Page 4 of Cuffed By Your Love

“I know this ain’t the house of deceit and strap-ons. Lord, let me tread lightly before I turn into the demon they summoned.”

She stepped in, looked around at the mess of clothes, broken candles, and twisted sheets on the floor. Her mouth twisted up like she smelled betrayal and Black & Mild’s in the walls.

“See… this that Tyler Perry-ass setup I don’t like. I told you that man gave sassy Sagittarius. He always had a lil’ swing in his spirit.”

“Not now, Nell,” I whispered, shaking my head.

She softened.

Her voice dropped to that tone only a twin could conjure: half storm, half comfort. “Aight. I’m here now. And I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

We got to work, silent but synchronized.

Nell picked up clothes while Leila tossed the sheets into a trash bag like they were a biohazard. She sprayed the bed down with Lysol, and I followed up with bleach, even though I knew damn well bleach didn’t erase memories. It felt cleansing to do it, though.

“Bitch, you gon’ need to sage this whole damn house,” Jonell said, holding up Kam’s favorite hoodie with two fingers like it was diseased. “He wore this the night y’all went to that comedy show, right? I’m ’bout to cut this shit into ribbons.”

“Don’t forget to burn his bonnet,” I mumbled.

Jonell and Leila both paused.

“…His what?” Jonell questioned.

“Kam wore a bonnet.”

She blinked. “You mean durag?”

“No, sis. A bonnet. Like mine. With the satin edge protection.”

Jonell sat on the bed and screamed into a pillow so loud the candles flickered while Leila fanned herself and turned red from trying not to laugh in my face.

Once we got the room cleaned up, Leila tossed me a cold ginger ale and popped the top on one for herself while Jonell settled for a bottle of water. We sat on the couch, still in silence, a comfort only sisters could share without a hint of awkwardness.

I finally broke it.

“I really thought I was gon’ marry him, y’all.”

Jonell’s head snapped toward me. “Jonay. You almost married a man who moaned for Taleah like she was Tank on tour. You dodged a bullet and a butt plug.”

Leila hollered, and it broke me. My snort spilled out, wild and messy, before I could even think of holding it back.

“You know, Taleah always had strange vibes. She wore white to y’all Grandma Jan’s funeral, claiming it was ‘fashion-forward.’ That ho hasn’t had a moral compass since 2003,” Leila retorted.

“She said we weren’t close.”

Jonell stopped mid-sip. “Excuse me?”

“According to her, ‘We not even that close.’ As if our mothers aren’t twins. As if we haven’t been splitting birthday cakes for the past twenty-nine years.”

Jonell stood up and pointed at the ceiling as if she was filing a spiritual complaint. “Lord, I know I’ve asked for forgiveness before, but I’m going to need a hall pass on this one. Just one fade. One.”

Leila sat with her leg shaking repeatedly and a frown on her pretty face. She was on go and pissed.

I wiped my face and looked at them. “Why do I feel like this is my fault, though?”

Leila shook her head in disbelief, and her face softened.

“Now don’t piss me off. You feel that way because you are a good woman. Good women internalize shit that was never ours to carry.” Leila grabbed my hand.