Blood of the Covenant Pt. 01

"Every time though? Really?"

"Of course. I don't want to be a dad. Not yet anyway."

"Oh but I bet you wanna be a daddy."

"You were grossed out by me saying I wrap it up, yet you just said daddy."

"I'm a complicated girl."

"What happened to the cute, clingy Zoe that was around the past few days?"

"Oh that's just because I missed you." She smirked. "You've been back home long enough. You get the real me now."

"I don't like this one." I sighed. "It's a wonder what Stephen sees in you."

For a moment I thought I felt her legs tense up, but they were relaxed seconds later. "I'm quite the catch."

"Uh-huh. Sure." I nodded. "How'd you two meet again?"

"Photography club. We had a competition within the club, and I won. He got second."

"Wouldn't be a Rossi if you lost." The Rossi women don't lose at anything they set their mind to. It was as if their stubbornness insured their success. "Did you win anything other than the satisfaction of crushing your enemies?"

"Five hundred dollars." She grinned.

"Holy shit!" My jaw dropped. I knew she was talented but damn. "Can I see the picture?"

"After my massage." She got comfortable and laid her head back to rest on the armrest. "10 more minutes."

"Five."

"Eight."

"Deal." I glanced at the clock to take note of the time and 8 minutes later I stopped. "Alright let's go."

I followed her upstairs and she began looking through her file cabinet. Yes. She has a file cabinet in her room. She's been taking pictures ever since I got her a small digital one for her tenth birthday and she began keeping her prints in the file cabinet. She had thrown some of her old ones into a box up in the attic, but the file cabinet had served as a guardian of her photos for a long time. "Here." She pulled it out and handed it to me.

In the photo was a black woman in her mid-thirties with her arms spread. She was glaring at two cops, her stance giving a feel of pure defiance. Behind her was a mix group of teenagers of various ethnic backgrounds holding up signs. "Protest?"

"Mhm." Zoe nodded. "I went to join in and took my camera just in case I got a good chance."

"I can see why you won." I admired the picture some more. The angle of the picture and the way she had framed the subjects made the woman look bigger than the cops. Stronger. A story told without any words. Zoe had no business being this talented. "What'd you do with the money?"

"Secret." She took the picture back and filed it.

"Ooooo did you buy me something?" I grinned.

"Ha! You wish." She locked the cabinet and turned to me. "I want a burger. Wanna go out to eat?"

"Sure. Let's ask Emily if she wants to come."

Emily wasn't that hungry, but she joined us anyway since she had been inside all day. Even a computer nerd like her realized she needed fresh air every once and awhile. After we had placed our orders at the local burger joint, we slid into a booth while Zoe went to the restroom. "You know that contest that Zoe won? What'd she do with the prize money?" I asked; my curiosity was forcing me to find out what she had done with the money.

"Some people got badly hurt during the protest, so she donated it to their GoFundMe page to help cover their medical expenses." Emily chewed on her straw. A habit that hadn't changed in all the time I've known her. "She doesn't know I know though. I saw her laptop screen over her shoulder when she did the donation."

I smiled. Of course she donated it. And of course she didn't brag about it. When Zoe got back and sat next to me, I pulled her into a side hug. She made a face and looked at me. "What's with the hug?"

"Can't I hug my sister for no reason?"

"Yeah I guess so." She smiled.

"Hey." Emily got my attention by lightly kicking my calf. "Brie."

I turned and grimaced. The girl I had broken up with before leaving for Germany. It's 2018. A time period where all sorts of relationships were being accepted. Homosexual. Open marriages. Polyamorous. And so on. I'm a progressive guy. I support any adult being involved in those relationships if they want to. Brie informed me of her interest in an open relationship by spreading her legs for her roommate. I did not share her interest. "I'd wish for her to choke on her burger but she's too good at swallowing meat."

Zoe shot her soda out of her nose. "Jesus Christ Banri."

"I wonder if she knows they don't serve hot dogs here." Emily said dryly, glaring daggers into Brie's back. She had been angrier than me about what Brie did since she was the one to introduce us.

Our order number was called out, so Zoe went to grab it. Emily frowned. "Oh shit. I think she's looking for you."

"What? Why do you say that?" I turned again and saw that Brie was in fact looking around. Unfortunately she made eye contact and hurried over.

"Hey, Banri."

"Hey."

"I uh... Can we talk?"

"I'm having dinner with my family."

"Please?" Brie widened her eyes in classic puppy dog style. Funny how she thought that would still work on me.

"Go on, Banri." Emily waved me away. "Find out what the slut wants."

Brie turned crimson but didn't say anything. I got up with a sigh and followed Brie to the outer dining area. "What do you want Brie?"

"I wanted to apologize. Again."

"I already told you that we're cool. No need to apologize anymore."

"Then why won't you give me another chance?" Brie reached for my hand and was left reaching when I pulled away. "You've ignored all my messages. Snapchats. Everything."

To Brie's credit, she had confessed immediately after cheating on me. Hadn't tried to hide it and just sat quietly in tears as I had shouted at her. A year down the drain. I sighed. "Just because I forgave you doesn't mean that I want to date you or even be around you." I hadn't forgiven her. How could I? It had only been 6 months since it happened, and I had spent it having meaningless sex. Not the healthiest way to move on. I was only saying this, so she'd have some peace of mind and leave me alone. Mostly the latter.

"Please, Benny I still lov-"

I held up my hand. "It's Banri to you."

The tears that had been welling up finally began falling. I hated the nickname 'Benny' but had allowed her to call me that since she loved it so much. "Okay. I understand. I'll leave you alone now."

"Thank you." I said. "How'd you know I was here?"

"You're always here." She mumbled. "... And Zoe might've made a tweet about getting burgers with the fam."

"Ah. Cyberstalking."

She blushed. "Not on purpose."

"Yeah alright." I opened the door and motioned for her to enter. "Seeya Brie."

"Just tell me one thing. Please?"

"What?"

She looked around then spoke in a lowered voice. "How's your... problem?"

"It's fine." My jaw clenched.

"Really?" She looked relieved. "That's good."

"Not like it really matters to you."

Looking as if I had just slapped her in the face, she brushed past me without a word, wiping her eyes and trying to hide it from the other patrons. I sat back down at the booth and Zoe pushed my burger over. "What'd she want?"

"Another chance." I began eating immediately. If you're ever going to eat a burger in a restaurant, don't eat it at a fast food place or even a chain restaurant. Go to a place that only exists in your city. That's where you'll find the good stuff since they don't sacrifice taste for cost and time efficiency. To be honest, that rule applies to most food. "God, I missed these."

"Another chance? Seriously?" Zoe breathed hard through her nose in disapproval. Or to get the weird feeling to go away from shooting soda out of her nostrils. "She's lucky you still talk to her."

"Yeah where'd she get the balls to ask?"

"From some dude she blew?"

"Apparently she still loves me." I said around a mouthful, high fiving Zoe for her joke.

"Oh shit." Emily smirked.

"Obviously she still loves you." Zoe smiled, stealing one of my fries. "You're a great catch."

"Butter me up all you want." I pulled my fries away from her. "You're not getting more."

"I'm not buttering you up." Zoe reached for them anyway and pouted when I hit her hand. "You are a catch."

"Fine. You get two for the continued compliment." I tossed two fries onto her pile of onion rings. "Speaking of catches. When are we going to meet Stephen?"

"How about never?"

"Why?" I frowned and looked at Emily to see if she knew.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Of course never. You beat up the last one."

"The last one grabbed her ass at Mrs. Parker's funeral." I said.

"It was fucked up, but you turned it into a big thing when I could have taken care of it. You're lucky Rye was understanding, or he would have fucked your shit up." Zoe scowled. "You don't need to come saving me every time I'm in trouble."

"But... That's literally my job." I said. Ryan Parker would have definitely fucked my shit up. "Even Rye would agree. He does the same thing for Beth and Belle."

"A brother's job is to save his sister when she can't save herself." Zoe corrected.

This coming from the girl that had been clinging to me for a week after I got back home. "Fine. If I promise to behave, can we meet the guy?"

"Yeah." Zoe grinned. "He's coming over for dinner tomorrow."

"So what was all this about?"

"We like to give you shit." Emily grinned as well.

I gave them both the finger, but I couldn't help but smile.

***

"Banri. Stephen." Zoe stood between me and Stephen, motioning vaguely. "Stephen. Banri."

"Hey." I took his hand and shook it. He looked handsome enough and was dressed well, presumably to impress us. Yet there was something about him that felt off to me. I learned when I was very young, in an extremely painful way, to always trust your gut. "Heard you're pretty good at photography." Not as good as Zoe, fuckface.

"I'm alright. Could be better." He smiled.

"Humble too." Emily said. "Alright let's stop talking in the foyer. Mom says dinner is ready to eat."

I kept an eye on Stephen the whole time. He talked pleasantly and made plenty of good jokes. I even laughed, in a genuine way, at some of them. The dude was funny and charming. But there was still something off about him and it bothered me that I couldn't place why. I realized the answer during dessert. His smile. It was just his mouth that smiled. Didn't reach his eyes at all. They remained lifeless. The bottom of his face showing joy and the top showing apathy created an off-putting asymmetry.

"So did you get a chance to go outside of Germany?" Stephen broke me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah we actually took a small trip to Amsterdam." I grinned.

"Banri don't tell me..." Mom frowned.

"Hey it's legal there!"

"I know that." She shook her head. "But how many times do I have to tell you that anything going into your lungs that isn't normal air is bad for you?"

"Relax, Mom." I said. "Just had brownies."

"Good." She seemed satisfied.

"You're actually okay with it?" Stephen asked.

"Why not? He's responsible enough on top of being an adult." Mom shrugged. "And even if I wasn't, he'd do it anyway because he's a rebellious little shit."

"Okay that's enough wine for you, Mom." Zoe took the wine glass from her and handed it to Emily for her to finish off. Mom got extra blunt when she got anywhere past 'tipsy'.

"Speaking of enough." Stephen got up. "I should get going. I've got work tomorrow."

"Well it was nice to finally meet you." Emily smiled. "Under proper lighting. Your Instagram pictures don't show your face very well."

"I'll be sure to change that then." Stephen waved to Mom and nodded at me. "Later, Banri."

"Later." I stared at his back as Zoe led him to the front door.

"You hate him, don't you?" Emily handed me the wine glass. There was about one sip left which I gladly took. I could see the wine bottle sitting on the table. Before I could be tempted, I put the glass in the sink and began washing the dishes.

"Well I don't have the best feeling about him."

Emily sat on the counter next to the sink. "I don't think you've ever liked any of our boyfriends. I've had like two. But still."

"Okay fine I haven't liked them." I admitted. "But this is different."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed. "Samson Muller." Samson Muller. Cousin from Mom's side of the family that I didn't have the best relationship with. My scar throbbed with a burning sensation but thankfully it didn't stay as long as it did sometimes.

"Shit... That bad?"

"That bad."

"What's that bad?" Zoe popped in.

"Justice League." I said, shooting Emily a look.

"Well duh. DC should stick to their animated movies." Zoe said. "I'm headed to bed guys. I'm really tired." She hugged us both goodnight then went upstairs.

Emily waited a few seconds before speaking. "You should tell her."

"Both of you were giving me shit about being overprotective. Now you're telling me to butt in."

"Well obviously she hasn't noticed that something is wrong with Stephen." Emily said. "She wouldn't still be dating him if she did."

"We'll wait. How about that?" I asked. "Maybe I got a bad impression of him since I'm so protective of her."

"I guess that's fair." Emily shrugged and got off the counter. "I'm headed to bed too. Goodnight, Banri."

"Night." We bumped hips as a form of saying goodnight and she left. With her gone and the dishes being done, I didn't have anything to do. I grabbed the bottle and turned the TV on.

***

"Headin' out on a date?" Banri asked, seeing Zoe. Instead of her usual booty shorts and big t-shirt, she was wearing a dark blue romper and had a purse slung over her shoulder.

"Yep." She sat down next to him. "He'll be here in a few minutes."

"Cool." Banri nodded. It had been two weeks since the dinner with Stephen. Both he and Emily had noticed Zoe acting strangely. Jumpy. Pulling away from hugs before they even began. And quiet. It's not that Zoe was especially talkative, but she was never this silent unless something was bothering her. Right now, Banri could see that her fists were clenched. Maybe she had noticed Stephen's off-putting smiles. "Yo Zorro."

"Yeah?"

Banri frowned. That nickname always made her mad. "You alright?"

"Mhm. Why?"

"You're super fuckin' tense right now."

She immediately relaxed her fists. "No I'm not."

"Sure."

"I'm not!"

"I said sure!"

"What's your deal, Banri?" Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she looked as if she was about to scream at him.

He raised an eyebrow. "What have I done to piss you off?"

"I'm not mad!" Zoe shouted before catching herself. She took a few deep breaths. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Banri smiled lightly and patted her leg. "Just nervous about your date, right?"

Banri saw her fists clench again. Bingo. Zoe shook her head. "No. I've got a lot of projects and tests happening at once so it's stressing me out."

"Ah I see." Banri nodded slowly. He was itching to tell her about the feeling he had gotten from Stephen. But he had been thinking about what she said about him being overprotective. That he should only come to her rescue when she couldn't save herself. As of now, Banri hadn't even given her a chance to save herself from Stephen. Choosing his words carefully, Banri spoke. "I think that my little sister is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. No matter how hard the class is." Banri smiled at her. "But if she's at the point where she can't get through the class on her own, she knows that she has a big brother she can go to for help. Since he's a super awesome genius."

He knows. Zoe thought before laughing nervously. "Yeah I know. Thanks."

"You're welcome, bug." He saw her phone screen light up. Stephen's name glowed at him. "Looks like he's here."

Zoe got up. "Yeah. Seeya later."

"You will. I'm not goin' anywhere tonight." Banri looked her in the eye. "We can hang out if you want."

"Sure if I'm not too tired." Zoe waved at him then left. She could feel his eyes on her back, but she resisted the urge to turn around. He was right. She could take care of herself. It was dumb that she hadn't done that yet. Deciding to proceed slowly and carefully, Zoe got in the car. "Hey."

"Hey." Stephen smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. Zoe wondered if he had always smiled like that. "You look gorgeous."

"Thank you." She smiled stiffly. "Where're we headed?"

"A sushi place at the Domain. I went there a few days ago with my brother and his wife." Stephen began driving. "They've also got other Japanese stuff, so you don't have to eat sushi."

"Oh good. Do they have ramen?"

Stephen lip curled in an angry sneer. "I literally just said they had other Japanese stuff, dumbass."

Zoe flushed red. The date had barely started, and he was at it. "Sorry."

"Whatever." Stephen said. "Try not to be an idiot for the rest of the night."

"Okay." She said meekly. Inside, however, she was fuming. He had begun treating her like this within a month of them dating and it had gotten worse after Stephen had met her family. It wasn't him being tired and cranky at the end of the day. How had she let it slide? It made no sense. She stayed quiet for the rest of the drive and even during the walk to the restaurant. It was only after they had been seated did Stephen say something.

"What's with you? Why are you so quiet?"

"Just thinking about class." She shrugged.

A man walked over before Stephen could respond. "Hello! I'm Gary, I'll be your waiter tonight. Can I get you started with anything to drink?"

"I'll have some cold sake." Stephen said. Then before Zoe could say anything, he ordered for her. "Just water for her. No ice."

"Oh." Gary looked taken aback. "Okay. Coke and a water with no ice. I'll be right out with those."

"Actually I'd like the water with ice, please." Zoe called after the waiter, ignoring Stephen's glare.

"Sure thing."

"You hate ice." Stephen said.

"I hate ice in my soda." Zoe corrected. "I like having it in water."

"Whatever." Stephen rolled his eyes. "You get all your pictures from the football game edited for the newspaper? I need them by tomorrow afternoon."

"I emailed them to you this morning."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"No. You didn't." Stephen's jaw clenched.

He gets angry so easily! Zoe held her ground. "I bet if you checked your email right now, the pictures will be sitting there waiting for you."

"We'll see about that." Stephen pulled his phone out and checked his email. At the top of his inbox was the email from Zoe. "You should have texted me saying that you sent it." He muttered. "I wasted a whole day waiting on these. Could've gotten the work out of the way."

"I'm not going to nag you like that." Zoe muttered back. The two quietened for a moment when the waiter returned. He left after he was told they needed more time. "It's not my fault if you missed the notification."

"You're being real mouthy tonight." Stephen's fists were clenched.

Zoe kept an eye on his fists while reaching in her purse for her phone. "Because you're being a dick."

He slammed an open palm on the table, making their cups and cutlery shake. The other guests looked over at them, but he didn't notice. "Watch your mouth."

"Watch your attitude." Zoe shot back. She texted Banri to come pick her up without looking at her screen. For the first time since she had met him, Zoe saw emotion in his eyes. It wasn't one she wanted to see.

"You're lucky we're in public." His jaw was clenched.

"Or what? You'd hit me?" Zoe purposely talked loudly. An older man in the table next to them looked over immediately.

"Lower your voice you stupid bitch." Stephen hissed, finally noticing the attention he was getting.