by Nia Arthurs
I turned to him. He wore a white button-down and brown slacks. He looked dashing in an 1950’s sort of way.
The 1950’s weren’t the best time for interracial couples.
I pushed that thought away.
“Hey.” I rocked back on my heels.
I was the only female not wearing some sort of heel. Even Alexis rocked an adorably low wedge sandal. I glanced down at my outfit. I’d paired my low leather thong sandals with a nice dark black jeans pants and a flowery shirt. That was my Sunday best.
“Hey.” Drew’s face was serious. “Could we talk. Privately?”
“Sure.” I nodded and led him away from the streaming group steadily marching through the front door. I pushed the back gate leading to the backyard open. Mom and Dad had a screened in back porch that overlooked Mom’s paltry attempt at a garden. Basically, the hibiscus bushes and cherry blossom trees grew with abandon and every three months, Dad hired someone to prune them.
We walked into the shelter of the verandah and turned to each other, speaking at once.
“If this is about that kiss…”
“I wanted to talk to you…”
I snickered awkwardly.
“You go ahead.” Drew allowed.
I sighed and sat down on the wooden plank just outside the screened in realm of the porch.
“Last night, I wasn’t thinking straight. I get a type of way after eating Oreos when I’m sleepy and I shouldn’t have said or done… what I did.” I finished off awkwardly.
Drew glanced away. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
“Look I’m not as confident as the other guys about this Kingdom thing.” He squinted against the sunlight, “I’m still making sense of the fact that I have two passports now.”
I nodded, shoving my feet into the sunlight.
“I thought about the kiss a lot last night, and I felt really smarmy about it.”
Geez, I was that bad a kisser?
He recognized my expression and rushed to appease me, “It wasn’t you. You were, wow, surprisingly very good.”
My jaw fell and I scooted away from him.
Drew ran a hand through the hair at the front of his head and blew out a breath, “I’m butchering this. I know.” He breathed deeply, “What I’m trying to say is that I don’t want to be that guy. I just took Catherine out and promised her that we’d meet up again. And then a few hours later…”
“We kissed.” I filled in for him.
“Maybe other guys don’t have a problem doing that, but I do. That’s not the man that I want to be.”
I picked at the hem of my blouse. “I get it.” I said softly.
“I don’t want this to affect our friendship.” Drew nudged my shoulder. “I like getting to know you and hanging out with you, Lexi.”
“Yeah,” I tried hard to withhold my tears, “I do too. Like I said, I was high on Oreos. You don’t have to worry about me. Let’s just forget that it ever happened.”
“Okay.” Drew blew out a breath. “That was a hard conversation.”
It wasn’t a walk in the park on this end either, buddy.
“I’m hungry.” I said with fake cheer. “Let’s head inside. I can smell my mom’s baked chicken from here.”
Drew slapped his palms against his thighs. “Yeah. Sure.”
We walked inside together and I faded into the happy cacophony of good food and good conversation. I managed to keep my heart from breaking during the meal, during dessert, and even driving home in Herbie.
Unfortunately, as soon as I entered my apartment, I broke down and cried.
Drew chose Catherine. No matter what he said, he chose Catherine. That hurt more than I was willing to admit.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Continuing to work with Drew as though our kiss had never happened was hard to do. Trying to ignore the fact that I’d practically begged him to kiss me and he’d done so with gusto was like trying to ignore the sun on a stroll down Albert Street on a cloudless day.
On Monday, we confirmed our story line and he left with no small talk or food offerings.
On Tuesday, we dealt with the voiceovers and I began the animation process which was easier now that I’d come up with the basis of the characters and their movements. I focused on compositing the various 3D images to the main frame of the video.
On Thursday, we met at the station to finalize the production with vocal and sound editing.
I met Drew in the elevator.
“Hey.” I nodded at him.
“Hey.” He sniffed.
“How have you been?” I asked.
“Good.” He answered.
We nodded at each other and then awkwardly looked away. We both tried to scramble off the elevator without looking like we were scrambling off the elevator. Briskly, we delivered the main file to the sound guys and left strict instructions before meeting with Ms. Sharon about the upcoming episodes, promotions, and an update about last week’s viewings.
She invited us into her cluttered office and sheepishly deflected space from the couch resting against one wall so that we could sit. Unfortunately, the space provided was enough for Drew and I to squeeze together. My thigh to my shoulder where our bodies connected felt like it was on fire. Before I could speak up, Drew did so.
“I-I think I’ll stand.”
Mrs. Freemont regarded us strangely, but Drew didn’t say anything else so she shrugged.
Pulling her swivel chair to sit before us, she pulled at the hem of her fancy sleeveless red dress, a wide grin blooming across her face.
“Well, we’re getting a lot of love. Channel Six’s Facebook page is exploding with comments. I feel very confident about this summer’s lineup.”
“That’s great.” Drew nodded.
“So,” Ms. Sharon stood since Drew seemed ready to bolt from her office, “I arranged a television appearance on the nightly news on Friday to discuss the show.”
A television appearance? Eep.
“Actually,” Drew quipped as the voice of reason. “We have an appointment that we need to prepare for tomorrow.”
“Oh,” Ms. Sharon’s eyebrows rose, “Well, I guess I did alert you at the last minute. How about this afternoon. Are you both free then? I really would like this to air tomorrow.”
“Sure.” Drew shrugged.
Mrs. Freemont turned big brown eyes on me. “I know you don’t have an affinity for television appearances but this will be a pre-recorded, edited show. I promise.”
I frowned. “Okay.” I gave my acquiesce in a squeaky voice.
If that kiss hadn’t happened, Drew and I would have spent our lunch together and returned to the station in time for the interview. Since we were too uncomfortable in each other’s presence to be anywhere near the other right now, I spent the lunch hour in my apartment alone, eating ice cream since I was too lazy to drive by Ms. Allysa for good food.
Herbie transported me safely to the station and Drew and I were whisked into a room with wooden panels on the walls and large lamps shining on our faces.
“You need this.” The cameraman shoved a tissue at my face.
Geez.
I wiped at the shininess of my forehead. Of course, Perfect Drew Darcy didn’t need a tissue for his shiny face.
Stupid perfect skin.
The interview was straightforward and easy at first. The interviewer asked us questions about the show and about my methods for the animation. I answered all of these queries without blinking an eye.
“So,” the woman journalist addressed us, “How has it been working with Andrew Darcy, CEO of the largest online game to ever hit the market.”
My eyes widened and I darted a glance at Drew.
What? His stuff was that big of a deal?
“Uh,” I nodded, “It’s… nice?”
I grasped for the small bottle of water that was on the desk. I had no idea if the water bottle was just for show, but when I twisted the cap, it broke open so at least I knew that no one had drunk
from it before me.
“Have you exchanged anything? Like spit in extremely indecent kisses?” The woman asked.
I nearly spewed my water all over her face. Thankfully, I drank it in one gulp and echoed.
“What?”
“Have you exchanged animation tips and business experience?”
Drew sent me a confused look.
“We’ve discussed both of our approaches to business and found them to be quite similar.” Drew covered for me.
“Would you say that his kissing skills have rubbed off on you.” The journalist queried.
“Uh, no?”
“No?” She echoed.
“What was the question again?
I rubbed at my forehead and sunk deeper into my seat.
“Did you enjoy kissing Drew Darcy?” The woman repeated in a firmer tone.
I stood abruptly.
“You know what? I think I need to go.”
Drew stood as well, “Lexi!” He called after me. “Lexi!”
But I needed to get out of there.
I was being unprofessional and immature and stupid, but I couldn’t sit in that interview next to Drew any longer. In fact, after this weekend, I’d ask Ms. Sharon to work separately from the handsome producer too. My heart needed space to get over him and I couldn’t do that by seeing him every day at my apartment, at the Gym, at the station, in the elevator. It was getting to me.
Drew stopped me before I could hop onto the elevator. His grip on my wrist was gentle but I wrenched my hand away as though he were bruising me.
“Lexi, what’s going on? What was that?” He pointed his arm in the direction of the room that I’d just fled.
Feeling impotent and foolish, I reacted in anger. “Don’t talk to me right now.”
I stormed onto the elevator.
“What did I do now?” Drew followed after me.
The door closed behind us and I folded my arms.
“Don’t. Just don’t.” I insisted.
“You’ve been acting weird ever since the…” The light of realization lit in his eyes. I didn’t wait around to engage in the awkward conversation I knew he was itching to have.
I speed-walked through the lobby and headed out the door toward Herbie.
“Lexi!” Drew kept step with me. “I thought we were going to forget about that.”
Yeah, well, that’s not working out for me.
“Drew, I told you. I can’t right now.”
He stood still and watched me hop into Herbie and speed away, spitting gravel as I raced out of the station’s parking lot and onto the highway.
I groaned, wondering how my life had gotten so complicated in such a short amount of time. Only three weeks ago, I was content with the single life, spending weekends with my family, eating Oreos when I wanted to with no fear of possibly kissing hot men with great tans.
Now I was a sorry mess, running away from interviews and trying hard not to blurt my feelings to said hot guy with the great tan.
I didn’t want to go home so I steered my vehicle toward Spencer and Melody’s house beside the sea. I parked outside of their small mansion and pressed the buzzer.
“It’s me, Mel.” I said to the little box.
The gate automatically opened and I stepped inside. The white house with the brown accents rose two stories from the ground in a spectacular display of architecture. Not that I cared. Life had gotten a little more complicated for me.
“Hey,” Melody greeted me at the door, “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“Uh-oh.” Mel said when she noticed my expression. “This calls for Ben and Jerry.”
I stepped into the cool shade of her foyer. “Where’s Ally?” I asked, following my big sister to the kitchen.
She opened the refrigerator and took out the Cookies’ and Crème ice cream. “She’s taking a nap. I love my daughter, but I love her nap times too.”
I gestured to the ice cream.
“Oh,” Melody grinned, “I keep a small carton behind the frozen peas for emergencies.”
We sat at the island counter and stuck our spoons into the carton of ice cream.
“How’s your novel coming along.”
“It’s coming.” Melody nodded, “But you didn’t come to visit me in the middle of the afternoon to talk about my novel. What’s going on?”
“You remember our conversation last week, about Drew?”
She nodded.
“Well, things got a little more serious after that.”
Melody scrunched her nose in confusion. “I thought Drew was with Catherine.”
“He is.” I assured her. “He is.”
And then I spilt my guts to my big sister. Her messy bun flopped when I confessed that Drew and I had kissed.
“He kissed you!” She exclaimed.
“Yeah.” I said sheepishly.
“Wait, wait, wait.” She waved her hands, “How was it?”
I shrugged and looked away, “It was nice.”
“Nice nice or nice wow?”
“Nice wow.” I said resolutely, “But it messed everything up.”
I explained our uncomfortable meetings over the past week and ended with an account of my mini-breakdown during the interview.
“Whoa,” Melody spooned another bite of ice cream into her mouth, “That’s so unlike you, Lexi. Of the two of us, you’re usually my emotional anchor.”
She wasn’t wrong.
When we were younger, I was my big sister’s protector. If any chump dared to mess with her, I’d tell them all about themselves and where the door could hit them. When Melody started to have tons of crushes, she’d climb unto my bed and relay all her experiences. In our little sibling dynamic, my older sister leaned on me. It felt strange wearing the shoe on the other foot.
“I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. I’ve never felt this way before. I keep thinking about that kiss, about Drew.” I rubbed my head. “I ask myself if this is love but I just don’t know.”
“Yeah, emotions are a tricky spot.”
“I keep telling myself that eventually the feelings will go away. I’m hoping that if I enough time passes and if I get enough space, maybe I can scoop him out of my system.”
Melody seemed thoughtful, “Well, that’s one route. But if it looks like you’re not going to move on, we can ask Daddy to interview him, get to the meat of who Andrew Darcy really is.”
I laughed and savored the large bite of cookie in my ice cream, “Drew’s already heard about the shot gun, I don’t think he’ll go willingly.”
Melody giggled.
I checked my cell phone and gasped at the time.
“Shoot! It’s after five.”
“Oh,”
Baby Ally trailed into the kitchen.
“Right on cue.” Melody grabbed her little baby on her hip and kissed her cheek.
“Aunt Pepsi.” Ally waved at me and rubbed at her pretty brown eyes.
“Hey, baby.”
“You wan stay fu dinna?” Melody asked in Creole.
“No thanks. I’ll probably head home and mentally prepare for a weekend with Drew. You enjoy your night though.”
Melody and Ally widened their arms and we indulged in a mini-Reyes girls’ group hug.
I loved these females.
“And don’t worry,” Melody rubbed my shoulder, “Sometimes our decisions seem really complicated, but that’s what the Governor’s for.”
She winked at me and I shook my head.
“See you later.” I blew Ally a kiss and strode out to my car.
I drove home feeling a little lighter. Talking to my sister helped a lot.
I wasn’t over my feelings for Drew and there was no guarantee that we’d ever reclaim the easy friendship that we once enjoyed but I was hopeful that everything would work out for my good.
I was confident that the lessons were worth it.
Friday afternoon, I boarded the big green bus filled to the brim wit
h raging hormones, crushes, teenage angst and drama. Mia sat in the back row. As a past church girl gone wild candidate, she knew the ins and outs of youth camps and slumped straight to the back row where the ‘cool’ kids sat. I sat in the middle where the kids who don’t want to be bothered by anyone sit. Drew sat at the front. I’m not sure what kind of kids sit intentionally at the front of the bus.
That position was hard to put a label on.
Persia, Susan and Archie were also scattered all over the bus. Jermaine stood at the front wearing an old green fishing hat, a brown shirt, and long jeans pants. He’d visited the barber recently as his cut was sharp.
See, we’re noticing positive things now.
“Everyone ready for an amazing weekend?”
“Yeah!” The teenagers yelled.
Jermaine quieted the crew so he could pray and then patted the bus driver on the back gesturing for him to start the engine. We rolled out of The Gym’s parking lot and spent an hour on the road traveling to the campground.
I sat by myself and used that time to listen to slow, calming music and prepare my mind for this weekend. My main reason for coming on this trip was to observe Jermaine in a new setting. Perhaps if I got the old, shy, desperate Jermaine cleared out of my mind, it would leave space for the man that Jermaine had become.
I wasn’t looking forward to actually interacting with the teenagers. It hadn’t been so long ago that I was a part of their confused number. I hoped that no one looked to me for any kind of life advice. My personal affairs were kind of screwed up right now.
The time flew by and we arrived at the campsite at the hour that Jermaine had predicted.
He stepped up to the front of the bus and cautioned the kids to grab their bags and move forward in an orderly fashion. He then stepped to the side and waited for the teenagers to follow his instructions. Of course, that didn’t happen. Children stampeded for the door. A few of the parents tried to make sense of their course, but I simply stayed in my seat and watched them tear for the bus door like the stampede of animals that killed Mufasa in the Lion King.
Mia shook my shoulder.
“Come on Camp Leader Lexi, the kids need some direction.” She teased.
I rolled my eyes.