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Friends met each other’s relatives all the time.
He got off the elevator, checked the door numbers to see which direction he should go, and then headed down the hallway. When he got to her door, he sucked in a deep breath, and pressed the doorbell. Seconds later, a beep sounded and the door opened. But Xolani wasn’t the one who opened the door for him.
“Barry?” Anika greeted him with a smile. “Hi.”
Even though Anika was dressed somewhat casually, she still wouldn’t be out of place in an office setting. She had on a light black sweater over a calf-length, pleated, lavender skirt.
He greeted, “Hi, Anika.”
“Come on in.” Anika stepped aside to let him into the apartment.
Barry kicked his shoes off in the entryway before following Anika into a spacious and bright living room. The living room’s large windows were framed by soft pinks drapes to match the pink, mint green, and black throw-pillows strewn all over the beige sectional and armchairs. A glass coffee-table stood above the zebra print rug, and two large, potted plants framed the light-wood TV unit. Artwork depicting colorful cities and landscapes hung above the walls.
Directly across the living room was a dining room with a round wood table and four chairs upholstered in colorful fabric. Attached to the dining room was an open kitchen with white kitchen finishings and black appliances to compliment the checkered floor.
Like its owner, the house was the definition of sophistication, femininity, and elegance.
Just then the voice of the aforementioned owner echoed from somewhere in the annals of the apartment. “Anika, who was at the door?”
Barry turned his head to follow her voice. It came from the archway to the right of the living room.
“It’s just Barry,” Anika called out as she led him to the archway.
The archway was attached to a hall with several doors, likely the bedrooms and bathrooms.
“Barry?” Xolani’s head popped from the second doorway to the left. When she saw him, she emerged into the hall with a smile. “Hi.”
Unlike Anika, Xolani looked like she was ready for a hard day of labor. Her braids were tied and covered in a brownish-green bandana. Other than lip gloss, she had no makeup on, and was wearing a gray tee underneath green, khaki short overalls.
It was an innocent outfit, but Barry’s eyes went straight to her legs. Who could blame him? She had great legs; long, shapely, and with skin that was smooth as dark chocolate.
“Hi,” he greeted as he and Anika closed the distance to her. “Am I late?”
“Not at all.” Smiling, Xolani added, “We just finished getting all his stuff into boxes.”
As she spoke, she entered the room again. When Barry followed her in, he realized that she wasn’t alone in there. There was a man.
Her brother?
The family resemblance was so blatant that only someone blind would’ve seen it. Even his high-top fade and short beard couldn’t mask the resemblance. He had the same eyes, same lips, and same dark chocolate skin. Though he was taller than her, they had the same model-like stature. His limbs were slender and long, albeit with more bulk.
If this man announced that he’d walked the London Fashion Week, Barry would’ve believed it.
“Barry, this is my little brother, Camryn,” Xolani introduced. “Camryn, this is my friend-”
Camryn interrupted her. “Why do you keep calling me little?”
“Duh!” She gave him a look. “Because you’re my little brother.”
“Nix that word from your vocabulary,” Camryn ordered. “I’m just your brother. I’m not little anything.”
“You wish.” Xolani turned back to Barry with a smile. “Barry, don’t mind my little brother. He can be annoying sometimes.”
As if he hadn’t just been arguing with his sister, Camryn grinned at Barry. “Hi, Barry. Thanks for offering to help me out.”
“It’s no problem.” Barry said, “I had time on my hands and nothing to do.”
“Don’t worry.” Camryn smiled wolfishly. “I have a whole list of things for you to do.”
