The Stipulation (Volume Four)

by M. L. Young

  The Stipulation

  Vol. 4

  M.L. Young

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  Editor: Laura LaTulipe

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblances of characters to actual persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. The author, M.L. Young, holds exclusive rights to this work.

  Copyright © 2013 by M.L. Young

  All rights reserved

  The Stipulation Volume Four

  Chapter One

  I never thought my life could change in such a profound and scary way in a virtual instant. My life was good; my life was secure. I had Roman by my side, I didn’t have to slave away at that godforsaken store, and I was actually doing well emotionally and mentally. I had a man, who even though we weren’t official in any sense, cared about me and always went out of his way to show me a good time. From dinners, to spending the night, to Aspen: he did it all.

  I awoke the next morning incredibly groggy and defeated. My mind was fuzzy as it tried to gain sense of everything that had happened, and my body felt weak, as it hadn’t gotten the much-needed rest it had practically begged me for. Roman and I, in an act of sheer providence on his part, decided we would meet up later today at some coffee shop near campus. He said he wanted to talk to me, and suggested a public place away from any real sense of privacy. I guess when you were breaking up with someone you required a place where the other person wouldn’t lash out. After all, he knew I wouldn’t make a fool of myself out in public like I would if we were at his house or at my dorm. Well, I still wasn’t positive he was going to break things off with me. I guess I still felt deep down that I had a chance at mending things. I knew I had some serious backtracking, but I could pull it off. Losing him just wasn’t going to be an option.

  Being Christmas Eve, I supposed all of my floor mates were now at home or on vacations with their families since I hadn’t heard a trace from anyone at the dorms. It was kind of nice though, considering I was going through such a rough time and staying away from a bunch of people would be my best bet at getting through all of this. The last thing I really needed was Trevor pounding on my door and trying to hang out with me. After all, with nobody else on the floor mixed with my staying here without Roman, I would have very few excuses to give him as to why I couldn’t hang out. I had no homework, no dates, and no family or friends to spend my time with. I was becoming a hermit in every sense of the word, and I planned to remain inside my shell.

  I took my time getting ready because there wasn’t any reason to rush—not to mention just the act of lathering my hair was taxing on my already frail-feeling and defeated body. I might as well have been trying to lift a boulder over my head, for my arms almost seemed to struggle under their own weight.

  The mirrors in the bathroom, all ten of them, had turned completely foggy from my far too long shower. Since I was never one for incredibly long showers, I guess I had lost track of time, and now I was left to try to wipe away the condensation. Every time I ran my hand across the glass, it would just create more problems, not to mention a shroud of fogginess that seemed too stubborn to leave. I guess I would have to just make do with what I had and I did my makeup in a foggy mirror.

  I decided to wear ballet flats, leggings, and a pink-and-white striped shirt I got on sale from some bargain bin in a store Jillian dragged me to. Even though the mirror was still a little foggy and my eyes still weren’t fully opened and alert, I thought I looked pretty cute, and I was hoping this outfit would help. After all, this spandex fully enveloped my butt and no man could resist the sight of that. It’s their kryptonite, and I was going to be sure I gave Roman a dose.

  I walked back to my room and checked the clock. I was supposed to meet Roman in fifteen minutes, and with no car and no ride to the coffee shop, I was going to have to drudge through the snow and slush to get there in time. I had to leave now if I even stood a chance to make it on time. I didn’t want to be late and make him think I was standing him up. I grabbed my phone and purse, wrapped my body in my thick winter coat, and headed out the door for my elusive date with Roman.

  I walked down the building and saw the receptionist actually there for once. I gave her a small smirk—the kind you gave just to look friendly and not like some cranky witch—and I pushed the glass door and walked past some girl who was coming inside the building. She didn’t look like a student, since she was in a cafeteria outfit and looked around the age of thirty.

  My walk to the coffee shop was long and treacherous; with my choice of footwear showing to be a horrible choice, as bits of slush and ice would rub up against my foot and start to freeze it like chicken tenderloin in a deep freezer. Luckily for me, though, the traffic on campus and in town was virtually nonexistent, and I just walked across the streets instead of waiting for the signal to change. That must’ve saved me at least five minutes of travel time, and allowed me to arrive at the coffee shop just on time.

  The coffee shop, which was appropriately named The Java Roast, was standing in front of me as I awkwardly approached and walked inside. I looked all over for Roman and saw him sitting quietly in the corner. The shop had an old antique bronze clock hanging on the wall, and I saw I was just on time. I knew not waiting for traffic signs to change would ultimately get me here on time. I wiped my feet on the soggy black doormat before walking over to Roman. Each step I took raised my stress level and butterflies tremendously. It was as if I was meeting him for the first time all over again, and that feeling crippled me.

  “Hi,” I said as I took him by surprise.

  He glanced up at me, put down his cup of coffee as he stood, and gave me a cold hug, as if he just wanted to show he was still friendly with me. I could already tell things were going badly, and I hadn’t said more than one word.

  “Please sit down.” He motioned to the seat across from him.

  I sat down at the small table and a barista came over and took my order, which was a Chocolate Frappuccino. I’ve never been one for coffee, but I love chocolate, and this was the only thing other than apple juice and hot chocolate I could order here that I’d actually like.

  “So, you wanted to talk to me?” I asked nervously.

  “Yeah, thank you for meeting me. I know it was probably a long walk for you, so I’m happy you came.” His gaze shifted slightly before he continued. “I think we both know why we’re here, and why we need to talk about some things.”

  “Here is your Frappuccino,” the barista said with a smile as she set the chocolaty goodness in front of me.

  “Yeah, I think I know why,” I said almost sarcastically as I took a sip of the drink.

  Roman and I sat there in an awkward silence for a few seconds as the sounds of the coffee shop surrounded us. The patrons were mixed between teens and busy executives, who were surprisingly still working on this most cheerful of holidays.

  “I guess I just don’t understand why things went so badly. We were having such a great time, and I say one simple little thing, and all of a sudden you freak out and withheld yourself from me,” I said almost passionately.

  “Looking back, it was wrong of me to act that way toward you. You are right in that I freaked out, and that you most definitely didn’t deserve that. I’m not sure how you even got through the flight and drive home, and I was totally in the wrong,” Roman said apologetically.

  This was great. He was apologizing, and things were going back to normal.

  “So things are good then?” I asked with a smile.

  “Well, not so fast. I said I feel bad and am sorry for being so cold and reserved. What you said to me, though, made me realize that we
truly weren’t on the same page. I care about you, Natalie, I do, but I’m not looking for a relationship with you. I sat down, and the more I thought about it, I realized all I truly ever wanted was a companion, and not a girlfriend. You mistook it all as me wanting to be with you on a romantic level, but I wasn’t looking for that, though, and it appears as though we were grossly on the wrong page.” Roman looked at me directly in the eyes.

  “I know you weren’t when we first met, but things have gone great. I guess I just misread all of the signs and thought that things were progressing, even though you weren’t feeling that way. Can’t we just start all over and forget this ever happened? Can’t you just rewind your mind and we can go back to having a good time together?” I asked, as if pleading with him to just forget.

  He seemed to struggle, as if he didn’t know what to say, or he knew what he wanted to say but just couldn’t find a way to vocalize those words to me. The silence was scaring me, but I knew I had to be brave and wait for him to speak.

  “I just don’t think I can do that, Natalie. The damage has been done, and there isn’t a way I can just forget and go back to normal. I know this isn’t the answer you wanted to hear, and I’m sorry and feel horrible, but it’s the way I feel. I’m still going to take care of your school charges. After all we’ve been through it wouldn’t be right for me to skip out on that, but other than that we’re done,” Roman said before taking his final sip of coffee.

  I sat there in shock, as I was unable to even utter a single word as the letters lingered on my tongue. What was I going to do now? I had just lost the man of my dreams, and all of this honestly felt like a horrible nightmare. I looked at Roman as he got up, put on his jacket before leaving a twenty on the table, and placing his hand atop of mine for a couple seconds, as he looked me in the eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Natalie,” he said solemnly before putting on his leather gloves and walking out the door.

  “Is there anything else I can get you?” the barista asked with a smile; oblivious to what had just happened.

  “No, thank you, that’ll be it,” I said as I handed her the twenty. “Keep the change.”

  “Thank you so much and we hope to see you again soon!” she said happily, as she had just earned herself a ten-dollar tip.

  I watched the lingering wisps of steam come off Roman’s coffee as everybody in the shop went on about their business. Here I sat, completely brokenhearted and defeated, and nobody knew, as I couldn’t get myself to cry: not here. I was never one to cry in public, and there were at least eight people in here, not including the employees.

  I got up from my chair, took a sip of the gooey Chocolate Frappuccino, and pushed in my distressed wooden chair as the feet scraped against the polished concrete ground. I put on my jacket and walked to the suddenly opened door as the frigid air beat against my face. I guess it was over.

  Chapter Two

  The cold was even more punishing as I made my trek back toward my dorm. The sidewalks were essentially bare, aside from the random littering of teens and a few college students who must’ve lived close by. I tried to bury the bottom half of my face into my jacket to keep the wind from drying out my cheeks even further, but it was all to no avail. I could practically feel my skin cracking from the intense dryness.

  As I got to an intersection about ten minutes from my dorm, I heard a familiar sound. It was a roaring engine, as if it were from a sports car of some sort. It sounded like Roman’s, and I immediately looked around to see if he was in the area. Was he scouring the campus to try to find me? Did he think he made a grave mistake, and wanted to demand I be his again? I knew these thoughts were crazy, but they kept swirling around in my head and all I wanted to do was find out. The roaring engine resonated in my right ear, so I turned in that direction with a gigantic smile, only to see it was just college kids in some suped up car, and it was most definitely not a sports car of any kind. I hung my head, waited for the light to change, and walked back to my dorm before anything else gave me false hope.

  ***

  I didn’t go back into my dorm as I arrived, instead opting to sit out near a small duck pond that was in front of the building. Well, I wasn’t sure if it was an official duck pond, but it was this small hole of water that all of these ducks and geese came around. I usually came with bread like most students, but didn’t have any today, and there weren’t many ducks there anyway. I guess they got the right idea and left for the winter. That or they were back at their nests and waiting out the cold like I should be doing in my room. I just felt no rush to go back to my dorm room and sit there like an insane asylum patient. I had nothing to do, nobody was around, and Roman wouldn’t have anything to do with me. I might as well sit here and watch the cars go by, instead of rotting away inside of my dull and stuffy room.

  As I sat there watching two mallards fighting on the snow-drenched grass off in the near distance, I felt something buzzing in my pocket. I slipped off my glove, stuck my hand into my pocket, and pulled out my phone, which had a text message waiting to be opened. It was from Jerome. I gulped loudly as my stomach dropped—I hadn’t even thought about him and how he’d feel about all of this. Was I supposed to tell him that Roman and I had broken things off? Was Jerome even still in charge of everything? I know he was kind of like the boss, but he did let Roman and I go off on our own. I clicked to open the text, and wasn’t that surprised at what I saw.

  Please come to the apartment as soon as possible to talk about your situation. We need to figure out a solution to this mess you’ve made.

  My very first sugar daddy and I had ruined it. Not only had I ruined it for myself, but I also felt as though I ruined something for Jerome. His text made it seem as if he was pretty pissed, and I knew he wasn’t going to be happy to see me in person. Either way, though, I knew I needed to go see him, so I got up off the ground and dusted my butt off before starting to head toward Jerome’s apartment. It was times like these I wished Tara were around so I could get a ride. This walk was easily going to take twenty minutes.

  ***

  I finally arrived at Jerome’s apartment and as soon as I walked into the building, my feet began to thaw immediately. I had definitely worn the wrong shoes, and now I was paying the price for it. There’s nothing like wearing ballet flats when it was twenty degrees outside. I wiped my soggy shoes on the mat inside the building as the smell of drugs filled the stale apartment air. I cringed, but realized I was in a college town, and this kind of thing was very ordinary. In fact, I would’ve been surprised had there not been an odd smell of any kind.

  I walked up the stairs and dredged down the hallway toward his apartment, which was taunting me from far away. I didn’t have any interest in what Jerome had to say—I knew it wouldn’t be anything I wanted to hear. I knew he was going to yell at me and tell me I was an idiot and that I have no business ruining everything he had worked so hard to build and establish. I was going to receive the full blunt of his power and authority, and I knew I wouldn’t like it.

  I knocked on the door as it quickly opened, with the same large man hulking behind it—looking at me—before closing it to unlock the door and let me inside. I gave him a shy smile as I wandered inside and unzipped my jacket, for the apartment was experiencing the sweltering heat that the furnace was doling out.

  “Jerome will be with you shortly,” the man said as he guided me to the seating area.

  Nobody else was in the apartment besides this man and presumably Jerome, so at least that made me feel a little bit better about the entire situation. Getting yelled at was going to be bad enough, but being yelled at in front of a bunch of other girls would’ve been horrible. It would’ve been like high school all over again.

  I sat in the chair as I rubbed my hands on my thighs, trying to rub all of the sweat off of them as I waited patiently for Jerome. I wasn’t sure how long it had been, but it felt like it had been half an hour since I had been seated. My stomach was churning, my heart was racing out of my chest, and all
I wanted to do was throw up and get this all over with.

  “Listen, baby, I’m going to have to call you back. I have one of my girls here and we need to talk about some business. Yes, I know, baby, your mama is in town but I gots to talk to my girl. I’ll be there tonight,” Jerome said before hanging up his phone and pushing it down inside his pocket.

  He walked over to me, with the man this time not giving him his clipboard at all. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not, since this wouldn’t be going in my file, if I even had one, but I was about to find out.

  “Natalie, how are you doing?” Jerome asked as I hugged him and sat back down.

  “I’m all right, just enjoying my break,” I said as I tried to play coy to the whole situation.

  “We need to talk about what happened between you and Mr. Parker. Now, I’ve heard from him and his side of everything, since I’m sort of the liaison between my girls and their sugar daddies, but I need to hear your side of the story. Tell me what happened,” Jerome said with an empathetic voice.

  “Well, things between us were going very well. We went on dates, went to dinner, he bought me presents, and we even went on a trip together. I guess I just got a little too wrapped up in things, since it’s new and all, and I told him I wanted to be more than friends. He didn’t take too kindly to that I guess and broke things off with me. I’m not sure if there’s much else to say, and that’s about it,” I said nervously, as I couldn’t even fathom anything else to say to Jerome.

  “Natalie, you know you can’t be doing those kinds of things. I know you’re new here, and you’ve very innocent, and I respect all of that. Being a sugar baby isn’t something you are used to, and you went overboard like you said. I’m just trying to figure out if you’re the right fit for us here. I like you, the girls like you, and you have a certain vibe to you that is something we all really dig. The problem, though, is that you might not know what you’re looking for at this moment. You’re expected to provide companionship to these men, to your sugar daddy, and while you did do that and we are happy, you seem to have tried to take it to a whole new level, and I’m not sure that we can just let that slide,” Jerome said.