Someone You Love (AMBW)

Chapter Nineteen

"Dwane peed in the fire when we were five." Danai pointed to the fireplace which made everyone look at Dwane immediately after. "Thought I'd say it before you can share any of my embarrassing moments in this house." He hid his face from everyone by pretending to look at the family portrait behind him. "So I already have rooms assigned. Josie and Tahlia will be in the back bedroom, Erikkson and Victor in the bedroom down the hall, and Dwane and I will have the main bedroom upfront."

Josie raised her hand slowly and Dania pointed at her. "Does it come with its own restroom?" This made Danai laugh and she eventually confirmed that there is indeed a bathroom. "That's all." She then carried all her luggage to the back room and I followed behind with no hesitation.

"A week with all of us is what I dream of. If only Tonya was here. She's funny when she's drunk, baked, or sleepy. Sometimes she's all three." Josie threw her suitcase on the bed and started unpacking all her folded clothes. "I've been wanting to have some girl talk with you recently. That drive with Erikkson and Victor ruined it."

I figured if I nodded to everything she said then there would be fewer breaks in her words and I would have a larger window to take a shower. "Go on. Girl talks are beneficial for our brains... I guess."

She looked at me a bit confused and I knew that she knew that I was just saying stuff at this point. "Well, after the talk that we had about your parents and you, I figured that it would only be right that I shared with you some information about Victor and our dad." When she started fumbling with her nails, my heart began to pound. It's rare that I see Josie so nervous. She's usually irritated or talkative. No in-between. "They're not getting along. It's almost every day these two are at each other throats and my dad has been talking about sending him to Korea with our grandparents-"

"What!?" I almost fell off my feet. "That's... horrible news. I mean it's just terrible to hear. Does Victor know that this is even a discussion?" Josie quickly shook her head no. "Victor is like-"

Josie jumped on the bed and crawled to my side just so she can speak closer to me. "I know! As much as I would never admit it to him... I can't live without my twin. I told our dad that if he goes then I go too." This is when she went from stressed out to upset. "He said that it's fine. But we both know I don't want to go. If Victor doesn't end this sudden grudge then it could be our only possibility."

"Josie, why would you tell me this on vacation? This isn't girl talk this is like hearing that my parents got into a plane crash. Girl talk would be things that you did with Griffen or telling me you got your period." I plopped on the bed next to her since my body couldn't hold itself up anymore. "I literally have no one if I don't have you."

I don't even have a love life if I don't have Victor. If this hidden thing Victor and I have going on would even be called love... or a life.

"I needed to tell you. It's been on my chest for a while now. Tonya doesn't even know. It would tear her apart worse since we go back to elementary school." She collected a strand of hair and began twirling it around with her finger. "I guess the girl talk part of it is that I want to do a rodeo on Dwane's lap before I go."

I couldn't help but laugh at how her last sentence made her blush. Josie then threw herself on my lap as I let out a squeal when her elbow hit my inner thigh. "Did you find a picture to enter into the machine that will show you what your babies would look like?"

"Oh, you know I did. I've been looking at how cute our little girl would be for hours!"

I played in her hair as she swiped through Dwane's Instagram and pointed out all the kids he used to go to school with then we rated them on who we would date, marry, or kill. Even though she seemed to be hiding the fear of moving countries away, it weighed on my heart as anything else would. "Josie... you're not going to Korea. If anyone could talk to Victor it is you. Just control your anger and get down to the root of your brother's frustration."

She frowned while locking her phone. "Is it me or did you just say some real shit instead of just agreeing to what I say to end the conversation like you usually do?"

"Uhm... maybe it's the air?"

Danai and Erikkson were in the kitchen like a married couple when I got out of the shower. Everyone else seemed to be laughing and enjoying themselves in the living room. I wanted to be one of the first people to shower because I didn't want to miss anything, but Josie took two hours longer than she should have.

"Tahlia!" Josie waved me over to her spot with Victor and Dwane. "We were just laughing about how Erikkson never cooks and suddenly he is a chef because Danai needed help chopping onions." We all looked behind us to the kitchen area and saw the two moving about. "Look at him trying not to cry because the onion juice is on his fingers."

I attempted to force out a laugh but something stopped me. Suddenly, I didn't feel the need to pretend that I was in on the joke... because I wasn't looking at them. I was looking at what they missed and that was the look Erikkson gave Dwane when he turned away. Was I missing something?

"Can I help?" I called out to Danai who was just now putting the noodles in boiling water.

Danai held up a jar of spaghetti sauce with excitement. "Not much to do but add the sauce. We can still use a helping hand."

I didn't waste a second to get over there. I wanted to be as close to Erikkson as I could but as far from Danai as possible. "Danai. This song is so good! Who is the artist?"

"I actually have no idea. Let me wash my hands and get my phone from the back room and I'll tell you." I nodded once as she ran to the bathroom and closed the door.

Erikkson gave me a strange look as he washed the onion juice off his hands in the kitchen sink. "You know who sings this and I clearly remember you despising this artist when I played it at my birthday party last year."

I brushed off his frowned-up face and set the spaghetti sauce down since I spent two seconds struggling to get it open. "I'm doing this thing where I stop living in the sorrows of my confused heart and treacherous household. We're going to be here for a week together and I want to get out of my head. Be a better friend so to say."

"Can you get to the point?" He groaned.

"There are a lot of things I don't see because my brain is cloudly. There is also a lot of people I don't pay attention to. Almost all the time I have watched Josie get on Victor's case about the way he talks to their father but not once have I asked about the situation. I am just now finding out why you don't do relationships and even then I didn't see the truth. You caring about not being accepted is deeper than being adopted. You're scared that people won't accept who you want to be with."

He scoffed in disbelief. "Tahlia, I don't even know what you're talking about-"

"You weren't looking at Danai checking herself out in that mirror. I saw the bigger picture but only took in what I wanted. Dwane was right next to her. He wasn't crouched and your eyes weren't looking down."

"Tahlia..."

"You were looking at Dw-"

"Enough!" I jumped ten feet in the air when he yanked the water handle back with such force that I thought it would pop off the sink. "Fucking... enough." He snatched the drying towel off his shoulder and walked out the kitchen to the back porch in such a calm manner he almost looked psycho.

All eyes watched him go until he disappeared then they all landed on me. The girl who was trying to be a better friend for once. Maybe I should just stay in my own drama.