"You will never lose me. Do you hear me? I will be by your side until you are so sick of me that you beg me to leave you the fuck alone. Got it?"
She gave me a wobbly smile, trying to hide the relieved tears in her eyes. "Got it."
Two months later, after I had graduated and socked just a tiny bit more money away, and it was clear Letha was sick of the crappy hotels, the papers were finally signed, and we were on a train toward some place called Navesink Bank where Jake had bought a nice big house with his new wife.
They had never been able to have children, and it was clear that Letha filled a void left by that reality. For the first time since she was a little girl, she was spoiled rotten again, with gifts, sure, but more so - with love.
As for me, well, I got an apartment in the shitty end of Navesink Bank, so shitty that Jake insisted when I wanted to see Letha - which was almost daily - that I come to their house or we would go out for hot chocolate.
I didn't blame him, either. As cold and hardened as I was, even I didn't feel comfortable in my area of town.
I bounced job to job and motel to apartment for years while Letha got older and, as predicted, so gorgeous that it was a sin.
Our relationship went from that of a big sister and her little, to a lot more like friends. I was who she talked about losing her virginity with, who she cried to when she had her heart stomped on the first time, who she consulted when looking at colleges.
And my mission worked.
She was everything I had hoped she would grow up to be.
It wasn't until I saw her in that hospital bed, hooked up to wires that had me searching for answers I found in her diary that I started to see that maybe I had done her the greatest disservice ever.
And it could cost her her life.On that thought, I reached for my cell with the precious few minutes left on it. And I called the gym.
"Hey, Lo, can I maybe trouble you for Edison's number? I need to discuss our final class with him."
"You need to discuss your final class with him, huh?" she asked, a tone in her voice I didn't understand and, well, didn't exactly even try to as I thanked her and shot off a text.
I think a trip down memory lane that reminded you that you had created an environment that ended up allowing your sister to be in a coma in a hospital bed was the world's best Bad Decisions Excuse Card.
Fuck the consequences.SEVENEdisonI know you have a big party going on. But I want you to come to my place after I get out of work. Don't ask me any questions. Just go with it. - LI was in the middle of pouring shots when I opened the text from the unknown number with my other hand.
"Fucking hell, Edison," Sugar hissed, going back a step as the vodka poured all over the counter, dripping off the end. "Hope to shit it was a pussy shot with a reaction like that," he added with a smirk that made his gray eyes dance.
Hell, a pussy shot would have been less shocking, to be honest.
She was inviting me over to her place?
I was pretty sure I understood Lenny enough to know that she didn't mean for a nice, rousing game of Parcheesi.
She fucking booty-called me.
Normally, a man would be thrilled at the idea of no-strings-attached sex.
And don't get me wrong, I absolutely wanted to get Lenny into bed.
I just wasn't sure that I wanted it under these circumstances.
After another session with her, I was wondering if she would take me up on an offer of dinner. I wanted to see if I could get to know her a little bit without tequila being involved. Maybe it was a longshot, but I could give it a try.
I didn't just want to fuck her.
I wanted to get to know her.
If she would let me.
But who said we couldn't do it backward, right?
Maybe she would be more inclined to open up after an orgasm. Or three.
I dried off my hand to shoot off a reply.
Just give me a time.
I really shouldn't have been leaving the party.
But that being said, it was likely to die down by two AM when the bar closed anyway. And half of the other guys would already have sneaked off to their rooms with their women, Reign and Summer included.
That was when the other guys would call the new batch of clubwhores and cutsluts in to let the party take on a different vibe.
I was actually happy for an opportunity to cut out of that.