Chapter 13: Chapter 13

MELODY

A loud knock on my door startled me. I hopped out of the bathtub and wrapped a towel around my body to answer it.

I opened the door and saw Jake and Nick standing there.

“Hey,” both said in unison.

“What are you doing here?” I crossed my arms.

“Can we come in?” Nick asked.

I nodded and stepped back.

“Just give me a minute to change.” I walked into the bathroom and put on a white tank top and yellow shorts.

“So?” I asked, sitting between them.

They looked at each other. “Dan is your boyfriend?” Jake asked.

“Yes?” It came out like a question.

“Okay, we just wanted to make sure you’re fine,” Jake said.

“Why?” I looked back and forth between them. They were behaving weirdly.

“We just wanted to check if you’re having safe sex. We mean, if you’re on the pill or he uses a condom,” Nick said.

“Oh my God, Nick! I don’t want to talk about my sex life with you guys!” I shrieked, standing up. I asked them to leave.

There was another knock. I looked at Jake and Nick. They shrugged. I opened my door and saw Mom, Dad, Lisa, and Xavier standing there.

I turned back to my brothers. They looked everywhere but at me.

~What the fuck is going on?~ I screamed mentally.

They all walked in and sat on the bed and the couch. They all looked at each other and not at me. Xavier’s jaw clenched tightly, and he was glaring at me.

~But why?~

~

I raised questioning eyebrows, and they all laughed nervously.

“What?” I asked, crossing my arms as I stood in the middle of the room.

“Sweetheart, we want to tell you we all like Dan very much. He’s a good man with a good family,” Mom said.

“I know, Mom. Dan is a good man, and his parents are sweet,” I gritted out. I didn’t know what was going on, but surely it was hitting my nerves.

Xavier hadn’t taken his eyes off me.

Mom and Dad looked at each other, and Mom nudged Dad and said, “We’re okay if you want to take your relationship to the next level.”

I looked at them like they had lost their minds. “And why would I do that?” I cocked my head.

“I know you’re young. Sometimes, we all make mistakes. You don’t have to hide things from us.”

“And what I am hiding?” I glared at my mom.

“I know, sis. You told us you’re on the pill. Sometimes, the pill doesn’t work, or a condom breaks. It’s not your fault. We can understand,” Jake said.

“We’re always there for you, whatever you decide,” Nick said.

~What the fuck? Everything is flying over my head.~

~

“Yes, honey. We’re always there for you.” Dad came forward and pulled me into his embrace and kissed my forehead affectionately.

I stepped back. “Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?” I snapped, frustrated.

“I know, sweetie. You’re pregnant, and you don’t need to hide anything from us,” Mom said, stepping closer.

~What the actual fuck?~

~

I stepped back and ran my hand through my hair a few times. They were watching me intently, and Xavier was throwing daggers at me, his jaw ticking and hands balled into fists.

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and slowly turned to them.

“I am not pregnant,” I said calmly.

“Baby, it’s okay,” Mom said softly.

“I am not pregnant!” I snapped and looked into everyone’s eyes.

“How do you know? You’re not a doctor, Mel. You were sick; you were feeling nauseated,” Lisa said. She took Xavier’s hand in hers.

A foreign sense of jealousy rose inside me. I clenched my jaw.

“I said. I. Am. Not. Pregnant,” I snapped and glared at their joined hands. He smirked and pulled back his hand from Lisa’s hold.

“You’re sexually active. It’s happened; we don’t blame you,” Jake said in a low voice.

“What the fuck? Didn’t you listen when I said I’m not pregnant?” I hissed. I was getting frustrated telling them the same thing over and over.

“But you are sexually active,” Lisa said, and my eyes connected with Xavier’s.

He was watching me curiously to see what my answer would be. If I said no, it would confirm that Dan was not my boyfriend, but I wanted to make it clear that I wasn’t pregnant.

I looked away from him and whispered, “No.”

“What do you mean? You have a boyfriend, and you’re saying you don’t sleep with him?”

I glared at my sister.

I was praying to God to stop this conversation. I didn’t want to strangle my own sister.

“When was the last time you had sex?” Mom asked.

“Seriously?” I asked incredulously.

Now I was definitely sure I had the craziest and weirdest family.

“Yes; when was the last time you had sex?” Mom asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“It’s been three months since I last had sex,” I gritted out. “And before you ask any more questions about my sex life, let me answer first.

“Dan and I are taking things slow. We want a long-term commitment, and we were so focused on our studies we didn’t have a thought about sex. Any more questions?”

I glared at everyone sitting in my room. I hated to lie about Dan and our relationship.

I saw Xavier exhale like he’d been holding his breath for too long.

“Oh my God. We’re sorry, sweetie. We were worried about you. We thought you were scared to tell us about your pregnancy.” She came and pulled me into a hug.

I saw Jake and Nick snicker at my embarrassment.

I glared at them, and they walked out after saying sorry. Xavier was the last to walk out.

After everyone had left, he pulled me close by the waist. Nuzzling my neck, he whispered, “Don’t lock the door. We need to talk.” He leaned to capture my lips in his. The kiss was soft and tender.

One last kiss on the forehead, and he walked away with a smile on his face, the same smile that I’d melted for the first time I saw him in the club that night.

I closed the door, debating whether to lock it. I locked the door and sat on the edge of the bed, then a second later, I unlocked it again.

After a while, I locked the door and started working on my laptop, but I couldn’t concentrate on the novel I was working on. I sighed and walked to the door and unlocked it again.

I lay there in bed, closing my eyes. I was planning a different type of scenario.

What would happen if he came in the middle of the night? Would we talk like adults? Or would he be angry at me for leaving him with only a note, or would he make love to me? No… No.

No lovemaking. He was my sister’s boyfriend.

I stood, and I was about to lock the door when Xavier walked in with a smug grin on his face at finding the door unlocked.

~Fuck.~

~

~I should have locked the door.~

~