Chapter 22. Sisterly Love
“We need to talk. Please let’s talk,” I begged. There was no answer. “Are you still there Dulce?”
“Yes I’m here,” she sighed. “Let’s meet up. But not in your house because I can’t handle that right now.” Her voice was shaky. It was like she was trying hard not to cry. I knew the feeling because I was doing the exact same thing.
“Okay,” I agreed. “Let’s meet up at the park. Few people will be there since it’s nighttime.”
“I’ll meet you in 20 Glace,” she said before hanging up.
Twenty minutes later, I tapped my foot nervously on the ground while sitting on the edge of the bench. I couldn’t stay still. Maybe she didn’t want to see me. When her image appeared after a few seconds, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Dulce still looked amazing despite having dark circles around her eyes and looking thinner than before. My heart ached at the thought of her losing sleep or skipping meals because of me. She wrapped her jacket self-consciously to her while sitting down beside me.
No one wanted to speak for a long time. It has been too long since we saw each other. In reality it has been a week. But for both of us, that could very well be eternity. I decided to break the silence.
“I miss you. I really do.” I turned to face her and saw the confusion in her face. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. I have always loved that red hair of hers. It reminded me of fire. And that was what she was to me, a flame that I couldn’t extinguish no matter how cold I was inside.
“I miss you too,” she admitted. “More than you know.”
Our eyes met for the first time in days. God I adore those brown eyes. “Why can’t we just stay together Dulce? This is not right. We have to think of our happiness too.”
She shook her head sadly and looked down. “We can’t. This is for my mom. She deserves a second chance at love.”
“You don’t know my dad,” I argued. “He’s not right for Andrea. I’m not saying this because I want them to breakup badly. I’m saying this because it’s true. He never loved me as his daughter. How can you expect that he’ll be good to your mom?”
I heard her take a deep breath before staring back at me. The pain in her eyes reflected mine. “He proposed to her the other night and she said yes. It’s over Glace, we’re going to be family.” She choked at the last word and bit her lower lip.
My world crumbled right then. But I couldn’t give up on us. She was all that I had. “What if we tell Andrea about everything? Maybe she’d call off the engagement for us. She’ll do it for you Dulce since she loves you so much.”
Dulce leaned back on the bench and glanced at the stars as if she was looking for an answer there. Like all the dreamers who looked at it before, she found none. “Your dad already told her. He apologized for lying about you.” She turned to me and frowned. “He also told mom that you and I broke up because you found someone new and she believed him.”
I wanted to slam my head on the ground. That lying bastard father of mine made the situation worse. I hated him. My voice trembled as I said, “I wish I can love you as my sister, but I can’t. I want to kiss you, breathe each other’s scent, and feel your skin in mine. Sisters don’t do that. Sisters don’t think of making love and that’s all I ever think about when I see you.”
She closed her eyes, hiding the turmoil that was about to escape at any second. “Me too Glace. I want to fly to Neverland like we promised.” I noticed her hands come up to her neck and touched the ring that I gave her on Christmas. If she still had that then there was still hope.
“Then let’s do that,” I said a little too forcefully. “Let’s fly away together Dulce. I’ll take care of you baby. You’ll never starve and you’ll never ever be lonely with me. Your days will be filled with laughter and we’ll do whatever we want. I promise that when you come with me, you’ll never want for anything else.”
She opened her eyes and frowned at me. “What about school? What about friends? And what about my mom? You don’t know how tempting your proposition is, but you know that’s never enough.”
“But you’ll have me,” I said in a broken voice while giving her a pleading look so she’d reconsider. “And I’ll have you. For me that has always been enough.”
She stunned me by scooting closer and hugging me fiercely. My body turned to mush as I breathed her vanilla scent. It has been too long since we were like this and I was drowning without her. “I’m so sorry Glace. We’re perfect for each other but we can’t stay together. Even if we become family, please know that you’ll always be the person I want to kiss.”
“Every time I look at you, I see myself wearing a gown and walking down the aisle. But now that can’t come true. So instead, I will love you the best way a sister can.” I heard the agony in her voice. She was torn up but she was trying to be strong for both of us.
“I’ll never love you like a sister,” I insisted and broke the embrace. “I’ll do everything to win you back. Mark my words Dulce, you’ll come home to me.”
We talked about several more things after that. She kept saying goodbye and in the end, we both cried in each other’s arms and refused to let go. It hurts too much to be apart, even for a second. Unfortunately, the time came when it was too dark to stay out and we both had to go our separate ways.
We agreed to meet on the weekend though. Actually, we were forced to meet on the weekend for a family dinner on Dulce’s house. Oh the irony of it. The dinner was to be our first ever meeting as a family. Her mom would be there, my dad, me, and Dulce. Just stab my heart already and be done with it. But I didn’t want to lose hope. I’d fight for her.
I arrived ten minutes late on Dulce’s house. It was my first time being late for anything. That was because I deliberated whether to go at all and I made my mind in the last second. Andrea greeted me with conflict in her face. She was probably wondering how to treat me now. As her daughter, or her real daughter’s ex? Probably both.
Manners took over. “Come inside,” she said with a hug. I was pretty close to her and I wanted her to be my mom. But that was after I got married to Dulce, not Andrea to my dad. That was just wrong in so many ways.
With a nod, I went inside and followed Andrea to the living room. “Glace, is it really over between you and Dulce? If you still love her then we can cancel this whole thing.” She sighed. “I’m crazy for Rick but Dulce’s happiness should always come first.”
Hope began to bloom in my heart. It was the perfect opportunity to tell Andrea that I wanted to be with her daughter. Before I could even say what was on my mind, my dad walked in the living room.
“Come to the dining area, everything is prepared,” he said. “Our sweet Dulce’s cooking smells good Andrea.”
I glared in his direction. Sweet Dulce? Barf! She’s not your daughter, I thought angrily and marched to the dining area where my baby was busy setting up the table. “I’ll help you,” I said as I took a plate from her hands. Our arms brushed accidentally which elicited a reaction from both of us. I took a deep breath while she gasped low and blushed.
Our parents came in shortly after, squashing my chance to talk to her. We sat around the table awkwardly. I was determined to end this game that my dad was playing as soon as possible. I’d tell Andrea everything no matter what. My happiness was at stake.
Andrea cleared her throat. “Well then, dig in.” She tried to sound cheerful but everyone knew that we were trying hard. We were not a happy family and we’d never be. Not like this.
“So dad,” I began while placing mashed potatoes on my plate. “Why did you decide to lie about me? I bet you thought Andrea was easy to get or something huh?”
The shocked expression on their faces was priceless. Dad gave me a warning look and tried to recover himself. “Of course not,” he said. “It was all a misunderstanding. I didn’t want to say that you were my daughter because you were dating Dulce at the time. Now that you have another girlfriend, that’s all out of the way.”
“But I don’t have another gi-“
I felt Dulce kick me underneath the table before I could finish the sentence. “Can I talk to you for a while Glace?” she said innocently and stood up from her chair. She placed her napkin down and hurriedly walked to the direction of her bedroom, up the stairs.
“Excuse me,” I said before standing up and following her. When we reached the bedroom, I locked the door behind me and leaned against it. “What do you want to talk about sister?” I made sure to spat the last word with as much contempt as I could.
She looked like I just slapped her, which made me want to take what I said back. But she arranged her beautiful face quickly to hide the fact that it hurt her to hear me call her that. “Yes we’re going to be family,” she said. “So please stop jeopardizing this dinner and take it like a real girl. Don’t tell my mom either.”
“About what?” I questioned and walked to her. “That I don’t want you to be my family? That I’m so in love with you that I want to take you to the bed now and strip you?” I walked continuously to her until she tumbled down on the bed.
I leaned down to her and pinned her arms over her head. “If you’re my sister, then I’m going to commit a taboo just so I could stay with you. I’ve always wondered how incest feels like. I’m going to find out soon.”
She turned her head away with an unreadable expression on her face. I could see sweat running down her neck. “Get off me Glace.”
“Why? I thought you wanted to be family Dulce. From what I heard, family members can hug and kiss each other without feeling anything.”
“Not like this,” she whimpered. Tears pooled in her eyes and slowly trickled down her face. My expression softened immediately. I hated myself for making her cry. “Baby, no. Don’t cry, ssshhh.” I stopped pinning her arms and gently wiped her face.
She turned to her side, crying softly and wiping her eyes with the bottom of her shirt. “You’re not the only one hurt,” she sobbed. “I also feel like dying. I don’t want to be your sister, but I’ll take you any way I can. If it means we’ll be together forever because of that then so be it.”
“Oh baby,” I murmured as I cuddled her from behind, my heart and mind ready to explode by the sheer madness of it all. “We’re so messed up right now.”
“Yes we are,” she whimpered and stayed silent. After a few minutes she said, “Let’s stay like this for a while Glace. I want to fall asleep like this and pretend that my world is not falling apart.”
“Okay Dulce,” I whispered as gently as I could. There was nothing more that I wanted to do than to snuggle to her, to feel her as my hands slowly trailed from her cheek to her feminine hips. She was perfection and I was completely smitten by her.
A few moments more, I felt her body relax, her breath calming down in a steady rhythm. My eyes closed in satisfaction as I inhaled her scent and indulged on her warmth. It was exactly where I wanted to be. Right beside her.
I dreamt a happy dream that night. In my dream everything was alright. My father wasn’t an asshole, Andrea had a respectful man beside her, and the girl I loved for 10 years was holding my hand while saying how she much she adored me. It was the first night in days that I slept peacefully.
“It feels like ages since we’ve talked,” Eris said while tucking her right foot underneath her leg. She was sitting on the couch in my library, watching me like a bird while I was seated on the reading nook.
“It was just a couple of days,” I answered. “Besides, you were busy with Patty. Made it to third base with her already?”
Eris blushed scarlet at my question. Interesting. She wasn’t usually like this. She was a playgirl who always broke other women’s hearts. We were very much the same, though I didn’t do the heart breaking intentionally. And I wasn’t a playgirl. Women just fall and I couldn’t fall back.
“We haven’t even kissed yet,” she replied.
With a shake of my head, I stood up from the reading nook and walked to her. When I was standing right in front of her, I leaned down and placed my palm on her cheek. “Want to have sex with me?” I asked with a poker face. “I’m so lonely right now. I want to feel warm.”
Eris gaped at me and moved a fraction away. “Are you serious? You’re shitting me!”
I sat beside her, proceeding to unbuckle my belt while giving her a look. “It’s not like we haven’t done it before Eris. It’s not like you didn’t devirginize me two years ago. I recall that you were quite excited when you saw everything. So what do you say?” I leaned to her and opened my mouth.
She face palmed me and smirked. “Shut up Frio! We both know nothing of that sort happened. Why are you even saying that?” Her expression turned serious. “I know what happened between you and Dulce. It’s going to be okay.”
“Sorry. I’m just kidding,” I mumbled and settled comfortably on the couch. “It’s just that I’m so torn up right now. I want my baby back Eris.”
“You’ll have her back,” she said softly. “The timing isn’t right. Sometimes what you need to do is wait patiently for the right moment. When that opportunity comes, grab it and don’t let go. But right now, you have to wait.”
“You’ve changed a lot. You used to go out with anyone, as long as they have big boobs and a pretty face. I remember walking in on you while you’re having a wild night with two other models. Is that Eris gone?”
“Definitely gone,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I think this is the real me. Not the party girl before.” She laughed. “Patty had a way of bringing me out of my shell.”
“Oh God, you were inside your shell before? Fudge! I’d hate to see what you’ll do now that you’re out.”
She elbowed me hard which made me wince. But I knew she meant well. She always had my back no matter what. “Shut up you,” she said. After a second, she changed her mind. “Come here. I’ll give you a free hug for looking pathetic right now.”
“I’m not pathetic,” I mumbled as I let her embrace me. Her body was warm like Dulce’s. It was nice but not too much. “I wonder why I never fell in love with you,” I said out loud. “It was going to be so easy.”
I’ve never regret being in love with Dulce, even when it hurts. I was just curious as to why I never felt anything for Eris even though she was beautiful too. Not as beautiful as my girl though, I thought with a smile.
Eris patted my back. “Because I’m not Dulce. I’m not that seven year old you kissed at the cemetery. When are you planning to tell her about it?”
“Soon.”
A/N: I'm really having a bad day so let me be a little bitchy with just one rant. I promise I will never do this again. Ok here goes. First of all, no one is paying me to do this so please show some manners or at least a hint of civility when asking me to update. You were not raised by wolves (and no even if in your demented mind you think so, no you weren't.) Secondly, people who love to correct grammar WILL RECEIVE A PROPER SPANKING from me. I'm not usually this snarky but I banged my knees badly in a skateboarding accident yesterday and the least I want to see at the moment is a bad comment. That's the end of my rant. Do tell me if you enjoyed the chapter. :)