Color Me Blind (A Divine Love Story Book 1)

by Melinda Michelle

Blake walked into Jasmine’s room to see if she had finally picked a color. He had resolved that he was wearing all black and would put on a tie to match whatever color dress she wore. There was a siren red dress laid out on her bed. He walked into the double bathroom she shared with Carmen where they were both applying their make up in their robes. He leaned against the door jamb looking handsome as ever in all black.

  Jasmine eyed him through the mirror.

  “Well don’t you look delicious?”

  “I’m glad you like what you see.”

  “I love what I see.”

  Carmen said, “Uh gag me!”

  They laughed.

  Blake asked, “So baby are you sure you’re wearing this little red number on the bed. I wanna finish getting dressed.”

  “Yes. I remembered the effect I had on you the last time I wore red.”

  He laughed.

  “Not fair.”

  “All’s fair in love and fashion baby.”

  He kissed her shoulder.

  “Okay, y’all hurry up before Damon has a conniption fit.”

  Carmen said, “You tell him I will be worth the wait.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  With ten minutes to spare Jasmine walked out of her room wearing a red knee length strapless dress that managed to compliment her curves without being tight. Her black patent leather pumps were set off by the patent leather clutch and the dangling rubies that sparkled in her ears. They had been a birthday gift from Blake years ago. She never really had an occasion to wear them. Tonight seemed perfect. She was rewarded with an approving smile when he stepped out of his room. They met at the top of the stairs.

  He said, “I am such a lucky man. You look so sexy baby.”

  She grinned.

  “You sir wear black very well. You will definitely get lucky tonight.”

  He leaned down to press his lips to her shimmering red ones then hesitated.

  She asked, “What?”

  “Um, Amber never let me kiss her with fresh lipstick on.”

  Jasmine smirked and straightened his red and black tie.

  “Well I’m not Amber and you can put your lips on mine anytime and anywhere you please. I can always reapply.”

  “See that’s why I married you. I can’t wait to get you back home.”

  He pulled her into him and kissed her like she was his last meal and he was on death row.

  Carmen walked out of her room and said, “You guys get a room. Can’t you stay apart for more than five minutes?”

  Blake reluctantly broke the kiss and said, “No.”

  He did a double take.

  “Wow Carmen, I’d say you were definitely worth the wait. Damon’s tongue is going to fall out when he sees you.”

  A big grin spread across her face.

  Jasmine turned to see, “Oh sweetie you look so beautiful.”

  She was wearing a white halter dress that hugged her athletic but curvy body. She did a little spin and showed off the plunging back of the dress that featured a sparkling silver rope that stretched from the neck to the waist. Her butterscotch skin was the perfect contrast. She’d pinned her ridiculously long hair onto the top of her head. Her hair cascaded out in curly tendrils. She wore strappy sandals that sparkled and carried a white clutch with rhinestone accents.

  Damon called up, “Are you guys ready?”

  Blake said, “Heading down now.”

  He grabbed Jasmine’s hand as they walked down the stairs together. When they reached the bottom they looked up to see Carmen basically teasing Damon with her slow seductive descent.

  Jasmine whispered, “She is gonna give the poor guy heart palpitations.”

  Blake laughed.

  Damon stood in his white linen suit and just stared.

  “Uh. Wow. You um look…wow Carmen you literally have me speechless right now.”

  She smiled and walked into his waiting arms.

  Carmen said, “If you can’t talk with your mouth find something else to do with it.”

  He obliged and kissed her. Jasmine and Blake teasingly oohed and aahed. Jasmine thought they were so cute together. She had never really seen them together like this. It was a sight to behold.

  Lucy cleared her throat, “Can we please go and get my man because I am so over all these public displays of affection.”

  They all turned to see Lucy also dressed to turn heads. Her long, lean frame sported a black jumpsuit set off by gold peep toe booties and gold accessories. Her jet black hair was now cut into a razor sharp bob that framed her face. In the back, it was short to the nape of her neck and hung two inches below her chin in the front. She was dazzling.

  Jasmine walked up to her.

  “So while I was sleeping you were cheating on me and letting someone else cut your hair.”

  Lucy laughed.

  “Sorry, it was a last minute decision. I know you needed your beauty rest.”

  “It’s fierce. Who did it?”

  “Sharon. She is the only one I could convince to meet me at the salon on a Sunday.”

  “Oh yeah that young lady has skills. That’s why I hired her.”

  Damon said, “As fascinating as this is, and Lucy you do look amazing, I believe the limo is outside. So can we go?”

  They rolled their eyes at Damon but obliged. Jasmine hooked an arm in Blake’s and he extended his other arm to Lucy.

  “Shall we ladies?”

  Damon said, “You look like a pimp dawg.”

  He got dirty scowls from the ladies, he just laughed.

  Outside the driver held the door open to the black stretch limousine. Blake helped Jasmine and Lucy into the limo while Damon helped Carmen. Jasmine and Blake were on the left side of the limo. Lucy sat across from them. Damon and Carmen took the rear seat. Through the intercom Lucy gave the driver the address of their next stop.

  Damon handed out glasses and popped the top on the champagne that rested in the bucket of ice.

  Once everyone had a glass he raised his and said, “To my best friend, my brother and the woman that God himself created just for him. I’m so glad you two finally came to your senses and stopped ruining other people’s lives.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Ever since I met you guys back in high school, I thought there were no two people more perfect for each other. It took y’all long enough to come to the same conclusion, but I wish you both every kind of happiness there is, long life and peace of mind. I look forward to seeing your relationship blossom into whatever God intended it to be.”

  Jasmine said, “Carmen, what did you do to my Damon. You got him all soft and gooey now.”

  They laughed.

  Blake said, “Thanks man, we love you.”

  Lucy said, “Ah shoot, they have started in with the ‘we’ talk.”

  Laughing they clinked glasses.

  As they waited to meet Lucy’s new beau they sipped their champagne and made small talk about everything. Each of them skillfully navigated the topic away from anything Ahmed. Individually they were finding their own way to deal. They all wanted to keep the mood celebratory. After about 20 minutes the limo came to a stop. Lucy tried to look through the dark tinted windows but not with much luck.

  She pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

  “Hey sweetie. We’re outside. Okay.”

  She hung up.

  Blake was whispering in great detail what he wanted to do with his wife when they got home. She was giggling and not paying any attention to what was going on around them. Carmen and Damon were pretty much in their own world too. Lucy just rolled her eyes when the door opened. Her face lit up as the handsome face of her man smiled at her.

  “Hi baby,” she gushed.

  He gave her a long hug and complimented her on her new hair. Since Blake and Jasmine were still ignoring everybody Lucy began the introductions with Damon and Carmen.

  “Baby these are my roommates, Damon and Carmen.”

  Jasmine realized there was someone new in t
he limo. When she looked up her heart stopped for a couple beats. She’d heard Lucy say his name to Damon and Carmen but she thought there was no way it could be him. Then he looked at her and she knew it was him because she saw the instant flash of recognition on his face that he quickly masked.

  Blake still had his face buried in his wife’s neck. He felt her body go rigid all of a sudden. She gripped his hand so fiercely that her strong nails were digging into his flesh. Instinct had him trying to pull his hand out of hers but her grip was vice and that was not about to happen.

  He was about to get mad but something in his gut told him there was something very wrong. He studied her profile then followed her gaze to where it was stuck. He looked at the face of the man sitting next to Lucy. He knew he recognized him but he couldn’t quite place it.

  Lucy was bubbling.

  “These are my friends that just got married. This is Blake and his wife, Jasmine. This is my guy, Jeremy.”

  Blake was beside himself to know that the man who got Jasmine pregnant and discarded her was sitting across from them with his arm wrapped possessively around one of their closest friends.

  Blake recovered quickly and said, “Nice to finally meet you.”

  Jasmine cleared her throat and just smiled. She was officially speechless. Jasmine turned and stared at Blake. To play it off he grabbed her face and kissed her. Then he whispered in her ear.

  “It’s gonna be okay baby. Just breathe. I’m right here. I’m right here Jaz.”

  She squeezed his hand. She still couldn’t find her voice.

  “Just breathe baby and let me think.”

  She nodded. He pulled her into him to steady her, to keep her grounded.

  Damon asked, “So how did you two meet?”

  Jeremy had to clear his throat and get his bearings. Coming face-to-face with the woman he abandoned was not the way he imagined this evening would start.

  “Uh, actually we have a mutual friend that introduced us, Ahmed.”

  Jasmine’s head snapped up. Her voice was back.

  “Ahmed did what?”

  Lucy, Carmen and Damon stared at her shocked by her outburst.

  She said, “I’m sorry I just, that’s just a little strange because Ahmed never said anything to any of us about it.”

  Jeremy was still as handsome as ever. His cocoa brown, six-foot-one frame was decked out in a grey suit with the vest only and a black dress shirt underneath. The matching tie pulled it all together with hints of light blue winding through it.

  He said, “We worked for rival finance firms but Ahmed and I hit it off at a conference. He told me several months back he had a roommate he thought I would really like.”

  Blake asked, “So why is this our first time meeting you?”

  He tried to hide his derision for the man but he didn’t know if he was quite pulling it off.

  “Actually, I’ve been living on the West Coast. I’ve been flying back and forth because I’ve just accepted a position on the East Coast. Lucy has been a doll about understanding a hectic schedule and transition.”

  He kissed her hand and looked at her adoringly, she blushed.

  “I was out of the country when Ahmed died. Lucy had a key to my place so she just crashed there for a few days. He was such a great guy. I have him to thank for bringing this beautiful woman into my life.”

  He kissed a blushing Lucy on the lips.

  Chapter 44: A Haunting Past

  Jasmine wanted to retch all over Jeremy. She felt Blake’s grip on her tighten. Thank God he knew her so well. She was ready to pounce on that bastard. She’d never wanted so badly in her life to hurt another human being with her bare hands. She felt like the walls of the limo were closing in on her. She never knew she was claustrophobic. She wanted out. She looked away from Jeremy and tried to take deep breaths without being obvious.

  Oh God, she thought, what kind of sick joke is this?

  Blake was trying to figure out how in the heck they were going to get through this evening without him knocking Jeremy the hell out and without crushing Lucy. This was bad. This was very, very bad. His first priority was Jasmine. He needed to make sure she was able to handle this. He knew he had to be the one with some sense because her common sense was likely to be very far removed.

  All the memories of that horrible weekend came flooding back to his mind. He didn’t want to go back. He wanted to move forward with their lives. Why was God allowing this to happen now? His concern was for his wife. She still had yet to relax. He didn’t know how far they had to go or how much longer she could stay trapped like this. He knew that she needed to get out and fast.

  Blake asked, “Hey guys are we almost there?”

  Damon looked at his watch.

  “We should be there in like five minutes or so.”

  Blake nodded.

  Carmen asked, “Blake are you alright?”

  “Yeah I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

  “Your face looks a little flushed.”

  He thought quickly on his feet.

  “Aw, well you know Jasmine whispered something nasty in my ear.”

  He laughed it off and everyone seemed to buy it.

  The limo came to a stop. Blake and Jasmine were beyond grateful. They still had no idea where they were going but they let everyone exit before they did. Carmen was the last out. Jasmine put her head between her legs and took a few deep breaths. Blake rubbed her back. He felt so helpless. She sat up and he saw the tears shimmering in her eyes.

  “No baby don’t. You can’t cry. We have to figure this out. It’s going to be okay.”

  She willed the tears away and frantically asked, “How is it going to be okay? She’s basically in love with him and she has no clue about any of it.”

  “Jasmine stop! Look at me.”

  She complied.

  “Trust me to handle this okay. Just hang on to me and I’ll make sure you get through this night.”

  She was so grateful for him. She nodded.

  “Okay baby.”

  Damon popped his head in, “Y’all coming?”

  “Yeah sorry we got caught up.”

  “Man y’all are just nasty,” Damon laughed obliviously.

  Blake held out his hand to help Jasmine out of the limousine. They realized they were about to board a dinner cruise. Jasmine walked into his arms.

  She tried to focus on something else.

  “You guys, this is so beautiful. Thanks.”

  Damon asked Carmen for the tickets. She dug them out of her purse. After a brief wait they were on the ship and looking for their table. The table covered in white linen was elegantly set for six. Blake tried to hesitate before taking their seats. He wanted Jasmine as far away from Jeremy as possible, but good luck with that at a table with an even number of chairs.

  Carmen and Damon sat. Jeremy sat by Carmen and Lucy sat next to him. Blake took the seat next to Lucy and held out the chair between him and Damon for Jasmine. Next to him, Damon was the only other man he trusted without hesitation to protect her. A waiter came around, filled their water glasses and took their drink orders.

  After he left, Lucy asked, “Jazzy you okay. You’re awfully quiet tonight? I thought for sure you’d be the one to ask Jeremy a million questions.”

  Under any other circumstances Jasmine would have laughed at the irony. She knew plenty about him.

  Jasmine looked at Jeremy, “I’m sorry I’m not my usual chatty self. It’s just that I feel a bit nauseous right now.”

  Blake gently kicked her under the table. It looked like she had found her bearings and her claws were about to come out.

  Carmen laughed, “Maybe you’re knocked up.”

  Jeremy choked on his water. Everyone looked at him.

  Lucy patted his back, “Are you okay honey?”

  Embarrassed, he coughed to clear his throat.

  After a few moments he couldn’t help but stare at Jasmine when he said, “I’m fine sweetie. That sip was just bad timing I guess.”<
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  Blake glowered at him.

  Jasmine said, “No it’s too soon for me to know I’m pregnant, but if I am I know my husband is going to be there for me every step of the way.”

  Blake kicked her a little harder under the table. She looked at him and smiled letting him know she had no intention of stopping.

  Damon said, “Ah man, I hope you don’t get sea sick.”

  Blake said, “I’m sure she will be fine guys.”

  He gave Jasmine a look that begged her to chill out.

  Lucy changed the subject, “You know guys, I just thought of something. Each of us is together one way or another because of Ahmed.”

  The table became silent. After a few moments Jasmine raised her water glass.

  A single tear fell from her eye.

  “To Ahmed, he was a friend who always wanted to help everyone around him and make them better. Even in death he’s still looking out for us.”

  They each raised their glasses and took a sip.

  Jasmine stood and said, “I need a minute guys, I’ll be back.”

  She grabbed her purse and headed toward the back of the ship in search of the bathroom. When she went in she checked the stalls and was grateful to find herself all alone. She leaned down on the counter and took a deep breath. She fought with everything in her not to let the tears come. She observed her reflection.

  “This is not happening God. This is not happening! I have to see Your hand in this because I do not believe in coincidence. I can’t hurt Lucy like that. She has finally found happiness and I can’t be the one to take it from her. Is he even worthy of her? It’s been a long time. I know I’m not the same person I was back then so maybe he isn’t. Father, you have to help me. I can’t do this alone. I don’t know what to do? I really want to go out there and show my natural black behind. I have so much anger in my heart for that man. Please help me get through this night and guide my steps.”

  Her cell phone signaled a text. It was Blake asking if she was okay and if she needed him. She smiled. She loved him so much. She didn’t know why God saw fit to give him to her but she was grateful. She texted back that she was okay and she would be out in a second.

  She checked her make-up and refreshed her lipstick. She took a deep breath and headed back towards their table. She spotted Blake hovering near the dance floor. She smiled when he saw her. He opened his arms and she gratefully slipped into them.