple times before they were clear.
The words made him lose all the fight he had in him to pull her off. His heart began to beat fiercely at the thought that his feelings had been found out. “What?”
“Aven. We look a lot alike don't we?” She looked up at him. “In the dark, you can hardly tell the difference.” To make her point, she hit the light switch behind him. “See?”
“I... I...”
“You know that Noah and Aven are just sleeping with each other to help heal one another. Don't you?” Ayanna knew she was being desperate now, and the voice in the back of her mind told her to stop but she refused to listen. “They are using each other, so why can't we do the same? Aven seems to have feelings for Noah, so why can't you just use me while you wait?”
She knew this would never work. He wouldn't suddenly start having feelings for her because she slept with him and pretended that she was her sister. Ayanna knew that she was out of options and this was her last desperate plea.
Standing on her tip toes, she gently pecked his lips and when he didn't pull away, she began to kiss him more deeply. After a few moments, Tristan pushed her away.
“It doesn't feel like her at all.” He mumbled before heading out of the room with a look of shock upon his face.
The lights weren't on in the apartment and Aven had to flip the switch at the bottom of the stairs in order to climb them. When she reached the living room, she turned on the lights but most of his lamps didn't turn on and there was only one working at the end of the room. The couch had been moved and the bookshelves were knocked over. Several knickknacks had been broken and the laptop laid on the floor. On the ground, she counted five wine bottles and wondered if there was more scattered around the apartment.
She picked up the laptop at her feet and put it on the coffee table. Noah wasn't in the room so she assumed he had to be in the bedrooms, but she was hesitant to go investigate. He had wanted to be left alone, so she wondered if it was a good idea to just barge in like this. Even if she was the land lady, she needed a valid reason to go into a tenant's unit. She didn't know if loud noises was a plausible reason even if it was coupled with the information she had received from Camille.
Taking a step into the destroyed room, she broke something under her foot that caused the sound of breaking glass to erupt in her ears. The noise must have alarmed Noah, because she heard him moving around in his office.
Stepping out of the room, he held his photo of his wife and glared at Aven for a moment. “I'm sorry for com...”
“Autumn.” Noah dropped the photo still in it's frame and the glass cracked. He stumbled his way across the mess and even fell into the wall twice before finally reaching her. Aven had to help him stand up when he nearly slipped in front of her. She could smell the wine on his breath and thought to herself that this was her second drunk person of the day.
Before she could offer to take him to bed, Noah grabbed her face and kissed her. His fingers slipped around the back of her head and his thumbs rested on her cheeks close to her ears. Aven attempted to push him away at first, but gave in quickly and simply touched his elbows.
She knew he had just called her Autumn and that was the reason that he was kissing her so passionately. She could barely keep up with the kiss and the taste of wine was overpowering, but her heart beat frantically. Before she could completely process what was going on, she found herself flipped around and pressed against the wall. Noah yanked down her pants barely to her mid thigh and began to kiss her neck and suck on her ears while he had his way with her.
One of his hands kept her head turned to the side, while the other held tightly around her hips. He placed a great deal of his weight on her and she tried to hold strong. Every few seconds he would whisper his wife's name.
It hurt both emotionally and physically, but Aven didn't say anything. She let him take it out on her and never told him that it wasn't Autumn. She assumed the dim lights, his depression, and his drunk state had caused all this.
He seemed to give up trying to reach a finish and he slipped to the ground and forced Aven to go with him. He held her tightly and kissed her several times. “I only loved you.” He sobbed.
Her arms were tied down by his own so she could offer no comfort but to allow him to hold her. She decided to remain silent because she didn't want to upset him further. A thought crossed her mind and she wondered if he did this with Camille too, since that woman had said she often comforted him during this time.
“Why? Why did you... wasn't I more important?” He squeezed her more tightly. “They were going to die anyway. Why did you destroy everything we worked for?”
For as drunk as he was, there was no slurring in his words. He seemed to hold his liquor rather well despite the obvious insanity he was going through at the moment.
When he loosened his hold on her, Aven got up on her knees in front of him and tilted his head back to kiss him again. She knew it was wrong and that they weren't supposed to kiss each other, but she wanted to satiate some of her own desires for a moment even if there would be consequences later.