Impossibly True (Impossibly Duology) (2 page)

CHAPTER
THREE

Branden

  
I counted down the hours
until I knew Moya was back in her dorm to give her a call. I
waited a few more minutes to allow her time to settle down. Hopefully, she
wasn’t too engrossed in studying as yet.

  
Moya answered on the first ring, barely letting it go through. “Hey, baby.” Her
sexy voice echoed through the phone. It sent my heartbeat on a marathon. I
wished I could feel her lips on mine right now.

  
“Hey yourself,” I managed to get out amid my fantasizing of touching places of
her body I hadn’t explored…yet. “How was your day? How’d you do on that test
this morning?”

  
“Hmm…” she moaned. “I did okay. My day wasn’t too bad either. We mostly
recapped in the other classes. But damn, right about now I’m dying for finals
to come so I can get a little break from school and studying.”

  
I sprawled out on my bed to get more comfortable. “Don’t worry, babe. Christmas
will be here before you know it.”

  
“Yeah.”
She sounded as if she was lying down as well.
Her next words came out in a near whisper. “I miss you.”

  
“Me too.
Five days is a long time, huh?”

  
She giggled in such a stimulating way. Everything about this girl turned me on.

  
“It is a long time, but I don’t want you driving here every evening just to see
me. You need to get plenty of rest like Doctor Henderson said.”

  
And there it was again, another hint that she was still worried about my
health. I wasn’t sure if Moya realized she’d been cautious around me since the
surgery. Whenever we met up on the weekends, she’d take her time to hug me,
always asking if she pressed into my chest too much. Or even when we’d go for a
walk, she’d ask if I needed to stop and catch my breath. I’d have to put off
telling her my plans to play hockey again, until she was convinced I was much
better.

  
I sat up in bed with my back against the headboard and my legs outstretched.
“It’s fine. You’ll be done soon and we can hang out as much as we want.”

  
There was a pause, like she’d quickly thought of something and brushed it
aside, deciding instead to say, “You’re right. I can’t wait.”

  
“My parents are excited about having you over again for dinner. You really
impressed them. Mom keeps asking about you.”

  
“Yeah, she’s cool. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting her to be so nice to me.”

  
I laughed. “I know she’s a bit intimidating at first, still she’s a great
person, really caring. She just wants the best for her sons. Like any mother
would.”

  
“Branden,” she drew in a deep breath. It made me curious.

  
“What’s up?”

  
There were muffled sounds in the background, like she was flipping the pages of
a book.

  
“Things are still uneasy for me,” she muttered, in a sad tone.

  
It didn’t take much to figure out what she was talking about. “You want to tell
me about it, babe?” I knew she was still having trouble letting go of what
happened with her mom and dad. Not sure how I would feel about my mother doing
that to me. Then again, my parents had both done despicable things that I
wonder sometimes, how I could have forgiven them.

  
“I’m trying to get over it, but…it’s so hard. I missed a lot of years with my
dad because of her lies. And at the same time, I still feel like it wasn’t all
her fault either. He should’ve tried harder.”

  
Till now, I had no clue on how to help Moya with her family issues. All I could
tell her was, “Give it time, and keep taking small steps. It’ll happen, babe.
Don’t force it.”

  
Releasing an air of relief, she said, “You always know the right things to say,
huh?”

  
I couldn’t help but grin. “Well, according to this girl I know, I’m a smart
ass.”

  
She tittered. “Is that so? I’d like to meet this girl.”

  
“You
should
meet her,” I continued to play around. “She’s beautiful,
smart, and not to mention sexy. She’s definitely a keeper, and I’m never
letting her go, ever.”

  
Moya went quiet again, possibly trying to calm herself after hearing my
compliments. I had that effect on her.

  
“I was thinking…” I held back to consider if I should ask.

  
“About?” she prompted me.

  
Just go for it.

  
“How about we go on a trip together?” Hopefully my bold proposition hadn’t
frightened her.

  
Moya went silent for a while, taking soft breaths while she deliberated
intensely. When she still didn’t answer, I said, “We don’t have to if you—”

  
“When?”
    

  
I slid off the bed and sat at the edge, hoping she’d say yes. “I was thinking
the weekend after New Year’s. Is that all right? We could leave on Friday and
be back by Monday, since the next semester doesn’t start until Tuesday.”

  
Please say yes. Please say yes.

  
“Okay.”

  
“Yes!” I shouted in the phone, unable to control my excitement.

  
She laughed. “Sounds like you have big plans for this trip.”

  
“What…oh,” I didn’t have any hidden sexual agendas, if that’s what she was
implying. Though, I wouldn’t mind taking it there. “I just want to kidnap you
for a while and keep you all to myself. No school. No worries.
Just us.”

  
“All right, Bran, if you say so.” I heard her yawn, obviously tired from a long
day.

  
“I’ll let you get some sleep then.”

  
“Hmm, okay. I’ll call you when I get home tomorrow evening.”

  
“Cool. Sweet dreams, Moya.”

  
“You too, Branden,” she whispered before ending the call. I sensed there was an
itch to say more, on her part and mine.

  
We hadn’t said “I love you” since that whole ordeal in the hospital. Maybe
she’d given more thought to it and concluded it was too soon. And in trying to
keep her comfortable, I’d done the same. There was this fear gnawing at my
heart too, that maybe she didn’t love me yet. Not the way I did.

  
Just as I reached over and placed my cell phone on top of the end table by my
bed, I heard a light rap on my door. Ashton opened it and stuck his head
inside.

  
“Can we
talk,
bro?” he asked, coming in.

  
I stood. “Sure. What’s up?”

  
He seemed troubled. Then again, Ashton was often troubled, in between focusing
on football, college, and girls.

  
“Well, I told you I was going on this study abroad thing, right?”

  
“Yeah?”

  
“So, actually, I was thinking about transferring to the college in Spain
completely and finishing up there.”

  
Surprised, I raised my brows and asked, “What? Why do you wanna do that?”

  
Folding his arms, he started to pace from left to right. “I like Spain.”

  
“Yeah, okay. Tell me the real reason.”

  
He stopped and looked me straight in the eye. “I’m being honest. Traveling is
something I’ve always wanted to do and Spain is a start.”

  
I blew hard before saying, “Wow. So what about football? Are you giving that
up?”

  
He shook his head and stared at the carpet. “It’s not for me anymore. I just
don’t have fun playing like I used to.”

  
“You’re giving up football, and you’ll be completing your studies at some
Spanish college?” I confirmed.

  
“Yep,” he bobbed his head slowly.

  
“Okay. I’m confused, just how are you going to explain this to Dad, not to
mention Mom? She’s going to go berserk when she hears.”

  
“I know that, but whatever. They’re just gonna have to deal with it. They have
their own issues anyway.”

  
I blew out a deep breath. “Tell me about it.”

  
“Well, look,” he turned and opened the door. “I just wanted to be straight with
you before taking off.”

  
“Yeah, I get it.”

  
Before stepping out into the hallway, he peered back at me and ask, “You cool,
little bro?”

  
I sat on the edge of my bed, nodding, “Yeah. I’m cool. Good luck, Ash.”

  
“Thanks.”

  
Closing my door, I heard his footsteps bustling down the stairs. He left me
thinking, how flipped out our parents would be when he told them his decision,
and how I wish it was me leaving this house instead.

CHAPTER
FOUR

Moya

  
Friday didn’t come soon enough
.  By the end of the day, I was driving home to Berlin
Heights with Vanessa. She looked better than she did yesterday, only her voice still
sounded hoarse.

  
“I can’t wait for this cold to go away. Don’t want to be sick over the
holiday,” she groaned, getting tissue out of her purse to wipe her nose.

  
“Well, until then, you just keep it to yourself, sweetie. I hate being sick.
I’m the most miserable person in the world when I have a cold.”

  
Vanessa managed a laugh in the middle of her coughing. “I know that’s right.
Not even your own momma wants to be around you when the green goblin comes
out,” she joked.

  
Suddenly, the air tensed. I wasn’t in the mood to talk about my family issues,
and right about now, I knew she was going to take it there. She’d been waiting
for the perfect opportunity.

  
“How are things with y’all now?”

  
“It’s…all right.”   

  
“All right as in after coming close to losing Branden you realized being mad
isn’t worth it, or all right as in you’re just not going to talk about it and
leave things unsettled between you and your momma and give her one dry
conversation for the rest of your life?”

  
Vanessa knew me well enough to answer her own question. We’d been best friends
since her family moved to Berlin Heights and she started going to my elementary
school. It didn’t take her long to learn everything about me, especially how I
coped with things, or rather, how I didn’t handle things and only pushed them
aside.

  
“Moya?”

  
“Huh?” I snapped out of my thoughts.

  
“Are you getting anywhere with your father?” she pressed.

  
“Forgiveness takes time,” I said softly.

  
“But y’all were hugging at the hospital. So, how come there hasn’t been any
progress?”

  
“Because...” she was starting to frustrate me with her questions. I still had
the feeling of abandonment gnawing at my heart, and I wanted to deal with it on
my own. “School’s been keeping me busy. I’ll call him during the break.”

  
My voice sounded a shakier than normal. I wondered if Vanessa noticed my
apprehension and eagerness to drop the subject.

  
She sighed.
“So stubborn.
That sounds to me like you’re
not even trying. I don’t get it. Girl, your father’s back. I know it’s what
you’ve secretly wanted all these years. Now do something.”

  
I heard a pang of hurt in her voice, possibly from not having her own father
around. Still, it was hard for me. Not only was I scared of rebuilding what had
been missing for years, I was hesitant of allowing myself to believe my father
would stay in my life and not disappear again. No matter what caused him to
leave before.

  
Thankfully, Vanessa didn’t push further. The rest of the drive home remained
peaceful with only the emotional, heartwarming, and honey-like harmonies of a
Toni Braxton’s song,
Hero
. The purity in her flawless voice, enforced
with realistic lyrics, instantly reminded me of Branden and the way he broke
down my walls with ease, filling me with a passion I hadn’t experienced before.
Indeed, my heart never had a hero, and he was mine.

  
I arrived in our neighborhood in no time, pulling up outside of my house.
Turning the car off, I glanced over at the driveway. Momma’s car was there.

  
“Wanna go to the mall in the morning?” Vanessa asked before getting out.

  
“Sure. I need some stuff for winter.”

  
“Cool.” She reached over to the backseat and grabbed her bag. I did the same.

  
As we stepped out of the car, she said, “Remember girl, life is short. Don’t
play with it.”

  
Funny how people who’d lost loved ones said that more often
than others who hadn’t.

  
I walked around to where she was standing, giving her a light pat on the arm.
“I know.”

  
“Well, thanks for the ride as always.” Vanessa angled her head to the side and
made a grateful pout, spreading her arms apart to give me a hug.

  
I backed up and lifted my palms, stopping her. “I love you, but no hugs until
you’re better and I don’t hear you
sniffling
your nose
every minute.”

  
“Dang, Ms. Thang. Don’t act like you’ve never had a cold.” She sucked her
teeth, pursed her lips, and rolled her eyes playfully.

  
“Hey, I don’t wanna catch it,” I defended.

  
“Fine.
I’m going home. Bye.”

  
Vanessa draped her backpack over one shoulder and strutted past me.

  
“Bye,” I chortled, watching as she rounded the corner to her house.

  
Looking back at mine, my smile faded a bit as I entered the gate and walked up
the porch steps.
Here we go
.

  
“I’m home,” I called out as I opened the front door.   “Hey, baby.”
Momma came out of the kitchen, meeting me in the foyer. The house smelled like
soup. “How was the drive home?” She wrapped her arms around me. I lightly
hugged her back, wanting to forgive and forget, and recapture that
mother-daughter closeness we had before.

  
I had to try.

  
“The drive was alright,” I muttered as she pulled away to let me catch my
breath. “Nessa came down with me too. She caught a cold.”

  
“Oh,” she frowned.
“Poor thing.
Well, at least her
momma’s a nurse so she can get better faster than most. You want to snack on
something before dinner, baby? I made brownies.”

  
I nodded and followed her into the kitchen where she was boiling her favorite
pumpkin soup. Leaning against the counter, I took a bite into a brownie then
asked, “Almost done?”

  
Momma stirred the pot, tapped the spoon at the side, and placed it on top of
the counter beside the stove.
“Almost.”

  
For a moment, she stood staring at me, picking at her apron. Her mouth twitched
as if she wanted to say something, but not quite sure of the right words.

  
I eased away from the counter. “I’m going to read a bit until the soup’s
ready.”

  
Turning to head out of the kitchen, Momma called out to me before I went down
the hall to my bedroom. “Please don’t be upset…”

  
Perplexed, I spun to face her.
“Upset about what?”

  
She wiped her hands on the apron as she spoke. “I invited your daddy to
Christmas dinner.”

  
Honestly, I wasn’t surprised.

  
“It’s fine. I’m not upset.”

  
She stared at me with a quizzical look in her eyes. “You sure, baby?”

  
“Yeah, Momma,” I smiled as I spoke calmly. “Why would I be upset? I mean, you
made the decision to kick him out of my life, and now you’re making the
decision to bring him back. It’s all up to you.”

  
Her eyes sank, her face dropped. She was deeply hurt. Things just kept slipping
out without me thinking first. When did I become so insensitive to my own
mother?

  
Remembering what Branden said about taking baby steps, and Vanessa reminding me
that life was short, I swallowed my pride and walked up to her.

  
“I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to fix things, and I haven’t been the easiest
person to deal with—”

  
“You have every right to be mad at me, baby girl,” she cut me off. “There’s no
way you could up and forgive me for what I did, not this soon. I just…” she
looked at my hands, taking them into hers. They were warm, comforting, yet
coarse from working so hard. “It’s a lot to ask, but could you please try?”

  
This time, I wrapped my arms around her. “I am trying, Momma. I am.”