Just Another Day

Chapter 5

Back to reality.
Earnest sat straight up on the trunk of the car. He had put his blunt out and was now fully alert. "Wait, so you are telling me Rose let you finesse her like that?"
Liam rubbed his temples, "Didn't I tell you not to interrupt me with no dumb ass question?"
"Nigga I know you ain't talking about dumb questions. Did you forget that you were graduating in May and leaving for basic training June 1?"
"Man shut up."
Earnest laughed and hopped off the car. He dusted his pants off and stretched. "So, what happened after that?"
Liam pushed his way up off the now warm concrete and stretched causing his back to pop. "None of your business."
Earnest threw his hands up in the air, "Serious?"
Liam laughed and started walking towards the garage door. "You should have never interrupted me."
Earnest shook his head, "Nawl you knew I was gonna ask something. That was just your way to get out of reliving that whole situation."
"Stop trying to analyze me."
"Stop running from your problems."
Liam turned around, "Running from my problems. I know you not talking, you've been running from your problems since you found out you had a son."
Anger consumed Earnest; he shoved Liam against the door so hard it rattled. "Don't you ever in your fucking life mention my son again. You don't know shit about that situation."
Liam lifted his hands up, "Yo, get your hands off me bruh."
"Or what?"
Liam grabbed Earnest under his arms and picked him up, slamming him on the concrete.
Earnest coughed trying to catch the breath that had been knocked from his lungs. "Nigga, you could have fucking killed me."
"Are you dead?"
He patted his body and grins, "Nawl I don't think so."
Liam laughed and helped Earnest up. "Bruh you stupid."
Earnest chuckled, "The dumbest smart nigga you know."
"Aye I apologize for what I said."
Earnest rubbed the back of his head, "You good bro. I'm just glad we didn't hit momma's car."
Liam laughed pulling open the garage door. "Hell yeah! Mama was gone, beat the shit out of us."
"Fuck beating mama was gone kill us."

Julia looked up from her bowl of gumbo to see her brothers coming in through the garage door. She rolled her eyes, "What's so funny?"
Earnest smirked, "Your big ass head that's what's funny?"
"Fuck you."
He shook his head and Liam laughed. "Damn that's the third time somebody has cussed you out."
Earnest lifted his hand in the air, "I know right. A man can't get any respect in this house."
Julia looked around the kitchen, confused. "Where is a man at? All I see is two big ass kids that smell like weed."
Liam shrugged, "You know it wasn't me."
Julia looked at Earnest who was quietly eating the last of the gumbo. "If mama car smells like weed she will kill you with no hesitation."
He smiled, "And that's why her car doesn't smell like weed."
She laughed and enjoyed the moment of spending time with her brothers. It had been so long since all of them had been under the same roof. It still amazed her how much they had grown. Julia was no longer the same little girl that followed her brothers every move. She had a life of her own and was working on her residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Everything was coming together full circle. The only thing she was worried about in her life was finding a way to mend the relationship between her family and best friend and finding a way to tell Liam that she had been in a relationship with his best friend for 2 years.
She knew he was going to kill both her and Damian for not telling him sooner. Even though it wasn't my goddamn fault. She was going to blame Damian for the secrecy since it was him who made her promise not to say anything.
Her phone vibrated on the counter snapping her out of zoning out and getting the attention of Earnest and Liam.
In unison they asked, "Who is texting you this late?"
Julia snatched her phone off the counter and started to leave the kitchen. Over her shoulder she smirked. "Oh, nobody, just my man."
Before they could question her, she ran upstairs and locked herself in her room. It was about time she got the ball rolling. She laid down in the bed and called Damian.
He answered on the second ring, "Took you long enough."
She laughed, "Don't start with me. You the one got me over here feeling like the FBI keeping secrets and shit."
His deep, gravelly laugh made her shiver on the inside. It was something about that deep baritone voice that made her weak in the knees."You won't have to keep secrets much longer now."
"Why am I keeping us a secret in the first place?"
She knew he was rubbing the back of his neck. He had been around her brother for so long they were starting to act alike. "Baby, it's a long story."
Julia rolls her eyes, she was tired of creeping and she wanted to scream to the world this is her soul mate."Well I got all the time in the world right now."
"I want to tell you in person. I just got back from offshore and I will be there tomorrow."
Conflicted emotions battled in her head. She didnt know whether to be happy that she will see him soon or be pissed that he still prolonging things."Why in person? Just go ahead and tell me Damian or don't bother coming here tomorrow."
"Why are you being like that, baby?"
She sat up straight in the bed. "I'm about to hang up on you."
He burst out laughing, "Calm your nerves baby girl. Look I want to tell you in person, so I can explain the whole story. If I do it on the phone you go hang up on me and not let me explain."
Julia blew out a breath, "What if I promise not to hang up?"
"Bae."
She laughed, "I'm serious, I promise if that will make you feel better."
"No."
She frowned, "You getting on my nerves now."
"Boo hoo."
"Fuck you."
"When? You know I ain't had none in a minute I'm feigning."
"You a sex addict."
"How? It's been two months."
"And! The last time we had sex we went ten rounds with no breaks. You had my ass dehydrated."
"I don't remember you complaining when I had you screaming for me not to stop."
She rolled her eyes and smirked, remembering just how blessed he was in that department.He made love to her like it was his mission to please every inch of her body. She leaned back and rested her head on her pillow just thinking about how long it would take her before she was feigning just like him.
"Hello?"
Julia shook her head and cleared her throat, "Huh you say something?"
He laughed, "Nawl babe go back to thinking how imma make up for these last two months."
She laughed, "Don't be hyping yourself up now."
"Too late."
She shook her head laughing at his silliness. Being with Damian made her feel alive, she couldn't understand why he didn't want her family to know about them. "Bae, we need to tell Liam about us. It's been two years going on three. I don't see any reason for why he would be mad about us being together when he sees how happy you have made me."
She heard him let out a deep breath. "Did Liam and Rose talk it out yet?"
"Yeah but what does that have to do with us?"
"Promise me baby you won't get made and start yelling. I really need you to hear me out completely."
She raised an eyebrow. Growing uneasy, "Ohkay."
"So, you remember we had that party in May for Liam right?"
"Yeah Courtney showed up and all hell broke loose."
"Well the thing is, I'm the reason Courtney showed up at ya'll house that day. She wasn't looking for Liam but when she saw- "
Julia cut him off. "Wait, why the hell would she be looking for you?"
"You promised to hear me out. I knew we should have had this conversation in person."
All types of thoughts were racing in her head. She was trying to keep her anger in check by speaking all calmly as possible. "Why was she looking for you?"
When he didn't answer, it took every ounce of strength in Julia's body not to scream and yell. God give me strength and tranquility to handle this peacefully. Just like clockwork a calmness enveloped her making her voice sound tranquil almost drowsy. "You know what, we should have this conversation in person. I will see you Monday." He fucked her.
She didn't even give him a chance to reply, when she pressed the end button. Her body was so numb she didn't even feel the tears running down her face. She closed her eyes and prepared her mind for the pain that was about to hit. She let the calmness go and curled into a ball as her heart tore into a thousand pieces. Her body shook as she cried herself to sleep.

Liam had washed all the dishes and was cutting the lights off in the kitchen when he suddenly got the urge to go check on Rose and see if she was up. He walked past Earnest who was stretched out on the couch with the hood of his jacket covering his face and went upstairs. As he passed Julia's room, he could have sworn he heard sniffling but when he tried to check on her,he realized the door was locked. His brow creased, and concern consumed him. He knocked on the door.
He relaxed slightly when he heard her stomping across the room. She unlocked the door and opened it slightly. Her voice was groggy, "What Bean I was sleeping."
Liam cocked his head to the side trying to get a better look at her face but her thick black curls covered what wasn't concealed by darkness. "I was just checking on you. I thought I heard you crying, you good?"
"Yeah, I'm straight, my nose is just stopped up. Now can I go back to sleep or do you need to check my room Sergeant."
Not quite sure whether he should laugh or be even more worried, he decided to let it go. "Aight Juju, you know if you need me I'm just down the hall."
She closed the door, mumbling. He could have sworn she said or next door.
Even though he knew something was going on with his sister, he pushed that to the back of his mind and remembered the reason he came upstairs. He grinned as he moved on to the next door which wasn't completely closed. He pushes it open slightly to see Rose stretched out on her back. Her sweater had risen up and now her black laced bra was showing.
He leaned against the door frame contemplating should he climb in next to her. It aint like we have never slept in the same bed before. He saw that she still had her boots on, as he moved to take them off she moaned and turned over onto her side. Her long sandy red hair fell over her face making her look like a caramel angel with juicy lips. He fought the urge to kiss her knowing that if she was woken up, she was going to swing first and ask questions later.
Liam reached again for her boots and softly pulled them off. He kicked off his shoes and pulled his hoodie over his head throwing it on the futon across the room. He climbed over her into the spot that he used to always lay in. Laying on his back with his hands cupped behind his head, he waited. The biggest smile crossed his face as Rose subconsciously stretched her arm across his chest and wrapped her leg around his waist. He slid his arm under her head and pulled her closer. Closing his eyes, he went to sleep peacefully.

Earnest smirked when he saw his brother go upstairs knowing that if he got up and checked Liam's room he wouldn't be there. He just doesn't know how to give up.
Earnest grabbed his phone and squinted at the bright screen. Frustration radiated from him when he saw he didn't have any new emails from Penelope. He had sent her a long apology for neglecting her and his son when he first found out she was pregnant, but it had been two years, he wanted to make things right.
He was only seventeen and had just graduated from high school when he decided to spend three weeks in Brazil with his friend Marcus Gonzalez's family. Marcus' twin sister Penelope had been the most beautiful female he had ever seen. By the end of those three weeks Earnest had taken Penelope's virginity and heart. A month later he got a phone call from a crying Penelope saying that she was pregnant with his child. He panicked, knowing his parents were going to kill him and there was no way he could take care of a family when he wasn't even legal yet. He asked Liam for advice who only told him to be a man and take care of his business. Earnest took that as permission to cut off all contact with Penelope and send her money once a month.
The memory of hearing her crying when he told her he couldn't be a father haunted him.He knew that one email wouldn't erase away the pain that he caused but it was a step in the right direction. He was tired of looking in the mirror and feeling disgusted with himself. He prayed it wasn't too late to do the right thing. God please forgive me for my sins and give me a chance to be a good father to my son and hopefully the man that Penelope needs.
Earnest checked his email one last time before cutting his phone off. He looked at the stairs debating whether he should go upstairs. Nawl I'm good. Imma just take my high ass to sleep right here. He pulled on the hood of his jacket, so it covered his eyes from the street light shining through the window. Thinking about if his son looked anything like him, he went to sleep