Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“What are your siblings’ names?”
“Don’t laugh.”
I look up at her and stare at the mirth in her eyes. I already know their names can’t be as eccentric as mine and my brothers. She has nothing to worry about and I tell her as much.
“Trust me, with names like Lord, Prince, Bishop, and Knight Moran, I have no room to judge.”
She bursts into more laughter. “You can’t be serious. That’s your brothers’ names?”
“Yup,” I say, popping the P as a smile comes to my lips. “Come on. You just laughed at us. You have to tell me now.”
“Legend and Reminisce.”
“Saga, Legend, and Reminisce.” I shake my head. “Our folks were all getting high back then.”
“Indeed they were.”
We both laugh together and crack a few more jokes about our names before diving into stories of our childhood. I believe we lose track of time as we get lost in each other’s words and the comforting vibes surrounding us.
“Your family sounds so loving. I can see why you want to be a father.”
There’s a change in her voice that piques my interest. I sit up and pull my hair back up on top of my head. I turn to look at Saga and she has a pout on her lips as if she wasn’t done playing in it.
I stand and stretch, then take a seat beside her. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, I tug her into my side. I’ve missed her lips, so I take them in a quick kiss.
“My family has its quirks, but we love each other. Your family sounds loving from your stories. Why the change in your tone?” I prod.
She sighs. “I love my family. They’re great. They mean the world to me. It’s just… You know what, never mind. It’s nothing.”
“You know you can talk to me. What you say remains between us. I want you to learn to share with me. I want to be a listening ear.”
She blows out a breath. “I love my family. It’s just. Since I was little, I’ve felt this need to be perfect. I had to excel at everything to get my father’s approval. I just hate disappointing him.
“I don’t even remember what made me this way. It’s been ingrained in me for so long I don’t remember a time when I didn’t feel the need to be perfect.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m missing out on life because I’m playing by the rules to keep from being a disappointment. This is probably the furthest I’ve colored outside the box in my life,” she says.
“What do you mean?”
“The job, dating my boss. Throwing caution to the wind. This is so not like me,” she says in all but a whisper.
If I weren’t paying such close attention, I might not have heard it. I think her words over. Then, I think of Saga when we first met. Her words click into place as I remember that version of her.
“Maybe you met me right when you needed to shake things up.”
She looks up at me with a smile. I swear, in this moment, as she looks back at me, I can see love in her eyes. I kiss her to convey the words neither of us has spoken.
I can taste those very words on her lips. I break the kiss and glance over at Lucie longingly. It’s a battle to sit here as the music burns in my head. I’m torn between wanting to spend time with Saga and needing to get this song out.
I’m saved by the ringing of her phone. Saga gives me a knowing look as she kisses the corner of my lips and stands with her phone to head into the bedroom.
She gets me and that’s more than I could ever ask for. With a smile, I race to grab Lucie and start on a new song. It spills from me faster than I can get it down on paper.
Saga
I move into the bedroom and close the door behind me as I answer the call from my sister. I climb onto the bed and lie across it. Instantly, Bishop’s cologne fills my lungs from the sheets and a smile comes to my lips.
“Hey, Reminisce. Your ears must be ringing. I was just talking about you,” I sing into the phone.
“Hey, you. What’s up?”
“Nothing. I’m taking some time to chill while on a little break.”
“Girl, cut the crap. What’s going on with you? What’s with all the stuff you had shipped to my place without any explanation?
“Then Mommy and Daddy had these looks on their faces every time I brought your name up at dinner. Those looks are usually reserved for me. What fresh pile of shit have you put your foot in?”
I sigh and roll my neck to release the sudden tension that’s building. I should have known when I saw her number that this was coming. However, I saw the look in Bishop’s eyes and decided to take the call so he could have time to write the song I saw dancing in his head.