Preseason Love

by Ahyiana Angel

  He looked puzzled, but I left him standing there because I didn’t have time to explain. Britney was approaching quickly and it looked like she could have spotted me before I ducked off to the side. I click-clacked as fast as I could and went through a couple of black production curtains that I had no business being behind. I had to get away…from him and from her. I needed to get to an exit that would let me out with the general crowd; that way I could blend in and lose them both for sure.

  Once I reached the street level, I hailed the first cab that I saw and hopped in as fast as I could. I didn’t know why I was still paranoid, but I was. On top of everything else, it was late and I had to go to work in the morning. I wanted to get home as quickly as possible. I hated dropping the cash on a cab to Jersey, but under the circumstances, I had to make an exception.

  The whole ride home my phone kept buzzing in my purse. Byron was blowing up my line, but I didn’t answer. He started texting me apologies and asking me to please pick up the phone. I decided that I would deal with him when I was ready. I had no real grounds to be pissed about the groupie situation, but it had rubbed me the wrong way.

  I laid my head back on the seat, looked out the window, and wondered what Kari was up to. He loved Jay-Z and I knew that he would have had an amazing time at that concert had we gone together. I wouldn’t have had to deal with groupie incidents or hiding from coworkers. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d made the right decision, especially every time my phone rang and Byron’s number showed up. After a few more of his calls, I did the unthinkable. I turned my phone completely off for the night.

  Chapter 19

  Get Away

  The following morning at work was miserable with a twist of torture on the top. Once I arrived, I wished that I had called in sick, but it was too late since a couple of people had already seen my face. I had a slight hangover. It felt like there was a little man with a hammer inside my head having temper-tantrums every few minutes. I wasn’t in the mood for the friendly fake hellos and good mornings of office life.

  My cell phone buzzed off the hook when I finally turned it on. I had three text messages and ten voicemail messages.

  Really, Byron?

  Almost every message started with, “Scottie, I’m really sorry.” He was profusely apologizing and to my surprise, there was also one long voicemail from Kari. He was stumbling over his words and pausing for extended amounts of time; apparently, he was checking up on me.

  As far as I was concerned, all men could kiss my big toe at that moment. I needed a hearty sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich to shake the ills that I was feeling. I walked into the cafeteria with every intention of getting in and out fast. While I was waiting for Roberto with the rotten front tooth to finish up my breakfast sandwich, I heard my name being called from behind.

  “Good morning, Scottie.”

  It’s definitely not a good morning if you’re speaking to me.

  I turned around to acknowledge the voice. I should not have been surprised to see that it was Britney the bitch.

  She’s up to something because she never speaks willingly. I really don’t feel like dealing with her right now.

  “What?”

  “Wow, did someone wake up on the wrong side of someone else’s bed this morning?”

  This little trick is really trying to get under my skin.

  She naturally thought that everyone was a whore as she was. I tossed her thee nastiest look that I could conjure up and rolled my eyes real stank-like to top it off. I wasn’t in the mood for her bullshit.

  “How did you enjoy the concert last night?”

  “What?”

  “I said…How. Did. YOU. Enjoy…the concert last night?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “That’s strange. I could have sworn. Didn’t I see you backstage?”

  “Nope, wasn’t me,” I responded, mustering up a bit more bitch-don’t-fuck-with-me bass in my voice.

  I strutted off in my turquoise-and-red Reebok exclusives, leaving her low-budget ass standing by the $2.99 bowls of cereal. I didn’t have the time or the patience to continue an elementary exchange with such a simple-minded individual.

  Britney was an insecure little girl portraying the role of a confident woman, but I could see straight through the facade. It usually took her family money and the promise of sexual favors or material items to get men to stomach her for an extended period of time from what I’d heard.

  I plopped down at my desk and put my head down on my folded arms. The old-school Dell computer mounted on my desk chirped with a new email message. But I couldn’t care less who it was or what it was about. Concentrating on work was not an option. I needed to feed my belly first. While I was eating, I checked my Gmail to kill time and I almost choked on my breakfast sandwich. The email stood out like it was typed in big bold red letters. The subject line read “E-Ticket Confirmation” and it was from JetBlue Airways.

  What the freak?

  I hadn’t booked any trips so something was definitely suspicious. I clicked on the email without being entirely sure what I would find.

  I scrolled down to look at the details of the flight itinerary. It wasn’t spam.

  A departure from JFK airport with an arrival in Barbados…in three days.

  I couldn’t act like I was clueless. As soon as I let everything process for a moment, I knew who was behind all of this and who bought the ticket. But why was he so damn extreme? Leaving multiple voicemails was one thing, but dropping serious coins on a plane ticket was another. I was beyond surprised and this gesture was borderline crazy…or romantic, depending on your frame of reference. None of this was normal, though. This was the type of fantasy ridiculousness that happened to reality stars on TV and not to a chick like me.

  What the hell do you do when someone tries to buy you an apology? This was one that you couldn’t exactly give back. Byron was intriguing and his methods may not have been conventional, but the trip was obviously a gesture to make up for the incident. Little did he know I wasn’t really stuck on that or mad. It was too much going on. I needed to talk to him and see where his head was.

  Sending him an email instead of a text seemed like the best idea, since clearly his ass was on the computer like nonstop, making transactions from shoes to airline tickets. The email was short and to the point, no subject, only a simple, “call me after seven tonight.”

  I hit “send” so fast that I hadn’t even carefully considered what I’d said. Oh well, I figured. That meant that the ball was in his court and now I would have to wait on his call.

  For the remainder of the day, I planned to live in my moment of fantasy since I had no clue how this whole trip situation would turn out. I started visually sorting through my outfits for Barbados and taking a mental note of what I didn’t have but would need for the trip. I conjured up all types of sexy little outfits and I could already feel the Caribbean sun on my skin.

  As soon as I exited the bus on my way home, I called my Jolie. I was bursting inside as I had been dying all day to tell someone about Barbados.

  “Are you ready for this?” I screamed, immediately after she said hello.

  “Scottie?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. You will not believe this.”

  “What happened? Did you get fired?”

  “No! Be quiet for a second and I’ll tell you.”

  “Okay, what? This better be good.”

  “Today I’m checking my personal email at work and there was a confirmation email for an airline ticket that I knew I didn’t buy, but I opened it anyway. It was a round-trip ticket in my name to Barbados?”

  “Who the hell bought that? Wait, was it a joke…or a scam?”

  “No! It was a legit ticket. I think Byron bought it.”

  “Oh hell. And what do you mean you think. You didn’t ask his ass? Why would he do a thing like that without asking you first?”

  “I have no clue, but people do crazy shit all the time. I hit him
up and told him to call me tonight, but I didn’t mention anything about the ticket.”

  “Umph. Well, ain’t that some shit,” she said in disbelief. “Are you gonna go? Hell, I would. You are young, you got it going on, baby, and you only live once. Be careful if you do decide to go. And be sure to keep your dad and me on speed dial.”

  “I’m not sure yet. I’ll call you later tonight with an update.”

  “All right, honey.”

  When I walked into the apartment, Dev announced that she was home before I could even get a word out, “Hey, girl!” She seemed to be in a good mood and I was almost certain that she wanted to chat. The only problem was that I was distracted. All I could think about was Byron and the phone call that I was expecting. I knew myself and that if I chatted with Dev too long, I would be tempted to spill the beans about everything. It wasn’t that I couldn’t tell her what was going on. But since I wasn’t even sure what the hell I was doing with Byron, I did not want to involve Dev or anyone else from The Clique.

  A glass of chilled white wine was calling my name. I needed to calm my nerves. As I poured my glass, it occurred to me that I should at least mention the possibility of going out of town to Dev. She was my roommate, after all, and I couldn’t keep her completely in the dark.

  We stood in the kitchen talking about nothing and I tried to casually mention that I might go and visit the family in Cali for the weekend. I played it off like I was a bit homesick and my dad was looking into buying me a ticket. Conveniently, at the tail end of my big fat lie, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID. It was an unknown number. My stomach dropped. It was Byron. I told Dev, “I gotta take this.” Then I scurried into my room and closed the door.

  “Hello?”

  I turned the TV on to create a bit of distractive noise in case Dev could hear me talking.

  “Hey, babe.”

  Is he hitting me with “babe” already?

  Minor pet peeve when guys did that, especially too soon. I wanted to say, “I’m not your babe,” but I gave him a pass and got straight into specifics.

  “So what was up with that email?”

  “You wouldn’t call me back. I know I messed up, but I really wanted to see you again. I had fun with you the other night. I want a second chance.”

  “That was a really bold move buying a ticket for someone without consulting with them. Do you do that on a regular basis?”

  “No, but I felt like I had to do something to get your attention. It worked, didn’t it?”

  “Yeah, but what makes you so sure that I can or will drop everything and hop on a flight with you?”

  “I’m not sure about anything. But I’m hoping.”

  The line was silent.

  “Look, I gotta go,” I said.

  “Wait…will you at least think about it?” Byron pleaded, sounding like a sad puppy dog.

  “Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

  I hung up the phone and screamed softly into my pillow. I played it cool on the phone acting disinterested, but the truth was that I wanted to say, “Hell yeah, I’ll go with you to Barbados or anywhere else you want me to go.” My bags were as good as packed. But with a man used to getting everything he wanted all the time, I had to make him wait it out. I wasn’t going to be easy.

  My phone rang interrupting my excitement. I didn’t expect to see the name that popped up on the caller ID. I had totally forgotten to call Kari back. With slight hesitation, I went ahead and picked up. “Hey, Kari.”

  “Hi, Scottie. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  “No, not at all. What’s up?” I wouldn’t dare tell him that the chipper sound in my voice was due to my pending vacation.

  “Not much”—Kari cleared his throat—“I’m not even gonna try to play it cool. I really want to see you. I miss you.”

  There was an awkward pause. I wasn’t expecting his call let alone the direction of the conversation. My mind was in another place and I had to think quickly. He started talking again before I could respond.

  “Can I take you out this weekend?”

  “I…I actually have plans. I’m going out of town with Dev on a little impromptu getaway.”

  I had no clue why I’d just volunteered all of that information and lied on top of that. It wasn’t my intention to start lying to Kari, but it had flowed from my lips so effortlessly. I had always been very upfront and honest with him throughout our relationship, but since we were not together, I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

  “Oh…okay…that’s cool. I get it. Everyone needs a little getaway sometimes, right?”

  I could hear the sadness in his voice.

  “Well, you ladies have fun and maybe we can get together when you get back.”

  “Thanks…let’s try to make that happen,” I said sincerely, “I’ll call you next week.”

  I really did care for Kari. He offered me amazing stability and my desire to see him still lingered. But there was a stronger desire to explore the unknown. I had only fantasized of dating a powerful man with unlimited resources who would shower me with gifts and give me all of the attention that a girl could ask for. I welcomed the new adventure.

  • • •

  Two days later, I finally let Byron know that I would accompany him on the trip. My first-class seat was amazing—feet stretched out, a copy of Essence magazine, and music bumping in my earphones. Life was good. I sipped on libations to start the vacation off right and loosen up a bit. I was nervous as hell. I seriously had no clue as to what type of situation I was about to walk into, but I tried to stay optimistic. Byron was on a flight landing about an hour after mine from Chicago.

  Baggage claim was packed, but I spotted a man dressed in a crisp black suit holding a sign that, to my surprise, had my name on it. The letters were scrolled across his white board. I realized that Byron never failed to have it all figured out.

  The driver took my bags as we walked to the car. The warmth in the night air hit me like a welcome blanket since I had been freezing on the airplane. The driver confirmed my destination and we were on our way.

  Barbados was so beautiful, even at night. The radiant, dark-blue skies and palm trees instantly made me feel relaxed. As we passed one flawless beach property after another, I tried to imagine myself living in such a peaceful environment permanently.

  “Miss…miss…we have arrived at your destination, The Crane Resort.”

  I had completely zoned out. “My apologies, sir, thank you very much.”

  I exited the car to take in the lavish view. The resort property looked like the front of a Beverly Hills estate. I walked around to the back of the car to hand the driver a tip for his service, but he politely pushed my hand away. “Thank you for your generous gesture, ma’am, but all of your expenses have been settled.”

  “Good evening, Ms. Malveaux,” the bellman said as he grabbed my bags. He instructed me to follow him inside. He pointed to the right. “Our lovely front desk attendant will take excellent care of you. Enjoy your stay.”

  The visibly pregnant front desk attendant was pleasant as she welcomed me to the resort and provided a few tips for moving about the property comfortably. She handed me keys to a two-bedroom suite. She didn’t know how much the words “two-bedroom” were music to my ears. In the back of my mind, the sleeping situation had totally been an area of concern since I didn’t want to find myself in an awkward position on night one.

  I walked into the suite and it took every restraint in my being to contain my excitement so as not to embarrass myself in front of the bellman. Once he left, I squealed with glee and began to venture about the space.

  The entire suite had an Old World charm about it. Every inch had a mix of dark-colored wood with stark white accents.

  The bathroom was even extravagant, complete with a massive sunken Jacuzzi bathtub fit for two. I could hear the waves crashing when I stepped out onto the balcony. I couldn’t wait to see the view of the beach in the morning’s sunlight.

  Before
getting too relaxed and caught up in the serenity of my surroundings, I thought it best to freshen up a bit. I hopped in the shower hoping that Byron would not arrive as I was getting out. I wasn’t prepared for interaction on that level yet. Although, I was realistic, I knew what the expectations would be for someone tricking off money and taking you on a trip to Barbados.

  It took Byron longer than I thought it would to arrive. The anticipation drove me to drink. When he texted me that he’d landed, I was halfway dressed, but by the time he walked in the hotel suite, I had been listening to music and trying to calm my anxiety for fifteen minutes.

  “How was your trip?” Byron said as he walked toward the couch where I was lounging. “You look nice.”

  “Thanks, the trip was good.” I stood and responded with a smile. “You took good care of me.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  Byron looked like dessert to a girl who had been on a no-sweets diet for months. He extended his massive, chiseled arms toward me and I quickly fell into his firm embrace. Even after a long flight, he smelled good. I could feel his hulking muscles almost squeezing the life out of what little upper body muscle I had. Then he pulled back a tiny bit and looked down at me. “Are you hungry?”

  That wasn’t what I expected him to say, but I was happy he had. “I’m actually starving.”

  “Then let’s roll.”

  I felt like a shy schoolgirl at the touch of his oversized, warm hand grasping mine. We headed toward one of the resort’s restaurants, which seemed to be closed by the looks of the dim lighting. As we got closer, I looked at Byron waiting for him to realize that it was closed. But then, the doors swung open revealing a bald, petite man whom I later identified as the maître d’. He greeted us like we were the local King and Queen.

  The restaurant dining area that we walked through was filled with hints of Asian fusion décor. Our table provided a supreme view of the tropical landscape just beyond the panoramic window. Byron was a complete gentleman as he pulled out my chair. Soft island music played in the background as he looked over the menu.

  “Do you see anything that you like?” Byron asked.