6. Avani
As I got ready to head out to see my sister, Laisley, I couldn't help but think about Akari.
He had been around a lot, and I didn't know why.
I wasn't going to front like I hadn't enjoyed his company since I was.
I just wouldn't get caught up with him since I knew what type of man he was.
If I were to get involved with him, I'd be setting myself up for failure.
Akari said he had a lot of groupies. That was true.
Plus, photographers captured him with many women.
That was something he couldn't hide. It was all over the internet.
It made me smile when Akari got me free tickets to his game.
I sat next to his sister, who had floor seats.
It felt good seeing him in action. Also, I saw how he'd talk trash to the other players.
So many fights were about to happen that made me scared for him, but I knew he could handle himself.
After the game was over, he took me out to dinner.
Something I hadn't expected him to do. His team had won the game that night, too.
His team was going out, and I thought he would be too, but he spent time with me.
On Valentine's Day, he bought me a teddy bear and chocolate-covered pretzels, which surprised me since I wasn't expecting anything from him.
Akari was a sweet man, but given our history, I never thought he'd be nice to me.
We still bickered with each other and ended up laughing about it later.
The playfulness we shared was everything to me, but I knew I shouldn't get caught up with him.
Then he was always kissing me. The kisses were a little too much and had me hot and bothered for him.
Soon, both of us would catch a fire. I shivered just thinking about it.
My cell phone rang as I was leaving my house to head over to my sister's. I removed the phone from my back pocket and wasn't all that surprised to see that it was Akari.
"Hello?" I answered as I shut the door of my house.
"Hmm, it sounds like you are going out. Where are you headed?"
"You're so nosy. You didn't even greet me or ask how I'm doing. You went straight to being in my business."
Akari barked out a laugh. I couldn't help but smile as I headed to my car. It was so cold outside today. I couldn't wait until spring rolled in.
"Aha, my bad. I'm sorry. Wassup with you? How are you doing?"
I got in my car and started it up. "I'm good, heading to my sister's house. What about you? Did you have a good game last night? Congratulations on the win. Are you heading home today?"
Akari and his team had an away game. I hadn't seen him in two days, but I made sure I watched the game last night.
He yawned. "I'm still in bed, not trying to get out of it until it's time to catch my flight back home. The game was too damn intense. For a minute, I thought for sure we weren't going to win."
I smiled as I backed out of the driveway. "Yeah, I was on the edge of my seat watching the game."
There was silence on the other end of the phone and it had me wondering if he had hung up on me.
"Oh yeah? You watched me play?" His voice grew deeper, and I squeezed my thighs together. Gosh, he sounded so good.
"Well, yeah. I told you I'd be watching after you asked me to."
"True, true." He yawned again. "I just called to check on you and to let you know I'll be back in town later tonight."
I smiled. "Okay. Make sure you call me when you get home."
"I'll make sure I do. Talk to you later."
After I ended the call, I sighed deeply and couldn't believe I was missing Akari already. That wasn't a good sign at all.
"Girl, you are here early. What gives?" Laisley opened her door for me and let me in.
I stepped inside of the house and closed the door behind me. "My mother's letter. I am afraid to read it."
"Oh my. Girl, why are you going to read that letter? She let her feelings be known so long ago. I wouldn't even worry about it," Lailey noted.
I flopped down on her couch, dropping my head. "I know. I know. That's why I haven't read it yet. I think I should see what she said."
Laisley shook her head, taking a seat next to me. "No. Leave it alone, Avani. It's only going to put you down. You're already having nightmares. What more do you want to happen? Stop torturing yourself. You are dead to the lady, remember?"
Tears welled in my eyes, but I tried not to let any fall. "Fine, I'll throw it away."
She held out her hand. "No, give it to me. I'll make sure you don't read it."
I had a feeling Lailey was about to rip the letter up. Did I want her to do that, or did I want to read it? She was right about me torturing myself, and I didn't want to start having to take my medication again.
I went into my purse, pulled out the letter, and gave it to my sister. She wasted no time tearing up the letter and shredding it into tiny pieces.
"One thing I never want you to do is set yourself back when you've come so far. Never go back in the past unless you have to. For this woman, you don't need to. I know she's your mother, but she gave you up, plus she said that you were dead to her. Just let go."
I nodded slowly, knowing where she was coming from. "Thank you so much, Laisley. You are so good at what you do. I'm so grateful that you are in my life and that you are my sister. God did his big one when Mom and Dad adopted me."
She stared at me with tears in her eyes, and we leaned over to give each other a hug.
"Girl, here you go, making me cry."
I laughed through my tears. "How do you think I feel? But this was needed. You always come through for me when I least expect it."
"And I'm always going to do so. I love you, sis."
"Love you too." I squeezed her tighter, needing that hug from her more than anything in the world. Laisley was one of the best things to ever happen to me.
I stayed and ate breakfast with her before I left to go to work for the day.