IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE THIS - EPISODE 37

Lavender’s viewpoint

I walked into the ice rink, looking around for my friends. There was not much people here, just a few. Three guys were trying to teach-probably-girlfriends how to skate, two guys were on their own having fun and laughing while five girls sat at a bench, giggling and being fan girls. There were two older couples, one with their kids and a single lady playing in the fake heap of snow. It wasn’t difficult to find them. The loud idiots were part of the men the fan girls were giggling about.

Maverick and Link were fake wrestling in the snow, don’t know if that is allowed here but since no one is complaining, I guess. Maverick sat on Link, pinning him down with a hammerlock but Link was fighting back. Somehow, he bent his legs backwards and had Maverick’s head locked between his thick calves and yanking his head back. Gael had Waylon’s head in a headlock, pinning him down to the ground as Waylon thrashed and hurled curses towards his imprisoner. As usual, Elias was standing with his gloved thumbs in his front pockets, staring down at them blankly, wondering how he became their friend in the first place. Ferris and Cameron were arguing over something and Cameron was being extraordinarily sissy to provoke Ferris even more.

Boy did I come at the right time.

Making my way towards them, I hardened my face to look more strident and when I got to them, I snapped my fingers loudly and furiously. Maverick and Link both cursed before freeing each other and scrambling to their feet while Cameron intentionally shoved a cloth into Ferris’ mouth and flee behind Elias. As usual, Gael was the only fool who didn’t stop.

“Gael, get off Waylon this instant,” I said stridently. He froze, realizing he has been caught. We made a rules… Actually, they did and the rules was forced on me. I’m the mother of seven boys and when I give an order, all must follow and who doesn’t get to pay me a thousand dollars for three weeks. I really don’t know what pushed them into making that rules, but I wasn’t complaining because it was for my benefit. I was the enforcer of the rules. For example, no fighting in the presence of the enforcer, whether play or real. Once I snap my fingers, the fighters have thirty seconds to separate or pay a fine of one thousand dollars to each member of our “sacred cult” and two for me. Don’t look at me, they made the rules, not me.

“Oh, hi, momma. Looking good,” he purred. I stared at him unimpressedly, “right, I’m being fined, aren’t I?”

“What do you think?” He pouted as Maverick tugged him off panting Waylon. My poor boy. Himself and Cameron are soft and can never hurt a fly. “I know you started it, Gael, so you are paying for both yourself and Waylon.”

“But we were playing! I was showing him how to kick ass!” Gael shouted defensively.

“Well, congrats, you just kick your money into our bank accounts,” Cameron said with a laugh and Elias joined him. Gael shrugged indifferently.

“What’s a couple of thousands, I’m a rich boy,” he flexed his collars proudly. Elias, my devious genius smirked as he saw the smirk on my face. Great minds think alike and we both have great minds.

“Guess who’s the new dart board on game nights?” We both said excitedly. “Give it up for the one and only, Gael Bottomson!”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” We all laughed as his face turned red in disbelief. Whatever I say goes. I sat down and let Elias do what he does by habit, help me wear my fur jacket and then weigh between the bunny boots or figure skate he brought for me. He’s always carrying my skates so I knew he recently bought it. After deciding to wear me the figure skate which I ought to wear in the first place, he then went on to hum as he decides on what color I would wear. Why buy more than one and have to decide? The thing is that he used to do it for his sister before she died. So he tends to do it to both Ginger, me and now the guys’ daughters.

“Dude, just wear her the freaking white one!” Link shouted. Elias rolled his eyes but said nothing, going back to trying to decide. I chuckled, smiling as I looked at him. He danced his head and exclaimed ‘bingo’ like he would always do. He put the remaining two shoes aside and wiped the chosen one with his cloth before lifting it up to the sky and appreciating his decision. The thing is that he always chose the red shoes, it’s always red.

Only he knows what goes on in that head of his.

“Finally,” the boys breathe.

“Can we begin with Lavender mopping Waylon on the floor now?” Ferris huffed. I giggled as Elias helped me up, the final process of his weirdness. He smoothened my pants with his hands before Maverick snatched me away while Link pushed Waylon forward.

“Let’s have some fun first, how about a dance of two? Winner gets to lick the snow, germs and all,” I suggested. The guys immediately rushed me to get me on their team while Waylon whined about how unfair it was. I laughed as they pulled me in different direction, it was ticklish. “Okay, okay, how about a coin toss?” I suggested again.

“We are six, coins only have two sides, idiot,” Ferris said, slapping Cameron’s head. Still haven’t forgotten the mouth cloth thing. Cameron frowned and skate away from him. “Before we fell out, you skated with Elias, and it was my turn…”

“No it’s not, it’s Cameron’s,”

“I thought it was Gael’s?” Maverick mused. They all did their creepy humming thing, stroking their chin. I rolled my eyes, took Cameron’s hand and pulled him away. He might be a terrible skater, but somehow, when he was skating with a partner, he was amazing.

Time with the guy have always been fun, and it still haven’t changed. The mystery behind our friendship is something I am yet to figure out. It was like we never even separated. How is that possible? I was still trying to understand how it was possible. We were apart months before I faked my death, I said so many… No, no going back to the past.

We danced and Waylon and Elias won, but then I won against Waylon. It had been years since I wore a figure skate. At first, I was a little terrified and fell a couple of ten times, but the moment I got a hang of it, I lost myself in it. I really love figure skating. I used to be a star of it and worn a lot of medals as a teenager. Then I quit after I took over mom’s company. Well, you can take the girl out of the rink but not the rink from the girl. My skills might have been a little bit rusty, but I was glad I still had it in me.

After entertaining everyone, I watched the guys mock Waylon, Ferris making his extra, we sat down to drink a cup of hot cocoa. “So, what are we doing for Link’s bachelor eve?” I asked, looking at the guys. They always have crazy ideas. “Any wild suggestion?”

“Yup! For his bachelor eve, we have three ideas but want you to choose which one we would do,” I looked at Link who had his lips in a straight line, showing he did not agree with the idea. “First, we attend a male strip club,” Elias grinned mischievously while the others snickered.

“Okay…? Go to a male strip club, that’s it?” There’s got to be more than that.

“And get one of the male prostitute to give him a head,” a loud laugh left my lips. I finally understood the reason for the face Link was making.

“I don’t want to walk into a club filled with naked males and horny women,” Link whined, suddenly pouted, “let alone, a blow job.”

“It’ll be fun!” Gael exclaimed, slapping him on the back, “and productive!”

“Easy for you to say,” Link said pettishly, “you are not the one whose dick is going to get thrust down some naked guy’s throat!” He got a few attention from how loud he shouted but we didn’t care who was listening. There’s a reason mind your business is a thing. “I don’t want to and then have Tyra suck that same filth, no!”

“You don’t really have a choice, BFF code,” Waylon said with a shrug, “you guys made me jump into a mud puddle on my bachelor eve.”

“What about me? I had to smack a bouncer’s ass and got the punch of eternity. On my wedding day, I had a freaking black eye,” Elias grumbled, “this is payback so deal with it.”

“Okay,” I said, “the first is the strip club, what is next?”

“Night pool party. We fill the pool with freezing cold water and throw him in naked,” Cameron said and gave laughing Maverick a high five. I was smiling because they had no idea what I had in mind.

“And the third is that he sneaks into Tyra’s own party wearing her underwear then surprise them with a dance show. Then he has to kiss Rylee before he leaves…”

“I don’t want to die,” Link cried, his face pale from the horror of kissing Rylee. That will not end well. They were really enjoying this.

“Well, as the leader of this outstanding cult,” I rolled my eyes, “I hereby proclaim we do all,” I smirked, looking at each of their confuse faces. “First, we start with the pool, but every single man who attends will all jump into the freezing pool…”

“What the fuck!” They all exclaimed. I leaned back on the bleacher and shrugged, crossing my legs. “You can’t make us do that, we’ll catch a cold!”

“I’m the enforcer, remember? You will all jump into the pool naked, Rominic, Phineas, every male…”

“That’s insane,” Waylon cried, “we can’t!”

“Oh, so I can, right?” Link huffed, “yes, if I go down, we all go down together!”

“The same thing goes to the strip club. You are all getting heads…”

“No!!!” They hollered in absolute horror. The power of a queen. “This is all your fault, Elias. Now we are all doom!”

“Her boyfriend will be there too, that counts for something,”

“Oh well,” Gael shrugged. Always the first to give in. Then I told them that instead of kissing Rylee and getting their heads yanked off, we should play a prank on them, scare the daylight out of them. I told them I would join them jump into the pool, though I doubt Rominic would let me go naked. Then at the club, I would support them and “not” get it on video. What they didn’t know was that I would get it on video and then tell the ladies as their dark accomplice. We would make a counter prank and scare them instead. It would be a blast!

After arguing for minutes, they agreed and Gael was more than happy. “What about you and Rominic? Aren’t you guys going to tie the knot yet?” Ferris asked, looking at me with eyes filled with curiosity. All the guys looked at me curiously too. I shook my head and sighed. “What is it? Is Rominic not treating you right?”

“No, he is. If there’s anyone messing up, it’s me,” I folded my legs up as Elias took my hand to warm it with his by scrubbing our palms together. “I keep fucking up and getting him angry, and it scares me that I might lose him. I love him, guys, but I find myself making mistakes over and over again. If there’s any chance Rominic wants us to be married soon, I have probably changed his mind. I don’t think we will ever get married anytime soon, or at all. What if we break up?” I whispered.

“You know, Jam, you are stupid,” Ferris sighed, “really, really. Right, guys?”

“Hundred percent.” They chorused. Elias slapped my palm while Cameron pinched my cheek.

“Stop overthinking everything, stop trying to overdo everything and stop, please stop letting your mind build fear in you. Rominic loves you and will never leave you, when will you finally get that thing sealed in that silly head of yours?” Cameron asked, pulling my cheek hard.

“And stop thinking that since everyone is getting married, you should too. You and Rominic have come a long way, a very long. Your relationship needs time to strengthen to the point of marriage. Marriage isn’t something you just jump into. You might think right now that ‘what’s the point? We are living together and having sex together already. We already have kids, what else do we need’? You might also think that ‘Link is getting married too anyways and he has been separated from Tyra for years’, but the one thing you should remember is that your story is different from his.” I exhaled through my nostrils, looking away from Maverick because he guessed what I was thinking very well.

“Link and Tyra’s love was perfect. He didn’t destroy her family or use her, neither did he cheat on her continuously. The only thing he did was run away, but with you and Rominic… Not so much of a simple beginning. You both need time to get use to each other, and you need to learn how to care for both him and your kids at the same time. Lavender, don’t rush in. Even if you both decide to get married in two years, it would be worth it.” Ferris added.

“I know,” I said sadly, “I just… I…”

“Stop thinking and letting your mind convince you into doing something stupid. All you need to know and remember is that Rominic loves you, you love him, you have kids, they love you, you love them, everybody is happy. Now can we leave? I’m hungry and my mind can’t stop thinking about those yummy pork ribs.” The guys groaned, Waylon and Cameron palming their faces, Elias bowing his head in respect of shame for Gael while Maverick took it upon himself to slap the back of his head.

“You are an idiot.”

“Aren’t we all?” Gael scoffed. I shook my head, smiling as they began arguing again. Elias and Ferris didn’t join them. Instead, they enfolded me in a hug, a warm lovely hug.

“Promise me you won’t let your mind convince you otherwise, please?” Ferris whispered, pushing the strand of hair out of my sweaty forehead. “Promise.”

“I promise.”

“And don’t ever feel like you are not good enough for him because there is nobody good enough for the both of you except each other. Okay?” Elias asked coolly. I nodded. “That’s my girl. Now go, dance for a while before we leave, okay?” They both kissed my temple before pushing me up to my feet and nudging me forward. Without wasting a second, I skate away, smiling like a fool.

They were all caring and brotherly at their own time, depending on the reason for my sadness, but Ferris and Elias had always been more protective towards me. Whenever we went out, people usually thought I was the only girl born after seven gorgeous boys, while those who knew we weren’t related envied me. Like I said, I don’t know what the mystery behind our friendship is, but I would not give it up, never again.

I skate around for a few minutes before I decided it was time to leave, but the guys were burying each other in the fake snow while some played rock-paper-scissors. Why? I don’t know and I didn’t bother to ask. I stood in the middle of the ice rink, watching them with a peaceful and grateful smile. My brothers; my family.

“You are really lucky,” a voice spoke from beside me. The voice was smooth, made me think of milk for some reason. I looked towards the person still smiling. It was a lady, a beautiful lady with black hair and aqua green eyes. Her skin was honey beige and she smelt like coconut milk. Her smile was warm, gentle and it just kept making me think of milk, really odd. Giving her a quick once over, I instantly knew she was a tomboy. The way she was dressed, the way she stood, I just knew it.

“Yeah,” I smiled, “they are the best.”

“I have ten older brothers, so I know how that feels,” she said and skate away. I followed her in shock.

“Ten? Really!”

“Yup!” She popped, “mom wanted babies so dad gave her babies. I’m the only girl, last child and that would explain this,” she pointed at her outfit and laughed, “don’t worry, I’m not gay. I am hundred percent dick.” She said, probably thinking I thought she was one. I knew she wasn’t gay. The way she looked at Gael and Waylon said it all.

“I already know that, you were checking my guys out. They are all married and the really tall one is getting married in two weeks.”

“And the sexy blonde with the steel blue eyes?” She asked, looking at me hopefully. I would have loved to say he wasn’t, but my instinct told me not to. Gael would trample on her heart and get killed by her brothers. “Playboy?” She sighed, looking away disappointedly. “All the guys that always catch my interest are always taken.”

“And what makes him so interesting? Because he’s sexy?” I laughed.

“Nope,” she smirked, “he would be a great fuck,” she winked at me and spun away while I laughed. We spent an extra hour sitting and chatting. In an hour, we got to know each other, just like my friendship with Terra. Being me, I got to learn about her taste in men and guess who it fit in my life, August. I was very excited and from what I understood from her, she was someone I could show his picture. I showed her his picture and she went crazy, refusing to give me back my phone until she has all his details. I wasn’t sure about her, but our vibe was in sync.

I warned her about him being bi and a playboy, but she was too engulf by his beauty to care. I gave her his social media handles, took her phone number and kissed her bye so I could leave with the guys. It was an eventful day.

Rominic’s viewpoint

“Welcome Dad!” Serenity squealed as she danced in front of the television, copying what the singer was doing. Gone were the days when she would wait for me at the door. Sera was brushing the cat’s fur, Zayne and Perry playing snake and ladders. Zyaire and Zachary were nowhere to be found.

“Hi, Dad,” Sera chirped.

“Welcome, Father,” Zayne greeted.

“Evening, Nicky.” I hate that bird. I rolled my eyes while loosening my tie.

“Where are your brothers?” I asked, dropping the paper bags on the couch. “I bought cookies.”

“Zachary and Zyaire are playing a new online game, they are addicted to it. Mom’s upstairs and she said not tell you to… Hey, you, don’t go to the room. Mom said dad should bring his briefcase up himself, drop and leave.” Sera commanded.

“What’s your mother up to now? Am I safe?”

“No.” They deadpanned. I whimpered. What did I do now?

“Heh heh, RIP, Nicky.” I glared at the bird who laughed it off. Zayne reached forward and harshly pluck out a feather. Perry squawked in pain. “What is that for, you dumb boy!” Zayne plucked out another feather, blowing him raspberry. I walked over to Malik, took my briefcase from him and head towards the staircase. I drummed my fingers on my side nervously. I ran a mental check on everything I did. I didn’t do anything to offend her, didn’t do anything to make her sad except help her play love doctor. Oh, and returning home awfully late.

Darn.

I opened the door to our bedroom to be welcomed with darkness. I stepped into the room, felt around the wall for the switch to flick on the lights, but a small light shone. Followed by another, by another, and another. The lanterns luminated the room. Beautiful golden and green lanterns lined up the upper walls and the floor, brightening the room enough to see clearly. The wasn’t a sea of roses but the bedcover was designed with roses. The room itself smelt like roses. The floor was covered with roses, white roses.

“Welcome, Honey,” I looked towards the bathroom door, my jaw dropped. Standing at the bathroom door was Laverne wearing nothing but a sheer night robe that stopped mid-thigh. The robe was completely transparent and she was naked underneath. She was swinging the rope of her robe, smiling seductively, legs crossed and body resting on the doorframe.

“So, what do you think of my surprise? Beautiful? Amazing? Glorious?” She asked, pushing herself off the frame.

“S…s… What is this for? Is this… I don’t get it, what did I do to deserve this?” I blinked, looking around the great surprise. She wrapped her hands around my neck, swaying herself side to side. “What?”

“I played cupid twice today, got a good advice from the guys and I love you, so I decided to do this to appreciate you for loving me,” she tilt her head, smiling with lips pressed together, “I love you.”

My lips stretched into a smile, the briefcase dropping from my hand. I encircled her waist with my hands, smiling brightly. “So you got home late and still found time to prepare all if these for me? That’s so sweet. Thank you, and I love you too.”

“Well then,” she jumped up, wrapping her legs around my waist, “let’s take this to the bed, shall we?” I chuckled.

“We better lock the door before the five musketeers comes here to make sure we aren’t killing ourselves. And we better turn on some music before they hear ours.” She threw her body back and laughed, her hair falling back in it new curly waves. I carried her to the door, shut and locked it.

Moving towards the bed, I swoop down and captured her lips. She pushed her body on mine, closing increasing the proximity between us. My eyes shut close, body vibrating with pleasurable shock. My stomach coiled in excitement, before my heart pick up the pace. Her tongue dove into my mouth, tangling with mine. I dropped her on the bed, our lips meshed together, her finger raking my hair. This is how it was meant to be, how it would always be.

Hopefully.