Ariella
I throw on skinny jeans and a blue sweater. I don't wanna make too much effort and look desperate. I tie my hair up into a ponytail and then do my makeup. I'm looking forward to waking up and not needing it after my change. I've always suffered with a little acne, but I'm saying good riddance to all that shit in two days.
I hurry downstairs to help with the cooking. Dad gives me a bowl of potatoes to peel. He’s making pot roast so I can eat beef and not be so bait about it. Mom’s sitting at the island with a cup of tea while eating a selection of mini Cadbury’s chocolates that dad had shipped over from England for her.
“So, you really don't know anything about him, huh?” Dad asks me.
“No not really. He smokes green and drives a white Range Rover. I think his girlfriend is the reason he moved to Montreal, but that’s about it.”
“What's he studying?” mom asks.
“He's in a few of my classes, but I don’t know what he’s aiming towards.”
“So you have some things in common,” she says, sounding pleased.
“Yeah, I guess.”
I look down at my cell for the millionth time. I'm feeling anxious about seeing him. My nerves are sky-high already and he's not even text me yet.
“I wish I didn't feel so nervous. You're not gonna change into wares in front of him or anything crazy, are you?”
“Not unless you want us to. No,” Dad says.
“I don't. God, I don't know how I'm gonna tell him that. He'll probably die from shock.”
“It's not that bad,” Mom soothes.
I pick up another potato and begin to peel it furiously. I wonder if mom and dad will die from shock when I tell them I'm gonna have magic and be an elder one day. Maybe it's so that I can save members of my family. Only mom and dad are unkillable, so the rest of us can still die. Even if they've had mom’s blood, that only means their life isn’t limited by time.
I wonder if I'll live forever once I become an elder? What about Davonyé?
I have so many questions for Aura, it's unreal.
I look up to dad saying my name. “Sorry?”
“Your phone?” he says and eyes it.
I look down to see a message on my cell screen from Davonyé.
I'm almost there.
“I've gotta go.”
I pop a couple pieces of steak and then some gum. Just in case I get lucky with a kiss...
***
I pull my Escalade away from the house and head down to the gas station. It's only a ten-minute ride from here if you press gas. My heart is going crazy… I contemplate pulling over so I can calm the hell down. I need to just breathe...
We’ve had sex so we ain’t exactly strangers anymore. So why do I still feel so nervous just from the thought of being near him?
I spot his Range as soon as I turn into the gas station, so I level up beside him at the pump. He winds down his window and I do the same.
My stomach clenches cuz he looks fine as hell. Lorddd…
His eyes darken as he looks at me. I try my hardest not to blush like mad but epically fail. He looks good from what I can see of him. He must have shaved this morning, too, because his beard is looking extra tidy.
Ugh, I’m staring.
“Follow me,” I tell him. I check my mirrors to make sure he's behind me and then step on the gas.
We soon pull into the semi-hidden side road that leads to my house. I kill the engine and then fail miserably to calm myself down, especially because Davonyé jumps out of his Range looking like a whole three course meal.
Lord help me...
My nerves are quickly replaced by a surging heat in my lower stomach. Black jeans gently hug his firm thighs, and he’s wearing his trademarked Timb’s. His black sweater has an oversized collar and it hangs over his charcoal trench coat.
I’m going to hell if I don’t stop all these lustful thoughts all the damn time.
I take out my gum and press it into a tissue inside the glove box, then I take another deep breath before I look at him again.
Well, if nothing else, the attraction is still there and more uncontrollable than ever.
He walks towards my car and is soon in the passenger seat beside me. I smell him straight away; the mix of his cologne and the mind-fucking scent of his skin. My breathing turns really shallow when he turns to face me.
“You good?” His question sounds so casual, but I feel the complete opposite right now.
“Yeah.”
He looks down at my hand on my lap and then seems to relax after he holds it, like the fact he's touching me makes me real. “Y’know, when I said I wanted to see you, I didn't mean to meet your parents,” he says quietly.
I remember how long it took for him to reply after I dropped the bomb of my parents being around. I know how this must look…
“I'm housebound right now, so they kinda come with the access to me.”
“Why? What’s goin’ on wit’ you?” he asks, keeping his eyes down.
“I’ve told you.”
He lifts his head and his dark eyes suck the little breath I have in my lungs straight out of them. That feeling is there again, crackling like a raging fire in a violent storm. I want him to kiss me so damn bad, but I don’t know if he will, considering he most likely knows my parents could be watching us.
His other hand moves to my waist and then he pulls me closer before his lips find mine. I gasp from the tingle on my mouth and because of the sudden warmth spreading inside my body. I close my eyes to take him in; the kiss is heated from the very start, like we've been starved by our absence from one another.
“Damn,” I whisper, pulling in a breath with it. He groans and then our tongues resume their battle. I rest my hand on his side and pull him closer. He's pulling me closer, too, and I feel overwhelmed by how he smells and the effect it has on my body.
“You smell so good,” he mumbles, and then he bites my bottom lip.
I feel a spark between my thighs and my body literally aches from wanting him to bite me harder. Fuck! Why did I like that so much?
“Damn, shawty. I don't know a damn thing about you but you're still all I can think about,” he says as he releases me to sit back in his seat.
I’m breathing hard; my body is seriously on edge right now. I can't take this shit...
“I need to know. You gotta tell me why I feel so damn reckless when it comes to you.”
I nod as I rest my head against the headrest. I close my eyes briefly. “I will, but right now, we need to go in before my parents come looking for us. They know we're here. We'll get time to talk, alright?”
He sighs. “Alright.”
We leave the car for the house. I feel nervous as we make our way to the kitchen.
I hope dad doesn't give him too much of a hard time...
Mom's standing with dad at the stove. She smiles at us when we walk in. Her hair's down now and she's wearing a white maxi dress that hugs her perfectly round bump. She's literally glowing.
Dad turns from the pot and wraps an arm around mom’s waist.
“Davonyé, these are my parents, Abriya and Clarence. Mom, Dad, this is Davonyé.”
They step towards each other and shake hands. “Mister and Misses James, nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” they reply in unison. I try to read everyone's facial expressions so I can gauge the situation, but all I can see are smiles so far. Dad’s is less enthusiastic than anyone else’s, though.
Mom’s giving me a look as if to say well done. I shake my head.
“Uh, thanks for having me over to eat,” Davonyé says. “Whatever you’re cookin’, it smells good.”
“We got beef,” Dad says and turns back to the stove.
Mom shakes her head. “Drink?”
“Would be good,” Davonyé replies. “Thanks.”
“Alcohol or...”
“I have work in a couple hours, but water or juice would be good, thanks.”
Ugh… he’s so well-mannered. That’s another tick. I pull his arm to sit at the island while mom makes us all a glass of grape juice.
“Congratulations,” Davonyé suddenly says after he sips his drink. “Ariella never mentioned you were pregnant. How long do you have left?”
“Uh... Just a couple of weeks,” she says after hesitating slightly. I can tell that's thrown her off a bit.
“Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl?” he asks, seeming genuinely interested.
“No. We wanted it to be a surprise, but I think it’s a boy.” She smiles and rubs her bump.
“It’s gonna be a girl,” Dad says and turns to look at us briefly.
“Boy,” mom says, this time giving Davonyé a wink.
Davonyé laughs at that. “You look really young, both of you.”
“Mom and dad have good genes,” I say quickly, saving my parents from interrogation.
He nods thoughtfully. I feel like he knows something is up...
“We had Ariella young,” dad says as he starts bringing the food over to the island. “We were only fifteen.”
“Oh, that explains it.”
Mom gives me a look but I just widen my eyes at her.
“So, where do you work?” Dad asks when they both sit down at the island with us.
“For Mahroni clothing? It’s a designer menswear company.”
“I know it well.”
“It’s one of dad’s favourite places to shop,” I tell Davonyé, passing him a plate. “Help yourself.”
“Thanks.”
“How long have you worked there?” mom asks him.
“A couple years now. I got a transfer from their store in Ontario when I moved here late last year.”
“Is that where you’re from?” dad asks.
“Yeah.” Davonyé makes himself a plate and I do the same.
“So are you into fashion?” mom asks. “Or do you just like that brand?”
“Nah, I’m into menswear. I make some of my own clothes. I know it ain’t really a typical thing for a man to be into, but I always have been. It kinda runs in my family, too. My dad owned his own menswear store before he died, so I kinda plan to open up my own one day, too.”
“Nothin’ wrong with that,” dad says before eating a forkful of beef.
I guess it makes sense now, why he’s always dressed well. He really knows what works. He’s got a dream, and ambition, too, which I really like.
“So it's just your mom back home?” Mom asks more cautiously than she has her other questions.
Davonyé swallows his mouthful and then licks his soft lips. I quickly look away. Ugh…
“Yeah. Dad passed a couple years before I started high school.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she says thoughtfully. “Are you close with your mom?”
“Yeah. I’ve got two sisters, too, and we’re all tight, even though we don’t live near each other…” He frowns. “Sorry, I dunno why I'm divulging all this to you...”
He must feel comfortable. This is good. “Don't worry,” I reassure him as he looks at me. “We get that a lot. Mom's really easy to talk to.”
“I see that. So, what do you two do?” he asks mom and dad.
Dad chuckles at that, and mom smiles. I can see in her eyes that she's talking to dad.
“We own a lot of different businesses,” dad finally answers him. “We're into real estate, art... My wife’s a collector.”
Davonyé looks surprised by that. “Really? What pieces do you have?”
I can tell by the look on mom’s face that she’s excited to talk about it. “I have a couple of James Christopher Hill pieces, some Van Gogh’s, a Monet…”
He looks impressed. “Wow, that's crazy. You're so young, too. It's kinda motivating, y’know? I heard you home-schooled Ariella, too, Mister James.”
Ugh… Harmony…
“Please, ‘Clarence’ is good, and yes, I did. I'm well-travelled,” dad replies proudly.
“He's old at heart,” mom says adoringly. “He knows everything.”
Dad gives mom a look and she smiles. “Almost.”
***
The conversation over lunch is easy-going. Every-so-often, Davonyé asks a question that’s tricky to answer, but dad always saves the day and comes up with an answer. The more information my parents get out of him, the more I feel that I like him for his character, too, and not just his looks. But the nagging issue of Carisse weighs heavily on my heart, and it becomes more of a struggle to be okay with it as the time passes.
Davonyé and I clear the dishes after we all finish eating. We laugh and joke about nothing in particular, and it's actually really nice spending time with someone other than Harmony or my parents. It's the best time I've had in a long time.
It gets to around four-thirty and mom starts yawning. I'd say she’s doing it on purpose, but I know how genuinely tired she gets these days.
“Come, baby,” dad says and helps her off her stool. “Let's get you some rest.”
“Nice to meet you, Davonyé,” mom says.
He stands to shake both their hands. “Thanks for havin’ me. I appreciate it.”
Dad nods and mom gives me a quick wink before they go.
“Your parents are chill,” he says quietly, and I have to hide my smile because they can still hear us.
He hasn't got a clue how chill they actually are.
“They are.”
He drinks the rest of his juice and then looks at me. “I gotta go or I'll be late for work. We ain't had a chance to talk, though.” He holds my hand and strokes his fingers over mine.
“I might be able to see you tomorrow,” I say, suddenly feeling nervous again now that it's just us two.
“Try,” he says. “I wanna know what we're doin’ with each other. This shit…” he points at both of us, “…ain't normal.” He gets off his stool to stand in front of me. He smells crazy good...
He leans down to my neck and breathes deeply before pulling back so he’s only a couple inches from my face. “What perfume do you wear?”
I smile. He can smell my scent, too. “Ware.”
“I ain't never heard of it,” he mutters. He looks down at my lips before setting his eyes back on mine. I know he's thinkin’ about kissing me. “Y’know, your eyes are like a gold colour…”
“Are they?” There go those sparks again...
“Yeah.” I hear my parents’ door close just before he kisses me to near death. It's so damn passionate, I'm breathless when it ends.
He steps away. “I wish I didn't have to work.” I see him adjust his dick in his jeans and sigh.
I wish he didn't either. “Message me when you get off.” I get up to walk him out. “Can you find your way back okay or do you need me to drive you?”
He shakes his head. “Nah, I'm good.” He pulls me against him and kisses me again. I've never been so turned on in my life.
I actually feel angry that he's going, even though he doesn't have a choice.
I sigh.
He lifts my chin. “Hey, I don't wanna go.” His eyes scan my face. He looks torn.
I nod my head. “You ain't mine anyways,” I say, not being able to hold in the mixed emotions I’m feeling about my situation.
“Ariella...”
“Go. Go before I say something I'll regret,” I say, gently pushing him away.
His expression turns to a tormented one as he lets my face go and turns away. I watch him get to his car and then once he pulls away, I try not to slam the door in anger.