Vérité

by Rachel Blaufeld

  He slid even closer, his hip flush with my side. Oddly, I didn’t mind.

  “Well, the part about them hoping I fucked up, that I believe. Your friend Trey is real nice, but Jamel . . . God, he hates me.”

  “Nah, he’s just bitter. Got a chip on his shoulder. Had nobody his whole life, so he can be an angry brother, but he’s got a sister so he knows right and wrong.”

  It was then I realized the irony of my situation—the girl with the silver spoon in her mouth had been taken in by a group of men who essentially grew up with nothing. Yet they’d given me more than I’d ever been given at home. Even Jamel.

  Tiberius leaned down and ran his lips over my cheek, caressing my skin, kissing away the shame of the night before, and I felt myself leaning my face into his mouth. I wanted more, but yet I didn’t.

  “You scared me, Rex,” he whispered when he got to my ear.

  “I’m good.” That and “I’m okay” seemed to be the only words I could form since last night. “Are you okay?” I asked, finally able to add something else to my repertoire. “I must have screwed everything up.”

  “Nah, I was done with cleaning everything out. I was just hanging around the old hood, shooting the breeze, talking ’bout my mom.”

  Taking in his appearance, I noticed his T-shirt was wrinkled and he was wearing the same sweatpants as the day he left. He must have really rushed to get back.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Missed you.” When I opened my mouth to respond, Tiberius placed two fingers over my lips and muttered, “Shh, don’t ruin it. You don’t have to be the big, bad Tingly for me. I missed you, and that’s it. Don’t say it back. Don’t give some explanation. And don’t run away.”

  I couldn’t respond. Even with bossy Pierre, I would assert myself and stand up to his dictatorship. That was how we got caught. He hadn’t wanted to fuck in the office, but I’d insisted, seduced him into it with my words and my tits.

  But with Tiberius, I didn’t push. I asked politely, “Can I have my clothes? I need to go back home.”

  “Yeah, I’ll take you to the dorm in Trey’s car and then bring you back to my place.” He placed a kiss on my forehead, and I was certain this was something his mother did to him countless times. I wanted him to do it again.

  “I can just stay at my dorm. The girls will be in and out.”

  “No. Not now. First, the boys and me gotta pay a visit to your friend, make sure he knows the rules.”

  He stood and walked to the dresser, leaning his tall frame against it as he kicked his feet out in front of him. He ran his hand along his hair, tugging at it. The length had grown out a bit, and the ends were starting to curl.

  I wanted to run my fingers over and through his hair, but I didn’t. Instead I crawled out of bed and stood up. The hem of Jamel’s T-shirt dropped down my legs, almost brushing my kneecaps.

  “Don’t hurt him, okay? Jamel already got him good.”

  “But not me,” he said, his eyes darkening. “Not me.”

  “I don’t care. It’s over.”

  “Listen—you, me, we just met, I know. But we’ve been circling ’round each other for weeks. Hot, cold, kissing, me walking you home, you running away. When my momma passed, you came running to me. That means something, a whole lot of something. And I’m telling you, you’re my business to protect, and that boy is gonna get a piece of me for hurting you.”

  He gathered me in his arms and held me tight against his rock-hard chest. “Feel that, Rex? That’s my heart beating for you. You can push and shove and run and whatever other stupid shit you want, but I’m coming for you.”

  I couldn’t move, frozen in place, breathing and feeling all that was Tiberius.

  “Now, come on,” he ordered. “I hate that you’re standing there in Jamel’s T-shirt after sleeping in his room—before you ever wore mine to sleep or spent the night in my bed. Or we even had dinner.”

  And just like that, Tiberius snatched my jeans from the night before and tossed them at me, and we were out the door.

  I couldn’t help but explore Tiberius’s condo while the guys were out “talking” with Logan. Nerves made me restless; there was no way in hell I could sit still while I waited.

  I’d begged to take a run, but Tiberius and Jamel had looked at me as if I’d meet an early death if I tried to leave the premises, so I was held hostage by only the memory of their evil stare-down. With nothing better to do after they left, I explored the kitchen and wandered down the hallway, touching nothing, just looking, quietly investigating my captors through their belongings.

  Turned out, Trey and Tiberius were roommates. I found this out before they left, when Ty borrowed Trey’s car to take me home.

  “Nice of Trey to loan you the car,” I’d said as we pulled away from the townhouses.

  “Yeah, he’s my roommate,” Tiberius had answered. When I furrowed my brow, mentally considering the coincidence of Trey rescuing me, Tiberius cleared it up for me. “That’s why Trey was watching you. Because he lives with me and I dig you, and that’s his job.”

  “Why didn’t I just stay in your room last night then?” I asked.

  “No way Trey was gonna stay under the same roof with you. He didn’t want to leave anything up for misinterpretation. No way he’d want it out there that he’d crossed a line with his roommate’s girl.”

  Taking in his profile, I noticed crinkles forming beside Ty’s eyes and a smile turning up his lips. His eyes were on the road, but I couldn’t help but notice his amusement.

  “What?” I said. “What’s so funny?”

  “Well, no one would believe anything ’bout you and Mel. The whole team knows he’s not feeling you,” he’d said, putting it all out there.

  So here I was. Although I knew it was wrong, curiosity killed the cat and all that, I peeked inside Trey’s room as I made my way around the condo. I wanted to know more about the guy who’d been watching me, but I didn’t want to cross any lines.

  After rolling my eyes at the heap of green-and-white uniforms and practice jerseys in the center of the floor, I laughed at his mess. The bed was unmade, and an enormous pile of junk covered the dresser. The speaker was on and set to some hip-hop station on satellite radio.

  When I saw the strip of condoms and a half-empty bottle of whiskey sitting on the nightstand, I understood then how something might been misconstrued by my staying with Trey. From what I gathered in the car ride back from my dorm, he was a junior, a self-professed ladies’ man, and a starting guard on the team. Tiberius had gone to the same prep school as Trey—one of the reasons Hafton went back to recruit another player. Tiberius would supposedly be coming off the bench to relieve Trey at shooting guard . . . and hopefully be a starter soon.

  I pulled Trey’s door closed, then padded down the hall toward Ty’s room. It was all together and controlled, just like the man who lived there. The navy bedspread was tucked in on all four corners, and there were no condoms or booze to be seen. Above his bed was a poster from his high school with their logo and his number memorialized in the middle. A team photo held a place of honor on his dresser, and curious, I crept closer to inspect it. A young Tiberius sat in the middle of the front row with a faux thug expression in place of his normal bright smile, and all his teammates were woven around him with the same hard-ass look plastered across their faces. They were a tapestry of colors and heights and widths. Despite all their physical differences, brotherhood and love jumped off the photo.

  As I backed out of the room and pulled the bedroom door shut, I heard the front door open and close.

  “Tingly?” Tiberius called from the hallway.

  I called out, “Here,” my response weak from the fear that ripped through my body like the tornado whipped through Kansas in The Wizard of Oz. I was afraid to show my face, scared about what may have happened to Logan, and absolutely terrified over what might come next between Tiberius and me.

  I’m not in Kansas anymore.

  “You good?” T
y’s voice was louder as he made his way into the open main space. He turned the corner and walked toward me in the same ratty T-shirt he’d had on earlier. Only now there was a spray of blood across the shoulder.

  My heart rate amped up to such a frenetic pace, I felt like I was at the track. “I’m okay. You?” I asked, my eyes not meeting his as I stared at the red spatter.

  “All good. I could use a shower. You down with waiting another few minutes?”

  As if I had a choice. I’d been kept prisoner there all afternoon, and now I couldn’t walk away from the bloodied guy in front of me if I tried.

  I nodded. He stepped close and slipped his hand behind my neck, sliding it along the nape under the heavy shawl of my hair.

  Bringing my face underneath his nose, he said quietly, “Don’t be scared, T. It’s all good, okay? Everything’s good, and now you’re protected and nobody’s gonna touch you.”

  How did he do that? Read my thoughts so clearly when I’d spent the greater part of my life masking them?

  Slipping from his grasp, I said, “Go get a shower, I’ll wait.”

  After he nodded and headed back to his room, I sat on the couch, my hands tucked under my thighs, my legs beating up and down to some unknown frantic rhythm. The water came on, the pipes roaring to life. I took a deep, calming breath and let the calming whoosh in the background soothe my frazzled nerves.

  My phone beeped, then buzzed in my pocket.

  GINNY: Hey, you okay? I just got home from last night. You’re not here.

  ME: Yeah. Stayed out last night after going out with the track team. I came back for a little. With Tiberius now.

  GINNY: You sure you’re okay? What are you doing later for dinner? You going out?

  ME: I don’t know. Tiberius is showering, so I’ll see when he gets out.

  GINNY: Ooh, showering. Sorry to disturb. Wink, wink.

  ME: I think I liked you better when your head was tucked in a book. Wink, wink.

  GINNY: Ha. Very funny. Text me later.

  I bowed my head in silent thanks. Ginny would have told me if she’d heard anything about last night. If rumors were going to spread, the athletic dorms would be the first place they would steamroll through. The last thing I needed was to call attention to myself. Again. Which was why I hoped whatever happened with Logan this afternoon didn’t get out either. Even if people knew the truth, they would side with him over me. After all, I was already branded with a scarlet letter.

  The water stopped, the pipes clanging for a few seconds until quieting, and then Tiberius walked out with just a towel around his waist. Beads of water slid down his chest, coming to a rest on the edge of the towel, where they were absorbed.

  First, I focused on his tattoo, now recognizing the crest as being from his high school. Then my eyes wandered, drinking their fill as they ran the full length of him from his dark nipples to his ankles, stopping to widen at his thick and muscular legs.

  “You hungry?” Tiberius asked, interrupting my perusal.

  “Um, what?”

  “Are you hungry?”

  Warmth crept up my cheeks at the suspicion he was referring to the hunger that was probably dancing in my eyes. “Um, you mean for lunch or dinner?”

  “Yeah. What did you think I meant?” he asked, smirking.

  “Sure. I’m a little hungry.”

  “Good. I’m going to throw on some clothes and then we can go eat. Want to go to the dorms or somewhere in town?”

  “How about the Union?”

  “Good idea. One sec and I’ll be ready,” he yelled as he headed back toward his room.

  I wondered where Trey was; could he be finishing up something with Logan? A chill climbed my body like a roller coaster heading toward the top of a steep drop. As soon as my stomach dipped, more thoughts clawed up my spine.

  Was this our first date? First I was sequestered inside his apartment, and then Tiberius casually asked if we should go eat as if that was a normal, everyday occurrence. He’d been asking and I’d been refusing to go eat, and now he had me at his mercy.

  Luckily, Tiberius was dressed quickly, so I didn’t have long with my free-falling thoughts. Otherwise, I may have bolted—with or without permission.

  “Let’s roll.” He held out his hand, then pulled me up from the sofa.

  “Let’s roll,” I said, mocking him as I rolled my eyes.

  “What?” He stopped to stare at me, and his smile faded. I wanted it back.

  “Nothing, it’s just you came back with blood on your shirt after going to explain ‘the rules’ to Logan, and now you just want to go eat. Don’t you think I deserve an explanation?” Afraid to meet his gaze, I stared at the beige carpet as if I thought it was the most fascinating thing I’d ever seen.

  Tiberius shook his head. “Come on, that wasn’t Logan’s blood. I’ll explain when we walk.”

  Before I could argue with him he pulled me out the door, steering us up the path toward campus. Tiberius’s even-tempered nature was soothing, and I took deep breaths to summon the patience to let him tell me what happened in his own time. Lucky for me, he didn’t make me wait long.

  “Look, Rex, I get you care about what happens to Logan because he’s part of the team. I would never jeopardize that. I thought you’d know that about me, seeing as how I only got the guys on the team now.”

  We walked side by side, making it easier to talk since I didn’t have to face him. His straightforwardness was refreshing, something I definitely wasn’t used to, but I wasn’t sure if I could ever take his motives at face value. It was so unlike the world I grew up in, where everything was fake and phony. In LA, posing and posturing took precedence over loyalty and love.

  “When I said we were gonna talk, I meant it. The guys and I went to take Logan’s pulse on what happened, make sure he’s going to take the boys’ little beating as a warning and stay away from you. Mostly, I wanted to make sure this didn’t blow back on you.” Catching my eye, he said pointedly, “It’s not gonna.”

  “So, whose blood was that?” I couldn’t help but blurt.

  “Mel’s.”

  “What?” I stopped walking and turned to face Tiberius, craning my neck to see his face, and saw nothing but honesty and openness in his eyes. “Mel? Why? He took care of me.”

  What the hell is wrong with me? I’m defending Jamel?

  “It was just a bloody lip, and he deserved it. The lip bleeds a lot, so when I got up in his grill, it went flying everywhere.”

  Tiberius took my hand and started walking again, his words tumbling faster. “I’m trying hard not to be jealous of him, you in his T-shirt, you defending him. And I’m not telling you this to make you mad, but he doesn’t like you, T. He doesn’t like anyone except for the team, so he’s agreed to accept you. But today he didn’t get away with his skinny-white-girl bullshit, and I let him know I’m not gonna hear any more of that. So, that’s it. And I may have busted up his lip while letting him know.”

  He squeezed my hand, making my fingers disappear inside his gigantic paw. How could he be so gentle with me, but act like busting someone’s lip was no biggie?

  At my dubious expression, he shook his head. “We’re guys. We don’t use our words all the time, Rex. The team is a family, they’re like brothers, so when they act shitty, they get my fist. I don’t say, pretty please don’t do that. That wouldn’t settle shit.”

  “Did I just say what I was thinking out loud? Or did you know what was rambling through my brain?” I stopped again, needing clarification of what just occurred between the two of us.

  “I could tell. Hey, it was just my momma and me growing up, I know how to read women. Don’t make fun of me!” Laughter vibrated in his chest, the rumble of it traveling down his arm to where our hands were still entwined. Then he became very serious, almost ominous, his eyes turning a dark blue beneath his furrowed brow. “I would never use my fists on a woman, though. Never. You get that, right?”

  “Yeah, I know. Tu fait l’amour aux da
mes,” I said with a heavy French accent.

  “Say what?” Tiberius shot back in heavy Jersey.

  “You make love to the ladies,” I translated, and I swear to God, I thought I saw a faint blush creep over Ty’s cheeks. “Hey, I was just kidding. I’m a French major, Italian and Spanish minor. Sometimes I can’t help it. But I can tell you’re gentle, the make love, not war kind of guy,” I joked back, wanting to move away from this discussion.

  And clearly so did Tiberius, because he quickly added, “Come on, I’m hungry, and I’m finally getting to take you to eat.”

  We talked and joked the entire way to the Union, laughing about different words in French and Spanish, and what few jobs would be available for me as a language major. Tiberius told me he was a business major, and moaned a little over Statistics 200.

  When we finally made it to the food line, he made a big deal out of using his student ID to pay for both of our meals, even though we were both on athletic meal plans. “It’s our first date,” he reminded me, his eyes shiny blue again, their lightness matching his wide smile.

  I’d just muttered my thanks and reached up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek when a burst of clapping and whistling broke out. Careful not to drop my salad, I turned slowly to see Trey and Lamar grinning and punching each other in the shoulder like goofballs.

  I was surprised to see them both wearing low-slung jeans, Nike T-shirts, and clean basketball shoes—basically what Tiberius was wearing. It was the first time I’d seen all of them without their uniforms or practice clothes on. Well, the night before, I guess Trey had been wearing something else, but I was too frazzled to notice.

  They looked good. All of them, especially Tiberius, who finished paying and was ready to sit.

  It was impossible not to pass the other guys as we made our way toward a table.

  “Hey, Tingly,” Trey said.

  “T,” came with a chin lift from Lamar.

  Tiberius gave them a frown. “Cool it.”

  “Hey.” I smiled at the other guys and flashed a dirty look at Tiberius. I had to admit, I was afraid he was going to go all robo-possessive again and start busting up lips.