I watch from the same place on my bed as the sun goes down. My window is open a crack, filling my room with cricket noises. God painted a beautiful sunset today. The yellows, pinks, oranges, and the blues of the sky mix perfectly together.
I’m not one of those girls who whips out her phone to take a picture. To me, it’s not the same when you look back at it. I’d rather soak in the feeling while gazing at it in the moment.
My phone vibrates against my leg. I look down and see a picture of me and Leonidas. I took this photo when we were on our little getaway. I’m straddling his lap. I stuck out my tongue, and he did the same. I remember squealing when I felt his tongue touch mine. This picture describes our relationship perfectly. Unplanned, snapped at the perfectly imperfect time.
My hands shake as I pick up my phone.
Swiping my fingertip against the screen, I whisper into the phone, “Hello?”
“Trinity?” His voice is urgent over the line. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
He knows.
Others can’t even tell the difference between my forced smiles and my real ones. I can’t hide anything from this guy.
“It’s okay, Leonidas.” I sigh as I hear static over the line. “Where are you?”
Our connection is poor. He cuts in and out, but I hear the sound of crickets on his end as well.
“Listen,” I say strongly into my phone. “Mom is gone for the weekend. Come over tomorrow with Amelia and Elijah,” I demand more than I ask.
I hear the joy in his voice faintly as he replies with, “Yes.”
We hang up, and I place my head on my pillow to rest for the night. I can’t stop the smile from spreading on my face.
* * *
I’m sure my smile brightens my entire face. Mom has finally left for the weekend. She looked hesitant before she left, especially since our relationship is so tense. You can practically feel the anger and awkwardness in the air.
If she wants to fix our relationship, she’d better start trying. I’ve expressed countless times what’s pushing me back, but all she seems to focus on is Rodrigo. Sure, that makes me angry … but one positive is that I get time to spend with Leonidas. As soon as I saw her car leave the driveway, I gave the all clear to Leonidas. We’re having a movie night, and hopefully, we’ll get a little tipsy along the way.
“Hey, bitch,” Amelia yells when I open the front door. She pulls me into her body tightly.
“Hey, bitch,” Elijah mocks his sister and kisses my cheek. He gets pushed away by my boyfriend.
“Don’t kiss my girlfriend,” he grumbles. His big hand wipes his brother’s kiss off my cheek.
Waving him away, I wink over my shoulder to Elijah. “There’s enough of me to go around.”
Elijah places a hand on his hip. “Yeah, Leonidas, share.” He tenses when Leonidas takes a stiff step forward. “Never mind,” he stammers. “She’s all yours. Have fun.” He turns around and runs toward the kitchen.
I watch him with amused eyes and squeal when Leonidas places his hand between my legs. “You’ll see what I’m going to do to you later.”
Why does he do this to me?
“I missed you,” he mumbles against my skin.
Sighing, I close my eyes. “I missed you. It feels like forever since I’ve seen you.” I lean my back against his chest as he places a passionate kiss on my neck.
“Trinity, where are your spoons?” Amelia yells from the kitchen, making me jump away from her brother.
Straightening out my shirt, I clear my throat. “The cabinet under the sink,” I yell toward her.
When she yells, “Thank you,” I turn around and glare at my boyfriend. “Don’t do that when they’re around.”
He’s such a child.
Leonidas sticks his tongue out at me. “Can’t keep my hands to myself,” he sings.
