Chapter Two
Taleah
THREE DAYS HAVE passed since TJ and I got into a fight on the sidewalk in front of Fantasy Realm.
It’s the bookstore I always dreamed of opening.
One Bhodi always supported and talked with me for hours about.
I’ve loved to read from a very young age.
I grew up with my parents reading bedtime stories to us and then Bhodi took over when they became too busy at work.
My big brother taught me how to read and shaped my love for reading.
He encouraged me to read everything I could get my hands onto and never mocked my choice of stories.
Including when I started reading darker books with spice.
He simply said I was reading and didn’t let anyone disturb me.
I’d spend hours reading while he kept everyone away from me.
I still remember the conversation Bhodi and I had the day we came up with the name for my bookstore.
Well, the day he came up with the name for it.
Bhodi and I are sitting outside on the swing he moved into the yard so we could sit under the sun. I’ve got a book in my lap while Bhodi gently swings us back and forth as a gentle breeze washes over us. It’s rare for us to be alone like this, but I cherish these moments with my brother.
“Have you thought anymore about a name for your store?” Bhodi asks me as I turn to face him and place my book between my body and the back of the swing.
“No. Everything I like seems too childish or ordinary. I’ve thought of every possibility and I just can’t decide on anything I like enough,” I answer him as I continue to think of possible names for the store I’ve dreamed of opening for as long as I can remember.
Bhodi and I sit in silence as I tilt my head back so my face is in the sun.
I love feeling the heat of it on my face as a gentle breeze blows over my skin so I don’t overheat.
My brother continues pushing the swing a little faster as I hear him typing on his phone.
He’s either messaging one of two people—Elara or Rex.
Still, I don’t open my eyes as I let the sun warm me from the inside out.
“What about Fantasy Realm? Your books are all fantasy that has shaped the way you view love. And you read those ones with shifters and other supernatural creatures in them. Since you don’t want just a normal bookstore, you want a coffee shop inside as well.
That provides the realm aspect of it. You can design the inside anyway you want.
The realm of possibilities is endless, Princess.
You’ve been experimentin’ with coffee and hot chocolate for so long already and this will only make your shop better than any other one like it,” Bhodi says as I finally open my eyes and look at my brother.
“I really like it, Big Brother. You always pull through in a pinch when I need you the most. How did I ever get so lucky to have a brother like you?” I return, my voice almost a whisper as I lean into my brother’s side.
“I’m the lucky one, Princess. You’re the best little sister anyone could ever dream of havin’.
I treasure the time we get to spend together and will always protect you.
I’d give my life for you, Taleah. Never ever doubt that,” he responds, as his phone pings with a message and I feel him open it and read before talking to me again.
“Rex and Elara are comin’ over. They’re bringin’ pizza and all the shit we usually get.
Their parents are workin’ late with ours.
Rex said for us to choose the movie and get everythin’ ready for us to have a night in. ”
“Okay. If you want to go in now, I’m gonna sit here for a few more minutes,” I tell him, as I tilt my head toward the sun once again.
Bhodi knows how much I love being outside when the sun is out.
I’d rather be outside than inside during the summer.
When no one can find me, he always checks outside and that’s typically where I am.
Bhodi can always find me even if he waits to look in the most likely place I’ll be last. He simply gives me more time to do what I love without anyone bothering me.
“Knew you’d say that, Princess. Take your time. You did put sunscreen on before comin’ out here, yeah?” he asks me as he stands from the swing and looks down at me.
“Yes. I know you won’t let me outside without it. Plus, after burnin’ so bad that one year we were on vacation, I won’t make the same mistake twice,” I tell him, not looking up at him because I know I’ll see the same indulgent smile on his face he always has for me alone.
I shake the memory from my head as I walk to my car so I can go home for the night.
TJ is still at my house and refuses to leave.
The last two nights I’ve ignored him and locked him out of the bedroom.
He pounds on the door to be let in, but I don’t give in to him.
TJ will never share my bed again. That ship has sailed because I will not catch some nasty disease from him.
He won’t ever contaminate my personal area of the house again either.
I’ve already thrown away all the sheets and blankets we’ve used over the years and replaced them with new sets he’s never even seen before.
I’ve been preparing for this for a very long time.
TJ never could keep his hands or dick to himself and I refuse to play the games he wants to force me into.
It doesn’t take me long to drive through town to my home.
It’s a small two-bedroom I bought with part of my inheritance when I graduated from college.
TJ wasn’t part of the plan when I bought the house and moved in.
I decorated it for me and eventually had to remove all of the things I loved seeing on my walls.
Bhodi’s game jerseys I still have in poster frames.
A football from a championship game he got when he won the MVP of the year award.
It sits in a glass case and never gets taken out.
I came home one day to find TJ and his friends trying to open the case to use the football for some stupid game.
He got pissed when I removed it from the room and told them to fuck off.
Pulling up, I can’t even park in my own driveway.
Cars and trucks fill it along with the front yard I spent hours planting flowers in.
With a deep sigh, I park on the side of the road a few houses down and leave my stuff in the car before heading for the house.
I’ve moved my brother’s bike to a controlled environment storage unit I have so TJ can’t touch it.
Today we were supposed to have rain so I didn’t risk riding the bike to work.
I can already hear music blaring from the house and know my neighbors are probably pissed as hell.
Laughter and chaos sound from the house the closer I get and I can’t help but slow my steps because I know this is going to be a damn fight against TJ.
With one more deep breath, I open the door to find people all over the house.
There’s a hole in the wall by the TV, lights are broken on the floor, and no one gives a fuck about the damage being done to my home.
TJ is sitting front and center on the couch with women hanging off of him.
It’s a sight I’ve witnessed more than a handful of times over the years. Just never in my home before today.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I yell, walking to the stereo system and shutting it off.
Everyone in the house stops what they’re doing and turns toward me.
No one says a word as TJ stands from his seat and stumbles over to me already drunk off his ass.
I’m guessing he’s probably high as fuck on something as well.
TJ damaged his knee in a game his senior year of college and it ended his career.
He’s had three surgeries so far and has been told no amount of rehab or surgery will ever allow him to play the game he thought was his escape again.
Ever since then, he’s turned to alcohol and drugs.
TJ believed I didn’t know what he was doing, but he doesn’t ever hide his tracks well enough for anyone to not trace his movements and know what kind of chaos he’s creating.
“You think you can come in here and put a stop to this party?” TJ slurs, his voice hard and cold as he tries to point a finger in my chest.
“I can. This is my fucking home and you’re no longer welcome in here,” I say, pulling out my phone from my pocket and dialing the cops. “Get the fuck out!”
No one moves an inch as TJ starts laughing his ass off and goes back to sit on the couch surrounded by even more women than before.
He settles in as I talk to dispatch and am told officers are on their way and will be here soon.
I don’t leave the living room as everyone continues doing what they were with the absence of music this time.
One person tries to turn it back on, but I don’t let them get close.
The stereo is one I’ve had for years and was programmed by my brother and Rex.
TJ has already fucked with it once and I chewed him a new ass about it.
The audacity these assholes have is astounding.
I stand my ground as I wait for the police to arrive.
It doesn’t take as long as I thought it would before two cop cars pull up and amble toward the front door that I left open.
I can already see my neighbors standing on their porches to watch the drama unfold.
This isn’t the first time I’ve called the cops to the house because TJ is being an asshole.
Usually he’s made to leave for the night and I can put my house back together.
I don’t believe that will be the case today as he stands from the couch and stumbles over to the officers.
They do that half man hug thing guys do and I know they’re all friends.
“What seems to be the problem here? Who called for the cops?” one of them asks, looking around and nodding at several people standing in my home.
“I called. TJ isn’t supposed to be here. I kicked him out three days ago. My name is the only one on the deed and he has no rights to my home,” I answer the officer as he turns his attention toward me for the first time.
“Do you have evidence of that?” he questions me, his voice lazy as he looks me up and down like I’m his next meal.
“Yes, I do,” I respond, pulling up the deed on my phone and showing him.
The officer takes my phone and looks it over. Before telling me this is a civil dispute and there’s nothing he can do to remove TJ from my home. It’s a load of bullshit.
“You know that’s a lie. He has no right to be here and I want him and everyone else removed immediately,” I state because this isn’t the first time I’ve been through this with TJ.
“Ma’am, please don’t be aggressive toward me. TJ lives here and has every right to remain in the house. If he’s having a party, maybe it’s better that you leave for the night,” he says, stepping closer to me and looking at me once again like I’m a meal and not a woman.
“This is bullshit! Remove him from my home right now before I report you to your supervisor,” I tell him, knowing I will take that step because TJ has no right to be in this house.
“Ma’am, we don’t need to escalate the situation.
Just leave for the night and the two of you can talk things through tomorrow when you’ve both had time to cool down and think the situation through.
You two have been together for a long time and this isn’t a good enough reason to kick TJ out,” the second officer says, his voice leaving no room for me to argue.
“This isn’t over. TJ will be removed from the house one way or another and I will ensure you both get punished for not doing your job because you’re all friends. Fucking dirty cops,” I say, heading for my bedroom and locking the door behind me while I pack a bag for the night.
It doesn’t take me long to pack a few changes of clothing, make sure all of my important papers are in the bag, and lock the safe so TJ can’t get in it.
I grab my jewelry box and stuff it in the top of the bag before closing it.
With my keys in hand, I make sure to lock the bedroom door before heading to my office and locking that so no one can get inside.
There’s nothing major in there, but I’m not about to let anyone else get inside a room that has nothing to do with them.
Walking back through the living room, I find the cops still there waiting for me and the music turned up louder than before.
I shake my head while leaving the house behind.
The cops follow me to my car and one of them takes my information before they leave me alone on the side of the street.
Getting in my car, I toss my bag in the passenger seat and start the engine.
Pulling away, I take one last look at my house before leaving it behind.
TJ is going to destroy it all because I’ve embarrassed him in front of his friends and called the cops on him again.
He always manages to destroy something I love when this shit happens between the two of us.
And I’m always the one to blame for it happening.
That never changes between the two of us.
I pull behind Fantasy Realm and park my car in the same spot I had it in before leaving for the day.
Grabbing my things from the passenger seat, I get out and lock the doors before heading inside.
Once the door is locked again, I turn the alarm back on so no one can get in to surprise me.
TJ has already tried to break in here once that I know of.
It won’t happen again. I make my way to the reading nook I made at the back of the store and set everything down.
Dropping down on the oversized couch I can sleep on, I drop my head in my hands and let the tears fall.
I’m the one being punished because I chose to allow a complete piece of shit in my life.
Things between TJ and I ended in college and I don’t honestly know why I allowed him back in my life.
Maybe I was bored. Or maybe I was lonely.
Elara has her own life now and while we still spend a ton of time together, it’s not the same as before.
Nothing is the same and it won’t ever be again.