by Nyora René
He frowned, glancing at the time on his desk. He didn’t have a client scheduled for another two hours. “Who is it?”
“She said she’d rather not say. She wants to surprise you,” Erica said, shrugging her shoulders.
Brendon smiled, thinking that Crystal had come to surprise him. She told him that she had a couple of Zoom meetings with a potential brand who wanted her to endorse their workout leggings and another one with a prospective virtual assistant. She’d decided she needed to hire someone to help her with the paperwork side of her brand. She must have finished early.
“Send her up,” he told Erica.
When Erica walked out of his office, he quickly popped one of the peppermints he kept on a shelf behind his desk in his mouth. Glancing at his desk, he quickly put away the files that were laying in the center and tidied it up—just in case something popped off.
When his door opened, he smiled, standing up and walking towards it, only to stop mid stride as Eloise, his ex-girlfriend, strolled in with a huge smile on her pecan face.
“Surprise!” she said, rushing over and hugging him.
Brendon stiffened and immediately removed himself from her arms, not sure why she was there. “Yeah, surprise. What are you doing here?” He put distance between them by sitting behind his desk.
Apparently, she didn’t get that he wanted distance because she followed him and perched her butt on the edge of his desk, her tight skirt rising dangerously high.
“Is that any way to greet me?” she pouted.
“Uh, yeah. What are you doing here? I thought you’d moved to L.A. for your job,” he said, scooting his chair away from her.
She lifted one slim leg and placed her heel on the arm of his chair. “Well, I decided to come back. Aren’t you happy to see me?”
Brendon scratched his head, confused as hell. “Um, I’m not sure actually. You still haven’t answered my question about what you’re doing here, as in, in my place of business.”
She let out a peal of laughter, tossing her head back as if what he’d said was outrageously funny. Her laugh grated on his last nerve. Was she this annoying when they dated? he thought, inwardly grimacing.
“Well, I know we broke things off when I moved, but now that I’m back, I thought we could revisit us, you know?” She moved her leg from the arm of the chair to his crotch.
Brendon popped up, almost knocking her off of his desk in the process. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you talking about? We didn’t break up because you moved, we broke up because we didn’t want the same things.” Namely, I didn’t want you, I wanted my best friend, he silently added.
“I thought about that, and well…I can hold off on us moving in together. I missed you so much, B,” she said, cornering him and wrapping her arms around his neck.
Brendon grabbed her arms, attempting to gently remove them from his body, when the office door opened.
“Hey, I finished up early to…day…” Pausing just inside the door, Crystal blinked her pretty hazel eyes frequently, a frown forming on her face as she looked from him to Eloise, whose arms remained around his neck.
“Hey, Crystal! How are you, girl?” Eloise said, smiling at her.
Brendon roughly removed Eloise’s arms from around his neck, gentleness be damned. “Hey, look who came by.”
“I see,” Crystal said, lips pursed and eyes narrowed. She slowly came farther into the room,
“I decided to come back home and give my relationship with Brendon another try. Isn’t that great?” Eloise gushed, trying to grab Brendon’s hand as he passed her on the way to Crystal, who stood still as a statue in the middle of his office.
Grabbing her hands, Brendon searched her face, wincing when her eyes narrowed and she tried to tug her hands from his.
He refused to let her go and tightened his fingers around hers. “I didn’t know anything about her leaving her job or wanting to get back together until she walked in my door less than ten minutes ago,” he murmured.
Eloise walked over to where they stood and wrapped an arm around Brendon’s waist. “I dropped in to surprise him. Don’t you think we should give our relationship another try, Crystal?”
Crystal’s eyes left his face. “No,” she said, ice dripping from that one word.
Eloise eyes widened. “Why not? I thought you said I was a good fit for him?”
Crystal cocked her head to the side. “Past tense, he’s moved on. I suggest you do the same.”
Brendon side stepped Eloise to get her to move her arm, jumping when she squeezed his ass in the process. Crystal’s eyes narrowed to slits, and he wrapped his arms around her, trying his damnedest to ignore Eloise next to them and praying Crystal didn’t go off on her.
“Baby, I promise you, I didn’t know anything about this,” he pleaded for understanding.
“Baby? I thought she was just your friend?” Eloise said in a biting tone.
“Girl, why are you still here? Read the damn room, I don’t want you here, and he doesn’t want you here. Get a clue!” Crystal said, jerking herself out of Brendon’s hold and turning to Eloise.
Eloise reared back. “How do you know what he wants? I know you saw us hugged up when you rudely barged in here. He hasn’t told me to leave, so how about you leave since I was here first,” she said, hands on her hips, legs akimbo.
“Eloise, you need to leave. I’m telling you in front of Crystal so there is no misunderstanding or miscommunication. We are not getting back together. I do not want to see you. If you come to this gym, it should be to work out, not see me. Do not call me, text me, or drop by to see me. Crystal and I are together now, and that’s not changing.” Brendon gathered a rigid Crystal against his side.
As he talked, Eloise’s eyes had widened and her mouth dropped open. “Let me get this straight. The woman who you swore was just your friend is trying to get with my man? Do I have that right?” she asked incredulously.
Crystal moved away from Brendon and got in Eloise’s space. “No, you don’t have that right. He’s not your man, he’s mine. He just told you that, so what part aren’t you understanding?”
Eloise let loose a caustic laugh. “Oh dear, you finally stopped following him around like a lost puppy dog and told him how you feel. He may be your man, for now, but he will be my man again. And do you know why? We have history that goes deeper than the one you have with him, or did I miss where you got pregnant by him? I did, but unfortunately, I miscarried. That’s okay though, he’s virile as hell, and it won’t take long for me to get pregnant again, isn’t that right, honey?” She flashed a sweet smile and walked over to Brendon, laying a hand on his arm.
Brendon’s eyes were glued to Crystal as she absorbed the blow Eloise dealt when she revealed her miscarriage. He’d withheld that information from Crystal because he hadn’t wanted to tell her while dealing with his newfound feelings for her. He and Eloise had found out about the pregnancy when he’d taken her to the hospital for severe abdominal pain. The pain stemmed from her miscarrying. She’d been two months into the pregnancy.
“You kept that from me?” Crystal said in a low voice, her eyes two pools of pain.
He shrugged off Eloise’s hand. “You need to get out of my office, now.”
Brendon walked over to Crystal and tried to gather her in his arms, but she pushed him away. “I thought we told each other everything, but apparently not.”
He ran a hand over his head. “It wasn’t like that, Crys, I swear.”
She shook her head. “You lie. A baby, B…a whole baby?”
“Poor dear is stunned. I guess you two weren’t as close as you thought.”
“Get out!” Brendon roared at Eloise. When he turned back to Crystal, she was running out the door. He went to follow her, but Eloise’s arm stopped him.
“Let her go. She’ll be okay. We need to discuss—”
Brendon shoved away her hand and balled up his fists. “We don’t need to discuss shit. I don’t know how else to tell you to leave me
alone. We are not getting back together, do not come near me.” He wanted to punch a hole in the wall, he was so pissed.
Eloise sauntered to the door but paused before she left. “I can see that you need some time to process everything, I’ll be in touch, love.”
Brendon walked over and slammed the door in her face. Turning around, he gripped his head with his hands, mind racing. He needed to talk to Crystal. He had to explain. Grabbing his phone, he held the number two down to speed dial her number. He listened as her phone went straight to voicemail and growled in frustration.
“Baby, please, I can explain, just give me a chance. I’m on my way, please, don’t shut me out.” Hanging up, he walked to his desk and picked up the office phone.
“Cancel all of my appointments for today and tomorrow. Whatever can’t be rescheduled, then reassign to a different trainer. I’m leaving, and don’t allow Eloise Blanchard entrance to the building. Get a screen grab from the security footage when she entered and post it in the breakroom. She is not allowed on the premises,” he told Erica.
Grabbing his wallet and keys from inside his desk, he hurriedly moved towards the door and down the stairs, headed for his truck. He needed to get to Crystal. He had to make her understand.
Crystal held in her tears and rage until she made it to her car. Once inside, she viciously punched the start button and swiftly glanced around before putting the car in drive and peeling out of the parking lot, burning rubber on the asphalt.
“How could he…” she seethed between clenched teeth. Her hands gripped the leather steering wheel so tightly her fingers hurt. Taking a sharp turn and driving over the curb made her slow her speed and focus on her driving.
“The last thing I need is a damn accident,” she muttered.
Pressing the Bluetooth button on her steering wheel, she waited until prompted and then had the system call Jade. She picked up on the sixth ring.
“Hey sis, what’s up? Everything okay?” Jade asked, voice heavy with sleep.
“Jade, this man…” Crystal let the words trail off, unable to continue as her tears flowed. She was near the Seraphina River, so she pulled over and drove a ways down until she reached a secluded area to park. The whole time Jade kept trying to get her to talk.
She killed the engine, grabbed her purse and phone, and jumped out of the SUV. She stomped off down the trail until she came to the seated area near the edge of the river.
“Crystal Jasmine Harris, I know you’re there because I can hear your loud breathing. If your ass don’t start talking, I’m calling the other sisters to schedule an ass kicking for Brendon and you,” Jade bit out.
Plopping down on the wooden bench, Crystal leaned forward, her phone in her hand. “Give me a second to put my earbuds in,” she said, rummaging in her multicolored hobo bag until she found them.
Earbuds in, she wrapped the long handle of her purse around her wrist and gripped her head in her hands, arms resting on her thighs.
“Jade, this man kept such a big secret from me, and I’m having the hardest time processing. You will not believe the shit that just went down,” she said, squeezing her head.
“Well start talking because it’s two in the morning out here, so for you to call me it must be dire,” Jade said, yawning.
Crystal winced. She’d forgotten about the time difference in her anger. “Sorry to wake you up. I can call back later.”
Jade sucked her teeth, the sound crystal clear through the earbuds. “Girl, I’m already up, start talking.”
“Alright, check this…”
Crystal told her sister what happened. When she was finished, Jade was silent for a bit. Crystal sat up and gripped the edge of the bench, eyes unseeing as she stared out at the river.
“So he got ole girl pregnant. The same girl you said you felt bad for and was the reason you tried to distance yourself from him,” Jade summarized.
“Yeah, I don’t feel bad for her ass now, though,” Crystal said.
“Crys, what exactly are you mad about? Her having been pregnant, him keeping it from you, or her being in his office?” Jade asked.
Crystal crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her arms as the breeze blew across the river, eliciting a shiver. Her alma mater college T-shirt did little to protect her from the coolness.
“How about all of the above?” Crystal said, shaking her head. She really couldn’t believe the turn this day had taken.
Jade sighed. “Crystal, he wasn’t with you—”
“I know that!” she snapped.
“Little girl, check your tone. You may be grown, but so am I. Don’t talk to me like that. You’re mad at him, not me,” Jade said in a quiet yet steely tone.
Crystal closed her eyes. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just so angry. I can’t go home because I know he’ll be there, waiting for me. He’s already called and I’ve ignored him. I can’t go to Ruby or Amethyst because those are the next places he’ll look for me. I need time to think without him in my face mansplaining his logic.”
“You can come out here to see me. I mean, I’m in Zanzibar for another nine days. You can come out here, enjoy the beautiful weather and beaches while I’m working, and hang out with me when I’m done for the day,” Jade offered.
Crystal turned the idea over in her mind. Going to Jade would give her space. Brendon couldn’t just drop his clients to follow her across the world. On the other hand, he would be pissed she bounced without telling him, but she was pissed at him, so that should cancel out their anger for each other.
“I don’t want to go home and pack clothes and risk seeing him,” she said, thinking out loud.
“If I spring for your plane ticket, that should leave you money to go to the mall and get you a luggage set and some clothes,” Jade said.
“I can pay for my own plane ticket. Thanks, though. If I leave now I can make it to the mall in Summerton in time to buy some luggage and clothes.” Crystal stood and moved towards her car.
“Why Summerton? I mean their mall is nice, but so is the one in Springfield,” Jade asked.
“I don’t want to run into anyone who will inadvertently tell Brendon they saw me buying suitcases,” Crystal said, getting in her car and backing out of the parking lot.
“Girl, cut the shit. Nobody clocking you like that,” Jade told her.
Crystal laughed. “Whatever, people know me, I have fans and followers, boo.” It felt good to laugh after having a good venting session.
“Whatever, I’m looking at flights now. There’s one leaving from Springfield at five in the morning. It has a three-hour layover in Doha, then another flight to Dar es Salaam, and then finally here. You want to be fancy and fly first class, business, or economy?” Jade asked absentmindedly.
“First class, duh. Ever since I flew first class on my graduation trip to Australia, I’ve refused to fly anything else. What’s the price?”
Jade whistled. “You have expensive tastes, spoiled ass. A last-minute first class round trip ticket from Springfield to Zanzibar is going to hit you for thirty-five thousand. You sure you don’t want to fly economy? That’s only three grand,” Jade asked.
Crystal rolled her eyes, accelerating as she got onto the highway, headed towards Summerton. “I’m positive. I can’t do those tiny, cramped spaces for long flights. At least with first class I’ll have a comfortable chair that reclines into a bed and have some privacy in my little booth. The price is worth the comfort. Send me the link and I’ll book the flight.”
“Too rich for my blood, boo,” Jade teased.
“Don’t even act like you haven’t flown private or first class before,” Crystal said.
“I sent the email. Yeah, I fly fancy all the time, but usually at the expense of those who hire my services. I have that written into any contract. I also get the frequent flyer miles for those trips, which is also written into my contract, thanks to Ruby. The only time I pay for my own flights is when I fly home, and I use those frequent flyer miles to offset the
cost,” Jade told her.
The exit for the mall was up ahead, and Crystal put on her blinker and exited on the off-ramp. As she whizzed by trees and restaurants on the road leading to the mall, she mentally took stock of what she needed.
“What time do I arrive, and what’s the weather like?” Crystal asked, turning in to the mall.
“You’ll get here in about a day and some change. The flights total about twenty-seven hours, including layovers and accounting for time change. You’ll get here midday. The weather is lovely, stays in the eighties,” Jade said, yawning.
“Thanks, sis. I’m going to let you go so you can get some sleep. Sorry for waking you up, but thank you for answering the phone and offering me sanctuary,” Crystal said, pulling up to the valet parking.
“You are so extra. Sanctuary? Really. You’re not running from a murderer or the law. It’s Brendon, but you’re welcome. Text me before you take off in the morning, and make sure you tell Ruby and Amethyst you’re coming out here.”
“I’m not sure I want them to know. They’re going to try to make me tell them what’s going on, and you know Ruby is just going to piss me off with her slick-ass mouth and Amethyst will side with Ruby,” Crystal said, getting out of the car and handing the valet her keys as he handed her a ticket.
She thanked him and entered the mall. She had a lot of items to buy for her last-minute trip, plus she needed to go home to get her passport. Hopefully, she wouldn’t run into Brendon.
Two hours later, and bogged down with bags, Crystal entered her hotel room. Her luck had held since she didn’t find Brendon waiting for her at her home when she went to retrieve her passport.
Flopping on the bed, she pulled out her phone to text Brendon.
Crystal: B, I need time to mull over what happened in your office. You kept such a personal thing from me. Me, your best friend. Give me some time. Don’t try to call or come by my house.
Satisfied with what she typed, she pressed send. Standing, she went over to the desk where she’d placed her food and sat down to eat, enjoying the quiet stillness of the room. This impromptu trip to see Jade was just what she needed.