AllFreeNovel
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Jake:Yeah, sometimes getting out in front of it works…Send
Jake:With my sister now…have a good night…Send
Jake (to Rakell):What you said was sweet today. Did you mean it?...delete
Jake:You sounded good in the interview. Came across as authentic…isn’t that the goal these days?…Send
Jake drove the four-wheeler to The Hill and parked next to the small building near the firepit. Melissa was sitting, coat on with a blanket wrapped around her, in one of the Adirondack chairsaround the raging fire.Looks like Dad got that started, Jake thought. His dad always started them big so he didn’t have to restock the wood for a while. He leaned forward, seeing her hands outstretched to the flames. Even in the shadows of the night, the fire illuminated a defeated woman. That view of her, his oldest sister, halted him, and for a brief moment, he stared at her. The images of Melissa as one of his primary caretakers flooded his memory. It was confusing to see her this way: a peer, a person in need. Just then, she stood, motioning for him to join her, her impatient gesture making him chuckle. He grabbed the bags and beer, walking briskly toward the fire.
Her arms went up, exasperation taking over her expression. “Jake why does time always expand with you?” she sniped.
“Huh…?” He furrowed his brows, setting the bag of tacos on a small wooden table next to her chair, opening a beer and handing it to her.
“I asked for tequila,” she said, snatching the beer from him.
“Just start there. I’ll grab the tequila and some glasses.” Jogging toward the gazebo, he grumbled to himself, “Ah shit, this is going to be such a fun night.”
When he reached the gazebo, searching for small glasses in the kitchenette, his phone buzzed.
Rakell:Authentic? That was…Jake, that was me. I wasn’t trying to come across as anything…Send
Could I say anything right today…? Fuck!
Jake:I know that. I know you…Send
Rakell:Not really but…delete
You’re overreacting to everything hesays,Rakell.You are infusing all the scenarios you’ve conjured up in your head into his words.Her back was leaning against the headboard,The Alchemistin one hand, her phone in the other. She set the book down, took a swig of water, and looked at the pill beside her glass. She really needed to update that prescription.
Rakell:Thank you…Send
Jake:You did a great job under pressure…Send
He took a few long strides toward a chair beside Melissa, throwing a blanket over the arm, Melissa’s eyes scooted up to him, her lips managing a tiny smile amidst a full mouth as she ate. She held a taco in one hand and a beer in the other. Setting the beer on the table, she pointed at her cheeks. “Heaven,” she pushed from her mouth mid-chew. “Who knew Trailer Park Trashy mixed so well with The Threesome…” she said, swallowing, then grabbing the beer she’d set down.
He nodded. “I hear tequila makes those two even more fun,” he said, extending a half-filled glass of LALA Tequila, another Super Bowl gift. He was pretty sure Twin Liquor’s shelves were emptied the day of his party.
“Ahh…I want to snort this up my nose,” Melissa said, grinning.
He grimaced.What the hell?“Issa?” He sat in the chair, his head turned toward her.
Her grin flattened. “Jake, the only reason you’re here is because you have no wiggle room whatsoever to judge, which makes you the ideal companion in debauchery…soooo if I hear even a twinge in your twang that sounds judgy, you will be dismissed from the opportunity toadultwith your oldest sister.”
“Jesus, Melissa, enough with the psycho-babble lecture shit. I get it. Shut up, Jake, don’t chime in—just let me eat, drink and vent.” He let out a snort. “That’s pretty much the rule of all guy get-togethers in the midst of a break-up…”Fuck…“I’m not saying, I mean…”
The tears flooded from her eyes, the flame reflecting off her red cheeks. “Give me the god damn Cougar,” she said, reaching toward the bag of tacos. He heard the gulping sound, as if she was trying to suck down all the tears. He dug the taco out of thebag for her. When he handed it to her over the table, she set the empty glass down. “Yes, I’ll have another, thanks for asking…”
“Of course, madame, anything for you.” He poured more tequila into her glass, going against this morning's promise to himself,never drink tequila, as he reached for his glass. “Hey, Issa, here’s to you…perfect Melissa.” He raised his glass toward her, knowing she needed to get something out, and that statement would definitely get her started.
Her body went motionless, the flickering light bouncing from her pupils as she stared at the fire, her arm stiff with the glass in hand. “No, little brother, far from it…” Her words came out in a muffle. “And I don’t want it, that title, not now or ever. I never wanted it and…I can’t live up to it.”
“Melissa, you are…and I’m not sure what is happening, but you and Tom have always been the perfect couple.” Again, he knew that would prompt her to talk about whatever she had bottled up.
“Jake, no couple is perfect. They just seem that way when life is going their way. Perfect is brief, very brief. I understand firsthand how so-called ‘perfect couples’ crumble. Because, well, that’s what they thought they deserved, perfection from life...” She reached for the glass, tilting it to her lips and sipping. “This is so nice, this fire and food with all the crap you’re not supposed to eat rolled up in a gluten-laden tortilla, and this…” She took another sip, tears escaping from her eyes.
Clenching his jaw, he tried to stave off the ache he was absorbing from his sister, his second mother—yes, in his eyes, perfect.
“Tom and I are so far from that now, but we still keep smiling as if what’s going on in the inside isn’t a fucking shredded mess. It was easy to create that picture of us until…well, Tom can’t accept…”
