Knowing You

A/N: Sooooo sorry about the long update, I got sick and then I was stuck working twelve hour shifts. Sleep was more important than writing, I was pooped! But here is the next chapter, I'll try not to wait as long for the next. Thanks for your patience and reviews.


Chapter Six




Making her plans was easier than she’d thought they would be. Taree waved at the redhead woman strolling towards her. Already sitting at the booth, she’d had a coke that needed refilling. Making a friendly overture, she had called her brother’s girlfriend and made the first move.


“There you are, my this place is quite quaint.” Sheila tossed her hair over her shoulder, eyeing the couple of kids eating lunch in the booth behind the girl.


“Thanks for meeting me,” a forced smile was put on, Taree squared her shoulders. She could do this, that cold had lasted for three days. There was only a week left before her parents went away and the party was to take place.


“No problem, I was in town anyways. I had to get my nails done, they were getting atrocious.” Sheila placed her newly manicured fingernails on the table, showing the bright pink polish off.


“Lovely,” Taree wanted to get a hacksaw to those talons. “Oops, before I forget, I hope Dante isn’t angry. I know I called to see if he’d pick me up but I got a ride home. I confess, there is a guy at work and he asked me if he could take me. I couldn’t say no, he’s such a hottie, we are going out soon.”


“Splendid,” Sheila figured this guy must be blind or desperate. She wasn’t about to correct the girl, let the idiot think Dante had gone out of his way only to find her already gone.


“Great, now that we are here, we need to talk.” Taree almost gagged on the next words. “I know we don’t exactly
get along, we’ll never be the best of friends. The thing is I was just a little worried, about Dante, you know. He’s never really taken any girl serious, he’s always been a player. But I know I’ve been wrong, it’s obvious that he’s completely smitten with you. I’m happy for him, and I’d like for us to try to become friends since we’ll be sisters.”


“Very well,” Sheila promptly replied. There was no way she’d befriend the girl but knew she had to at least accept the fact that she’d always be around.


“Let’s throw him a wonderful party, he deserves it.” He was going to get exactly what he deserved, if Taree had anything to say about it. Years of putting up with his shit, she’d finally lost her patience. A nagging voice in the back of her head was screaming it was due to her lost virginity. He’d taken something from her and it had meant nothing to him. If he’d been in his right mind and still have done it, it might have meant something to her.


“I agree.”


“I know you’re a busy woman, more so than myself.” Taree beamed when the woman nodded in agreement, this was going to be so easy. “If you’d like I could handle the catering, decorations, cleaning and the small things. You’ll have to do the guest list, the social part of organizing, I’m no good at that.”


“Indeed, if you don’t mind. I was planning on having Scardini’s do the catering. They deal in mostly Italian but have a little of everything, and your brother loves their mini-subs. How about I set that up, drop off the decorations, and you can handle these things when they arrive. I’ll have the decorations brought there by morning, he’ll be at work, and the food will arrive shortly before he does.”


“Sounds like a plan, I won’t let you down.” Taree noticed the waitress coming over to them. She was starving, not a good sign. “Why don’t we order some lunch and get to know each other a little better.”


‘If I must!’ Sheila quickly glanced at the menu, going right for the salad section. She gave the lady her order and noticed Taree ordered a large meal. She wanted to laugh as the girl pulled a bottle from the mangled brown purse. “Why take diet pills, if you are just going to eat all that food?”


Taree blushed, and handed Sheila the bottle. “They aren’t exactly diet pills, more like boosters. It contains diuretics, to help with water retention, vitamins, and a few things to help speed up my metabolism. Kind of like an energy pill, to help keep the weight off.”


Taree wasn’t sure why she kept taking them, well she did. There was no way she was going to get pudgy again, she wouldn’t be fat. At times she still felt over-weight, like whenever she looked at Sheila. The redhead was tall and very slim, not much too her. A strong wind would probably blow the poor woman away, right into the crack of a drain. She sighed, all of Dante’s girlfriends had a similar figure.


“Those things aren’t good for you, you never know what’s in them.” Sheila scoffed at the need to take over the counter drugs. She’d never had that problem, her body was perfect. “You shouldn’t worry yourself, some guys like chunky women.”


Taree clenched her fist under the table, the urge to punch those thick lips strong. ‘I wanna rip that mop out!’ The bitch had just insulted her in the form of advice and encouragement. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or stab the cunt with a fork.


The time until their food arrived was spent in silence, much to Taree’s delight. Then as they ate, Sheila decided to discuss the presents that she’d bought Dante, with his own money. There was mention of a watch, a video camera, silk sheets, and a movie collection. The entire time Taree had to wonder if she should purchase him something as well. She couldn’t very well go to his birthday party without buying him something, could she?





Taree glanced at the clock again, she had to stop this. She was disappointing herself, when had she turned into such a moron? When she’d lost her virginity? Groaning she placed a hand on the warm snout laying across her stomach. The fuzzy head moved, so the mutt could get comfortable.


‘He’s late,’ she didn’t want to think about it. Her parents had left last night, leaving her to stay with Dante. It had been late in the evening, so she’d stayed home while he had driven them to the airport. She’d been in bed, pretending to be asleep when he returned. He’d been gone this morning, her breakfast had consisted of cold cereal. There was no point in cooking a meal if it was only her there to eat it.


It was already after eight in the evening, as far as she knew he got off work at six. Was he going to see Sheila before coming? She was being such an idiot, it wasn’t like he still lived here. Maybe it was because she didn’t like being alone. Being alone in the house at night made her antsy, she was a puss. Binky wasn’t much of a watchdog, the only thing he barked at was his reflection.


‘I’m just upset because I’m starving and I can’t cook dinner until he’s home.’ That sounded like a good excuse to her, a reasonable one. There was no point in cooking and it going cold if he wasn’t here to eat it. If he didn’t show soon, she’d head down and fix herself a sandwich.


Was this what it was going to be like? The entire time he was to be here, would he ignore her? Not like he was staying because he wanted her company, this was out of duty. There was one person that Dante loved, that was his father, he’d do anything to make the man happy. That included coming over to stay while they were away, being around her.


What did she care? Not like she wanted him to come home and spend time with her. They were family but not friends, he didn’t like her. There was no sibling care between them, they were nothing more than strangers that couldn’t get along.


Ignoring her inner conflict, she slid off of the mattress, moving the dog aside. ‘I’m just going down to ask about eating dinner.’ That said, she opened her bedroom door and trotted down the stairs. If he was hungry maybe she’d make him spaghetti, with some garlic bread on the side. He would have to be starving after working twelves hours, dinner would be appreciated.


High pitched laughter had her coming to a crashing halt at the bottom, not soon enough. Taree was already seen, just as she spotted the couple standing just inside the door. Her suggestion to cook dinner died in her throat seeing the two.


“Oh, hello Taree dear, hope we didn’t wake you.” Sheila smiled maliciously, the little twerp needed to go back upstairs. Dante had been in a pleasant mood since picking her up, she wanted to take advantage of it. “We just came back from a quick dinner, he finally took me to try out that new Greek place that opened up on Divine.”


“Nice,” Shame they hadn’t choked on it! Taree let her eyes sway to him, he went to the closet to hang up their coats, both of them. Guess this meant that Sheila would be staying for a bit, most likely all night. If she had to listen to those two go at it for hours, she’d pull a Jason. See how well they moaned in pleasure with a metal spike rammed in their torsos!


“Did you have dinner?” Dante closed the closet door, turning to the girl standing unusually still. He’d suggested they bring her back something but Sheila convinced him that Taree wouldn’t wait for him to come home to eat. They had a nice casserole the girl would have enjoyed, maybe next time.


“Yeah, I was just coming down to let you know that there is a message for you on the machine.” It was true but she felt deflated. The family had always done the same thing, since their parents had married. They’d wait for everyone to get home before dining, if someone wasn’t going to be there then they called. She swallowed past the lump in her throat, since when had she ever been family to him?


“Alright,” he could see the flashing light in the corner. It was probably the shipping department, letting him know what time the cargo would be there in the morning. His smile dropped noticing the injured look that crossed her face for a brief second, so quick he wasn’t sure if it had really been there.


“Well, I’m heading to bed, you two have a good night.” Just not too good or she’d think about throwing herself out a window.


Binky lifted his head as she slammed the bedroom door, taking her anger out on the old wooden frame. Once again, he couldn’t be considerate towards her. The springs protested under her weight, groaning that she shouldn’t just plop down like that.




The evening of the party couldn’t have come any quicker for Taree. Days of not going home were getting to her, she was a homebody. Whenever she wasn’t working she found somewhere else to be, like the local library. Joey was spending most of her time with Bobby, so that wasn’t an option. The library was open until ten at night, the perfect place to go since she loved books and Dante didn’t know it existed.


There wasn’t anything more to do in the kitchen, it was all taken care of. The morning of the party had come,
she’d done her part. Sheila had convinced Dante to spend the day out, leaving everything in her hands. Things had almost been ruined when he announced he’d taken the day off. Taree giggled as the guests were starting to arrive. Being mostly friends of Sheila’s, the people were content to stand around and socialize in the living room.


The decorations had been set up all by herself, she’d done an excellent job. That she had to give herself a pat on the back for, the place looked amazing. Not long after she’d got done setting the place up, the caterers had arrived to bring in the food. After signing, she’d went about getting the kitchen ready. The kitchen had been rearranged to fit a table, the many trays placed fashionably.


The food smelled delicious, consisting of mini-subs, all forms of pasta, salads, desserts, breads, and fruits. Sheila had spent a great deal of Dante’s money to order the feast. Taree was almost loath to go through with her plans after seeing how beautiful it all looked. Only remembering his cold and callous attitude, did she strengthen her resolve.


Seeing that it was getting close to time, she walked over to the punch bowl. It was supposed to be the restaurant’s speciality drink. Made from juice, spices and some kind of alcohol. Many of the guests already had their first glass, boasting how great it was. Well, it was great for now.


Making sure no one was coming into the kitchen, she reached inside her apron and withdrew the packet. “Oh yes, I’m too young to drink.” A snort escaped her lips as the white powder was dumped without remorse. It was quickly dissolving, to make sure, she stirred it with the dipper. It had been a large amount, but not enough to really hurt anyone.


‘Shit, I gotta get ready.’ If she was going to act the part of hostess, then she had to dress it. Rushing up the stairs she made it to her room in record time.


A small gift was sitting on the bed, something she shouldn’t have gotten. No, he’d most likely be extremely pissed at her after today. Then again, did she really care? Her hand reached out to pick up the small box, fingering the wrapping paper. No, she couldn’t give it to him. She didn’t know what she’d been thinking when she’d picked it up. All that had really crossed her mind was seeing his face as he opened it, that for once he’d smile because of her.


Sighing deeply, she reached for the dress that had also been bought. It was a plain, pink, made mostly of cotton, a simple dress . The top did cling to her chest, not like she had much to show off. The sleeves billowed around the wrists, same from the waist down. White sandals completed the outfit, plain because she didn’t want to feel like competing with Sheila.


Hearing the slamming of the car door outside, she ran for the door, quickly switching off the light. The guests were all waiting, under the large banner that screamed Happy Birthday!. If she had to count there were near thirty people crammed into the livingroom. There was no way she could see them come in while standing in the crowd, so she stood on the stairs. Watching around the corner as the door slowly opened, her breath coming in sharp gasps. Would he be happy?


Dante rolled his eyes as Sheila giggled again for no reason. If he didn’t know better he’d say she’d been sniffing something. The woman had been acting strange all day long, very affectionate, not HERSELF! It was the first time in their history of dating that he could remember, that she had actually held his hand. He’d given in this morning and taken her to breakfast, then shopping. When he’d been so tired of that he started bitching, she convinced him to go see a movie. He’d given in only because it was one he wanted to see himself. After that, she wanted to stop by her place to pick up a few things. That had ended in her seducing him, then both taking a quick shower.


More than ready to go home, he slammed the car door shut. It irked him more when she practically skipped and grabbed his hand once more. What he wanted to do was send her away and relax for the rest of the evening. Maybe he could convince Taree to go get a pizza with him, that was if she were home. Since he’d been here she was dragging her ass in late, due to work or being out. What was the point of him staying here to be with her if she was never home?


“Come on love, I’m beat, lets head inside.” Sheila made sure she was the one to open the door. This was going to be great, as long as that girl did everything she was supposed too. She did notice the many vans parked down the street, the guests had car pooled and parked at the vacant house a few houses down.


“Whatever,” he had the urge to snatch his hand away in disgust.


The front door was thrown open and he was practically dragged inside. His foot caught on the welcome mat, making him stumble into the house. He looked up to snap at her, he wasn’t a fucking dog! The sudden shout of “SURPRISE!!!” had him stumped and confused. It took a second for it to sink in, the large sign dangling from the ceiling.


“Happy Birthday,” Sheila gloated as a large grin started to spread over his face. The smile was all for her, she leaned forward to kiss him on the mouth.


Taree felt proud as the happiness shone on his face, the smile brightened the features. A few friends started shouting Congratulations along with Sheila. A strange ache began to form in her stomach as he leaned down to return the kiss the redhead was trying to give him. The two stayed that way for several minutes, until they started getting catcalls.


The display was something that she should expect, it bothered her just the same. Taree was going to move from her spot on the wall until he spoke. A knife suddenly flew across the room, to wedge itself in her chest as he turned to thank Sheila for doing it. Go figure, the redhead smiled sweetly and took all the credit.


“Anything for you love, I know you said you didn’t want a party but you deserve it. It isn’t much, I did what I could on short notice.” Sheila beamed as he placed another chaste kiss on her mouth.


‘Okay, so she did have a big part of doing it. She did order everything and paid for it,’ Taree scolded herself for being hurt by it. After all, the party had been Sheila’s idea and the woman had ordered everything. All she’d done was set it up, not really a lot of work. If it hadn’t been for the woman, he wouldn’t be having a party.


Feeling like a child, she took a seat on the stairs, high enough so she could watch what was going on. This wasn’t her scene, she shouldn’t be here. Thongs of people were crowding around, all hugging and shaking hands, wishing him well. It was sweet to see, all these people seemed to be fond of him.


‘He must really love her,’ she couldn’t help but notice that many of the females were young and attractive. At one time her brother would flirt and have roaming eyes. There was no flirting, his eyes didn’t stray to breasts, ass or hips, Taree was shocked. Didn’t one stop searching once they’d found the one for them? The one known for his conquests appeared to be ensnared finally.


“Time to eat, then we’ll get to the presents.” Sheila announced loud enough for all to hear. “Birthday boy first, you should see the cake I got him.”


The crowd started making it’s way into the kitchen, all trying to get to the food first. Taree stood back, she’d
get something to eat after they were done, if there was anything left. Only a few guests were standing in the livingroom, gossiping amongst themselves.


The searing pain was still rushing in her veins, she was upset. It did sting that he hadn’t glanced her way, not once. Would he have accepted a hug if she’d have gone up to him? ‘No, he’d probably hold up his fingers in the sign of the cross and hiss.’ There was no point in thinking that he might put their differences aside long enough for her to wish him a Happy Birthday.


The tip of her nose was damp, she reached up to realize that she was crying. “Dammit,” swearing, she stormed up the stairs heading for the bedroom. As soon as it ended, she’d come down to clean and straighten the place. Not like her presence would be missed, unless someone needed to wipe their feet.




“Thank you, they were recommended.” Sheila turned to explain how she’d chosen the caterer.


Dante placed his glass of punch down, not really thirsty, he’d only accepted it because Sheila had shoved it into his hand. Moving away, he made a beeline for the livingroom, everyone was trying to fit in the kitchen to grab food. His appetite was gone, he didn’t feel much like eating right now.


His eyes roamed the few people standing around, she wasn’t here. Had she left for the day knowing the party was going to be held? He was sure she knew about it, someone had to let these people in. It stung that she hadn’t wanted to stick around for it. What did it matter? They hadn’t bothered with each other’s birthday’s in years, nothing had changed.


“Oh, Happy Birthday,” Claire threw her arms around the stout figure. She worked in Dante’s office, mostly served as his assistant. The elderly woman, gave him a tight hug that was returned with affection. “This is a wonderful party, I had my doubts.”


“Yes, I was pleasantly shocked. I told Sheila I didn’t really want one.”


“Don’t be such a goose, you need to celebrate your birthday. I told that gal of yours as much,” Claire didn’t
much care for his taste in women but it was his life. “Thinking of women, I finally got to meet that darling sister of yours. Such a splendid young lady, so pretty and polite, they don’t make em like that anymore. Reminds me of myself at that age, I was a real dish back then. I must say, she did do a remarkable job on the decorations. Me and Paul got here first, I offered to help finish up but she refused. Even the kitchen looked lovely, must have taken her hours.”


“Speaking of my sister, have you seen her?” Dante moved away putting space between them. The woman’s constant chatter was enough to make someone insane.


“Oh yes, she’s right over there. Oh my, well I would have sworn she was sitting on the stairs just a few minutes ago. Poor thing was probably scared of getting squashed with all these brutes about.”


“Thanks,” he patted the woman’s arm before heading towards the stairs, assuming that Taree had headed up. Had she been the one to do everything? He hadn’t thought about it, he should have. Sheila had been with him all day so someone else had to do the decorating. His first assumption was that someone had been hired to do it, or a few of the guests had.


It was silent upstairs, even behind her door. His knuckles paused before coming down on the door, would she answer him? With how things had been lately, she’d be more likely to get up and lock it. His fingers circled around the knob finding it unlocked, “Taree?”


She jerked her head off the mattress hearing her name as the door slowly crept open. Was he coming in her room? What the hell did he want? To tell her not to come down because there was adults drinking? “Yes?”


“Hey, where you downstairs?” That wasn’t what he wanted to ask. Dante kicked himself mentally as the question came out. That was all wrong, he wanted to thank her for helping with the party, for doing something for him.


Had someone said something about her being down there? She fought back the despair, turning her head back towards the window. Looking at the leaves blowing was a lot safer than meeting his face. “Don’t worry, I’m not coming back down until it’s over.”


“Okay,” if that was what she wanted. It bothered him that she’d rather hold up in her room than celebrate with him. Why go through the trouble of helping plan it if she didn’t care? Dante frowned, not caring to talk to the back of her head.


The door creaked, it was being closed again. Unable to help stop herself, she took a deep breath and did it, “Happy Birthday.” There it was said, she’d done it and it hadn’t killed her. That got him to pause in backing out of the room.


“Thanks,” that made him feel a bit better. He lifted his head, she was finally looking at him. Had to have a cramp in her neck from looking back at him but it was a start. Binky gave a low growl, as if to wish him one also. Laughing, his eyes swayed to the fluffy ball of stupidity. The dog no longer interested him, there was a package resting near it’s head. “Is that for me?”


‘Shit!’ She hadn’t thought about the gift when he’d come inside the room. There was no getting around it now, “Yes, I was going to wait until later to give it to you.”


“Really?” This time he stepped all the way into the room, closing the door behind him. Dante walked around the bed, sitting next to her shoulders. “Can I have it now?”


“I guess, it’s not much.” She figured he wouldn’t jump for joy about it, nor remember the meaning behind it. It had been purchased on a whim, because for a brief moment she recalled a time when they had been close. Compared to the things Sheila had gotten him, it was an old shoe from a garage sale.


He let her hand it over to him, curious as to what she’d get him. It’d been so long since she’d made a gesture towards him. Almost as long as it had been for him to do anything for her, that wasn’t out of duty. A hollow feeling formed in his chest as it was placed in his palm.


Taree held her breath as the fingers gently tore the paper, until the blue jewelry box was uncovered. Binky also lifted his head to watch the unveiling, placing his head in Dante’s lap. Would he want it? Of course he’d act like he wanted it, lest he get his teeth kicked in. It would probably be tossed in the trash or stashed in a box somewhere.


He removed the lid, a lump jumped in his throat. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, was it possible? “It’s Saint Christopher, it’s exactly the same.”


“Yeah,” it was why she’d gotten it. A memory of when they had been close, a time when she had loved him. His grandmother had passed away leaving him a necklace, one the old woman had always worn. Loving the old woman as he did, Dante had cherished it. When having asked about it, he told her how his grandmother had promised that it would always keep him safe. Not even a year later they had gone swimming in the ocean. After returning to the car, he had reached up to find the necklace gone. For hours they had searched, but it had never been recovered. Later that night, she’d heard him crying through the walls. It had broken her heart so she’d snuck into his room, climbed in bed with him and held him close. His tears had stopped when she promised to get him another, and until then she’d protect him.


“I know it’s not the same one but,” she was rambling, trying to explain why she’d gotten it. Would he think her a fool? “I saw it and remembered, I thought it’d be nice, I just wanted to get you something since.....”


“I like it,” he reached inside to take it out of the box. It was a pleasant surprise that she had remembered the promise. Up until now he had forgotten all about it, it shamed him. “Will you put it on?”


“Okay, if you really want to.” Was he just trying to placate her? Taree took the chain from him and sat up. Having to sit behind him in order to place it around his neck.


The cool chain settled against his chest, the charm coming to rest as the clip was fastened in back. It touched him to know that she had given him such a thoughtful gift, they hadn’t been close in years. He smiled, bringing his fingers up to touch the silver pendant, it was a wonderful present.


“There, now you can’t say I never gave you anything.” She tried to hide her discomfort and the uneasy feeling that was steadily growing in her stomach.


“I never......” a knock on the door kept him from finishing. He frowned, the door opened and Sheila didn’t look happy.


“There you are, what are you doing up here?” Sheila was livid, how dare he leave the party to hole up in this room! After all the trouble she’d gone through to make this party happen, he could at least act like he appreciated it. “Everyone is downstairs waiting on you, to open gifts.”


“I’m coming,” without fail he stood and followed the peeved redhead out of the bedroom.


Taree grumbled under her breath, so much for THAT! She wasn’t even sure why she’d bothered with the damn thing, mental void would be her excuse. As soon as he saw all the nice things Sheila had bought him, the necklace would be forgotten.


She was frowning until the bathroom across the hall drew her attention. The door slammed hard enough to make the dog’s head pick up, someone had closed it in a hurry. Smiling to herself, she hummed as footsteps padded up the stairs. Vigorous knocking appeared in the hallway, a voice demanding when the person inside the toilet room would be done.


It was worth listening out for, as the people swapped, with the sound of a flushing toilet. Her eyes went to the clock, it was getting near that time. The pills had said within thirty minutes to an hour. Depending on how much a person ingested, the results did vary.


There was a harsh cry, along with the sound of something heavy hitting the hallway floor. She rushed to the door to peer out and almost laughed. A young woman was laying on the carpet, after being knocked over in the process of rushing to the bathroom. The smile left her face as two more people were coming up the stairs as well, only to stop noticing that a line was starting to form.


There was a holler of disgust as the chick getting up from the floor let out a telling sound. From the sudden smell the wet fart had to come loaded. Taree took a step back, shutting her bedroom door, trying to block out the smell. Perhaps she’d put too much in the punch, those that had been drinking the entire time were now upstairs.


She was going to guess that the bathroom downstairs was also occupied. A car cranked up outside, the elderly lady that she’d spoken to earlier was shouting goodbye loud enough to be heard from the window. Were they leaving? Banging had her wincing, cursing followed, a male voice was demanding that whomever was in the bathroom get the fuck out. Taree snickered, it did her heart good to hear Sheila’s voice bitching about the catering company. Yes, it was best that they never ordered from there again.



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