Wildfire

Six

  His hands badly fidgeted against his steering wheel as his car rested outside of the restaurant. Clueless on how nervous he was, Amina covered up with a leather black jacket, covering up her breasts. This would be Eli's first time ever communicating or staring at Asha face to face. They haven't spoken to each other in years. What was they deep history between Eli and Asha, and why did it seem like Amina didn't know anything about it?
  Amina opened the passenger's door while Eli remained in the driver's seat, not wanting to get out. Sweat simultaneously slid down both palms of his beige hands while his socks began to moisten from sweat from his feet. His brown eyes began to doze out of reality, causing him to feel so cold. It was like he was dreaming about a nightmare that he wanted to wake up from.
  Snapping him out of the sleepy daze, his fiancée clicked and clacked against his car window, sparking a nerve in his brain. Choking on his own saliva, Eli almost drowned as if he was in beach water trying to escape from the venomous shark. He looked over at his fiancée, with his silence, wanting her to help him get out of the car as if he couldn't do it on his own. As if she was his crutch, one of his arms rested on Amina's shoulders as she got him out of the car with all her strength.
  Getting near the doorway of Lovelies, Eli released his crutch. He walked the rest of the way on his own while holding his fiancée's hand. The couple looked into each other's eyes while their hands hugged each other in a way that made them even closer. Was Eli actually being more romantic with Amina to keep his mind from being on the edge while being in the same room with Asha?
  Inside of Lovelies, it wasn't as packed as it would usually be. The restaurant was closed for the night just for Reina's twenty-third birthday event. Although she was the owner of the restaurant, Asha was also invited as a guest. She brought her fiancée along with her. The cooks were in the back of the restaurant, preparing meals for the guests for the night.
  Asha gripped tightly into her fiancée as Eli and his fiancée were walked into the doors. Grabbing ahold to Asha, Tahlia whispered lowly in her ear, reassuring her that there wasn't anything that she should be worried about.
  "He's your ex for a reason, Asha," she kissed her on the cheek as she continued to hug her, "don't make this into something that it isn't. Let's just have a fun night with friends."
  Reina approaches the engaged couple, hugging them both and thanking them for allowing her to have her birthday dinner at their restaurant. The three then soon relocated themselves to the wide table that everyone would be sitting at, with Reina in the middle as the main star for her main day. While the three was placing their bottoms in their seats, two others entered inside, EJ and Elizabeth. Elizabeth and EJ entering inside gave Eli a reason to stay up and communicate with them instead of going to have a seat at the table that Asha was sitting at.
  Becoming nervous and unable to stay still, Asha's heart went on to jump from her chest, causing her to over-breathe at times. As she always did, Tahlia grabbed ahold to Asha's hand, rubbing it so smoothly, easing her nerves. She needed to relax and not make it into a big thing. She always needed Tahlia by her side. During this mini-breakdown, Reina was at the middle of the table witnessing all the panic from her own eyes. She took a sip of her Hennessy while silently watching the black couple remain calm during Eli's visitation.
  Five minutes went by, and Renee walks on in with a man beside her, but they didn't know each other. With joy and a leap, Reina ran over towards the two, literally climbing into the man as if that was her man.
  "I'm so glad you made it baby!" she yelled with joy at her man.
  Finally, Eli and his fiancée walked to the table, taking their seat beside Asha and Tahlia. Names were in the seats and Eli's was right by Asha's.
  "It's nice to see you after so long, Asha." Eli smiles without exactly making eye contact with Asha.
  "That same," Asha smiled while gripping onto her fiancée's hand, "the same..."
  With a side eye of confusion, Amina had no idea what the hostility was between Eli and Asha. There was something that wasn't being said at the table, but she didn't want to be the one to bring it up and cause any drama at someone's birthday party.
  "Is everything alright, babe?" Amina hoped that her fiancé would give her some sort of deets about his awkwardness with the guests beside them.
  Instead of giving her any information, Eli remained silent. Why wouldn't he tell his fiancée anything? That was his fiancée, so of course she deserved to know the truth. Tahlia knew the truth about Asha and Eli's relationship, so why couldn't he be truthful as well?
  The others quickly joined the table as the event was about to begin. There weren't that many people there to celebrate Reina's birthday, just her man and the five that were invited, including their plus-ones. With her lover on the other side of her, there was still an empty seat on the opposite side of Reina. The name on the seat listed Aija Williams, who was unknown to the five. She seemed to be a close family member of Reina's.
  "Once again," Reina began, "I would like to thank you all for coming to this birthday celebration for me. It really means a lot. And it seems that we are missing one guest, but the show must go on I guess."
  While at the end of Reina's conversation, someone entered the restaurant, alarming all the guests inside. It was the late guest.
  "I guess I spoke too soon," Reina corrected herself, "my cousin is finally here, and late as hell."
  This cousin of Reina's walked into the restaurant with a slit, nude dress and brown heels. Her black hair flowed and tickled the back of her brown skin complexion. The silver necklace on her neck brightened with her shimmering smile.
  Clutching into EJ's hand, Elizabeth looked at him worriedly, "This cannot be possible..."
  The table remained silent, and the forks remained noiseless as the guest walked towards them. The whole room seemed shocked; well, only the five. It seemed as if they seen a ghost from their past.
  "Sorry that I'm late guys," Aija spoke, finally taking a seat beside Reina, "this little one is always causing me to be late to everything."
  Renee's lips trembled after she looked at the bump on the late woman's stomach. Both of Aija's hands rested on her stomach, rubbing her belly that seemed wider and bigger than anyone's at the table. She was eight months pregnant, being due next month.
  "I just still can't believe that you can wear heels while carrying that girl inside of you!" Reina looked impressed at her cousin.
  It's been exactly fifteen years, Elizabeth struggled calculating all the information in her head.
  Elizabeth's eyes began to wonder all over the room to see what everybody's reaction was after getting a look at Aija. The other four had the exact same reaction as Elizabeth did. They were not happy, they were mystified.
  Their throats became closed and so did their eyes. Renee closed her eyes and reopened them, hoping that she was dreaming. They weren't dreaming. This was their reality and they had to deal with it.
  Aija stared at everyone in the room with a smile, waving at them. She was so happy to see everyone's face. She was finally happy to see everyone after so long. Just like Elizabeth thought in her constipated head, it's been exactly fifteen years.
  The five guests were so terrified of Aija as if they seen her in their past. Who even is Aija and why were they all so traumatized by her?
  As sincere it seemed that her smile was, Asha and Eli grew to know that that smile was not at all sincere...it was diabolical. The sweet and sincere attitude was everything that Aija was, but the pregnant person that was at the table was not Aija. This person was not who she was claiming to be, and it was rightfully so because she was back to haunt the lives that haunted her for years...for fifteen years.
  Everyone but Amina and Tahlia knew of Aija's real identity. Aija was not Aija at all. Before legally changing it, her birth name was Cabrina Nelson, but everyone knew her as Brina.
  It was too much for one of them to bare. It was like thinking someone was dead, but they weren't actually dead. Was Aija supposed to be dead? What did the five actually know about Aija? Quickly getting out of breath, EJ jumped up from the table, having a panic attack.
  "I-I need t-to go to the restroom." EJ panickily walked away from the table, leaving the others still speechless.
  Still remaining unbothered as if everything was okay, Aija faced the other guests as she continued to smile at them as she knew deep down what they all were hiding. She knew all the secrets they tried to keep buried for fifteen years; but it was time for those secrets to be dug up. She has been buried for so long, now it's time for her to spook up things and cause more panic attacks, which would be well deserved.