It was Christmas eve, and I smiled in anticipation. J barged into my room and beamed. "Merry Christmas, J!", she yelled. I jumped in excitement. "Merry Christmas!", I screamed and hugged her. "Wanna go annoy big brother?", she asked. "Please, is that a question?", I said, and we hopped, no kidding, to Dare's room.
He was talking to someone on the phone and was smiling. He didn't even notice us enter. "That's weird", J said. "Yeah, does he have a girlfriend or something?", I whispered. "I highly doubt that", she touched her chin and stared at him. "I mean, there's this girl that he always hangs with, but I thought they were just friends or something. I mean, she could do better", she said.
"What are you talking about? Dare will be a good boyfriend, I know that", I said. "How can you be so sure? Have you met our brother?", she asked and I rolled my eyes. "Hey, I can hear both of you, you know that right?", he said. J rolled her eyes and sat on the bed, Dare frowned immediately. "I'm surprised you could hear us, seeing as you were busy talking to your girlfriend", she teased. "Her name's Agatha, thank you", he said.
"You have a girlfriend? I mean I told J that must be your girlfriend you were talking to, but I didn't believe it myself for a second", I said. J scrunched up her face. "And her name is Agatha? What, how old is she, 60?", she asked, and I laughed. "Right, 'cause that's old people's name", I said. "Yeah, don't explain the joke, it won't be funny anymore", J giggled.
"Ha ha, very funny", he said, and we laughed our heads off. "You have done?", he asked. "Cool, now get out of my room", he said. "Chill big bro", J said and hit him on his arm. "We're just kidding, I'm sure she's a great person", I said. "Yeah, you'll get to know her soon", he smiled. "What do you mean?", J asked. "She's coming over for dinner tonight", he informed. "Dinner? What dinner?", I asked. "Dare and I talked about it, and we've come up with a great plan to convince Mum to have Christmas dinner", J said.
"What? That's great", I said. "Wait, is she the girl I always see you with? The tall, dark pretty model-like stature lady?", she described. "The very one", he nodded. "She really could do much better". "Hey, I'll have you know, I'm quite the catch", he smiled. "Ew", J said. "I can't wait to meet her", I smiled and hugged him. J yelled before jumping on us, and Dare grumbled and complained.
I stared at her. " I think our mission here is complete. Let's go to your room", I said. "Ciao big bro", she waved and banged the door behind her. I couldn't see his face but I knew he must be glaring at the door, and I chuckled. I jumped on J's bed and thought of something. "Hey, since Dare's bringing his girlfriend to introduce to the family, why don't you invite David over?", I asked.
She gasped and clapped her hands in excitement. "Jola, you are a genius", she said. I shrugged. "I've been told multiple times", I bragged. She brought out her laptop and face-timed David. "Hey", I heard his voice.
"Hi babe", she blushed, and I rolled my eyes. You'd think their relationship was new, but it was a year already and they still acted like a new couple. I knew she was in love with him though cause she looked at him the same way I look at Gabriel, and it was so obvious David was head over heels in love with her.
"I was wondering, do you have plans for today?", she asked. "No, was planning to stay in and eat or something. Why?", he asked. "You know how we've always joked about you meeting my parents?", she asked. "Yeah?", he prodded. "Well, what do you think about coming over for dinner tonight?", she crossed her fingers and stared at him.
"Well, I-", he stuttered and looked lost. "Well?", J prodded after moments of silence. "What am I gonna wear, what should I bring over? How should I act? This is all so mind-blowing", he said. I chuckled, and J smiled at him. "I think you'll do great, babe. You don't have to worry about anything", she said. "Yeah, until Mum eats him for dinner", I muttered, and David had his eyes wide open. "What?!", he yelled. "J", she scolded me. I laughed and raised my hand in surrender. She pointed at the door and gave me a stare. Catching her point, I chuckled, and left.
I was on my way to my room when Mum stopped me. "Merry Christmas, baby", she said. "Aw, Merry Christmas, Mum", I hugged her. "Trust you had a good night's rest?", she asked. "I did", I nodded and released her. "Are you busy?", she asked. "No, why?". She sighed and pulled me closer. "Well, I wanted to go shopping for Christmas trees, lights, and presents for everyone, and I was hoping you'd help me with all the stuff", she said.
"Really? I thought this Christmas was gonna be like last year", I said. "I know we didn't celebrate last Christmas, nobody was in the mood for it", she said and I nodded. "But I know he'll want us to be happy. Christmas was his favorite holiday after all", she gave me a winning smile. "Yeah, it was", I said. "So, are you in?", she asked. "Of course", I replied.
"Just give me a second to go change, and I'll meet you downstairs", I said. "Okay, but hurry. I want it to be a surprise", she said. I hurriedly put on my coat, gloves, and beanie, and I was ready to go. I grabbed my phone and purse and went in search of Mum. "Let's go", she waved me over. "Where are you girls going?", Dad asked, coming into the living room just then. "Just running errands", she said evasively and rushed me out of there.
Dad chuckled but didn't ask any more questions and settled in his favorite chair. Mum turned on the ignition and smiled at me. "Does that mean we'll have Christmas dinner like we always did?", I asked. She nodded and paid attention to the road.
We got to the store in minutes, and I helped Mum cross-check everything on the list. I took the groceries to the car and met Mum talking to the store attendant. "Merry Christmas", she said. "Merry Christmas, how may I help you today?", the store attendant, whose name I read on her tag was Betty, asked. "I'll like to see your finest tree", Mum said. "Sure, right this way", I smiled and followed her.
She stopped at a huge tree and pointed. "This is one of our finest", she said. Mum checked it out and shook her head. "Let me see another one", she said. Betty nodded and took us to another tree. Mum gasped and touched it, and I knew she loved it. "I love it", she seconded my thoughts. "I knew you would", Betty smiled. "So, we'll help you pack it up, will that be okay?", she asked, and Mum nodded. "Mum, that thing wouldn't fit in our car", I said.
Mum turned to her. "You deliver right?", she asked. "Of course", Betty gave a charming smile. Mum turned to me. "Okay, Jola. Go give her the address, and sort things out. I'll be back in a minute to pay, I need to buy some things", she said. "What things?", I asked. "Just go, please", she said, and I nodded. I followed Betty to the cashier stand and waited as she gave instructions to a man. "Your address please", she stated. I gave it to her, and she turned to the man and gave more instructions. Mum came just then, and I sighed. "Everything settled?", she asked, and I nodded. "Great, how much?", she handed Betty her card. We paid for the things, and I got in the car.
"Tonight's gonna be great", she said, I gave her a small smile. "So, you and Gabriel huh?", she asked. Since we got back from the cabin, we haven't talked about the fact that Gabriel was my boyfriend. I'd moved out of the Brown's residence, Jared didn't want to let me go, and was pried from my hands before he left me. Gabby had given me a warm and long hug and promised she'd come to visit me sometime even though we talk almost every day. Gabriel, well Gabriel and I have been inseparable. I was still on cloud nine, and we'd gone on several dates since then.
I blushed when I remembered what happened in the cabin again. Marissa had given me a huge hug and thanked me for bringing her son back. Harry also hugged me, and kissed my forehead, he didn't say anything but I saw it in his eyes.
I blushed and turned to Mum. "Yeah", I said. "How's that going?", she asked. "Pretty well", I shrugged. "You know, I was quite reluctant to let you go to the cabin the other day", she said. "How'd you know about the cabin?", I asked. "Gabriel told us, but he also told us he was gonna be respectful, so I accepted. I like him", she said. I giggled discreetly, he sure was respectful when my mouth was full of him. I couldn't blame Mum though, I mean, who didn't like him? Jer and Gabriel had become somewhat of friends again, and I was so happy. "As long as he's making you happy, I'm here for it. You know Marissa and I talked about it, and from the looks of it, you're a good influence to him", she said and turned off the ignition. I smiled. "I raised my daughter right", she beamed and gave me a sideways hug. "I love you Mum", I said. "I love you too baby", she said. "Okay, now let's go have a Christmas dinner.
"Guys, come downstairs", Mum yelled. Dare and J came down in less than a minute, and Dad raised his head. "What's all these?", he asked. "It's for Christmas, we are having a Christmas dinner", she said. "Okay, I knew I told David he was invited for dinner, but I didn't think it would happen. Dare and I were practicing my speech on how to convince Mum to let us have dinner", J whispered to Dare. "Yeah", he replied.
"That's amazing honey", Dad kissed Mum. A loud horn sounded, and I held my ears. "Good, they're here", Mum said and went to attend to them. "Who are they?", J asked. "Wait for it", I squealed. "Okay, just put it down here, that's great. Thank you so many guys", Mum said and waved them bye.
"A Christmas tree?", Dare smiled. "Yeah, I thought it'll be great if we celebrated Christmas like we used to, you know?", she said. "It's awesome", J squealed. "I love it", Dad smiled. "Great, then we can get to decorating. Dad, Dare, and Jola are in charge of decorating the tree. Jacintha, you're with me", she clapped her hands. "Everyone, get to work", she said. "Wait, before we do that, I wanna tell you guys something", she smiled. "What's that?", Dad asked. "Who's David?", Mum asked, just remembering what J had said earlier.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Well, David's my boyfriend and I invited him over for dinner if that's okay", she said. "Sure", Dad shrugged. "Why not?", Mum asked. "Really?", J couldn't believe it. "Yeah, I'm sure I'll love him", Dad said. "You will Dad. He's funny, quirky, witty, and smart", she said. "Well, I can't wait to meet him", Mum said. "I invited my girlfriend over for dinner also", Dare spoke up. "Honey, our kids are no longer kids", Dad said.
"Wow, Dare that's great. What's her name?", Mum asked. "Agatha", he said. Mum and Dad snickered and J and I chuckled. "Mum", Dare said, looking pained. "I'm sorry, I'm sure she's great. I'll love her", she said. "For the record, Agatha is a beautiful name", he said.
"Of course, it is Dare. Of course, it is", I said. "Well, since everyone's inviting everyone to dinner, can I invite Gabriel also?", I asked. "Of course, you can", Dad said. "Great", I smiled. "I still think it's weird you have a boyfriend. You're just 16", Dare muttered, and I glared at him. "Okay everyone, back to work", J said and followed Mum to the kitchen.
I took a box and brought out the decorations there. Dad smiled and put it on as I kept passing it to him. Hours after hours of decorating, I was beaten. Mum came in just then wiping her hands on a towel. "This is beautiful", she pointed at the tree. I sighed in awe as I stared at our work. Dad put on the Christmas light, and J gasped. "Wow", she said. We stood there for some moments, just staring at the tree and I knew each of us was thinking about him. Christmas was his favorite holiday.
Mum cleared her throat and turned to me. "Where are the blue boxes?", she asked, and I pointed them to her. She brought out gifts after gifts and placed them under the Christmas tree. "You bought presents for us?", I asked. "Of course", she smiled and stood up. "Now, nobody is to open their presents until tomorrow morning", she said.
I smiled as I looked at my family, I loved each of them with all of my heart. Dad brought us all in and hugged us. "I love you, and I'm proud you're my family", he said. "We love you too Dad. We love you Mum", we echoed. "Okay, we all look like shit, and our guests would be here in an hour. So go freshen up, and come downstairs", she said, and I nodded. "I'm doing your makeup", J muttered, I groaned immediately. "No argument J, come to my room when you are done", she said and went to her room. I rolled my eyes at her. I sighed and rushed to the bathroom to do my business.
I went to my closet to see if there was any dress that would be appropriate for a Christmas dinner. I eyed the dress I'd bought when the girls and I went shopping, and I brought it out. I remembered how Gabriel looked at me when he saw me in it, and I wanted him to look at me that way again. I gasped when I realized I hadn't called him. Oh God, I hope he would be able to make it. I grabbed my phone and dialed his number. He picked it up on the third ring. "If it isn't my favorite girl", he said, and I blushed.
Memories flooded my mind, and I hid my face in my hands. "Merry Christmas, Gabriel", I said. "Merry Christmas Baby", he said. "How was your day?", he asked. "It was great", I twirled my hair. "Speaking of, are you busy tonight?", I asked. "Uh, not really. Why?", he asked. "I was hoping you would come over for dinner tonight", I said.
"Yeah, I'd love to", he said, and I beamed. "Great, so I'll see you in an hour", I said. "I'll see you then. I love you", he muttered. "I love you", I said and cut the call. Great, guess he would come after all. I quickly put on the dress and looked at my reflection. The girls were right. It was my perfect dress. I walked to J's room, she was doing her makeup. "Wow, that dress is gorgeous", she said. "Thanks, the girls, and I thought it looked good on me", I twirled. "It sure does", she applied her mascara and popped her lips. "I'm all done, now sit", she said. I grunted and obeyed her. "Now, that's a good girl", she said. I sighed and let her do whatever she wanted to do on my face. Believe me, going along with whatever J says is way better than not listening to her.
An hour later, she was done. She brought out a mirror and showed it to me. "Wow, I love it. Thank you J", I said. "See, I always know what's best for you", she said. "Guys, they're here", I heard Mum call out. "Okay, we gotta go", J said and fixed her hair. "You look great J. David's gonna love you", I said. "Thank you", she said and gave me a quick hug. We went downstairs, and everyone was all dressed up. "Girls and taking a lot of time to get ready", Dare mumbled. J and I glared at him.
"Tell me about it", Dad said, and J, Mum, and I turned to him. "Not that it doesn't pay off in the end, I mean, would you look at how gorgeous your mum looks tonight?", he said quickly and Mum smiled. Dad sure knew how to avert a crisis.
The doorbell rang, and we turned. "I'll get it", I said. I opened the door and smiled when I saw David. "Hey David", I hugged him. "Jola, it's good to finally meet you", he patted my back. "Wow, you look beautiful", he said. "Thank you", I smiled. I pointed in the direction of the living room and followed him. I paused when the doorbell rang again, and I opened the door.
I got to say, her name might be for old women, but Agatha was beautiful. Damn, Dare sure knew how to pick his girls. "Hi, you must be Agatha", I said. She smiled at me and held out her hand for a handshake. "Please, call me Aggie. And you must be Jola, I've heard a lot about you", she said.
I returned her smile. "I've heard a lot of things about you too", I said. "I hope they are all good things", she said. I pointed to the living room. "Be rest assured, they are", I said. "Merry Christmas, Mr. and Mrs. Jabita", she said. "Please call me Rachel", Mum hugged her. She turned to Dad and smiled. "Mr. Jabita", she said. "Call me Lawrence", he hugged her. "It is such a pleasure to meet you", she said. Dare smiled and approached her.
"The pleasure is ours", Mum said. "Hi", Dare said and hugged her. He gave her a quick kiss, and I opened my mouth in shock. We all looked at him in surprise, and I cleared my throat and looked away. The doorbell sounded again. "That must be Gabriel, I'll be right back", I said.
I opened the door, and Gabriel carried me in his arms and twirled me. I laughed when he dropped me. "Someone's happy to see me", I said. He kissed me. "You have no idea", he said. He noticed my dress and smiled. "Like it?", I asked. "I love it", he said. He brought out a case and smiled. "I brought something for you. Merry Christmas babe", he said. "Gabriel, you shouldn't have", I said and took it from him.
"Now I feel bad cause I didn't get you anything", I said. "It's okay, I'm satisfied with knowing that you are mine", he kissed my cheeks, and I blushed. "Go on, open it", he said. I gasped when I brought out the present. It was a black sapphire necklace and matching earrings.
"Wow", I said. "Do you like it?", he asked. "I love it, thank you", I jumped on him and he laughed. "Can I?", he asked, I nodded and passed him the necklace. I put my hair up to make it easy for him. I touched it and looked at him. "Thank you, I love it", I said. "You're welcome", he said. I took him to the dining room where everyone was seated.
"Merry Christmas everyone", he said. He took a seat beside me and introduced himself to Aggie and David. The dinner was beautiful, as we talked about memories, Mum embarrassed us by bringing out each of our childhood pictures and as Gabriel stared at one, I covered my face with my hand and glared at Mum.
Thankfully, the dinner was over. J escorted David to his car, Dare escorted his girlfriend to her car. I wrapped my arms around my boyfriend and stared at him. "I had fun tonight", he said. "I bet you did. Laughing at my most embarrassing moments Mum happened to capture in a photo", I smiled. "I thought it was adorable", he pouted and I chuckled. I reached up and kissed him. "Mm", he muttered and kissed me back. "Goodnight", I said, and released him.
"Night", he said. I waved him goodbye till I could no longer see him, and I walked in. "Wow, that was fun", J said. "I'm tired", I moaned. "Me too", Dare said. "I'm gonna go get ready for bed", I said and waved them bye. "Merry Christmas J", J called. "Merry Christmas, J", I replied.
I sighed and sat on my bed. I had fun tonight. I removed my clothes and hung them. I saw the lingerie the girls had bought for me, and I grabbed it. I smiled again and wore it. I looked at my reflection and twirled. I mean, it was okay. As long as nobody saw me in it but me. I sighed deeply and went to bed. I closed my eyes and thought back to the cabin.
A sound distracted me, and I frowned. It sounded again, and I looked up. It seemed to be coming from the window. I saw a stone hit the window before dropping, and I threw off the covers and went to investigate. I pulled up the window and gasped when I saw Gabriel smiling at me. "What are you doing?", I whispered. "I'm coming up", he said. And he did exactly that. He fell to the floor, and I rushed to help him up.
"What are you doing here?", I asked. "I wanted another kiss", he said. He paused and stared at me. I frowned when I saw him looking at me so intensely. "Why are you looking at me like that?", I asked. He didn't say anything and just kept on staring. I gasped when I realized I was wearing the lingerie, the see-through lingerie. I was embarrassed as hell and tried to cover myself. "Do you always go to sleep dressed in that?", he cleared his throat.
I groaned and refused to look at him. "No, the girls bought it for me on my birthday, and stupid me decided to wear it to a bed today. I didn't know you'd come knocking on my window", I said. He brought me closer and made me look at him. "Well, bless the girls for buying you that", he said, and kissed me.
It took him biting my lips for entrance before I broke out of my reverie. I gave him the much-needed permission he needed to explore and he moaned. He left my mouth and attacked my neck, and I gasped. There was something about the way he kissed me that was different from the other times we'd kissed. This kiss was slow and sensual. He carried me to the bed and I gave a little gasp. I really shouldn't be surprised at his strength anymore. He dropped me gently, without removing his mouth from mine, and I moaned. I wrapped my legs around his body and brought him impossibly closer.
I gripped his hair, and he moaned in my mouth. I removed his jacket, and his shirt, and ran my fingers across his toned back. He pressed onto me more, and I noticed his excitement. He stopped the kiss and just stared at me. "You are beautiful", he said. I smiled and drew him in for a kiss. He removed the lingerie slowly from my body till I was completely naked under him.
This wasn't the first time I was naked in his presence but I felt shy mainly because of the intense stare he wouldn't stop giving me. He kissed me again and trailed his mouth slowly across my chest. He hovered around my breasts and licked his lips.
I gasped and pulled his hair hard when he took one nipple in his mouth. "Wow", I moaned. He gave the other nipple the same attention as he twirled it between his thumb and forefinger. I gasped and moaned loudly. He kissed the other nipple and caressed the second one. Slowly, he made his way, down my stomach, he kissed my stretch marks, and I smiled. His fingers slowly made their way down there, and I gasped. He came up and kissed me. Slowly, he inserted a finger in me, and I gasped and shot up from the bed. "Hmm", he removed the finger, brought it up, and licked it while still maintaining eye contact with me. "You're all wet for me", he whispered and I smiled.
He kissed me, and I sighed in contentment. Slowly he made his way down my stomach and paused to kiss and fondle my breast. He was teasing me, I knew it. He knew exactly what I wanted, and didn't want to indulge me so quick. He looked up at me and chuckled. I moved impatiently and he used a hand to hold me in place. "Calm down baby", he smiled. I twitched when his breath fanned me down there. "Gabriel", I muttered, and just like that, he ate me.
I jumped on the bed and he used one hand to hold me down hard as he worked magic on me down there. I yelled and muffled my screams by putting my hand over my mouth. He didn't stop though and continued his sensual attack. He stopped, and I sighed. He put one finger in me, and I twitched. "Hmm", he said. He made a come hither motion with his finger and I nearly jumped out of the bed when he touched my g spot. He smiled and ravaged me. "Fuck", I cursed and gripped the bedsheets hard. I wanted to yell, but was scared J or worse, Dare would hear me. Gabriel didn't stop though, as he continued eating me while still pumping his finger in and out of me.
My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I moaned. It felt like I was in heaven, God, it felt so good. I could feel it coming, and so did he. He intensified his assault, and I yelled. "Gabriel", I warned. I was so close. He sucked me harder and faster, and I grunted. "Come for me baby", he said. My legs spasmed, and I twitched as I came. I was seeing stars when I opened my eyes, and for a minute, I didn't know where I was.
He came back up and kissed me, I could taste myself in his mouth, and I sighed in ecstasy. He smacked his lips and smiled at me. "You taste so good", he said, and I blushed. "I'm ready, Gabriel", I said softly. He stopped and looked at me. "You're sure?", he asked. "Yeah", I nodded. "But", I paused. "What?", he asked. "I haven't done it before", I admitted and he looked surprised.
"Jer?", he asked, and I shook my head. "Jer and I didn't have sex", I said. "Oh, I thought", he paused. "You thought?", I prodded. He shook his head. "Never mind", he said. "But I didn't bring any protection with me", he said. I smiled, and he raised an eyebrow. "What?", he asked. "Well, the lingerie wasn't the only thing the girls had bought for me", I said and reached into my desk to bring the second gift they'd given me. "Remind me to thank the girls when next I see them", he said, and I beamed.
He kissed me again, and I sighed in contentment. He paused, and removed his trousers quickly, along with his underwear. I was not ashamed to say I gaped at his length. He saw that and smirked. Boys and their egos. He wore the protection quickly and joined me on the bed.
He kissed me again, and I knew he was trying to get me relaxed. "Is it gonna hurt?", I asked. "A little, but I'll try not to hurt you that much, okay?", he said, and I nodded. I pulled him closer and kissed him. He responded instantly and replied with the same vigor. He peppered kisses on my neck and found my weakness. I moaned and writhed in his arms, and I felt him push into me gently.
It felt strange, like an invasion, and he kissed my forehead. "You're gonna be okay", he muttered and kissed my hair. He entered another half-inch or so, and paused giving my body a chance to get used to the invasion. "It's okay", he kissed me.
I pulled him closer, at the same time that he entered me fully, and I cried out. My cries were muffled by his kiss, and he paused giving me time to get used to it. "You're okay?", he asked. "Yeah, it hurts a little", I said. "It's fine, you'll get used to it, and then you won't feel the pain anymore", he said, and I nodded.
I could feel my body get used to it, and he pulled out, but just as soon slammed into me again, and I gasped. He created a rhythm till it hurt no more, and I was starting to enjoy it. "Yeah", he moaned and kissed me. I felt the pleasure build up in me, and it was so worth it.
My fingernails dug into his back as he entered me fully again. My eyes went to the back of my head as I moaned. "Yeah baby", he whispered and continued going in and out increasing his tempo. "You're so fucking tight", he grunted in my ear. I moaned and dug my fingernails in his back deeper, and it drew blood. He didn't seem to mind. "Faster", I whispered and he increased the tempo.
"God", I moaned and he kissed me. "As much as I love hearing how pleased you are, you're gonna wake the whole house up", he said. I closed my mouth but I couldn't help it. It felt so fucking good. He saw that I was about to yell again, and muffled it with a kiss.
"Fuck", he groaned and I sighed in contentment. "I'm close Gabriel", I said. "Me too", he continued slamming into me, and I smiled. I could feel it coming, and my legs twitched. "God", I screamed as I came for the second time that night. He paused and came too and I sighed in contentment. He stayed on top of me for some moments as we went limp.
He smiled at me, and I kissed him. He finally got off me and pulled me close. "That was-", he paused, searching for the right word he could use. "Spectacular", I supplied and smiled. "Yeah, spectacular", he said. "I'm happy my first time was with you", I said. "I love you", he said. "I love you more", I said and smiled at the snow falling. "Merry Christmas, Gabriel". He pulled me even closer and kissed my hair. "Merry Christmas, Jola", he said.
I smiled as I stared at his face the next morning. He was glowing and I had a guess why. "Good morning", I whispered. "Morning beautiful", he said. We didn't say anything for a moment as we stared at each other. "Last night was amazing", I said. "Yeah, yeah it was", he said and kissed me. He stood up and glanced around my room. I gasped when I saw the wound on his back. "Oh God", I said.
He turned to me. "What?", he asked. I pointed at the mirror, and he stared at his back. "I'm so sorry", I said. He chuckled. "Things got wild last night, you don't have to be sorry", he moved closer to me and kissed me. "Besides, you've marked me. It shows that I'm yours", he said, and I giggled.
"You know, I've never really been to your room before", he said, and held a frame. It was a picture of J, Dare, and me when they moved into college. I was on the verge of tears, and so were they. I chuckled and sat up. "Yeah, you have. Remember that night, the night you invited Blair as your date to our family dinner", I asked. He turned to me and groaned. "You're never gonna let me forget that, are you?", he asked.
I wrapped the bedsheets around myself, stood up, and hugged him. He was still naked and didn't see any reason to put on some clothes. "You dated a devil, so no, besides it's hilarious. Put on some clothes, will you?", I said. "Okay, first of all, I didn't date her. Second, I've got nothing to hide. You've seen all of me.", he defended. "The question is, why are you wrapping that around yourself? ", he asked. He pulled me closer and kissed my hair. "Put on some clothes Gabriel", I giggled, and he pouted. "You look cute pouting", I pulled his lips and he smiled.
He gave me a quick kiss and turned to my drawer, ignoring the clothes I suggested he put on. "Ooh, what do we have here?", he asked and brought out pair of red underwear. "Gabriel", I scolded and tried to take it away from him but he held it out of reach. "Sucks to be so short, doesn't it?", he teased. "I'm not short. You're only a head taller than me", I said and jumped to reach his lifted hand.
I groaned when I realized he wouldn't give it back. He smiled and returned the underwear to its place. I groaned and sat on the bed. I didn't have any other option than to watch his comment on my panties, and I rolled my eyes every time he commented on each of them.
He stilled and stopped laughing immediately. I frowned, when I saw his expression, wondering what got him all wound up all of a sudden. He brought out a frame and stared at it in shock. I stood up and reached him. "What's wrong?", I asked, he didn't reply and kept looking at the picture. I shook him gently and he turned to me slowly, eyes wide as saucers and I was beginning to get worried. "Who's this?", he asked in a very low voice that I strained to hear him. I stared at the picture and looked back at him.
"That's Zion, my brother", I asked. "Your brother?", he looked shocked, and I nodded. "Yeah, Dare's twin, my elder brother. Why, what's wrong?", I said. His hands turned to fists, and he glanced around the room, expecting him to jump up from under the bed and I frowned. "Where's he?", he asked. I gulped back tears. "He's dead, he died last year in a car accident", I said. Gabriel sniffed and dropped the picture. Why was he crying?
"Gabriel, what's wrong? What's going on?", I asked frantically. I was beginning to get worried, why was he acting that way? "I gotta go", he said, and hurriedly put on his clothes, my eyes following his movement in surprise. What did I do wrong? "Wait, what's wrong?", I asked. He didn't reply and wore his shoes. "Gabriel, what the hell is going on? Talk to me", I said. He stood up and stared at me. "I can't do this, I gotta go", he said.
He turned the knob, and I held his jacket. Tears poured down my face as I stared at him. Why was he so mad at me? Did I do something wrong? Did last night mean nothing to him? Was I not enough for him? Why was he behaving this way? "Talk to me", I said.
"Your brother killed my sister!", he yelled. I left his jacket in shock and stared at him dumbfounded. What the hell did he mean by that? Zion was not a killer, no he was the nicest person I ever knew. "What are you talking about?", I asked. Was he playing jokes on me? "Your brother, Zion", he said with gritted teeth and pointed at the picture. "Killed Aurora", he finished. "I don't- I don't understand. What are you talking about? Zion was not a murderer, he was the best brother", I said.
"Remember how I told you Aurora was bullied to death, and that she killed herself the cause of all the bullying she was going through? Yeah, your brother was the leader of the bullies", he said, eyes blazing with anger. I clutched my chest and knelt, no that wasn't true, it was impossible. Zion, the kind-hearted Zion I knew would never hurt a fly, not to talk of bullying anybody. No, he was gentle, he was kind, he was compassionate, he was my hero. So, what the hell was Gabriel talking about?
"Gabriel, I think you got things mixed up. I know my brother, he would never bully anyone, he was not that kind of person", I said. "I saw his picture and his texts on Aurora's phone one time. He told her that he was gonna kill her, he said those words, but Aurora had told me it was all a prank.
She lied to me that he was her friend and they say that to each other all the time. So like the fool I was, I believed her. I am such an idiot. I believed her, I believed the fucked up lies she told me!", he yelled, and I winced.
"When she died, not one day has passed that I don't think of his face, it haunts me, and I vowed that if I ever saw him, I would make him suffer, not just him, but everyone he loves for taking away the person I loved. I vowed to get revenge on him and his loved ones. And the mere fact that I fell in love with his sister, is just so fucked up. So no, I did not get my wires crossed. Your brother killed my sister. He is the reason Aurora is dead!", he yelled through gritted teeth and closed the door loudly behind him.
I sobbed, and my heart ached. Surely, it couldn't be true. Zion couldn't have bullied Aurora, he was not that kind of person. He taught me to love music, anytime I was sad, he'd play his black guitar to cheer me up. He would climb in my bed, and bring me desserts every time Mum yelled at me. He would tell me a story every time I felt down. He was Mum's favorite, Dare's twin, and my best friend, and his death had crushed us all. I always told him everything, and he always did the same. We kept nothing from each other.
He would tell me about his friends, and how people loved him, and I would listen with awe cause I wanted to be just like him, popular and lovable. He wasn't a murderer, no, he wasn't. So, when we got a call one night, that Zion was killed in a car accident, my whole world crumbled, and I cried for weeks.
Mum had to beg me to eat, but I couldn't bring myself to. I'd lost my hero, Dare had lost his twin, J had lost her brother, and Mum and Dad had lost their son. I stood up and found my keys, the tears blocking my sight. I needed to go for a drive to clear my head.
"J, what's wrong? I just saw Gabriel leave in anger, and he barely said a word to us", she said. I discreetly wiped my tears, I didn't want to bother them with my drama. They were gathered around the tree, and Dad was sipping coffee. "Did he sleep here?", Dare frowned. "I was just about to call you", Mum said. "Are you okay?", Dad asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's all good, I just need to go get something, I'll be right back", I said. "But, we're about to open the presents", J said. "Open them without me", I said and closed the door behind me. I turned on the ignition and drove out of there immediately. My heart wandered as I drove, I still couldn't believe what Gabriel told me. It just seemed impossible.
I frowned when I remembered something. I had always disliked his group of friends cause I knew they were a bad influence on him. Zion wasn't that type of guy, but I'd seen him do things just because his friends influenced him to do it. There was this day his friends came over to our house, and I listened in on their conversation, and I heard one of his friends, Jake, I think that was his name, told him to take something.
He'd declined but then the four of them pressured him to take it. When I opened the door, I saw him try to hide the marijuana he was smoking. He'd smiled at me, and gently urged me out of there, saying all was okay when I'd asked him about it. They were a bad influence and I didn't like it. So was it possible for Gabriel to be saying the truth? It just didn't make sense.
I heard the horn blow loudly, and I jerked out of my thoughts. I saw the truck coming straight toward me and I was frozen in place. He blew the horn loudly again, I jerked out of my trance and swerved quickly to the right, but there was no more road.
I screamed as my car tumbled over, glass shattering, my hearing impaired, the airbag punched me in the face and I closed my eyes, as I succumbed to the darkness.