Wanting to tell him to see if she was crazy, but something holding her tongue, Neveah didn’t respond for a moment.
Laughing at his cousin and pinching her cheek, Zyon cooed, “My good baby don’t skip work, did something happen?” Almost twenty-four and like her little brother/best friend, the man was gentle looking at her face carefully, “Come on love, tell me what’s got you spooked?”
Exhaling, Nevaeh whispered, “I don’t...I don’t know. Something happened at work-.” Zyon gasped eagerly, “You finally cussed that old b***h out for talking to you stupid?” Nevaeh scoffed, “No, but edging closer to that.” Zyon perked up even more, “You put in a complaint on that loser with the name that sounds like Egg Butt?”
Snorting, Nevaeh corrected, “Egbert, and no... maybe thinking of leaving the company actually?” Surprised since she had been there for almost seven years, Zyon had thought it was a security thing when she first started. And then a comfort thing when their grandmother who had pushed her to take the job? Passed away.
“You really want to leave that job cousin? You’ve been there since you turned eighteen.” She knew that, and that’s why it was a tentative thing, but now that she said it out loud? Nevaeh couldn’t stop.
“I’m not happy cousin. I’m not...It’s not that I hate it but...I never get to be me. I feel like every time I start, I just hear granny’s voice in my ear reminding me to work hard, do what I have to do to survive and ask for nothing else.” And while words that had gotten her this far? It was enough.
Something her cousin understood as he reminded her, “You’re not a little girl anymore cousin. I know it’s hard to shake what you grew up learning, but she’s gone. And the only voice in your head is her words echoing the same s**t that it has been echoing since she took her last breath four months ago. Thing is? Those were words said a long time ago, for entirely different situations.”
Patting her face gently, Zyon encouraged, “You’ve done more than enough to survive. It’s time you live a little gorgeous.”
That was the problem, “I don’t know how.” Embarrassed to admit it, Nevaeh knew Zyon wouldn’t judge because he understood. But it was still embarrassing. “My entire life has been decided for me. I don’t know what to do with myself if I’m not being told this is right or this is wrong...I don’t know. Maybe I’m going through a quarter life crisis.”
Zyon knew she thought it a bad thing, but he pushed his cousin to see it as a good thing. “A crisis is your mind telling you something is making you not happy and you need to turn the boat around before you get to the dock. That’s okay. Turn around, try something else, something you’ve always wanted to try and never got the chance to do. I’m sure someone as smart, kind, and amazing as you? Will find a place that is your corner of happiness.”
Not sure but hopeful too, Nevaeh bit her bottom lip and started to admit what really had her frazzled and why, “Something happened-.” But she couldn’t finish when his sister suddenly burst in through the door and scrunched up her nose immediately, “It smells in here. What have you been doing?” Shooting Zyon a critical eye, Zyon didn’t respond to the insinuation he’d been having s*x and instead gave his sister a look, “Can’t you knock on my door? You shouldn’t just barge in like that.”
Frowning angry since Nevaeh had a key, Maeve said that making neither Zyon or Nevaeh respond. So, she turned her attention on Nevaeh and asked confused, “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at work?” Nevaeh exhaled finding Maeve just as exhausting as her aunt still is and grandmother use to be. Realizing how badly she didn’t miss the woman sometimes and swallowing the guilt for being such an awful person and granddaughter, Nevaeh tried to keep the conversation simple, “Got off early.” Maeve looked her over and with the same scrunched up face their grandmother and her mother gave when not believing something was justified, she snapped, “Why? You’re not sick or dying, should have stayed at work instead of coming over here and sitting on his couch doing nothing. Is that going to pay a bill?”
About to snap she wasn’t her boss and didn’t sign her check, and not to mention this wasn’t even her house, Nevaeh didn’t for several reasons and just let Maeve b***h. b***h at her, “It’s irresponsible. I hope your boss doesn’t fire you after he realizes what an incompetent and lazy worker you are.”
Turning on her brother next, Zyon also said nothing as Maeve told him, “And this was such a nice apartment before you ruined it with all this crap. What is all this?” Personally loving Zyon’s space and knowing he’d decorated and poured his all into it, the insult made Nevaeh ready to swing. But Maeve was done with a scoff as she tossed her silk pressed hair back and looked at the latest iPhone, “You two are pathetic. Grandma is rolling in her grave right now at how you two are turning out.”
Nevaeh’s head fell forward in exhaustion and both noticed making Zyon snap at his sister, “You can leave if we’re so disgusting for you to look at. But last I checked this is my house.” Frowning at her brother and sneering, “You’re such a drama queen.” Zyon not flinching or getting upset like usual, Maeve was surprised when he instead told his older sister, “And you and your mama are exhausting and that’s why no one wants y’all asses around.”
Upset by him cursing at her and insulting her and their mama, Maeve through her nose in the air and stormed out without another word. Only for his phone to be blowing up with in seconds with their mama calling him to b***h about what an awful heathen he was. Unable to deal, Nevaeh whispered tiredly, “I’m going home, I need to sleep.” Nodding and telling her a soft bye, Zyon reluctantly answered the phone and got his chew out for being a sinner. While Neavah could barely make to her couch before she passed out in exhaustion.
Sleeping deep for a few hours, she actually got rest.
And then she began to dream.
“My love?” Looking at up and seeing Onix, Nevaeh looked around and as she looked at the unfamiliar bedroom she whispered, “This...what is this?” She looked at him and then realized, “I was asleep...why are you in my dreams? Why are you always in my dreams?”
Onix’s purr over her skin made her nervous as he seductively told her, “We are fated, and so our dreams collided. Somehow...we had shared a connection but it was too flitting for the connection to be obvious at first.” So confused, Nevaeh tried to understand, “Right, okay, sure, let’s say everything you just said made sense,” Onix chuckling at her made her scowl at him before saying, “Tell me what you want.” Onix raised an eyebrow before bluntly saying, “You’re juices running down the side of my face like I’m gorging myself on an expensive wine. Your legs shaking like I shocked you well between your legs, and your cries, broken, sexy and full of pleasure...hmm, yes I want this. Come so I can give it to you.”