Page 32 of Ember

Chapter 12

Pulling the comforter around her body, Danica’s heavy eyes blinked lazily. She was tired, but sleep had been avoiding her since she saw Tucker kissing another woman. The past three days of her life were spent mourning the fact that he’d come along and made her fall in love with him, when he wasn’t really in their situation the way she was.

Love had been the furthest thing from her mind, but with Tucker, it was easy. She could see beyond the handsome face and uniform, deep inside to the broken man calling out for her. At least, she thought he was calling out for her. Clearly, he’d been in the streets for any and everybody to claim.

Shifting underneath her blanket, she stared up at the ceiling cursing herself out in her head. Danica would give herself a day to mourn their friendship and what she thought they were building, before forcing herself to get over it. As quickly as the love had come, she was sure it would wash away.

Her heavy eyes blinked again, finally on the verge of closing when a loud boom sounded against her bedroom door.

“You dressed?” Casimir’s voice penetrated the veil of silence in her room.

“Cas, go away.”

“Yo ass has been DND’ing me for the past couple of days, I ain’t going nowhere. Now you got clothes on or no?”

“What I have is a massive headache and the need to be alone.”

“Alright, fuck it.”

Before she could object, he was pushing her bedroom door open. Danica was indeed clothed underneath her blanket, and didn’t flinch when his face came into view.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” He demanded, taking a seat at the edge of her bed.

“If my phone being on, do not disturb, wasn’t clear enough, then let me clarify. I don’t want to talk.”

“Unlike the rest of the punk ass people in our family, you don’t scare me, and I don’t care if you want to talk. You’re my sister, and it’s my job to protect you.”

“Am I not older than you?”

“That ain’t got shit to do with the cost of tea in China. What’s up with you, Dani? Talk to me.” Stretching out across her bed, playfully hitting her arm.

“I think things with Tucker and I are finished.” She admitted, knowing that he wasn’t going away until he got what he wanted.

“I figured it had something to do with him, when he dropped by Mom and Dad’s looking for you.”

Her eyes widened at that particular piece of news. “Wait, he did what?”

“He said, I came by your Mom and Dad’s house looking for you,” Tucker’s voice tugged at her heartstrings as he strolled into the room looking good enough to eat.

Danica turned her gaze on Casimir, who just shrugged after pulling himself into a sitting position. “Don’t be mad at me, sis. Talk to the man.”

He left the two alone, and Tucker took a seat on the bed, gently caressing her shoulder. “What’s going on with you, Dani bae? Why you icing me out?”

“Just go,” she smacked his hand away, laying down and turning her back to him.

“I’m not going anywhere.” He declared. “Not until you tell me what’s up. Are you feeling some type away about us after visiting Amad? I know…”

“It has nothing to do with Amad, and everything to do with you,” She replied icily. “I don’t want to see you, and I don’t want to talk to you.”

“I don’t understand why you’re so upset with me. If anything, I should be the one angry that I haven’t heard from you since…”

“Since I rode past the station and saw you kissing whatever woman you were standing outside with.” Danica’s tone was filled with venom as she sat up, turning to glare at him. “Really, Tucker? I can’t believe that you would do something like that to me after everything that we’ve…”

One of his large hands cupped the side of her face, throwing off her argument. “Dani,” His voice rumbled deeply. “I can imagine what you might be feeling after what you saw, but I would never do something like that to you.”

“Whatever.” She jerked out of his grip. “You can’t possibly think that I would believe you over my own eyes.”

“I’m not disputing what you saw, Dani bae, but I’m telling you the circumstances of what you saw aren’t what you think. The night I opened up to you about everything with Charlotte, I realized that I played a role in pushing my ex-fiancée away. I texted her to apologize so I could have a clear conscience about moving forward with you. She took it as if I wanted her back and popped up at the station to talk. Before I could shut her down, she kissed me, but I shut it down before it went too far.”