Chapter Twenty The Tea
Belle
I tried not to care, just like Liberty had instructed. Easy for him to say, he’d been in the limelight for a long time. Me? I liked it quiet and lowkey. I worked for a law firm and they discouraged getting the wrong kind of notice. I now realized that having two men moving into my apartment would definitely be the wrong kind of notice.
I really had no choice though, did I? It had been the only way to be able to leave that semi-permanent confinement at the Connor House.
When we arrived at my apartment building, I did try to not look around. If I ignored the stares then maybe they would just look elsewhere. There were a few people in the parking area and yes, they were staring. Mrs. Argyle and a few of the other old ladies. I forgot that they all got home from Church Bingo at this time of day. Great, the biggest gossip group of this neighborhood had witnessed our grand arrival. Might as well do it up big, I guess.
The guys carried the groceries up while I had just my small bag of clothes. Nothing much as all my clothing was in my apartment. We got into the elevator and went up three floors. When the elevator doors opened that was when I remembered. “I don’t have a key,” I blurted out.
“What?” Liberty asked.
“Lost my purse, remember?”
Fate set the grocery bags down and looked around. “Is that your friend’s apartment?” He motioned his head across the way.
I nodded.
He turned and stepped over.
Oh…He was gonna knock. “No, Fate.” He had no idea what he would be getting into here.
Too late, his fist was rapping on the door.
“Who is it?” a female voice asked from the other side of the door. “I got a vicious dog here and he will rip you to bits!”
Turning his head to look at us, he smirked as he replied to her, “It’s Fate.”
I shook my head. No way would she trust that response.
“Oh yeah, asshole?” the girl called out again. “So fate’s finally knockin on my door, eh?”
“He sure is,” Fate stated loudly.
“Well, I’m not impressed. Go away and take destiny with you!”
I laughed.
Fate wiggled his eyebrows at me. “I like this girl, already.” He turned his head toward the door again and said, “But what if you are my destiny?”
Silence.
Now came her response, “Then too bad for you, I guess.”
Fate laughed and he looked like he was enjoying this. “Look, you have the key to my happiness. And I need that key.”
“Aww, well, I guess you’re screwed then.”
Even Liberty laughed now.
“I think I’m in love,” Fate called to her.
“We have enough crazy here,” Briget called back. “So, go sell your cray-cray somewhere else, buddy.”
We all burst out laughing this time.
Stepping forward, I did our favorite secret knock on her door. Tap, tap ta-tapp, ta-tapp…tap, tap. Shave and a haircut…two bits.
The sound of lock chains and slide bolts ripped at the door then it was thrown open.
Suddenly, we all heard a growl. Bursting through the door was Daisy.
Fate stared down at the tiny Yorkshire Terrier tearing at his pant leg cuff. “This is your vicious dog?”
“Belle!” Briget screamed as she leapt at me and took me into a full on bear hug.
I hugged her back as tears filled my eyes. “I am so sorry, Briget!”
“I thought you were dead!” She cried.
“I was okay, I am okay.”
She wouldn’t let me go. “You better tell me everything. Cause I know it wasn’t what you said it was. And by the way, your mom is missing too, did you know that? So you need to tell me all of it!”
I nodded. “I will and my mom”s safe. I need my key.”
She paused and pulled back enough to stare at me.
“I lost my purse and my phone,” I explained. “Then I was in sort of a lockdown situation where it was dangerous to call anyone or come into town.”
Finally, she pulled back a little more. Her eyes rounded at me as she reached into her pocket and handed me my spare key. “That all sounds bad, Belle. You have lots of splainin’ to do, young lady.”
Taking the key, I smiled at her. “I know and you are gonna call me a liar when I get through with this story.”
“Maybe, but at least you’ll be telling me what really happened.”
“This is Fate, by the way.” I motioned to him. “He was the one knocking at your door.”
He had been unusually silent as he stared at Briget.
She had curly blonde hair and big blue eyes… a petite girl. A good three inches shorter than me as well. Looked like a pixie but acted like a prize fighter. “So, you weren”t lying about your name?” she asked as she tilted her head at him.
“No,” he replied.
“But the jury is still out on if he is crazy or not,” Liberty quipped. “He may be the only qualified crazy salesman I have ever known.”
I laughed. “And this is…” I paused as I stared at Liberty. “...my boyfriend,” I announced as my voice shook.
Briget gasped loudly. “No way!” she exclaimed in surprise. “You”re kidding, right? I had lost all hope of you ever getting one of those!”
I gave her a nod. “He is the real deal, B.”
Boldly, Briget stepped over to look him up and down. “Good looking, built and he’s got laugh lines around his eyes, so he does have a sense of humor. He dresses semi-expensive, but casual. Hmmm.” She studied him then curled her finger at him, bidding him to get closer.
Leaning down to her height, Liberty smiled at her.
She glared at him and growled, “You do know if you ever hurt her that you will be a dead man, right?”
Liberty pulled his head back and gave her the most serious look I think I had ever seen on him. “And anyone who hurts her will pay for it. But just so you know, we have a habit of arguing about bull shit, so don’t think I’m picking on her when that happens. I mean I sure don’t want to end up dead.” He raised his hands up at her.
Briget stared at him then she laughed. “First off, I have to admit, if she has debated with you that means you are the only man for her. Because usually, she wouldn’t give any guy that kind of attention or any of her time. But unfortunately for you, no one can out argue the queen of burn here.” She tossed her thumb at me. “The girl has a sharp wit and she’s wickedly smart. So if I were you, I would just give up now and become a yes man.”
“Holy….” Fate stated in awe. Looking over at Liberty, he laughed. “Yeah Lib. You need to become a yes man.”
Liberty flipped him off as he gave him a smirk. “Haul the groceries in, little brother.”
Fate rolled his eyes at him. “How many times do I gotta tell ya? I am the oldest.” He knelt down and picked up like four bags, rolled them up on his arm by the plastic loops then rolled up six more onto his other arm. Heading into Belle’s apartment he asked, “Which way is the kitchen?”
Briget kept staring at him. “Is he a bodybuilder too?” She looked over at Liberty.
He looked confused. “We aren’t bodybuilders.” He chuckled.
“Then what’s with all the rippling muscles then?” she asked.
I laughed. “You are gonna scream in disbelief when I tell you.”
“Are they foreigners?” Briget asked. “Cause with names like Liberty and Fate that would make sense.”
“No, we’re from Texas,” Liberty told her.
Nodding, she said, “Oh well, that explains everything.” She went into my apartment.
Liberty stared at her then looked over at me as he laughed. He knelt and got the rest of the grocery bags.
I shrugged and then bent down to pick up Daisy. “Hey there Miss Vicious, how are ya?”
The little dog yapped.
I laughed. “Yeah, I know I’m in trouble. Let’s go find your new chew toy.” I took her into the apartment.
Liberty followed me in.
Heading to my kitchen, I heard voices.
“Well, that’s just insane,” Briget said.
“It’s true though,” Fate replied. “Really happened.”
I came in and looked through the bags.
“Belle, we are gonna have to sit and have the tea.”
Finding the small chew toy, I set Daisy down and gave it to her. Looking up at my best friend, I shook my head as I whined, “No, I hate doing the tea, Briget.”
Nodding, she turned to put groceries away. “Too bad. You effed up and now we gotta have the tea.”
“Well, I hope you already have the tea here, cause as far as I know, Belle didn’t buy any,” Fate said.
Shaking her head, Briget said, “Not that kind of tea.”
He looked a bit lost as he dug through one of the bags. “Where are my oreos?”
Briget laughed. “We could use them and glasses of milk for the tea.”
Fate raised his head while looking confused. “How can oreos turn into…” He shook his head.
“No, he bought them for himself, Briget,” I told her.
“We can just have pizza,” Liberty suggested as he looked through the bags too and set cans onto the counter.
“Pizza for tea?” Fate asked in confusion.
“No, you dope,” Liberty scoffed. “Pizza for dinner. You know takeout pizza? It has been like forever since we had any.”
Fate nodded. “Yeah man, that sounds awesome. If the ladies like pizza?”
“Who doesn”t like pizza?” Briget asked. “But why has it been forever?”
“We couldn’t have deliveries out there.” Fate shrugged. “Too dangerous, I suppose?”
Briget looked over at me with raised brows. “Out there? What does that mean?”
“Wait for the tea,” I replied.
“I thought you didn’t have any tea?” Liberty asked me.
“Oh, she has plenty,” Briget said.
Both Fate and Liberty slowly shook their heads in total confusion.
I laughed. “Ok Liberty, order pizza. Pepperoni is good for both of us.” I pointed between me and Briget.
“Great,” Fate said. “Glad you don’t do the ham and pineapple thing.” He shivered. “Because that is disgusting.”
“Right?” Briget agreed. “Like fruit on a pizza. What the heck is that?”
I stared at them then looked over at Liberty. “Well, they’re getting along well.”
“And why wouldn’t we?” Briget asked as she put the cans and boxes away that the guys had left on the counter.
“Liberty and I did not get along when we first met,” I explained.
Briget turned around to look at me. “Well, of course you didn’t.”
“What does that mean?” I asked her.
“You would hate a guy who actually had the nerve to catch your attention,” she explained. “Like how dare he stand out from all the boring assholes you ignored for all this time?” She laughed. “Damn, I wish I coulda been there when you two met. I bet it was a real boom!”
“You’re kind of correct, there,” Liberty commented. “There was a huge boom.”
Briget looked from him to me.
I shook my head. “Scarlet and I came driving up like bats outta hell,” I told her. “And then a huge explosion went off. The kind that made us almost wreck the car.”
“What the…?” Briget stared at us.
Liberty and I both laughed.
“Well, even after that, they were like fireworks,” Fate said. “Fighting anytime they were in the same room. We all saw that they were attracted to each other. But they didn’t see it.”
“Wow, I bet the arguments were epic!” Briget nodded her head.
“They traded some real insults,” Fate said. “It was hilarious most of the time. I kept telling Liberty that he was falling for her.”
“Yeah, Fate thinks he’s Dr. Phil or something.” Liberty scoffed. “Ok, two large Pepperonis ordered and some cheesy bread.” He tapped his phone screen. “I got us some garlic sauce and marinara too.”
“Sounds great,” Fate said. “I am starving!”
“You are always starving,” Liberty said. “You almost made yourself sick at the wedding reception.”
“Wedding…” Briget said.
I let out a sigh as I realized just how much tea I was gonna have to spill so Briget would be caught up. “Scarlet married Justice.”
“Justice?” She stared at me.
“Yeah, our brother,” both Fate and Liberty stated at the same time.
She looked from me to them. “Seriously…Fate, Liberty and Justice?”
“And we can’t forget our brother-president…Redemption,” Liberty added.
Briget looked over at me. “Girl, I guess when you have an emergency, it is a real fucking doozie. First, you say it is just some family drama. Then you meet that handsome heartbreaker in a suit and to my utter astonishment, you leave with him? Now, you”re saying that Scarlet wasn’t in a drama, she was in love with a guy named Justice? There’s explosions and you were on lockdown with this fine looking man whose name is Liberty of all things and he is now your boyfriend? You then come home from all of that after being missing for days and you bring these two home with you? I mean a man hasn’t been in this apartment since the maintenance man fixed the sink last year.”
I bit at my lip to keep from laughing but I failed as I spontaneously burst out with loud laughter. She always had an animated way of explaining stuff. With her book reading and movie Buff hobby, it was always entertaining.
Briget placed her hands onto her hips. “I have a feeling that this tea is gonna give me a real fuck-of-a migraine.”
Fate looked entertained too, but then he tossed his hands up in frustration as he exclaimed, “What tea? Belle already said she doesn’t have any tea.”