Chapter 18
June
“Hey, June? Can I talk to you about something real quick?”
Daphne stands and beckons me to follow her from the picnic table to the shade tree, out of earshot of everyone else.
I’m curious about what she’s going to say, but I’m a little nervous too. There was a suspicious look in her eyes when she caught Malcolm and I staring at each other.
We stand under the tree and she folds her arms, staring at me. I squirm under her sharp gaze.
“What is it, Daph? What did you want to talk about?”
“There’s a weird vibe between you two.”
Oh, no. I still had a small hope that my sister wanted to talk about something innocent, like my opinion on some aspect of her wedding planning. I guess not.
“I don’t know what you mean by that.”
She frowns. “Don’t play dumb. Whenever you and Mal are in the same room together, he can’t take his eyes off you. And you’re always looking at him too, sneaking glances when you think nobody’s watching. The look on your faces…” She shakes her head. “Nobody else sees it, but I do.”
My sister has always been sort of self-involved, her attention span fickle. I’m speechless by her unusual display of shrewdness.
I struggle to defend myself, then decide to go on the offence instead. I summon my best scandalized look and tone, then use a dishonest politician’s tactics—lie, insult, and deflect.
“What you’re implying is wrong, and you need to get your eyes checked because you’re also seeing wrong.” I straighten my back. “Now let’s go back and enjoy Mom and Dad’s anniversary lunch and forget we had this conversation.”
She snorts and rolls her eyes.
“Bitch, please. I love you but don’t try it. You know I’m right. You’re into each other.” Her eyes widen and she leans in close, her voice low. “Has it gone further since he moved in with you? Are you guys doing it?”
“No!”
The word bursts out of me faster than the speed of light, which seems to further convince Daphne that I’m lying. Her eyes huge, her mouth is an O before she covers it with her hand.
“Oh… my… god! You are!”
My heart beats faster. “We aren’t!”
But we almost did…
“Then why is your face getting pinker?”
“Because I’m upset that you’re accusing me of doing something I didn’t do!”
“No, you’re embarrassed that I found out the truth and you’re afraid I’m going to judge you or tell on you.
” Daphne’s expression turns sympathetic.
She grabs my wrists, gently slapping my palms together like she used to when we were younger.
The affectionate action calms me down. “I’m not going to do any of that, I promise. Your secret is safe with me.”
She glances over her shoulder at the grill where Dad and Malcolm are chatting, then she meets my gaze again, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“You want to know my secret? When he first moved in, I had a crush on him too. I felt so bad. I love Jeremy more than anything. But the man is hot, and he’s a nice guy. No straight woman can resist.” She chuckles. “Auntie Erica couldn’t either and he isn’t even her type.”
I grimace as I remember Auntie Erica’s fetishized comment about Malcolm earlier today. Oh, yes. Break me off a piece of that white chocolate. I scolded her she wouldn’t like it if a white person called her dark chocolate, and she gave me the stinkiest of stink eyes.
The thing is, I didn’t really do it because her words were offensive. Something awakened inside me when she made the comment. I felt like a dragon breathing fire to protect its treasure from a thief.
“I’m not lying,” I finally say, lowering my gaze. On one hand, I’m afraid of telling my sister the truth, but there’s a certain relief in it too. Carrying a secret as big as this one has been a burden. “We haven’t… you know… gotten that far.”
“But you want to?”
Yes.
Warmth fills my face at how quickly the answer surfaces in my mind.
For the past four days, I’ve been on edge from an internal war. My body constantly craves for Malcolm to finish what he started, my mind conjures up the filthiest fantasies of him, and my moral voice scolds me that these cravings and fantasies makes me a bad person.
I thought Malcolm would break his promise to never touch me again by now. If I’m being honest, a part of me hopes he would. Especially in those thrilling moments when I catch him looking at me with dark, hungry eyes.
“I don’t want to answer that question,” I say.
“Alright. I get it. But I wouldn’t have a problem with it if you and him are… you know…” She lowers her voice. “Together.”
I stare at my sister, stunned by her casual acceptance of the situation. Mom and Dad, on the other hand, won’t be so open-minded.
“Why not?”
“Because it makes sense. You guys went through some scary shit together that night he saved you from the fire. You both could have died, and I can see a special bond forming from that. And he’s been there for you during all this craziness with the intruder.
Yeah, it’s forbidden love, but… the heart wants what it wants. ”
I let out an amused huff and roll my eyes that she would make that reference, even though it’s relevant.
“You really are something else.”
She laughs and grabs my hand, leading me back to the table.