Miss Independent

by Kiki Leach

  “Okay. That is what is so different about you. Your reading of my self-helpers guide to figuring out your proper place in the circle of adultery is telling.”

  “What?”

  “I wrote that book when I was having an affair,” she said, swallowing back the punch in her cup before going for a second round.

  More music began playing, but neither paid attention.

  “You were having an affair?”

  “Yes,” Eliza told her. “It was two years ago and he was the husband of a friend.”

  “Of a friend?” No wonder she and Sheila were suddenly so chummy tonight, Nikki thought. She didn’t want to push and ask any further, it made her feel unsavory, but she felt she needed to hear it. “Did you land him?”

  “For a while, yes, I did. But he eventually went back to his wife.”

  “Did he love you?” The pain in her voice became all too evident. “I’m only asking because if he loved you, how could he have gone back to her?”

  “Because she was the mother of his children. She was the one he saw when the sun set in the night after leaving me, and arose the next morning before coming back. She was his everything and I was just his ‘thing’ on the side.” She sighed and drank more of her punch. “He didn’t love me. He used me. I was good in bed, and I kept his mind and body occupied on nights she wasn’t in the mood or went away with her family someplace that he didn’t feel like traveling. There is no love in an extramarital affair, Nikki Sanger, only sex.”

  “Sometimes love can be involved,” she said sheepishly. “It’s rare but it’s there for some people.”

  “Find them for me and I’ll allow you to co-author my next book.” She reached for more cookies, stuffing them into her mouth.

  Nikki dropped back, eyeing her up and down. “You sound so cynical.”

  “Do I have a reason to be something else? There’s no love in what you have with this man, Nicole, whoever he is. Whatever he is telling you, which for certain included that he would leave his wife, isn’t true or going to happen. And I’m guessing just from that sad look in your eye that you know it just as well as I do. If you never get anything from my books, at least get what I’m telling you right now.” She looked around the table for more food and pat her stomach. “Are we done? I don’t mean to shoo you away, but I need to get something real to eat and Sheila’s lack of a budget is preventing me from doing that here.”

  Nikki nodded. “Sure.”

  “Great, thanks. It was good seeing you again.” She dashed off in the opposite direction and headed for the hotel lobby.

  “Good seeing you too,” she replied, though she didn’t mean it. The first thing she wanted to do was go home and toss all of Eliza’s books into the trash. If what she said to her was true for herself, Nikki knew she didn’t have a chance in hell of ever landing her man, let alone keeping her dignity while doing so. She had had a little hope after spending more alone time with him again at the shop, despite his wife still being in town for the next few days, but after this? There was no way in hell she could continue going on in the same way.

  Nathan sat at the bar drinking the remainder of his cognac. He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and middle finger, all but begging for this night to be over. He thought of Maurice and Vanessa dancing and wondered if something more had come from them in the last five years. He knew of Maurice’s feelings for Vanessa, but was all too sure that she didn’t, hadn’t, and would never feel the same about him. Maurice was the best friend, the typical guy in the movies who had been in love with the girl since forever but never gets her no matter how good looking he may be. Because Nathan was the main attraction in Vanessa’s eyes and always would be. Nathan was the love of her life. He was so certain.

  He ordered another round of cognac just as Sheila came up and sat down beside him.

  “I’ve barely seen you tonight,” she said.

  He didn’t glance in her direction and instead kept his eyes straight ahead at the amount of alcohol decorated across the mirrored wall. “I haven’t enjoyed a good party since high school.”

  “This isn’t a party, it’s a reunion.”

  “There’s people dancing, singing, and drinking too much,” he said. “Sounds like a party to me.” He waved at the bartender, who handed him another drink. He swallowed some, making an agonizing face as he left the rest in the glass.

  Sheila turned ahead and took a second to think. “Vanessa looks really good tonight, don’t you think?”

  “Sheila.”

  “A white dress, black heels. And then to see Maurice in a black suit? Who’s getting married in a few months here, us or them?”

  “He was wearing a blue shirt underneath that jacket,” he said. “Nobody wears that to get married.” He swallowed more of his drink and set the glass between them. “Have you thought more of what I said?”

  She pouted. “More about what?”

  “About moving the wedding here, and staying for a while. Eddie’s father called me this morning with another offer as a clerk in his office.”

  “Was it better than the one Eddie offered you himself?” she asked. “Or was that just a lie to get me to change my mind about staying here?” He took another sip of his drink instead of responding. She nodded. “Tell his father that you’re not interested in being someone else’s lackey. Does he know who your parent’s are?”

  “He knows exactly who they are which is why he’s giving me this chance.”

  “I don’t know why you didn’t go to your parent’s in the first place, but it doesn’t matter anyhow since I already told you that I didn’t want to move the wedding here. And I don’t want to stay here after this reunion is over, either.”

  “You haven’t made amends with Vanessa. Isn’t that what you wanted? Isn’t that what this was all about in the first place? You force me to come here because of this stupid reunion--”

  She laughed. “I couldn’t force you to do a damn thing kickin’ and screamin’. You wanted to come here before I even suggested it, just so that you could see her again. That’s all you wanted, was to see her and learn once and for all if she was still in love with you. It’s obvious that she is, or she wouldn’t still be so angry at me for what WE did. Women are always so quick to blame other women, but what about the dick involved?”

  He grimaced and placed his fingers against his temple. Then he took another drink. “You wanted to make amends,” he said, twisting the glass in his hand. “The longer we stay, the better chance we have at making it happen.”

  “We?” She leaned down on the counter and looked directly at his face, eyeballing him until she felt he was uncomfortable. “You want me to agree to this so bad, you can taste it. Just like her pussy on your tongue.”

  He turned to her and glowered. “You need to back off.”

  “Hell no. That’s why you want that job here, isn’t it? To be near her again.”

  She became angry when he didn’t answer because she knew what it meant. It was in that moment she was more than certain that he still cared about Vanessa and who she may or may not have been sleeping with in the last five years a lot more than he was ever willing to admit to her of even aloud. She ripped the glass from his hand and drank the rest of his cognac. She kept a straight face and stood up, fixing her dress.

  “You plan on buying me another one?” he asked.

  “I don’t have the time. The king and queen are about to be announced soon.”

  He scoffed. “What?”

  “The king and queen of the reunion. I’m sure you’ll win over Maurice, but whether or not I win over Vanessa is up for debate.”

  “You didn’t rig it this time?” he asked in a sardonic tone.

  “No. If I won, I wanted it to be fair.”

  He got up and looked her straight in the face. “Then you won’t win.”

  She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back, staring into his eyes. She had never seen so much hatred coming from him. But she knew that the anger wasn’t meant for her. It
was the only reason she was able to live with it, at least in that moment. She released his arm and he moved to the other side of the lobby in the hopes of reducing his fury. After ordering herself another drink and swallowing it back, she returned to the ballroom.

  A few hours into the reunion, and Maurice and Vanessa were sweating like pigs left in an open field on a hot summer day. She was excited to be having a lot more fun than she had originally anticipated, mainly because she had managed to stay away from Nathan and Sheila all night, thanks in part to Maurice keeping her so occupied and distracted. They went over to the punch bowl for a few napkins to wipe their faces, as well as some drinks to cool the heat, and eyed everyone in the room.

  “Are you glad you came?” he asked.

  She lifted her hair and wiped her face and neck. “I’m still debating.” She ran her fingers through the strands and pushed it back. “I think I’ve pretty much sweat out my liquor and possibly my perm, so I’ll give you points on that. Where’s Nikki?”

  “No idea.”

  She looked around and became concerned when she didn’t see her face. “You think I should call or text her or something?”

  “What for?”

  “Because I don’t see her anywhere in here and it’s not like her to just take off without saying something. I should probably go look for her. Here.” She handed him her drink and started moving through the crowd. “I’ll be right back!”

  “Who am I going to dance with while you’re gone?” he yelled.

  She waved back at him. “I’m sure you’ll get a flock soon enough.”

  Within minutes of her disappearing, he did.

  Vanessa headed for the lobby in search of Nikki. But as soon as she walked out the door, she bumped into Nathan who was on his way back inside.

  “Sorry,” she said, backing up.

  “It was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention.”

  She took a good look at his wardrobe for the first time and furrowed her brows. “Are you here for a wedding or a funeral?” she asked.

  “Neither.” He smirked and stared down at her legs. “You look good tonight, V. As always.”

  “Thanks. You look like someone waking up from his casket.”

  “Not everybody can look like your boy Maurice.”

  She shifted her eyes. “Yeah, well, many have tried and failed… Have you seen Nikki out here anywhere?”

  “Haven’t seen her since she cornered Eliza by the punch bowl.”

  “Yeah, that’s the last time I saw her too. I’m kind of worried about her, she’s never taken off like this without telling me.”

  “She’s probably fine, might have just needed some time alone.”

  “Is that why you’re out here instead of hanging all over your future wife and giving her props for this event?”

  “She doesn’t need props from me.” He shrugged. “She’ll get accolades from everyone else and be fine.”

  “I’m sure it matters more coming from you.”

  He breathed out. “I told her before it started that it looked good.”

  “It doesn’t, but at least you showed her you give a damn.”

  “Why do you care so much about us?” he asked.

  “I don’t.”

  “Then why care if I tell her what a great job she did?”

  “She didn’t…” She looked to the floor and sighed. “I don’t know why I care.”

  “I think I do--”

  “Don’t, okay? Just don’t.”

  “You still care about Sheila. That’s okay.”

  “I…” She stopped.

  “And you still care about me too.”

  “Yeah, right, that’s what this always comes back to, my feelings for you.”

  “So you admit there are still feelings for me?”

  “My, God,” she said, exasperated. “You are such a narcissistic asshole.”

  “I’m also very right.”

  Maurice came out into the lobby then. He frowned upon seeing Nathan and Vanessa talking. He gradually walked toward them as they both looked at him. He kept his eyes on Vanessa and forced himself to keep from even looking in Nathan’s direction.

  “They’re announcing king and queen of this thing,” he said. “You might want to get back in there in case they call your name.”

  “Oh, Maurice,” she groaned, “you know I don’t give a shit about that. Besides, no one even knew I was coming. They weren’t going to put me on the ballot.”

  “They voted while we were dancing. People could’ve written your name down instead of voting for someone else. I saw the choices and if you are on there, you’ve pretty much got this in the bag. Come on, it’ll be better than senior prom.”

  Nathan clinched his jaw and stared in Maurice’s direction. He knew it was a dig, but kept quiet to save himself the aggravation.

  “Come on,” Maurice continued. He turned his palm up and Vanessa slid her fingers inside.

  She glanced back at Nathan once more before returning to the ballroom, though he wasn’t too far behind them.

  Eliza had taken to the stage. She was slightly inebriated after drinking too much spiked punch with very little food in her system, and began tapping the mic while getting a little too close it. Someone from the floor came up and pulled it from the stand for her, holding it to her face as she tried opening the envelope.

  “Thank you Mr. Sex on a Stick,” she said, winking to the crowd. It was a fellow classmate’s husband and she was none too pleased at how eager he was to help Eliza, who had disregarded him soon after and began fiddling with the envelope. “I always thought these things were silly, but here it goes…. Your reunion king and queen, are….” She yanked the card up and smiled wide. “Nathaniel Taylor and Vanessa Rae Brown!”

  Everyone began clapping like crazy and hollered their names from across the room. As familiar eyes searched for them, Vanessa turned to Maurice, fuming as the spotlight landed on her face.

  “Bullshit,” she said. “You did this, didn’t you?”

  “I had nothing to do with it, V, I swear. Maybe people really did write your name down. I was only guessing because it’s what I would’ve done.”

  “Come up here, you two!” said Eliza, waving her to the stage.

  Nathan suddenly came up beside Vanessa, slightly pushing Maurice aside, who let him know with a glare that he wasn’t going to forget what he had done before.

  “I can walk just fine on my own, thanks.” Vanessa hurried to the stage before Nathan could catch up to her.

  “Alright, then,” he replied, dropping his hand.

  As people continued clapping for them, Sheila observed them from the back of the room. Her brow was arched, her eyes filled with rage, and her bloodstream was completely soaked in the world’s richest liquors. After the cognac, her entire mood had changed. She had gone from mildly annoyed and insecure to downright vengeful.

  Plastic crowns made of glitter and rhinestones were placed on top of their heads. People took pictures and immediately posted them to social media.

  “Some might think we’ve gotten back together after these pictures go online,” he said, waving.

  “Not unless they’ve gone completely brain dead.”

  She tried turning away, but Eliza placed her hands on her shoulders.

  “Wait a second, wait a second,” she said. “You two have to get down there and dance before it’s over. It’s tradition.”

  “Oh, you know,” Vanessa began, anxiously scratching her head, “I don’t… I don’t think that’s appropriate at all.”

  “What’s the big deal? It’s not like you two are going to get it on out there. Just go out and have a good time.”

  She hustled them to the floor and the crowd gathered around in a large circle to watch. C. Dennis returned to the stage and pointed at her DJ.

  “Alright, this one goes out to the King and Queen,” she said. “And for all you 90s lovers out there, here’s another oldie, but goodie from a legend.”

  The tune for
‘Always Be My Baby,’ by Mariah Carey began playing as C. Dennis hummed the tune and started singing, and Vanessa immediately shut her eyes.

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” she said. “This is so clichéd and typical.”

  “It’s a prom for adults,” Nathan told her. “Just deal with it.”

  She placed a hand on her stomach and felt like heaving. “I really think I’m going to be sick.”

  “Whatever happens, try not to get it on the suit, it’s a rental.”

  “Yeah, cause it’s all about you, lest we all fucking forget that.”

  He offered his hand. She was extremely tentative, but figured she had two choices, prove she could finally be over it and take it, or run out of there and prove in front of everyone that her heart was still stuck in high school. Even if the latter was true, she chose the former, hoping that even if it didn’t prove it to them, she might be able to prove it to herself eventually.

  Vanessa wanted to keep a certain amount of space between them, but Nathan wasn’t having it. He pulled her as close to his firm body as he could get and she felt herself stop breathing for a moment. She kept her eyes away from his face and features, though he couldn’t help but stare at hers. His eyes roamed every part of her, from head to toe and back again. He held her hand tighter and pressed his entire palm against her back. She breathed out against him and felt herself swoon to the music and his holding her. For just a few seconds, she felt like this was how it always should’ve been, in high school, at their wedding, for the rest of their lives. Emotions overcame her the longer they held one another. He wanted to say so much to her in those few minutes. He wanted her to know just what he was feeling and why, and how, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak it. He couldn’t bring himself to declare who he was and what he wanted right then and there in a room full of people, with his fiancée standing just feet away from them.

  Once everyone else began joining in on the dance, they were shuffled from the center and to the other side. Vanessa looked down at their feet as they moved.

  “This is nice,” he said in her ear. “Holding you close to me like this.”

  He turned his face toward hers and lightly pressed his nose against, inhaling her skin. The slight touch of his lips on her throat, and the opening of his mouth made her jump back. She released his hand and curled her fingers inside her palms.