Brandon woke up with Samiya laying against his chest and the scent of breakfast wafting into his room.
Too tired to get up, he just lied there a second, staring up at the ceiling. When he did move, he awakened Samiya, and she sat up, stretching, yawning, and moving her hair out of her eyes. She smiled at Brandon, leaning over to greet him with a kiss.
He was almost surprised by the force of it when Samiya held his face, allowing him a deeper kiss.
She moaned a little before he pulled away. "Good morning, Samiya," he greeted. "Good morning."
"Good morning."
She held the cover over herself as if still protecting her modesty, and Brandon didn't bother her about it, getting out of the bed and going to the bathroom. "I'll go pick you and Amber up some toothbrushes," he called into the room where Samiya was still sitting on the bed with the cover over her body when Amber came into the room in completely fresh clothes.
Samiya looked at her wife strangely as she passed her a small duffel bag. "I went home," she explained.
"In what?"
"In my clothes. And then I took a shower. Get cleaned up. I made breakfast."
Brandon came out of the bathroom and gave Amber a puzzled look. She smiled, standing on her tippy toes. "Good morning, chulo," she greeted, pulling his face down for a kiss.
"Good morning."
"Breakfast is ready. I mean, you don't have a real table. I'll just bring it in here. —– Go get cleaned up please, linda," she told her wife.
Samiya got up and went to the bathroom, and Brandon got on changing his sheets.
Amber was in the kitchen, making plates when Brandon came up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist. "I sincerely hope Samiya was bullshitting last night. But if she wasn't, I very sincerely hope you recall trying to take me on another date. Because then I really will be mad at you," he told her, kissing her neck, causing her to shiver.
"She was fucking around," Amber promised. "I didn't even plan it yesterday. It was a spur of the moment thing."
"Good. Then we have an understanding. Breakfast smells good."
She turned towards him, looking up at him, her hand resting on his torso. "If you behave, you can have this every morning. I mean, when I'm not working."
"Sounds like a plan to me," he told her, leaning down to kiss her.
He helped her carry breakfast to bed, hearing Samiya still in the shower. They waited for her to come out, setting the food on the dresser. Amber climbed into Brandon's lap, wrapping her legs around him.
"You're lucky I let you do that to my wife."
He just chuckled, gripping her ass and kissing her lips. "You are a brat," he told her.
She laughed. She couldn't deny being a brat. She was the youngest girl growing up and she was pampered to the best of her father's abilities.
"She's got some good stuff, yeah?"
"She does," he agreed.
Brandon knew Amber meant the statement genuinely and wasn't trying to compete with her wife. Nor was she trying to trap him.
"She tastes good too."
"Yeah. She does."
"Oh, that didn't need a consign. That was a definitive statement. You lucky I let you lick that sweet stuff. I usually don't share my sweets."
Brandon shook his head, hearing Samiya get out of the shower.
From another woman, he would expect to the next question to be about who tasted better. Amber didn't seem so inclined. She seemed to genuinely feel no competition between herself or either of her lover's for the other. She seemed to genuinely feel the relationship could have an equal distribution.
"You know why she's so sweet like that?"
"You're going to tell me."
"She eats so much fruit. I love eating my wife out. That's my favorite thing. And I let you do it twice. I like you."
"I like you too. But I thought that had been established."
She laughed, looking up and seeing Samiya coming out of the bathroom, fully dressed.
Samiya paid very little mind to the other two as she finished getting herself together.
"We can eat now?" she asked.
"Waiting on you, amorcita," Amber told her, getting up to grab the plates.
Samiya sat down on the bed and smiled over at Brandon, climbing to sit in his lap. "Hey, there's a carnival today," she told him.
"Okay."
"So take us."
"Do you want to go to the carnival, Amber?" he asked.
"Sounds fun to me."
She sat on the bed and passed them plates, crossing her legs, blessing her food before she began to eat.
"You say grace over all you meals," Brandon noticed. He hadn't really paid much attention to her quick blessings before, but he noticed it.
"There are people who won't see a meal today," she told him. "You should always thank the Almighty when you have your basic needs met."
He just nodded, having a piece of a pancake. Although Samiya was sitting in Brandon's lap, she talked to her wife. Brandon didn't care to talk much, only adding his two cents when the women asked for it.
"We should get home," Samiya told Amber.
"I'll come pick you ladies up at noon," Brandon told them. "Amber, don't try getting cute."
"I'll make her be good," Samiya promised, getting up from his lap, taking their plates and starting for the kitchen.
Amber smiled, leaning over to kiss Brandon. "I won't pick you up. I'll be good," she told him, getting out of the bed to go to the front room.
"If you know what's good for you, you better," he told her, getting up to follow her.
He slid on a pair of flip-flops and walked the women down to the car. He opened the passenger's side door for Amber, leaning down to kiss her before she got in.
"Behave," he warned, letting her in the car, closing her door before he walked around and took Samiya's hand. "Don't you open this door, lady," he told her, pulling her aside and opening the door.
She smiled. She had almost forgotten what chivalry was. It was nice to know that it did still exist among the twenty-somethings.
"Noon?" she checked.
"Noon. And I won't be late," he told her, leaning down to kiss her. She slid her arms around his neck, letting him press her against the car.
"We'll see you later," she told him, smiling and getting into the car.
The women headed home, and Samiya glanced at Amber. "We're going to let him pick us up, Amber," she told her.
"Why wouldn't we, querida?" Amber feigned innocence, smiling back at her wife.
Samiya turned back to the road, getting on the freeway.
When they got to the apartment, Samiya's youngest sister, Amita, was sitting in the lobby, suitcase at her feet, ankles crossed. She was wearing a tracksuit and her hair was up in a ponytail.
The wives exchanged a look and Amita noticed them, hopping out of her seat with a grin, coming over to them, jumping on her sister before she hugged Amber.
"What are you doing here, Ami?" Samiya asked her nineteen year old sister.
"Got tired of New York and decided I could use a change of scenery. Where better to crash than with my gracious sisters?" she asked, putting her arms around the women's shoulders.
"We're glad to have you, Amita," Amber told her genuinely. "But you can't just show up unannounced."
"I'm sorry," Amita said. "I just was feeling so... My parents want me to marry this dick. And I liked him at first. But he turned out to be a real dick and they're mad because I called off the engagement."
Samiya sighed, picking up her sister's luggage. "The one you told me about?" she asked.
"Yep. Turns out he's stuck in the 50s. He was telling me about how he wanted me to quit my job. You know that man told me he wants seven fucking children? Seven. And then he found out that I'm on birth control and shit went wrong."
"My mother has seven children and we weren't born in the 50s," Amber said, trying to lighten things up. "And if I'm not mistaken, your mother has ten."
Amita did laugh a little as they got in the elevator.
"We have a date later," Samiya told her sister.
"Oh, cool. Where to?"
"The carnival."
"Can I go? I won't be in your way. I'll find something to do," Amita told her.
The wives again exchanged a look and this time, Amita happened to notice. She looked between them and frowned.
"It's cool if you don't want me to come. I'll just find something else to do."
"Our date is with a man. His name is Brandon," Amber told her.
"What type of freaky shit are you two into?" Amita wondered.
"It's not freaky. He's our boyfriend," Samiya explained.
"I see." Amita nodded. "Well, if you guys want me not to come, I understand."
"It should be fine," Amber told her.
The women entered the house and Amber took Amita into the guest room. Samiya just dumped the suitcase and left her sister and wife alone.
Amber sat down on the bed while Amita began to unpack. "You can stay as long as you need. Sammi and I will be going to the Key West for our anniversary, but you can stay here and use my car while we're gone."
"Thank you, Amber. I appreciate it."
"You're just lucky I love you," Amber told her with a smile, and got up.
"Hey, do you think I can work for you for a bit until I graduate and find a job?"
"I can find something for you to do if you really want to work. But like I said, you can stay as long as you need to. And you don't need to work. Just make sure you concentrate in school. Anything you want or need, I'll get it for you."
"Wow," Amita mumbled. "Amber, I couldn't."
"Why not? When you were staying in your parents' house, I'm sure they weren't making you work, were they?"
"No," Amita told her. "But you're not my parent."
"No, kid. I'm much better. And I do still have one stipulation. Because you're not going to be living with me failing classes and shit. And if you work, that's going to take a lot of time away from your social life or your study life. I'm giving you the option not to have to choose. If you want to come work on the weekends and during your breaks, that's fine. But as long as you're here and in school, it's duty-free. I mean, your sister might make you do a few chores. But otherwise, I'll take care of everything you need. Nod and say thank you," Amber instructed, nodding Amita's head.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Amber kissed Amita's head and left the room. Meanwhile, Samiya was doing her hair and the house phone rang. Amber answered it.
"Where is my daughter?" Samiya's mother, Sita, asked.
"Don't call my house being rude. Samiya is doing her hair. What do you want?"
"Not that one," Sita growled.
Amber laughed then. "I'm only married to one of your daughters, Sita. I cannot tell you the whereabouts of the other three. You should keep better tabs on your children."
Sita hung up and Amber continued into her bedroom. "Your parents are looking for Amita," she told her wife.
"I figured they would be."
"How do they automatically figure she's here?"
"We're the only two she would've come running to. Everyone else who would've helped her lives too close to my parents."
Samiya's family was divided. Most of her siblings did not accept her marriage. However, two of her sisters and one of her brothers did. And those other two would have been the two who Amita could have gone to, but they lived close enough to her parents for them to have tried to drag Amita back.
Amita, like her sister, was torn between living her life and pleasing her parents. She wanted her parents to be happy with her life choices, but it didn't feel like they cared whether she was happy or not. And eight of ten children went along with what their parents wanted. Two very unhappily so. Samiya would've made that nine out of ten if Amber hadn't come along and made her realize that it was her life. That it shouldn't be spent being miserable for the sake of others.
Brandon showed up at noon just like he said he would, and Amber let him up, going to meet him at the front door, smiling and greeting him with a kiss. "Hi, chulo."
"Hi. Are you ladies ready?"
Samiya came from her room. "Um... We might have a tagalong. My youngest sister showed up today," she told him. "She wants to come."
Brandon appeared confused momentarily before he decided he was fine with it if they were. "Ami," Sammi called. "Put on shoes, we're going to the carnival."
The three of them could hear Amita cheering and putting on shoes. She was out of the room in no time at all.
"Hi," she greeted Brandon with a toothy grin. "My name is Amita. You must be Brandon. Their boyfriend?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Cool. I'll stay out of the way," she told him.
He looked over to Samiya and she shrugged, motioning to the door. Brandon let the three of them pass.
Samiya sat in the back with her sister and Amber sat in the front, letting Brandon hold her hand.
When they arrived to the carnival, Amber gave Amita spending money, seeing that she actually was determined to separate herself.
"Your sister looks very like you," Brandon told Samiya.
"Yeah, you should see our mother."
"What do you ladies want to do first?" he asked, looking around.
The women conferred about it before agreeing that they wanted to get on the rollercoasters first. Immediately, Samiya was pulling Amber and Brandon towards the Tilt-O-Whirl. They got on things that made them dizzy before the girls decided they were hungry.
Running into Amita, Brandon offered to pay for her lunch which confused her. "Oh, nah, it's nothing like that," he assured her.
"Oh. Okay." She shrugged, as long as he wasn't thinking this was some weird thing where she was going to be joining.
They went and got their food and sat down, Amita flirting with a boy across the tent, smiling and looking away whenever he was looking her way.
"What are you doing?" Samiya asked before she turned around and saw the cutie checking out her sister.
"Oh shit, he's coming over here," Amita panicked, moving herself further away from Brandon to make it clear he wasn't her boyfriend. "How is my breath?" she asked.
"I'm not smelling ya breath," Amber told her.
"Don't look this way," Samiya told her.
"I can't smell it from here," Brandon offered. Amita nodded. That was good.
The boy came and apologized for interrupting before he smiled at Amita, introducing himself. Before the other three knew what had happened, Amita was leaving their table to join the boy and his friends.
"We just got ditched for the cool kids," Amber joked.
"Well what am I?" Brandon asked.
"Cute." She pinched his cheek before she went back to eating her fried chicken and fries.
"Hey, Brandon. Amber can never win me a big teddy bear. Can you?" Samiya asked.
"Why is that a question?" he asked.
"And why you playing me?" Amber questioned.
Samiya laughed at them both, continuing with her pizza.
When they'd finished eating, Brandon took the girls around the different booths. "What do you want?" he asked Amber. She bit her lip, leaning on his arm, contemplating.
"That one," she decided, pointing to a giant Snoopy.
The conductor boredly accepted Brandon's money and gave him three balls. So Brandon won Amber her Snoopy dog before he asked what Samiya wanted. She picked out a giant pink teddy bear.
"Okay, I want to play a game now," Amber decided, pulling her lovers towards her favorite game.
She smiled at the conductor, ordering six bean bags. She had used all six but only knocked down three targets, missing two by longshots, grazing the third.
She picked her prize, a small rubber bat. "See, I told you," Samiya told Brandon, smiling at her wife, who rolled her eyes.
"Your ungrateful ass can't win me no big bear either."
"I never claimed I could." Samiya pecked her lips, pulling her to the next booth, a ring toss.
It was apparent that neither of the women had much aim. Or coordination, for that matter when it came to these games.
He ordered another round of rings. "Come here, Sammi," he told her, pulling her near, putting a ring in her hand. She breathed in his scent, smiling as he took her hand, showing her how to flick her wrist to get the ring around the bottle.
"Who taught you how to do that?" she asked, amazed.
"My father did."
When Samiya had gotten all seven rings around her bottle, she squealed and picked out a top shelf prize, smugly giving it to Amber.
Amber accepted the prize and Brandon took her back to the bean bag toss, helping her out to win Samiya a bigger prize too.
Amita walked by with her new group of friends, the boy who'd approached her with his arm around her shoulder.
"I think she might be your sister," Samiya told Amber.
"Pin her on me, that's fine. At least she knows how to have a good time."
Samiya stuck her tongue out, and Brandon shook his head at both of them. "I want ice cream," he told them.
"I don't. I want funnel cake."
"I want both," Amber said, grinning, putting an around each of them. "Funnel cakes first. Ice cream melts and it's still hot."
Brandon paid for the women's funnel cakes and then his and Amber's ice cream, and they found a small bench to sit on. Amber sat in Samiya's lap since there wasn't enough room for all three of them to sit.
"Do you have siblings, Brandon?" Samiya asked.
"I have three older sisters, four younger sisters, and an older brother and two younger brothers."
Amber's eyes widened as she looked over at him. "How many kids is that?"
"Eleven including me."
"Y'all's parents had too much time on they hands, fucking like that," she told the two of them.
"How many children do your parents have, Amber?" Brandon asked.
"Seven."
"And you one to talk shit?" he raised a brow.
"It's not ten or eleven."
"So your parents have ten, Samiya?"
"Yep."
"And anyway," Amber intruded. "I have two twins. So really, it was like a three for one."
Brandon laughed at that. "Alright, Amber. I didn't know you were a triplet."
"Now you know."
"What are your twins?"
"Both boys. And I was born first. I have two older sisters. And then came me and my twins. And then it was my youngest brother."
"What about you, Samiya?" Brandon wondered.
"I was born sixth. I don't have a twin. None of us have twins. Any of your parents' kids twins?"
"The youngest two boys."
Your Love by Nicki Minaj was playing and Amber snapped along, dancing in her wife's lap. She loved herself some Nicki Minaj. And it was immediately evident upon observation.
"Amber, you spilling that ice cream. Maybe if you eat it and stop dancing, it won't melt," Brandon suggested.
Amber ignored him, having a spoonful of ice cream while she still danced. He shook his head.
"Do you speak Portuguese?" Samiya asked.
"Most people ask if I speak Brazilian," he told her, laughing. "Yes, I can speak a bit of Portuguese," he told her. "I understand more than I speak. And I can understand Patois, but you won't ever catch me trying to speak it. I should be able to, though, since my mama seems to speak it all the time. Yelling and cussing and shit. Sweet as pie. Crazy as shit. – You speak Hindu?"
"Yeah. I was born in India. It's my first language. We came here when I was five. We lived in Manhattan."
"I speak Spanish," Amber said, still dancing.
"Ya don't say?" Brandon asked sarcastically. She smiled, having another spoonful of ice cream.
"Where you from, Amber?" he asked.
"You ain't find out on the Internet?" she teased, practically drinking the ice cream at this point.
"No. I just went to get proof you were who you said you were. I wasn't on there looking for your life story."
"Then how you know I'm Boricua?"
"It was a headline. Puerto Rican model Amber Santos some other shit."
"I changed my name from Santos when we got married," she informed him, finishing her ice cream and giving him the cup to throw away.
Brandon rolled his eyes and went to throw their cups away. "Where you from, Brandon?" Amber asked.
"Here. Is you go answer me?"
"I was born in Puerto Rico and we moved to Queens when I was ten. —– Your parents still married?"
"Yes. Are yours?"
"Yes," both women answered together.
Amber finished her funnel cake, still dancing in Samiya's lap as Thinkin' 'Bout You by Frank Ocean was playing.
"Are you spending the night?" Samiya asked Brandon.
"I can if you want me to. I hadn't planned on it."
"Stay," Amber told him, taking the last bite of her cake. "Let's get on the Ferris Wheel," she suggested.
The trio made their way to the Ferris Wheel and found themselves in line behind Amita and her new friends.
They got in their car all together, and Samiya made her seat in Brandon's lap while Amber went to look over the edge, admiring the lights while Samiya rested her head on Brandon.
"Hey, my parents are here!" Amber said, spotting the couple buying ice cream cones. "Aww. They're so cute." She smiled to herself, watching her parents before she sent her mother a text telling her she saw her and seeing her mother looking around. She laughed to herself as her mother showed her father the message and he began looking around. Finally, her mother text back asking where she was.
When Amber got off the Ferris Wheel, she left Samiya and Brandon to their own devices and went to hug her parents. "Hey," she greeted with a grin. "What are you two doing here? I'm sure there were carnivals happening closer."
"We're passing through. We're taking a road trip."
"Um. That means you left the college one alone in your house? Where he is going to throw parties?"
"Your brother is young, not stupid, mija," her father reminded her. "He knows I will kill him."
She laughed, hugging her father. "I'm on a date. I just came to say hi."
She kissed her parents and made her way back to Samiya and Brandon who were holding hands and waiting near the photo booth. "Come on, Berri," Samiya called, reaching for her wife.
In the photo booth, Brandon put each of the women in his lap, and they took all types of pictures until there were enough for the three of them to each have four frames. Amber called dibs on picking her favorites, and Brandon gave Samiya priority, taking the last four.
By the end of the night, Samiya text her sister and told her to come meet them at the exit. The boy she was with walked her to the gate, and she smiled at him as he promised to call and wished her a good night.
Brandon stopped by his place to pack an overnight bag and they headed back to the girls' place. Amita went to her room and Amber went into the kitchen while Samiya and Brandon went into the bedroom.
She got herself a glass of water before she made her way to the bedroom. "Come take a shower with us," Samiya told her wife, reaching for her hand.
"Yeah, we're actually filthy and smell like outside, must, and melted deodorant. Pass. You two go ahead," Amber permitted.
"Are you sure?" Samiya asked. She wasn't comfortable enough yet to take a shower alone with Brandon.
Brandon, sensing her hesitation told her to go ahead first. So the women took their showers and then Brandon had his.
When the four were clean, they went and cuddled in the front room and watched TV. This time, it was Samiya sitting in Brandon's lap and Amber laying in Samiya's. But Samiya was still the first to fall asleep. "Should I go lay her down?" Brandon asked Amber.
"No, you'll wake her. Let her be."
Brandon did as he was told, but he shifted Samiya to a position that wouldn't leave her with a crook in her neck.
"Hey, Amber?"
"Yeah?"
"I probably shouldn't tell you this because Sammi told it to me in confidence, but she's worried you don't think she's enough."
Amber was quiet. And Brandon thought she had fallen asleep. "Amber?"
"Just thinking," she told him. "I'm ready for bed."
She stood and Brandon shifted Samiya in his arms, getting up and carrying her, doing hisdamnedest not to wake her. Amber decided she wanted Samiya to be in the middle. "Why?"
"So when she wakes up, she doesn't think I'm replacing her or having a relationship that doesn't include her."
To Brandon, it was perfectly logical. So he laid Samiya between himself and Amber, watching Amber put her arms around Samiya, laying her head in her breasts. He put his arms around Samiya although a part of him had begun to reach over to include Amber. He figured Amber wanted him to show Samiya that he wanted a relationship with her too.