by Skyy
The assistant attached the mic and pack to her back.
“I am really excited,” Farih said.
The producer finally took a break from his iPad to look at Farih, who was all smiles. The producer smiled back. He turned to walk away but stopped. “Hey, um, Farih, how comfortable are you talking about you and Denise?”
Farih wanted to roll her eyes. “What do you mean?”
The producer walked closer to her. He leaned in. “Well, one thing people love is that our hosts do talk about everyday life, which includes their relationships. We would like, if it comes up, for you to throw something in there about you and Denise. You know just everyday things. Show why they call you two the Ellen and Portia of the black community.”
Farih’s smile faded. “Well, I mean, Denise is a very private person.” Farih didn’t know what to think.
“Oh, we totally understand. We aren’t expecting major details of your relationship, just mention here every now and then.”
Farih nodded as the producer gave her a quick handshake before he was rushed off, with three assistants following him. Farih quickly grabbed her phone and called her agent.
“I don’t see the problem. Ellen brings Portia up all the time on her show,” her agent said after listening to Farih’s complaint.
Farih stood in the corner as she heard the audience warm-up happening. “But you know Denise. She will be furious.”
Farih’s agent, Janet, turned around in her chair. “Look, Farih, this is go time. Do you think they want you just because you are a model? Do you know how many other people were up for this job? You had that something extra. Use the gay thing to your advantage.”
“So I’m just supposed to put our business out there?” Farih frowned. Not only did she not want to bring Denise up, but she also didn’t know how long there would be a Denise and Farih.
“You are supposed to do what you have to do to get the job. Being gay is the way nowadays, and not only that you are showing it in a positive light.”
“Farih, we’re ready for you,” one of the production assistants called.
Farih was stuck. “I have to go. Wish me luck.”
“Knock ’em dead.”
Farih closed the phone and walked out of the room.
Farih saw the other three hosts getting their final primping before walking out onstage.
Cassi smiled. “Hey, girl. You ready for this?”
“I hope so.” Farih was nervous.
Cassi held her hand. “Don’t worry. You will be great. I saw your girl out there. So cute.”
The music began to play.
“My girl?”
“Yeah.” Cassi looked confused. “Denise, sitting in the audience.” Cassi pointed at Denise, who was sitting on the second row, clapping with the audience.
Suddenly Farih felt like a weight had been lifted off of her. Even after another one of her blowups, Denise was still there for her.
“Yeah, she wouldn’t have missed it.”
Adrianne made the announcement. Farih took a deep breath and walked out onstage with a big smile, ready to take the job at any cost.
“And today we have a special guest host. You’ve seen her as the face of Victoria’s Secret, in Sports Illustrated, and on the covers of such major magazines as Vogue and Elle. Please give a warm welcome to Farih Okoro.”
Farih smiled as Adrianne introduced her. The crowd clapped on cue. Farih knew she looked amazing. She flashed her smile and nodded.
“Thank you so much. I’m so excited to be here.”
“So you watch the show?” Adrianne smiled.
Farih smiled. “Do I watch the show?” Farih looked at the producer. “We watch all the time.”
Cassi smiled. “And when you say we, I’m guessing you’re talking about your longtime girlfriend, Denise Chambers?”
“Who is also in the audience,” Relonda added.
Denise forced a smile as a camera was immediately pushed into her face. She blushed, embarrassed by the scene. The three hosts and the audience aahed and clapped. Farih smiled with her eyes, hoping they gave off love and not the anger that she had toward Denise.
“You guys are embarrassing her. She’s real shy,” Farih gushed.
“Aw, are we embarrassing you, Denise?” Cassi said.
A production assistant handed Denise a microphone. “Um, just a little,” Denise admitted.
Farih smiled. She knew Denise had no idea what to think in that moment, but she played it off. They might have been having problems, but to the world they were madly in love.
The rest of the show was amazing. Farih was brutal but honest during her hot-or-not segment. The audience agreed with her and the other hosts about various outfits a few stars had been seen in recently. The crowd got a kick out of her judging an outfit Denise wore to a movie premiere. Farih boasted that Denise looked amazing because she hadn’t picked the outfit out. Farih had. Denise even laughed when the camera showed her agreeing with Farih’s statement.
Afterward, Farih sat in her dressing room while various people came in and out, congratulating her on a great show. She simply smiled, hugged them, and thanked everyone, making sure every person knew she really loved the show and the other hosts. When the room cleared out, she took a moment to jump for joy, doing a silly dance.
“I know that dance.” Farih jumped when she heard the familiar voice behind her. Denise stood in the doorway with a smile on her face. Then she walked in and closed the door behind her.
Farih wrapped her arms around Denise. The anger she’d felt earlier was gone. Denise had played her part perfectly, and she didn’t even know it.
“Oh, baby, I just feel so good. What did you think of the show?”
“You did a great job.” Denise pulled away from Farih’s embrace. The smile had faded. “But you pick my clothes out for me?” Denise sat on one side of the small couch in the room.
Farih shrugged it off. “Oh, honey, it was just for TV.”
“Yeah, I figured as much.” Denise knew her irritation wouldn’t help the situation. She chose to suck it up. “But, really, you were amazing. I bet the job is yours.”
Farih could feel the shift in the energy. Their relationship was far from the perfect image she had cast on the show. They were treading on really thin ice, and she had to do something to fix it before she lost not only her girl but also the only job prospect she had.
Farih walked up to Denise. She got down on her knees in front of Denise. Denise looked down at Farih’s eyes, which were glistening with tears.
“Denise, I know these past few months have been difficult. I know I’ve been hard to deal with, and, well, baby, I just really want to thank you for sticking by me.” Farih held Denise’s hand.
“Farih, we don’t need to talk about this right now.” Denise knew it wasn’t the time or the place. She didn’t know who might be listening on the other side of the door.
“I just want you to know that the darkness that was growing in me, it’s gone. I promise I will never take my frustrations out on you again.” Farih poured it on thick. “Do you forgive me?” Farih could see Denise’s hard exterior softening from her words. She stared into Denise’s eyes.
Denise looked away. “We can talk about this later. Get dressed. I’ll be waiting outside.” Denise stood up.
Farih was stunned.
Denise walked past her, not looking back, then closed the door behind her. She didn’t know what to think. She was tired of the mood swings and the attitude. She wondered how long the nice Farih would last before something caused her to lash out again. She had grown tired and didn’t know if she wanted to continue. Denise thought about Lena. She knew she couldn’t let her feelings for Lena alter her judgment. Denise thought about it. Was she really tired of Farih, or was the reappearance of Lena causing her to have second thoughts about her relationship?
Farih paced the floor. She didn’t know what to do. Denise’s response had her nervous. Denise not forgiving her was something she wasn’t
used to. She wondered if she had finally ruined her relationship completely.
Farih heard a faint ringing coming from the couch. She noticed Denise’s phone between a pillow and the couch’s arm. She picked it up. Farih’s whole body froze when she saw Lena’s name appear on the screen. Her blood began to boil. Things were making sense. She didn’t know Denise was even in touch with Lena. Now Lena was calling, and all of a sudden Denise didn’t know if she could forgive Farih or not. Farih wanted to throw the phone.
Denise knocked on the door.
“Hold on one moment.” Farih quickly put the phone deep between the couch cushions. She sat down in the chair in front of the large vanity mirror. “Come in.”
“Hey, are you almost ready?” Denise asked. She noticed the hurt expression on Farih’s face. Denise suddenly felt horrible. “Farih . . .”
“No, there’s no need to say anything. I’m ready. Let me grab my bag.” Farih stood up. She made her lip quiver. She could see Denise was concerned.
Denise quickly grabbed the bag before Farih could pick it up. Farih paused. She put her large croc purse on the table and began searching through it.
“Where in the heck is my phone? Can you call it?”
Denise patted her jeans pocket. “Whoa. Where is my phone?” She looked around on the floor.
“Oh, wait, here it is.” Farih held her phone up. “You need me to call yours?”
Denise nodded. Farih quickly dialed Denise’s number. The ringtone was just loud enough to lead Denise directly to her lost phone. Farih watched as she looked at the screen. She could tell by the shift in Denise’s facial expression that she saw the missed call from Lena. She tried to play it off, putting the phone back in her pocket.
They walked out of the building. Lena was now at the top of Farih’s hit list. Farih knew this bitch was not only messing with her girl but, more importantly, jeopardizing her career, and no jump-off was going to ruin all she had worked hard for.
Chapter 11
Carmen walked into her apartment, exhausted from her trip. What should have been a forty-five-minute flight had turned into a three-hour wait due to bad weather. She knew Nic would be home from work soon. She threw her clothes into the washer and started dinner.
Carmen had gone over the scenarios in her head a million times. She would tell Nic the truth, that her friends had bought her a dress as a wedding present. If Nic got angry, there would be nothing she could do about it. Carmen figured the best way was to start with an amazing meal.
The smell hit Nic as soon as she walked in the door. She smiled when she saw Carmen’s fried chicken sitting on the table. Nic loved Carmen’s fried chicken more than anything. It was only reason she didn’t go vegetarian.
Carmen walked out of the bedroom, wearing a formfitting pink and white pencil dress.
“All right, what did you do?” Nic asked as she sat down at the table.
Carmen’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? I slave in the kitchen to make you a good meal, and that’s the way you greet me?” Carmen dramatically threw her hand on her forehead.
Nic ignored her as she picked up a wing. “So what did you do?” Nic asked with a mouth full of chicken.
Carmen sat down in the chair next to Nic. “You have to promise not to get mad at me.” Nic looked at her. Carmen knew Nic would never agree to that.
“I found my wedding dress.”
“How much?”
“Ugh.”
“How much?”
“More than two thousand.” Carmen folded her hands.
“No, we can’t afford it,” Nic said as she continued to eat.
“That’s the other thing. Actually, we can afford more than you think, because we have two thousand left in our budget.”
Nic looked up at Carmen. Her expression said it all.
“It wasn’t my fault. I put the dress back, and then I got back to Cooley’s place, and it was there. They bought it for me without telling me. As a wedding present.”
“Carmen.”
“Nic, please, before you go off, understand that I love this dress. There is no other dress for me. It is the one!”
“Well, let me see it.”
“No!” Carmen stood up. “It’s bad luck, which is why it’s safely hanging up at Cooley’s place.”
Nic swallowed the last piece of the wing. She put her hand on top of Carmen’s. “Babe, look. I don’t want you thinking that I don’t want you to have whatever you want. But we have to live within our means, not your friends’.”
“They’re your friends too.” Carmen hated when Nic referred to them that way.
“If we broke up today, do you really think I would hear from Denise or Cool?”
Carmen knew Nic was right. “Nic, you do realize that we could have more means if you took Carla up on her job offer.”
“Not interested.” Nic immediately lost her appetite. She got up from the table and headed to their bedroom.
Ever since Cooley left Jam Zone to manage Denise and Sahara, she had asked Nic to come work for her as an accountant. Carmen wanted it more than anything. They would be making amazing money as they worked to build an empire. Nic was completely against the idea. She didn’t want to give up a job where she was financially stable for a start-up, even if the clients brought in millions. Carmen believed in taking chances; Nic believed in being secure.
“Nic, listen, things have changed since then,” Carmen said as she followed Nic into their bedroom. “They are bringing in so much money between them that Cooley would prefer having someone she completely trusts, and not some money-hungry company taking them for more than they deserved.”
Nic unbuttoned her button-down shirt. “Carmen, this isn’t up for discussion.” She slid out of her loafers. She wiggled her aching feet.
“Nic, you come home every day feeling like crap. You’re wearing these semi-feminine clothes that you hate just to work at a corporate job that isn’t paying you what you are truly worth.” Carmen took the shirt from Nic’s hands. “Don’t you want to just work somewhere where you can be you and make the amount of money that you truly deserve?”
“And when you or I get sick, that’s gonna pay the doctor bills, Cooley’s nonexistent insurance plan?”
“Baby, with the money we will be making, we can afford to pay our own damn doctor bills.” Carmen wanted to pull her hair out. Nic was so stuck on being secure that she didn’t see the amazing opportunity in front of her.
Nic sat on the side of the bed. She loved Carmen, but at times like these she wanted to throw the towel in. Carmen was draining her, and even Carmen knew it.
“Carmen, drop it. I’m tired, and I want to go to sleep. You’ve already ruined my meal. Can you not fuck up my nap too?”
The words stung Carmen. She could tell Nic meant every word. She wanted to go off but knew it wasn’t the time. She had learned when to push Nic, and when she was sleepy and cranky wasn’t the time. Carmen threw her hands up in defeat and stomped out of the room.
A while later Carmen felt a warm sensation come over her body. She opened her eyes to see Nic covering her up with her favorite fleece blanket. Carmen yawned.
“What time is it?” She yawned again. It was dark outside.
Nic picked Carmen’s feet up and sat down. She placed her feet in her lap. “Eleven.” Carmen didn’t realize she had fallen asleep on the couch while watching a Harry Potter marathon on ABC Family.
Nic stared at the television screen. “What is this? The Deathly Hallows?”
Carmen chuckled. She knew Nic knew nothing about her love of the wizard movies and books. “No, it’s The Order of the Phoenix.”
Nic cracked a smile that quickly faded. She stared at the screen. “Carmen, are you happy here with me?”
Carmen sat up. “Yes, Nic. Why would you ask me that?”
Nic turned to Carmen. “You hate your job, you hate this city, and every other weekend you are flying to Atlanta.”
“Nic . . .” Carmen felt terrible.
�
��If that’s what you really want, then I’m not going to stop you. I want you to be happy, and if being with your friends is what’s going to make you the happiest, then I’m cool with it.”
Nic couldn’t look at Carmen. She continued to stare straight ahead. Carmen knew it was killing Nic. Carmen wanted to cry, but she held it together. Carmen moved in close to Nic. She put her hands on Nic’s face. She could feel the tears on Nic’s cheeks.
“Nicole Marie Santiago, you listen to me. I love you more than anything. The only reason I even enjoy going to visit my friends is that I know I am coming home to you.”
Suddenly the beautiful dress, the fairy-tale wedding, and the lavish decor didn’t matter anymore. Carmen knew she had her priorities mixed up. Seeing Nic that way put everything into perspective.
“I can’t work for Cooley, babe,” Nic stated. “I am a firm believer that you don’t mix business and pleasure. That would be too close for comfort.”
Carmen nodded. She knew Nic was right. Everything made sense. If she and Nic ever broke up, it would be a major conflict of interest. Nic put her arm around Carmen.
Carmen rested her head on Nic’s chest. She looked out the window. They could see the lights on the Memphis-Arkansas Memorial Bridge from their window. She might not have the money that her friends had, but she had something better. She had found her soul mate. She didn’t need the royal wedding anymore. She just needed Nic.
Farih was confused. Denise acted like everything was fine in the car. She didn’t bring up their fights or the plea Farih had issued at the studio. They listened to music and discussed Farih’s new job opportunity and the opportunities Denise had. Farih kept it quiet about Lena. She didn’t know how she wanted to move with that yet. She figured she would enjoy the moment and hold that information in her back pocket for now.
Denise and Farih heard the loud music coming from Cooley’s house. They opened the front door to discover that Sahara’s assistants, Cooley’s assistant, and some of Sahara’s dancers and musicians were having a get-together. Denise noticed a tattoo artist setting up a station on the kitchen table.