Up In Flames

Chapter 9

"Mama told me to give this to you."

Zyon sat on the couch, his right hand stretched toward the front door where I stood, a grey and red Verizon bag hanging. I imagined my temper tantrum pushed her to make that call. Compassionate. Nurturing.

I went to sit next to him on the couch, retrieving the bag and hoping he wouldn't ask to watch anything on the tv. Cable—even the bad kind—had been too costly for me this month.

"Who was that?"

"My father."

"Sounded severe. He was here when I came earlier."

"Why were you here earlier? How do you know where I live?"

"Azariya told me."

His voice trailed off at the mention of his twin. They were of the same egg, had the same love, and yet there was still an anguish filled fight between the two of them. A closer look at the two of them revealed that to me.

"Azariya never knows when to stop."

"What do you mean?"

"She's the girl twin. People trust her more. Naturally. If I want something, Azariya goes after it and she won't stop until she has it. When you rejected me in college I felt the greatest sadness in my whole life, never felt nothing like that before. Usually that type of rejection drives a man to kill, but I just wanted to be better, for you. I took my running more serious, I became a gym rat, I started reading, I got in touch with my femininity, started learning words like androgynous and reflexology. I did everything I thought would make me irresistible to you. Instead, you were gone and all those other women flocked to me. I was the ideal man. But my heart was stuck on you."

He had downplayed the rejection, had put me in a light of the lover, in a space where I could do no wrong.

Zyon had always been a sensitive man. His displays of love were large and he was known for it. He was known for his massive public displays of emotion, his rejection, and his will to do it all over again. There wasn't enough abandonment to break him down.

Then there was me.

On a blistering hot day, on the burning track of Pepperdine University, Zyon's love had taken over his sanity. He was just a boy with an obsession and his obsession turned to madness.

He had isolated me on that track, serenaded me there, knew how much I loved it when he sang. But my heart held embarrassment for him. His love was loud, but that's not what I wanted. He had launched me into the limelight and it was too late to take back.

I embarrassed him. Freaked out. I had cursed him relentlessly, displaying my antipathy just as loud as he displayed his affection. The entire student body had seen my crazed actions, they had seen the pain in his face.

I was the villain. I had to go.

I would have understood if he held hatred for me in his heart. It was only human. I would hate me. For awhile, I did.

"When you reached out to Azariya, it was my enthusiasm that drew her to you. She wants to have everything I have. Won't stop 'til she has it all."

That was their rivalry. Their fight. But I didn't know how deep it went. Like Zyon does, he was concealing parts for her, because no matter how much they rivaled or fought, he still loved her.

"Galore was mine first."

"What?"

"Galore was mine. Before Sunny, it was Galore. Galore actually introduced me to Sunny. Had to move quick when Azariya wanted Galore too."