by Bella Jay
“You sure you didn’t come to meet him?” She side-eyed him.
“That too. I can’t grill his ass as much over the phone to make sure my sister ain’t moving in with a psychopath. He cool and all but still.”
Tessah grinned. “I’m so happy to see you!”
He kissed her cheek. “You too. You won’t believe how my afternoon here went.” He followed her inside. “Avelyn is determined to get me to take her back.”
“What she do?” Tessah asked before calling out to Kyree. “Babe, guess who here!”
“Some bullshit. I’ll tell you later but I need a drink. Please tell me you have hard liquor.”
Tessah snickered. “I do.”
“Yoooo!” Kyree said, coming into the living room and spotting Dasiah. “Thank God I got help.”
“Here your ass go.” Tessah kissed her teeth as the men embraced one another. Boxes were everywhere, and they’d only gotten a third of the way through packing and she was moving tomorrow.
“Tess ain’t tell me you were coming up.”
“I figured I’d surprise her big headed ass.”
“Thank you because Ky been bullying me all day.”
Kyree cut his eyes at her. “Bro. She waited until last night to pack. We’ve been at this shit all morning.”
“I ain’t realize I had so much shit,” she mumbled.
Dasiah chortled. “Well, I’m here to help and get my mind off women. Tell me what needs to be done.”
The three of them got to work with Landon stopping by a couple hours later to help. By the time the sun set, they still had about twenty percent more to pack.
“Babe!” Tessah called from upstairs.
“Yeah?”
“Can you order a pizza? My laptop down there.”
“Bet,” he called back.
Tessah fell on her bed, exhausted. Her body ached from the hurting Kyree had put on it last night plus being on her feet all day. She already imagined sleeping all Sunday. She’d start unpacking next week but it wouldn’t happen right away. Most of what she was taking to Kyree’s house were smaller things: clothes, shoes, and her must have items and electronics he didn’t have. Everything else would go in storage.
She smelled him before her eyes landed on him walking into her bedroom. “I’m only taking a little break, I promise.” His darkened face made her sit up. “What’s wrong?”
“What the fuck is this?” Kyree asked, turning her laptop towards her. His curt tone made her heart rate increase.
“What?” She took it from him. “What’s wr—” No. Her Messages app on her MacBook was open and in plain sight was her and Emery’s thread. “Did you go through my messages?” she snapped.
“No. The shit was there when I opened it, and that’s not the fucking point. Is this who I think it is?”
Tessah sucked in air and averted her eyes. “It’s Emery Watson.”
“You’ve been fucking him behind my back?”
“It’s not how it looks Ky. We haven’t—”
“Answer the damn question!” he barked.
“No!”
“So why the fuck he so damn comfortable?” He snatched the laptop back from her as he read through the messages from Emery. Each time he got more animated. “He getting rooms at the Ritz for any fucking body, huh? Super bowl tickets too? Well damn.”
“I can explain if you calm the fuck down!” Her voice shrieked. “I told you about Emery! He’s who I grew up with.”
“No you told me about someone you considered FAMILY. You ain’t tell me y’all were more than that or he was Emery FUCKING Watson.”
“Because who he was did not matter! I don’t go name dropping.”
Kyree huffed and ran his hands along his face. “Here you go with the bullshit again. It did fucking matter because we sat and had discussions about this nigga and not once have you mentioned you knew him or y’all were smashing.”
“THAT WAS BEFORE YOU!” She screamed at the top of her lungs.
“But you still consider him family? Tessah I’m not fucking stupid. You ain’t tell me because you were hiding something.”
“It’s not what you think!”
“Yo yo yo what’s going on?” Landon came into the room with Dasiah following.
“He saw messages between Em and I.” She ran her hands through her hair. Why hadn’t she deleted the thread? She wanted to put all of this on Kyree and his going through her shit but she’d fucked up. It was Emery’s birthday. This morning after she’d reserved the moving truck, she’d messaged him ‘happy birthday’. She was the only one who ever used her computer. She didn’t think twice to close out of her messages afterwards.
“Oh shit.” Landon hissed.
“His reaction lets me know there’s more to it.”
“There’s not! Em and I… we’re friends.”
“Friends who fuck?”
“No friends!”
“I read the damn messages Tee. Don’t play me for a damn idiot.” He tossed her laptop on the dresser and she winced. He had to have cracked the screen.
“Bro maybe you need to calm down,” Dasiah spoke.
“Nah fuck that and fuck your sister. I’m out.”
“Kyree!” She followed him. “We weren’t having sex. I haven’t cheated on you!”
“I'on wanna hear this shit man.”
She grabbed his elbow as he reached the front door. “Baby, listen to me. We had something in the past but I ended things.” Her eyes burned.
“Tessah I need a minute aight?” He snatched away from her grip and stormed out the door. Tessah dropped her head and hugged her body. Why couldn’t she spit out the full truth?
“Tell me you ain’t still been sleeping with Em?” Landon asked from behind her as she watched Kyree peel off. The roar of his engine shot daggers through her heart.
“No.” She turned and crashed into his chest and let the tears fall. This was what she didn’t want to happen. “I promise I didn’t. I just didn’t end things when I should have.”
❖❖❖
Tessah awoke restless and hungover. The liquor nor sleep helped soothed her annoyance with herself and with Kyree. He’d turned off his phone, wouldn’t hear her out, and as much as she wanted to pop up at his house — Dasiah and Landon didn’t let her. They advised her to give him the space he needed because no matter how she spun it, she’d been wrong.
Emery’s messages were inappropriate and each time she either laughed them off or ignored them but she never told him to stop when she should have.
A knock on her door made her lift her head out of her pillow and yell for the person to come in.
“How you feeling? ‘Cause I feel like shit.” Dasiah made his way in and sat near the bed. They’d both used alcohol to tend to their heart last night.
“Shitty.”
“Mixing wine and whiskey might’ve been a bad idea.”
“Real shit.”
“You talked to my boy? What’s the move? It’s already almost one.”
‘I don’t fucking know.” Tessah sat up and pressed her body against her quilted headboard. “I text him this morning asking if we were done or if he wanted to talk. He ain’t respond yet. He’s supposed to get the Uhaul at three.”
“Y’all not done.”
“Coulda fooled me last night.”
“He’s pissed. You’ve been entertaining another nigga for months whether you see it that way. That’s how us men will, so him needing to calm down is his right.” Tessah rolled her eyes. Leave it to men to stick together. “But he loves you so be ready to beg for forgiveness.”
Tessah jerked her head back. “I’m not begging.”
“You love him too so you will.”
“I—” She shut her mouth realizing there was no longer a reason to lie about her feelings. “I’m not begging.”
She had no intentions of begging but she would give him the best head he’d ever received if it meant getting them back to their happy place.
“Well if he breaks up with you
r ass, you can always come live with me. My spare room is yours.”
“Gee thanks.” She rolled her eyes.
Her phone vibrated, and she snatched it off her charger, biting her bottom lip.
Kyree: Yeah we can talk when I bring the Uhaul.
She let out a sigh and relayed the message to her brother as she replied.
Tessah: We’re still moving in together?
“See told you.” Dasiah gave her a kiss on the cheek before leaving her with her anxious thoughts. When the text came in her stomach collapsed.
Kyree: We’ll talk.
The next text from Kyree came in three hours later when he told her he was on his way.
Against her own volition, her eyes rolled. Annoyance settled into every bone in her body regarding his text from earlier. We’ll talk. She kept replaying the words in her head in his voice. Each time Tessah scrunched her face. What did that even mean?
“I’ma go take the beds apart upstairs,” Dasiah yelled over the music blasting from Tessah’s Bluetooth player. She nodded as she belted the words to Rihanna “Complicated”.
Tessah let Rihanna’s Loud album soothe her inner emotions and penetrate her brain.
“At least you still look good from behind.” Tessah froze. Her neck turned at a snail’s pace and what her eyes saw made her skin stand at attention.
“Das—” She screamed for her brother when the gun smashed against her temple, knocking her onto the floor.
Tessah scrambled back, fear struck by her intruder. With enlarged pupils, he pointed the gun at her.
“Caiden what - what are you doing?” She searched for an escape plan.
“I told you to leave my wife out of it.”
Her heart plummeted out of her chest as she stuttered, “She came to me I didn’t go to her.” Tessah’s eyes bounced from the gun to the foyer near the stairs and back to the weapon. “Caiden let’s talk, okay? You don’t need to point a gun at me.”
“Who’s in the house? Your little thug ass boyfriend you had come see me?”
“I’m here alone.”
“Don’t lie to me.” With each word, Caiden moved into her space until the barrel of the gun pressed into the center of her forehead.
Tessah’s vision blurred. “Please,” she begged. “I didn’t—”
“Shut the fuck up!” he growled and knocked the butt of the gun across her cheek. She cried out in pain but the sounds of Rihanna drowned her out. Her cheek stung as the warm liquid ran down it and blood tickled her lips. “You’ve ruined my fucking life!”
“I did nothing! I didn’t make you cheat on your wife.”
“No but you gave her ammunition. Text messages, phone logs, pictures, receipts! Every fucking thing she needed to take everything from me. My practice, my money, and even my kids.”
A tight knot rested in Tessah’s throat. “You wanted to leave her, anyway.” She inched away from him.
“On my fucking terms!” He scratched his head with the tip of the gun and let his arm drop to his side. “I can’t believe how selfish and ungrateful you are. I gave you money, a car, a home, and you sold me out to my wife — FOR WHAT?!”
Nothing. Her throat willed out nothing as she prayed for help.
“ANSWER ME!”
Tessah jumped and blurted out, “Because you wouldn’t leave me alone!” The hurt in his eyes forced guilt through her cold heart. She didn’t blame herself for his wife finding out about his cheating ways but because she’d thrown him under the bus for her own selfish reasons. Caiden hadn’t been a terrible person to her. He had given her a life she’d always wanted and because she was too spoiled to get her own, she sold him out to his wife.
“I loved you like a fucking fool.” He pointed the gun back at her and she gasped.
“Caiden please! I’m sorry!” Desperation struck each word but the darkness in his eyes didn’t waver.
“Fuck your sorry! You weren’t sorry when you were ruining my life.”
She closed her eyes and prayed. Her erratic heartbeat pounded through her ears. “I’m sorry.” Her voice only an octave above a whisper as her lips quivered and her eyes opened. She gasped.
The gun closer to her face but beyond it were her brother and Kyree. They motioned for her to not give them away but her eyes failed her.
Caiden glanced over his shoulder as Kyree lunged at him causing the gun to fly out of his hand. Kyree’s fists slammed into Caiden’s face and body multiple times before he delivered a kick to his gut that knocked Caiden to the ground. Kyree’s eyes were dark as he closed in on their enemy.
“TESSAH GET OUT OF HERE!” Dasiah yelled, snatching her elbow as she peered into Caiden’s bloodied face.
“I—” her eyes expanded as Caiden pulled another gun from his sock holster and positioned it at her.
“Stupid bitch!” Caiden barked as Kyree screamed, “Nooo!”
Tessah braced herself as the gun sounded. The wind was knocked out of her as her body crashed into the floor. Her eyes flew open, and she realized Dasiah had knocked them out of the way of Caiden’s bullets.
Another three gun shots and Tessah couldn’t recognize her own voice as she shrieked. Dasiah and her made eye contact from behind the couch as she struggled to get up.
“Sy move!” She needed to make sure Kyree was okay.
“I can’t,” he said and her heart cracked when he showed her his bloody hand. The bullet had hit him.
Her chest caved. “Dasiah!”
“I’m okay,” he croaked but the panicked look in his eyes told a different story.
“Oh my God,” she heard someone yell. “Call 911!”
“Help!” Tessah cried.
Familiar faces from the townhome next door rushed her way. One of her neighbors helped her maneuvered from under Dasiah while the other put pressure on his wound.
As she stood from behind the couch, her world stopped.
❖❖❖
A nightmare. She was living a nightmare. Her brother had gotten shot. Kyree had gotten shot. And one of the two most important men in her life was fighting for his life. Pieces of her heart were scattered miles apart and she couldn’t think straight.
How did she get here?
How could Caiden have done this when all she did was tell her truth? He couldn’t accept the consequences of his actions and sought to ruin her life. To take her life and instead he might take the life of the first person she’d ever been in love with.
The doctors had done their job, but Kyree still hadn’t woken. It had been three days since the shooting and he wouldn’t wake up. Tessah didn’t want to leave the hospital, but she wanted to hide from his family. Their pain showed through his mom’s bloodshot eyes, brother’s slumped shoulders, Shayla’s dirty stares, and Cherry’s cries for him to play with her.
They blamed her. They hadn’t said it but some things didn’t need to be said. She blamed herself.
Kyree had been nothing but good to her. He’d put himself in harm’s way more than once for her well-being and her selfish ways led to him on a hospital bed. Him and her brother.
Dasiah’s injuries, fortunately, weren’t severe, and the bullet had only hit tissue. According to the doctor, Kyree’s also wasn’t as bad as it could have been but his body experienced severe shock from the blood loss.
Tessah had a hard time getting the image of Kyree slumped against the wall, gun in hand, with blood pouring out his chest.
“Did you eat today?” Tessah snapped her head to see Avelyn, Dasiah’s girlfriend, in front of her. After Tessah pulled herself together after the shooting, she’d called the one person Dasiah would’ve wanted her to.
Dasiah’s brush with death had rekindled their relationship and Tessah was happy something good had come from the terrible thing.
“No,” she uttered. “I haven’t been hungry.”
“Here.” Avelyn handed her a thing of fries from Chick-fil-A. “Dasiah is not about to kill me. He’s running me crazy enough and concerned about you.”
> Tessah forced a smile and took the food. “Tell him I’ll come see him soon.”
“I will.” She turned to leave then stopped. “Tessah, he will pull through.” She placed a hand on Tessah’s shoulder before walking away.
The question wasn’t if but when.
A couple hours later, Tessah sat in a lounge chair in Dasiah’s room. “Any news about dude?” Dasiah asked referring to Caiden. After the beating Kyree put on him and the gun-shot wounds from whatever happened between the two, Caiden’s heart still pumped blood.
“He’s stable. They got a statement from him. He didn’t deny anything and asked to see me.”
“Did you?”
“No. I can’t. He almost took you away from me and he might take…” The words wouldn’t come out of her throat.
“Ky probably needs a break from your ass. He’ll pull through.”
“Ha ha.” She tried to find light in the situation, but there was no light in the darkness she’d caused.
Tessah sneaked in a small nap after Dasiah dozed off and her phone vibrating in her lap jarred her awake. Quint’s name danced on her screen and her heart palpitations doubled.
“Hello?”
“He’s awake!”
Tessah dashed out of the room. Tears tittered on the brim of her eyes as she hurried to the wing of the hospital with Kyree’s room. When she arrived, she halted. Her feet dragged towards his room and as she approached, sweat dripped from the tips of her fingers and her stomach rested on the ground. She stood in the open doorway trying to push herself forward but instead stared at his family encircling his bed. No one noticed her.
She observed as Cherry and him smiled at each other and he planted kisses on her face, making her laugh. If he were in her spot, he’d take a picture. A moment he’d want to cherish forever.
A moment she’d cherish forever as she backed out the room.
❖❖❖
For the first time in days, Kyree laid in his hospital room not surrounded by anyone. A breath of fresh air. He loved his family and friends but they’d more than smothered him.
However, as many visitors as he’d had, none were Tessah.