Mina Ch. 04

"Dammit, Bryan! Now I have to kick your ass!" Linda yelled from the living room when her son walked into the house. She'd seen him pull into the driveway and had been waiting for to get in the house. It had been three days since Mina had called her in a panic over her son's disappearing act. Linda had no idea where Bryan had been for the past few days, but as soon as he dragged his sorry ass in the house she knew that he'd fucked up.

"Leave me alone, ma! I don't feel like listening to any lectures right now." He made a beeline for the staircase, but she caught up with him at the bottom.

"I don't give a shit how you feel! What about how I feel? Finally, one of my sons brings home a girl that talks about something other than clothes and reads something other than The Enquirer! Then, you knock her up and break her heart!"

Midway through his retreat to the second floor, Bryan turned to face his mother, two steps below. "The Enquirer is the only thing you read."

"We're not talking about me!" Linda screeched. "We're talking about my grandchild!"

"Ava is two months old. She's not reading anything."

Linda glared at him. "Look, smart ass, all I'm saying is you better send a check every week and have that child over here a lot...a whole hell of a lot."

Brian resumed his climb up the stairs.

"I'm serious!" Linda said in hot pursuit. "You will help Mina. Don't be like your brother!"

"I'm nothing like Logan," Bryan informed her. "I already paid six months of rent, bills, and daycare."

"What about visitation?"

"Ask Mina!" Bryan said slamming his room door.

Linda gave the door a hard hit with her closed fist. She pressed her forehead against the door and sighed...just once couldn't life go the easy route?

***

Weeks later, Mina was still a wreck. She was still devastated about Bryan's cheating and the subsequent break up. She'd cried every day, dodging calls until Linda showed up to her apartment. She agreed to weekly visits which had helped a lot with her school work. Bryan was never around when she showed up with Ava, but she knew he was there. He was somewhere in that house because his black Acura was always in the driveway.

It still made her sad to think that after all that time together, she and Bryan weren't on speaking terms. But how could she look at him, knowing he'd gone out and cheated on her? She couldn't talk to him without asking him why he'd done it...at least not yet. She still cared too much. She still loved him and no matter what name her mother called him, Mina had a sneaking suspicion that she'd always love him.

Ava yawned in her car seat and Mina sighed. She was standing at the door to Linda's house. She'd knocked on that door too many times to count. The heavy lump in her throat began to burn as she glanced at Bryan's black Acura. He was there...somewhere in that house. He would spend the next few hours playing with his daughter and retreat to his hiding place, probably the basement, when Mina showed up later that night to pick up Ava.

Don answered the door when Mina finally worked up the nerve to knock. Bryan's stepfather had a Santa-like quality. He was around six foot, with white streaks through his brown hair and goatee. His face was rounded, and he had the middle-aged man pot belly, but he still carried himself like a martial artist. His back stayed straight and he always seemed to be watching and listening for something. He was perpetually on the defensive.

Don's smile made Mina sad all over again. He was as close to an involved father as she'd ever gotten. He went to work every day at the tool store he owned, and he always came home to sit at the dinner table. He had all his kids together on a regular basis and they loved him. No matter how much shit Bryan gave Don, it was obvious that he loved his stepfather. He loved him enough to drop the "step" and call him his dad...just dad.

Mina handed the car seat to Don and then the diaper bag. "I'll be back at seven or seven-thirty. She'll be hungry in an hour."

Don nodded. "I'll let Bryan know."

"Thanks," Mina said turning to retreat back up the driveway to the car her mom had recently given her. The five year old white Honda Accord was parked behind the Acura. Mina had the urge to throw it into drive and slaughter Bryan's rear bumper, but she and Ava needed the car in good working condition. Mina put the car in reverse instead.

***

Ava became even more beautiful as time went on. Her black hair became thick and grew out in large curls. Her thighs plumped and she began to crawl. Her laugh was infectious. Her daddy would blow on her belly to bring out peals of laughter and squeals. Her mommy would peek-a-boo for an hour and relish every grin and giggle.

The Fall Semester was about to start. Mina was ready for a full course load again. She welcomed the distraction. She didn't have it bad, not at all. Her scholarship paid for all her books and tuition, her mother gave her money every week for gas and groceries, the landlord told her that Bryan had been taking care of the rent every month, and she suspected he was doing the same with the other bills. Whenever she went in to pay them, the balance was zero. So she always had money and didn't have to worry about Ava. Even though she was secure, she was lonely. She didn't have anyone to talk to on a regular basis. All her classmates had parties and bars on their mind so they were not exactly friend-material. Her mother wasn't the best when it came to girl-talk and she tried to limit her conversations with Linda to only the subject of Ava.

Maybe that's what found her in the student union that Wednesday afternoon. Even though she wasn't hanging out with anyone, it was nice to be surrounded by other people. She sat in a tattered armchair reading while people buzzed around her. There was something comforting in being in the middle of adult conversations and laughter even though she wasn't involved. Before she knew it, she had dozed.

"Hey," a male voice said jarring her awake.

Mina jumped and her copy of Wuthering Heights tumbled off her lap and onto the tile floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the guy said reaching for the book just as Mina did the same.

"Thanks," she said accepting it and silently grumbling about her lost page.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he said smiling. It was his smile that brought Mina out of her sleepy haze and face to face with the handsome William Malone. His smile lit up his face which was a light, paper bag brown. His eyes were black as night and his black hair was cut in a tight fade. She recognized him from the Student Government page on the Adam's University web site. He had been Freshman class president.

"Uh...uh...it's okay. It's my fault. I shouldn't have fallen asleep." Mina moved to stand, and noticed he was holding out his hand to help her.

She slipped her hand into his and her stomach clenched. His hand was large and warm. She felt face grow hot, embarrassed by her reaction to a simple touch. Had it been that long?

"I'm William," he said when she stood.

Mina hesitated when he put out his hand to shake. "Mina," she said trying to give a friendly smile.

"You must be incredibly tired to fall asleep in the middle of this," he motioned to the room around them.

Mina laughed. "I'm a heavy sleeper."

William smiled. "You're also beautiful when you're asleep."

Mina's face felt hot. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"You know, I'd love to take you out sometime."

Mina laughed again. "I have a baby."

William nodded. "That's not exactly an answer."

Mina rolled her eyes. Didn't men usually tuck tail and run when confronted with a woman that had a baby? What was this guy's problem?

"If you don't have a sitter, we can take your baby with us. Is that what you meant?"

Mina stared at him; sure her shock was written in her expression. "I can get a sitter."

"Good," William said putting on that smile again. "How about dinner on Friday?"

"No...not Friday. That's actually my birthday."

"You've got plans?"

"No, actually I don't." Mina felt the conversation was spinning out of her control somehow.

"Well, then let's go out on your birthday. I promise you won't be disappointed."

"Okay, then," Mina relented. "I'll give you my number."

***

Bryan hit the bottom step and froze. He'd been so excited to see Ava, he'd forgotten to wait for Mina's car to pull out of the driveway before he ran downstairs. His smile dropped when he saw Mina standing in the kitchen with his mother. It wasn't just the fact that they hadn't been face to face since she kicked him out of the apartment. She standing there so beautiful he was finding it hard to breathe.

Mina's hair was pulled up and away from her face in a loose bun. She wore no makeup and a dress that Bryan would have ripped off in a split second when they were still together. The dress had a halter top; the satiny material looped behind her neck and left her smooth brown shoulders bare. Her breasts, a bit larger than they were before from breast-feeding, made a deep cleavage. The black dress held onto every curve and the light danced across it as she moved. She didn't notice him, but turned to say hello to Don as he joined them in the kitchen. The dress left almost her entire back naked. Bryan's heart seized as he watched his step-father hug Mina.

Don rested his hand against her back as they talked for a few seconds. Bryan's envy took hold. He wanted to rush over there and separate them. His dad's hand on Mina's bare back was maddening. Bryan knew there was no reason to think Don's touch was anything but fatherly...but her back was naked. If he was touching her t-shirt it would be one thing, but his skin was on her skin. Bryan tried to squelch his temper but his voice was uncharacteristically loud when he said, "Dad!"

Everyone turned to look at him and he felt like an ass. Mina's smile faded and she started for the door. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," she said to Don and Linda.

"Wait," Bryan said moving between her and the door that led out of the awkwardness that had enveloped the whole room. "Happy Birthday," he said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets to keep from touching her face, or her shoulder, or her back...why did he want to erase Don's fingerprints from her skin and replace them with his own?

"Thanks," Mina said.

"You look beautiful," Bryan's voice cracked.

"Thanks. I'm going to La Bella Noche."

"Fancy."

Mina felt like a five year old in time out. She was squirmy and nervous. "I don't want to be late."

Bryan nodded and stepped aside so she could leave. He stared at the door for what felt like forever before turning around.

Linda had Ava on her hip and stood staring at her son. Don put an arm around his wife and fixed his gaze on Bryan too. "She has a date," Linda said tipping her head so the top of Ava's head rested against her cheek.

Bryan stepped toward the staircase. "Mom, could you..."

"Baby sit...of course I can. I'd be happy to watch my granddaughter. Make sure you put on a tie. They won't let you in without a tie!"

Bryan barely heard the end of his mother's sentence as he bounded up the stairs to his room.

***

Bryan hadn't bothered with the tie. Luckily Mina and the guy were at a table relatively close to a large picture window. Bryan stood on the sidewalk with the hood of his sweatshirt semi-covering his face and stared at them.

The guy, light-skinned, tall and always smiling, spoke with the waiter for a moment before turning back to Mina. He said something to her. She laughed. Bryan wanted to vomit. She touched his hand over the table. He leaned forward and winked. Bryan's fists clenched in the pockets of his gray sweatshirt. She sat back in her chair and took a sip of water. Mina's movement was so fluid and graceful. Bryan turned and headed back to his car. He couldn't stand it anymore. She was beautiful and delicate. She was comfortable with this guy. She laughed. He made her laugh! Ugh.

Why hadn't she ever dressed that way for him? There was the prom, but the prom was a stupid high school rite of passage. This was a Friday night and she had put that dress on for HIM, not for pictures their parents would frame and prop up somewhere in the house so the two of them could be embarrassed every time they passed by. Bryan wanted to hate this guy...but it was his own fault. Mina had always asked him to take her to La Bella Noche, but he had never been interested.

Bryan got in his car and headed straight for Mina's apartment. There was nowhere else for him to go. He couldn't go home with the annoying lump of regret and jealousy in his stomach.

His key still worked. Everything was the same as when he'd left, except neater.

"Hmmph," he mumbled, "maybe I am as big a slob as mom says."

Bryan went to Mina's bedroom. She'd changed the curtains, the bedspread, and put up a bookshelf in the corner where he'd wanted a television.

Bryan pulled out the nightstand drawer and cursed. There was a pack of Trojans staring back at him. They hadn't used condoms since Ava was in the womb. That unopened box of condoms mocked him and incinerated the last bit of his pride. Tears swam as he slammed the drawer shut and left the bedroom. He went to his daughter's room and cried into the pink teddy bear he'd gotten the day they brought her home from the hospital.

In the middle of Ava's crowded pink and white nursery, he came to a realization. He hadn't been trapped in that apartment. He hadn't been trapped in the life he had with Mina and Ava. He'd been scared. When he should have been able to find comfort in their quiet routine, he became uneasy. Why? Why had he been so unwilling to accept that life?

He thought about his father. He'd only been six when his father had left, but he remembered. His father went to his construction job every day, made it home in time for dinner, and tucked him in every night. Until he decided he wanted more...or different...whatever it was he wanted didn't include Linda, Logan, and Bryan. He had been too much like his father all those months ago, or maybe he was scared to become like his father. He'd just found a different way to run out on his family.

This isn't going to work, Bryan thought putting the tear-soaked bear back in Ava's crib. Things were going to have to change, and it started with him. He had to get his family back. He was not his father.

***

Mina slipped her key into the lock and frowned. She'd had such a great time with William and he had made her birthday fun. They'd had dinner, walked in the park, and he'd even given her a present, the latest John Legend CD. It was thoughtful and completely appropriate.

She thought about how she'd hugged him on the stoop and said goodbye. Should she have invited him upstairs? She'd never actually dated the right way before and had no clue what she was supposed to do at the end of the evening. On television, "Do you want to come up?" translates to "Do you want to come fuck?" There was no way she was ready for that. She couldn't afford the distraction and besides, she still half expected Bryan to be in her bed when she woke up in the mornings.

She flipped the light switch as she retracted her key and screamed.

Bryan rolled off the couch where he'd been asleep and hit the floor. His hip hurt like hell and he was momentarily blinded by the bright light.

"Bryan?" Mina gasped. She slammed the door shut before her neighbors came out of their apartments to curse her out for screaming in the hallway at ten o' clock at night. "Bryan, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Fuck!" Bryan said pulling himself to a standing position using the arm of the couch. "That's gonna bruise up nice."

Mina fought the urge to ask him where he was hurt. "Why are you in my apartment in the middle of the night?"

Bryan seemingly shrunk under her glare. "I just wanted to see the place...the nursery...I'm sorry."

"God Bryan!" Mina tossed her purse onto the couch and snatched the throw pillows off the floor where he'd knocked them when he'd flailed off. "You scared the crap out of me. You shouldn't have been in here in the dark." She threw the pillows back on the furniture and sighed. "I'll go see if I woke up the baby."

"She's not here," Bryan said quickly. Mina frowned. "My parents are babysitting."

"If Ava's not here, why are you? You don't live here anymore."

Bryan watched Mina tense. Her back straightened and her jaw clenched. She crossed her arms in front of her, in a stance that would have been foreboding if it didn't cause her breasts to crush together and distract him from the stormy look she had on her face.

"I know that," he said shoving his hands into his pockets. "It's just that it's your birthday...and the night we met...and I miss you so much." His throat burned with that admission.

Mina turned from him to look at the front door. Thank God I didn't ask William up here, she thought. Bryan's hands on her shoulder forced her thoughts back into the present, in the living room where she had just gotten the answer to one of the questions that had been niggling in the back of her mind for months. He missed her.

"Mina," Bryan whispered gently turning her back around to face him. "I'm so..."

She didn't give him a chance to finish. She just kissed him. Her eyes pressed shut to restrain the tears. She wrapped her arms around his neck and after recovering from his shock; Bryan pulled her to him and deepened the kiss. She melted into him, reaching under his sweat shirt to touch his bare back. She ran her palms over the familiar peaks and valleys sighing as he did the same to her.

Bryan opened his hands and ran them over Mina's back. God, he'd thought about having the chance to kiss her again. He'd dreamt about her taking him back, making him beg first, and making him make it up to her and their daughter. He never thought she'd be the one to kiss him first. He moaned as her tongue touched his. He pulled her against him so she could feel his hardness against her hip.

"Come on," Mina said putting a hand into the front pocket of his hoodie and pulling him back towards the bedroom.

Bryan's heart leapt. She was taking him to bed...back to their bed. He wanted to run ahead of her, dive into the covers, and open his arms for her to fall into them. His mind flashed to the black box in the end table.

"Wait," he said grabbing Mina's wrist. "You've got condoms."

She nodded. "Yeah, I do."

Bryan felt like an ass but he had to keep going. "Who are the condoms for?"

"What?" Mina could not believe she was standing there having this conversation. She hadn't been the one who'd cheated.

"Are they for the guy you went out with tonight?" Bryan's throat burned again.

"They're just in case," Mina said crossing her arms in front of her again.

Bryan wanted to take her hand and pull her close again. He couldn't stand the way she had shrunk away from him. "In case you took me back or in case he..."

"Ohmigod," Mina said before pushing past him and pulling the front door open again. "I think it's time for you to go."

Bryan nodded. He glanced at the open bedroom door and frowned. He couldn't let this guy get into his bed with his girl. He ducked into the bedroom but before Mina could follow him, he emerged again with the box of condoms. He watched with some satisfaction as Mina's jaw dropped. He kissed her forehead and shook the box. Mina was too shocked to pull away, even when he crooked a finger, put it under her chin, and fixed his bright green eyes on hers. "I'll be back," he said. "I'll make it all up to you, and I'll be back."

She stared at him as he walked away down the dimly lit hallway. Bryan's shoulders were bent; he shoved the box in the front pocket of his sweatshirt and pulled the hood up. She bit down on her lip hard, not enough to break skin, just enough to sting. She wanted to punish herself for wanting to sleep with him, months of silence and he shows up to her apartment alone in the dark and the first thing she wants to do is bed him? There was something wrong with that, for real.