by Heart, Skye
“Thanks… for understanding.” I said, letting the tears fall. I heard her sniffles as well.
“I miss you so much, Nai.” She said.
“I miss you too.” I replied.
“There’s so much I want to say, and so much I want to share with you, Nai. A lot has happened since we… you know.” She said. I nodded to myself, and thought about how to tell her. However, something inside me held off on it.
“Yeah, I know same here. You just don’t know.” I said, looking down at my semi-protruding belly.
“We should get together and catch up!” She suggested all excited. “Unless,” she continued, “you’re not up for it, or ready for that yet, which I’d totally understand.” She quickly recanted.
“No, no. I’m up for it. Actually, that is why I called. I was hoping we could get together and… talk.” I said, still a bit apprehensive.
“Sure, that’d be great! My final semester won’t start till January, so I can fly up there over the next couple days or so!” She said hopeful.
“Cool.” I said, smiling at how childlike Nena sounded, all giddy with excitement. After all, I was glad that the awkwardness between us was dissipating.
“And since Christmas is around the corner, we can go shopping for gifts together, like we used to!” She said excitedly. I smiled, and then shook my head.
“All right girl, slow your roll, one thing at a time. We’ll talk first, and see how that goes. There’s still a lot that needs to be resolved between us.” I reminded her.
“I know, and you’re right. I was getting a little ahead of myself. I just miss you, Nai.” She admitted, and I felt bad, because she was really trying to earn my forgiveness.
“I know. We’ll talk about it when you get here, okay?” I assured her.
“Okay.” She agreed. There was another long pause.
“Look, I have to go. Call me when you confirm everything with your flight, so I can meet you at the airport.” I said.
“All right, will do. Thanks Nai. Love you.” She said.
“Yeah. Me too.” I replied, and hit the END button.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Starr asked me, as soon as I put my phone down. I nodded, and then shook my head. “What?” Starr asked.
“It’s just that…I don’t know. Hearing her voice just pissed me off all over again. Maybe it was a bad idea calling her. I really thought I was ready to talk to her, but…” I stopped, and shook my head again.
“I understand hon. She’s your sister, and she hurt you in the worse possible way,” Starr began. “So it’s normal to feel a bit hesitant towards her. Even so, you have to realize that blood is thicker than water. She needs you, just as much as you need her. Do not let that S.O.B. ruin the bond you two had. You are about to bring a child into this world, and trust me, you are going to want to share that with your sister. Do not hold on to your anger, because it will destroy your relationship. Chris is out of your lives, so it is time to move on. She gave you what you needed, which was your space, so now, give her what she needs, which is your forgiveness.” Starr preached, and I sighed, shaking my head.
“I know, and you’re right. It is very hard to forgive someone you love so much, that has hurt you so badly, but you are right. I need to get over it, and let it go. She has apologized, at least a million times, and I believe she is sorry. There should be no reason why I can’t forgive her.” I reasoned. Starr smiled.
“You’ll see chica. Pretty soon, you two will look back on this, and laugh.” She said smiling. Then, I raised my brows at her. “Okay, well maybe not that soon.” She corrected herself.
~CHRIS~
“What got you all smiley?” I asked, when I came home. Nena was in my kitchen, chopping up tomatoes, smiling from ear to ear. I loved seeing her beautiful face every day.
“Hey you,” she said, walking up to give me a kiss. Afterwards, she turned her attention back to the tomatoes. “Nai called me.” She said, picking up a handful of diced tomatoes, and then dropping them into the pot of boiling tomato sauce, sitting on the stove. Then she glanced up at me, to gage my reaction, no doubt. With a straight face, I crossed my arms, and leaned against the refrigerator door.
“Okay. What happened?” I asked her. Nena went back to the cutting board, and started chopping up onions.
“Well, she wants us to get together, and talk this whole thing out. I think she wants to put this whole mess behind us, so we can move on and be like we were, before all this happened, you know.” Nena explained. I did not like how she referred to our relationship as ‘this’ and ‘mess’, but I held my tongue, and waited to hear what else they talked about. Therefore, “Mm Hmm,” was all I could muster for now. “So anyway, I’m flying out there in a couple days and…” She began to say. Now, I had to open my mouth.
“A couple of days? That soon? When will you be back? Will you get back before Christmas?” I asked all at once. I definitely did not like the idea of her being so far away from me. We have been living together, since my brief stint in jail, and it was nice having her here with me every day.
“I’m only going to be there for a few days, and I’ll be back before Christmas, so relax babe.” She said, smiling at me. “And besides, I’m hoping that Nai will come back with me, so we can all spend Christmas together.” She said hopeful. Nena must have lost her damn mind, I thought.
“What?” I said wanting to make sure, that I heard her correctly. There is no way that she just said that.
“I think it would be nice for all of us to spend the holidays together, like we used to.” She repeated. I could not believe she was serious.
“Babe, you sure you’re not getting a little ahead of yourself?” I said, trying to ease her back into reality. Nena stopped, to look at me.
“What do you mean?” She asked me. Then, with her hand on her hip, she turned to face me, and I knew that I had better choose my words carefully. I did not want to piss her off, but she was being a tad bit delusional.
“What I meant was that, are you sure she’s ready to let bygones be bygones, like you are? I don’t want you to get hurt, or disappointed, if she rejects you.” I said.
“I know what you mean Chris, but I believe she wants to put all this behind her, like I do. I miss her, and she misses me too.” Nena replied, every bit the optimist. She talked as if she knew her sister well, but I knew Naima too. There was no way this was going to play out as Nena had hoped. Then I studied her for a moment, and suddenly, it occurred to me.
“You didn’t tell her about us did you?” I asked her. She averted her eyes, and I saw right through her. “I’ll take that as a no.” I said, and then shook my head, because I knew that she was setting herself up for a hard fall.
“I couldn’t.” She finally said, in barely a whisper.
“Nena, you have to tell her about us, because there is an ‘us’. I don’t want to hurt Nai, any more than I already have, but I love you, and I do not want to keep that a secret… from anyone. You have to tell her, before she finds out from someone else.” I warned.
“And by that someone, you mean Tony?” She said, answering her own question.
“Look, I know you Nena, and I saw what keeping a secret like this did to you. I just don’t want a repeat occurrence; because I don’t know what I’d do, if something happened to you.” I took her in my arms, and she rested her head against my chest. She sighed, and held me tighter.
“I know babe, and I’m sorry. I was just so happy that she called, that I did not want to risk making her angry, and distancing her from me again. I just want my sister back.” She said with her voice a little shaky. I held her tighter, and rested my chin atop her head. Although I hated how credulous she tended to be at times, that was one of the qualities I loved most about her. The way she always searched for the good in any situation, no matter what, made me love her more. Though Nena seemed very optimistic about patching things up with Naima, I, after all, was a realist. I knew that the day Naima accepted Nena and my rel
ationship would be like a man getting his period. Never in a million fucking years would that shit ever happen. However, for Nena’s sake, I had better kept my opinion to myself.
~NENA~
Later that night, after another one of our intense lovemaking trysts, my mind kept wandering. I knew that Chris was right. I had to tell Naima about our relationship; even if there was a possibility that it could ruin any chance, I had of salvaging our sisterhood. Sleeping with Chris behind Naima’s back was one thing, but starting a relationship with him was a whole other story. That would be one betrayal, too many, in my sister’s eyes.
What am I going to do? With his eyes still closed, Chris stirred, and squeezed my shoulder.
“It’ll be all right babe. Get some sleep. Love you.” He said, as if reading my thoughts. I smiled, and nestled my head in the crook of his arm, resting my arm across his torso. To be in his arms just felt so good, and so right.
“I love you too.” I said, before closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.
34
~NAIMA~
“Why the long face, chica? Aren’t you looking forward to seeing, Nena? It’s been months.” Starr said. I stood in front of the full-length mirror, staring at my growing belly. I tried on one loose-fitting shirt after another, trying to conceal my pregnancy. Even though I made the decision to keep my baby, I had not quite embraced the idea of becoming a mom yet. I still felt a bit ashamed at the fact that Chris was the father of my baby.
“I wouldn’t go as far as to say all that, but I am glad that I’m finally going to be able to put all this behind me. As far as her and me, I know things will never be the same again between us, and I am okay with that. I just don’t know why I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.” I said. Suddenly frustrated, I tossed the last t-shirt on the floor. I had already started to hate being pregnant. Nothing seemed to fit right.
“It’s called morning sickness, or did you forget that you’re pregnant.” Starr said, rolling her eyes at me. I picked up a pillow, and threw it at her.
“Whatever, smartass!” I said, giggling.
“Well, you’re over there looking all down like you are going to a funeral or something. Cheer up. It’s only Nena, not the Devil.” Starr laughed.
“You know what?” I said, picking up another pillow, ready for a full-fledged pillow fight.
“Chill,” Starr held her hands up in surrender. “I just got my hair done, and I’m going to go see my baby tonight.” She said with a smile.
“You mean somebody else’s baby.” I said, taking a shot at her ego.
“Yeah, whatever! Why are you so nervous anyway?” She asked, switching the subject back to me. I suspect she was falling for her boss, but she refused to admit it.
“I’m not nervous.” I said.
“Good. If anything, Nena should be the one that’s nervous, because she was dead wrong for what she did.” Starr said, shaking her head.
“Yeah I know. I just feel weird about seeing her.” I admitted. Having my only sister betray me, with the man I loved, was not an easy thing to get over.
“Are you going to tell her about the baby?” Starr asked. I sighed, before answering.
“I don’t know. That is what I was just thinking about. I am not really showing, unless you look hard enough. I want to see how things go with her and me, before I let her back into my personal life like that. I’m still hurt by what she did, and to be honest, I don’t think I could ever forgive her for it, but I will try to.” I said.
“All right chica. Whatever you decide is fine with me.” Then Starr glanced down at the 24-carat diamond watch on her wrist that her boss had bought her, along with a diamond necklace to match. “Look sweetie, I have to run. We’ll talk more tomorrow, all right.” She said grabbing her coat and keys. I turned from the mirror to give her a quick hug.
“All right hon, be careful.” I said. Starr smiled at me, and then rushed out the front door. “And use a condom! Believe me; you do not want any surprises. I should know!” I called out to her as she was backing her Navigator out of its assigned parking space. Starr waived at me from the driver’s side window, and pulled off. Despite my reservations, coupled with the indignation I still felt towards Nena, I remained optimistic. The baby growing inside me was undoubtedly much more important, than anything else was. Looking back at my full-length mirror, I smiled and placed a hand on my belly.
“You deserve all the love in the world little one. I’ll make things better with your auntie, I promise.” The sudden flutters I felt in my stomach made me smile. Then, I knew everything would be okay. It just had to be.
~ERIC~
“Whoa. I didn’t hear you come in.” I said, startled by my wife’s touch. As the water pressure from the showerhead raged on, she pressed her breasts against my back, and ran her hands up and down my abs. Her fingers lingered over my muscularity, and then found their way down to my groin. She began to massage my shaft trying to arouse me. When my cock slowly began to rise, I rolled my eyes. Cynthia was the last person I wanted to make love to, but I was desperate for some release. Starr had been punishing me, for standing her up on Thanksgiving, by refusing to let me touch her. I hated leaving her that day, but my wife would not leave me alone. Since I started sleeping with Starr, no other woman could even come close to satisfying me, the way she did. Now, my dick started to get hard, the more I thought about Starr, and with Cynthia now jerking me off from behind. When she started trailing kisses along my back, thoughts of how good Starr’s lips felt, wrapped around my dick surfaced. “Oh yeah,” I groaned aloud, thinking about the way Starr sucked me off so well, the last time we were together. Then, Cynthia turned me around to face her. Disappointment clouded my eyes, when I saw her standing there, and not whom I secretly longed for. Nevertheless, my dick was still hard, and I needed some release. Cynthia looked at me with dreamy eyes, and started to kiss my chest. Then, I placed both hands on her shoulders, and gently forced her down to her knees. With my hand behind her head, I ushered my cock into her mouth. Giving head was not Cynthia’s favorite thing to do, but I knew she was willing to do anything to please me. When she started sucking, I threw my head back, and pictured Starr’s luscious lips devouring my shaft. I forced Cynthia’s head down, so she could take my entire schlong into her mouth, the way Starr had. The more she began to gag, and started to resist, the more I forced my dick deeper down her throat. “Oh yeah! Please baby! This feels so good. OOOh!” I groaned, still fantasizing about Starr, and running my fingers through Cynthia’s hair. Cynthia tried to give herself some relief, by pulling away just little, but my hands behind her head, kept her right where she was. Suitably, I rested my foot atop the edge of the tub, and then started fucking her face, imagining that it was Starr’s warm, wet, tight pussy. “Oh shit!” I cried out when I felt myself about to come. Then, Cynthia gagged even more, and I fucked her face harder. Through clenched teeth, I gave her face one good hard thrust, and groaned.
“Shit!” I cried again, shooting my load into her mouth. She quickly pulled away, and spat my semen onto the tub floor. I braced myself against the shower wall, relieved at the release. Then, Cynthia stood, looking at me disapprovingly.
“You know I hate it when you’re that rough. What’s gotten into you?” She questioned, wiping the side of her mouth, with the back of her hand. I rolled my eyes, and turned my back to her, rinsing myself off. I thoroughly washed my member again with soap, and quickly inspected it.
“I’m sorry honey.” Was all I said, before I stuck my head under the running water, to wash the perspiration from my face. I was hoping she would take the hint, and leave.
“It’s okay.” She said, pressing her body against my back again. “I want you to make love to me.” She whispered from behind me, grabbing my dick again. “I want to feel you inside me.” She said again, kissing the back of my neck.
“I’m sorry honey, maybe later.” I told her. I disentangled her arms from around my waist, and stepped out of the tub. “I’ve
got an early meeting.” I lied. Then I wrapped a towel around my waist, and left the bathroom.
~STARR~
I pulled out the keys Eric had messengered over to me at the office, and used them to unlock the double doors I now stood before. Along with the keys he had sent, was another letter of apology, and an address with directions on it at the bottom of the letter. The directions took me to this ostentatious, high-rise building, in the city. This day, I pushed one of the doors open, and entered a lavish penthouse suite, overlooking the Madison River. The beautifully furnished living room featured an ivory colored overstuffed sectional sofa, and glass end tables with gold trims. I set my purse and keys down on the matching glass table near the foyer, and started to remove my pumps. The snow colored carpet was too clean for shoes to walk on.
Heels off, I slowly stepped down into the sunken living room, and marveled at how soft the thick plush carpet felt beneath my manicured toes. Then, I noticed the card sitting on the crystal coffee table in the middle of the living room, with a rose and a flute of champagne next to it.
With a smile on my face, I happily crossed the room. Reaching down, I took the card and opened it. Right away, red rose petals fell from inside the card, and I read the note…
Take off your clothes, and meet me on the terrace.
Eric~
I smiled, and started to unbutton my blazer. I put the card down, and took a sip of the champagne. Replacing the flute, I removed my blazer, my blouse, and unclasped my bra. Then, I unzipped the side of my white slacks, and let them fall to the floor, stepping out of them. Lastly, I removed my lace pink thongs. Naked, I sauntered over to the French doors, leading out to the terrace. When I pushed the doors open, seasonably, I felt the cool winter breeze. Then, I wrapped my arms around myself, and stepped out onto the terrace, shivering. There, I found another note…
