CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
KYLE
A Blast From The Past
†
“COME ON. MOVE THAT sexy ass of yours” I jokingly hurried Eris along as I stood in the doorway of my apartment’s front door.
God, I missed her. She was such a breath of fresh air after having to deal with the corporate upper crust for two days. Don’t get me wrong, I loved business and teaching it to the upwardly mobile, loving the thrill it gave me. But this time it was different. I just couldn’t wait to get home… to her.
It was good to get away. Clear my head a little and take the time to think about where my relationship with Eris was going. It was important enough to give it serious thought. I knew that we had pretty much shut ourselves away from the outside world, but time was so damn limited. We mostly saw each other in the evenings, me working late most nights and Eris concentrating on her studies.
So when weekends came around, we barely left my apartment. Fuck, we barely left the bedroom.
I smiled at the thought of her. She was such a soft beauty, someone you look forward to, to see every day and just be with, without pretense. It was getting serious. Well, at least for me.
I knew that I was falling in love with her when I realized that when I thought of going home, I didn’t think of a place. I thought of a person. I thought of Eris.
It was so easy to acknowledge it to myself and I didn’t mind letting myself fall. This type of love was worth it and I couldn’t even stand the idea of her not being mine… all of her. Shit, I loved everything about her. She was so intoxicating.
“Okay, let’s go,” she smiled, standing on tiptoe to plant a quick kiss on my mouth before giving me a playful slap on the backside before running down the hallway towards the elevator. I quickly pulled the door shut, and followed her, grabbing her around her tiny waist just as she reached the lift.
“Come here, you,” I laughed, pushing her back against my body before lowering my head to kiss the soft skin of her neck, her hair pulled back into a ponytail giving me full access. She let her head fall back against my shoulder and pushed her butt up against me, drawing her hands back and grabbing my hips to pull herself closer.
“You need to behave yourself, mister. We’re in public now,” she teased.
“Fuck the public,” I breathed.
She turned around, pushing her body up against me and pulling my head down to her open mouth.
“No… fuck me!” she whimpered as I took her mouth.
“NO, fuck me!”
A deep male voice cut through our embrace, making us both pull away from each other in surprise.
“What the fuck is going on here? Kyle? Eris?”
It was Alex, standing in the open elevator door, and from the forbidding expression on his face, it was clear that he was not happy at the sight of us, together.
“Alex! Oh, my God! What are you doing here,” Eris’ surprised voice broke the silence. She drew her hands over her hair before she stepped forward to throw her arms around his neck. He welcomed her embrace although he remained rigid. His expression didn’t change nor did he so much as flinch as he held my gaze. I knew my friend long enough to realize that he was not a happy man, even though I hadn’t seen him in a long time.
“Hi, Squirt.”
“Kyle,” he greeted me, breathing through gritted teeth, his jaw tightening.
I mirrored his greeting, not backing down. “Alex,” I said, nodding my head once.
Eris was clearly not aware of the staring contest going on between the two of us.
“When did you come into town? And why didn’t you let me know you were coming? We could’ve made something to eat if we only knew!” she exclaimed, waving her one hand towards me, her excitement clear at seeing her big brother standing before her.
He cocked his head to the side, frowning while looking at her sternly. “We?” he spat.
I could see that Eris was taken aback, now catching on to his clear display of annoyance - no rage to be precisely - at finding us here, together. She took a step back, and threw me a frightened look over her shoulder as she started stammering, “Yes… I… well… yes… me and Kyle… we…”
That was enough. I stepped forward, pulling her towards me, my hand on her upper arm.
“Yes, we. Me and Eris. Us.” I moved my hand around her waist, pulling her close.
I knew that I should’ve probably stood down. This was my friend, my best friend at that. But I’d be damned to stand there and allow him to intimidate Eris the way he did. She couldn’t even talk! And she was no fucking squirt. She was a woman. My woman.
“I see. And when did you become a we?” Alex breathed, waving his forefinger in the air motioning toward us.
“Enough! Alex, let’s go back to my apartment and we can discuss this… like adults,” I suggested. I could see where this was going and needed to stop it as soon as possible.
“Oh, adults? Is that what you think?” Alex placed both his hands on his hips, looking down and trying to steady his breathing before looking up again, his eyes blazing with anger as he stepped forward.
“My little sister is a college girl and you are a fucking grown man. So I only see two adults here and she is not one of them. So if you want to discuss anything, it will be between the two of us. She is going back to her fucking dorm room where she belongs!”
He shouldn’t have stepped forward.
I pushed Eris to the side and stepped towards Alex, my face only inches from his.
“She, is not a little college girl. Trust me, I would know,” I snarled. “Okay, pumpkin?”
Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have thrown in the pumpkin bit…
Alex threw the first punch, which I dodged, anticipating the move. I countered with a blow to his ribs, but he moved quickly and it barely registered a grunt. He replied with a solid blow to my solar plexus. I staggered back, but quickly steadied my footing, stepping into him and landed an elbow to his face, splitting his lip.
“Stop it! Stop!” Eris pleaded, distracting me. He took his chance, faking a low punch before going in with a solid hit to my nose. Blood started to ooze down my face.
“She’s just a fucking child and you should know better than to think I’ll let you take advantage of her!” he yelled, blood spewing from his torn lip.
“She is not a child and she is mine! And I am not taking advantage of her, you asshole!”
We moved forward at the same time, heads down as we went for the body grab. We were thrown off balance, plummeting sideways flying into Eris. The force sent her small frame flying through the air, hitting the floor hard and knocking her head against the opposite wall.
“NO! Eris!”
“Squirt!”
Alex and I shouted out at the same time, hurrying towards her. I reached her first, only because I was nearest to where she fell.
“Oh God, sweetheart. Are you okay!” I cried, bending over her.
“Get away from her!” Alex shouted as he reached to pull me back.
“Fuck, Alex. That’s enough! For God sake man, she is hurt. Please,” I pleaded.
I saw a questioning look sweep across his face as he looked at me, frowning. But I didn’t have time to think of that then. I turned my full attention to Eris.
“Eris, please… please say something sweetheart. Oh my God, Alex, she is not moving,” I shouted, looking up at him in desperation as if he could do something about it.
She grunted.
“Sweetheart. Can you hear me?” I asked, gently turning her face towards me, only to see the large bump on her forehead, already swelling and turning blue.
God, I nearly died.
“Kyle,” she whimpered.
“Yes, my love. I am right here. Oh God, baby, I’m so sorry. You okay? Can you move?”
Her eyes fluttered open as she tried to focus. She grunted, bringing her hand to her forehead and touching the place where the bump was.
“Yes, but my head… it hurts”, she moaned just before she lost consciousness again.
I had to get her to hospital. I jumped to my feet, sweeping her into my arms.
“Alex, get the lift. My keys are in my back pants pocket. You’re driving.”