Ficorpio
CHAPTER 1
Zenia’s POV
I had finally graduated from college. The journey was an unforgettable one. It was like holding in an enormous piece of shit which had made you constipated since the ending of high school.
Now finally, I was free from the assignments, the projects, examinations, lectures, rules, running to classes, making schedules and everything else that came with being a college student.
Mom and Jasmine were so thrilled when I walked down that aisle and received my achievements awards and certificates. I was thrilled for myself as well. My cheeks ached for the balance of that day, I was smiling so hard.
I was on the verge of officially creating and launching my very first clothing line which would be published in one of top magazines in the city. Bliss. Other clothing were also being sold at my boutique which was generously given to me by my sister’s boyfriend. He made that promise to me and he kept it.
~
“ZENIA!” I heard my name being yelled out. It echoed throughout the huge penthouse. I placed my digital notepad underneath my pillow and rolled out of bed.
“Hey.” I leaned against the wall in the living room as my sister settled down on the couch with her son.
“Hey. So how are you?”
“I’m good.” I walked over and took my nephew into my arms and planted a big kiss on both sides of his cheeks. He was such a handsome little boy with the cutest smile. He had dimples. I always looked forward to seeing his laughs and smiles.
“How is aunty’s baby?” I asked him with a baby voice. He gave me a smile and buried his face in the crook of my neck shyly.
“So I have a project for you,” Jasmine began.
“What project?” I asked her taking a seat next to her.
“A big one.” She threw on a bight smile.
“How big?”
“Very big.”
“Come on Jasmine, stop beating around the bush here. You know I’m a very busy woman.”
“I need you to make a dress for me.”
I scoffed.
A dress?
That’s what she was going on about?
A dress?
“A dress Jasmine? Like really?” I spoke my mind.
“You were supposed to ask me what kind of dress.”
I rolled my eyes at her but I had her to thank for everything. I never would have even gotten to the stage of entering and finishing college if it wasn’t for Jasmine.
You see, we grew up without a father and before I finished high school, mom got very ill with a lung condition. It had gotten so badly, she was frequently admitted to the hospital. Jasmine was the one who worked her butt off and put meals on the table, clothes on my back paid all the bills and put me through college so I could accomplish my dreams. I couldn’t of asked for a better big sister. I love her. And she supported my business since the thus beginning. She always purchased clothing, even though I told her I will give it to her for absolutely nothing.
But she would just tell me, ‘some of the best things don’t come freely.'
“What kind of dress?” I asked as I tickled my nephew’s tummy to make him laugh.
“A WEDDING DRESS!!” she squealed out and her squealing caught me by surprise.
“A what now?” My smile reached my eyes.
Is she saying what I think she’s saying?
She flashed a huge diamond ring on her engagement finger and I began squealing with happiness too.
“Y’all are engaged?” I wiped the happy tears away. I was so happy for her. She deserved every bit of happiness on this earth with the man she truly loved. They had been torn apart of over a year but they still found love for each other again as if a separation never happened.
“Congratulations sis.” I pulled her in for a hug.
“Con-sssition.” Jevan repeated in his way of saying ‘congratulations'.
We shared a small laugh. He was already learning words.
“Thank you baby,” His mother said to him as she playfully pulled his puffy cheeks.
Her phone rang and she answered it.
“Zen, do you mind watching Jevan for an hour or so for me please? I’m going down to HT to drop something off for his father,” she explained as she got off the phone.
“Sure. Not a problem.”
It was Saturday and I had decided to take a day off from the boutique and let my assistant run the store. I needed to catch up on some designs I had to sent for a client of mines.
“Thank you.” She got up and walked to the door. “And please be careful with your language around him!”
We waved her bye-bye.
I took Jevan back to my room, lay him down on my bed and went back to my digital notepad where I created and stored all my designs.
As I browsed through and tried to keep an eye out for Jevan as well, I accidentally deleted a design I had to get started on tomorrow.
“OH FUCK!!” I cursed aloud.
“Fuck! Fuck!” My nephew began to repeat what I just said.
“NO NO NO NO NO Jevan. Please don’t repeat that. Your mother would kill me if she hears you saying that.”
“Kill me. Kill me.” He repeated another phrase he shouldn’t.
I searched my brain to come up with something that would erased those words from his vocabulary.
CHAPTER 2
“Let’s count.” I drew myself closer to him.
“One.”
“on.”
“Two.”
“Toe.”
“Three.”
“Free.”
We counted from one to three over and over and I sang him nursery rhymes. That ought to take his tiny mind off the words he shouldn’t have heard.
Jasmine’s POV
I had gathered my small family around the dinner table. Jevan was placed in his baby seat between our chairs. I had cooked dinner for Evan and myself and prepared sweet potato tots and diced fruits for Jevan.
I fed Jevan while I ate from my plate as well. A conversation started between Evan and I and we were so caught up in it, Jevan’s hand accidentally knocked over his container of fruits when he attempted to feed himself.
“Oh fuck. Kill me,” he blurted out.
Mine and Evan’s eyes popped open and we looked at the small figure sitting between us.
“Did he just said what I think he said?” his father asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
I nodded yes.
Evan threw back his head and started laughing but it wasn’t funny to me. Jevan was learning words and I always tell people to watch what they’re saying around him. It was very odd that he liked repeating only the foul languages from a complete statement.
On one occasion, I was on the phone with Zenia. She was telling me something very funny and I absentmindedly called her an ‘asshole'.
Jevan began repeating the word ′asshole′ but I quickly scolded him and he stopped saying it.
When Evan got home that evening, Jevan was sitting in the living room putting together a lego block castle. He had been doing that the entire evening while I was looking at television.
Evan came over to greet and kiss me as he usually does. His foot accidentally knocked over Jevan’s castle.
“Sorry son,” he apologized.
“Asshole,” Jevan responded.
Zenia’s POV
Mommy and I were heading over to Jasmine’s and Evan’s house. Jasmine was putting together a small engagement celebration and of course, mom and I were invited. I was excited apart from the celebration because I knew I would see him there as well.
I wore a fitted white dress that flowed down to my ankles like a waterfall, a respectable split stopped just above my knees. I had flat ironed my hair and did loose wave curls to the sides. I completed the look with a simple gold necklace and bracelets. I looked beautiful but I couldn’t outshine my sister. This was her glowing moment and she looked stunning.
She also wore a white dress which hugged her in all the right places. The pregnancy worked extra magic for her body. Her boobs got bigger and her hips were wider which meant her butt pop out too. Evan must really be loving himself. Jasmine was everything. Her hair was styled in a high bun and her makeup was flawless.
“You made it.” She embraced me with a hug. “And I have a bone to pick with you.”
I broke the hug.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“We’ll speak later. My guests are arriving. Come have a drink.” She pulled me towards the kitchen area. A large table was covered with all different types and colors of wines, champagnes and other sparking beverages.
“Help yourself.” She filled a glass for herself and walked back out to the living room where everyone was beginning to mingle with each other.
I scanned the drinks. So much to choose from. I decided to pour myself a glass of chilled rose wine. I only had it once at a club with some of my college friends when we celebrated our completion of college and I loved it.
“That’s not a drink.” A voice startled me and arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me backwards gently onto his chest. I knew it was him. His scent fanned my nostrils immediately afterwards as I got comfortable against his hard impressive chest.
“How are you?”
“I’m fine.” I turned around and looked into his beautiful grey pair of eyes. He gave a cute smile and kissed my forehead.
“You look stunning. Like you’re the one getting married.”
I laughed heartily.
Me and marriage?
“Shouldn’t we be joining everyone else out there in the living room?” I pulled away from his hug and sipped on my glass of rose wine.
EJ and I were friends with each other ever since we met at a diner. I was walking by when Evan saw me and called me over to their table. I met EJ that day but it was cut shortly when Evan’s friend appeared to be rude. EJ then found me on Facebook and we took off from there but I wasn’t rushing into a committed relationship with him. We were just friends. I hadn’t even told my sister about us.
I took his hand and walked towards the living room. I released his hand once we spotted everyone. I sat down next to my mother and EJ sat down with his on the opposite side of us.
Evan and Jasmine stood up in the middle of the room and announced their engagement to us. I already knew about it but I got happy all over again. Jasmine deserved being happy and they deserved each other.
Everyone clapped and cheered for them and hugged them with congratulations once the announcement was over. Evan raised his son and handed him over to one of his maids for the balance of the night. Everyone filed outside in the huge yard where the real celebrating party was being held.
CHAPTER 3
Music flowed through the surroundings and my body. I removed my heels and began dancing to the beats of the song.
‘V. I. C. Wobble Wobble’
I looked around as I danced. Jasmine was dancing with her husband-to-be.
The first Mrs. Hollen was dancing with the first Mr. Hollen.
Mom was talking to one of Evan’s chef.
And everyone else was paired off with someone.
EJ was texting in his phone and I approached him.
“Hey!” The music was louder than my voice but he heard me. He put his phone away and turned towards me.
“Where are your shoes?” He looked down at my feet, arching his eyebrows and throwing on a smile. “Are you stripping for me already?”
“Don’t get cocky EJ. I was dancing and I can’t dance with my heels on.”
“Okay. Lets dance then.” He pulled me closer to the music system and pulled me against his chest again. I tried stepping back a bit but that only made his hold on me tightened more.
After the song was finished, I was released from his super hold and he turned his attention back to his cellphone.
‘Bummer’
“I’m taking this drink over to my sister.” I excused myself and cursed myself mentally as I walked over to Jasmine and Evan.
Why was I suddenly jealous when EJ wasn’t paying me any attention but I pushed him away the moment time I got it?
What is wrong with me?
“Hey.” Jasmine noticed me first.
“Hey Zen.”
“Hey guys. Congratulations again, I can’t wait for the wedding.”
“And guess what?” my sister asked.
“What? You know guessing things correctly isn’t my strong suit.”
We laughed.
“I’m making you my maid of honor,” Jasmine said into my ear.
I threw on a smile and hugged her again and handed her a glass of wine. She drank it in one gulp and went back to dancing with Evan.
I went indoors to use the washroom and to freshen up. I closed the door behind me, urinated, washed my hands and retouched my makeup.
On my way out, I was pushed back inside the same washroom.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
“I’m not avoiding you.”
“I think I know when someone is trying to avoid me Zenia.”
“Well EJ, it’s a party. I was just enjoying myself.”
“Why you can’t enjoy yourself in my presence?”
“I’m not having this conversation in here.”
“Good. Because I didn’t come in here to talk.”
He moved closer to me and pulled me onto him. My heart raced rapidly as his lips got closer and closer to mine. I turned my head slightly to the left so his lips connected to my cheek instead.
“You don’t want to kiss me?”
We had never had sex nor even kissed. We only hugged every time we linked up. He was a friend.
“We’re in a washroom.” I made an excuse.
He looked around.
“Evan got lots of rooms in this house. Lets go to one.”
“No EJ! No.”
I knew where that might led to and I wasn’t about to let myself go down that road with the son of a billionaire. I saw what Jasmine went through with his brother and I didn’t want something like that happening to me as well.
Although she and Evan are together again, things might not work out like that for me.
“Zenia, I don’t want to have sex with you. I just want us to talk and have some time together. I haven’t seen you since three weeks ago.”
We hadn’t seen each other in a few weeks but we video chat almost everyday.
Doesn’t that count?
A knock on the bathroom door startled us.
“Who’s in there? I need to use the washroom!”
It was EJ’s mother and she was about to see us in the washroom together if she gets in here.
Zenia’s POV
“Shhh. She’ll go away,” he whispered in my ear and pulled me against his steel chest again.
“Stop it EJ!” I said in a loud whisper, pulling away from him before rushing my palms up and down my dress, adjusting and smoothing it.
“Hello,” Mrs. Hollen said again and another knock followed outside the door.
“I’M IN HERE!” I yelled.
“Zenia, is that you?” she asked.
“Yes Mrs. Hollen, and I’ll be in here for a while.” My face flushed with embarrassment but I would have literally said anything to prevent her from waiting outside that door.
“Okay sweetie. I’ll just use another one.”
I heard the sound of her heels, clicking on the polished marble as she walked away.
I heaved a long sigh and slide down against the bathroom door as EJ lightly chuckled like if the situation had been an amusement show to him.
“It’s not funny EJ. What if you hadn’t locked the door and she had walked in on us?”
“Well she would have saw her son being a man.”
I narrowed my eyes at him deadly and stood up. I unlocked the bathroom door and peered out, making certain the coast was clear before stepping out.
~
I walked out the bathroom and walked directly into my sister.
“I’ve been looking all over for you. Where have you been?”