07-18-2015, 04:55 PM
Sitting on the couch, Aven waited for Noah to return with the first aid kit that he had tucked away in his bathroom. When he reappeared, he sat down beside her and placed the kit on the coffee table before opening it. His eyes looked over the couple of bleeding scratches across Aven's left cheek and the right side of her lips.
“I am not certain what we can do about your lips, but your cheek will take a bandage well enough.” He plucked out a large band-aid and some anti-bacterial ointment. Applying a small dab of the ointment to his finger tip, he wiped the blood off with a piece of gaze before dabbing the ointment gently on her wound. “I've never seen Ayanna so angry before.”
“You've never seen her sister betray her before.” Aven retorted though she barely moved her lips to speak.
After he applied the band-aid to her cheek, he exhaled and stared at her briefly. “Anywhere else?”
Aven looked at her arms and found a few scratches, but only one on her forearm showed any signs of bleeding. When she offered her limb to Noah, he quickly applied the ointment followed by another band-aid. As soon as he was finished, Aven dropped her face into her hands before jerking them back out when the pain from her wounds surged through her skin.
“She'll never forgive me for this. That's why I didn't want her to know anything.” She held back tears and tried to ensure her voice didn't tremble. “I knew she would be hurt and I did it anyway, because I am selfish.”
Noah didn't know what to say to her and simply remained silent. He wanted to tell her that she wasn't selfish, but that would be a lie, something that Aven would see through immediately.
“To Ayanna, while we were growing up, she always looked to me for comfort and protection. I was always the one that made their meals while the babysitter was asleep on the couch. I sang them to sleep. I was the mother that my mom wished she could have been.” She frowned. “My mother told me when I got older how much she hated knowing that my childhood was stolen because she refused to find someone else to marry and help her carry the load.” She swallowed down a lump in her throat. “She also told me that to my siblings I was something that she could never be, and that I would always need to be there to help and defend them.”
“Then why did you do it?”
Aven looked up from the coffee table where her eyes had been set as she talked. “Because I knew I could.” She exhaled a sob and tried to catch herself from crying any further. “That makes me a really evil person, doesn't it? I just knew I could take advantage of Tristan and I was lonely so I did it. I hurt two people in a matter of minutes and I didn't even think twice about them.”
Placing his hand on the furthest shoulder, he pulled Aven into his chest. “We all have regrets. There will always be that one mistake that haunts us, you know that as best as anyone. The trick is to not making them again, that's what breeds forgiveness.”
Aven felt awkward in her former lover's embrace, but there also came a strange calmness that she recalled from days gone by. It was this feeling that she had wanted to gain from Tristan, yet she hadn't found it. That was what made this entire ordeal all the more disturbing. The very thing she wanted from her sister's boyfriend hadn't been there.
Therefore she gained absolutely nothing from betraying her sister. Had she found herself in love with him or any feelings of the sort, then she may have been able to face Ayanna. She may have been able to show her sister that they loved each other, but the truth was she didn't. She felt suffocated and stagnant with Tristan. She cared for him as a friend and thought it was nice to have someone so similar around her. As lovers, however, she couldn't imagine someone else being complacent in the type of behavior she was exhibiting.
Curtis and her mother never allowed her to fall into the slump no matter how hard she wanted to be there. She needed someone who was willing to constantly push her through it, against her will if need be. Of all the people in her life now, she had to find that person because as strong as she was she would always need the reminder to live.
“You son of a bitch!” Ayanna threw the pillow from the couch at him as hard as she could, but he was able to dodge it. “You scum! You selfish dog!” Another pillow was thrown and Tristan managed to dodge it as well. “How could you do that to sisters? Do you have no shame?”
“To be fair, I told you how I felt. You were the one that was acting shameless and pushing yourself on me.” Tristan's face remained stoic as if Ayanna was nothing of importance.
Her breaths were deep as she glared at him. “You don't get it at all, do you? You put yourself between sisters. Two sisters who had a very deep and meaningful bond.”
“You put yourself on the other side. I never asked you to feel anything for me.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking as nonchalant as ever.
She wanted to break down crying but it wasn't to Tristan that she wanted to run, it was to the very woman that had broken her heart. “You really are a self-centered bastard, you know that? No, you are just spineless. You act like women push themselves on you but the truth is you never really try to stop them. Anything they want for the time being until they become a hindrance to your lifestyle and then you treat them like garbage.”
Tristan snorted the first sound of emotion.
“Yeah, that's right. You hated me watching movies with you, but you'd rather have me beside you then leave, right? You didn't want to sleep with me, but you didn't want to push me away either. You told me that you loved my sister, but you were more than happy to keep me around if it meant... what did it mean, Tristan?” Ayanna chuckled. “Are you afraid of being alone?”
“I like...”
“Don't hand me any crap about liking it either, because otherwise you wouldn't want Aven around either.” She nodded her head knowingly. “Yeah, that's it. You put on this front about hating people around you and wanting them to leave you alone, but the truth is you like it when they force themselves to stay, because you don't have to break down and ask for them to.” Ayanna took a deep breath of air when Tristan had nothing to say in response. “Fuck me!” She cursed. “I can't believe that just now I am figuring you out!”
Tristan stood up from his leaning position and dropped his arms to his side. “You don't know anything.”
With a smile, Ayanna stepped around the sofa and walked to stand in front of him. “I can't believe it. You know what it is that you like about Aven? It's that when she is around, you don't feel pressured to talk or to have any sort of uncomfortable conversation. You don't have to put yourself out there, because damn it she doesn't care. She doesn't want to get to know you deeply, so she can't reject you. She'll never be able to find something she dislikes about you, so she'll forever remain beside you.”
He began to frown and glare down at her. “You should leave.”
“I have bad news for you, Tristan. No matter what eventually people learn things about each other that they dislike. You can't hide who you are forever from others, it all comes out in the end.” Ayanna smirked and headed towards the stair with a skip in her step. Stopping she turned back to him and smiled. “Oh, and I am rejecting you. Not the other way around, because we both know you want me to keep pushing myself in to prevent loneliness on your part.”
Tristan watched her disappear up the stairs before he picked up the pillows and tossed them back on the couch. He sat down and glared at the stairway for a couple of moments.
Who the hell did she think she was? Did she honestly believe she had figured him out? He snorted. Whatever kept her away was fine, however. If she wanted to believe that she was hurting him by not coming around anymore, he could live with that. Finally, he would be able to focus on what was important around here and deal less with the meddling sisters.
Picking up his guitar, he began to play. He hadn't done this in a long time not since before he moved into this house, but it always been his way to relieve stress. This house was beginning to be nothing more than a drama club and he was about ready to get out.
As her tired eyes began to focus, Aven awoke to a room that she hadn't seen in some time. The only difference was a sleeping Noah wasn't laying beside her. Sitting up, she tried to recall the events of the previous day. Her heart felt heavy when she remembered her argument with her sister, and then she wondered how she had come to sleep in Noah's bed. She knew she had a couple drinks with him but then she must have fallen asleep on the couch.
Standing up, she made her way into the living room to find Noah. It didn't take long as his light snores helped her locate him easily on the couch. He was barely covered with a thin blanket and looked like he had been uncomfortable in his balled up position.
“Noah.” She spoke in hopes of waking him up.
His eyes popped open as if he was barely asleep to begin with. Sitting up, he gently rubbed his eyes awake. “Morning.”
“Did you put me in the bedroom last night?” She motioned with her thumb to the door behind her before letting her arm drop to her side.
He looked over at the bedroom door briefly though he had to turn his neck slightly so he could see around her. “I think I helped you. I didn't carry you.”
“You should have let me have the couch.” Aven sat down on the couch beside him and rested her forearms on her knees with her hands dangling over.
He slowly shook his head. “If Ayanna had been pissed enough she could have grabbed the spare keys. It was better that I remain a buffer between the two of you.”
Taking a deep breath, she thought over her situation. “I guess there is no avoiding it anymore. I have to go down there and look into her eyes.” Reaching her hand up she touched the bandage on her cheek. “I hope she's calmed down a little.”
“Tristan and I will pull her off if not.” He stood up and headed down the stairs with Aven behind him.
When they arrived in the kitchen, Tristan was seated at the table but Ayanna was no where in sight.
“Where is Ayanna?” Aven asked.
“Maybe she doesn't want to see you this morning.” Noah told her. “You really can't blame her any.”
With a slow, sad nod, Aven moved into the kitchen to cook everyone breakfast. “Waffles?” She asked as she pulled out the flour and other ingredients she would need to make them by scratch. “It'll take a little longer than usual, but it will be worth it.”
Noah sat down and looked at the man seated across from him. He hoped he portrayed his annoyance in his eyes over what the other man had involved himself in. He wanted Tristan to know that he was a catalyst in all of this and the fault didn't lay entirely with Aven.
The blonde didn't seem bothered by the message in Noah's eyes. Instead, he was more interested in watching the woman in the room. Even though Aven had told him she felt nothing for him, he continued to hold his longing for her. He had decided to ignore everything that Ayanna had said to him the night before and continue on his path.
“You never did say whether you enjoyed filming that movie.” Noah wanted to get Tristan's attention off Aven.
Turning his head slowly, Tristan frowned. “It was a new experience.”
“I hope you'll do it again in the future.” He wasn't sure if his message of 'get lost' was obvious in his sentence but with Aven around, he didn't want to make it any clearer.
“Ayanna, please come out. I made waffles.” Aven pounded on the door a couple more times, but didn't receive an answer. “We are going to have to talk about this eventually. We can't avoid each other forever.”
With a sigh, Aven made it back into the kitchen and sat down at the table with the boys. They were already working on their breakfast. Across from Aven was a plate with two waffles and no intended consumer. She scooped some of the fruit compote onto her waffles and began to eat them.
Tristan's eyes also fell to the waffles that were intended for Ayanna after he had witnessed the sadness in Aven's eyes when she looked upon them. When he turned his attention to Noah, he could see the other man had noticed as well.
Without any communication between them, both men reached out their forks and grabbed a waffle each to bring to their own plates. Noah went a step further and grabbed the empty plate to place under his own. Now it would seem more like Ayanna was away for the morning rather than throwing a temper tantrum in her bedroom.
“So, uh, uh, what did you do?” Tristan asked the other man. “I mean while we were gone.”
Noah could tell that he was trying to start a conversation so that the awkward silence would end. He never expect the boy band member to ever find silence to be unbearable, but the tension in the air too thick even for him. “I did a little writing and drank a lot of wine. Did you have fun while you were gone?”
“It, it was mostly work. Right, Aven?” Tristan didn't know if this was the right line of questioning, after all her problems with her sister started because she went with him.
“Yeah, work.”
“Didn't get to see much of Florida then? Try any nice restaurants. I know you were in the tourist areas and those places always have expensive but usually nice places to eat.” Noah took another bite of his waffles. “Nothing like our Aven cooks though.”
Tristan nodded his head. “We ate out, but there was nothing note worthy. Just overpriced tourist food like you said.”
Though Aven had waffles in front of her, she was barely picking at them. She didn't seem to be involved in their conversation at all, just like she had been when they had first moved into the house. Both wondered if this was a temporary set back.
“Would you like cereal, Aven? I can make you a bowl.” Tristan asked and stood up from his chair in order to fetch the items she would need.
“No, I'm fine.” She sighed and continued to eat her meal one minuscule bite after another normally followed by some form of sigh.
Looking at the dark haired man, Tristan slowly sat back down in his seat in hopes that his roommate would figure something out.
“She just needs time, Aven.” Noah patted her hand. “She feels betrayed and heartbroken. Ayanna isn't the type to lock her feelings up for very long, eventually I'm sure she'll have worked out an entire speech for you.” He tried to chuckle to lighten the mood.
“I suppose.” She pushed her plate away. “Ayanna loves waffles.”
“Well, they are good.” Noah began to eat again this time with more vigor and Tristan soon followed in his footsteps.
They both finished their plates and gathered them up before taking them to the sink. “We'll do the dishes, don't get up.” Noah was quick to offer Tristan's services before Aven had even thought of getting up to do the chores.
Tristan brought his brows together to show his dislike of the idea, but he didn't say anything as the left over waffles were shoved down the garbage disposal. The two men quickly went to work on washing all the items that were used to make their breakfast. They focused so much on doing the chore that neither noticed when Aven slipped out of the kitchen to hide in her own bedroom.
Aven looked at the caller ID on the house phone. She knew that her sister must be looking at it as well, but wasn't picking up due to who the caller was. Answering the phone, Aven tried her best not to sound depressed.
“Hey.” She failed immediately.
Jeremy heard all of her emotions in her voice. “What's wrong?” He sat down on his couch as the excited feeling of being able to talk to her washed away.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Aven's feet dangled over the side. “Ayanna found out.” She exhaled and threw herself backwards onto her bed. “She came home and overheard Tristan arguing with me.”
The other end of the phone line was silent.
“Hello?”
“Yeah, I'm here.” He replied. “I'm just trying to take it all in. What happened?”
Aven knew she was getting close to crying again just at the thought of reliving the event. “Well, she, uh, um, attacked me. Scratched me up, called me a bunch of names, and locked herself in the bedroom.”
Licking his bottom lip, he thought over what she had told him. “She isn't talking at all?”
“Nope.”
He sighed heavily. “Do you want me to come over? I might be able to get her to talk to me. I'm sure she's angry and humiliated by what happened in front of you and your roommates. Someone that is outside what happened might get her to open up.”
Aven sat up on her bed and looked out her door. She could only see the bathroom door from her own, but somehow it felt like she was looking at her sister's. “I was thinking about calling Scott and asking him to come over.”
“Do you want me to call him?”
“It's weird though, Jeremy. I don't know why she didn't run away to his house, she always does when things get tough. I think something happened, otherwise why would she still be here?” Aven laid back down on her bed and put one hand behind her head while her legs continued to dangle over the edge.
He cleared his throat to buy himself some time in order to come up with an explanation that would soothe her. “Maybe he's working or she can't contact him.”
“Please, Scott never passes up a chance to be around her. I think he keeps his phone on just in case she might call.” She was teasing but her voice sounded almost bitter. “Whenever she and I have fought, she would run over there. Sometimes I wouldn't hear from her in days. Locking herself in her bedroom is unheard of.”
“Do you want me to come over then?” Jeremy stood up from his couch and headed into his bedroom so he could find some clothes to change into.
“Noah and Tristan are here.”
“That doesn't bother me.” He pulled out a white dress shirt from his closet and tossed it onto the bed. “So, is that a yes.”
Aven made a slightly humming noise.
“Go ahead and say it. Say, 'Please, Mister Sloan, sir. Come to my home and rescue my sister and me from this horrible ordeal.”
“I'm not going to say that.” Aven's voice was both playful and annoyed.
Jeremy smirked when he realized he had altered her mood somewhat. “Alright, then just say yes and I'll be on my way over.”
“Yes.”
“I'll talk to you when I get there. Bye.” He hung up the phone and tossed it onto his bed.
The basement apartment smelt musky from the months that it's inhabitant hadn't used it. Noah noticed it right away as he made his way down the stairs. Tristan had disappeared as soon as the dishes were finished, but he wasn't ready to let any of this go. He needed to talk to this idiot about what he had done and if nothing else make him see that he had caused this strife in the household. Noah knew that Aven was to blame for betraying her sister, but he also knew that Tristan had a large part in all of this as well.
Finding his way into the living room, the small windows allowed some light in but it was mostly dark except for the light from the television. It seemed that Tristan had gone right back to his old ways as soon as he had returned. The blonde was watching the screen and seemed oblivious to Noah's presence. His arms were thrown back on the couch and he looked to be enjoying himself. As if he wasn't even worried about the problems that he had caused upstairs.
Noah couldn't really decide why he cared so much, but he knew that if this continued Ayanna wouldn't make their meals anymore. As much as Aven was a great cook, he wondered how long she would be willing to cook for them. That's what he wanted to believe was his reason for getting involved, and no one would change his mind.
“You are a piece of shit.” Noah began.
The voice startled Tristan some, and he sat up quickly to identify his visitor. Reaching for the remote, he turned the television off once he realized it was Noah. “Oh good, another lecture. I do so enjoy getting these from the two members of the household who are emotionally blind and/or dead.”
Noah watched Tristan stand up from the couch to face him.
“Do you plan on getting your ass handed to you again?” He cracked his fingers. “I'm ready if you are.”
Cocking his head to the side, Noah tried to figure out if he was really talking to Tristan. “What the hell is wrong with you? Igniting fights with me, and not caring about the problems you have caused between sisters. Are you truly this selfish?”
“Rich coming from you.”
“For me to scold someone based on selfishness would have to mean that even I am in awe of how far they have taken it.” Noah crossed his arms and frowned. “I thought that I had a good understanding of you. I thought that you cared about Aven but got yourself caught up with Ayanna through no fault of your own, but that would be wrong, wouldn't it?”
“Excuse me?” Tristan took a couple steps forward.
Standing his ground, Noah continued. “You don't give a shit about either of them. With your help, Aven has hurt her sister badly and you couldn't care less. All that ever mattered to you was getting what you wanted from the two of them. With Ayanna it was someone who gives you a place to sleep and with Aven it was someone to sleep with.” He snorted. “Is it even proper to call them 'someone' in your eyes, maybe 'something' is more accurate.”
“Keep talking, old man!” Tristan snapped.
“What are you going to hit me? Do you think that you can just take your frustrations out on me because I'm a man?” Noah snorted once more. “No, it's not that, I forget people aren't men or women to you, they are things. Whatever you want to use them for, right?” When Tristan marched closer to him, Noah waved his hand at him and turned to walk back up the stairs. “I'm not going to let you use me as an object for your whims.”
“You don't know anything about me!” Tristan screamed. “Don't you or that bitch come down here and tell me what I think or feel! I love her, but she rejected me! So, you go ahead and think whatever you want, but I'm not going up there just to be victim to their glares!”
Noah had reached the first stair and turned to face him. “I hurt Aven too. I felt bad about it. Yet, I cared for her enough that I was there for her even when she scorned me. Which is interesting, because I don't even claim to love her.”
“Fuck you.”
“How do you expect her to have any feelings for you, when you offer her nothing but avoidance and stagnation?” Noah began up the stairs to leave Tristan to his television or thoughts, one would drown out the other.
Noah reached the kitchen just in time to be standing next to the front door when the doorbell rang. He called out that he was answering it to his roommates and opened the door to reveal Jeremy, who initially had a large smile on his face but began to look slightly disappointed that he had answered.
“The girls are locked up in their rooms.” Noah told him and headed for the door that would lead him upstairs.
Jeremy shut the door behind him while he spoke. “Noah, may I have a word?”
Turning around to the taller man, he gave a brief nod.
“What we talked about before. I...”
“I told you then that it was none of my business, so whatever you have in mind I would appreciate you leaving me out of it.” He grabbed the doorknob.
“No, no. I wanted to say that I was out of line and I apologize. I acted like a meat head who just wanted to puff his chest out at what he considered a threat and a rival. You were right, though. Anything that happens between Aven and myself is between us and for Aven to decide. I don't want her to think there is any thing strange between you and me.” Jeremy walked around the table and offered out his hand.
Noah briefly shook it before heading up the stairs, leaving Jeremy alone in the kitchen. With his task finished with one of the men in the house, Jeremy made his way into the girls' unit and down the hall. He thought that he would make himself known to Aven first, but decided to go with Ayanna because he had come here for her.
Knocking on the door, he waited for a couple seconds before speaking. “Ayanna, it's Jeremy. Can we talk?”
The door down the hall opened and Aven stuck her head out. He gave her a brief, shy wave before returning to his task at hand.
“Ayanna, just say anything to let me know that you are alright in there. Otherwise, I'll be forced to break the door down.”
“I'm fine!” Ayanna snapped from the other side of the door.
With a sigh, Jeremy made his way over to Aven and stepped into her bedroom. He sat down on the edge of her bed and Aven stood in front of him. “There is little I can do if she won't open the door. I mean yelling at her through it seems impersonal especially for this delicate situation.”
“What now?” She asked.
“Look, I know you said something might have happened with Scott, but let's face it if she isn't answering the door for you and me, then he is our only hope.” He told her this as he pulled out his cellphone.
Placing her hand on her forehead, Aven tried to decide if she wanted to call him. “I mean she is already pissed at me, if I call Scott in...”
“You aren't, I am. He...” Jeremy stopped speaking when his phone rang. He read the name on the screen and then showed it to Aven. “Speaking of the devil. So?”
“Fine, go ahead.”
Answering his phone, he barely gave any greeting at all as he motioned for Aven to shut the door to prevent his voice from being carried down the hall. “I need you to come over to Ayanna's and Aven's.” He listened to his friend talk, but Aven couldn't hear anything. “That isn't important right now. Ayanna found out that Aven and Tristan slept together, and she has barricaded herself in the bedroom.” Again, Jeremy paused. “Then come down here and tell her yourself. That will be something and she might let you in. I don't think she wants me in there because she knows I am closer to her sister.”
He gave a sympathetic grin toward the woman who was waiting for their conversation to end. “Alright then, see you soon.”
“I'll make some fresh coffee.” Aven told Jeremy as they walked into the kitchen. “Decaf, alright? I've been drinking caffeine all day.”
“That's fine.” Jeremy sat down at the table and folded his hands on top, as the door to the basement opened.
Tristan looked at the other man in the room and then to Aven. Rushing over to her, he grabbed her hand and yanked her down into the basement, locking the door behind him. Jeremy had barely been able to stand up at the table and call out to Aven, before they had disappeared behind the wood.
Once he had her in his living room, he simply glared at her for several seconds. He was breathing deeply as if he had been working out though his casual clothing didn't look appropriate for such tasks.
“What is it now, Tristan?” She crossed her arms after she shoved his hand away.
“I don't want just anyone and I don't use people!” He barked. “I don't know why you all think that you understand me, but I...”
Aven tossed up her hands and waved them to cut him off. “I feel like you are bringing me into a conversation half way through. What are you talking about?”
He returned to glaring at her while he prepared his words. Leaning against the back of the couch, Aven waited for him to gather himself. “I think people are people, not things! I just like quiet and being alone, what is wrong with that? Why would I be stagnant to you, but not Noah who is just as much of a hermit as I am. Just because he can be charismatic or pretend that he can exist among others that makes him better? I think it makes him a liar!”
She pressed her lips together. “This sounds like something you should be saying to him, not me.”
“And.... and Ayanna! I let her stay around me because she was the landlady and I wasn't going to tell her off! She pushed herself on me, but I needed a place to stay! Neither of them have any idea!” He punched the wall beside him but didn't break anything.
“The only thing that sounds like it was aimed at me was the stagnation comment. So, let me answer that for you.” Aven stood up from her leaning position and dropped her arms to her sides. “Yes, even if Noah is a hermit, he goes out and tries to be part of society. You don't. I want to retake my life and even though I have always been the type of person that has one or two friends, I still had them.”
“But...”
She cut him off as she didn't want to hear it. “Sure, I like being alone too. Some people just do, but that doesn't mean I would want a boyfriend just like me. I want us to have some interests in common and to be intellectually stimulated by him. I want him to challenge me when I try to hinder myself. I think I would be happier with someone who didn't just allow me to stay in a cocoon like state. If you want to live your life that way then that is your decision and I won't tell you it's wrong, it's just your way, but I don't want that.”
Tristan swallowed hard and continued his glare. “Therefore I am just a crazy ass, who got fooled and used by you.”
“Being fooled and used by me is my fault and I am the only one to blame. Also, you are neither crazy nor an ass. We all at one point in our life have a crush on someone that has no interest in us other than friendship. It's just part of being in society.” Aven walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I know that my words alone won't make up for it in the least, but know that I am really sorry. I knew I could so I used you. Maybe it wasn't something I did knowingly, but looking back on it that's exactly what I did. I hurt you. I hurt Ayanna. I hurt myself.”
Tristan pushed her hand off of him and simply stepped back from her.
“Ok.” Aven said understanding his message. “I am really, very sorry, Tristan. What I did was cruel.” She began towards the stairs and looked back at him only once. He didn't look at her and she thought that perhaps he was going to cry. If he was anything like her then he woulddn't want others to see him to do that, so she did what she would hope others would do for her; leave her alone.
Aven sat on the couch after she and Jeremy made their way into the living room. He had looked concerned when she returned from the basement, but she quickly explained that Tristan was having a temper tantrum which seemed to ease any of his worry.
They both were holding onto their warm cups of coffee when Jeremy reached out his hand and brushed back some hair that had fallen into her face when she took a sip. She smiled warmly yet shyly as she recalled his words from the last time they had met.
“I hope Scott can manage to get in.” Aven hoped to ease any tension she was feeling with a change of topic.
“He has a way with her. I'm sure. Odds are if she does let him in, she might go to his house for the night. Don't be upset.”
She shook her head. “No, that would be great. Not only would it ease the tension in the house, but at least I know she is eating and has company.” Aven sighed deeply. “I really fucked up this time. I'm so selfish and I didn't even bother to consider my sister's feelings.”
Opening his mouth to speak, he immediately closed it as if he was rethinking his words. “Man, I mean, I really wish I could tell you that mistakes happen and that you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. However, this was a pretty cruel screw up, Aven.”
“Trust me, there is no lecture you could give or cruel names you could spout that I haven't already said to myself.” She took a large gulp of her cooling coffee. “It was naïve of me to think she would never find out, but it would have been for the best.” Her voice caught briefly in her throat. “I'm such a douche.”
Jeremy set his coffee down on the coffee table and scooted closer to her on the couch. He placed his arm over her shoulder and with his other hand pat her knee. “Don't cry. I can't stand it when you cry.”
“When have you ever seen me cry?” She asked the question, but as soon as the words were out she remembered. Curtis and her mother's death, she hadn't been able to contain herself. Jeremy had been forced to drag her away both at the hospital and during their funerals.
“When they died, of course.” He didn't want to invoke their names. “You also cried the last day I saw you. After all you had been through, I was leaving you too. I felt horrible that I could just walk away, but there was nothing I could do.”
“Yeah, I remember that.” A tear began to run down her cheek and fall onto her pants. She hoped that Jeremy hadn't noticed the single traitor.
He took the coffee from her hands and set it down, before pulling her closer into his arms. Aven laid her head on his shoulder while her folded hands rested on her knees. Jeremy softly rubbed her upper arm while they sat in silence.
“I remember this too.” Aven finally spoke. “We would sit here for hours just like this and not say anything.”
“Although your weird blubbering noises would fill the room usually.” He spoke in play even though he knew she would be annoyed.
She brought her head up and glared until Jeremy teasingly pushed her head back down on his shoulder. They fell back into the silence for a few more moments, as Aven tried to fight back any tears. She refused to feel sorry for herself when she had done this to herself. As the time clicked away, she soon found herself concentrating on her memories with Jeremy, especially those that were similar to this one they were making now.
“Jeremy?”
“Hmm?”
“You know what would be nice?” She tried to look up at him without removing her head from his shoulder, which meant she only got an eyeful of his neck.
“What's that?”
“Doing this when I'm not upset.”
He squeezed her gently and kissed her forehead. “Stop being upset and you can have that right now.”
In the kitchen, a man coming down the stairs overheard the last of their conversation. He returned upstairs with a frown imprinted upon his face.
Scott arrived in a timely manner and was escorted to the hallway before Jeremy and Aven disappeared into the kitchen. Walking to her door, he cleared his throat before knocking as his heart raced with such ferocity he thought it might go through his ribs.
“Ayanna, it's me. Open the door.” He waited for her to give him a response but got nothing. “Ayanna, I really need to tell you something, so please open the damn door.”
“Go away, rapist!” The response from behind the door sounded more like an angered then sadden Ayanna.
“You are being extremely childish right now.”
“Dickhead!”
Scott exhaled his annoyance and decided that he would have to announce their issue to anyone in the house within ear range. “I didn't sleep with you, Ayanna.”
“Liar!”
He shook his head in humiliation knowing he would have to further explain everything to the household. “No, really! You took off your clothes, tore off my shirt, but you passed out holding onto me. I was going to sneak away when you rolled over or just let go, but I fell asleep. You have an iron grip when you are sleep. I feel sorry for any pillows or stuffed animals that are on your bed right now.” He hoped the joke would ease her emotions.
Ayanna voice became louder from behind the door and he could see a shadow underneath the door that told him she was standing directly behind it. “You really didn't do anything?”
“I swear, I respect and care for you too much. I also wouldn't do anything to harm our friendship. You know that. I wanted to explain it to you that night, but you were so upset that I was going to wait until you calmed down. I'm sorry.” There was no immediate response from her. Scott waited a couple seconds in hopes that she was thinking about letting him in.
“Are you alone out there?”
“Do you think I would be saying this shit in front of other people?”
The door opened and she yanked him inside by his shirt, before locking the door behind him. Turning toward him, she wrapped her arms around his chest to his own surprise. Scott noticed the small black dog on the bed with a wet spot on it's shoulder.
“You believe me?”
Ayanna nodded with her face implanted firmly in his chest. “I've been told all my life that I cling tightly to things when I sleep. I believe you.”
Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he smiled in relief as he placed his chin on the top of her head.
“Aven slept with my boyfriend!” Ayanna suddenly cried out while her fingers dug into his flesh protected only by a thin layer of cloth. “My sister betrayed me!”
“I know.” He rubbed her back. “Aren't you cooped up in here?” He felt her nod against his chest. “Why don't you pack up some of your stuff and come to my place for a few days?”
She remained quiet except for her sobs. He knew she was still unsure about what had happened between them, even if she did say she believed him.
“This time you aren't allowed to drink and strip us.” He teased.
Ayanna giggled while she continued to cry.
“Come on. You don't want to be in this house with Tristan and your sister. I know you don't want to be stuck in this room all the time.” He grabbed her upper arms and gently pushed her away so she could look into his eyes. “You'll be safe at my place, alright?”
She gave a couple nods as the tears continued to pour down her cheeks.
“I'll pack for you. Just sit on the bed.”
“I am not certain what we can do about your lips, but your cheek will take a bandage well enough.” He plucked out a large band-aid and some anti-bacterial ointment. Applying a small dab of the ointment to his finger tip, he wiped the blood off with a piece of gaze before dabbing the ointment gently on her wound. “I've never seen Ayanna so angry before.”
“You've never seen her sister betray her before.” Aven retorted though she barely moved her lips to speak.
After he applied the band-aid to her cheek, he exhaled and stared at her briefly. “Anywhere else?”
Aven looked at her arms and found a few scratches, but only one on her forearm showed any signs of bleeding. When she offered her limb to Noah, he quickly applied the ointment followed by another band-aid. As soon as he was finished, Aven dropped her face into her hands before jerking them back out when the pain from her wounds surged through her skin.
“She'll never forgive me for this. That's why I didn't want her to know anything.” She held back tears and tried to ensure her voice didn't tremble. “I knew she would be hurt and I did it anyway, because I am selfish.”
Noah didn't know what to say to her and simply remained silent. He wanted to tell her that she wasn't selfish, but that would be a lie, something that Aven would see through immediately.
“To Ayanna, while we were growing up, she always looked to me for comfort and protection. I was always the one that made their meals while the babysitter was asleep on the couch. I sang them to sleep. I was the mother that my mom wished she could have been.” She frowned. “My mother told me when I got older how much she hated knowing that my childhood was stolen because she refused to find someone else to marry and help her carry the load.” She swallowed down a lump in her throat. “She also told me that to my siblings I was something that she could never be, and that I would always need to be there to help and defend them.”
“Then why did you do it?”
Aven looked up from the coffee table where her eyes had been set as she talked. “Because I knew I could.” She exhaled a sob and tried to catch herself from crying any further. “That makes me a really evil person, doesn't it? I just knew I could take advantage of Tristan and I was lonely so I did it. I hurt two people in a matter of minutes and I didn't even think twice about them.”
Placing his hand on the furthest shoulder, he pulled Aven into his chest. “We all have regrets. There will always be that one mistake that haunts us, you know that as best as anyone. The trick is to not making them again, that's what breeds forgiveness.”
Aven felt awkward in her former lover's embrace, but there also came a strange calmness that she recalled from days gone by. It was this feeling that she had wanted to gain from Tristan, yet she hadn't found it. That was what made this entire ordeal all the more disturbing. The very thing she wanted from her sister's boyfriend hadn't been there.
Therefore she gained absolutely nothing from betraying her sister. Had she found herself in love with him or any feelings of the sort, then she may have been able to face Ayanna. She may have been able to show her sister that they loved each other, but the truth was she didn't. She felt suffocated and stagnant with Tristan. She cared for him as a friend and thought it was nice to have someone so similar around her. As lovers, however, she couldn't imagine someone else being complacent in the type of behavior she was exhibiting.
Curtis and her mother never allowed her to fall into the slump no matter how hard she wanted to be there. She needed someone who was willing to constantly push her through it, against her will if need be. Of all the people in her life now, she had to find that person because as strong as she was she would always need the reminder to live.
“You son of a bitch!” Ayanna threw the pillow from the couch at him as hard as she could, but he was able to dodge it. “You scum! You selfish dog!” Another pillow was thrown and Tristan managed to dodge it as well. “How could you do that to sisters? Do you have no shame?”
“To be fair, I told you how I felt. You were the one that was acting shameless and pushing yourself on me.” Tristan's face remained stoic as if Ayanna was nothing of importance.
Her breaths were deep as she glared at him. “You don't get it at all, do you? You put yourself between sisters. Two sisters who had a very deep and meaningful bond.”
“You put yourself on the other side. I never asked you to feel anything for me.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking as nonchalant as ever.
She wanted to break down crying but it wasn't to Tristan that she wanted to run, it was to the very woman that had broken her heart. “You really are a self-centered bastard, you know that? No, you are just spineless. You act like women push themselves on you but the truth is you never really try to stop them. Anything they want for the time being until they become a hindrance to your lifestyle and then you treat them like garbage.”
Tristan snorted the first sound of emotion.
“Yeah, that's right. You hated me watching movies with you, but you'd rather have me beside you then leave, right? You didn't want to sleep with me, but you didn't want to push me away either. You told me that you loved my sister, but you were more than happy to keep me around if it meant... what did it mean, Tristan?” Ayanna chuckled. “Are you afraid of being alone?”
“I like...”
“Don't hand me any crap about liking it either, because otherwise you wouldn't want Aven around either.” She nodded her head knowingly. “Yeah, that's it. You put on this front about hating people around you and wanting them to leave you alone, but the truth is you like it when they force themselves to stay, because you don't have to break down and ask for them to.” Ayanna took a deep breath of air when Tristan had nothing to say in response. “Fuck me!” She cursed. “I can't believe that just now I am figuring you out!”
Tristan stood up from his leaning position and dropped his arms to his side. “You don't know anything.”
With a smile, Ayanna stepped around the sofa and walked to stand in front of him. “I can't believe it. You know what it is that you like about Aven? It's that when she is around, you don't feel pressured to talk or to have any sort of uncomfortable conversation. You don't have to put yourself out there, because damn it she doesn't care. She doesn't want to get to know you deeply, so she can't reject you. She'll never be able to find something she dislikes about you, so she'll forever remain beside you.”
He began to frown and glare down at her. “You should leave.”
“I have bad news for you, Tristan. No matter what eventually people learn things about each other that they dislike. You can't hide who you are forever from others, it all comes out in the end.” Ayanna smirked and headed towards the stair with a skip in her step. Stopping she turned back to him and smiled. “Oh, and I am rejecting you. Not the other way around, because we both know you want me to keep pushing myself in to prevent loneliness on your part.”
Tristan watched her disappear up the stairs before he picked up the pillows and tossed them back on the couch. He sat down and glared at the stairway for a couple of moments.
Who the hell did she think she was? Did she honestly believe she had figured him out? He snorted. Whatever kept her away was fine, however. If she wanted to believe that she was hurting him by not coming around anymore, he could live with that. Finally, he would be able to focus on what was important around here and deal less with the meddling sisters.
Picking up his guitar, he began to play. He hadn't done this in a long time not since before he moved into this house, but it always been his way to relieve stress. This house was beginning to be nothing more than a drama club and he was about ready to get out.
---***
As her tired eyes began to focus, Aven awoke to a room that she hadn't seen in some time. The only difference was a sleeping Noah wasn't laying beside her. Sitting up, she tried to recall the events of the previous day. Her heart felt heavy when she remembered her argument with her sister, and then she wondered how she had come to sleep in Noah's bed. She knew she had a couple drinks with him but then she must have fallen asleep on the couch.
Standing up, she made her way into the living room to find Noah. It didn't take long as his light snores helped her locate him easily on the couch. He was barely covered with a thin blanket and looked like he had been uncomfortable in his balled up position.
“Noah.” She spoke in hopes of waking him up.
His eyes popped open as if he was barely asleep to begin with. Sitting up, he gently rubbed his eyes awake. “Morning.”
“Did you put me in the bedroom last night?” She motioned with her thumb to the door behind her before letting her arm drop to her side.
He looked over at the bedroom door briefly though he had to turn his neck slightly so he could see around her. “I think I helped you. I didn't carry you.”
“You should have let me have the couch.” Aven sat down on the couch beside him and rested her forearms on her knees with her hands dangling over.
He slowly shook his head. “If Ayanna had been pissed enough she could have grabbed the spare keys. It was better that I remain a buffer between the two of you.”
Taking a deep breath, she thought over her situation. “I guess there is no avoiding it anymore. I have to go down there and look into her eyes.” Reaching her hand up she touched the bandage on her cheek. “I hope she's calmed down a little.”
“Tristan and I will pull her off if not.” He stood up and headed down the stairs with Aven behind him.
When they arrived in the kitchen, Tristan was seated at the table but Ayanna was no where in sight.
“Where is Ayanna?” Aven asked.
“Maybe she doesn't want to see you this morning.” Noah told her. “You really can't blame her any.”
With a slow, sad nod, Aven moved into the kitchen to cook everyone breakfast. “Waffles?” She asked as she pulled out the flour and other ingredients she would need to make them by scratch. “It'll take a little longer than usual, but it will be worth it.”
Noah sat down and looked at the man seated across from him. He hoped he portrayed his annoyance in his eyes over what the other man had involved himself in. He wanted Tristan to know that he was a catalyst in all of this and the fault didn't lay entirely with Aven.
The blonde didn't seem bothered by the message in Noah's eyes. Instead, he was more interested in watching the woman in the room. Even though Aven had told him she felt nothing for him, he continued to hold his longing for her. He had decided to ignore everything that Ayanna had said to him the night before and continue on his path.
“You never did say whether you enjoyed filming that movie.” Noah wanted to get Tristan's attention off Aven.
Turning his head slowly, Tristan frowned. “It was a new experience.”
“I hope you'll do it again in the future.” He wasn't sure if his message of 'get lost' was obvious in his sentence but with Aven around, he didn't want to make it any clearer.
---***
“Ayanna, please come out. I made waffles.” Aven pounded on the door a couple more times, but didn't receive an answer. “We are going to have to talk about this eventually. We can't avoid each other forever.”
With a sigh, Aven made it back into the kitchen and sat down at the table with the boys. They were already working on their breakfast. Across from Aven was a plate with two waffles and no intended consumer. She scooped some of the fruit compote onto her waffles and began to eat them.
Tristan's eyes also fell to the waffles that were intended for Ayanna after he had witnessed the sadness in Aven's eyes when she looked upon them. When he turned his attention to Noah, he could see the other man had noticed as well.
Without any communication between them, both men reached out their forks and grabbed a waffle each to bring to their own plates. Noah went a step further and grabbed the empty plate to place under his own. Now it would seem more like Ayanna was away for the morning rather than throwing a temper tantrum in her bedroom.
“So, uh, uh, what did you do?” Tristan asked the other man. “I mean while we were gone.”
Noah could tell that he was trying to start a conversation so that the awkward silence would end. He never expect the boy band member to ever find silence to be unbearable, but the tension in the air too thick even for him. “I did a little writing and drank a lot of wine. Did you have fun while you were gone?”
“It, it was mostly work. Right, Aven?” Tristan didn't know if this was the right line of questioning, after all her problems with her sister started because she went with him.
“Yeah, work.”
“Didn't get to see much of Florida then? Try any nice restaurants. I know you were in the tourist areas and those places always have expensive but usually nice places to eat.” Noah took another bite of his waffles. “Nothing like our Aven cooks though.”
Tristan nodded his head. “We ate out, but there was nothing note worthy. Just overpriced tourist food like you said.”
Though Aven had waffles in front of her, she was barely picking at them. She didn't seem to be involved in their conversation at all, just like she had been when they had first moved into the house. Both wondered if this was a temporary set back.
“Would you like cereal, Aven? I can make you a bowl.” Tristan asked and stood up from his chair in order to fetch the items she would need.
“No, I'm fine.” She sighed and continued to eat her meal one minuscule bite after another normally followed by some form of sigh.
Looking at the dark haired man, Tristan slowly sat back down in his seat in hopes that his roommate would figure something out.
“She just needs time, Aven.” Noah patted her hand. “She feels betrayed and heartbroken. Ayanna isn't the type to lock her feelings up for very long, eventually I'm sure she'll have worked out an entire speech for you.” He tried to chuckle to lighten the mood.
“I suppose.” She pushed her plate away. “Ayanna loves waffles.”
“Well, they are good.” Noah began to eat again this time with more vigor and Tristan soon followed in his footsteps.
They both finished their plates and gathered them up before taking them to the sink. “We'll do the dishes, don't get up.” Noah was quick to offer Tristan's services before Aven had even thought of getting up to do the chores.
Tristan brought his brows together to show his dislike of the idea, but he didn't say anything as the left over waffles were shoved down the garbage disposal. The two men quickly went to work on washing all the items that were used to make their breakfast. They focused so much on doing the chore that neither noticed when Aven slipped out of the kitchen to hide in her own bedroom.
Aven looked at the caller ID on the house phone. She knew that her sister must be looking at it as well, but wasn't picking up due to who the caller was. Answering the phone, Aven tried her best not to sound depressed.
“Hey.” She failed immediately.
Jeremy heard all of her emotions in her voice. “What's wrong?” He sat down on his couch as the excited feeling of being able to talk to her washed away.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Aven's feet dangled over the side. “Ayanna found out.” She exhaled and threw herself backwards onto her bed. “She came home and overheard Tristan arguing with me.”
The other end of the phone line was silent.
“Hello?”
“Yeah, I'm here.” He replied. “I'm just trying to take it all in. What happened?”
Aven knew she was getting close to crying again just at the thought of reliving the event. “Well, she, uh, um, attacked me. Scratched me up, called me a bunch of names, and locked herself in the bedroom.”
Licking his bottom lip, he thought over what she had told him. “She isn't talking at all?”
“Nope.”
He sighed heavily. “Do you want me to come over? I might be able to get her to talk to me. I'm sure she's angry and humiliated by what happened in front of you and your roommates. Someone that is outside what happened might get her to open up.”
Aven sat up on her bed and looked out her door. She could only see the bathroom door from her own, but somehow it felt like she was looking at her sister's. “I was thinking about calling Scott and asking him to come over.”
“Do you want me to call him?”
“It's weird though, Jeremy. I don't know why she didn't run away to his house, she always does when things get tough. I think something happened, otherwise why would she still be here?” Aven laid back down on her bed and put one hand behind her head while her legs continued to dangle over the edge.
He cleared his throat to buy himself some time in order to come up with an explanation that would soothe her. “Maybe he's working or she can't contact him.”
“Please, Scott never passes up a chance to be around her. I think he keeps his phone on just in case she might call.” She was teasing but her voice sounded almost bitter. “Whenever she and I have fought, she would run over there. Sometimes I wouldn't hear from her in days. Locking herself in her bedroom is unheard of.”
“Do you want me to come over then?” Jeremy stood up from his couch and headed into his bedroom so he could find some clothes to change into.
“Noah and Tristan are here.”
“That doesn't bother me.” He pulled out a white dress shirt from his closet and tossed it onto the bed. “So, is that a yes.”
Aven made a slightly humming noise.
“Go ahead and say it. Say, 'Please, Mister Sloan, sir. Come to my home and rescue my sister and me from this horrible ordeal.”
“I'm not going to say that.” Aven's voice was both playful and annoyed.
Jeremy smirked when he realized he had altered her mood somewhat. “Alright, then just say yes and I'll be on my way over.”
“Yes.”
“I'll talk to you when I get there. Bye.” He hung up the phone and tossed it onto his bed.
---***
The basement apartment smelt musky from the months that it's inhabitant hadn't used it. Noah noticed it right away as he made his way down the stairs. Tristan had disappeared as soon as the dishes were finished, but he wasn't ready to let any of this go. He needed to talk to this idiot about what he had done and if nothing else make him see that he had caused this strife in the household. Noah knew that Aven was to blame for betraying her sister, but he also knew that Tristan had a large part in all of this as well.
Finding his way into the living room, the small windows allowed some light in but it was mostly dark except for the light from the television. It seemed that Tristan had gone right back to his old ways as soon as he had returned. The blonde was watching the screen and seemed oblivious to Noah's presence. His arms were thrown back on the couch and he looked to be enjoying himself. As if he wasn't even worried about the problems that he had caused upstairs.
Noah couldn't really decide why he cared so much, but he knew that if this continued Ayanna wouldn't make their meals anymore. As much as Aven was a great cook, he wondered how long she would be willing to cook for them. That's what he wanted to believe was his reason for getting involved, and no one would change his mind.
“You are a piece of shit.” Noah began.
The voice startled Tristan some, and he sat up quickly to identify his visitor. Reaching for the remote, he turned the television off once he realized it was Noah. “Oh good, another lecture. I do so enjoy getting these from the two members of the household who are emotionally blind and/or dead.”
Noah watched Tristan stand up from the couch to face him.
“Do you plan on getting your ass handed to you again?” He cracked his fingers. “I'm ready if you are.”
Cocking his head to the side, Noah tried to figure out if he was really talking to Tristan. “What the hell is wrong with you? Igniting fights with me, and not caring about the problems you have caused between sisters. Are you truly this selfish?”
“Rich coming from you.”
“For me to scold someone based on selfishness would have to mean that even I am in awe of how far they have taken it.” Noah crossed his arms and frowned. “I thought that I had a good understanding of you. I thought that you cared about Aven but got yourself caught up with Ayanna through no fault of your own, but that would be wrong, wouldn't it?”
“Excuse me?” Tristan took a couple steps forward.
Standing his ground, Noah continued. “You don't give a shit about either of them. With your help, Aven has hurt her sister badly and you couldn't care less. All that ever mattered to you was getting what you wanted from the two of them. With Ayanna it was someone who gives you a place to sleep and with Aven it was someone to sleep with.” He snorted. “Is it even proper to call them 'someone' in your eyes, maybe 'something' is more accurate.”
“Keep talking, old man!” Tristan snapped.
“What are you going to hit me? Do you think that you can just take your frustrations out on me because I'm a man?” Noah snorted once more. “No, it's not that, I forget people aren't men or women to you, they are things. Whatever you want to use them for, right?” When Tristan marched closer to him, Noah waved his hand at him and turned to walk back up the stairs. “I'm not going to let you use me as an object for your whims.”
“You don't know anything about me!” Tristan screamed. “Don't you or that bitch come down here and tell me what I think or feel! I love her, but she rejected me! So, you go ahead and think whatever you want, but I'm not going up there just to be victim to their glares!”
Noah had reached the first stair and turned to face him. “I hurt Aven too. I felt bad about it. Yet, I cared for her enough that I was there for her even when she scorned me. Which is interesting, because I don't even claim to love her.”
“Fuck you.”
“How do you expect her to have any feelings for you, when you offer her nothing but avoidance and stagnation?” Noah began up the stairs to leave Tristan to his television or thoughts, one would drown out the other.
---***
Noah reached the kitchen just in time to be standing next to the front door when the doorbell rang. He called out that he was answering it to his roommates and opened the door to reveal Jeremy, who initially had a large smile on his face but began to look slightly disappointed that he had answered.
“The girls are locked up in their rooms.” Noah told him and headed for the door that would lead him upstairs.
Jeremy shut the door behind him while he spoke. “Noah, may I have a word?”
Turning around to the taller man, he gave a brief nod.
“What we talked about before. I...”
“I told you then that it was none of my business, so whatever you have in mind I would appreciate you leaving me out of it.” He grabbed the doorknob.
“No, no. I wanted to say that I was out of line and I apologize. I acted like a meat head who just wanted to puff his chest out at what he considered a threat and a rival. You were right, though. Anything that happens between Aven and myself is between us and for Aven to decide. I don't want her to think there is any thing strange between you and me.” Jeremy walked around the table and offered out his hand.
Noah briefly shook it before heading up the stairs, leaving Jeremy alone in the kitchen. With his task finished with one of the men in the house, Jeremy made his way into the girls' unit and down the hall. He thought that he would make himself known to Aven first, but decided to go with Ayanna because he had come here for her.
Knocking on the door, he waited for a couple seconds before speaking. “Ayanna, it's Jeremy. Can we talk?”
The door down the hall opened and Aven stuck her head out. He gave her a brief, shy wave before returning to his task at hand.
“Ayanna, just say anything to let me know that you are alright in there. Otherwise, I'll be forced to break the door down.”
“I'm fine!” Ayanna snapped from the other side of the door.
With a sigh, Jeremy made his way over to Aven and stepped into her bedroom. He sat down on the edge of her bed and Aven stood in front of him. “There is little I can do if she won't open the door. I mean yelling at her through it seems impersonal especially for this delicate situation.”
“What now?” She asked.
“Look, I know you said something might have happened with Scott, but let's face it if she isn't answering the door for you and me, then he is our only hope.” He told her this as he pulled out his cellphone.
Placing her hand on her forehead, Aven tried to decide if she wanted to call him. “I mean she is already pissed at me, if I call Scott in...”
“You aren't, I am. He...” Jeremy stopped speaking when his phone rang. He read the name on the screen and then showed it to Aven. “Speaking of the devil. So?”
“Fine, go ahead.”
Answering his phone, he barely gave any greeting at all as he motioned for Aven to shut the door to prevent his voice from being carried down the hall. “I need you to come over to Ayanna's and Aven's.” He listened to his friend talk, but Aven couldn't hear anything. “That isn't important right now. Ayanna found out that Aven and Tristan slept together, and she has barricaded herself in the bedroom.” Again, Jeremy paused. “Then come down here and tell her yourself. That will be something and she might let you in. I don't think she wants me in there because she knows I am closer to her sister.”
He gave a sympathetic grin toward the woman who was waiting for their conversation to end. “Alright then, see you soon.”
---***
“I'll make some fresh coffee.” Aven told Jeremy as they walked into the kitchen. “Decaf, alright? I've been drinking caffeine all day.”
“That's fine.” Jeremy sat down at the table and folded his hands on top, as the door to the basement opened.
Tristan looked at the other man in the room and then to Aven. Rushing over to her, he grabbed her hand and yanked her down into the basement, locking the door behind him. Jeremy had barely been able to stand up at the table and call out to Aven, before they had disappeared behind the wood.
Once he had her in his living room, he simply glared at her for several seconds. He was breathing deeply as if he had been working out though his casual clothing didn't look appropriate for such tasks.
“What is it now, Tristan?” She crossed her arms after she shoved his hand away.
“I don't want just anyone and I don't use people!” He barked. “I don't know why you all think that you understand me, but I...”
Aven tossed up her hands and waved them to cut him off. “I feel like you are bringing me into a conversation half way through. What are you talking about?”
He returned to glaring at her while he prepared his words. Leaning against the back of the couch, Aven waited for him to gather himself. “I think people are people, not things! I just like quiet and being alone, what is wrong with that? Why would I be stagnant to you, but not Noah who is just as much of a hermit as I am. Just because he can be charismatic or pretend that he can exist among others that makes him better? I think it makes him a liar!”
She pressed her lips together. “This sounds like something you should be saying to him, not me.”
“And.... and Ayanna! I let her stay around me because she was the landlady and I wasn't going to tell her off! She pushed herself on me, but I needed a place to stay! Neither of them have any idea!” He punched the wall beside him but didn't break anything.
“The only thing that sounds like it was aimed at me was the stagnation comment. So, let me answer that for you.” Aven stood up from her leaning position and dropped her arms to her sides. “Yes, even if Noah is a hermit, he goes out and tries to be part of society. You don't. I want to retake my life and even though I have always been the type of person that has one or two friends, I still had them.”
“But...”
She cut him off as she didn't want to hear it. “Sure, I like being alone too. Some people just do, but that doesn't mean I would want a boyfriend just like me. I want us to have some interests in common and to be intellectually stimulated by him. I want him to challenge me when I try to hinder myself. I think I would be happier with someone who didn't just allow me to stay in a cocoon like state. If you want to live your life that way then that is your decision and I won't tell you it's wrong, it's just your way, but I don't want that.”
Tristan swallowed hard and continued his glare. “Therefore I am just a crazy ass, who got fooled and used by you.”
“Being fooled and used by me is my fault and I am the only one to blame. Also, you are neither crazy nor an ass. We all at one point in our life have a crush on someone that has no interest in us other than friendship. It's just part of being in society.” Aven walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I know that my words alone won't make up for it in the least, but know that I am really sorry. I knew I could so I used you. Maybe it wasn't something I did knowingly, but looking back on it that's exactly what I did. I hurt you. I hurt Ayanna. I hurt myself.”
Tristan pushed her hand off of him and simply stepped back from her.
“Ok.” Aven said understanding his message. “I am really, very sorry, Tristan. What I did was cruel.” She began towards the stairs and looked back at him only once. He didn't look at her and she thought that perhaps he was going to cry. If he was anything like her then he woulddn't want others to see him to do that, so she did what she would hope others would do for her; leave her alone.
---***
Aven sat on the couch after she and Jeremy made their way into the living room. He had looked concerned when she returned from the basement, but she quickly explained that Tristan was having a temper tantrum which seemed to ease any of his worry.
They both were holding onto their warm cups of coffee when Jeremy reached out his hand and brushed back some hair that had fallen into her face when she took a sip. She smiled warmly yet shyly as she recalled his words from the last time they had met.
“I hope Scott can manage to get in.” Aven hoped to ease any tension she was feeling with a change of topic.
“He has a way with her. I'm sure. Odds are if she does let him in, she might go to his house for the night. Don't be upset.”
She shook her head. “No, that would be great. Not only would it ease the tension in the house, but at least I know she is eating and has company.” Aven sighed deeply. “I really fucked up this time. I'm so selfish and I didn't even bother to consider my sister's feelings.”
Opening his mouth to speak, he immediately closed it as if he was rethinking his words. “Man, I mean, I really wish I could tell you that mistakes happen and that you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. However, this was a pretty cruel screw up, Aven.”
“Trust me, there is no lecture you could give or cruel names you could spout that I haven't already said to myself.” She took a large gulp of her cooling coffee. “It was naïve of me to think she would never find out, but it would have been for the best.” Her voice caught briefly in her throat. “I'm such a douche.”
Jeremy set his coffee down on the coffee table and scooted closer to her on the couch. He placed his arm over her shoulder and with his other hand pat her knee. “Don't cry. I can't stand it when you cry.”
“When have you ever seen me cry?” She asked the question, but as soon as the words were out she remembered. Curtis and her mother's death, she hadn't been able to contain herself. Jeremy had been forced to drag her away both at the hospital and during their funerals.
“When they died, of course.” He didn't want to invoke their names. “You also cried the last day I saw you. After all you had been through, I was leaving you too. I felt horrible that I could just walk away, but there was nothing I could do.”
“Yeah, I remember that.” A tear began to run down her cheek and fall onto her pants. She hoped that Jeremy hadn't noticed the single traitor.
He took the coffee from her hands and set it down, before pulling her closer into his arms. Aven laid her head on his shoulder while her folded hands rested on her knees. Jeremy softly rubbed her upper arm while they sat in silence.
“I remember this too.” Aven finally spoke. “We would sit here for hours just like this and not say anything.”
“Although your weird blubbering noises would fill the room usually.” He spoke in play even though he knew she would be annoyed.
She brought her head up and glared until Jeremy teasingly pushed her head back down on his shoulder. They fell back into the silence for a few more moments, as Aven tried to fight back any tears. She refused to feel sorry for herself when she had done this to herself. As the time clicked away, she soon found herself concentrating on her memories with Jeremy, especially those that were similar to this one they were making now.
“Jeremy?”
“Hmm?”
“You know what would be nice?” She tried to look up at him without removing her head from his shoulder, which meant she only got an eyeful of his neck.
“What's that?”
“Doing this when I'm not upset.”
He squeezed her gently and kissed her forehead. “Stop being upset and you can have that right now.”
In the kitchen, a man coming down the stairs overheard the last of their conversation. He returned upstairs with a frown imprinted upon his face.
---***
Scott arrived in a timely manner and was escorted to the hallway before Jeremy and Aven disappeared into the kitchen. Walking to her door, he cleared his throat before knocking as his heart raced with such ferocity he thought it might go through his ribs.
“Ayanna, it's me. Open the door.” He waited for her to give him a response but got nothing. “Ayanna, I really need to tell you something, so please open the damn door.”
“Go away, rapist!” The response from behind the door sounded more like an angered then sadden Ayanna.
“You are being extremely childish right now.”
“Dickhead!”
Scott exhaled his annoyance and decided that he would have to announce their issue to anyone in the house within ear range. “I didn't sleep with you, Ayanna.”
“Liar!”
He shook his head in humiliation knowing he would have to further explain everything to the household. “No, really! You took off your clothes, tore off my shirt, but you passed out holding onto me. I was going to sneak away when you rolled over or just let go, but I fell asleep. You have an iron grip when you are sleep. I feel sorry for any pillows or stuffed animals that are on your bed right now.” He hoped the joke would ease her emotions.
Ayanna voice became louder from behind the door and he could see a shadow underneath the door that told him she was standing directly behind it. “You really didn't do anything?”
“I swear, I respect and care for you too much. I also wouldn't do anything to harm our friendship. You know that. I wanted to explain it to you that night, but you were so upset that I was going to wait until you calmed down. I'm sorry.” There was no immediate response from her. Scott waited a couple seconds in hopes that she was thinking about letting him in.
“Are you alone out there?”
“Do you think I would be saying this shit in front of other people?”
The door opened and she yanked him inside by his shirt, before locking the door behind him. Turning toward him, she wrapped her arms around his chest to his own surprise. Scott noticed the small black dog on the bed with a wet spot on it's shoulder.
“You believe me?”
Ayanna nodded with her face implanted firmly in his chest. “I've been told all my life that I cling tightly to things when I sleep. I believe you.”
Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he smiled in relief as he placed his chin on the top of her head.
“Aven slept with my boyfriend!” Ayanna suddenly cried out while her fingers dug into his flesh protected only by a thin layer of cloth. “My sister betrayed me!”
“I know.” He rubbed her back. “Aren't you cooped up in here?” He felt her nod against his chest. “Why don't you pack up some of your stuff and come to my place for a few days?”
She remained quiet except for her sobs. He knew she was still unsure about what had happened between them, even if she did say she believed him.
“This time you aren't allowed to drink and strip us.” He teased.
Ayanna giggled while she continued to cry.
“Come on. You don't want to be in this house with Tristan and your sister. I know you don't want to be stuck in this room all the time.” He grabbed her upper arms and gently pushed her away so she could look into his eyes. “You'll be safe at my place, alright?”
She gave a couple nods as the tears continued to pour down her cheeks.
“I'll pack for you. Just sit on the bed.”