07-18-2015, 05:04 PM
The month seemed to disappear before their very eyes. Aven and Ayanna were back to being close, Tristan continued to adopt his new attitude toward life, and Noah sulked up in his apartment. However, today was the end of their time together as a foursome.
Standing in the driveway, Tristan packed his bags into Eric's car so that they could leave for the airport. His three roommates stood in wait to say their goodbyes, as Eric got into the black sedan to wait for him.
Ayanna hugged him tightly. “Don't forget about us when you are rich and famous again.”
Tristan smiled. “I'll make sure that you'll have plenty of posters of me to hang up in your bedroom.” He winked as she chuckled.
Aven was next and she too gave him a hug though it was much briefer than her sister's. “You're always welcomed back and promise you'll come see us from time to time.”
“I promise.” He hugged her once more knowing this would be the last time that he could touch his comfortable person.
Noah was quick to shake his hand once the hug ended and Tristan smirked at him knowing of his jealousy. “See you around.”
“Yeah, see you.” Tristan turned toward the car and climbed in. He waved briefly to them as the car pulled away.
“That's it.” Ayanna said disappointed. “Tristan doesn't live with us anymore.”
Placing her hand on her sister's back, she hugged her gently. “We will get a new roommate soon enough.” She told her as Noah flipped around and headed back into the house. He looked upset by the situation but the girls had seen him acting this way all month so it barely caught their notice.
After a brief moment, Ayanna sighed. “You are leaving for your trip and Noah is moving out next week. I'll be in this house all alone for a while.”
Aven hadn't asked her sister what had happened between her and Scott, but she did notice the lack of him and that Ayanna had gotten a job working as a file clerk. “I'll call everyday.”
“Why did he have to schedule for you to leave the same day as Tristan?” Ayanna frowned. “I thought you said this wasn't going to happen for a couple months.”
“I already told you. He has the time now and besides I think he wants us to get as close as we can as soon as we can. He feels uneasy with Noah around.”
“Should he?” Ayanna looked into her sister's face and could tell that she was wondering the same question.
Aven shrugged, “I don't see why he should be. Noah is moving out, it kind of makes our trip moot, but he seems adamant about going.”
The two girls stood quietly in the driveway and looked over the street that they grew up on. Victorian homes covered the area and were all well kept. The street was quiet and barely anyone except neighbors drove down it. Every thing looked so peaceful so it was a wonder that their lives had been so hectic.
Looking at her watch, Ayanna gasped. “I am going to be late to my appointment.” She was referring to her psychiatrist. “She's going to get a bunch of tears from me today.” She teased before running inside to grab her purse and keys.
When she returned outside, she scurried toward her car. “I'll be back in time to send you off, so don't leave before I get home!”
Aven watched her get into the car and nearly speed off destroying the peaceful neighborhood they had just been admiring. She smiled at her sister and turned back to her house. Everything was changing again and she didn't like it. She had finally gotten used to her roommates and living together, and now it was all wiped clean. She had to start over. Aven wondered if her heart could really take it.
Noah watched from the small circular window in his living room as the girls stood in the driveway. He assumed they were watching after Tristan who he knew was long gone by now. His heart ached as he slid down onto the couch. He missed his male roommate already even though they never really had been friends, but there had been some thing important between yet there was no name to give it.
His mind wandered to the night before when Tristan came to his room to visit him after their other two roommates had fallen asleep.
“What is it?” Noah was still packing. He was taking his sweet time about it, which was something that every one had noticed but him.
Tristan had entered his apartment without so much as knocking and had half expected Noah to be annoyed by it and point it out. “I wanted to talk to you. No, rather I wanted to ask a favor of you.”
Noah was sitting on the ground next to a box and he looked up at Tristan who was standing near the stairs. “What?”
“Don't move out.”
The writer snorted. “Why do you care? You are leaving tomorrow. What happens in this house after you are gone is none of your concern.”
“That's why I am doing it now, because right now I am still a member of this household.” Tristan knelt down beside his soon to be former roommate. “Please stay here.”
A frown formed on his lips. “What exactly is your angle?”
“Aven came alive when you moved in here. I hated it because I wanted her attention, but I think she needs you to help her move forward.”
Standing up, Noah scoffed at his friend's words. “I have taken Aven as forward as she can go with me. It's up to that Jimmy or whatever his name is to take her further.”
“You know damn well his name is Jeremy.” Tristan stood up to face him. “It's just your jealousy not wanting to admit that he's real or maybe some other reason. I don't know. I'm not good at reading people.”
“I am not jealous.” His voice told the other man and even Noah wasn't convinced of his words, but that seemed to be his way lately. Saying things that sounded so insincere but with annoyance or anger so no one would question it.
Tristan shrugged his shoulders. “Fine, you aren't jealous. I am sure, you have perfectly valid reasons for disliking the perfect gentleman who is dating your completely platonic roommate.”
If it was at all possible, Noah's frown deepened. “Are you here to have one last fist fight with me?”
The blonde smirked and attempted to slide his hands into his pants pockets only to be reminded he was wearing blacking pajama bottoms without any. “No, I told you that I came to ask you a favor.”
“I can't do it.” Noah walked over to his couch and sat down. He was soon followed by Tristan who took a seat beside him.
“Why?”
Turning his head he look him in the eyes. “I am not going to sit here and watch her be with someone else. That's torture.”
Tristan was somewhat happy that Noah had dropped the denial for him in those moments. Even if it was the only time that he would admit it to himself, Tristan was glad that he could have brought him to the point. It was a victory for both men. Tristan because he was actually taking his first steps in helping someone, and Noah for acknowledging his suppressed self. “I know, that's why I am leaving, but it's not Jeremy that I see as the other man.” Tristan told him and before Noah could respond he stood up and headed for the stairs.
Noah was left to sit on the couch and think over the conversation that he had just had. It was a conversation that haunted his dreams that night and that surrounded his thoughts as he said his farewells.
Scott had been seeing Felice on a regular basis since Ayanna moved out of his apartment. She was barely there for a few weeks, but he had grown accustom to driving to work with her and talking to her over meals. He found himself replacing that loss with this other woman, though it didn't feel the same.
Felice was intelligent enough to know something wasn't right, but she hadn't brought the subject up. She thought he would eventually come around, when that wasn't occurring in a pace that she liked she asked Joseph. After hearing what her cousin had to say, she realized that it was a private matter and she should have asked Scott himself.
Tonight, they had decided not to eat at Scott's house or rather Felice had decided. She didn't know if she just wanted him somewhere he couldn't make a scene or if she just wanted to pull him away from the place that Ayanna had been. It all depended on whether she could pull the trigger and ask him to be honest with her.
The restaurant hostess had sat them in the back corner. It wasn't a fine dining restaurant, just a chain with mostly booths and servers that wore pins on their vests. The foods were given strange names that felt embarrassing to read let alone say. This had been Felice's choice as she didn't want what might be their last meal together to be an expense on him.
After they ordered, they were brought chips and salsa. Felice watched Scott eat some of them, but noticed that sadness in his eyes and his lack of interest in talking tonight. It seemed like the more comfortable he became around her the less interested he was in hiding this depression. Then again, Felice thought, maybe it was the longer he was without Ayanna the more depressed he became.
“Why don't you tell me what's going on?” Felice finally asked causing Scott to look at her with confusion. “Joseph said that Ayanna hasn't been contacting you, and that's probably the cause of all this.” She used her hand to motion toward him.
“I was hoping you wouldn't notice.”
“It's hard not to, you are pretty obvious. So, why don't you go ahead and tell me what's going on? I'm a big girl, I can handle it.” She leaned back in the booth and put both hands in her lap.
“I just miss my best friend.” He shrugged. “I said some harsh things to her the morning she moved out, and she won't talk to me. I thought about going to her house, but I don't want to make a scene in front of her roommates and sister. I thought about waiting outside the house until she comes out, but that makes me feel like a stalker. Ayanna doesn't come to work anymore, so I am worried she doesn't have enough money to pay her bills or even feed herself. Then I worry that she might have gone back to her old ways of sleeping with guys to get them to pay her bills. My mind is constantly worried as I wait for news about her.”
Felice nodded her head. “You aren't ready, are you?”
“Ready for what?” He asked curiously.
“To date someone else. Ayanna is still what's important to you, and until she isn't any longer then you should either be on your own or be with her. Depends on how much punishment you are willing to endure.” She began to eat one of the tortilla chips without any salsa.
Scott looked upset by her words, but he had no way of responding to them.
“I think you should go to her one last time. You should lay everything on the line and see what she has to say. After doing that, you might be able to start letting go.” She cleared her throat. “There is no closure in the spot you are in now, so of course you can't move forward.”
“But you...”
“I told you, I'm a big girl. Maybe if she rejects you and you become ready, I might be available. For now, I am just playing second fiddle or rebound or whatever you want to call it, and frankly I am not a fan.” She smirked. “Now, let's eat our last meal together with some peace and a few smiles. Shall we? End it on a good note.”
Scott's frown slowly turned into a smile. “I wish that I was over her. You are one of the best women I have ever met.”
Felice grinned. “Be careful, I might hold onto you with that sort of flattery.”
Aven had noticed Noah looking at her a few times when they passed in the kitchen. She could tell that he had something that he wanted to say, but whenever she gave him a chance he would storm off annoyed. She was certain that his annoyance was at himself and not towards her.
In her bedroom, she was finishing up her packing when Ayanna appeared in the doorway having returned from her earlier appointment. She smiled bitterly as she watched her sister dressed in nothing but jeans and a t-shirt prepare to leave her. “I think it's a bad idea for you to go on this trip.”
Looking up from her suitcase and the shirt she was folding, Aven gave her younger sister a questioning look.
She had a hundred reasons why she should stay, but she knew none of them would be good enough. However, that wasn't going to stop her from pleading with her elder sister. “Azelea's surgery will happen while you are out of the country, what if something goes wrong?” Ayanna moved into the bedroom and sat down near the headboard, she kept one leg dangling over the edge.
“What could I do if I were here? It will just be sitting around and waiting. Azelea already told me that's not what she wants and has given me the go ahead to go on this trip. If she is alright with it, then I don't see how you have any right to object.” Aven closed her suitcase and looked at her sister.
“What about me? I am going to move out on my own soon as well. Don't you want to spend the remaining time together?” She stood up from the bed.
“Do you plan to move somewhere that I won't be able to visit you often?”
Ayanna frowned. “What about Noah? I think you both still have feelings for each other, but are too proud to say anything.”
“I told him how I felt, and he knows the reason that Jeremy and I are going on this trip. The ball is in his court now, and these are his last hours.” She moved to stand in front of her sister and placed her hand on her shoulder. “Things are changing. I have decided to stop living in my past and look toward the future. You have made the same decision, I think, so tell me why you are hesitant right now?”
The younger sister's eyes began to swell up with tears. “Every thing is going to be different. If you get better then I have no one who will need me.”
“You are getting better with me, which means neither of us will be sick anymore. That means we both will need each other more than ever.” She pulled her sister in for a hug and held her tightly to her. Ayanna wasn't able to pull her arms up in time and found them stuck between their bodies.
She tried to not cry while being held so close to a sister she wasn't going to see for a few weeks. “How am I supposed to go through Azelea's surgery without you here to comfort me?”
“It's not about you, it's about Azelea. You have to be strong for her.” Aven stepped out of the hug and cupped her sister's face. “Things are only going to get better, Ayanna. You and I are both going to get what we want and you just have to trust me when I say everything will be alright.” She kissed her forehead before releasing her. “I'll call you every day and tell you all about my adventures.”
“Do you think this trip will bring you fully around to Jeremy?” She wiped the accumulating tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. Her voice cracked a couple times as she asked the question and tried to find the right wording.
Aven's eyes became serious. “I don't know, but I am certain that there is only one way to know for sure.”
“I hope when you are old and gray, you don't regret this.” She sniffled once more.
“I am not going to live my life with regret or looking into the past anymore, Ayanna, and you should stop too.” She patted her shoulder. “Now, are you going to help me move this luggage into the kitchen?”
She smiled when Ayanna nodded and reached for one of her bags.
Aven spotted Noah a couple more times in his attempt to talk to her, and she decided that she would give him the opportunity. Her heart sputtered in her chest as she thought of what this all could mean, though she had her own hopes as well. Yet, even those hopes were dashed with the thoughts of Jeremy and she soon worried that what she wanted was perhaps what she might get.
It had taken her a while to push down her emotions for Noah, but they still bubbled up from time to time. They always seemed to come out when she was in his apartment as the memories she had of him were mostly there.
Through the intercom, she asked if she could come up to which he responded that she could. Making her way up the stairs, she stopped at the entry way and looked at Noah trying to sit nonchalantly on the couch.
“You have something you want to say?” She tried to cover up any emotion or hopes in her voice.
He looked at her questioningly.
“I've noticed you trying to talk to me all day, but you don't seem able to find the right moment.” Part of her wanted him to send her away, and yet she always wanted to hear him out. Whatever he said to her in those moments would be painful to hear, but she had figured out Noah's game in the past month or at least she thought she had.
With his arms splayed on the back of the couch, he simply shrugged. “I just wanted to wish you well on your trip and tell you that I'll be gone when you get back, so we might as well say our goodbyes now.”
“Oh.” Her heart clenched as she realized she had been wrong about Noah's intentions. “Well, then. I... I am really thankful that I met you, Noah.”
That was not what he had thought he would hear and it weighed heavily on him as she continued.
“I know that the only reason you showed any interest in me was for your book, but if you hadn't come along I think I would still be the person I was before. I would be depressed and angry at myself. Thanks to you, I was able to realize that I did want more out of life even if what I wanted at the time didn't want me in return. It, at least, made me feel something again and that means that I am now moving forward. The past is behind me, and I have you to thank for that.” Aven said everything without a single tear in her eye as she wasn't as emotional as her sisters, but the sincerity was in her voice.
Noah stood up from the couch, heart broken and touched by her words. If she knew how he really felt would she let him return from the past? He wasn't going to find out, he decided. He had hurt her too many times by now and it was only right to let her walk away to be with someone that had waited for her for a very long time.
“I am happy to have met you too. I was stuck as well and many times your words shoved me forward.” After hearing her big goodbye, he felt odd that his was so short. “Thanks for reading my book.” He tried to reach for more but his own heart was too pained to come up with anything. “I... I don't know what else to say. I have no more words.”
Aven stepped forward and put her arms around his chest, and placed her hands against his back. Noah was shocked at first but quickly wrapped his arms around her shoulder and held her tightly. Neither wanted the other to see the faces of regret and pain that they were feeling. Twice Aven tried to end their embrace, but Noah continued to hold her.
Stepping apart they smiled at each other. “Jeremy is downstairs, so I have to go now. Goodbye, Noah.”
“Goodbye.” He watched her make her way over to the entry way but she stopped and looked over her shoulder at him.
“I can give you the words. They should sound something like, 'Stop, don't go. I love you.' I'll even give you the results of those words: I'll stay.”
Noah stared at her for a moment, before scoffing softly and returning to packing the knickknacks that Aven was certain she had seen him pack before. She understood what he meant and exhaled before making her way down the stairs and out to the driveway.
Ayanna had already said her goodbyes to her sister and was too upset to see her off in the driveway where just that morning she had sent away another house mate. The world hung heavy in her heart as she thought of how lonely she would be once Noah moved out as well. She wondered if she could beg him to stay until Aven returned.
Sitting in her bedroom on the bed, she stroked the head of the little black dog. “Our little family is broken, Nyx.”
The dog moved it's head onto her lap, exhaled audibly, but continued to sleep.
“What's going to happen if Jeremy and Aven get serious? Will we need to move out?” She sniffled. “I feel like I am becoming obsolete the better she and I become. She said that wasn't going to happen, but...” She cut herself off as her phone rang.
Picking it up, she saw Scott's name on the caller ID. Her thumb moved over the talk button and then over the end, but it danced back and forth a few more times before she finally ended her misery and sent him to voice mail like she had always done.
“We can't use people just because we are lonely, Nyx. That's something we have learned in therapy. Something else we should learn is not to include you when I am speaking for myself. I sound insane. I mean hell I am already talking to a dog, do I need to give more fuel for the fire if someone overhears me?” She was trying to cheer herself up, but it wasn't working.
The phone rang again and it was the same caller as before. Again she ended the call, only to have him call immediately after.
“Maybe there is an emergency?” She wanted to give herself a reason to answer. “No, he'll have to call someone else.”
Again, it rang and Ayanna sighed exasperated. “What?” She screamed when she answered the phone.
Scott was a little taken back by the way she answered the phone and stuttered at first. “I... I... Ayanna?”
“You have called me a hundred times? Did you do that to the wrong number?” She snapped.
“No.” He cleared his throat. “Ayanna, I really need to talk to you. Could you meet me at our café?” He had already eaten with Felice, but he couldn't think of much else to do to get Ayanna to come out and see him.
“No, Scott, I can't. Today, I have said goodbye to Tristan, my sister is leaving for an extended vacation, and I am helping the other roommate move out as well.” She lied a little. “My day is a little full right now, and I just can't handle you as well. Matter of a fact, I don't want to deal with you ever.” She didn't mean to sound so mean, but she thought it would be the only way to scare him off. “Please, don't call me anymore. I made it very clear that our relationship was over.”
“If you don't come to me, then I will come to your house and make a huge scene. It's very important that I see you right now. You signed some papers that have caused my business serious harm, it might collapse and I need you to help me fix what you have done.” He was lying but he figured this was his only way. He was determined to see her and tell her everything one final time, and he would be damned to do it over the phone.
A look of panic shot across her face. “What could I have signed that would do that?”
“You hired someone for a very large sum. Obviously, you didn't read the contract over well enough as there was an extra zero in her payment.” He didn't know if she would believe him as she signed up very few girls while she worked there. “Do you realize how much this oversight is going to cost me?”
“What can I do to help?”
“Come see me, we will talk then.” He hung up the phone.
Ayanna was quick to jump out of bed and scurried to put her clothes on.
“I am so excited to have you here.” Cathleen smiled as she entered her apartment with Tristan following behind her with his luggage.
Looking around the room, Tristan told himself that she had said the place was small. The living room had enough room for her green love seat and a television. The kitchen was directly linked to the living room with no wall and the counter space was small. The area for the dining table that would probably only sit two anyway was filled with boxes.
“I had to clean out the second bedroom. If it's too small for you, we can switch.” She walked to the left of the room into the small hallway and opened the door. “The bathroom is connected to both rooms, so if you have guests they have to walk through one of our bedrooms. Mine is usually clean, so we will just have them go through mine.” She smiled.
Tristan tried to hide a smirk as he was amused by how accommodating she was toward him. “Everything looks great, Cathleen. Thanks for letting me move in.”
He never seemed interested in talking to her on set, and even on the phone she didn't believe the man speaking those kind words was really him, but now she couldn't deny it. Tristan was standing directly in front of her and he was actually being nice.
“You're welcome. Thanks for moving in and helping me with rent.” She continued to smile at him, her heart moved by his words. As she spoke a black cat came out from behind the boxes and jumped onto the back of the love seat. “Oh, I have a cat. I hope you don't mind. She's fixed and she doesn't scratch anything, but if you lock her in your bedroom by accident she might go on your bed. So watch out for that.”
He was amused that he had left a house with a black dog to one with a black cat. “It's fine. I like cats. They are independent and quiet.” He didn't touch the cat which Cathleen thought was strange. “Did my bed arrive?” He asked taking his luggage to his room.
When he entered the small room, he found his full size mattress filled most of the room and the dresser filled the corner. He grinned at how small this place was. “Once things start looking up for us, we should find a bigger place.”
Again, Cathleen's heart race when she realized that he was thinking about staying as her roommate long term. “Yeah, that's probably a good idea. You probably aren't used to living in such a small apartment. I mean with your previous wealth and everything.”
He grinned at her. “I'll get used to it. Should we discuss house rules and chores?”
“Oh, I love to cook, so can I do that in exchange for you cleaning the bathroom?” She motioned toward the closed door. It was a good thing that it was sliding because he wouldn't have been able to open it otherwise.
“Deal.”
“I don't bring people home, so we don't have to worry about that from my side.” Cathleen was fishing for whether or not he had plans on bringing home a girl.
“I won't be bringing people home either.” He told her as he picked up a suitcase and dropped it on the bed, before opening it to unpack his clothes.
“We will have to take care of our own rooms, and for the living room we can alternate weeks.” She smiled even wider when he nodded in agreement. “I am so excited to have you here. I can barely contain myself. My cheeks are going to hurt from all my smiling.”
Tristan stopped unpacking and looked at her briefly. She did seem genuinely happy that he had moved out there and she had called everyday for a week to make sure he was still coming. A warm feeling bubbled up in his chest and he wondered what that sweet feeling meant. Whatever it was, he was happy that she wanted him there. “What's for dinner?”
Cathleen clasped her hands together. “I am going all out for your first meal here!”
Jeremy was putting the last of the suitcases into the trunk of his large gray sedan. He smiled in relief when Aven appeared and began to walk toward him. She had told him that she was going to say her goodbyes to Noah, but he feared that the other man would use this chance to convince her to not leave.
This past month he had found Aven daydreaming quite often and would often speak about Noah's strange behavior to Ayanna and Tristan. It was clear her mind had been with him and he wondered if her heart remained there too.
“All ready to go?” He asked.
With a smile that was obviously trying to hide raw emotions, she gave a firm nod. “Let's go. Security is a pain I hear, so we should get there as soon as possible.” She said as she continued to walk toward him. She was stopped when her hand was grabbed.
Noah stood in the driveway with no shoes onn just black slacks and his white dress shirt that he had been wearing moments before. He looked slightly panicked as Aven merely looked over her shoulder at him with her purse flung over it. She stared at him as he tried to gather whatever words he wanted to say.
Jeremy stood a few feet away with his heart in his throat, begging any entity out there that this wasn't what it looked like.
“What is it?” Aven finally asked when the silence was only compounding.
He released her hand and seemed to decide that he wasn't going to say anything. “Have a good trip.”
Her own heart had been pounding, but now it was settling back down as she realized he wasn't going to be able to say what she needed to hear. “Thanks.”
Taking a few more steps away from him, she tried to choke down any emotion as she didn't want Jeremy to see nor to break down in front of Noah.
“I don't want you to go and I don't want to move out either!” Noah shouted.
His words made her stop and she once again looked over her shoulder at him. There was a pause as she waited for the rest, but he seemed hesitant to say anything. Continuing toward the car, Aven opened the passage side door.
“I love you.” He whispered under his breath as if he was testing the words out. “I love you! Alright? I said it all, are you happy?”
Her glare told him that she was in fact not. “With that sort of confession? Is this how you get women to swoon at your feet?”
Noah chuckled bitterly at her taunt. “No, but I hoped it would make the woman who forced the words out of me to do so.”
The luggage that Jeremy had just packed were put down beside her and she turned to face him horrified that she had forgotten he was there.
“Jeremy, I...”
He waved her worries away. “I always knew that I had come back too late. Thanks, though. These past weeks together have made all my waiting worthwhile. That you even attempted to see me as more then just a friend, I feel really gracious. It's like maybe now I can finally move on.” Reaching out his hand, he laid it on her shoulder before pulling her in for a hug.
“But the tickets and...”
“Don't worry about it. I thought something like this might happen, so I have a friend on standby. He and I will go, and bachelor it up.” With that he walked around to the other side of the car and got in. He was rushed as he didn't want her to see his tears. Quickly, he pulled out of the driveway with Aven watching him, she stood quietly there long after he disappeared. Noah remained behind her annoyed that she was more worried over the other man.
Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. “Are you making me jealous on purpose?”
She rolled her eyes and pulled away from his embrace. “Help me with my luggage. Leave it to you to wait until it's a big hassle to end before putting a stop to this.”
Noah smiled at her nagging and bounced over to stand in front of her. “Normally, in books this is where I would write the kissing scene.” He tapped his lips with his index finger.
“Help me unpack first, and I might oblige you.” She grabbed her suitcase. “You can live in anticipation for a while.”
Ayanna jumped out of her car with a look of panic in her eyes. She found Scott standing outside the café with his arms crossed and leaning casually against the railing. Holding her purse and running in heels, she quickly approached him.
“Is the client inside? Has she arrived? I'm sure I can explain. Does she plan to sue if we don't pay?” She looked through the windows but found that the place was empty. “You bought the café out again, didn't you?”
He was a little surprised that she knew he had been doing that. “Let's go inside.” He motioned for her to enter, but Ayanna stood planted in her spot.
“There was no contract error, was there?” She cursed herself internally for being so easily manipulated.
“Don't leave. Hear what I have to say, please.” He was able to stop her from turning around with that single sentence. He hadn't expected it to be that easy and was stunned into silence.
“Well?” Ayanna snapped impatiently.
Exhaling his nervousness, he began. “The girl I have been seeing this past month. Her name is Felice and she is a really great woman. We have so much in common and there are barely any boring moments with her. She doesn't...”
“What are you trying to say?” Was this a deliberate attempt to get her jealous or to shove it in her face? Ayanna asked herself.
“Let me finish. She doesn't judge me for what I do for a living and she is constantly making me laugh. Better yet, she knows all about you and wasn't jealous about it in the least. She's pretty much everything that I want in a woman.”
“Great, I'm happy for you.” Her voice did not carry any tone of happiness and with that she prepared to leave.
“There is a problem with her.”
“And what you want me to help you come up with a way to fix it?” She rolled her eyes.
“Yes, I do. She's not you.”
Those words stopped the eye roll half way through. “What?”
“You're are all the things I just mentioned as well, but you're my best friend too. I can't imagine not having you with me. You lived at my place for such a short time, but the moment you left it was empty again.” He stepped towards her and put his hands on her shoulders. “So, please, Ayanna. Let's start seeing each other again, even if it's just as friends.”
“I can't.” She looked down and he immediately removed his hands from her shoulders.
“I see.” He cleared his throat. “Well, I said I would accept any answer you gave me.”
Looking back up at him, she held bitter tears in her eyes. “I can't see you as a friend anymore. I think I always had feelings for you but I hid them deep down inside myself to protect the friendship. I also was afraid you would see me as a gold digger. I guess though now the friend is gone and we are only left with this.” She looked into his eyes. “If we are meant to be together, then I am going to have to ask you to continue waiting for me.”
“Why?”
“I need time to be alone and find out who I am. If someone else comes along while I am making you wait, don't turn her away. I'll lose out graciously.” With that, Ayanna stepped forward and kissed his cheek gently. She turned away after seeing the look of acceptance on Scott's face. Though she feared that Felice would take him she knew it was a risk she would have to take.
A year seems to make all the difference in the world for some. For Noah and Aven, they had begun to turn their little triplex back into a house. His book about them had been published and was doing quite well.
Standing in the kitchen, Aven smiled as she prepared the green been casserole because Noah was hovering over her. “It has to bake first.” She told him as she sprinkled some cheddar cheese on top.
He opened the oven for her when she turned around and then looked toward the kitchen window. “Looks like the guests are arriving.”
Walking to the door together, they opened it and smiled at Scott and Ayanna. They had begun dating a couple months before, but had assured everyone that they were taking things slowly. Ayanna had moved out into her own studio apartment with Nyx and seemed to be enjoying the freedom of it now.
The two sisters hugged while the men shook hands, before the girls each went in for a hug of the other's man.
“Is Tristan here yet?” Ayanna asked which was not a question Scott liked hearing.
“No, he called from the airport, he'll be here soon. He brought Cathleen though.” She winked at her sister and returned to the mashed potatoes she was also making.
“Are they together?” She asked with surprise and left Scott to close the door behind him.
“He claims that they aren't, but I think it might happen eventually. He certainly spends enough time with her, and I think she wants to get there.” She told her as she smashed the potatoes. Aven had been hearing from Tristan and Cathleen on a monthly basis, but it never seemed appropriate to tell her sister unless she asked. “Oh, Azelea and Ike are in the second bedroom. Taking a nap, so keep your voices down for now.”
“She feeling alright?”
Aven smiled and nodded. “She's fine.”
At the moment, another set of visitors came to the door. Scott was the one to open it since he was closer to it. Jeremy entered with a smile with Tristan and Cathleen right behind him. They had arrived at the same time.
“I thought you were bringing your girlfriend.” Aven said to Jeremy.
He shrugged, “She went to have Thanksgiving with her family. They nagged her into it. She promises to show up for Christmas though.”
“A mysterious girlfriend?” Ayanna teased.
“She's not a mysterious girlfriend.”
“Have you met her yet?” She asked her sister who shook her head.
Jeremy tried to hide a blush and excused himself to the bathroom.
“We're here too in case Jeremy's large shadow hid us from view.” Tristan teased and was immediately offered hugs and hand shakes along with laughter.
Cathleen made her way into the kitchen and hugged Aven before she began to help her prepare the meal.
“The living room has a big table set up. There is wine and appetizers.” She looked at Ayanna. “You should probably wake up Azelea and Ike since everyone is here now.”
Ayanna left the room followed by Scott and Tristan. Noah stood off to the side and smiled as he watched Aven make her first Thanksgiving meal. He wondered to himself how four roommates had made themselves into a family that wanted to spend the holidays together. He thought about the man he had been when he first moved in and was curious as to where that person had gone, but then again that could be said for all the roommates that once lived here.
The four of them had come together for a very brief moment in time, but had managed to change each other for the better. They all had been hiding within themselves and pretending that they were happy that way. They had needed each other to see their own faults. They needed each other to help them along in a journey that no one else could have gone with them on. There had been laughter and tears during this painful quest to find themselves, but in life there can never be one without the other.
Walking across the room, Noah kissed Aven firmly on the lips. “I'll entertain the guests.” He said with a smile which only became larger when he walked out of the kitchen and was ordered by his fiancée not to drink too much wine.
The End
Standing in the driveway, Tristan packed his bags into Eric's car so that they could leave for the airport. His three roommates stood in wait to say their goodbyes, as Eric got into the black sedan to wait for him.
Ayanna hugged him tightly. “Don't forget about us when you are rich and famous again.”
Tristan smiled. “I'll make sure that you'll have plenty of posters of me to hang up in your bedroom.” He winked as she chuckled.
Aven was next and she too gave him a hug though it was much briefer than her sister's. “You're always welcomed back and promise you'll come see us from time to time.”
“I promise.” He hugged her once more knowing this would be the last time that he could touch his comfortable person.
Noah was quick to shake his hand once the hug ended and Tristan smirked at him knowing of his jealousy. “See you around.”
“Yeah, see you.” Tristan turned toward the car and climbed in. He waved briefly to them as the car pulled away.
“That's it.” Ayanna said disappointed. “Tristan doesn't live with us anymore.”
Placing her hand on her sister's back, she hugged her gently. “We will get a new roommate soon enough.” She told her as Noah flipped around and headed back into the house. He looked upset by the situation but the girls had seen him acting this way all month so it barely caught their notice.
After a brief moment, Ayanna sighed. “You are leaving for your trip and Noah is moving out next week. I'll be in this house all alone for a while.”
Aven hadn't asked her sister what had happened between her and Scott, but she did notice the lack of him and that Ayanna had gotten a job working as a file clerk. “I'll call everyday.”
“Why did he have to schedule for you to leave the same day as Tristan?” Ayanna frowned. “I thought you said this wasn't going to happen for a couple months.”
“I already told you. He has the time now and besides I think he wants us to get as close as we can as soon as we can. He feels uneasy with Noah around.”
“Should he?” Ayanna looked into her sister's face and could tell that she was wondering the same question.
Aven shrugged, “I don't see why he should be. Noah is moving out, it kind of makes our trip moot, but he seems adamant about going.”
The two girls stood quietly in the driveway and looked over the street that they grew up on. Victorian homes covered the area and were all well kept. The street was quiet and barely anyone except neighbors drove down it. Every thing looked so peaceful so it was a wonder that their lives had been so hectic.
Looking at her watch, Ayanna gasped. “I am going to be late to my appointment.” She was referring to her psychiatrist. “She's going to get a bunch of tears from me today.” She teased before running inside to grab her purse and keys.
When she returned outside, she scurried toward her car. “I'll be back in time to send you off, so don't leave before I get home!”
Aven watched her get into the car and nearly speed off destroying the peaceful neighborhood they had just been admiring. She smiled at her sister and turned back to her house. Everything was changing again and she didn't like it. She had finally gotten used to her roommates and living together, and now it was all wiped clean. She had to start over. Aven wondered if her heart could really take it.
---***---
Noah watched from the small circular window in his living room as the girls stood in the driveway. He assumed they were watching after Tristan who he knew was long gone by now. His heart ached as he slid down onto the couch. He missed his male roommate already even though they never really had been friends, but there had been some thing important between yet there was no name to give it.
His mind wandered to the night before when Tristan came to his room to visit him after their other two roommates had fallen asleep.
“What is it?” Noah was still packing. He was taking his sweet time about it, which was something that every one had noticed but him.
Tristan had entered his apartment without so much as knocking and had half expected Noah to be annoyed by it and point it out. “I wanted to talk to you. No, rather I wanted to ask a favor of you.”
Noah was sitting on the ground next to a box and he looked up at Tristan who was standing near the stairs. “What?”
“Don't move out.”
The writer snorted. “Why do you care? You are leaving tomorrow. What happens in this house after you are gone is none of your concern.”
“That's why I am doing it now, because right now I am still a member of this household.” Tristan knelt down beside his soon to be former roommate. “Please stay here.”
A frown formed on his lips. “What exactly is your angle?”
“Aven came alive when you moved in here. I hated it because I wanted her attention, but I think she needs you to help her move forward.”
Standing up, Noah scoffed at his friend's words. “I have taken Aven as forward as she can go with me. It's up to that Jimmy or whatever his name is to take her further.”
“You know damn well his name is Jeremy.” Tristan stood up to face him. “It's just your jealousy not wanting to admit that he's real or maybe some other reason. I don't know. I'm not good at reading people.”
“I am not jealous.” His voice told the other man and even Noah wasn't convinced of his words, but that seemed to be his way lately. Saying things that sounded so insincere but with annoyance or anger so no one would question it.
Tristan shrugged his shoulders. “Fine, you aren't jealous. I am sure, you have perfectly valid reasons for disliking the perfect gentleman who is dating your completely platonic roommate.”
If it was at all possible, Noah's frown deepened. “Are you here to have one last fist fight with me?”
The blonde smirked and attempted to slide his hands into his pants pockets only to be reminded he was wearing blacking pajama bottoms without any. “No, I told you that I came to ask you a favor.”
“I can't do it.” Noah walked over to his couch and sat down. He was soon followed by Tristan who took a seat beside him.
“Why?”
Turning his head he look him in the eyes. “I am not going to sit here and watch her be with someone else. That's torture.”
Tristan was somewhat happy that Noah had dropped the denial for him in those moments. Even if it was the only time that he would admit it to himself, Tristan was glad that he could have brought him to the point. It was a victory for both men. Tristan because he was actually taking his first steps in helping someone, and Noah for acknowledging his suppressed self. “I know, that's why I am leaving, but it's not Jeremy that I see as the other man.” Tristan told him and before Noah could respond he stood up and headed for the stairs.
Noah was left to sit on the couch and think over the conversation that he had just had. It was a conversation that haunted his dreams that night and that surrounded his thoughts as he said his farewells.
---***---
Scott had been seeing Felice on a regular basis since Ayanna moved out of his apartment. She was barely there for a few weeks, but he had grown accustom to driving to work with her and talking to her over meals. He found himself replacing that loss with this other woman, though it didn't feel the same.
Felice was intelligent enough to know something wasn't right, but she hadn't brought the subject up. She thought he would eventually come around, when that wasn't occurring in a pace that she liked she asked Joseph. After hearing what her cousin had to say, she realized that it was a private matter and she should have asked Scott himself.
Tonight, they had decided not to eat at Scott's house or rather Felice had decided. She didn't know if she just wanted him somewhere he couldn't make a scene or if she just wanted to pull him away from the place that Ayanna had been. It all depended on whether she could pull the trigger and ask him to be honest with her.
The restaurant hostess had sat them in the back corner. It wasn't a fine dining restaurant, just a chain with mostly booths and servers that wore pins on their vests. The foods were given strange names that felt embarrassing to read let alone say. This had been Felice's choice as she didn't want what might be their last meal together to be an expense on him.
After they ordered, they were brought chips and salsa. Felice watched Scott eat some of them, but noticed that sadness in his eyes and his lack of interest in talking tonight. It seemed like the more comfortable he became around her the less interested he was in hiding this depression. Then again, Felice thought, maybe it was the longer he was without Ayanna the more depressed he became.
“Why don't you tell me what's going on?” Felice finally asked causing Scott to look at her with confusion. “Joseph said that Ayanna hasn't been contacting you, and that's probably the cause of all this.” She used her hand to motion toward him.
“I was hoping you wouldn't notice.”
“It's hard not to, you are pretty obvious. So, why don't you go ahead and tell me what's going on? I'm a big girl, I can handle it.” She leaned back in the booth and put both hands in her lap.
“I just miss my best friend.” He shrugged. “I said some harsh things to her the morning she moved out, and she won't talk to me. I thought about going to her house, but I don't want to make a scene in front of her roommates and sister. I thought about waiting outside the house until she comes out, but that makes me feel like a stalker. Ayanna doesn't come to work anymore, so I am worried she doesn't have enough money to pay her bills or even feed herself. Then I worry that she might have gone back to her old ways of sleeping with guys to get them to pay her bills. My mind is constantly worried as I wait for news about her.”
Felice nodded her head. “You aren't ready, are you?”
“Ready for what?” He asked curiously.
“To date someone else. Ayanna is still what's important to you, and until she isn't any longer then you should either be on your own or be with her. Depends on how much punishment you are willing to endure.” She began to eat one of the tortilla chips without any salsa.
Scott looked upset by her words, but he had no way of responding to them.
“I think you should go to her one last time. You should lay everything on the line and see what she has to say. After doing that, you might be able to start letting go.” She cleared her throat. “There is no closure in the spot you are in now, so of course you can't move forward.”
“But you...”
“I told you, I'm a big girl. Maybe if she rejects you and you become ready, I might be available. For now, I am just playing second fiddle or rebound or whatever you want to call it, and frankly I am not a fan.” She smirked. “Now, let's eat our last meal together with some peace and a few smiles. Shall we? End it on a good note.”
Scott's frown slowly turned into a smile. “I wish that I was over her. You are one of the best women I have ever met.”
Felice grinned. “Be careful, I might hold onto you with that sort of flattery.”
---***---
Aven had noticed Noah looking at her a few times when they passed in the kitchen. She could tell that he had something that he wanted to say, but whenever she gave him a chance he would storm off annoyed. She was certain that his annoyance was at himself and not towards her.
In her bedroom, she was finishing up her packing when Ayanna appeared in the doorway having returned from her earlier appointment. She smiled bitterly as she watched her sister dressed in nothing but jeans and a t-shirt prepare to leave her. “I think it's a bad idea for you to go on this trip.”
Looking up from her suitcase and the shirt she was folding, Aven gave her younger sister a questioning look.
She had a hundred reasons why she should stay, but she knew none of them would be good enough. However, that wasn't going to stop her from pleading with her elder sister. “Azelea's surgery will happen while you are out of the country, what if something goes wrong?” Ayanna moved into the bedroom and sat down near the headboard, she kept one leg dangling over the edge.
“What could I do if I were here? It will just be sitting around and waiting. Azelea already told me that's not what she wants and has given me the go ahead to go on this trip. If she is alright with it, then I don't see how you have any right to object.” Aven closed her suitcase and looked at her sister.
“What about me? I am going to move out on my own soon as well. Don't you want to spend the remaining time together?” She stood up from the bed.
“Do you plan to move somewhere that I won't be able to visit you often?”
Ayanna frowned. “What about Noah? I think you both still have feelings for each other, but are too proud to say anything.”
“I told him how I felt, and he knows the reason that Jeremy and I are going on this trip. The ball is in his court now, and these are his last hours.” She moved to stand in front of her sister and placed her hand on her shoulder. “Things are changing. I have decided to stop living in my past and look toward the future. You have made the same decision, I think, so tell me why you are hesitant right now?”
The younger sister's eyes began to swell up with tears. “Every thing is going to be different. If you get better then I have no one who will need me.”
“You are getting better with me, which means neither of us will be sick anymore. That means we both will need each other more than ever.” She pulled her sister in for a hug and held her tightly to her. Ayanna wasn't able to pull her arms up in time and found them stuck between their bodies.
She tried to not cry while being held so close to a sister she wasn't going to see for a few weeks. “How am I supposed to go through Azelea's surgery without you here to comfort me?”
“It's not about you, it's about Azelea. You have to be strong for her.” Aven stepped out of the hug and cupped her sister's face. “Things are only going to get better, Ayanna. You and I are both going to get what we want and you just have to trust me when I say everything will be alright.” She kissed her forehead before releasing her. “I'll call you every day and tell you all about my adventures.”
“Do you think this trip will bring you fully around to Jeremy?” She wiped the accumulating tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. Her voice cracked a couple times as she asked the question and tried to find the right wording.
Aven's eyes became serious. “I don't know, but I am certain that there is only one way to know for sure.”
“I hope when you are old and gray, you don't regret this.” She sniffled once more.
“I am not going to live my life with regret or looking into the past anymore, Ayanna, and you should stop too.” She patted her shoulder. “Now, are you going to help me move this luggage into the kitchen?”
She smiled when Ayanna nodded and reached for one of her bags.
---***---
Aven spotted Noah a couple more times in his attempt to talk to her, and she decided that she would give him the opportunity. Her heart sputtered in her chest as she thought of what this all could mean, though she had her own hopes as well. Yet, even those hopes were dashed with the thoughts of Jeremy and she soon worried that what she wanted was perhaps what she might get.
It had taken her a while to push down her emotions for Noah, but they still bubbled up from time to time. They always seemed to come out when she was in his apartment as the memories she had of him were mostly there.
Through the intercom, she asked if she could come up to which he responded that she could. Making her way up the stairs, she stopped at the entry way and looked at Noah trying to sit nonchalantly on the couch.
“You have something you want to say?” She tried to cover up any emotion or hopes in her voice.
He looked at her questioningly.
“I've noticed you trying to talk to me all day, but you don't seem able to find the right moment.” Part of her wanted him to send her away, and yet she always wanted to hear him out. Whatever he said to her in those moments would be painful to hear, but she had figured out Noah's game in the past month or at least she thought she had.
With his arms splayed on the back of the couch, he simply shrugged. “I just wanted to wish you well on your trip and tell you that I'll be gone when you get back, so we might as well say our goodbyes now.”
“Oh.” Her heart clenched as she realized she had been wrong about Noah's intentions. “Well, then. I... I am really thankful that I met you, Noah.”
That was not what he had thought he would hear and it weighed heavily on him as she continued.
“I know that the only reason you showed any interest in me was for your book, but if you hadn't come along I think I would still be the person I was before. I would be depressed and angry at myself. Thanks to you, I was able to realize that I did want more out of life even if what I wanted at the time didn't want me in return. It, at least, made me feel something again and that means that I am now moving forward. The past is behind me, and I have you to thank for that.” Aven said everything without a single tear in her eye as she wasn't as emotional as her sisters, but the sincerity was in her voice.
Noah stood up from the couch, heart broken and touched by her words. If she knew how he really felt would she let him return from the past? He wasn't going to find out, he decided. He had hurt her too many times by now and it was only right to let her walk away to be with someone that had waited for her for a very long time.
“I am happy to have met you too. I was stuck as well and many times your words shoved me forward.” After hearing her big goodbye, he felt odd that his was so short. “Thanks for reading my book.” He tried to reach for more but his own heart was too pained to come up with anything. “I... I don't know what else to say. I have no more words.”
Aven stepped forward and put her arms around his chest, and placed her hands against his back. Noah was shocked at first but quickly wrapped his arms around her shoulder and held her tightly. Neither wanted the other to see the faces of regret and pain that they were feeling. Twice Aven tried to end their embrace, but Noah continued to hold her.
Stepping apart they smiled at each other. “Jeremy is downstairs, so I have to go now. Goodbye, Noah.”
“Goodbye.” He watched her make her way over to the entry way but she stopped and looked over her shoulder at him.
“I can give you the words. They should sound something like, 'Stop, don't go. I love you.' I'll even give you the results of those words: I'll stay.”
Noah stared at her for a moment, before scoffing softly and returning to packing the knickknacks that Aven was certain she had seen him pack before. She understood what he meant and exhaled before making her way down the stairs and out to the driveway.
Ayanna had already said her goodbyes to her sister and was too upset to see her off in the driveway where just that morning she had sent away another house mate. The world hung heavy in her heart as she thought of how lonely she would be once Noah moved out as well. She wondered if she could beg him to stay until Aven returned.
Sitting in her bedroom on the bed, she stroked the head of the little black dog. “Our little family is broken, Nyx.”
The dog moved it's head onto her lap, exhaled audibly, but continued to sleep.
“What's going to happen if Jeremy and Aven get serious? Will we need to move out?” She sniffled. “I feel like I am becoming obsolete the better she and I become. She said that wasn't going to happen, but...” She cut herself off as her phone rang.
Picking it up, she saw Scott's name on the caller ID. Her thumb moved over the talk button and then over the end, but it danced back and forth a few more times before she finally ended her misery and sent him to voice mail like she had always done.
“We can't use people just because we are lonely, Nyx. That's something we have learned in therapy. Something else we should learn is not to include you when I am speaking for myself. I sound insane. I mean hell I am already talking to a dog, do I need to give more fuel for the fire if someone overhears me?” She was trying to cheer herself up, but it wasn't working.
The phone rang again and it was the same caller as before. Again she ended the call, only to have him call immediately after.
“Maybe there is an emergency?” She wanted to give herself a reason to answer. “No, he'll have to call someone else.”
Again, it rang and Ayanna sighed exasperated. “What?” She screamed when she answered the phone.
Scott was a little taken back by the way she answered the phone and stuttered at first. “I... I... Ayanna?”
“You have called me a hundred times? Did you do that to the wrong number?” She snapped.
“No.” He cleared his throat. “Ayanna, I really need to talk to you. Could you meet me at our café?” He had already eaten with Felice, but he couldn't think of much else to do to get Ayanna to come out and see him.
“No, Scott, I can't. Today, I have said goodbye to Tristan, my sister is leaving for an extended vacation, and I am helping the other roommate move out as well.” She lied a little. “My day is a little full right now, and I just can't handle you as well. Matter of a fact, I don't want to deal with you ever.” She didn't mean to sound so mean, but she thought it would be the only way to scare him off. “Please, don't call me anymore. I made it very clear that our relationship was over.”
“If you don't come to me, then I will come to your house and make a huge scene. It's very important that I see you right now. You signed some papers that have caused my business serious harm, it might collapse and I need you to help me fix what you have done.” He was lying but he figured this was his only way. He was determined to see her and tell her everything one final time, and he would be damned to do it over the phone.
A look of panic shot across her face. “What could I have signed that would do that?”
“You hired someone for a very large sum. Obviously, you didn't read the contract over well enough as there was an extra zero in her payment.” He didn't know if she would believe him as she signed up very few girls while she worked there. “Do you realize how much this oversight is going to cost me?”
“What can I do to help?”
“Come see me, we will talk then.” He hung up the phone.
Ayanna was quick to jump out of bed and scurried to put her clothes on.
“I am so excited to have you here.” Cathleen smiled as she entered her apartment with Tristan following behind her with his luggage.
Looking around the room, Tristan told himself that she had said the place was small. The living room had enough room for her green love seat and a television. The kitchen was directly linked to the living room with no wall and the counter space was small. The area for the dining table that would probably only sit two anyway was filled with boxes.
“I had to clean out the second bedroom. If it's too small for you, we can switch.” She walked to the left of the room into the small hallway and opened the door. “The bathroom is connected to both rooms, so if you have guests they have to walk through one of our bedrooms. Mine is usually clean, so we will just have them go through mine.” She smiled.
Tristan tried to hide a smirk as he was amused by how accommodating she was toward him. “Everything looks great, Cathleen. Thanks for letting me move in.”
He never seemed interested in talking to her on set, and even on the phone she didn't believe the man speaking those kind words was really him, but now she couldn't deny it. Tristan was standing directly in front of her and he was actually being nice.
“You're welcome. Thanks for moving in and helping me with rent.” She continued to smile at him, her heart moved by his words. As she spoke a black cat came out from behind the boxes and jumped onto the back of the love seat. “Oh, I have a cat. I hope you don't mind. She's fixed and she doesn't scratch anything, but if you lock her in your bedroom by accident she might go on your bed. So watch out for that.”
He was amused that he had left a house with a black dog to one with a black cat. “It's fine. I like cats. They are independent and quiet.” He didn't touch the cat which Cathleen thought was strange. “Did my bed arrive?” He asked taking his luggage to his room.
When he entered the small room, he found his full size mattress filled most of the room and the dresser filled the corner. He grinned at how small this place was. “Once things start looking up for us, we should find a bigger place.”
Again, Cathleen's heart race when she realized that he was thinking about staying as her roommate long term. “Yeah, that's probably a good idea. You probably aren't used to living in such a small apartment. I mean with your previous wealth and everything.”
He grinned at her. “I'll get used to it. Should we discuss house rules and chores?”
“Oh, I love to cook, so can I do that in exchange for you cleaning the bathroom?” She motioned toward the closed door. It was a good thing that it was sliding because he wouldn't have been able to open it otherwise.
“Deal.”
“I don't bring people home, so we don't have to worry about that from my side.” Cathleen was fishing for whether or not he had plans on bringing home a girl.
“I won't be bringing people home either.” He told her as he picked up a suitcase and dropped it on the bed, before opening it to unpack his clothes.
“We will have to take care of our own rooms, and for the living room we can alternate weeks.” She smiled even wider when he nodded in agreement. “I am so excited to have you here. I can barely contain myself. My cheeks are going to hurt from all my smiling.”
Tristan stopped unpacking and looked at her briefly. She did seem genuinely happy that he had moved out there and she had called everyday for a week to make sure he was still coming. A warm feeling bubbled up in his chest and he wondered what that sweet feeling meant. Whatever it was, he was happy that she wanted him there. “What's for dinner?”
Cathleen clasped her hands together. “I am going all out for your first meal here!”
---***---
Jeremy was putting the last of the suitcases into the trunk of his large gray sedan. He smiled in relief when Aven appeared and began to walk toward him. She had told him that she was going to say her goodbyes to Noah, but he feared that the other man would use this chance to convince her to not leave.
This past month he had found Aven daydreaming quite often and would often speak about Noah's strange behavior to Ayanna and Tristan. It was clear her mind had been with him and he wondered if her heart remained there too.
“All ready to go?” He asked.
With a smile that was obviously trying to hide raw emotions, she gave a firm nod. “Let's go. Security is a pain I hear, so we should get there as soon as possible.” She said as she continued to walk toward him. She was stopped when her hand was grabbed.
Noah stood in the driveway with no shoes onn just black slacks and his white dress shirt that he had been wearing moments before. He looked slightly panicked as Aven merely looked over her shoulder at him with her purse flung over it. She stared at him as he tried to gather whatever words he wanted to say.
Jeremy stood a few feet away with his heart in his throat, begging any entity out there that this wasn't what it looked like.
“What is it?” Aven finally asked when the silence was only compounding.
He released her hand and seemed to decide that he wasn't going to say anything. “Have a good trip.”
Her own heart had been pounding, but now it was settling back down as she realized he wasn't going to be able to say what she needed to hear. “Thanks.”
Taking a few more steps away from him, she tried to choke down any emotion as she didn't want Jeremy to see nor to break down in front of Noah.
“I don't want you to go and I don't want to move out either!” Noah shouted.
His words made her stop and she once again looked over her shoulder at him. There was a pause as she waited for the rest, but he seemed hesitant to say anything. Continuing toward the car, Aven opened the passage side door.
“I love you.” He whispered under his breath as if he was testing the words out. “I love you! Alright? I said it all, are you happy?”
Her glare told him that she was in fact not. “With that sort of confession? Is this how you get women to swoon at your feet?”
Noah chuckled bitterly at her taunt. “No, but I hoped it would make the woman who forced the words out of me to do so.”
The luggage that Jeremy had just packed were put down beside her and she turned to face him horrified that she had forgotten he was there.
“Jeremy, I...”
He waved her worries away. “I always knew that I had come back too late. Thanks, though. These past weeks together have made all my waiting worthwhile. That you even attempted to see me as more then just a friend, I feel really gracious. It's like maybe now I can finally move on.” Reaching out his hand, he laid it on her shoulder before pulling her in for a hug.
“But the tickets and...”
“Don't worry about it. I thought something like this might happen, so I have a friend on standby. He and I will go, and bachelor it up.” With that he walked around to the other side of the car and got in. He was rushed as he didn't want her to see his tears. Quickly, he pulled out of the driveway with Aven watching him, she stood quietly there long after he disappeared. Noah remained behind her annoyed that she was more worried over the other man.
Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. “Are you making me jealous on purpose?”
She rolled her eyes and pulled away from his embrace. “Help me with my luggage. Leave it to you to wait until it's a big hassle to end before putting a stop to this.”
Noah smiled at her nagging and bounced over to stand in front of her. “Normally, in books this is where I would write the kissing scene.” He tapped his lips with his index finger.
“Help me unpack first, and I might oblige you.” She grabbed her suitcase. “You can live in anticipation for a while.”
Ayanna jumped out of her car with a look of panic in her eyes. She found Scott standing outside the café with his arms crossed and leaning casually against the railing. Holding her purse and running in heels, she quickly approached him.
“Is the client inside? Has she arrived? I'm sure I can explain. Does she plan to sue if we don't pay?” She looked through the windows but found that the place was empty. “You bought the café out again, didn't you?”
He was a little surprised that she knew he had been doing that. “Let's go inside.” He motioned for her to enter, but Ayanna stood planted in her spot.
“There was no contract error, was there?” She cursed herself internally for being so easily manipulated.
“Don't leave. Hear what I have to say, please.” He was able to stop her from turning around with that single sentence. He hadn't expected it to be that easy and was stunned into silence.
“Well?” Ayanna snapped impatiently.
Exhaling his nervousness, he began. “The girl I have been seeing this past month. Her name is Felice and she is a really great woman. We have so much in common and there are barely any boring moments with her. She doesn't...”
“What are you trying to say?” Was this a deliberate attempt to get her jealous or to shove it in her face? Ayanna asked herself.
“Let me finish. She doesn't judge me for what I do for a living and she is constantly making me laugh. Better yet, she knows all about you and wasn't jealous about it in the least. She's pretty much everything that I want in a woman.”
“Great, I'm happy for you.” Her voice did not carry any tone of happiness and with that she prepared to leave.
“There is a problem with her.”
“And what you want me to help you come up with a way to fix it?” She rolled her eyes.
“Yes, I do. She's not you.”
Those words stopped the eye roll half way through. “What?”
“You're are all the things I just mentioned as well, but you're my best friend too. I can't imagine not having you with me. You lived at my place for such a short time, but the moment you left it was empty again.” He stepped towards her and put his hands on her shoulders. “So, please, Ayanna. Let's start seeing each other again, even if it's just as friends.”
“I can't.” She looked down and he immediately removed his hands from her shoulders.
“I see.” He cleared his throat. “Well, I said I would accept any answer you gave me.”
Looking back up at him, she held bitter tears in her eyes. “I can't see you as a friend anymore. I think I always had feelings for you but I hid them deep down inside myself to protect the friendship. I also was afraid you would see me as a gold digger. I guess though now the friend is gone and we are only left with this.” She looked into his eyes. “If we are meant to be together, then I am going to have to ask you to continue waiting for me.”
“Why?”
“I need time to be alone and find out who I am. If someone else comes along while I am making you wait, don't turn her away. I'll lose out graciously.” With that, Ayanna stepped forward and kissed his cheek gently. She turned away after seeing the look of acceptance on Scott's face. Though she feared that Felice would take him she knew it was a risk she would have to take.
---***---
A year seems to make all the difference in the world for some. For Noah and Aven, they had begun to turn their little triplex back into a house. His book about them had been published and was doing quite well.
Standing in the kitchen, Aven smiled as she prepared the green been casserole because Noah was hovering over her. “It has to bake first.” She told him as she sprinkled some cheddar cheese on top.
He opened the oven for her when she turned around and then looked toward the kitchen window. “Looks like the guests are arriving.”
Walking to the door together, they opened it and smiled at Scott and Ayanna. They had begun dating a couple months before, but had assured everyone that they were taking things slowly. Ayanna had moved out into her own studio apartment with Nyx and seemed to be enjoying the freedom of it now.
The two sisters hugged while the men shook hands, before the girls each went in for a hug of the other's man.
“Is Tristan here yet?” Ayanna asked which was not a question Scott liked hearing.
“No, he called from the airport, he'll be here soon. He brought Cathleen though.” She winked at her sister and returned to the mashed potatoes she was also making.
“Are they together?” She asked with surprise and left Scott to close the door behind him.
“He claims that they aren't, but I think it might happen eventually. He certainly spends enough time with her, and I think she wants to get there.” She told her as she smashed the potatoes. Aven had been hearing from Tristan and Cathleen on a monthly basis, but it never seemed appropriate to tell her sister unless she asked. “Oh, Azelea and Ike are in the second bedroom. Taking a nap, so keep your voices down for now.”
“She feeling alright?”
Aven smiled and nodded. “She's fine.”
At the moment, another set of visitors came to the door. Scott was the one to open it since he was closer to it. Jeremy entered with a smile with Tristan and Cathleen right behind him. They had arrived at the same time.
“I thought you were bringing your girlfriend.” Aven said to Jeremy.
He shrugged, “She went to have Thanksgiving with her family. They nagged her into it. She promises to show up for Christmas though.”
“A mysterious girlfriend?” Ayanna teased.
“She's not a mysterious girlfriend.”
“Have you met her yet?” She asked her sister who shook her head.
Jeremy tried to hide a blush and excused himself to the bathroom.
“We're here too in case Jeremy's large shadow hid us from view.” Tristan teased and was immediately offered hugs and hand shakes along with laughter.
Cathleen made her way into the kitchen and hugged Aven before she began to help her prepare the meal.
“The living room has a big table set up. There is wine and appetizers.” She looked at Ayanna. “You should probably wake up Azelea and Ike since everyone is here now.”
Ayanna left the room followed by Scott and Tristan. Noah stood off to the side and smiled as he watched Aven make her first Thanksgiving meal. He wondered to himself how four roommates had made themselves into a family that wanted to spend the holidays together. He thought about the man he had been when he first moved in and was curious as to where that person had gone, but then again that could be said for all the roommates that once lived here.
The four of them had come together for a very brief moment in time, but had managed to change each other for the better. They all had been hiding within themselves and pretending that they were happy that way. They had needed each other to see their own faults. They needed each other to help them along in a journey that no one else could have gone with them on. There had been laughter and tears during this painful quest to find themselves, but in life there can never be one without the other.
Walking across the room, Noah kissed Aven firmly on the lips. “I'll entertain the guests.” He said with a smile which only became larger when he walked out of the kitchen and was ordered by his fiancée not to drink too much wine.
The End