The Tribuo - 68. Part V, chapter 21

- XXI -

LEX

Oh, Holy Mother of God, please take me now… The headache is killing me. I peeled my eyes open and tried frowning when I couldn’t figure out where the hell I was. Frowning didn’t work. It felt like I was wearing some weird, tight mask. Okay, what the hell?! I tried saying something, but all I could manage was a croaking moan.

“Awake, are you…” I heard Russell’s voice. “Jesus, you are one crazy fuck, did you know that?”

I moaned again.

“Don’t try talking,” he said darkly. “You can’t. You have shitload of bandages on your face…”

He finally came into my view, and straddled a chair next to my bed.

“To answer your questions,” he said, his eyes impossibly dark. “You are in the hospital, because you almost bled to death and you had alcohol poisoning…”

Alcohol poisoning? I almost bled to death?!

“You know,” he said very thoughtfully. “If you didn’t want to look like him, you could just dye your hair or something, instead of trying to perform a plastic surgery on yourself…”

Oh my freaking God… Now it was coming back to me. I closed my eyes.

“Remembering, eh?” he said with dark satisfaction. “Good. I would ask what the hell were you thinking, but I have an idea, so I am not going to…”

I looked at him again, this time with horror. Oh dear God, how bad did I manage to cut myself? I probably look like Frankenstein's monster right now…

“You’ll be fine,” he muttered, correctly interpreting my look. “You gonna have maybe a couple of scars, but nothing too bad. Jesus, Lex…” he dropped his head into his elbow. “Do you have any idea how fucking scared I was?”

I closed my eyes again. The headache kept growing, but I didn’t care. Suddenly, I felt his fingers on mine and I opened my eyes.

“I did talk to Dana recently,” he muttered. “She was the one who drove my car here. I talked to her a week before Thanksgiving, that’s recent in my book.”

I didn’t need to ask who Dana was. I figured it was Brian’s sister.

“I did tell her that sometimes I felt like I was betraying Brian, and she told me that I was a dumbass… I also told her that I didn't see Brian in you anymore… I…”

I squeezed his fingers, trying to tell him to stop talking. Once again, he interpreted me correctly.

“Look,” he muttered after a few minutes. “Next time you have doubts or whatever, talk to me first before getting drunk, okay? Because apparently, when you are drunk, you go nuts.”

I blinked once for yes. He grinned.

“Good,” he said. “Go back to sleep, psycho. You don’t look too good.”

I tried rolling my eyes, and that caused my headache to snarl at me very angrily. I winced.

“Seriously,” Russell muttered. “Sleep.”

He kissed my fingertips and I closed my eyes again. This time I kept them closed until I fell asleep.

__________________________________

MATT

I think I was on my fourth cup of coffee when I finally heard the front door open.

“About time,” I grumbled and set my mug on the counter.

If I would have to wait any longer, I would probably end up finishing the damn cake. I was always a sucker for chocolate. Then Jess walked -- well, more accurate word would be 'stumbled' -- into the kitchen, and I was glad I didn’t have that mug in my hands. I would’ve dropped it. Jess looked like she’s been to hell and back with no breaks between the rides. She stared at me silently, her lips trembling.

“Matt…” she muttered finally and started to cry.

“Jesus…” I said when she fell into my arms. “What happened? Jess, what happened?!”

She kept crying, and I decided to figure it out later. I just held her and stroked her hair. Then there was a sudden, bright 'Clan-nk...!' sound of someone dropping something. I looked up and saw some girl who was busy picking up a set of keys and a lighter from the floor.

“Sorry,” she muttered and glanced at me...

...and for a second, I couldn’t breathe. She looked trapped. “Okay,” I thought. “Easy… Easy… Act normal, don’t freak her out…” I was surprised that I could still think somewhat coherently. Jess took a shaky breath in my arms.

“Matt,” she muttered again, and I forced myself to look at her. “Let go… Can’t breathe…”

“Sorry,” I said quickly and let her go.

“Can you make more coffee?” she sniffled miserably, and I just nodded. “Oh, hey…” She sniffled again. “Sorry, forgot to introduce you guys… This is Rayne. Rayne, this is my brother Matt.”

“Nice to meet you,” Rayne muttered without looking at me. She seemed busy with rearranging the table.

“Nice to meet you too,” I said automatically.

I looked at Jess and blinked. She was staring at me as if expecting to see my reaction. Was this the reason for her bizarre phone message? Can’t be. I mean, she was the one who told me I would end up in an asylum one of those days… I turned away and started to wash out the French press.

…“So, what the hell happened to you?” I asked almost half an hour later, trying not to stare at Rayne who just sat there, her fingers wrapped around her coffee cup.

Jess looked like she was about to start crying again.

“Matt, I fucked up so bad, you have no idea…” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked at me. “Why are you here, by the way?”

“I kinda missed my flight,” I said casually.

“Oh, crap!!” she jumped up and bumped her knee on the table. “Ouch!!”

“What?” I frowned. “You okay?”

“I totally forgot all about Florida,” she said miserably and sat back down. “Not like I could afford the ticket anyway…” She added in a smaller voice.

I just sighed. I knew that she had a hell of a story to tell me (and she would, I had no doubts about that), but it would have to wait until later. I reached for more cake.

“Have some cake,” I said, and she just grimaced and shook her head. “Suit yourself,” I shrugged.

I dug into my God knows which slice for tonight, and glanced at Rayne.

“You want me to get you a plate, Rayne?” I asked.

She thoughtfully dipped her finger into the puddle of melted chocolate on the side of the box and licked it off. I hemmed at that, and she looked up with a small smile.

“Fingers are nature’s spoons,” she shrugged absent-mindedly.

I have no idea how I managed not to choke on the piece of cake that was still in my mouth. I swallowed it and muttered, “Uh huh…”

She didn’t look at me this time. Oh God, I thought, she didn’t even realize she just said that… If I had any doubts before, I had none whatsoever right now.

“Snowing pretty hard by now,” I said lightly.

“Yeah,” Jess sighed tiredly. “I’ll need to go get my car in the morning… I hope it’s still there.”

“It’ll be there,” Rayne muttered. “Nobody’s gonna steal your car.”

“Where did you leave your car?” I frowned, and Jess shook her head.

“Long story, Matt. Really long story. I’m gonna go take a shower, okay? I feel like crap…”

She got up and shuffled to the bathroom. Then she stopped and looked at me before disappearing in the little hallway that led there.

“I will probably try biting your head off every time you gonna try talking to me,” she said darkly. “Sorry about that.”

She went away and I just blinked.

“Why would she…?”

“She has a hell of a come down ahead of her,” Rayne said without looking at me.

“A come down?” I was beyond confused. “From what?! Okay, what the hell happened?”

“She’ll tell you,” she sighed. “You are not gonna like it, but she’ll tell you.”

She silently drank more coffee. I was frantically trying to figure out what to say. She looked as indifferent as they got right now, but I didn’t care.

“Cold outside, huh?” I said finally.

Lame, I know, but it's a start.

“Yeah,” she agreed.

“I almost ran into someone on my way here,” I got up and rinsed the French press once more before making more coffee. “I didn’t realize that I had to turn, so I just kinda swerved in…”

She looked up at me and blinked.

“Some poor yahoo was trying to get out of the parking lot,” I continued. “I have no idea how I managed not to hit them…”

“That’s because that poor yahoo managed to slam on her brakes in time,” Rayne said with a snort.

I looked at her.

“Oh,” I muttered. “Ahem, sorry for almost running into you then…”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “Sorry for flipping you off.”

“I deserved that,” I shrugged and looked at the press.

Coffee was ready. I brought the whole thing to the table and set it between both of us. The silence was ridiculously thick now. Soft ticking of the clock was the only sound.

“Have you ever been to Germany?” I asked suddenly, and she slowly lowered her cup back on the table.

“No,” she said finally. “You?”

“Nope… How about Egypt?” I looked her straight in the eye.

“No,” she breathed and gulped down some hot coffee. I winced at that, but she didn’t even flinch.

And then I threw all cautiousness to the wind.

“How’s your Uncle?” I asked, my heart beating wildly.

She let go of her cup and left it alone.

“I don’t have an Uncle,” she muttered without looking at me.

“Really?!”

She finally looked at me.

“Really… I’m gonna step outside for a smoke…”

“Yeah, sure,” I nodded. “I’ll join you…”

We went outside, and right when I was about to light my cigarette, my phone rang. Great.

“Hello,” I said impatiently after I pulled the damn phone out of my pocket.

Screaming on the other end made me wince.

“Matt! Where the hell are you?! Do you have any idea what I’ve been through?! You never showed up and you never called!”

That’s right. I completely forgot to call my mother and tell her that I managed to miss my plane. Damn.

“And don’t you dare saying that your phone is dying again!!” she raged and I sighed.

“Mom, I’m sorry… There was a mishap at the airport and…”

“Why didn’t you call?!”

“I forgot…”

“You forgot?” she asked incredulously. “I am going crazy here, thinking that you are dead or something, and you forgot?! Matt…”

“Mom, I am sorry… Listen, I am fine, okay? Ugh, I am not going to make it there any time soon I am afraid, but…”

“What do you mean, you are not going to…”

“Mom, it’s a long story!” I interrupted her. “Oh, hey! The good news is that I am at Jess’ place right now…”

“Oh my God!” She sounded stricken. “You two made up?!”

“Yeah,” I smiled into the phone.

“She is still coming, correct?”

“Ummm, not quite…” I said very carefully.

“Put your sister on the phone!” My mother commanded.

“Mom…”

“Now!!”

I rolled my eyes.

“Fine, hold on… I think she’s in the shower…”

“I don’t care if she is on her honeymoon! Get her on the phone!!”

“Hold on…” I grumbled and glanced at Rayne.

I covered the phone with my hand.

“I’ll be right back,” I said, and she nodded tightly. “Don’t go anywhere!”

I stumbled inside, and in a few seconds, I was banging on the bathroom door.

“What?!” Jess barked from the inside.

“Open up,” I said impatiently. “Mom’s on the phone! She wants you.”

“I am in the freaking shower!!”

I see now what she meant by saying that she might try biting my head off.

“Yeah, well, tell it to her… Open the door!”

“God!! Hold on…”

Almost a minute later, she opened the door and she looked pissed off. She wrapped a huge fluffy towel around herself and grabbed the phone out of my hand.

“Hey, Mom,” she mumbled. “No, I am not coming, sorry…”

She can figure it out. I walked away from her, and right before I opened the front door, I heard her saying defensively:

“I forgot!”

I laughed at that. Our mother was going to have a very decent-sized cow at the second “I forgot” in a row. I went outside and blinked. The bench was empty. I swore under my breath and ran down the steps. She can’t be too far… I was gone for what? Two minutes? I frantically looked around, and then I saw her. She was walking down the street, hands in her pockets, shoulders slightly stooped. I ran after her, ignoring the snow. At first, I wanted to call her by her name, but then I had another idea.

“Jennah!” I yelled, and she stopped immediately.

I came to a screeching halt when I finally got to her. She looked at me, and she looked trapped.

“Jesus…” I muttered having no clue what to do next. This was unreal. This was impossible. And I didn’t care. “It is you…”

She blinked.

“What are you talking about?” she grinned, but her eyes were panicky.

“God…” I said weakly. “Jesus Almighty… You…”

She straightened up and shook her head.

“We just met a couple of hours ago,” she said. “Listen, I gotta go.”

“Then why did you stop when I called that name?” I asked.

“I recognized your voice,” she answered immediately.

“Bullshit,” I interrupted her. “And you know it! You knew it the last time when I saw you… In that park… You…”

“I have no idea what you talking about,” she interrupted me. “I have to go.”

I grabbed her shoulder when she turned away from me.

“I lost you twice,” I said, my voice almost breaking. “I am not going to lose you again!”

“You've mistaken me for someone else,” she pulled herself free. “I have to go, okay?”

“Fine,” I said calmly, and this made her look at me again. “If you have to go, then you have to go. Do me a small favor though, will you?”

She stared at me without speaking or even blinking.

“Say that you don’t give a shit about me,” I said, and her eyes grew huge. “I mean…” I shrugged. “We met a couple of hours ago, shouldn’t be a problem, right? Just say that you don’t care, and I swear, I’ll go away.”

We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, she snorted.

“This is ridiculous…” she said. “Fine, if that's what it takes…”

She looked in my eyes.

“I don’t…” and she stopped talking. Finally, she snorted again. “This is ridiculous! I gotta go! I don’t have time for this right now…”

She turned away again, and was about to start walking, when I grabbed her by the arm, pulled her towards me, and before she could say anything else, I kissed her. She froze. For several seconds, her entire body went completely rigid. I expected her to hit me, but then she moaned, buried her fingers in my hair, and kissed me back. Oh, Jesus Christ, she even tasted the same… I kissed her like it was the last thing I would ever do on this planet. When she traced my mouth with her tongue, I almost lost it.

I was kissing her face, her neck, every single inch of her that I could get my mouth on. Soon enough, I was shaking like someone who was having a seizure. She wouldn’t let go of my hair, and her mouth was all over me as well. Finally, one of us (I can’t remember which one) had enough common sense left to pull away. Might’ve been both of us, I don’t know.

“God…” I muttered. “Oh my God… Oh my God…”

“Matt…” she muttered. “This is… Matt… I can’t… Matt… The explaining, everything, all the… Oh, God, Matt…”

“I don’t care,” I said and pulled her after me. “Come on. I don’t care. I don’t give a shit, okay? You don’t have to explain anything, I don’t care…”

It took us almost forty minutes to get back to the apartment, because we would stop every two steps that we took, and then I would drink her mouth again and she would drain mine. When we finally got inside, I could hear Jess’ muffled screeching behind the closed door of the bathroom. She would say, “Mom!” every two seconds. I ignored that and pulled Rayne towards one of the rooms.

“Mmm,” she mumbled. “That one is Jess’… The other one… He’s not coming home tonight…”

“Who?” I breathed.

“Russell,” she muttered. “Her roommate…”

Was good enough for me. We got in that room and I locked the door. If the roommate decides to show up at home tonight anyway, tough. He’ll have to break the door down.

We undressed each other like we were trying to break Guinness speed record. When we fell on the bed and I felt her body underneath mine, I went crazy. It was like I wasn’t even in charge of myself anymore. The familiar smell of her skin was driving me insane. She was growling something unintelligible, clawing at my back, sucking all air out of me. Finally, I just pulled her up and she was straddling my hips, her legs wrapped around my waist.

“I love you,” I muttered, staring into her painfully familiar eyes, the eyes that haunted my every single dream ever since that night. “Oh God, I love you… I love you… I love you… I love you…”

She kept saying the same thing to me, and we wouldn’t look away from each other, not even for a second. Then she started saying my name over and over again, with each thrust, each move, each breath, and it sent me into overdrive. Damn, I was surprised that I lasted as long as I did. We came at the same time, and she wrapped herself even tighter around me, her convulsing body echoing my spasms. I held her as close as I possibly could, and it didn’t surprise me in the slightest when I realized that our heartbeats were drumming the same insane rhythm.

…She fell asleep almost instantly after we collapsed onto the pillows, and I just lay there, listening to her breathing. I am not going to fall asleep right now, no way. Because if I wake up in the morning and she is not here, I don’t know what I’ll do. I am not going to fall asleep. I am not going to fall asleep. I am not going to fall asleep.

I fell asleep.