by J. Nichole
"Hey, Josh."
He stretches his arms wide to embrace me in a hug. I accept his hug and try to back away after a few seconds, but he lingers, only pulling away when Nicole interrupts us. "Hey, Josh. Long time no see. How are you?"
“Can’t complain, our team is dominating the field right now and I ran into this beautiful face.” Looking down at me, he places his hand on my arm. “It’s turning out to be a great weekend.”
My cheeks flush and I can’t look at Josh. I turn to Nicole, “Good you got the nachos. Ready to go back to our seats?”
Nicole looks at me like I’ve grown an extra head. “Aren’t you rude today? We can spend a few more minutes with Josh.” She looks at Josh and winks.
“I won’t keep you long, Laila. As long as you promise I can see you before you head home. When are y’all leaving?”
Looking at Nicole before I answer Josh I say, “We leave out tomorrow. I’ll hit you up later today and maybe we can connect. I think the ladies have plans with your teammates.”
“I heard. Can I talk to you for a second?” Josh looks at Nicole with pleading eyes.
Nicole nods her head. "I'll see you back inside." Before Nicole walks away, from the corner of my eye I see someone approaching us. Nicole looks up and doesn't move. Under her breath, she mumbles, "Awkward."
Chris leans over and kisses me on my forehead. Thank God Nicole was still standing here.
"Hey, babe." Josh's smile is now downturned and Chris is looking at the three of us with a blank stare.
“This is Josh… Tanya’s brother.”
Chris tilts his head back and laughs. “Josh, nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” He gazes down at me, smiling softly. “I was just thinking you were someone trying to pick up my girl.” Nicole coughs and looks down at her feet.
Josh snickers. “Naw man, you’re good. Nice to finally meet you.”
“Alright, Josh. I’ll talk to you later.” Before Josh can disclose any intentions of meeting up with me later, I turn and walk away, Chris following closely behind me.
“Laila.” Chris reaches for my hand and I allow our fingers to interlock. When we are out of Josh’s sight we stop walking. “I can’t take you ignoring me like this.” He drops my hand. “And seeing you talking to him.” He points in the direction of Josh. “Then in the lobby with those guys last night.”
“Listen. I’m not straying, so don’t worry about that. I was and am still a bit upset. But I’m going to get over it.”
Chris throws his hands up. “Maybe it was a bad idea for me to surprise you this weekend. And I shouldn’t have danced with that chick. Maybe I should just give you some space to enjoy the weekend and get at you when you get back to school.” Chris looks away from me.
"Maybe that's a good idea." Without another word Chris turns and walks away. A part of me feels like it left with him. The most we've ever argued about is what we were going to eat for lunch or dinner. Tears begin to roll down my face and instead of walking toward the girls, I walk towards the restroom.
With my head hanging low, I attempt to avoid all eye contact. Thankfully, most of the girls are in the mirror instead of waiting for a stall, so I hurry into the first open door. With my back firmly against the door I allow myself to release all the hurt… silently. Why am I this stubborn and confused? Chris is perfect for me, but Josh still manages to get in my thoughts.
The roll of tissue is empty. I dig through my purse, looking for anything to wipe my tears away. Nothing. The chatter from the girls in the mirror hasn’t died down but I can’t hide in this stall forever. Finding a corner of the mirror I squeeze in, grabbing a couple of paper towels to wipe my face.
I try hard to put a grin on my face. Walking back to my seat, I take several deep breaths. When I pass Nicole, she looks up at me, and her mouth drops. Guess I didn’t do that great of a job fixing my face.
“Laila, what happened?” Standing up she pulls me into an embrace and says, “Whose ass do I need to kick? Chris’ or Josh’s?”
A quiet laugh escapes me. “You should kick my ass. I’m so damn stubborn I can’t get over a fucking dance. Now Chris says he’ll give me space.”
“Space?” Nicole lowers me into my seat while Jennifer and Monica are staring with wide eyes.
"Yes, he said he'd let me enjoy the weekend and get at me when we get back to school." Looking down at my hands, I try to steady my words. "I've never seen him this upset."
Jennifer reaches over and grabs my hand. “Nicole told us he walked up on you and Josh.” She pauses. “Do you think that made him upset?”
"I don't believe that it helps. I just don't know what to do."
Jennifer looks at me with her head cocked and brow raised. “I told you this whole boyfriend thing was a bad idea. So just take the space, try to enjoy the rest of the weekend, then when we get back to school, go see him and hopefully you’ll be over the dance scandal.”
Monica slaps Jennifer’s arm. “First of all, stop being a hater. I think you should call him when we leave. Don’t let this linger.”
"That's all about Chris. Now, what about Josh?" Nicole purses her lips and waits for me to respond.
Covering my eyes, I shake my head. What about Josh?
“I figured you were a little too smitten when he walked up on us. And he was pouring it on strong.” Nicole looks past me to Jennifer and Monica and mimics Josh. “That hug lasted a lifetime.”
Jennifer laughs. "He is one sexy ass Negro. I don't blame you if you want to test those waters. We did tell his teammates we would get up with them today. After the shooting at the club, they said they would rather hang at a restaurant. I'm sure Josh will try to be in the mix." She squints her eyes. "You cool with that?"
"Yeah, I'm okay with that. I don't want to let all this ruin the weekend."
Nicole looks at the scoreboard. “This game is over, let’s get out of here.”
“I’ve never had an oyster before. I hear it’s an aphrodisiac.” Nicole peers over her menu and winks at the guy sitting across from her. Always flirting.
Monica laughs. “I don’t think you need any help, Nicole.” The guys laugh along with Monica.
The guy from the club, Dante, is sitting beside me trying his hardest to spit his game. “What about you? Do you like oysters?”
I cut my eyes at him. Before I can respond he says, “Whoa. You alright?”
"Yeah, I'm good."
Dante turns to Monica trying to start a conversation with her instead. My phone rings, and it’s Josh.
“Hey, Josh.” Dante looks at me when he hears Josh’s name. I slightly turn my head to keep him from listening to my conversation.
“Can you come outside?”
“How do you know where I am?”
“You are there with my teammates. I just need to talk to you without your homegirls around.”
"Alright." I stand up and tell the girls I'm heading to the restroom. They are all too engaged in the conversation to acknowledge me leaving.
When I get in the parking lot I look around for Josh’s Jeep, but I don’t see it. A car rolls up beside me. “You looking for me?” Josh laughs. He parks and gets out of the car, leading me to the passenger side.
I sit uncomfortably in the car as Josh walks back to the driver’s side. This just doesn’t feel right.
When Josh gets in the car, he avoids looking at me. “What’s going on, Josh?”
“After meeting your boyfriend yesterday I feel bad about this, but I just need to get it off my chest.”
Anticipating what he is going to say next, I put my hand in the air. “Josh. Don’t say anything.”
He grabs my hand, interlocking our fingers. “Listen, our timing has been off. But I want you to know I have been attracted to you for a while now.” I slide my fingers out of his hand. “I’m not the one to break up a happy home. But if you and Chris don’t work out, I’m here.”
“Josh.” I shrug as all my words escape me.
“You don’t have
to say anything. Just tuck it away.” He reaches for my hand again and I let him take it. He gently kisses it. He opens his door and walks around to open my door.
He opens his arms for a hug, but I tap his chest before I turn to walk back into the restaurant.
Chapter Five
Lying in my bed, I roll over and stare at my phone. I need to speak to Chris. I expected to hear from him as soon as I got back to Tallahassee, but nothing yet and it's been a few days. Maybe he is waiting for me to call first.
I sit up in the bed and clear my throat. I press Chris’ name on my phone and wait for him to answer. The phone rings… and rings… and rings… then I hear his voice recorded on his voicemail. I wait for the beep, then say, “Chris, I was hoping to catch you. I’d much rather see you in person and talk about this past weekend. Call me, let me know when I can stop by.” Falling back into my pillow, I cover my face with my blanket. My eyes begin to burn as the tears well up. I hope I haven’t lost him.
With class in an hour, I drag myself out of bed and pick out a sundress. In case Chris calls, I want to be cute when I see him. In the bathroom, I take a quick shower and apply a little make-up, and then unwrap my hair. After taking a glimpse of myself in the mirror I smile and nod. Cute!
Driving around campus I'm not surprised that there aren't any parking spots. Usually, if I'm running late Chris tells me I can park at the frat house. But today that's not a good option. I'll keep looking for a spot. Although the stadium is not near my building, I'm sure I can find a place there.
Of course, the parking lot is near empty but as I pull into a spot the clouds begin to roll in and I hear thunder off in the distance. I should just go home and crawl back into bed.
With my umbrella swinging in my hand, I trot across campus. My phone rings but stopping now to answer it could leave me caught in the rain that is sure to break the sky soon. I jog a little faster and duck into the economics building with only a minute before class starts.
Jason pats the desk beside him and I take the seat. He leans over and says, “Please tell me you studied for this quiz.” Fuck!
“Of course not. I completely forgot about it.” The excitement drains from his face and he frowns. “I assume you didn’t either?”
“Naw, I haven’t had time.”
The professor walks in with a stack of papers. Jason and I look at each other and he shrugs his shoulders. “Good luck.”
"I will give you fifteen minutes to finish this quiz." The professor begins handing out the quizzes. "No talking and no questions. When you're done bring your quiz to the front of the classroom."
When the professor drops my quiz on my desk my heart begins to beat out of my chest. Dear God, please let me do well on this quiz. I flip the quiz over and I’m relieved to see there are only five questions. After answering the first two questions, question three throws me for a loop and I have to bullshit my way through the answer. Question four and five aren’t too bad, and just as I stand, the professor tells everyone time is up. Thank God I finished. Unfortunately, Jason didn't. He was still writing.
“Did everyone pass?” The professor smirks. “Who can tell me the answer to question one? What is the definition of a recession?”
The quiet girl in the front row raises her hand and the professor points to her. She says, “GDP growth is negative for two consecutive quarters.” After she answers, she gazes down.
The professor claps his hands. "Correct." Approaching the white board he grabs a marker. "Let's move on to the next chapter. When you get your quiz back if you have questions, schedule time with me during office hours."
Jason passes me a note that says, “We need to start a study group with that girl in the front.” Instead of writing him back, I just nod my head and smile. We both listen intently while we jot down notes. I can hardly keep up with the professor, but I try.
"I'll return quizzes during our next class. If you didn't do well you could redeem yourself on the next quiz."
Jason and I hop out of our seats and try to catch the quiet girl before she exits the classroom. “Excuse me. Can we talk to you for a second?” I slide in front of her to grab her attention.
She looks up at the both of us and says, “Sure.”
“You seem to really understand this stuff. Do you have a study group?”
She smiles slightly. "No, I don't. But do you two want to start one?"
“We do. Let’s exchange information and plan to meet before the next quiz.” We get each other’s information, then I step aside to let her leave the classroom and we follow a few steps behind her.
“Thanks, Laila. I’m glad she doesn’t mind meeting with us. Clearly, my plan of sitting behind you isn’t going to work if you don’t study.”
I roll my eyes at Jason as we exit the building. “You need to bring your butt to the library and act like you have time to study.” Jason follows as I walk to the library, and then when I start walking across the grass, he stops. “You aren’t coming?” I ask.
He looks down at his feet and says, “Yeah I’m coming but why do you need to cut across the grass?”
With my head cocked to the side, I glance at the grass beneath my feet then back to Jason. Throwing my hands up in defeat I say, “Didn’t mean to offend you or the landscapers.” I step back onto the sidewalk. “Good now?”
He nods his head. "Yeah, I'm good."
Jason doesn’t say much as we walk to the library. I grab my phone from my purse. It’s off. I hope Chris hasn’t tried to call.
Turning it back on, I see I have a text from Chris, a missed call, and voicemail. Shit. He probably really thinks I’m crazy now.
Jason finally turns to me and asks, “How are you and the boyfriend?”
Sighing, I look at Jason and smile. “We are good.” Hoping to change the subject I continue. “Have you found a girl yet?”
“Naw I don’t really have time for one right now.”
“Too busy to study, too busy for a girl, what are you doing with all your time?”
He shrugs his shoulders and looks away. Okay. I check my text message before my voicemail.
Chris: I’ll be at the house during your break. Come by.
Too bad I’m almost at the library.
Laila: My phone was off. But I'm almost at the library. I'll stop by after my last class if you are home.
Chris responds before I can put my phone away.
Chris: I’ll be here.
Driving from the stadium to the frat house, my hands shake as I try to grip the steering wheel. I hope we can move past this situation and get back to normal. I could use a pep talk from Tanya, but the topic of her brother may come up, and Josh is the last person I need to be thinking about right now.
Finding a parking spot in front of the frat house is easy, as always. Oddly, Chris' car seems to be the only car there. Although only a few guys live there, there are always random Ques roaming around the small house.
The door is wide open so I just walk in. Unlike other times, the house is silent. Almost too quiet. I walk past the tacky living room furniture and through the hall to Chris’ room. The door is closed. My hand reaches for the doorknob but I stop and knock instead. I couldn’t handle walking in and being surprised.
Chris opens the door and a grin as wide as the ocean spreads across his face. He wraps me in a warm embrace and pulls me into his room, closing and locking the door behind us.
We sit on his bed, and neither of us says a word. He reaches over beside the bed and hands me a bouquet of red tulips.
“Thank you. They are beautiful.”
“You’re welcome.” His smile widens. “I’m glad I can still make you smile. After this weekend, I was beating myself up, thinking I could have lost you. The last thing I ever want to do is make you unhappy.”
“I should apologize because I went from zero to ten over a dance.” I reach over and grab his hand. “I’ve never been extremely jealous but seeing you with another girl just tore me apart.”
“I
know that now, and you won’t have to worry about it again.” He laughs. “I will have to say I had a flashback of Courtney when you flipped out on me, though.”
"We definitely don't want to go there. Speaking of Courtney, I haven't seen or heard from her since she was walked out of your apartment last year."
“When word got back to the president about how she was stalking you, and the situation at the apartment, he strongly suggested she transfer schools. She was making suicidal threats and her parents agreed she should move closer to home. Now she’s back in Tennessee.”
“Tennessee? I had no idea she was from Tennessee.” My heart feels like it leaped out of my chest. “Is she from your hometown?”
“Naw. Thank God. She’s from some small town on the other side of the state.”
“And how did word get back to the president? Seems random.”
“My mom made sure she made a few phone calls after Courtney pulled her stunt at graduation.”
“Guess I better mind my manners.” Chris lowers me on the bed and lies beside me.
“My mother loves you. You don’t have to worry about crossing her.”
“Are we good now?” Rolling on my side to face him I say, “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Babe, I’ve been good. I just needed to give you some space to make sure you were okay.” Caressing my cheek he says, “I’ve missed you more than you’ll ever know.” His stomach growls and we both laugh. “Right on time. I’m hungry and I threw together a little something for us.”
Chris knows my heart. “So you just knew I would be coming over, huh?”
“If you didn’t I would have had a great dinner tonight and a nice lunch tomorrow.” Chris winks at me.
“Uninterrupted dinner?”
As Chris gets up and walks towards the door I follow him. “As much as I can control.”
Sitting down at the card table with a couple of chairs, our makeshift dinner table for the night, I laugh to myself. His mother would be ashamed of this decor. I’m sure she is willing and waiting to come in and make this place homier.