To Mused, what else can I say? Thank you so much for your help, your time, and your patience. ~Chargergirl
*
"Alicia Anne, are you staying at your brother's
again
?" Blaire Parker glared at her nineteen-year-old daughter.
Alicia noticed the way her mother stressed the word 'again.' Alicia's hands shook as she folded a sweater and stuffed it in her overnight bag. She hoped her mother didn't notice. Her mother's inquiries and the anticipation of returning to David were the cause of hands that would not hold still.
Alicia pasted a smile on her face and turned to her mother, who was standing just inside Alicia's bedroom door. "Yeah, Mom, I am." She could have lied and told her she was staying with Elizabeth and Brett, but Alicia didn't want to drag her friends any further into the situation than they already were.
"How does David find time for Stephanie with you over there all the time?" It wasn't that Blaire cared one wit about her son's girlfriend. Blaire hadn't liked her from the very beginning. Stephanie had all but moved into Dave's home several months ago. It had been Blaire's fear the girl would wind up pregnant.
"They, uh, broke up; I think." There was no thinking about it; Dave and Stephanie had definitely broken up. Alicia had been there when Stephanie had shown up the evening after Halloween to see Dave. For everyone's sake, he'd taken that opportunity to make the split, not dragging it out any longer than necessary. What he hadn't counted on was Stephanie's violent reaction.
*****
Alicia was still upstairs when she heard the screaming start. She heard Stephanie call Dave a stupid motherfucker and several other derogatory names. She also heard the low rumble of her brother's voice, but couldn't make out his words. Alicia tried to stay upstairs and not interfere, but when she heard the loud smack of palm striking flesh, she bolted downstairs. She was just in time to see Dave holding his cheek and Stephanie raising her left hand to strike again.
Dave caught Stephanie's wrist mid-swing. He held it tight, not hurting her, yet his grip held firm enough that she couldn't pull away. He spoke harshly, biting off each word. "Never try that again." He glanced up and saw Alicia standing at the foot of the stairs. He released Stephanie's wrist. "Get out of here, and don't come back again."
Stephanie started to cry. She said she was sorry and that it didn't have to end that way.
"Obviously, it does," Dave insisted. "You just proved that."
Stephanie's eyes narrowed and she glared at him. She wanted to tell him right then that she thought she was pregnant, but she held back, wanting to wait a little longer to make sure she wasn't just a couple weeks late. She'd rock his perfect little world one way or another. She turned to leave and saw Dave's little sister standing there.
"I haven't seen you around here in a while. Dave find a replacement for me already?" Stephanie snickered. She was surprised to see Alicia's face turn red. Usually, Alicia had some smart-ass comeback, a quality that Stephanie almost appreciated. She thought Alicia's silence was quite odd.
"Stephanie, I said get out of here." There was a note of warning in Dave's voice.
"You're going to be sorry, Dave," Stephanie tossed over her shoulder as she banged out the front door.
Alicia approached her brother. "You okay?" She reached up and touched his reddened cheek. It still wore the mark of Stephanie's hand.
Dave smiled down at Alicia. "Yeah." He noticed she was worrying her lower lip with her teeth. "What's wrong, Alligator?" He cupped her face in his palms, gently releasing her lip with his thumb.
"Think she's up to something?" Alicia asked.
Dave shook his head. "Nah, she's gone. Don't worry about it."
*****
Alicia returned to Dave's house later that evening. She told him about the conversation she had had with their mother. "Mom was quizzing me when I was home." She slung her bag on the bed and hopped up next to it. The large bed sat up high, and Alicia's feet didn't even touch the floor.
"And since when is that anything new?" Dave laughed. Their mother was a master interrogator, mostly reserving her skills for her daughter, but had on occasion grilled her son, as well. Blaire Parker always found Alicia easier to control than she found Dave. As such, she mostly left him alone. "Quizzing you about what?"
"About me staying here. I told her you and Stephanie broke up, too."
"That must've made her day," Dave muttered. "What did you tell her about staying here?" Dave wasn't sure how well his little sister would hold up under pressure, especially pressure from their mother. He tried to protect Alicia from it as best he could, but she was still staying at home a few nights a week. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't be with her all the time.
"I blew her off as best I could, but I don't know how long that will last." She let out a long, shuddering sigh and looked up at her brother.
Since coming to terms with his feelings for Alicia nearly a week ago, Dave had done everything in his power to make sure his sister was happy. There was a period not too long ago when he had treated her horribly, and the guilt he felt over that still ate at him, though he knew Alicia had forgiven him.
"I'll take care of it."
"Take care of Mom?" Alicia let out an inelegant snort. "How?" Alicia certainly loved their mom, so did Dave, but hiding their relationship from their parents was an impossible feat, and they both knew it. It really was only a matter of time.
"I'll tell them about us. They can either deal with it, or not. It'll be their choice," Dave shrugged.
"David, it's not that easy. How can you be so cavalier?"
"I'm not trying to be cavalier, Alli," he explained. "But I don't want her grilling you every time you set foot in that house. Do you honestly think we're going to be able to hide this forever?" Dave stepped over to stand in front of her.
Alicia looked up at her brother, her big brown eyes wide and anxious. She shook her head, then bowed it back down and rested it against Dave's stomach. Their love was going to cause so much hurt.
It troubled Alicia to such an extent that she woke up at midnight and couldn't go back to sleep. Finally, after lying there for over an hour, she quietly crept out of bed and put on her warm robe. The weather had taken a turn at last. The cold dampness of November replaced the pleasant days of October.
Alicia ventured downstairs and passed through the living room, dining room, and into the kitchen. She retrieved a glass from the cupboard, the milk from the refrigerator, and the cookie jar full of Oreos. She hauled it all to the little kitchen table and sat down to think.
After two glasses of milk, and who knew how many Oreos, Alicia felt slightly better. She even felt a little bit tired. She stood and stretched, enjoying the satisfying fullness of the cookies and milk in her belly. It was nearly two a.m. A glance out the window gave her a pleasant surprise. It was snowing, the first snowfall of the season.
Alicia made her way up to the bedroom and padded over to Dave's side of the large bed. He was sound asleep and breathing softly, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Alicia gazed down at him and smiled. He was such a sweet man; he looked much younger than he really was, not that twenty-four was old. She bent and brushed a soft kiss across his lips. She loved him so much; the emotion almost overcame her as she stood over him. She realized she would do anything to be with him.
