Dark coffee

Chapter Twenty eight

The next day when I woke up I got out of my bed to go open the curtains for the daylight to illuminate my room. Then, I removed my phone from the charger and texted Darell while going back under my sheets. We texted for an hour until someone knock at my door.

"Who is it?" I asked.

The person responded, "Lens."

"Come in," I said to my brother. 

Lens came in and sat on my bed. He probably came back from the gym because he was wearing sports.

When he seated, I put my phone on vibrate mode, as I felt that he wanted to talk to me.

"You knew I was awake?" I asked. 

"I heard you laugh. Who were you talking to like that so early? It's 8 a.m." He said.

"To no one!" I said.

"It doesn't feel like it was no one and Dahila, I'm not Jamal or Malik. Your lies, I'm not fooled." Lens said.

"Okay, fine! You unmasked me! I was talking with Darell" I said to him.

"You love the guy, right? I'm asking only because it's the first time you've introduced someone to our parents."

"Yes, I do love him." I lowered my eyes.

"You guys had sex together right?"  What my brother just asked had cut my words off. How could he possibly know that? I didn't know what to say to him. Lens has always been my parent figure among my brothers. Sex, in our culture, is a taboo subject. So, our parents didn't really tell us about it explicitly. It was Lens who had "The Big conversation" with us after experiencing it first.  

He then added, "I'm your big brother Dahila, not baba. I'm just asking, you don't have to answer. I want you to know that if you need to talk, I'm here."

I took a few seconds of reflection then I told him, "Don't tell anything to Jamal or Malik and especially to our parents. Can I have your word?"

"You have my word." He responded so calmly.

There was silence. I was playing with my fingers to try to make the discomfort go away.

"... Yes we did," I finally said without looking at him.

"Are you protecting yourself, reassure me?"

"Yes," I shortly said.

"Good. That's all I wanted to know. Be careful though."

"I promise. And what about you?"

"What about me what?" He repeated.

"Lens, I know I'm your little sister, but I know your divorce wasn't easy for you. You must give yourself a chance to love again and be in an intimate relationship other than sex. You deserve to have a wife who loves you, a family and a successful marriage. Just by the way you have been my brother all my life, I know you will be a great dad. Dream again that it's possible."

He sighed and suddenly looked sad. He was about to answer me when suddenly Malik appeared in front of my bedroom door and lodged himself in as the door was open. When he reached us, he laid his whole body down on my bed.

"What y'all talking about in your secret morning meeting?" He asked funnily.

Lens and I laughed. We told to him at the same time with energy, "Nothing!"

"Oh! It's like that now! I'm excluded from brothers and sister discussions?"  Malik said. 

"Obviously not Malik. You know we love you." I said to him.