by Sherell Lynn
“How have you been?” he asked, pulling the food out of the picnic basket. The intensity in his eyes gave me goosebumps.
“Truthfully, life has been rough. I lost my best friend and the love of my life.” At the mention of love, he shook his head and a look I didn’t recognize ran across his face. He turned away from me for a moment and then looked at me with those blue eyes. Our lunch consisted of a lot of finger foods. I smiled at his thoughtfulness. It was challenging eating with just one hand. The conversation between us was amazing. Alex made me laugh throughout our lunch. I told him I was looking for a new job and found one as an entry-level office assistant at a party-planning company in the city. My cast was coming off next week that was when they agreed to have me start. We also talked about how I had not spoken to Ava. My plans were to stay far away from her at least until the baby came. I didn’t say this much to Alex. My revenge had to take a back seat. This pregnancy was complicated enough.
Lunch now had ended. We had packed everything up, when Alex asked me to go for a walk with him. The walking trail was beautiful. It led us right to a waterfall. We stopped to watch the water cascading down into a pond. I can see something is bothering Alex. Reaching out and grabbing his shoulder I ask, “What’s on your mind?”
He looked away from the waterfall and took my hand in his. He sighed, “Bella, you were always too good for my brother.”
I shook my head, acknowledging his statement.
Alex continued, “What Adam pulled was despicable. You deserved better. I told him this the first day we saw you.”
He ran his fingers through my hair. He pulled me closer to him by the back of my neck. Alex then placed his lips on the top of my forehead. I felt comforted in his embrace. It warmed my heart to have him in my life. Then it happened, his lips were on mine. My mouth opened in shock; he took it as an invitation for more. Maybe it was because our mouths and tongues danced together. His lips were soft, but not like Adams. His tongue was long, but not like Adams. Memories of Adam made me break our kiss.
“This isn’t right, Alex. Adam is your brother and I am pr...I am pretty sure we are wrong for each other. Not to mention it complicates our friendship.” Damn, I had almost revealed the truth to him. It was too easy to talk to him. I had to be careful with my words. He paced back and forth before taking my chin in his hand.
“You don’t think I know all these things? I do. It still does not change the way I feel about you. I have loved you from afar. What my brother and Ava did to you shows they did not deserve to have your love. I would never hurt you like that. Unlike my brother, I know how to treat a woman.” Why did he have to do this? I needed him as my friend, there was no way we could be together.
“Take me home please.” Had been the last words I said to him. Now, we were in the car on our way back to my place. The only sound being made was the radio. In a different life, Alex and I would be a perfect match. He is a great guy, smart and sexy. To be honest, I do love him. Over the past few weeks, my love for Alex has grown even more. However, Adam still had my heart, no matter how much I hate him.
36
Adam
“Adam.”
Muffled sounds came through the phone line, followed by the sound of someone crying.
“It’s me, Bella. Um…” She paused then whispered. “This is so hard.” She took a deep breath. “It is excruciating to not have you here with me. To hold me and tell me everything is going to be okay. What makes it worse is you don’t want to be. Was anything real between us? When you told me you loved me, did you mean it? Every day away from you, it feels like a piece of me dies. I’m not a drug addict or a prostitute. You act as if you don’t know me at all. We spent every day together for months, I thought we were in love. It was my mistake, I guess I’m just a woman who falls in love with the wrong type of men and apparently befriends an enemy. You and Ava have a nice life. There is no us and there is no baby. So, you’re free and clear to get back to your playboy ways.”
I listened to that message over and over for days. Dr. Jones called me on the day Bella had been discharged from the hospital, so I knew she was out. He was also leaving, since the only reason he was here was to care for Bella. My trip to Italy had been great. I caught my father up on what was going on with our family’s business. I also spent time with my mother in her garden. I returned to the states expecting Bella to show up any day, yet she hadn’t come. I wanted to go to her after hearing the voicemail for the very first time. It struck me as odd. She was asking the same questions about our relationship as I was. How could she, when she was the one who did me wrong. Right? Her voicemail had me questioning my actions. I had never been one to cry over a woman, yet I cried over losing her and our baby.
There was a knock on the door. I had no interest in answering it. The person on the other side of the door was not Bella. She had a key. It was probably Ava. I appreciated her concern. However, she was driving me crazy. Her constant flirting and her need to take care of me was rubbing me the wrong way. At first, she was subtle, but then she became a little too persistent. I knew when a woman wanted me and Ava wanted me bad. Spending a few days around her had taught me that.
I heard Alex’s voice in my living room, “Yo, Adam, where ya at?” I had forgotten he had a key. Making my way out of my office, I noticed him standing in the foyer.
“What’s up, Alex?” I inquired, embracing him in a bro hug. Out of the embrace, he rocked back and forth on his heels.
“I came to get Bella’s things.”
This was unexpected. “Where is she?”
He walked over to the couch and took a seat. “She is at her previous address.”
“How is she?” You would think I asked him some sort of trivia question with the look he was giving me.
“Do you really care? You left her, remember? It was not the other way around.”
I walked over to sit across from him. I needed to gather my thoughts. My brother had sided with Bella and that infuriated me. “You do realize you are my brother and yet you are here to gather the things of the one person who hurt me the most.”
“That’s where you’re wrong Adam. You took this beautiful flower and tore it to pieces. You were not there to see her cry her eyes out, or scream out in pain, or tremble in fear. Those days in the hospital were brutal for her. If you claim to love and know her like you do, then you would know she would never put herself in that position. I agree with her, something happened that night and I’m sure Ava had something to do with it.”
“Grab whatever it is you need to get for her and see your way out. I will be in my office, lock up on the way out.” I was done listening to him. Deep down I knew he was right. I should have been there to support her and give her the benefit of the doubt because I love her. I refused to speak the truth and let him see that I was hurting. I had really made a mess of things. It took a trip to Italy and one voicemail for me to realize that. Instead of putting Bella first, I was blinded by my own pain. I chose to believe Ava over her. Almost a month had past and I needed to find out the truth of what had really happened that night. After Alex left, I called Ava to fill in those missing pieces. Maybe she wasn’t so innocent.
37
Bella
I could tell the moment the truth hit Adam. He started calling and texting nonstop. There was no reason for me to respond. It was over. My life was moving on. Working as an office assistant kept me busy. My boss saw my dedication and hard work and mentioned the idea of me becoming an event planner. During a few of our meetings, I had impressed him with some of my ideas. He said they were new and fresh, truly invigorating. My personal life might be in the gutter, but professionally, everything was going great. When Adam realized his calls and texts were going unanswered, the flowers started coming. Ms. Brenda and Mr. Garett warned me not to get sucked back in.
When my house and work place started to look like a flower shop, I’d had enough. Hence, the reason I agreed to meet with him. I had changed outfits several times before d
eciding on one. My little baby bump was growing. Adam did not need to see it. That would only make him more determined to get me back. I got out of the Uber and straightened the wrinkles out of my dress. Yes, I had to go back to using an Uber, my car was totaled from the wreck, and I had no money to replace it. Since my rent was paid in full, my plans were to use the money I would have paid on rent to get another car. I saw Adam sitting in a private room in the back of the restaurant. He stood when the host and I came into the room. His hair had grown in the time we had spent apart. There were bags under his eyes, but the sight of those ocean blue eyes took focus off what was underneath them. Other than that, he still held the sexist man I had ever seen title. I could see his muscles extending in his shirt. I instantly wanted him to hold me in those strong arms. I wanted him to make love to me and never stop. I blamed the pregnancy hormones.
He walked toward me and I saw tears in his eyes. He took both of my hands in his and walked me to my seat.
“Sei bellissima, you are beautiful, Bella.” I stilled. I didn’t want to show him how his words and lips affected me.
Putting as much venom in my voice I said, “Adam, I came here today to tell you to stop. Stop leaving me messages and stop sending me flowers.”
Adam held his tongue because the waiter made his way into our private seating area. He took our drink order and then disappeared.
“I understand why you are so upset, Bella. I fucked up. You needed me to be your man and stand beside you. I listened to Ava and never heard your side of the story. That’s my mistake. Bella, I hate to say this, but you made a mistake too. By you not letting me into your past, you left me feeling like I do not really know you. So, it was easy to believe Ava because you always avoided that part of your life. It was as if you were ashamed of it.” He was undeniable the biggest jerk ever. I questioned why I even came here.
My hands were shaking from the built-up anger coursing through my veins.
“You know what, Adam? I am ashamed, but not because I am an ex-prostitute or a drug addict. The truth is, I was a victim of domestic violence. My ex took joy in beating my ass. Is that the story you wanted to hear? Or how about me living on the streets once I escaped?” I began gasping for air.
Adam ran over to hold me up, whispering in my ear to take deep breaths. “Shh…It’s okay, Bella, I’m sorry, I did not realize—”
“Of course, you did not realize it. That part of my past is something I want to forget and never relive. I did not want you or anyone else to see me as this broken person.” I realized I was still in his arms crying. I pushed back my chair and broke away from Adam. As I stood, his hands brushed against my stomach and he tried to pull me back.
“Bella, are you still pregnant?” His voice was filled with anger.
I felt fearful of what would happen next, so I ran out the room and right into the waiter. I would have stayed to help clean up the mess of food all over the floor, but I had to get away from Adam.
Outside of the restaurant, I called Ms. Brenda to pick me up. She usually goes to my house right around this time. So, I was hoping to catch her beforehand. I told her to meet me down the street at the local coffee shop because I was afraid that Adam would chase me down. Once in the car, I filled her in on what had happened. She stayed silent for some time. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft.
“You know, Bella, he has a point. I am just as angry with him as you are, but in relationships, there has to be honesty and trust. What do you young people call it? Keeping it one hundred. Because you did not do that, it left holes in your relationship. Ava came in and filled in the gaps. No matter the lies, it made sense to him. Now that he knows you’re still pregnant, adds to the fact you withheld information again.”
Her words hit me right in the heart. I had never considered I played a part in Ava’s deceit. We made it to my house and we both got out of the car before I could say anything. It was a good thing because I had a lot to consider.
“I think I am going to go for a walk Ms. Brenda.”
She gave me an understanding look, “Okay dear.”
Today the sun was shining and the birds were chirping. A perfect day that contradicted the way I felt. There should be grey clouds and rain. My life was a mess and bound to get even messier. On one hand, I had Adam, the love of my life who had hurt me deeply. On the other hand, there was Alex, who had confessed his love to me and I really enjoyed being around him. He brought so much joy back into my life.
I passed a few of my neighbors and waved. How did I end up with two brothers in love with me, is the question that kept crossing my mind? My phone had been vibrating non-stop since I’d left the restaurant. I am sure Adam was fuming, finding out that I kept this pregnancy from him. Before I knew it, I was a couple of miles away from home. Therefore, I turned around to make my way back.
“Ahh!” I screamed as someone grabbed me from behind and covered my mouth to keep me from screaming even more. I tried to use my teeth to bite whoever this was, but their hand was pressed so hard over my mouth that I could barely open it. I could feel hot breath on my neck. I couldn’t let them take me away. Would they really take me in broad daylight?
Looking around I saw no one. Where were the neighbors walking their dogs? The streets were quiet. I felt my body being dragged into the alley. I had to fight, if not for me, for the baby. With my legs, I kicked with all my might and his or her hold on me loosened up. I sent a prayer up that I would be able to get away from this manic. My arms flew back and made contact with the person who grabbed me. I had no idea where my hits landed and I didn’t care, as long as I could get away. I found it strange this person was not speaking or making any sounds as I attacked them, fighting for my life. I was almost free when my body was yanked down to the ground. Oh no! Please let my baby be okay. Tears started to run down my face. I was beginning to realize I might not make it out of this situation. Fear overcame me and I shook nervously. The more I fought, the more pressure this person used against me.
Thoughts of my life flashed before my eyes. I might not ever see my sisters again. Over the years, I had missed them and always hoped to see them again. I should have gone into the house with Ms. Brenda. There I would have been safe. I love her and Mr. Garett like real family. Oh my, Adam! My last words to him were filled with so much hate. And what about Alex? My tears were blurring my sight. Suddenly, something hit me in the back of my head and the light from the sun went dark. Please, God, help me!
38
Ava
Things with Adam had not worked out as I planned. Days went by with him going M.I.A. I called and texted him often and got no response. I was not going to let that deter me from making him love me. I thought back to the day he had invited me to his penthouse. Lucky for me he came to his senses and invited me over to talk, was my initial reaction.
A FEW DAYS AGO
He answered the door in some grey sweatpants and tight white muscle shirt. He made my mouth water with those bulging pecs, biceps, and pussy eating lips. I could see his abs through his thin shirt waiting for me to run my lips and tongue over. He cleared his throat bringing me out of my trance.
“Where have you been, Adam? I have been so worried.”
The way he looked at me sent chills down my spine. “Come in, Ava.” He led me to the couch and gestured for me to have a seat.
“Would you like something to drink?” His tone sounded cold, not warm like he had been before his disappearance.
“I’ll take a bottled water, if you have it.”
He nodded and went in the kitchen. He came back and handed me the water. He took a seat sitting across from me. In my heart, I knew I was going to hate whatever he was going to say.
“Listen, Ava, you have been a good friend to me while Bella and I were in a bad place.”
I got up and sat next to him placing my hand over his.
“I will always be here for you.” He took my hand off his and moved down the sofa.
“What’s wrong, Adam? Why are you
acting so strange?” I laughed nervously.
“I think maybe I gave you the wrong impression about us. We are friends. There can be nothing more than that because I am still in love with Bella.” He ran his hands through his hair and stared at my face. I was sure it was a sight to see. My whole body felt tense.
“I know you’re hurting. Like I have said, I’m here for you. I can help you get over her.” And I meant every word. He didn’t need Bella when he had me.
“There is something I do need your help with.”
Yes! I knew he would come around. “Anything, Adam, I’m all yours.”
Adam lets out a harbored breath. “Ava, I need to know what happened that night of the accident.
“What do you mean? I told you.”
“Well, tell me again.”
I rolled my eyes. I didn’t like how he was acting. I repeated the story of how Bella went to the bathroom to do whatever drugs she had brought with her. We had dinner and then parted ways. She seemed fine and hadn’t had any alcohol. How was I supposed to know she was high out of her mind? I told him how I had caught her before at the office. Just to add some authenticity to my, oh so formal statement I was giving him. I had to admit I am a pretty good actress. I had the cops eating out of my hands when I told them my story. It doesn’t hurt that my family members including myself are pillar citizens. Bella was just something that washed up on shore here. It was time for her to go. If she would have stayed in her place, we could have been great friends.
Adam’s voice pulled me back to reality. “If you knew she had a problem, why not say something?”
He was really annoying me with his personal investigation. “I thought I could help her on my own. My internship was at the women’s shelter, so I know how to handle women like her.”
