Wrong for Me

34|stripped away

NAOMI COLE—SEPTEMBER

"I HAD NO IDEA you two would be visiting," I spoke to Laura and Devon, leading them into the house behind me.

Although I hadn't recognized them at the door, their names rung a bell instantly. Dante had told me all about Laura being the cousin he was always closest with and Devon being the third member of him and Khalil's trio. While I hadn't expected to meet any more of his family members this recently, I couldn't deny that meeting them gave me much needed insight as to who Dante was from the lenses of people who have known him the entirety of his life. I was sure he would feel the same way when he met mine.

"No one did," Laura replied cooly, her heels clicking against the marble flooring of Dante's kitchen where much of the food was still laid out. I was glad I had made more than enough for just two. "We wanted to surprise everyone since Devon's here for a conference."

I watched as she placed the gift bag and pastries on the kitchen island, the two of them looking like they stepped right off the runway. Laura had a tall, slender frame and wavy, jet black hair ran down her back, landing just above the curve of her back. Devon on the other hand had a solid build, all wide shoulders as he towered over even Laura. His hair was cut conservative, his coily hair cropped lowly to his scalp. Both of them had exquisite bone structure and stunningly white teeth.

"What do you do, Devon?" I questioned, passing them plates after offering them food. They weren't opposed to eating after what they said was a fairly long, early flight.

"I'm the CEO of a Biotechnology company in San Francisco," he explained nonchalantly, almost as if he wasn't in the field of changing our lives forever. "Dante downplayed how nice of a place he bought," Devon added, both of their eyes taking in their surroundings.

"Where is Dante, by the way?"

"Sleeping...surprisingly," I muttered, both of them laughing as if they completely understood why it was such a shock that the man had slept past six in the morning.  "But I'm sure he'll be glad to see you two here. He's told me so much about you two."

Looking at Laura, I could see that she was exactly how Dante had described her—purely sweet with just a touch of mischief—if her seemingly perfect sly smirk was any indication. "Hmm...that's funny since Dante wouldn't tell me anything about you no matter how much I pushed. He's always been that way."

With Anna and at first with Laura and Devon, I had assumed that Dante was for one reason or another ashamed or nervous for those in his family learning about me. Laura's confirmation that he had always been this way made me feel that much better about our relationship. And it wasn't like I hadn't been nervous about my family finding out that Dante was so much older than me. I still am.

"Spilling all my secrets, huh?" Dante's raspy voice sounded from the kitchen entrance, causing all of us to turn our heads in his direction.

I watched as Laura jumped from her chair and bounded over to her cousin, pulling him into her embrace. He didn't hesitate to hug her back, proving just how close they truly were—he wasn't that way with just anyone.

"These surprise visits from the two of you are starting to be a bit much," Dante chuckled as he and Laura approached the island where Devon and I were still seated. The similarities between the cousins were abundantly clear now that the two of them were side by side—the almost identical noses, large brown eyes, and similar statures.

"They're only every...couple of months," Devon chuckled, pulling Dante into a quick hug as well, happiness ever so present in Dante's eyes. It was my absolute favorite look to ever see in those eyes I had come to love. "This is a nice place, man."