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Danni buried her face in his chest, weeping uncontrollably and begging him please over and over. He leaned down and pulled her face up to his. “I love you all, so much. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
Mike pulled away from Danni.
“FUUCCCK!” she screamed, collapsing into a pile and wailing in anguish.
Emma moved over and laid down with her, pulling her sister to her and holding her gently, rocking softly back and forth.
Sarah wiped her tears away, and Mike saw anger replace them. She walked over and slapped him three times in rapid succession.
Sighing, he turned and pulled Beth to him. “I love you,” she whispered to him.
“I love you too,” he replied.
Turning, he grabbed his keys and left, Danni still wailing in Emma’s arms, Sarah with fury stenciled across her face and Beth heading up to her room. He went to his truck and drove to Emily’s. As he began to explain what had happened, he began to cry again. She pulled him to her and held him as he wept.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
That evening, Matt cracked open a beer and handed it over as the two sat on the couch at Matt’s apartment. He was flipping through the channels and stopped on Last of the Mohicans. It was the battle scene where the Huron ambushed the English. He wasn’t really paying attention and only looked up from his beer when they got to the waterfall. Hawkeye, Cora, Uncas, and the others were underneath the waterfall trying to hide from Magua and the other Hurons.
“I will find you, no matter how long it takes, no matter how far,” Hawkeye said, holding Cora. “I will find you…”
Mike sniffed quietly and stood heading to the stairs out front, twirling Danni’s red ribbon in his fingers. She’d given it to him one night when they’d made love. It was his most prized possession, but it was simply a frayed red ribbon. Matt came out silently and sat beside him. He didn’t speak, he just sat next to him, a comforting presence as his best friend wept softly beside him. The two men sat for a long while, and then finally Matt put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. The two went inside and got thoroughly hammered.
Mike eventually found a small, one bedroom apartment on the other side of town. He hadn’t seen Emma for a while and honestly didn’t know when he would again. He figured he’d give it a month or so before trying to talk to any of them.
Beth came by after a week to say goodbye.
“I’m all packed up and headed to the airport. I figured I’d come by and wish my little brother well.”
“Thanks,” he said, resisting the urge to ask about his other sisters.
They chatted about her arrangements, where she was going and what she’d be doing.
“They’re still pretty upset with you. Sarah is angry, but she’s getting better. Danni has been sleeping in Emma’s bed, but she’s always crying. She’s going to be okay though. I wish I could say that it would be okay to go see them, but it might take a while for them to be okay with seeing you again.”
He smiled and hugged her. She raised his face to hers and kissed him on the lips. “I’m really going to miss fucking you,” she said. “I like to think back to how much I wanted it that first time, how much we loved teasing each other.”
He smiled and nodded. “I fought so hard not to just jump you in the shower all those times.”
She smiled back at him. “I’d like to say that I wish you had, but I wouldn’t change the way it happened for anything. I’m so glad that you were my first time.”
He hugged her close.
“So, I’d like to give you one last thing before I leave.”
She reached into her purse and pulled out a leather bound book. She smiled and handed it to him. “It’s a collection of my favorite times with you, in graphic detail. I was planning on giving it to you to remind you of me while I was gone, but this seems more fitting.”
He smiled and kissed her. “Be careful in South America, and thank you for the naughty novel.”
She smiled and stood. “I’ll see you in six months,” she said.
She stood then and winked at Matt as she sashayed her way to her car.
Mike smiled. ‘At least she doesn’t hate me,’ he thought.
“Well, that’s just one person,” a familiar voice said.
‘Thought you were outta here,’ Mike thought.
“I’m in your head, shitsack. I can’t fucking leave.”
‘It was the right thing to do, and I’m not going to argue about it,’ he thought.
The voice fell silent.
Emma finally showed up and began doing the books again, but didn’t say much to her twin. He was content to let her be pissed off at him.
He stepped out of the shower and sighed at the reflection in the mirror.
“Enough dwelling on the past. Focus on the business,” he told himself.
“If this is the right idea, why do you still feel like shit? What the fuck is this pain in your chest?”
‘Heartache, I suppose,’ he thought.
“Great idea. Asshole.”
He sighed and got dressed. He was just pulling his shirt on when his doorbell rang. He wondered briefly who was at the door as he walked to unlock it.
Cracking in open, he peered out, seeing his eldest sister standing outside.
“Hey,” he said, opening the door wider.
She didn’t say anything as she entered, but immediately began to look around.
“How are…” he started, but realized how dumb that question was.
Sarah wordlessly walked around his apartment, no doubt judging his cleaning job.
“It seems nice enough,” she said finally, having gotten her mothering out of the way.
“Thanks,” he replied. “Can I get you a drink? Coffee maybe?”
“Sure,” she replied, heading to his small kitchen.
He poured her a cup and then pushed the sugar bowl towards her, retrieving the milk after that. He wasn’t saying anything, however, wanting to let her speak at her own pace.
“I understand what you were thinking,” she said. “As always, you were trying to protect us.”
He nodded softly.