Twisted (40 page)

The truth was: all I needed was time.  Time was the only
thing that would make it better.  If I wanted to wipe clean my heart to open it
up to a new man, I would have to put Edwin away.

 After passing Edwin’s shiny truck, I walked up my front
steps and reached my key toward the dull door knob.  I hustled straight to the
bathroom to fix my hair and make-up, because I know Aliah isn't one to mess
around.  At the speed that she drove, I knew I didn't have a whole lot of time
to dilly-dally.  Though I may have partly been trying to avoid Edwin again, I
hoped that he wouldn't notice.  I didn't want to have to go through the whole
exercise again.

Before long, I had myself done up pretty damn good.  I
hurried to my bedroom, counting down the seconds before Aliah would show up.  Just
as I was about to pull a flirty shirt over my head, there was a knock at my bedroom
door. 
Damn, Aliah's fast!

"Come in," I called, as I wriggled into my
perfectly fitted shirt.  Expecting Aliah's insistent, crude chatter, I was startled
when the room fell silent.  I quickly adjusted my shirt and spun around to face
my door.  "Oh shit!  I thought you were Aliah," I said, startled.

Edwin stood inside the door with a mischievous smile on his lips
and his eyebrows curved for trouble.  "Nothing I haven't seen before."

"Can I help you?"

"You just did."  His eyes swept over me again and
his smile stretched from ear to ear.

"Real cute Eddie.  What do you want?"

"Just checking to make sure you aren't avoiding me.  You
aren't all freaked out about everything again are you?"

I rummaged through my jewellery box for some dangly
accessories.  "Do I look all freaked out to you?"

"No, you look good."

I hooked some gold earnings from my ears, fluffy beige feathers
dangling from them, and pulled on the matching long necklace.  "Thanks.  But
if that's it, then I'll really have to talk to you later.  I've got somewhere
to be."

"Do you now?"

"Yes, I do."

"Don't tell me you have a date already," Edwin
prodded, suddenly angry.

Why did I have to be such a meanie, pushing him like that?  Because
I'm feisty like that, that's why.  "So what if I do?"

"You wouldn't do that to me.  You wouldn't be so cruel. 
Did our relationship mean nothing to you?"

Ding dong: saved by the bell!  And based on the incessant
rings, it was definitely Ally at the door.  I flashed a sassy smile at Edwin,
breezed past him and sped down the stairs.

Edwin slowly walked the hall and waited at the top of the
stairs to check out my visitor.  "He sounds real classy," Edwin
called to me, folding his arms over his buff chest.

Aliah let herself inside as I reached the bottom stair.  She
looked up at Edwin who was shaking his head, obviously disturbed from my
insinuations.

"What's your problem?" she asked, scowling up at
him.

"See, I told you I have a date," I said, smiling.

He slowly walked down the stairs, with his hands tightly
packed in his armpits.  "That's just mean."

"Oh, please.  You asked for it.  Give me some credit. 
Do you really think I’d be dating already?  You know I took our relationship
seriously; probably even more serious than you.”

"We'll talk about this later," Edwin said, with
pause, “when we're alone."  He glared at Aliah, as if it were somehow her
fault that we were arguing.

"No, we'll talk about it now."  I was not about to let
him corner me again.  Keeping out of those sorts of situations was the best
move for me.

"I really don’t wanna hear it right now; and I'm sure
Aliah doesn't want to either," he said.

"Don't let me stop you," Aliah insisted.

"Actually, you don't need to say anything,” I said to
Edwin, selfish and firm.  “There really is nothing to talk about, since I'm not
really your concern anymore.  Our relationship is over, so you do what you want
and I'll do what I want.”

"Fine, we don't have to talk about it, but you can't
stop me from caring about you.  I'll let you believe you're off the hook now,
but you aren't; not by a long shot."

I gazed into his charming, heartbreaking eyes and quickly planted
a kiss on his cheek.  "Whatever you say Eddie."

Aliah's smirk matched mine as she followed me out the door.

Edwin reached for Ally's arm and tugged her back gently.  "Look
out for her, will ya?" he asked softly.

"Don't you worry Eddie boy, she's in good hands." 
Aliah swiftly pulled her arm from his loose grasp and twiddled her fingers in a
wave.  She left him standing in the doorway and that’s where he stayed, staring
at me through the windshield of her car.

Aliah slipped into the driver seat and pulled her door shut,
flashing a quick glance at Edwin.  "Wow, you really did a number on
him," she said, as she turned over the ignition and slammed the car into
gear.

"What are you talking about?"

"That boy is not gonna let you out of his sight.  You've
still got him wrapped around your little finger."

"Nope.  I don’t."

"It sure looked that way to me.  He's still got it bad
for you."

"He'll get over it.  When he sees that I'm moving on,
he'll have to," I said frankly.

"I suppose so, but he still seems pretty attached."

"Sex will do that for a man."

"But you said you broke up on Saturday night.  I doubt
he's still dreaming about how great you are in bed."

"Well, about that…"

"Abigail Jenkins you tell me everything right now!"
she demanded, eager for the dirty details.

"I might have bedded him after that, so to speak."

"You dirty, little, whore.  And what do you mean so to
speak?"  Aliah was so intrigued she couldn't keep her eyes on the road. 
“Fess up.  I want details.”

"Well, we didn't exactly make it to the bed.  I think
saying I gave him a little action would better describe it."

Aliah’s mouth dropped open and she slapped the steering
wheel, swerving toward the oncoming traffic, her pale eyes still locked on me.

"Ally, watch the road!" I hollered, my eyes wide
with panic.

She yanked the wheel and we escaped the near side swipe of
the big red truck as it sped past us with its horn blaring.  I was clinging to
the door and had forgotten to breathe, but Aliah seemed undisturbed by it all.

"I knew you had it in you,” Aliah said, as if nothing
had just happened.  “But I thought you said it was over.”

"We agreed that there is no future for us as a couple,
but as single, consenting adults, we couldn't resist."

"Ha!  I cannot believe you!  No wonder why you two were
all googly eyed Monday morning.  So now you've got him under your spell and
here I am barely hanging on with Hunter.”  She shook her head, her thoughts rolling
around in her head for only seconds before she blurted them out.  “He's still
kickin' it with you.  Unbelievable."

"Trust me, it was a one-time thing," I said.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll have no problem resisting him
next time," she said sarcastically.

"I said I won't and I won't.  If I ever plan to land
myself another man, then Edwin can't be looming in my bedroom."

"Ain’t that the truth.  It's bad enough you have to tell
your new guy that you live with another man.  Oh, by the way, Eddie boy, he's
my ex stud muffin."

Aliah hit the nail on the head.  My dates had immediately red
flagged me whenever I explained my living situation to them, and rightfully
so.  Now if I can only stick to my one rule – no sleeping with Edwin – then I’m
sure that the right guy will see past it.  Spencer did.

"What are you thinking about?" Aliah asked,
breaking me from my dangerous thoughts.

"Actually, I was thinking how funny it is that every
time I imagine finding a new man, Spencer pops back into my head."

"Do you really want to go there again?" Aliah
blasted me.

What was that all about?  "What?  When it was good, it
was real good."

"Yeah, I've heard that before.  Too bad it was mostly
not so good."

"Take it easy.  I didn't mean I was gonna go crawling
back to him.  But he's a good guy."

"Oh, really?  He was real good when he packed his bags
and moved on without ever turning back."

"Trust me when I say this: I won’t be wasting my
valuable baby making years on my own leftovers.  I left Edwin because he didn't
fit my timeline.  So why would I go back to another dead end?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!  Back up a minute.  What's this about
babies and why did you leave Edwin?"

Had I been that unclear?  Aliah and I had been drifting apart
over the past few months, but it was hard to believe I hadn’t slipped that into
one of our conversations.  "I told Edwin that I want to have babies soon
and, if that didn't fit his plans then I couldn't waste any more time with
him."

"Wow.  I knew you were serious, but bam!  I actually
feel a little sorry for the guy.”

Slightly angered, "That's not to mention that he hasn't
put a ring on it," I added, making a point.

"Aren't you Ms. Demanding?  You've been together for
what, a few months, and you already expect a ring?"

"No I don't expect a ring, but I do expect the prospect
of a ring and some babies in my not so distant future," I snapped. 
"Ally, don't you realize how old I am?  I ain't getting any younger, and I
want to actually be able to chase after my kids; you know, keep up with them."

Aliah swerved off of the road and slammed on her brakes.  "You
have got to be kidding me right now.  You're 24 years old!"

“Exactly.  I'm not 18 anymore, and I'll be 30 before you know
it.  I don't care what you think, because I want kids and nothing's going to
change that."

"It's no wonder Eddie was so stunned.  I can’t believe
you wouldn’t throw him a bone."

"Don't put it all on me.  He knew how I felt about
this.  We've talked about it a million times before.  I can't believe you're
siding with him," I snapped, my voice getting louder as I finished my
sentence.  “He shouldn't have gotten back with me if he couldn't handle it.”

"Don't you yell at
me
.  This is all
you
,"
Aliah retorted.

My face was turning into a ball of fire and I'm sure smoke
was coming from my ears.  "Suddenly I'm not feeling like going out with
you.  Take me home," I demanded.

"Come on Abby, I'm not siding with Edwin.  You know I'm
your girl.  I'm just saying that I understand why he might have been a little
distraught."

She still sounded like she was on his side.  "I'm not
going out with you," I pouted.

She ignored my reaction and continued to rant in Edwin's
favour.  "He's a reasonable guy, but I bet he's thinking you're an evil
succubus who's trying to steal his life away.  And, I mean, can you blame
him?"

I gasped with fury, as she pulled back out onto the street. 
And if she weren't driving, I would have rung her neck.  “What's your
point?"

"The poor guy just got done school and can finally relax
and live a little and you wanna wife him up already."

"I cannot believe I am hearing this from your lips; what
with the way you’ve latched on to Maddie’s baby daddy."

"Leave Hunter out of this."

Ha ha, I think not.
  "No, he's fair game.  While we’re on the topic of
poor
guys
, why don't you tell me how Hunter explained his way out of that one?"

"We weren't exactly in an exclusive relationship when he
slept with Maddison."

"Oh, well when you put it that way, it's fine
then," I remarked sarcastically.

“Stop.”

"So he can hold your hand by day and screw other girls
by night, is that it?"  I paused, letting the harsh truth of the matter
sink in.

“You’re a bitch,” Aliah said, staring straight ahead.

I glared out the window at the lampposts speeding past us, but
she wasn’t taking me home.  I scowled at my own reflection, a miserable bitch
staring back at me.  Why did I have to tear down Aliah too?  I was being unfair,
when she had done nothing to me.  Suddenly I felt terribly guilty for turning
on her, but I couldn't bring myself to apologize.  Silence hung light in the
air as the car slowed down.

"You're lucky I know how to handle your bull shit, you
know," Aliah said, glancing at me briefly.  "I half expected this,
but you're not getting away with it.  You're stuck with me tonight."  The
light turned green and she stepped on the gas, swerving around the slow traffic.

A few more moments of silence passed, as I reflected on my
rudeness and rummaged up some compassion.  “I’m sorry for being such a bitch.”

"Okay, so ignorance may be my new best friend.  And yes,
I may be dating a man whore, but it's still fun to play.  Big deal, you and
Edwin didn't work out.  Close that chapter and move on to the next already.” 
She flashed a glance at me that barked its own order.  “We're going out and you're
gonna like it," she commanded.