Del never had a problem with Enrique. Sure, he didn't like some of the things he did, but the bond between family was stronger than anything else in life. That's what their mother taught them and that's something he held close to his heart. It's what he believed with everything in his heart.
Tea didn't understand that. They were young and things were different. Mistakes were made but it was time to let the past go. If anything happened to Enrique and she never had to chance to talk to him, she would never forgive herself. The same thing went for Roseanne. At least she wanted to see him and wanted that chance to say things because she knew how quickly life could be taken away.
He was risking his entire relationship with Tea by forcing Enrique on her. He knew that, and still he was going through with his plan of reuniting the family. He still made the call to Enrique at the hotel and told him to come on over; they'd worry about the consequences later. Reparation was always a difficult process, and in the end, it would be for the best. He ordered take out for them; his plan was to have a nice dinner and discuss the state of the family. And knowing the possible pain he would cause his sister, he knocked on her bedroom door and told her their long lost brother was in the living room, waiting for her. They were all waiting for her.
She called it as she saw it; called it entrapment, which was "illfuckinglegal" and he, of all people knew how important it was to play by the rules. She flat out told him that she would never forgive him for this and that no matter how much he tried, for the rest of his life he would never be able to make up for the pain that he was causing her. He was breaking her heart, just like they all did. He didn't ask who the "they" was, that was for a later conversation.
She did agree to see him, in private, she insisted they meet in private. Her toxic feelings for her brother could not be allowed to infect Roseanne's love for her father. Enrique was lucky to still have her love and as much as Tea disagreed with him, it was not her place to step in between their relationship.
She moved from her bedroom to her home office. The bedroom was too personal, too private and he would not be allowed in there. There was no place in her world for him, not anymore and not after everything that he'd done to her. So she said if they were to meet, it would be in her office where it was nothing but business and it was intimidating to everyone but her and where she was in complete control. Certainly not like the little bedroom where she was at her father's mercy and Enrique sat back and watched her blood running down her body and the bruises form on her skin. No, this was on her terms.
He opened the door tentatively; he was afraid of what he would find on the other side. He didn't speak, stepped inside and looked into her eyes. He was well aware of how deadly one look could be from her and she was giving him that look. Wishing him dead, he could tell from her steely stare. The eyes were the same, the expression on her face was the same; she still carried the world's weight on her shoulders. Her head was lifted much higher and her clothes, even from across the room, reeked of money.
He was intimidated all right, as his eyes scanned the room from one side to the other. Her book collection, ranging from thick volumes of law books to thick books filled with the history of America. If he were a betting man, he'd bet she'd read them all from cover to cover, more than one time and could more than likely recite them verbatim. Her desk, made of rich mahogany, the kind she'd always said she would have as a child, suited the steely eyed, well-dressed woman with the indomitable spirit. She always knew where she'd wind up in life, even though he teased her, he secretly knew she would reach whatever goal she'd set for herself. That made him jealous and he took every opportunity to undermine her confidence. As he looked at the woman with the dark brown eyes, expensive clothes, fancy office, he shrank back a bit. She'd done it and that little pang of jealousy rose in him again.
"Sit down," she said, enjoying her role as the one in control. She loved that position, behind her desk and his jealousy, which she could read all over his face.
He sat, and was, for once, at a loss for words. She was the educated one, the rich one, the beautiful one that he could no longer control with his mean-spirited comments. He stared at her and waited for her to turn away, but she didn't.
"I don't know why you bothered to come here when you're not going to do anything but break that girl's heart again."
"And what makes you think that's why I came here?"
"Isn't that what you do best?"
"You should know." He didn't regret the direct hit that landed on her heart. As he watched her face cloud over with pain, he gave himself an internal pat on the back and stared at her until she was the one that had to look away.
Her jaw clinched and she ran her tongue across her teeth. He had a lot of nerve coming to her place and trying to gain the upper hand. A lot of nerve indeed. If there weren't any other people around, she would have leaned over her desk and slapped him until she drew blood. Clawed him until the skin on his face filled the spaces beneath her fingernails. Punched him until his body turned fifteen shades of black and blue. She would have done all of that and not felt one ounce of regret. But it wasn't like that and they weren't alone. In fact, Del was probably hanging around outside the door, waiting for the slightest indication that things were getting out of hand.
"Wow, are you speechless?"
"Let me tell you something you cold-hearted sonofabitch! You are nothing to me. You are a nothing. I don't know who the fuck you think you are but believe me, if it wasn't for your daughter in the next room, you would be out of here, ass first."
"Oooh, tough talk. Are you tough now, Tea? Can you handle what I throw at you? Mami's skirt isn't around for you to hide behind, you know."
Tea was on to his game. He wanted her to lose control and run off crying like she did when they were kids. She sucked up the tears that very well might have fallen. "Why do you hate me so much?"
"Good question."
"And I think I deserve an answer. What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?" She stood up and started pacing. "I have wracked my brain, trying to figure out one reason and I can't. You, on the other hand, have done plenty to me."
Chuckling, he sat back in his chair feeling completely in control and said, "You were born."
"That's it? Because I was born, I deserve to be tormented by you?" It was her turn to chuckle as evilly as possible, "now that's rich."
"You are, aren't you? Only you could meet a millionaire who'll pay you five million dollars to be his wife. Nobody else could have that kind of luck. But you've always had it, haven't you?"
"How'd you know about that?"
"What? The five mil? Just because I haven't been around doesn't mean I haven't kept up with your life. I know all about the things you've done. I know about that man leaving you at the alter." He laughed as her face crumpled with the memory. "I had to applaud him for that one. I know about how he made a complete fool, a FOOL out of you and faked a mental disorder. I know about the job as Assistant DA, which you probably hated because instead of fucking the bad boys, you were supposed to put them away. How many cases did you blow because you wanted to 'blow' the defendant?"
"Get out of here!"
"Is it like in school when you let the boys take you behind the bleachers?"
Tea held herself back from hauling off and slapping him. What did he know about the bleachers? How did he know about anything relating to her life? She backed away, from him and almost backed herself into a corner. Something pushed her forward and made her get into his face. "I'm not afraid of you anymore, Enrique."
"Prove it."
She stepped closer to him, getting mere inches from his face. "What do I have to be afraid of, huh? You don't have any hold over me anymore. You lost that power a long time ago when you made me lose my child. Remember that? Remember your niece that you killed inside of me?"
"I never laid a hand on you."
"You didn't have to. But you know what? You fucked yourself 'cause I'm still here." She spreads her arms, showing off her office. "Look around. This is what you've always wanted, isn't it? I still made it. Leave everything here when you leave, you bastard, visit your daughter and get the hell out of my life forever. You are dead to me."
She blew past him, retrieved her suit jacket from the back of her chair, walked out of her office and slammed the door behind her. So focused she was, she nearly knocked Del over when headed toward the front door. He had to reach out and stop her; otherwise, they would have both ended up in a heap on the floor.
"Whoa, hold on. What happened in there? Where are you going?"
Tea glared at Del, giving him a look so cold, it sent chills down his spine. They were a shade or two darker than usual and he had to step back a little. "I told you not to bring him here," she said through clinched teeth. "I told you and you called him anyway. Well fuck you, Del. Fuck you," she said, pointing a finger in his chest. "I'm getting out of here and I may or may not be back tonight."
"Wait," he said, a little too loudly, grabbing Roseanne's attention. "Tell me what happened," he whispered.
"Oh, just what I thought. The sonofabitch hasn't changed a bit and you had the nerve to bring him here. Well thanks a lot Big Brother; thanks a whole fucking lot!" Tea gave a nod to Roseanne, who was in the process of approaching them and walked out the front door.
"What was that all about?" Roseanne asked.
"Don't know."
*****
Todd's Apartment
Less than an hour later, Tea found herself in standing in front of Todd's door. It seemed to be the only safe place for her, with the one person who would never betray her. The same thing used to be said of Del but he'd proven that loyalty didn't mean all that much to him anymore.
She attempted to reach for the buzzer to Todd's door, but withdrew her hand before it made contact. Instead, her fingers threaded their way through her thick and bouncy mane repeatedly. It really wasn't fair for her to dump all of her stuff on his shoulders. She decided that if he asked, she would evade, or if she did open up, she wouldn't let him see too much.
He must have felt her presence because the door flew open before she could even knock. The look in her eyes made him reach out to her and pull her into an embrace. She held it together for as long as she could and when his hands began to run up and down the length of her back, she sobbed into his shirt.
"Shh, it's okay Delgado. It's okay," he assured her. He pulled away slightly, turning so that he could lead her to the couch. She didn't stop crying and he sensed that it was perhaps months worth of built up tears, finally bubbling over the surface. "What's wrong?"
Tea hadn't needed anyone in a long time but she needed him at that moment. It could have been that she needed him all along and this time, he was there. She could have stayed there forever, wrapped in his warmth, basking in his love. Shame filled her as she let her emotions take over; then again, she was long overdue for a good cry. Her tears came so fast and she rubbed so hard at her eyes that the corners began to burn.
"You tell me who did this to you and I'll kill him."
Inexplicably, Tea chuckled at his threat, knowing if she asked he would do it without hesitation. Gradually, she pulled her body away from his and wiped what remained of her makeup, off with her hands. What she didn't get, Todd wiped with the sleeve of his brand new white button down. "You're ruining your shirt," she said.
"Don't worry about it. It's not the first one of my shirts that you've ruined with your snot."
She laughed heartily, playfully slapping at him. He always made her laugh, no matter how serious the situation he made her laugh. Through that, she began to believe that everything would be okay; her humor, his humor could sustain her through anything.
"Uh oh."
"What?"
"Is that a smile on your face?"
She quickly looked serious again, turning away bashfully as if he'd never seen it before.
"Too late, you're caught." He gently turned her face toward her, lifting her chin so he could see her eyes. They didn't lie and they were so sad. His heart hurt for her, he ached for her and had no idea what he could do to help.
"I feel like such a fool, coming here and crying all over you. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. You can use me for a pillow anytime. I got plenty of money; ruin all the shirts you need." He stared at her for a moment, deciding whether he should try to get her to talk or let her talk when she wanted.
"Del's in town and he's not alone."
"So?"
"So he brought Enrique with him-"
"Your other brother?"
"Yeah and we don't get along, but you already knew that," she sniffled. She debated with herself whether she should tell him everything. Looking into his eyes, she saw how much her pain was causing him. Nothing was fair when it came to their relationship yet she was obligated to tell him. Their love made sharing a necessity.
"Yeah, so what'd the asshole do?"
"He said some things and it kinda hurt, you know?"
"Whatever he said, just forget about it. You're perfect, we both know that so fuck him." It sounded funny rolling from his tongue. He never forgot about anything, especially the hurtful words from his father. He knew where she was coming from and how deep words could cut. She'd cut him many, many times; she could kill him with one flick of her silver tongue.
"I'm not perfect, Todd, but thank you for saying that."
"So, what'd he say that got you so upset?"
"He brought up some things from my past that I'm not too proud of. Todd, he did some horrible things to me when I was a child and it all kind of came rushing back to me, you know?"
"Did he-"
"No, nothing like that. He's there with Roseanne and I couldn't stay. This is the only place I could think of to go."
Again he pulled her into him and she gladly accepted his comfort. They both must have fallen asleep because when Tea looked up, a couple of hours had passed. She wiggled away from him and took her turn at watching him sleep. His chest rose and settled at a steady beat, his face was minus any lines of anger and frustration. In that sleeping state, he looked like a little boy, unspoiled by the madness that surrounded him.
He must have felt her move away because the next thing she knew, she was back in his arms only this time, his eyes were wide open. He stared at her mouth and the inviting shade of maroon lipstick that covered her lips. He wanted those lips on him and her body on his and while everything was quiet around him, he decided to take advantage. Slowly he moved closer to her face, licking his lips and pausing just before making contact with hers. Can I, he asked with his eyes?
She nodded and he quickly claimed what was always his. The kiss was very slow, he took his time, planting short but sweet kisses all over her lips. He kissed the corners of her mouth, her upper and lower lip, paying equal attention to each part. Eventually, he opened his mouth and used the tip of his tongue to pry her mouth open.
Tea expected to end quickly; he never could give her too much affection without having to run in the opposite direction. She waited for him to stop but he kept going and he felt so good on her lips that she couldn't stop either. Every part of her that was in love with him, wanted to take him into the bedroom and make love.
"I don't want to stop, Tea." He spoke to her between kisses, hoping that his voice would drown Peter Manning out if he decided to make an appearance. "I want you so bad."
She continued to kiss him, caressing his face with the tips of her fingers. She didn't want to stop either but the timing wasn't right and it wasn't fair to continue with what they were doing. It was supposed to be a slow process, the love was there but the intimacy was going to have to come slowly if there was any chance for them to get back to where they were. Neither was sure where or what that place was; only that it was the best they'd ever known and would ever know. She wanted him in that way, there was no question, not an ounce of doubt, but the thing she needed was to be in his arms and to hear him say he would always be there for her.
His hands wandered over her body, careful not to overstep any invisible boundaries. He was still afraid of himself and what he might do to her, yet he kept moving. Let his hands and lips and eyes tell her the things he found so difficult to verbalize. His hands told her he loved her. The urgency in his kiss told her that he needed her. The expression in his eyes told her she was it for him; he belonged to her, mind, body and soul.
"Todd," she whispered breathlessly before she would not longer be able to put a stop to it, "please hold me. I need you to hold me."
He took her into his arms, gently pressed her head to his chest and let her cry into him. He wiped away her tears with his fingers and used the same hand to wipe away his own. Together, they fell asleep on the couch, crying and holding each other.
