by Lena Skye
“See it’s exactly what I thought,” Patrice said.
“Why can’t you just take him at his word Trice?” Jasmine said, “If he said that it’s not about the money then it’s not about the money. They seemed to really love each other.”
“Correction,” Patrice interjected, “She really loves him and he loves the damned money.”
I rolled my eyes at the exchange, “It doesn’t matter what his intentions are, what matters is that he’s engaged now, and it’s not to me. All of the other stuff doesn’t even matter because he’s about to marry her and so his motives for that are none of my business.”
“Do you really think that you can be his friend?” Jasmine asked.
“I don’t know if I can but I’ll give it a try. I’m just going to need a little bit of time before I make that attempt.”
“Take all of the time that you need because you deserve it. Hell, you deserve to be happy,” Patrice said.
“I’m happy that Desmond is a part of that new happiness,” Jasmine said.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with me, and him so please don’t get your hopes up,” I said.
“I’m not expecting anything. I’m just hoping for the best,” she said.
“If nothing else, you can always just test his goodies out,” Patrice said lewdly.
“I’m keeping my goodies to myself, thank you very much,” I said.
“I think that’s for the best,” Jasmine said, “Apparently your goodies can start a damned war.”
We all burst out in laughter.
“It’s a good thing you weren’t born in medieval times girl because Joshua or Kenneth would have been beheaded by now,” Patrice said.
“I take responsibility for my part in that charades, but I had no idea that Joshua was going to go all psycho on us,” I said.
“None of us did. We were shocked when we found out how big of a liar and manipulator that he was,” Jasmine chimed in.
“Yeah now he’s back in that house with him,” I said while shaking my head.
“I hope it’s temporary,” Patrice said in disgust, “He shouldn’t have his girl anywhere near that bag of slime. It’s a wonder how he can stand to look at him without punching him out.”
“That’s because Kenneth is over me, and I was the source of their contention. Now they don’t have a reason to fight and argue,” I said.
“I really don’t think that he’s over you,” Patrice said.
“We’re not talking about this anymore,” I warned.
“No were not,” Jasmine agreed, “Besides, she has Desmond now.”
I
smiled and didn’t answer because I still wasn’t sure how I felt about Desmond. I didn’t need another rebound in my life. I’d learned my lesson with crazy ass Joshua, and so I was going to be a lot more careful about whom I shared my time and body with.
#Chapter8
“Well, if someone can’t get into Breaking Bad, should you really be with them?”
Nicole
Time flies when you’re having fun, and that’s how the next two months were for me. I worked extremely hard, and my level of play matched it. I went out with Desmond a few times a week and I’d gotten a lot better at bowling. He still beat me all the time, but the margin was getting smaller and soon I was going to overtake him. It felt great to get to know a person without any baggage between us. I didn’t have to feel guilty about being with him the way that I was when I dated Joshua. We also didn’t have a horrible history to work through. Everything was fresh and new just the way that I’d started to like it.
People spend so much time glorifying long relationships that budding relationships aren’t given as much credit as they should. I wouldn’t trade the time that I’d spent with Desmond for anything because it all felt so pure. Most of us want to get to the finish line so fast that we don’t check out the scenery and I was finally doing that.
I was so glad that I gave Desmond a chance because he’d brightened up my life. I would probably never get over Kenneth fully, and that’s to be expected with a man that you wanted to marry. But I’d accepted that everything doesn’t work out the way that you want it to. Desmond wasn’t a consolation prize either; he was still a grand prize within his own right. I didn’t feel like I was settling when I was with him. When we were out, I wasn’t wishing that I was somewhere else. I was always present, and he made sure of that with his antics.
Overall, he was easy to like. Seeing my future with him in it was easy because he was so great for me. I have the tendency to over-think everything, and he keeps me from doing that when I’m with him. He would even check in with me throughout the day to make sure that I wasn’t over-thinking stuff. It always made me laugh because he was beginning to know me very well. Plenty of times he caught me in the act, and it helped to refocus me. I loved waking up to his phone call every morning, and hearing his voice before I went to bed at night.
Working with him meant that I got to see him during the day at least once a week, and that was a treat. I never thought that I could work with someone that I dated which is why I never let Kenneth manage my finances. But it was proving to work well for the both of us which said a lot about his easy going nature. He didn’t mind keeping it business when we were supposed to be working, and I greatly appreciated that because I hated wasting my day on nonsense. Time was money in my opinion, and I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of that.
My thoughts weren’t on Kenneth as much as they used to be. When I daydreamed and dreamed at night they were usually about Desmond. I enjoyed having a replacement, and I was finally in a healthier place. I’d even had quite a few conversations with Kenneth within the last month and a half and saw him at some events. We were trying the whole friend thing out, and we agreed that it was for the best since we both had great people in our lives. It was actually nice to still see Kenneth and not have any drama surround it. I was actually glad to have him as a friend.
I stood in the mirror and admired my body that I’d snatched back over the last two months. I took my behind back to the gym and my eating habits had gotten a lot better. So I looked amazing in my red form fitting dress that hit me just above the knee. It hugged all of my curves perfectly, and I didn’t even have to wear Spanx. My trainer made sure that she didn’t have any mercy on me, and I was grateful for that at the moment even though I hated her whenever I was in the gym. She was a sadistic evil woman who enjoyed making her clients suffer. But that’s what made her one of Atlanta’s finest and I was honored that she took me on as a client.
I kept looking at myself for a few more moments, and was going to get ready to for bed, but my doorbell rang. I wasn’t expecting company and my friends, and I didn’t have any missed phone calls. I looked out of my window, and I saw that it was Kenneth standing downstairs. He wasn’t the type to come over unannounced so I worried if something was wrong. I immediately buzzed him inside and opened my door to greet him.
“Hey,” he said shyly.
“Hey, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything is fine. I was just in the neighborhood, and I figured that I would pop over to see if I could borrow your last season of Breaking Bad. I feel like everyone has seen the final season but me.”
I laughed and invited him to come in. He and I used to watch the show religiously with one another when we were together. I could only assume that he was too busy with other things and missed the last season.
“Sure you can borrow it,” I said as I pulled it from my shelf next to my television.
“Thanks, I appreciate it. I’ll make sure to get it back to you as soon as I’m finished.
“No worries, I trust you,” I replied.
“Are you going somewhere?” He asked.
“No, I’m actually just getting in from work.”
“Wearing that?” He asked as his eyes bugged out of his head.
I blushed, “Yes, wearing this. I was feeling really good today and so I wanted to dress up. No n
eed to wait for a special occasion. I woke up this morning, so why not celebrate?” I said happily.
It was wonderful to be able to say those things and actually mean them. I was finally experiencing happiness again even without him. At one point I wasn’t sure if I could have one without the other. Life goes on, even when it doesn’t work out the way that you plan. I had learned how to roll with the punches, and I couldn’t help but be proud of my progress.
“Oh, I thought that I may have been interrupting you before you went out on a date. How are things going with Desmond anyway?” He asked.
“Things are going great,” I said with a smile.
I smirked on the inside because I’d grown a lot in the past few months, but there was no way that I was going to ask him how his relationship with Amanda was doing. It was none of my business and the less that I knew the better. Kenneth loved Amanda, but I still knew that he had feelings for me, and so I didn’t understand why he would torture himself in that way. Some people are just gluttons for punishment, or maybe his feelings for me had subsided.
Kenneth gave a neutral nod of his head, “My thoughts on him have never been a secret. I’ve never cared for him, and I’ve always thought that something wasn’t right about him. He just gives off a weird vibe, but if he makes you happy then I’m happy for you.”
It was clear as to why he didn’t like Desmond in my opinion. He didn’t like Desmond for the very same reason that I couldn’t stand Loren. The only difference was that Desmond was a decent human being and Loren was a fucking spawn. But I wasn’t going to call him on it because there really wasn’t any point to it.
“I appreciate your honest,” I said flatly.
He took my cue and backed off, “I’m excited to watch these final episodes, although I’ll have to do it alone.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked.
“Yeah, Amanda never got into breaking bad.”
“Well, if someone can’t get into Breaking Bad, should you really be with them?” I asked.
The silence in the room became thick with the awkwardness. I’d just taken a jab at his relationship, and I wanted to take it back as soon as I said it. We couldn’t build a real friendship if we constantly talked about each other’s partners.
“Anyway,” he said ignoring my comment, “You know we should go play some pool. You’re all dressed up with nowhere to go and Amanda is busy tonight. It would be good to give you a beating. It has been overdue.”
I mulled it over in my head for a few moments because I wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea. But if we were supposed to be friends, then this was the kind of thing that friends do. I was bored, and I didn’t mind showing off my dress some more.
“Alright,” I said cautiously.
“Don’t worry,” he clarified, “Just as friends.”
“Good. I don’t need you trying to push up on me,” I said playfully.
“As tempting as that is, I’m going to control myself,” he responded.
“Great, let me grab my things.”
I took my own car to the pool hall so that it wouldn’t feel like we were going on a date. I also just needed the space, and it was comforting to know that I could go home at any time I wanted if something bad happened. I also told myself repeatedly that I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Desmond hadn’t placed any restrictions on me, and he hadn’t shown any jealousy towards my friendship with Kenneth so I was fine.
I pulled into the parking lot, and Kenneth came to my car door and opened it for me. He was forever a gentleman, and I appreciated that. He didn’t use the fact that we were friends to cop out of being chivalrous, that was just a part of his personality and a huge reason why I cared for him for deeply. He was the kind of man that would give anything to his friends and family if they needed it. He’d also gotten into some philanthropy, and so I was very proud of him.
“Thank you,” I said as I stepped out of my car.
“No need to thank me, it’s what I do,” he responded.
We walked into the pool hall together, and I’d forgotten how much I missed it there. I had been steering away from the pool hall because I didn’t want to bring Desmond to a place that held so many memories for me. Him and I immediately grabbed a table and began our ritual of shit talking.
“You know that you’re never going to beat me,” Kenneth said.
I laughed, “You mean that I’m never going to beat you again? Because I recall beating you quite a few times,” I laughed.
“You’re right but it won’t be this time,” he said confidently.
I shook my head as I took my first shot, and I noticed that I was rusty. He may have been right about beating me this time, it was clear that I needed to practice.
“Whatever,” I said, “How have you been doing anyway? We speak, but we never really talk about much.”
“Things are going really well and I’m keeping busy. As you know I’ve been doing a lot of flying back and forth from here to New York, and so that’s taking some getting used to. I’m just really trying to enjoy moments, instead of running from one achievement to the next,” he said.
I stared at him as he was talking, and I saw his eyes light up when he spoke of his career. He’d been working his ass off and so it was good to see that he was taking time to enjoy his life. I had to make sure that I did the same. I was grateful to have Desmond in my life because he made sure that I played and not just worked.
“I’ve wanted to ask you a favor,” Kenneth said before he took his shot.
“What kind of favor?” I asked.
“I think that you should meet up with Amanda. She’s a little lonely here in Atlanta, and she really needs some decent people to hang out with. You know how catty the culture is here,” he said.
“I know all too well,” I said, “But I’ll have to think about it.”
I told him that I’ll think about it, but I had absolutely no intentions of hanging out with his fiancé. He must have experienced brain damage from all of the jet lag that he’d been experiencing because I don’t know why he would ask me a question like that. Maybe he thought that we were more friends than we actually were, he couldn’t be that naïve. We played a few games and then headed to the bar.
I ordered water and with lemon and got a weird look from Kenneth.
“Don’t look at me like that, I’m watching my figure. Those calories just aren’t worth it to me right now,” I said.
“I won’t judge you, although I doubt if a couple of drinks would mess with your figure,” he said.
He was right but I really just wanted to keep a clear head. I didn’t need to drink any alcohol and then say or do something that I would regret. Weird things happen when you drink around an ex-boyfriend, that’s just leaving room for regret and mistakes. I didn’t want to jeopardize what I had with Desmond because he’d been nothing but good to me.
“I’m having fun already, and so I can do without the drinks,” I responded.
“Suit yourself,” he shrugged as she ordered his dirty martini from the bartender. I wrinkled my nose at his order of salty vodka.
“Yuck,” I said.
“You don’t have to drink it. I think it’s delicious,” he said.
“Well you’ve been known to have some questionable taste,” I said.
Before he could make a snide remark back to me, I spotted two very familiar people enter through the front door. I wished that I ordered a drink immediately after I recognized them. The two tramps of Eastwick had walked in, and it was none other than Loren and Amelia.
“You won’t fucking believe who just walked in the door together,” I said.
He looked over at the door and almost spat his drink out, “That’s something you don’t see everyday.”
“What in the hell is Amelia doing here? I thought that she was still in New York.”
“You and me both,” he admitted.
“I find it funny that they ended up hanging out. I mean what are the odds? Like attracts like apparently.”
“I don’t even want to know how that friendship is going to end. They are way too much alike to be around each other for long,” he said in amusement.
“Finally, someone else can give everyone a show. I’ll be waiting for that showdown because it’s not going to be anything pretty,” I laughed.
“I’ll drink to that,” he said as we clinked glasses and kept a low profile.
*
The following evening I went out to dinner with Desmond. Our dinners were no longer of the professional nature, and I was grateful for that. I could say all of the things that were on my mind, because I was holding back before. I could shamelessly flirt with him without worrying if I was doing the right thing. He was mine to flirt with, and that made me a very fortunate woman.