WITH THINGS WE CAN'T HAVE

CHAPTER NINE

I stayed away for a while after I left Victor's house, almost a whole week to be exact, and in all honesty, I had no clue why I did, but my last interaction with Victor had set something off within me.

It made me feel oddly warm and comfortable yet out of place.  Does that make sense?

Did I like it? Fuck yes I did, but that made me feel worse because I was supposed to be looking after my best friend, but instead, here I was having these oddly satisfying moments with her older brother.

And God, I felt guilty for it! Because it felt fucking fantastic to be that close to that overbearing brut, it was like a sugar rush or something.

I still checked in on Kendall every day.

After her little outburst, she seemed to still not want much company, which I could understand because everything she was going through probably made her feel crazy and overwhelmed.

So I stepped back and waited until she needed me. In the meantime, I've been busy helping my mother and father with their work schedules and my sister with babysitting.

Today, I had my nephew, who was all over the place, and I loved it. He was a bundle of joy, even if my sister says otherwise.  Kids never bothered me; I was always good with them. 

"Hey,  you wanted a turkey sandwich, right?"  My little nephew nodded eagerly and plopped himself down at the kitchen table, waiting for his food to be made.

I took everything out of the fridge and started making us both sandwiches, as well as grabbing two juices from the top of the cabinet. 

"Here, eat up."  I placed a plate on the table and sat down to start eating when my phone dinged a few times signaling someone was trying to reach me.

Unknown number:  Come by my apartment whenever you're free.

Butterflies erupted in the pit of my stomach after I read the message. 

I already knew who it was, even if the number was unsaved. 

Victor must have gotten my number from Kendall because he didn't have it before. I placed my phone on the table, started to eat my sandwich, and focused on my nephew.

"What do you wanna do today?" I took another bite of my sandwich as Jay finished his last bite. 

He swallowed his food with a loud gulp and rudely burped in my face like the gross man-child he was growing into.

"Isn't Auntie Kenny coming over?"  I shook my head towards Jay  When a brilliant idea popped into my head.

"We could go see her if you want. She needs some cheering up; what do you say?"   Jay eagerly nodded his head and jumped up to put on his shoes and jacket.

I quickly grabbed my phone and messaged Victor back, asking for a ride to his place. 

Victor: Sure.

"Jay-Jay, get your stuff. We are going to be a while,"   I yelled at home.

I didn't quite hear what he had to say, but I assumed he heard me just fine, so I went on and washed the two plates, put them away, and went to get my sneakers.