I pulled up in my small driveway and shocker, Xavier and Carl were waiting for me at the front door. They both looked stressed and on edge as if they had lost an expensive jewel.
"Good grief Alana, where have you been?" Carl almost tripped over his own feet as he rushed over to me in panic quickly seizing my whole body for any sign of injury.
"I thought I told you guys to go away for the weekend?" I said the words more sharply than I intended but if they heard me they ignored my outburst. "It's not like Tyson's gonna kidnap me again." I added in a lighthearted tone but they didn't find it funny as their expressions turned sour.
"Don't talk about that bastard." Xavier scolded me and I rolled my eyes. God forbid a woman jokes about her trauma. It was true though, Tyson wasn't going to come for me, he had made a deal with my father. I don't know what the deal was but it didn't make me feel any safer. I however knew I was safe from him for the time being. Nobody got kidnapped twice anyway unless they had really really bad luck.
Xavier held the door open for me and followed me in. I didn't bother turning on the light as I headed for the coach. My body came in contact with something warm and I jumped three feet out of my skin and screamed bloody murder. The lights came on in a flash and Xavier and Carl were beside me in an instance. I could hear Carl's safety come off as Xavier reached for his weapon.
"Tanya, what the hell?!" I fell to the floor as I tried to catch my much needed breath.
"He lives with his mom," was all she said before turning over slowly and peeking at me from under my coach's fluffy white blanket.
"Who lives with their mom? and why are you lying on my coach in the dark?" I asked, finally catching my breath. Trust Tanya to remain unbothered and sleepy after she almost gave her best friend a heart attack.
"You gave me the key girl, and I knew your bitch ass was avoiding everyone when you gave these twins here a weekend off" damn it! Tanya was smart and knew me better than I thought. "Put those away boys," she glared at Carl who still had his weapon pointed at her.
"How did you know I gave them a weekend off?" I glared at Carl.
"Well Carl posted on his status 'A weekend off bitches come get some of this." Tanya said and Carl's mouth fell agape in embarrassment.
"When did you guys exchange contacts?" I asked and Xavier joined me in giving them accusatory stares.
"Oh come on girl, we've been in contact since our final year in college." Tanya said before slapping a palm over her mouth and I gasped.
"He's too young to be my type girl, it was just so I'd tell them where you were." Tanya said and it was Carl's turn to gasp and clutch his chest in visible pain. Tanya only dated older men for reasons only known to her but that hasn't stopped Carl from having an unhealthy crush on her.
"I brought takeaway," Tanya said, pushing off the coach and just then I could see her left cheek was swollen. It seemed that I wasn't the only one who noticed because Carl's hand shot out and slapped itself around her wrist.
"What happened to you?" Carl asked, his jaw clenched and all playfulness gone. He truly was a scary son of a biscuit when he was pissed.
"Let go of me you hammerhead and it's none of your business." Tanya pulled out of his grasp forcefully with a freezing glare and proceeded to walk to the dining table as if she didn't have a big fist size swelling on her cheek.
"Tanya, what happened?" I couldn't help myself either as I followed her in hot pursuit. "Is this what you wanted to tell me about the guy who lives with his mother? Did she punch you?" I said in a whisper for her sake not to alert Carl who looked like he wanted to kill someone. He was acting like a superhero but he was valid, Tanya looked like she walked into a boxer's punch.
"Ooh please girl, that bitch doesn't stand a chance with me, I could have folded her clothes with her in them." She laughed before she hissed, obviously hurting from her probably broken jaw.
"Then who…"
"Let's eat first, Alana girl, can I crash over?" She asked, sinking into one of the chairs around the kitchen island. I knew she was hiding something but I didn't pry any further. I was hiding something too and I knew first hand how suffocating it was to be asked to talk about something you dont wanna talk about. Thats why we were friends. She never pressured me to talk about anything I didn't want to and I did the same. She will tell me at her own time. Looking at her face though I wanted to press harder but that would only push her away I knew that.
"Of course girl you can stay here as long as you want, I was getting lonely with them as company." I pouted playfully and went to open the takeaway.
"You know me so well Tee, these noodles are my best." I hummed in approval as I tore the lid from the Chinese noodles and sniffed them. I felt slightly better with Tanya over and it felt like a well needed sleep over
"Lemme patch that up," I said as I helped her sit on the toilet after dinner. Carl and Xavier had their quarters beside the garage and they had retired soon after, one with an unreadable expression and one with a seething 'I want to kill and punch walls' expression. men, huh..