by Nyora René
“I have one woman who won’t leave me alone and the woman I want to take up all my time won’t pick up the phone,” he muttered, glaring at the weights as he racked more on the other side of the bar.
Once he was done, he lowered his body so that the bar rested on his shoulders and slowly stood, holding the bar with his shoulders and hands. After taking a few steps forward, he lowered his body into a squatting position and then raised himself up. He did three sets of fifteen reps, then racked the bar, removed the weights, and put them back where they belonged.
His calves and thighs burned due to the extra weight he’d added, so he went to the treadmill and started at a leisurely walk, gradually building up to a light jog, then a sprint. Sweat poured down his face and dripped from his beard and arms. His legs were slick with perspiration, but he didn’t stop until his lungs began to burn from exertion. After he did a cooldown, he cleaned the machine and walked over to the mats to stretch.
Normally, he stretched in his private workout room, but he hadn’t set foot in there since the day Crystal left. The last time he’d been in that room was a few days before Eloise’s unwanted visit. He and Crystal had been in the gym after it closed because she hadn’t been able to meet during business hours. What had started as a workout turned into something else entirely the moment Crystal bent over to stretch, deliberately putting her ass within touching range.
Naturally, he hadn’t been able to resist squeezing her plump peach, and a squeeze led to fondling. Her moaning and the feel of her beneath his hands made him hard as a brick. Needless to say, they’d christened his private workout room that night.
Growling in frustration, Brendon walked to his office and retrieved his earbuds. Once they connected to the phone, he went to his music streaming app and selected a rap station. That done, he started on his pushups, needing to push his body until his mind was clear.
One hundred pushups, fifty burpees, and two hundred situps later, Brendon’s body was fatigued, exactly what he wanted. He cleaned the mat and dragged his body up the stairs to his office. He’d already told his manager of the day that he would be out, so he grabbed his wallet and keys and left the gym.
Once he made it home, he barely had any energy to make it to his bathroom, but somehow he managed. He didn’t bother to put on boxers or any type of clothing once he exited the shower. He plugged his phone into the charger, set it to do not disturb, and fell onto the plush mattress, falling into a much needed, dreamless sleep.
Crystal hauled her luggage to her Escalade, clicking the button on her key fob to open the trunk. Her flight from Zanzibar had been long and uneventful. She was grateful that she was able to get some rest on this flight, unlike her flight there.
She sat in her car and waited for her phone to connect to her Bluetooth. She texted Jade to let her know the flight landed safely and she was on her way home.
Prince Eric: I’m glad you made it safely. Text me when you get home. I probably won’t be able to respond because we’re getting ready to take off. They just shut the doors. Remember our conversation and acknowledge your faults. Love you, little sis!
Crystal smiled at the text, but her smile disappeared as she brought up Ruby’s phone number. She wasn’t looking forward to Ruby and Amethyst’s tongue lashings, so she decided to phone them three-way to get it over all at once.
“Well, well, well…if it isn’t my long-lost sister,” Ruby answered sarcastically.
“New phone, who this?” was Amethyst’s response.
“Ha ha, you’re both so funny…not,” Crystal said as she pulled out of the parking space and headed to the front to pay her parking fee.
“I mean you left town without telling us why,” Ruby said.
“And the way you left town wasn’t cool. We deserved more than a text right before you turned your phone off for the next twenty-eight hours,” Amethyst chimed in.
After thanking the parking attendant, Crystal turned onto the street and headed towards the highway. She would be home in about twenty minutes.
“You’re both right and I’m sorry. At the time, I was so upset and needed time to think,” she told them.
“Not so upset that you couldn’t talk to Jade and run to her,” Ruby said, hurt feelings coming through Crystal’s speaker.
“Yeah, I know you’re closest with Jade, but we’ve always been here for you, so what’s up with that?” Amethyst asked.
“I’m sorry that I hurt you both. I can’t go into details right now because I need to talk to Brendon first. And yes, I know I didn’t have that same mindset when I talked to Jade, but I’m striving to do better. I promise though, once I talk to Brendon and sort things out with him, I will tell you what happened.” Crystal maneuvered around a slow-moving Corvette and shook her head. How do you drive a sports car below the speed limit on the highway? Her question was answered when she saw a man who had to be at least seventy hunched over the wheel as she passed him by.
“Crystal, I’m not going to argue with you on that point. I happen to agree that you need to talk to Brendon before talking to us. That should have happened before you talked to Jade, but at least you’re learning how a relationship works,” Ruby said.
Crystal rolled her eyes. Was it any wonder why she didn’t immediately call Ruby? “Okay, sis, I called to let you know I made it back safely. I’ll call you both after I hash things out with B. Love you,” she told them, listening to them tell her they loved her before hanging up.
She took the exit to her home and within minutes was pulling into the driveway. Parking in the garage, she decided to take out her luggage later. What she needed at the moment was a hot shower, and then she needed to call Brendon.
Walking through the door, she noticed her mail stacked neatly on her kitchen island. Her heart melted and her eyes misted at Brendon’s thoughtfulness. While her sisters had a key to her home, Brendon was the only other person who had a key to her mailbox. Even when they weren’t talking to each other, he’d still taken the time to make sure her home was taken care of while she was away.
“Oh, B…” she sighed, running her hand over the mail as if she could still feel the warmth of his hands from when he’d handled the envelopes.
She slumped against the island and rubbed a hand across her chest, as if she could rub away the physical pain. She missed her friend. One of the reasons she hadn’t wanted to confess how she felt for him was that she didn’t want to lose his friendship. With this rift between them, she felt like she lost not just her lover but, more importantly, her friend.
Crystal sighed and straightened. In the bathroom, she started the water, then went into her closet, disrobing along the way. She grabbed the Marks Fitness T-shirt she’d laundered the last time Brendon was over and a pair of his boxers, needing to feel close to him.
She showered, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. Done, she walked into her bedroom but swiftly exited once she realized her phone was still in her purse in the kitchen. Upon retrieving it, she went back to her room and propped herself against her pillows. Her hands shook and turned clammy. It took her several tries before she finally was able to dial his number to video chat—only he didn’t pick up.
Crystal frowned. As much as he’d been calling and texting since she left his gym, she’d expected him to immediately pick up when she called. She tried again, but still, he didn’t answer. She narrowed her eyes and bit her lip, drumming her fingers against the soft, smooth skin of her thigh.
“Come on, B, why aren’t you picking up?” she murmured.
After the third try, she tossed her phone on the bed with a growl. “Ugh! Why won’t he answer?”
She hopped out of bed and started pacing, her steps faltering when she realized that Brendon hadn’t tried to contact her in the last few days. For the first three days after she’d left, he’d called and left numerous text messages and voicemails, but after that, radio silence.
“What if he’s done with me? What if he’s back with Eloise?” she thought out loud,
heart stopping for several beats as she contemplated the terrible thought. She came to a complete stop and sank to the floor as she thought about the possibility that her running away could have prompted him to give up on them. Their relationship was fairly new. What if he didn’t want her anymore?
“That’s stupid, Crys. He wouldn’t have gotten your mail…” She tried to rationalize, but he retrieved her mail as her friend, so what if he wanted to go back to being friends only?
She cupped her face in her hands and shook her head. She was overreacting, she had to be…
Springing up, she got to her feet and marched over to her walk-in closet, throwing on a pair of jeans over Brendon’s boxers. She slid her feet into a pair of Jandals and walked over to her bed to retrieve her phone, trying again to reach Brendon. When he didn’t answer, she hurriedly grabbed her purse and got into her car. She needed to see and talk to him. Crystal called the gym, but they told her he wasn’t in today, so she headed to his house.
When she arrived at his home, she opened the garage, sighing in relief when she saw both of his vehicles parked in their spots. She parked her Escalade and got out, entering his home through the garage.
“Brendon?” she called out, walking through the kitchen. She went to his home office first, but it was empty. The whole house was eerily quiet. Next, she went to his man cave, but again, empty. Her last stop was his bedroom. When she opened the door, she saw a lump under the covers, but from her view she couldn’t tell who it was.
“Lord, please don’t let it be someone else in his bed. I don’t need to go to jail today,” she murmured, walking over to his bed.
As she traversed the wide expanse of his room, her footfalls were silenced by the lush carpet covering the floor. Pulling even with the bed, she was able to make out Brendon’s face and she let out a sigh.
She ran the back of her hand along his beard, a smile tugging her lips at how much it had grown since she’d last seen him. Her hand drifted to his head, his hair longer there too.
Crystal jumped when a hand grasped her wrist in a strong grip, her eyes flying to his. Recognition dawned in his eyes and he released his hold, sitting up.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, stretching.
Crystal’s mouth watered at his body being on display. He didn’t have a shirt on and his muscles shifted under his skin as his frame elongated with a stretch.
“You weren’t answering your phone,” she said, eyes drifting down, hoping to catch a glimpse of the rest of him as the covers shifted, but they didn’t shift enough because they lay across his lap, shielding his lower body.
“And? You didn’t answer your phone, you said you needed space and time,” he said, crossing his arms.
She took a step back. Crystal hadn’t anticipated him being anything other than happy to see her. Had her childish antics ruined their relationship before it had a chance to really flourish?
“That’s true, thank you for giving me that space. I’m ready to talk now,” she said, moving forward and sitting on the edge of the bed.
Brendon didn’t say anything. His eyes traveled over her and her insides heated at his perusal, although there was nothing in his expression remotely sexual. His eyes didn’t warm, he didn’t bite his lip like he usually did when thinking naughty thoughts about her. In fact, his eyes narrowed and his mouth compressed into a straight tight line. He didn’t make any effort to touch her and hadn’t touched her beyond grabbing her wrist when he first awakened.
“I’m glad you’re finally ready to talk, but you just interrupted the best sleep that I’ve had since you left, and I’m still tired. We can talk when I’m more rested. And Crystal, one thing you need to keep in mind is this, I’m not some toy you take off the shelf and play with when you feel like it. You don’t get to fit our relationship within terms that suit only you. I’ll call you when I’m up and we can make a decision, together, on when we can meet up to talk,” he said, sliding down and tugging the covers back over his shoulder.
“B?” Crystal said incredulously. She couldn’t believe he was dismissing her.
“I’m going back to sleep, so you need to leave. I’ll call you when I wake up,” he told her, then rolled over and closed his eyes.
Crystal’s eyes filled with tears and she hurriedly got up from his bed, stung by his abrupt dismissal. She walked quickly to her car and got in, heading home to lick her wounds.
17
Brendon opened his eyes once he heard his bedroom door shut. He ran a hand down his face and banged his head against the headboard. Crystal had looked damned good in his T-shirt after not seeing her for a week. As much as he wanted to pull her into his arms and never let her go, he had to make her understand that there were two people in their relationship. She couldn’t be the only one to dictate how their relationship played out.
He didn’t appreciate how she left and ignored his calls. Now, she was back wanting to talk, but on her terms. There had to be some compromise on both of their parts.
Brendon checked his phone and saw that she’d called him twice and had video called him three times. The phone screen said it was a little after two in the afternoon. He hadn’t lied when he said she’d woken him up from the best sleep he’d had since she left. He felt refreshed and ready to tackle the problems that had sprung up in their relationship.
He got out of bed and walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth and take care of business. Once he was done, he pulled on some boxers, basketball shorts, and a Marks Fitness T-shirt. Next on his agenda? Food. He jogged down the stairs and went to the kitchen to see what he had in the fridge to cook, his appetite finally coming back.
“Damn,” he murmured, perusing the sparse offerings in his fridge. Besides a few eggs and sports drinks, he had nothing to eat.
He grabbed his wallet and keys and left for the grocery store. On the drive there, he thought some more about his relationship with Crystal, acknowledging that he hadn’t handled Eloise in the right way. He also came to terms with the fact that although he kept the pregnancy a secret from Crystal, he hadn’t done anything wrong by withholding that information. That was a difficult conclusion to come to because of the hurt he’d caused Crystal, but he had a right to share what he wanted in relation to anything that happened prior to them forming a romantic relationship.
At the store, Brendon tossed some chicken breasts into the basket and picked up fresh vegetables and pineapples. He’d grill some chicken and make vegetable kabobs with pineapple.
After checking out, he went home, prepped and seasoned his food then fired up the grill. He relaxed out on the lanai while his food cooked, and drank a cold beer. His phone rang, disrupting his peaceful silence.
“Hello?” he answered when he recognized the name on the display.
“Hey, what’s up, B. How’s everything going?” Albert asked.
“Good, what about you?” he asked.
“It’s all good over here. Wife’s on a girls trip, kids are with her parents, and I’m sitting in this big-ass house enjoying the peace and quiet,” Albert said, chuckling.
“Where’d Corrine go?” Brendon asked, crossing his legs at the ankle and putting a hand behind his head as he lounged on his hammock.
“Costa Rica of all places. She’ll be back in a few days. How are things going with you and Crystal? Albert asked.
The first day Crystal was MIA, he’d called Albert for some advice. Albert had reaffirmed his decision to give Crystal the space she requested.
“She ran off to Zanzibar to visit her sister after the debacle with Eloise,” Brendon told him.
“Word? When is she coming back?”
Brendon harrumphed and rubbed his stomach and chest. “She’s already back. I woke up this morning to her in my room caressing my face like nothing happened. She told me she was ready to talk.”
Albert hummed. ‘What did you tell her?”
Brendon sat up, careful not to flip himself out of the hammock. “I told her that she interrupted some good
sleep and that when I woke up I’d call her so that we could arrange a time to talk.”
“How did that go over with her?” Albert asked.
Brendon winced, recalling the hurt on her face before he turned over. “She wasn’t feeling it, and her feelings were hurt, but she accepted what I said and left.”
“Why not talk to her then? I know you want to talk things out, so why did you postpone it?”
Brendon stood and walked over to the grill to check his food. The skewers were done, so he removed them and placed them in an insulated container to keep them warm.
“I did it because she has to realize that there are two people in this relationship. She can’t make decisions that affect both of us by herself. She doesn’t get to decide when and where we talk. That should be something we both come to a consensus on. I’m not some lap dog who jumps when she says so,” he vented.
“While I appreciate and understand what you’re saying, bro, you’re still playing games. That’s immature. Tell me, did you ever go back to sleep?” Albert asked him.
Brendon sighed and scratched his head. “No, I got up, went to the store, and now I’m grilling. Why?”
“Because you told her you’d call when you woke up, but you never went back to sleep. You’re mad because she ignored you for a week, and I get it, but you’re playing head games. That’s immature and unlike you. You also need to own up to the fact that you didn’t handle Eloise correctly when the three of you were in your office. That type of shit will land you in the doghouse. You should’ve had her escorted out the minute she waltzed her ass in your office. Now your woman wants to hash things out and you over there acting stupid. You mad? Then tell her, don’t play games. You’re going to fuck around and lose the woman of your dreams,” Albert warned him.
Brendon walked to the edge of his pool and stared at his reflection in the water. Albert was right. He did postpone their talk out of pettiness.