“In case they come back. I’m not getting harassed again. Fuck them … eh sorry beanie …” she puts her hand on her tummy, “stuff them solid. And now we can share this while we wait for Ilkay to arrive.” She’s already spooning some of the goodness from the Sea Salt Caramel container. I reach for the Mint. Mel holds the Hazelnut tub against her swollen face.
“Why did you call Ilkay and not Enrique?” I ask while melting some ice cream on my tongue. She makes a sound and gestures that her mouth is full. She literally takes a spoon from each tub and mixes them in her mouth. Her cheeks look like that of a stuffed hamster.
“Eh … this is an Ilkay type of problem, but I did ask him to bring the others with,” she answers as soon as she swallows. I don’t get it.
“Sorry?” I ask and she looks at me as if I’m the one that lost my brain power. She opens her full mouth and waves her hand as if she wants to cool the contents down. She giggles a little before she swallows.
“Uh … brain freeze!” she cries with tears in her eyes. You can say that again! Seems like pregnancy permanently froze her brain … but I won’t say that out loud. She shakes her head a few times.
“Ilkay … oh … yes. Um, you see, each of my brothers has their unique strong points … hence depending on the situation I always choose the best one or ones to call.”
“Okay, that makes sense I suppose … care to share those points with me?” I take another bite and wait curiously for her to enlighten me. I just feel as if I need to focus on something or else I’m going to break down into a pathetic little heap of sorrow. And I’m guessing that it’s the same with her. She can’t really be this calm after everything that just happened.
“Sure.” Another four scoops disappear into her mouth and down her throat.
“To sum it up … Ilkay, obviously, is the one on call for any medical type of emergency or when you need a genius brain or something delicate like tampons. Jackson … well, whenever you’re in big shit … physically or mentally … or just about anytime the need calls for a psycho-crazy person. Also, he’s the only one you call if the situation screams for secrecy or discretion. Enrique … you get him whenever you need someone to literally talk you out of trouble. He’s better than any lawyer. And lastly, Logan is the one for any emotional crises … whether you need comfort or a shoulder to cry on.”
“Good to know.” I bump her softly with my shoulder and scoop some more ice cream.
“So actually right now we could use all of them. Ilkay to treat our wounds, Jackson to find the fuckers who did this and beat the shit out of them, Enrique to talk to the police, and Logan for some TLC.” She waves the spoon around in the air again and I have to duck so as not to get my eye taken out. “But he’s not here now … so no cuddles.” She actually pouts her mouth just like Leyla does.
“Although I love my brothers, these days Damion is my new go-to guy for everything. Ug, I miss that dick … literally and figuratively.” She winks at me and I snort, causing some ice cream to blow through my nose. I wipe it with my arm and we laugh out loud. She bumps me with her elbow.
“You know … after-attacked-sex is great … you should try it out when Enrique shows up. Flip, now I really miss that dick.” I frown. Having my robot pumping me into an orgasm right now might not be a bad thing, actually.
This is the first time ever I got beaten up … or robbed or assaulted … and strangely I’m not a mess or falling apart … and I know it’s because of Mel. It’s as if she knows how to handle me … how to keep me from going into a full-on panic attack … makes sense since she went through a few of these scenarios over the last couple of months.
She keeps on talking, but I’m not listening to her words. Her calm voice is what I need. Can one get used to abuse? Used to being attacked? Used to pain? I look at the huge swollen bruise covering half her face. It makes her look eerie, but also fragile.
Ilkay’s black truck parks with screeching tires right behind us. I turn my head and stare bug-eyed as three brothers jump out and run the short distance toward us. They stop simultaneously and stare at the almost empty tubs of ice cream.
“I thought you said there’s a fucking emergency!” Ilkay shouts, his gray eyes worried. Enrique looks lost and Jackson is definitely pissed.
“There is,” Mel swings her spoon through the air, not in the least intimidated by the three guys, “someone tried to kill my baby and make it look like a robbery.” She turns her head to look at them and rumbles it down as if she’s telling them about the weather. I’m sure she must be in shock. The reality of everything hasn’t yet sunk into that pregnant brain of hers. The brothers on the other hand, maybe due to not being knocked up and level minded, gasp in union, and then they all simultaneously shout out, “What the fuck!” Not sure if their reaction is due to what she said or seeing her beaten-up face.
This effectively jolts their sister out of her calm-and-collected coma into some shock-induced shivers and she starts to shake profoundly, tears streaming down her cheeks. “They had a gun!” she whimpers, her phobia taking over. Strange how complicated a human brain functions. Mel suddenly has this uncontrollable fear of guns after that Darren guy played some nasty tricks on her. Now her brain somehow associates guns with her bad experience and hence it turned into a trigger. Just like Enrique disliked Bolognese all this time. Mine, if I had to guess, would be small enclosed spaces.
Jackson walks into the store. I wonder if he’s gonna hurt someone or just buy something.
Ilkay’s eyes dart quickly over Mel as if to do a quick check-up. Then he does the same with me. I can feel my sugar high is wearing off.
“They … hhhhuuuurrrrttt (hic) … they hurt Aria,” she snobs, now stuttering while shaking. And there it is … she lost it. Ilkay steps forward, pulls her up, and carries her toward the truck. He places her in the backseat and then walks back to me.
“Where are you hurt?” Ilkay asks and I lift up my shirt. He swears softly and bites his teeth. He looks at his brother who nods. Can they communicate with their minds? Enrique holds out his hand and I take it without even thinking. My knees buckle and I fall onto his chest. I fist his shirt tightly in my hands and start crying.
“Fuck,” he swears and picks me up bridal style to carry me to the truck. Ilkay closes all the tubs and throws them unceremoniously into the dustbin before he joins us. He takes me from his brother, so Enrique can move into the middle, and then he puts me onto the seat. I let my head fall onto my robot’s broad shoulder, worn out and tired. He places his arm around me, and just like that I feel safe and calm. Mel drops her head onto his lap.
Jackson returns, his face looking like some kind of deadly assassin. Why does he always seem to give me killer vibes? He’s actually a very nice guy. Just not my type. I’m struggling with his twin’s robotic moods … and Jackson seems like a million and five times more complicated. Nope, not my scene. But I think, if someone ever gets to steal that dude’s heart, she would have to be extremely extraordinary out of this world.
“I got the security footage … maybe there’s something useful on there,” Jackson says while getting into the passenger seat. Ilkay nods and hands Jackson his phone.
“Find Doctor Burden’s number and ask her to meet us at the hospital,” Ilkay says when he slides behind the wheel.