POLY (UPDATED 04/22/2023)

Chapter Ten

Kitten stared out at the midnight waves as they crashed and sauntered on the shore and retreated back into the ocean leaving sea foam in its wake. Inhaling deeply, Kitten could taste the salt that lingered in the air and tried to focus only on that and not about the situation at hand.

Yet, she couldn't shake her body from the feeling that she should flee. Leave Greg behind like she left Zach, except more quieter, more simple. She could hole herself up in a cheap motel and live out her days free from it all.

Groaning, Kitten shakes her head and pulls at the sleeves of her jacket, wrapping herself in her own comfort. It would be so damaging to abandon Yohani and Greg after all they have done for her and they truly love her. They sure show their love and appreciation for her much better than Zach ever did.

"Kitten!" Yohani called out to Kitten from the back porch.

Kitten turned on the rock she was sitting on and saw Yohani waving her over, the wind sweeping her white silhouette dress off the floor. It must be time for dinner. First night here and first time Yohani and Kitten will have to face... everything. Kitten bit the inside of her cheek as she made her way over to Yohani.

Yohani gave Kitten a warm smile and wrapped her in blanket as she was shivering from the night air.

"Are you ready for dinner?" Yohani asks softly, trying to catch Kitten's warm brown eyes as they bounced around her.

As Kitten nods, Yohani sighs softly and leads her to the dining room where their dinner sat over a candle light and aura of the room was dim and intimate. Yohani wanted to keep things simple as she didn't know how the night was going to end. Kitten could go with her right mind and disappear with the wind, leaving Yohani and Greg to collect the pieces of their relationship.

Those thoughts scared her more than anything. To be alone with Greg and his scrambling mind again, to not know peace as she knows it now. Yohani had to do everything to keep Kitten there with them. She does not want to be alone again.

As they took their seats, Kitten hadn't realize how little she ate today until she picked up her fork and started shoveling the food in her mouth. The food slightly burned her tongue, but she knew the mouth-watering seasoned food in her mouth was worth it.

"This tastes amazing, I am so happy you can cook!" Kitten giggles with a mouth full of food.

"Swallow before you speak," Yohani scolds Kitten causing Kitten to giggle more.

Yohani tried to hide her smile behind a glass of wine, but KItten's childish antics will always be humor to her.

"Do you even know what you're eating?" Yohani asks.

Kitten shakes her head still shoveling forks full of food down her throat.

"Its lamb tikka masala, a dish my mother makes for me every time I come home to visit, - along with many other things - but this dish is my favorite," Yohani expresses as she takes a few bites herself.

She had even used her mothers recipe to make tonight's dinner. It was always nice to have a few tastes of home when Yohani is going through rough times. Her family helped her through the roughest times of her life when she was dealing with depression and learning the true meaning of life.

"Do you get to visit your family often?" Kitten asks.

Yohani shakes her head, her smile getting dimmer as she took another sip of wine.

"With Greg's busy schedule it get's very hard to see them, so I write them letters every month," Yohani confesses.

"Do you get to see them for the holidays?" Kitten asks, a bit of shock in her voice.

"Yes I do, Greg gets to visit his family and I get to visit mine... did Zach ever let you visit your family?" Yohani asks Kitten.

Kitten licks her lips as she settled into her seat. The question bounced around in her head as if it had a thousand answers. Honestly, Kitten did not want to speak of Greg or Zach. She would be fine if her and Yohani started talking about the weather and not have to dwindle down this lane.

Yohani bit the inside of her cheek knowing where this conversation is about to turn and not knowing if Kitten is ready for it, but she can't spend this entire weekend ignoring the tension between them.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Yohani asks as she reaches over to take Kitten's hand, but Kitten flinched away causing Yohani to immediately retract her hand as they sit in silence.

"I don't have much family, my parents died when I was 14 from some random guy who decided to kill anybody who crossed his path in a grocery store... I only have my sister and I didn't get to see much of her when I moved in with Zach. The last time I saw her actually, was in the mall with you and Greg," Kitten explains as she grabs her spoon to have a better taste of the curry.

"Really? You saw her in the mall? Why didn't you say something! Greg and I would have loved to met her, we could have talked about you going to live with her-"

"I can stop you right there... my sister, her name is Sphinx, lives with her asshole boyfriend, Brendan, he was the reason I wanted to get out of the house. If anything he is the reason I moved in with Zach... I mean it's nice that you would have loved to meet her, but just know me and her both fell from the same tree," Kitten says, tears blurring her eyes as she takes a sip of water.

Just saying Brendan's name put a foul taste in her mouth. She remembered when Sphinx and Brendan first started dating and she was happy for her sister to finally get the love she deserves and have someone else appreciate her. Kitten also appreciated the fact he would get Sphinx out of the house, so Kitten could listen to herself think.

Soon he unraveled himself to Kitten and showed his darkest desires to her. The wretched desires that poisoned Kitten in his wake, turned her to the sexual life she now favors.

"We don't have to talk about anything tonight, we could just move on to dessert and watch a movie," Yohani suggests, finally able to wrap her hands around Kitten's trembling one.

"That would be nice actually, did you make cake or pie?" Kitten asks, wiping away her tears.

Yohani tried to give a smile of encouragement. She knew she had to go through at the pace of Kitten's liking, but she wanted an answer before Greg came to get them.

Collecting their plates and placing them into the sink, Yohani reached into the oven and pulled out a sweet potato pie; Kitten's favorite.

Yohani turned to her with the biggest smile she could muster as she placed the pie on the table. With no idea how long she had to fake this neutral aura or how long she could, Yohani pushed through the night with only Kitten's comfortability in mind.