Twisted (38 page)

"You say it like I always have problems.”

She giggled, her green eyes glowing.  "That's because
you do.  No offense, but it's like you’re my own personal soap opera.”

I was not amused, but I knew she was only being honest and that's
what I loved about her most.  "You know how great I told you it was going
with Edwin and me?"

"Yeah," she replied curious, but hesitant.

"Well I had to go and throw a wrench into it and now my
life's a mess," I squealed, breaking into sobs.

"What did you do?"

Sobbing, "I broke up with him and it's for real this
time.”

Not giving me the benefit of the doubt, Aubrey smirked and
pulled her knees to her chest.  "Mmm, hmm.  I've heard that one before.”

I took a deep breath and pulled myself back together.  I
always felt like I had to put up a good front for my little sister.  Sure she
was only a couple of years younger than me, but she was still my little sis.  I
was supposed to be the strong one.  Even my therapist told me so.

“But I don't get it.  You're so happy when you're with him. 
So why’d you do it?"

"Babies."

"Babies?"

"Yes.  I want babies and he doesn't.  It's as simple as
that."

"Well I'd say that's a pretty good reason to break up
with someone.  You gotta do what you gotta do.  It's his loss."

"Then why do I feel so wicked?" I asked.  I was
still upset, but the tears had finally taken leave.

"It's better now than later.  Trust me.  You saved
yourself a shout-off.  It really is better this way Abby."

"It just hurts so bad, and for him to be in the house...
ugh!  It's all I can think about."

"It just happened, right?  It'll get better.  I
promise.  Once you get back to your daily routine, without him, you'll find
your way.  You always do."

"Ugh!  You're always so optimistic.  That's why I had to
see you.  You’re right, of course.  I needed this.”

"Anything for my big sis."  She smiled her cheery
grin and it warmed my heart one degree.

"I must be such a disappointment to you right now.  I'm
supposed to be the one helping you with your relationship problems, not the
other way around."

"You've helped me through my fair share of stuff. 
You've always been there for me, and I’ll always be here for you.  24/7.  And I
mean that.  If you ever need to get away, you can come stay with me."

"Deal.”

"Good.  So are you up for some exercise?  It might make
you feel a little better.  It sure beats eating like a pig and packing on the
pounds."

"Let's do it."  Jogging had made me feel a little
more alive, so maybe this could help too.  It was definitely worth a try.

"Okay, I got this new hip hop game for the Wii.  It's a
lot of fun."  She plugged in the game and cranked the sound up real high. 
Side by side, we wielded our hips and imitated the dancers hand motions like
trained professionals.  Jamming to the music, I forced myself to work it out
hard, in an effort to sweat away some of my worries.

"Want a bottle of water?" Aubrey asked, as we
finished a low intensity dance.

"Please.  I'm dying here.  That was excellent.  We
definitely have to do this again, soon."

"You know where to find me," she hinted, smiling.

"Likewise.  You know you can come over any time."  I
missed her little visits.  They had become almost non-existent over the past
few months.

"I know, but your relationship with Edwin was so
intimidating.  You two were attached at the hip and so in tune with each
other.  Nobody wants to mess with that."

"Ain't that the truth?  It's gonna be different now.  I
just keep telling myself that it's a change for the better."

"You'll be fine.  You hungry?  I'll make us some
waffles."

"Kay."

After dousing my sadness with hard work, maple syrup and
sisterly love, Aubrey drove me home and I was ready to face the facts.  Edwin
was in my life, no matter how hard it hurt, and so I’d have to deal with it.  I
jumped out of Aubrey's car, waved goodbye and headed right for the door.

Once inside, I locked the door and flicked the light switch
on.  A twinge of adrenaline spiked my nerves when I recalled my most recent incident. 
I guess my personal security system was out of the question now.

Edwin was still lounging on the couch.  It looked like he
hadn’t moved a muscle since I had left hours earlier.  I didn't speak to him as
I headed for the kitchen to get some water, but when I walked by again, he
didn't let me pass unnoticed.  Sitting in his spot, Edwin’s eyes followed me,
as I ran up the stairs as quickly as I could.  My heart skittered in my chest,
my breaths sharp and laced with anxiety.

He hollered his threat, loud and smooth.  "You can't
avoid me forever you know.”

HERE I
LAY, BACK in my bed, wondering how to take what Edwin had said. 
You can't
avoid me forever you know.
  I did know that, and I was certainly avoiding
him, but I couldn't imagine just casually hanging out as if nothing ever happened. 
Is he over it already?  It didn’t matter. 
I
needed time.

I managed to stay out of Edwin's path for the rest of the day. 
That night, I cried before I fell asleep, but much less than the night before. 
When I awoke in the morning, loneliness loomed over me like a dark cloud. 
Despite that, unexpectedly, I felt ready to see Edwin face to face.  Regardless,
I had to go to work.  Whether I liked it or not, I would have to get used to
the idea and fast.

Rubbing my eyes, I pulled open by bedroom door and trotted
down the stairs for breakfast.  No Edwin.  I ran back upstairs, showered in our
shared bathroom, and returned to my bedroom.  No Edwin.

I carefully unclipped a long black pencil skirt from a hanger,
and slipped the fitted skirt over my hips.  Before I topped it with a flirty
blouse, I decided I should’ve probably brushed my teeth first.  There’s nothing
worse on a Monday morning, than tooth paste splatter on your white shirt. 
Quick and careless, I headed for my door, and when I stepped out into the hallway,
I bumped right into Edwin.

"Whoa," he said.  He seemed equally as stunned by
the imposition, but he didn’t budge and inch.

Being inside his personal space was incredibly awkward.  It
wasn’t exactly the place I had expected to be this morning, but there I was,
wearing nothing but a barely there bra.

My eyes flashed away from his glimmering aqua glance and
landed on his luscious smiling lips.  Lower yet, my eyes focused in on his
smooth chest peeking out of his crisp white, mostly unbuttoned shirt. 
Damn
it
.  He looked like a tasty morning treat, his shirt fully tucked into
those black slacks hung handsomely from his masculine hips.

I swallowed the lusty lump from the back of my throat. 
"Sorry," I said softly.  I didn't even know whether I was apologizing
for getting in his face or eyeing his body like a piece of man candy.

It didn’t seem to matter to him.  He took my chin in his hand
and looked right through me with his piercing gaze.  "You can feel sorry
for a lot of things, but this shouldn't ever be one of them."

His lips covered mine, his drugging kiss long and slow, as I
struggled with myself to make him stop.  I should have.  But I couldn't.  I
didn't.

Edwin stopped first and smiled at my carelessness.  I stood
there a little stunned and a lot disappointed with my lack of judgment.  With
fists bunched at my side, I forced a stern look to make its appearance.  It was
hard to keep it together.

"What do you think you’re doing Eddie?"

"I couldn't help myself, and you didn't stop me.  What
do you expect?  I'm only a man."

How could I argue with that?  I loosened my fists and took a
deep breath, relaxing my tense muscles.  "Well maybe you can give me some
notice next time," I said sarcastically.

"I didn't plan for this.  It just happened,” he
insisted.

"I'm sure.  You're lips just bumped into mine.”

"Like you just happened to rush out of your door at the
exact time I was passing," he challenged.  His arrogance was starting to
make me angry, but I was relieved to feel any emotion other than sadness and
despair.

Agitated, "Wait a minute: that really happened,” I
argued.  “Don't try and turn this on me."
"Mmm, hmm," he replied, pressing my every button.

"Well I hope you enjoyed yourself, because I’m not gonna
let you take advantage of me like that again.”  I backed away, more for me than
for him.  He smelled so good.  Too good.

He laughed and just stood there, shaking his head, staring at
me.  His fresh aftershave and fragrant cologne mixed with his arousal in an
enticing aroma.  It had a terrifying effect on me, heightening my senses and
messing with my mind.  After being so dangerously close to him, I was desperate
for some privacy to regain my composure.  But his eyes never left mine and I
worried that he was magically deciphering my thoughts.

Nerves getting the best of me, I did what any reasonable
woman would have done in the circumstances: I bolted for the washroom.

"I was just going to brush my teeth," I announced,
trying to prove my innocence.  I ducked into the washroom, feeling safe once I
was out of the fathomless aqua force field he was wielding.

"Oh really?" he replied, following after me. 
"Funny.  Because that's exactly what I was coming to do."

My grass coloured eyes grew wide with anxiety and as soon as
I noticed, I glared at myself in the mirror. 
Time… space… I need...

Edwin appeared nonchalantly in the reflection behind me.  I
tore my eyes from his firm chest and confident stare, and fixed them on my
toothbrush, as I shakily applied the paste.  I put the tube down and pressed
both of my hands against the cold marble countertop to support my weight, stop
the shaking and avoid his mystical eyes.

Continuing with his casual lack of concern, Edwin reached
around me and under my outstretched arms to retrieve the toothpaste and his
brush.  I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent, totally disarming my anger and
arousing my budding curiosity.

I took a deep breath.  "What are you doing?" I
asked, as I ran my brush under the water.

"Brushing my teeth.  Obviously."

"Hah!" I replied, with a mouthful of paste.

Edwin began to fight me for the sink bowl, playfully hip
checking and trying to shove me out of the way.  I defended better than a
seasoned veteran, boxing him out with my hips and rear-end.

"I better warn you," Edwin mumbled, with paste
foaming around his lips.  He nudged me aside and emptied his mouth full into
the sink.  "I may try and kiss you again when you're done brushing."

I sputtered into the sink, reacting to his terrifying words. 
"Don't even think about it!" I squealed, extremely uncomfortable with
the notion.

"You asked for notice and service is effective," he
taunted, dipping his mouth to the tap.  He slurped up some water and swished it
around in his mouth as I took a mouthful of water myself.

I rinsed out my mouth and dried it on the towel as Edwin
spewed out the last of his mouthwash.  I wanted to be mad.  I tried to be mad. 
But how could you be mad at that handsome face?

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he said, winking.

There was no denying that spending time like this with Edwin
made me feel a lot better about everything.  Playful was doable, and I was
pleasantly surprised that he was being so good about it so soon.  Taking my
good old time, I flossed every tooth and gargled with mouthwash.  Edwin watched
me intently.

I acknowledged his presence, but tried to act emotionless. 
It was extremely difficult.  An overpowering inquisitiveness hung thick in the
air between us as I dried the wetness from my mouth.  I found myself in
desperate need of oxygen, the room entirely starved of it as Edwin stepped up
beside me.

"We're gonna be okay," he said, his low, sexy growl
cutting through the hazy air.

I reached past him to put the bottle of mouthwash back where
it belonged, and he didn't move out of my way.  My sensitive sniffer caught a
whiff of him again, as I nudged him aside to open the vanity door. 
Mmm.  That
scent.  Divine.

Edwin stood, unmoved, blocking my path to the door, making me
brush past him to make my exit.  As I walked away, he slowly followed, but
stopped when he reached the hall.  I pretended not to notice.

"You are pretty messed up," he said, stopping me in
my tracks.

"Excuse me?"  I spun around to face him, cold and
conceited.

"Did you forget already?"  He hoped for a stunned
response and so I acted clueless, as my eyes locked onto his heated gaze.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about," I lied. 
If he only knew that I wanted him to try me on for size something fierce.  But I
knew what was good for me.  I should stick to my original plan: evade, retreat
and regroup.  If I stayed away from Edwin I could move on a lot faster.  So why
wouldn't my feet move?