Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Twin telepathy or twin bonding is real as shit.
It has to be because not even twenty-four hours after the best day and night of her life, Sunjiya’s sister reaches out.
After buying the office space for her business and asking her to be his wife, Akeem brought Sunjiya back home to their bed and made love to her until her body was exhausted and satisfied in the best way.
Nothing and no one else in the world matters, just them, and they stay in their love intoxicated bubble together the next morning and well into the weekend.
This Sunday morning is the first time she’s thought about her cell.
She has seven notifications, a missed call and text from Darisha, and two missed calls and three texts from her twin.
“Austin,” she utters, surprised. “How the hell does she know where I am?” She has so many questions that are too much to text.
Before dialing, she eases off the bed and checks the condo for Akeem.
He left to go for a run and she wants to make sure he’s still out.
When she realizes he is, she hits her sister back.
“Hey, Twin,” her sister answers and the sarcasm in her tone is loud and clear. “Happy belated birthday, happy Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwanza, and every other holiday I missed.”
“What do you want?” Sunjiya.
“My sister. I miss you and I think we need a redo. Antigua was…I don’t know…”
“Needed,” Sunjiya adds.
“I was going to say bad. I think we both said things we didn’t mean.”
“Nah, I actually meant everything I said and nothing’s changed. My life is my life and you need to find contentment in yours. I’m not switching ever again.”
“I know. I heard that part loud and damn clear but does that mean we’re not sisters anymore?” she asks and her voice cracks. “I can’t accept that, Twin, and I don’t know how you can. Please come see me. Let’s talk and figure this shit out. Please,” she says and Sunjiya hears her crying.
After releasing a heavy sigh, Sunjiya looks down at her beautiful ring. “It’s complicated,” she mumbles.
“I’ll come to Austin and you ca—”
“No. How do you even know where I am?”
“You’re using my damn name. You’re excelling in my career lane. Melanin Voyages. I saw your social media pages.”
Shit! When she was on the run and living in fear, Sunjiya was careful, very careful.
Living her new soft life and feeling safe with a man has her living out loud.
Creating her business social media pages seemed like the right thing to do.
It didn’t cross her mind that her sister would find out where she is.
“Where are you?” Sunjiya asks.
“In the house in Conyers. I’ve been home since the new year.”
“I’ll come to you,” Sunjiya says resignedly. Everything in her soul screams not to go but she can’t risk her sister coming here and exposing her. Nothing about that would be good.
“When?” her sister asks, her tone perkier.
“Give me two weeks,” Sunjiya says, choosing the only time she’ll be able to get away. In two weeks, Akeem will be in Crescent Falls with Axton. She can make the trip to Conyers and return before he does. “I’ll come the first Thursday in April.”
“How long can you stay?”
“We’ll take it one day at a time but I have to come back Saturday.”
“Then, try to come in early Monday.”
“I’ll see and let you know, okay? But I gotta go,” Sunjiya says, then ends the call before her sister can say anything else.
She sighs. Her sister reaching out right now is bananas.
The cloud she’s been floating on this weekend just dissipates and she feels like she just crashed onto the floor. What the fuck!
With a worried mind, nervous being, and body full of dread from what-if scenarios, she ambles to the bar. After filling a tumbler with ice from her machine, she walks into the kitchen, searching the pantry, fridge, and freezer. After closing the freezer door she realizes her search was fruitless.
What the hell was I even looking for?
The sound of Akeem entering the condo jars her from her absentminded thoughts and she puts on a manufactured smile in preparation of him coming into the kitchen. However, when he walks in, her manufactured smile automatically transforms into the natural, beautiful smile he loves.
“Good morning,” she says as she walks toward him. The need to be in his arms outweighs lingering thoughts of her sister and the upcoming visit. She needs and wants him.
“Hey,” he says the minute she wraps her arms around his neck. “You missed me? I only been gone an hour.”
“Sixty minutes too long.”
“Bae, I’m sweaty though. Let me shower first then you can get back on me,” he says before kissing her forehead and breaking their embrace. “It’s warm out there.”
“Okay. You hungry?” she asks, even though she knows he’s usually ravenous after a run.
“Yeah. Starving.”
“I was looking for something to fix but I—”
“Just order something. You don’t need to cook.”
He kisses her lips this time then heads down the hall to their bathroom.
When he walks off, she steps back to the island.
After popping ice into her mouth, she picks her phone up.
Her sister’s messages are still on the screen, so she deletes them then opens the Munchies app to order breakfast… well, brunch. It’s after eleven.
She decides on Whip My Soul because she still can’t get over how good her food was on Thursday. She places an order for cheesy mac-n-shrimp soul rolls, shrimp and grits, and six wings and waffles.
When he emerges, fresh and dressed in a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, she’s lounging on her favorite corner of the sectional with her legs up, bent at the knee.
She drops her legs when she sees him, inviting him to join her.
After getting comfortable, he grabs the bottle of Gatorade on the table, takes a huge swig, then grabs her legs and drapes them over his lap.
“Did you order?” he asks.
“Yeah. I got chicken and waffles for you, from the soul food spot we had Thursday,” she responds. “It’ll be here in about forty.”
“Good, we can call my family while we wait,” he says and she sits up.
“Why, what’s wrong?” she asks, concerned.
“Shit, nothing’s wrong. It’s right and we gotta tell my parents and Axton about this,” he says while grabbing her hand. “I didn’t know if you wanted to tell them a certain way but I slipped up and told Quise this morning.”
“And what did he say?” she asks pensively.
While she believes Quise genuinely likes her, at the end of the day, he’s a child and most children want or even dream about their divorced parents reuniting. Akeem marrying her destroys that possibility for him and he might feel a way about it.
“He’s happy. He’s claiming best man, saying I get two, him and his uncle,” he says and she relaxes into an amused smile.
“Are we having a ceremony?”
“We didn’t talk about that, but after Christmas, I figured you liked big, decorated celebrations,” he admits.
“Big? No, but beautiful, themed, and decorated? Absolutely. I just need us and your family.”
“If you want big, you can have it.”
“Trust me, small and intimate is all I want and need.”
“And when do you want to do it? I’m cool with tomorrow,” he says.
“Vegas in the morning?” she teases but he’s deadass.
“Yeah, let’s do that,” he says seriously.
“For your mother to disown me as a daughter-in-law? No thank you. We’re having a ceremony but I don’t want to wait too long. I’m so ready to be your wife. We can do it after my class is over, so this summer.”
“Good, now we can call and tell them before Quise’s lil talking ass does. He’s not gonna hold the news for too long.”
“You think he told Charis?”
“He couldn’t have; she hasn’t hit my line yet. She would have called ASAP. I’m gonna tell her sometime next week. I really don’t have to, but you know…”
“Yeah, I know. You should tell her.” She drops her legs from his lap then straightens all the way. “Are you calling or FaceTiming your parents?”
“FaceTime but all of them. Axton too. One and done.”
“How do I look?” she asks.
“Beautiful,” he says simply and she grins.
“I don’t know why I even bother asking. You always say beautiful or gorgeous even when I look a hot ass mess.”
“I’ve never seen that shit.”
“Oh you have,” she says, then laughs. “Alright. Call ’em. I’m ready and you’re doing all the talking by the way.”
He pulls his cell from his pocket then presses the video icon in his family text message thread. Axton answers first.
“Bruh, who dressed you in that Barbie shirt?” Akeem teases and Sunjiya shakes her head at his joke. Axton is actually wearing a black T-shirt.
“I know you fucking lying. Leesha knows better than that,” he says, referring to his personal stylist and dresser. “What’s up? Why video?”
“’’Cause I added Mo—”
“My two handsome sons,” Debrah gushes as soon as her face fills the screen. “What’s going on? Y’all are good, right?”
“I’m good. That’s your baby boy calling,” Axton says.
“It’s me and Sunjiya,” Akeem says, then turns the phone to make sure Sunjiya’s face is fully in view.
“What’s up, sis?” Axton greets her.
“Happy Sunday, sweetheart,” Debrah says. “What you two got going on today?” she asks.
“Relaxing and about to eat brunch as soon as it gets here.”
“We’re celebrating,” Akeem adds.
“What are you celebrating?” Debrah asks.
“Where’s Dad?” Akeem asks.
“Right here,” Debrah says before turning her camera toward her husband.
“He can hear you. Now, tell me what we’re celebrating,” she demands excitedly.
Her gut knows what it is but she needs to hear the actual words.
Her smile covers her entire face in anticipation and her reaction has Sunjiya smiling harder as well.
Caught in the euphoria of the moment, Sunjiya holds her hand up and Debrah screams, startling her husband and surprising her sons.
“Damn,” Axton and Akeem say in unison.
“Oh my god! Congratulations!” Debrah says finally.
“Yeah, congrats, son,” his dad says in the background.