Authors: Melissa Phillips
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Contemporary, #Romance, #Contemporary Fiction
Chapter 15
Startled, I woke to a loud pounding at Justin's bedroom door, I jumped. Looking above the cover as I peaked over. I was reminded that I really was in bed with Justin and my clothes, thankfully, were still covering me and his were still in place. With relief, I dropped my head back against the pillow. Waking to the noise just as I had, Justin spoke with an even raspier voice. “What Vince, damn?” My head was still resting along side his chest, his arm wrapped around mine. His free hand punched the mattress as Vince woke us.
The door opened as I hid, hoping that Vince didn't spot me. I was praying that he would expect me to be another chick he brought home. No one would understand the relationship that Justin and I shared. No one! We had feelings for each other, and we expressed those exact same feeling in mild physical relief, but we also agreed that it wouldn't go further. I wouldn't do it to Davien and I was positive he would never do it to his fellow band mate, one of his best friends.
Recognizing the familiar voice, my heart stopped. “Justin, do you know where Avery is?” I pulled at the cover to hide myself further and Justin didn't answer. Davien swore in extreme sounds. “Fuck! Her car is still at my place, but I spent all night searching for her.”
With Justin still not replying, he obviously wasn't ready to be part of this. “I thought you were bringing her home. I can't find her! You brought her home, right?” I could hear the torture in Davien's voice. “Damn it, she must have gone to Anthony's. I'm filling the mother fucker, I swear I'm killing him.”
Slowly lowering the sheets to my chin, I glanced at Davien. He immediately spot my eyes. His never dropped as his lids squinted so small with disbelief. He bit his lower lip as we watched each other. His breathing was ragged and loud. Each of us waiting for the others next move. He shook his head in shame, a pitied huff echoed through the room. With anger in his body, he stepped to Justin's bed at the opposite side of my well clothed body.
Justin lay with a blank expression across his face. I noticed my arm still wrapped around Justin and immediately brought it across my own waist. Davien's body was tense as he pulled the sheet to the side, exposing Justin's guilt filled body. Wrapping both hands around Justin shoulders, he pulled him from his spot and forced him to drop to the floor. With Justin not willing to fight back, Davien swung a heavy fist across Justin's face, knocking him to the side.
I sat straight up and saw Davien's eyes glance over me, up and down. Justin sat as well yet on the carpeted floor. Using the back of his hand, he wiped the slightly bloody mouth and held at his pained jaw. “Stop, Davien, stop!” I screamed, just before he left another swing across Justin, this time beating at his bare chest. The chest I had just rested my head on. “Leave!” I begged.
“You want me to leave, Avery?” He shook his head in disbelief. “That's what you want?” I nodded my head to his question, making it very clear that I didn't even want to see him. With a loud slam to the bedroom door, Davien excused his self from the scene. I jumped to my feet and Justin pulled to his.
“Sit!” Justin pointed at the bed as he stepped from the room and followed Davien. I followed his command and listened through the thin wall as Davien screamed at the innocent man. Justin finally got a few words in as I listened carefully. “It's not what you think, Bro. It's not!” He stated.
“Then what the hell is it?” Davien shot another question at Justin. “You slept with my girlfriend and I'm supposed to believe that 'it's not what I think it is'. Are you serious man?”
“You have to trust me. Just trust me with this one. Please.”
“Trust you with what? Trust you that you're not sleeping with my girlfriend? How much more obvious could it be? She was in your damn arms when I opened the door.” Davien screamed loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear about my relationship with both men.
Justin's voice stayed calm as he tried to calm Davien as well. He didn't fight back to Davien both physically or with words. “Davien, just trust me.” I stood and walked to the slightly opened door to watch the two men. Justin held his hand up like a young boyscout. “You have to believe me, Bro. Just give her a couple of weeks. Let her think about things until you get the answers of the test. You owe it to her.”
“I can't, Justin.” Davien dropped to the floor.
“You have to though.” Justin still calm even after taking two very large pounds from Davien's fist. He tried to talk Davien into trusting him. Justin fought for his words and his fingers raced through his blonde buzz cut. “I'll take care of her.”
“No!” Davien screamed for mercy. I saw the tears at his eyes as I stared at the man I loved but scared of his past. Justin was correct, I couldn't do it. We talked about it all night. It was gonna take time. Possibly a long time!
“It's not up to you this time, man.” Justin said quietly as he continued rubbing at his sore jaw. Davien shook his head as he begged for the truth he wanted to hear. “She will stay here. She can have the bed, I'll sleep on the couch... whatever it takes. But she can't come home.....yet!” Justin reached for Davien's hand and pulled him from the ground. A normal friend would have fought him back, Justin was a tough fighter, but not to his friends. Especially a friend that was already hurting, emotionally.
Davien finally gave in and pulled to his feet. Justin wrapped one arm around Davien and pat on his back. Davien whispered as I made out his strong lips. “Whatever it takes, don't let her leave.” Justin nodded his head with the agreement. “Let me say good-bye.” Davien begged. Justin pointed at the door that I stood behind. Walking to the door, I backed away. My heart raced at what he would say. Did I even want to see him face to face? Knowing what the past had brought to our relationship. The door opened and Davien's eyes met mine. I dropped my head as he reached for my hand. I didn't pull away but I didn't reach further to him. His hand cupped my chin and his thumb traced my jawline. “I'm giving you time, Avery. If that's what you need, then that's what you will get.”
I nodded at his statement as I accepted his offer. “I love you, Avery, don't forget those words.” He kissed my cheek and slowly pulling away from me, he looked at me once again with hurt eyes as I pulled my face to meet him.
He waited for what seemed like hours for my response but I never offered one. I didn't want to lie and tell him I didn't love him, because I really did. But I knew for sure I wasn't willing to tell him I did. I didn't deserve to have my mind twisted around. He turned to leave the room, but stopped in the door frame “Avery, don't leave me.” After those painful words, he stepped from the room, meeting Justin in the living room. Davien spoke softly, but I was still able to make out his words. “I'll send Scott with some clothes for her......Take care of her Justin.”
The two split as Davien left the house quietly. I stepped from the bedroom with my head hanging low. I felt like I had trapped Justin in the middle of the mess. “Come here, Baby girl.” Justin held his hands out. Slowly approaching his welcoming arms, I dropped my head to his chest, my arms wrapping around his lower back. “Guess we're up now. Wanna make breakfast together?”
☼
With Justin flipping pancakes, which I was very impressed with, I browned sausage patties and scrambled eggs. Not really knowing I was in the house, Vince came to the kitchen. His long brown hair, hung around his shoulders, his eyes squint over the room. The kitchen was covered in the rising sun that beamed through the large windows. He seemed half sleep as he ran his fingers from his chin all the way up his face and back through his feminine yet extremely sexy hair. “Good mornin' guys.” His voice was deep and raspy.
Justin turned over his shoulder as he continued checking his pancake. “You look like crap man.” The two guys laughed at each other. Their bond was similar to Davien and Scott's.
Vince eyed me up and down and I tried to make out his thoughts but with butterflies flipping me in knots, I tried to ignore it. “Everything okay, Avery?”
I nodded my head, not sure what to say. No, I wasn't okay, but I was with Justin so I was as good as I was gonna be for the situation that I was facing. “Baby girl's gonna stay with us for a lil bit.” Vince nodded his head as what I assumed was agreement to the unasked question. “She can't go home for a while, so I told Davien I'd watch over her.”
With extreme surprise to his voice, Vince asked, “Davien knows that she's here?” Justin nodded his head “Damn Davien drove me crazy all night. We drove around town for hours searching for her.” He talked about me as if we weren't in the same kitchen as I scrambled the eggs. “How long have you been here, Avery?”
Justin answered for me “All night... she's been in my room.” The thought of Davien driving the streets all night as he dragged Vince along with him. They spent hours searching for me. I wasn't sure if I should feel happy or shame. The thought that he probably at one point went to Anthony's house. I knew Davien well enough that he had.
With shock taking over his face, “Davien's gonna kill you man.”
“He knows. And he trusting me... I've got this one, Bro.” Justin smiled, but Vince just eyed us with suspicion, just as I assumed would happen. Of course there was that one night of guilt that we shared and it did mean a lot to each of us. But Davien showed up in the picture first. He would always be first and Justin would always there for me. Whether or not anyone understood our relationship. We talked about it all night. Justin told me he didn't care what other people thought of us, not even Vince. I was as close of a girlfriend he could get of me. I was everything he wanted and he was everything I needed at the moment. It wasn't physical, but emotionally we had a bond. “It's us or Anthony.” Justin's eyes brows rose to ask the obvious.
Vince dropped to the kitchen chair. “You want my bed, Avery?”
“No.” I answered shortly. I wasn't sure if I was embarrassed or just not wanting to talk about it.
“She can sleep with me or I'll sleep on the couch.” Justin added for me. I wasn't sure how to answer the question. And he answered it without Vince able to wonder if Justin would allow me in his room. Vince dropped his head to the empty kitchen table and his locked fingers fell on top. I flipped the burner off and Justin reached for a few plates from the cupboard next to him. “You hungry, Vince?”
I could see the soft nod as Vince held his head still at the table. I shrugged my shoulders to Justin and his hand flapped as he told me to 'ignore him'. After filling the 3 plates, Justin walked to the table and placed Vince's breakfast at his resting spot. He sat up and observed the food . Mumbling in a sleepy voice, Vince acknowledged the plate “Thanks guys.. looks good.”
I shot Justin a half smile as he scooped the food to our plates. Sitting at the table between the 2 guys, I ate my food in silence. Vince stepped in to break the silence, his eyes met mine as I swallowed my cut of pancake. “What do you want, Avery?”
My brows furrowed as I tried to place his question. “What do you mean, what do I want?”
“What do you want, Avery? What are you wanting to happen? Do you go back to Davien... shit are you even together?”
“I don't know what I want, Vince. I love Davien very much. I'm in love with him and I respect that he might have a child on the way.” With a long breath and my fork dropping to my plate, I added, “but I don't think I wanna take on the full package.”
The room was quiet again as Vince tried to put my puzzle pieces together. Justin's hand dropped under the table where only the two of us could see. He rubbed my thigh as his other hand poked at his sausage. “Just give her some time, Vince. Let her decide when the tests come back.”
“Do you know when she's due?” Vince asked Justin and I both looked at Vince curiously and shook our heads. “In two weeks.” Of course he would know. He spent a large chunk of his night with Davien. Did he learn it from Davien or did they visit the swollen bellied slut in person? How much did she tell him at the bar? From what I had observed, they had only casually talked for a few minutes. From the time it took for us to leave the dance floor until the time for us to get our drinks from the bar, how much information had she really told him?
I blurt out the question that I didn't want an answer from. “Did he talk to her last night?”
Vince stood from his seat and dropped his plate to the sink. I watched over my shoulder as he did so. “Yes, he did.” He walked from the kitchen as I looked at Justin. Throwing my fork to the plate, I stood up and ran to Justin's bedroom, slamming the door behind me. I snatched Justin's cell phone from his night stand and immediately started dialing Davien's number I threw myself to Justin's bed and laid on my stomach. My shaky fingers gripped at my hair.