Page 28 of Love Fire

Her lightly tanned skin glistens beautifully in the morning sun that is shining in. Each of her gorgeous curves is beautifully outlined. How could I ever dream of letting her go? I want to keep her around forever.

That is until I realize what she’s doing. Erin isn’t alone in that room. Alessandro is in there too, gawking at her naked form. “What the actual fuck are they doing?”

I storm inside and make a beeline towards Alessandro’s old room. I need to put a stop to this, fast. I move up the stairs two steps at a time. As I do, I think of the way Erin touched me and how she might touch Alessandro. The anger in me begins to boil.

I slow down as I get closer, trying to make no noise. Better to sneak up and maybe over hear something before the lies start. However, the closer I get, the more blood rushes to my ears. I can’t hear anything they are saying.

I get behind Alessandro and simply clear my throat. My cousin practically jumps out of his shoes. Even Erin looks surprised, but she still stands there, naked for all to see.

“I-I-I’m sorry, Brent, I didn’t know she’d be in here. I just thought I’d grab some of my old stuff.” Alessandro has never looked so nervous, even when he told me he was an addict. He knows he’s fucked up now. “I’ll go back to my guest room.”

I simply nod at him and firmly plant my feet in the doorway. Forcing Alessandro to awkwardly squeeze past me on his way out. I look over to Erin, waiting for her to speak. She is acting more shady than usual. She won’t even look at me.

“What the fuck is going on?” I can’t take the silence anymore and speak first.

“I was about to take a bath and he busted in. Nothing happened.”

It’s an obvious lie but I don’t have the time to deal with her just yet. I nod slowly to put Erin at ease. However, in the back of my mind I make a note to keep an eye out. I exit the room without another word and close the door behind me.

I once again make a beeline towards Alessandro, this time in the guest room I set him up in. He is nervously pacing back and forth. Good. He should feel nervous.

“You are not to talk to her.” My voice startles him again.

“Why not?” Alessandro looks confused. “Is she not a guest here?”

Truthfully, the last thing I want is my newly sober cousin to do is spend time with a dealer. But, even more truthfully, I don’t want him spending time with her. It wasn’t until this moment that I realize what I’m feeling is jealousy.

Erin is supposed to be mine. Yet, she seemed all too comfortable being naked in front of my cousin. I don’t want them getting any closer. It could ruin everything.

“You need to focus on recovery, Alessandro,” I say. It’s not a total lie, but there is a lot more to the story. “That should be your only concern. Not a woman. Okay?” Or at least, I think to myself, not my woman.

26

ERIN

Alessandro and I meet in the garden. Just the two of us. It sounds like a late night rendezvous but really he just wants to talk about his recovery. This meeting has to be a secret from a certain someone.

I join Alessandro behind a large rose bush, next to the garden’s exit. The large fountain in the middle hides our voices. I don’t know why we have to go to these lengths because Brent’s acting like an asshole. However, I rather not deal with one of his petty moods.

“How have you been doing up until now? No cravings?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Not as many as I thought, but I still get them when I’m stressed out or sad.”

I nod in understanding. He’s the same way as me. I have full control of them now, but Alessandro’ still in danger of relapse. One emotional disturbance and he’s setback for a another year or two.

It’s time to give him the sponsee speech.

“It’s normal to have cravings during those times. I have them too. But remember, those thoughts aren’t yours. They were made by the previous you and made themselves a home in your subconscious.”

He nods but I can tell he’s confused. I sigh and lift my hand out with my index finger pointing up.

“Do you know PNA’s 12-step recovery plan?”

“Don’t look at your sponsor while she’s naked?”

I smack his arm. “No, idiot. The first step is to acknowledge that you are powerless over iridescent.”

“I know that.”

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