Was that a French Fry next to the front door? Tulip squinted with a tilt of her head as she handed the bag of frozen veggies to Jasper. No, it wasn't. It was a straw from one of the milkshakes that flew out of Jasper's hand when Will's fist made contact with his eye. By the time she reached the foyer, her brother had already committed to the act and she only had two choices; push Jasper out of the way or shield Sidney with her body obstructing her view of her bio-dad getting punched. She chose to later for obvious reasons.
"I'm fine." Jasper winced as he spoke the lie. A purplish discoloration painted the skin around his eye which was usually smooth with his copper hue.
He reached up from the space on the floor that he landed in once Will expelled his anger onto his face. The trio of cups and liquidity ice cream concoction that was near him was no longer there. Will grabbed a roll of paper towels and Lysol from the kitchen while she had Sidney on the front porch. The girl had asked what was happening on the other side of the door and Tulip told her they were talking which might have been considered a lie to some but she didn't feel that it was. They were talking, just with actions and not words.
Tulip nudged that bag away, "Put it on your eye and stop being belligerent."
"I'm not ten." He started to chuckle but the pain radiated through his face ended it as promptly as it started.
He set the frozen bag over his face without protesting further. She claimed the space next to him and for a couple of beats, music contained the only voice that passed between as she studied him slumped against the wall peering at the wall ahead of him.
"Maybe we should go to the hospital." She broke their embargo with verbiage. "You could be concussed."
"Concussed?" He asked.
"Oh, God." Her voice went up her butt rose off the floor. "Are you confused? How many fingers am I holding up?"
He gently pushed her hand down with a curve to the side of his mouth she could see. "You still do that?"
"What?" She frowned.
"Go into overdrive when other people's health is concerned."
She sat back down. "I don't do that."
"So, you didn't rush me to the hospital for a minor cut?"
"That cut wasn't minor." She insisted, remembering the time he accidentally grabbed the wrong end of a knife when he was cooking dinner for their eighth date which was probably her fault to begin with since it was her lips that stole his attention from the task. "... and you would have needed stitches if that doctor didn't have a big enough band-aid but that's what I get for caring about your ass."
"It was surface level." He quipped even though she glowered at him. "Just like this."
She rolled her eyes, not saying anymore. She glanced over at the clock in the living room checking the time and wondering when Will and Sidney would be back from getting ice cream. His treat since he was the reason her milkshake was no longer edible.
Another lapse of silence passed between then he spoke. "I deserved it."
Tulip pressed her lips tightly together wondering if he developed the talent of mind reading. She wasn't going to apologize for her brother's action since he had already done so before he left.
"The thing I love about Will is...he doesn't hold grudges. He moves on inhumanely quickly. He's a logical thinker." She shrugged, a little sad that she didn't have such a talent. "Don't expect him to be your friend because I am his baby sister but he won't hit you again."
She smirked.
"Thanks." He dropped the bag from his face and his skin looked a little less angry. "Are ya'll kin to Mike Tyson cause...damn."
She laughed out loud. "No."
"Cold burgers are disgusting." He declared as she peered at the bag of food on the table ahead of them that had his attention. "You want me to go get—" He stopped as if his brain was loading with information then said. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for your date?"
"No date." She said, pushing herself up off the floor. "We broke up. I mean if you can even call it that."
"What would you call it?" He asked, trailing her to the kitchen.
"Miscommunication." She yanked open the fridge, scanning the shelf for something to fill her up while she decided which eatery she was going to order delivery from. "He thought sex could morph into a relationship and I didn't have much time for it."
"Sex or a relationship?" He asked, sitting on the thawing bag of veggies on the island.
She turned around, the fruit and yogurt on the second shelf no longer calling out to her. "Both."
He nodded. "Because of Sidney or because of me." She frowned at him and he shook his head and clarified. "Of what I did."
"Both." She cleared her throat joining him at the island. "Austin was too young for me anyway. He was just meant for fun. We agreed on fun and then when Sidney came..." She went silent letting Al Green fill the space as she thought about when he asked her for more in their relationship. "He started competing with her; wanting more of my time, more of my emotions...more of me."
"More than you could give," Jasper said and she nodded. "What does happiness look like to you?"
The swiftness of the answer took her by surprise as it sat upon her tongue. She leveled her eyes with his as the images of what happiness would've been if they were still the same people they were ten years ago. But they were no longer those people and the things she wanted at nineteen weren't the same as she stood there at the big age of twenty-nine.
"I'd be happy to just be Sidney's mom." A stream of tears rolled down her face thinking of the things she lost and the hopes and desires that filled her.
He smoothed away the tears with his thumb and held her face. "You are and I'll do everything in my power to get you and her to believe it.
Her hand rested against his holding it in place. "Thank you."
"My pleasure." A smile grew upon his face juxtapositioning the bruiser on his eyes. "I want to take you home."
She abruptly blinked "What?"
"I want to show Sidney and you, my country house, the vineyard, and she wants a dog and a dog'll be great there." His cadence contemplated the smoothness of the music pouring from the speaker in the living room. "Is that something you think we can do?"
"Uh...um." Tulip pulled his hand off her face blinking as if she was trying to wake from a trance. "Uh...Fuck...this song." She strutted to her phone and quickly switched from her clean-up playlist to one of her hip-hop playlists.
"Meme!" Sidney shouted from the door and Tulip was ecstatic for the disruption. "I used my key!" She skipped into the room and headed right towards her. "I brought you something. I mean...not with my money because I'm broke but chocolate chip cookie dough."
Tulip took the colorful container with a big smile as she pulled Sidney into her side for a hug. "Thank you, sweet child."
"You're welcome." Sidney hugged her back.
"What about me?" Jasper asked.
"Uncle Will said you were lactose intolerant." She kept her arms around Tulip. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Jasper knitted his eyebrows at the man leaning against the door frame and was greeted with a smirk. "I didn't know I was."
"Tutu, can we talk?" Will asked. "Outside."
What do you think William wants to talk to her about? Will she also have some things to discuss with him?
Do you think Tulip accepts Jasper's invitation to his country house?
What do you think would've happened between Tulip and Jasper if she hadn't switched the song to an up-tempo tune?
Do you think Tulip was right in thinking that Austin was competing with Sidney?
How do you think 19-year-old Tulip is different from 29-year-old Tulip?