Tamsyn Bester - Precious Consequences

He leans closer to me, his mouth inches from mine. “Later,” he whispers, like he read my mind. He brushes my lips briefly before another protest comes from the other side of the table. This time it’s from Hannah.

“Okay, seriously, I’m getting jealous watching the two of you eye fuck each other, so for the sake of my lacking sex life, please stop.”

“Oh God,” Noah groans. “I don’t need to hear about your sex life, please. That’s gross.”

Hannah rolls her eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me? I hear about yours almost every night. It’s a good thing mom and dad aren’t at home that often, otherwise they’d think you’ve turned our house into a brothel. And for the love of my eardrums, stop screwing girls who scream like banshees or at least stuff a sock in their mouths. I can’t handle the sound of cats being strangled any longer.”

Noah stares at his sister, shocked. Cameron and I laugh at Hannah’s crass statement, not only because of Noah’s face, but also because it’s probably true.

“I’m not that bad,” Noah grumbles.

Hannah snorts. “No, you’re worse.”

For the first time since I met them, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them act this harshly towards one another. Something tells me there’s more to it than what they’re letting on and I resolve to find out from Hannah exactly what it is. But that can wait for now. We have a victory to celebrate.

I turn to look at Cam, smiling when I see his eyes have never left me. “Congratulations on your win, Cam. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you, buttercup.” His new nickname for me always makes me sigh. It’s corny, but it’s grown on me in the last few weeks. In fact, Cameron has grown on me. We’ve been inseparable for the most part, and he spends a little more time over at my grandmother’s house than I do at his. But he never complains. I made it clear that I didn’t want to do anything that would upset Ari’s routine, and me sleeping over at Cameron’s house would definitely do that.

“Okay, kids,” Taylor says, stepping up to our table. Her smile wavers when she sees Noah. He always makes her uncomfortable, and I don’t blame her. He’s a shameless flirt and can even charm the pants off a mannequin if he tried hard enough. Something about the way he looks at Taylor even makes me a little uncomfortable, like he’s eyeing his prey. “What can I get you?”

“Burger and fries, right here,” Cameron replies, rubbing his stomach.

“Same here,” Noah adds. “But with a side of you, sexy.”

Taylor rolls her eyes. I’m sure she’s been hit on by customers before, so it can’t be new to her. She turns her gaze to me and smiles expectantly.

“Uh, I’ll just have a plate of fries, please.”

“Me too,” Hannah pipes up.

Taylor grabs our menus and walks straight into the kitchen to place our orders. When she’s out of sight, I glower at Noah.

“What?” he asks, shrugging his shoulders.

“You’re a pig, that’s what,” Hannah snaps.

“Cam, c’mon, some help would be nice.” Noah looks at Cameron, his eyes pleading.

“Don’t look at me,” Cameron says, lifting his hands in defeat. “You’re on your own.”

Noah mutters, “Asshole,” under his breath and Hannah kicks him under the table, hard enough to make it rattle.

The mood has taken a turn for the worse and I’m even more anxious to know what happened between Hannah and her brother. Luckily, our food arrives, and before any more insults can be hurled across the table, we dig in.

“So,” Hannah says, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “I was thinking it would be awesome if we all did Christmas together this year.”

The idea thrills me and I immediately perk up. “I think that’s a great idea. I would love a big Christmas. We can do ‘Secret Santa’.” I clap my hands excitedly and hear Cameron chuckle next to me.

“We can do it at our house,” he suggests. “Mom will love it.”

“Can we invite Taylor and Macy?” I ask. “I don’t think they have anyone to spend it with, and I’d hate for them to be alone.”

Cameron just smiles and leans over to kiss my nose. “Of course, Angel. Anything you want.”

I grin happily, probably looking like a total goof ball, and finish my fries. After we’re all done, Cameron pays the bill, much to my annoyance because he never lets me pay, and we make our way outside.

“I’ll see you in a little bit,” Cameron says, walking me to my car.

I smile up at him. “Okay, but don’t stay away too long. This weather calls for some major snuggle time.”

He gives me a kiss and I fight my body’s natural desire to deepen it, prolong it. It’s always like that with us, a little bit is never enough. I watch him walk to his truck and climb in, saying his goodbyes to Hannah and Noah on his way out of the parking lot.

Hannah walks over to me and I notice that her eyes are wet, glistening with tears.

“Hey, are you okay, girly?” I ask. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen her so upset and it bothers me. Hannah is usually so strong and so outspoken. But now, she just looks defeated and hurt.

“Yeah,” she sniffles and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. “I’m just going to go home and crawl into bed with a book, I think.”

“Han, what happened between you and Noah? You guys have never been so nasty towards each other before.”

She shakes her head. “We had a fight earlier, at the swim meet, but I’ll tell you about it another time. Maybe we can do coffee tomorrow? Plan our Christmas day and all that?”

“Of course.” I hug her and she squeezes me a little harder than usual. “Call me tomorrow morning.”

She nods and climbs into her car, which is parked next to mine. I wave goodbye as she drives away and then make my way home.

When I stop in the driveway of my grandmother’s house, I frown when I spot the black town car parked on the curb. It’s a little strange, and out of place. Thinking nothing of it, I walk up the porch steps and open the front door. “Gama, I’m home!”

I throw my bag down and take my jacket off before searching for my grandmother and Ari.

My footsteps halt when I reach the threshold of the living room, wishing I wasn’t seeing what was right in front of me. Or rather who is right in front of me.

My father.

“There you are, sweetheart,” my grandmother says, standing up from the sofa. I can see by the look on her face that she’s relieved to see me. “I was wondering when you’d be home.”

“What are you doing here?” I ask. My happiness from earlier slowly seeps out of my body and I feel my face contort into a scowl, directed at the man in front of me.

“I came to see you,” my father replies. He diverts his eyes to the floor. Coward.

“What for?” My question comes out harsh and louder than I intended.

“Now, honey,” my grandmother interrupts. “Please, calm down and lower your voice.” Her head tilts to the side and the reason for her request sinks in. Ari is probably asleep upstairs and if I had to raise my voice I’d wake her up. And given that my father doesn’t know about her, I’m guessing it wouldn’t go down very well. Talk about an awkward family reunion.

“Sorry, Gama.” I look at my father, noting how his face is more drawn than it used to be, and how his hair has not only grayed a little more, but it has also thinned. The last two years certainly haven’t been kind to him. My chest constricts. I’ve missed him. So much. But I had to learn to live without him and my mother after I was labeled as not only a disgrace to our family, but also a common whore in our community.

“Well? What are you doing here?” I ask again, biting back the anger and resentment that have suddenly risen after being dormant for so long. It tastes like acid, burning its way up my throat and into my mouth.