To Caress My Day

Everyone had a good time at the barbecue in Seth’s backyard. The kids ended up tuckering themselves out and retreated back to the Guadalupe’s house with many thanks to their mother’s employer for their assorted water guns. Mr. and Mrs. Guadalupe had to get ready to go and pick up their daughter Rebecca from the airport before her plane landed and so they left soon after. Simone and Neon Jungle came over to join the two couples to chat after they took a shower inside, and before they knew it they too had to leave. It hurt Twigs to see her friends depart but it had to happen eventually since they didn’t live there and were busy with their own lives. She gave her friends tons of hugs and kisses as she walked them to the door and then waved goodbye when they jumped into a taxi and drove away.

She headed retreated to the backyard after closing and locking the front door, and saw the trio studying the exterior structure of the mansion from the other end of the pool, pointing here and there. When she was close enough, Seth stepped forward to grab her hand in his and pulled her to his side, wrapping his arm possessively around her waist. Twigs started grinning from ear to ear as she soaked in his attention and warmth now that she finally could. It felt so nice not to have to hide their relationship anymore now that everyone was gone.

“Oh, I would love to see what this place looks like on the inside.” Odette whined with anticipation, her hands clasped together as her eyes scanned the massive architecture. Derek put a supportive hand on her shoulder as he too admired the place in mutual fascination.

Seth looked down at Twigs, and pulled her eyes to his with his simply stare, before leaning down to sneak a kiss right on her bare naked mouth. She let out a small breathless gasp as she parted her lips beneath his in need for more, but he unfortunately cut their kiss too short for the both of them. “Later on tonight, Pixie.”

Twigs grinned up at him before she whispered against his lips. “Oh, definitely later.”

“And until then…” He smiled before lifting his head towards their guests. “Odette, if you’d like a tour of the place, Tahliah would be happy to give it to you.”

Odette whirled around with joy shining in her eyes. “Really!? You will?”

Twigs narrowed her eyes at him playfully, before turning her attention to Odette to give her a confirming nod. “Yes, I’d love to. Let’s start in the hallway first and go from there, shall we?”

“Whatever you say, I just have to see how this place looks on the inside since it’s so remarkably crafted on the outside.” Odette rushed, as she followed close behind Twigs.

Once the women were out of sight, Derek stepped closer towards Seth. “So now that the women are gone, how have things been going between you and your lovely Tahliah?”

Seth grinned at him with pure happiness as he ran an eager hand through his hair. “Oh man, Derek it’s been truly incredible! I swear this is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life, I mean that in that most honest way possible.”

“You don’t have to tell me that! Odette and I could easily see it in your eyes every time you looked at her.” Derek shared, sticking his hands in his pocket as they both turned to face the house once again.

“Am I that obvious?” Seth asked him with a look of surprise, as he wondered if Twigs was able to see it too.

Derek nodded in confirmation. “Oh yeah! When it comes to her you’re like an open book that comes with its own personal magnifying glass just to be certain you won’t miss even the smallest punctuations.”

Seth chuckled and shook his head incredulously. “Wow, I never would have guess that about me. Do you…is Tahliah that easy to read for you too, or is it just me that’s an open book?”

Derek smiled at him but decided not to answer his question and instead asked him one of his own questions. “Let me ask you something, buddy.”

“You asshole.” Seth rolled his eyes at Derek’s avoiding tactic. “Fine, go ahead. Ask away.”

“Do you love Tahliah?”

Seth’s smile dropped as he went silent. It took Derek by surprised at first that he wasn’t answering him, until he glanced over and saw the blank expression on his employer’s face. It had him questioning whether or not he and his wife had read his feelings for Twigs wrong during the barbecue. They had both been certain that the couple weren’t simply ‘fond’ of each other, but instead had progressed into the stages of love. Sadly, the look on Seth’s face was a strange mixture of uncertainty, and maybe heart ache and that didn’t seem to support Derek and Odette’s previous belief. Derek wasn’t quite sure what was going on with Seth, but he was sure he wanted to find out before the night ended.

“Seth?” Derek called, probing him for his verbal answer.

His employer still wouldn’t say anything. All Seth did was give him a weak shrug in response as his eyes dropped down to stare at his well-kept lawn. Derek could tell something was bugging him, and that Seth wasn’t feel 100% comfortable sharing it with him at the moment.

“Dude, I promise I won’t tell anyone. This conversation will NOT leave this backyard, I swear on my wife’s life.” Derek whispered to him, hoping his promise would persuade Seth to reconsider his decision and open himself up to him.

“OKAY fine! Jesus Christ you don’t have to persistently nag me to death, Derek! I’ll fucking tell you already, goddamn.” Seth shouted overdramatically as he started pacing back and forth in a straight line.

Derek was taken aback by Seth’s outcry towards him before he realized that he only did that so he would be able to say that Derek’s relentless curiosity prompted him to cave in so easily, when in truth deep down inside he was dying to tell him everything. “Okaaaay…so uh, what’s going on, man?”

Seth stopped pacing to let out a heavy burdened sigh as he ran both of his slightly trembling hands through his hair. “I-I’m scared, Derek.”

“Scared? Scared of what? Her?” Derek questioned, wanting to know why his friend was so unsettled by the woman he thought he loved. It would be a strange assumption to make that Tahliah might possibly be physically or verbally abusive towards Seth because she was so tiny in comparison to him, and yet that was Derek’s first guess. If his friend Seth was being abused and, in some mentally unstable way, believed himself to be so in love with her that he refused to fight back to defend himself, then that was going to stop right now. Tiny or not, Derek wasn’t going to let Tahliah hurt Seth and get away with it. “Is she fucking hurting you? If she is you better tell me right now, MacFarlane, I don’t care how scared you are of that little bitch! She’s going down you hear me? I don’t care how tiny she is!”

“What? NO you fucking idiot, she’s not hurting me! Seriously, man? I could take her down with one hand.” Seth exclaimed with a look of distaste on his face at his friend’s ridiculous accusation.

Derek held up his hands in surrender and took a step back. “Well EXCUSE ME, but you’re acting strange right now, and it’s causing my brain to jump to conclusions as to why she could have caused you to act this way.”

“I don’t give a shit Derek, I’m not being abused! If I were, trust me, I could handle her on my own just fine without you. I’m not scared of her in the slightest, okay? What I meant was…I’m scared of telling her how I truly feel about her. I’m almost scared to say it out loud to myself sometimes, even back in California, just in case she’d somehow hear it from all the way across the ocean and come knocking on my door.” Seth explained with anxiety twisting his face as his skin paled beneath the moonlight.

“Oh, now I see!” Derek nodded in slow understanding. “You’re afraid of her not wanting to be a part of your life anymore if you tell her how you feel about her.”

Seth nodded and mumbled beneath his breathe. “The thought of her leaving seriously makes me sick to my stomach, Derek. I…I don’t want it to ever become a reality if I take that risk. I don’t want her to reject me, hurt me, or leave me in the end to shrivel away and die in this house godforsaken.”

Derek walked over to his friend and placed a strong supportive hand on his trembling shoulders. “You’re way too focused on the negative about this, Seth. There still is that 50% chance that she could accept you and love you just as unconditionally as you love her.”

Seth slowly shook his head. “I don’t know. I mean, this is real life we’re living right now.” Seth pointed towards his mansion. “Something as amazing, as perfect as that woman in there can never stay in my world for too long. She would bring the ultimate happiness in my life, and before you know it, she’ll be skipping right out the door just like Avery did. And I’ll be alone with only my career to catch me and keep me going just as it always has.”