Crossroads (23 page)
Authors: Skyy
“Aren't you?” Farih paused, and her smile faded. “You weren't. Now I have egg on my face.” She turned to walk away.
Denise grabbed her hand and smirked.
“I was. Just glad to see you noticed.” Denise winked her right eye.
“Well, this is my place.” Farih blushed. “You wouldn't want to come up, would you, maybe for some espresso?” Farih's brown eyes were calling to Denise.
“Can I take a rain check? It's late, and I fear if I go up, I might not want to come out.”
“There's nothing wrong with that.” Farih didn't take her eyes off Denise's.
“I can't.” Denise looked away from Farih's alluring eyes. She knew Mariah was at the house waiting on her. “But can I get a rain check?”
“Sure.” Farih pulled Denise's phone out of its holster. She locked her phone number into the phone. “Call me. Good night Denise Chambers.”
“Good night, Farih Okoro.”
Denise watched as Farih walked into the building. She sighed.
What are you getting yourself into, Denise?
Â
Â
Denise quietly walked into the apartment. Her guilty conscience was eating away at her. She cared about Mariah, but she couldn't help the strong attraction she had for Farih.
Denise walked into the bedroom to find the bed empty and made up. She looked around, the place was empty. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was two in the morning, and Mariah wasn't at the apartment. Denise stood in the bedroom looking around. There were no signs of Mariah. Her work clothes weren't out. No shoes on the floor. Denise wondered if she came home at all.
Denise grabbed her cell phone and proceeded to text Mariah. As she prepared to press send, she heard laughing at the front door. Denise jumped, turning the bedroom light off. She peered through the door to the living room.
“Oh, that was crazy.” Mariah stumbled into the house.
A tall white male held her up as they walked in the house. Denise moved back, making sure Mariah didn't see her.
Mariah flipped her shoes off. Her black pantsuit she wore to work was replaced by a form-fitting navy mini dress.
The male smiled, looking Mariah up and down with a lustful look. Denise knew what was on his mind.
Mariah smiled, turning toward the man. “Well, I had an amazing time.”
“I did too,” the male said. “So, how about a nightcap?”
Mariah smiled. She placed her hands on the male's broad chest. “Maybe next time.” Mariah leaned in, pressing her lips against his.
Anger filled Denise's body. She wanted to storm through the doors, but something stopped her. She continued to watch the lingering kiss and embrace.
“Are you sure you don't want me to stay?” The male rubbed his body against Mariah. He kissed her on her neck.
Mariah seemed to enjoy it. She grabbed the male by his blonde hair, planting another kiss on him.
Denise felt her stomach turn.
“Not tonight hun, but trust me, I'll give you a rain check.” Mariah smiled as she slowly pushed him toward the door.
Denise could see the small bulge forming in the man's pants. After a few more moments of contesting, the guy finally left. Denise felt her blood boiling.
Mariah locked the door.
Denise sat on the side of the bed, trying to keep her cool.
Mariah hummed a tune while walking to the bedroom. She turned the light on and jumped at the sight of Denise.
“Dee. Oh my God, you scared me,” Mariah said, holding her chest from the fright.
Denise peered at Mariah with a dark expression.
Mariah could feel the anger coming from Denise. She turned toward the mirror and began to take her jewelry off. “How was the party?”
“You really gon' act like I just didn't see yo ass.”
Mariah turned around. “What?”
“What the fuck was that at the door?” Denise stood up. Mariah's calm demeanor only angered Denise more.
“That was Ronald,” Mariah answered as she turned back around to the mirror.
“OK, I see you trying to play real dumb right now, so I'm going to ask one more time. What the fuckâ”
“First, Denise, before you finish that statement, you need to remember our arrangement. I am single, and so are you. We aren't exclusive, you don't have to answer to me, and I don't have to answer to you.”
The words hit Denise like a ton of bricks.
Mariah walked past Denise like nothing was happening. She pulled her dress off.
Denise was speechless. She watched as Mariah pranced around the room like nothing was wrong. Mariah and the guy kissing entered Denise's mind again.
“So, you mean this whole time we been kicking it, you been kicking it with other people? And not just other people, you fucking with dudes?”
“Again we are both single. You can go out with other people too.”
Denise paced the floor, shaking her head. “Nah, man! This isn't my style. I don't fuck random muthafuckas. I'm not trying to be sleeping with you, and you are fucking around with other peopleâughâand dudes. Hell naw, that's nasty as hell!”
Mariah's head jerked around. “So you are calling me nasty?”
“No. I'm saying you fucking with other people and not letting me know is not cool. Have you been out fucking some dude then coming back and letting me fuck you?” Denise's mind raced. Her ex, Crystal entered her mind. She'd caught Crystal having sex with a man in their dorm room freshman year.
“No, Denise. I wouldn't do that. I haven't been sleeping with anyone but you. But I won't make any promises that I won't be seeing other people, and possibly something might happen. If that's too much for you to handle, we can stop this now and go back to just being friends.” Mariah stood on her side of the bed.
Denise looked at her with a disgusted expression. “Yeah, maybe I need to start looking for a new place.”
Mariah sighed. “Oh, don't be dramatic, Denise. You don't have to leave. You can still live here, same deal and everything.”
“I don't know if I will be cool with knowing you are fucking around with other people, seeing ole dude come up in here.”
Mariah walked up to Denise. She reached out and grabbed Denise's hand. “Denise, I'm sorry, but I thought we both made it perfectly clear that we weren't in a relationship. You seemed to stress that more than I did.”
Denise looked away from Mariah. She knew she was right, but didn't want to admit it. Denise took a deep breath. She looked at Mariah. All of a sudden she looked very different to her.
“Yeah, you're right. It's cool. Do your thing. I do think it's best we stop fooling around though.”
“If that's what you want, then fine, but you really don't have to leave. If you don't want to sleep in here, you can sleep in the guest room. Nothing has changed.”
“Yeah, I think I'll do that.”
Mariah smiled. She hugged Denise.
Denise didn't hug back.
Mariah pulled away, her face covered in disappointment. She smiled, trying to hide her true feelings.
“So how was the party? Did you meet a lot of people?”
Denise nodded. “Yeah, I got an audition with George Kyles.”
Mariah's eyes widened. “Wow, that's amazing. See, I told you it was a good idea to go.”
“Yeah,” Denise muttered, the shock of everything still affecting her.
Mariah noticed Denise's hesitation. “Denise, are you OK with this?”
“It's just I wasn't expecting to see that. I'll be cool. I'm tired. I'm going to bed.”
Denise walked out the room and headed to the guest room. She almost forgot Mariah had another room in her house. She turned on the lights. The room was much different from the rest of the house. The walls were white with splashes of various shades of blue.
Denise closed the door. She sat on the side of the bed and stared into space. She felt played, even though technically she wasn't. The sound of her text alert going off brought her back to reality.
Farih: Wanted to make sure you made it home.
Denise re-read the message. Farih's smile entered her mind.
Yeah, I was just thinking about you.
Denise pulled off her shirt. Her text alert blared again.
Farih: What were you thinking?
Denise smiled.
That I should have stayed for that espresso.
Mariah knocked on the door. She slowly opened the door without waiting for Denise to answer. Denise looked at Mariah's sullen face. Mariah stood in the door.
“Are you sure you want to sleep in here?”
“Yeah, I'm good.” Denise sat down on the floor and prepared to do her sit-ups.
“I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Denise. I really thought we both had the same undersâ”
“Mariah, we are cool. You didn't hurt my feelings. I was just caught off guard. We are good, trust me. I'm not ready for anything serious, and neither are you. It's cool, really. Don't worry about it.”
Mariah's face stayed the same. She was confused, not really sure if she was happy or a little disappointed that Denise wasn't upset over the intimate part of their relationship ending. Mariah forced a smile. She turned and closed the door.
Denise began to do sit-ups. She thought about Mariah. The feelings she had developed were dissolving quickly. In mid sit-up her phone began to ring. She smiled when Farih's name came up. Denise sat up.
“Hey, you,” Denise responded in her a deep, calm voice.
Farih sat up in her bed. She smiled. “See, you shouldn't have said no in the first place.”
Denise laughed. “You're right. I won't make that mistake again.”
Farih bit her lip. “What makes you think there will be another time?”
“Let's just say, I hope there will be.”
Farih's face ached from her big grin. “I was wondering if you were busy tomorrow.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I was going to go work out tomorrow. I was hoping you would be up for shooting some hoops.”
“Hoops? What do you know about shooting hoops?”
“Don't underestimate the model.” Farih smirked.
They both laughed.
“Sounds like fun. I haven't played ball in so long. I could use the practice.”
“Well, great. Maybe we can make a wager, to make it interesting.”
“Girl, I don't want to take your money.” Denise sat on the side of the bed.
“I didn't say anything about money,” Farih replied, causing both of them to blush. “Text me your address, and I'll pick you up at noon.”
“Will do.”
“Good night, Denise.”
“Sweet dreams, Farih.”
Denise hung the phone up. She suddenly wanted to thank Mariah for the make-out session with the guy. Denise headed to the shower with thoughts of Farih consuming her.
32
“How could you be so stupid?” Lena hit Brandon as he walked in the loft.
Brandon laughed.
“This shit isn't funny. My mother was here!”
Brandon walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. “So, you are more concerned with your parents knowing than with the fact that I was kissing another woman.”
Lena paused. She looked at Brandon, whose face showed a bit of irritation. “Well, we are, you know... so I pretty much expected you to be messing with someone else.”
“Whatever, Lena.” Brandon walked past her and sat in the chair. “So, is that all you wanted? 'Cause, damn, Lena, you act like your parents aren't gonna find out we are divorcing. I really expected your mom to show up when you lost ...”
Lena shot Brandon an evil stare.
Brandon looked at Lena, his eyes widened. “Lena, you never told your parents we lost the baby?”
Lena turned away from Brandon.
Brandon stood up. “Wait a minute. Lena, you never told them you were pregnant!”
“I didn't get around to it.”
“What the fuck type of shit is that, Lena?”
“Well, we were going through our shit, and everything was happening so fast. Besides, it's a good thing now because last thing I want is them all up in my business. Oh wait, you have fixed that for me.”
“Lena, don't even try to put that on me. You the one who is hiding shit. We are getting a divorce. People are gonna find out.”
“I know, but damn, Brandon, we could have handled it in a better way than ending up in the gossip blogs. Do you know how that makes me look?”
A knock at the door interrupted their discussion. Brandon walked to the door and pulled it open. His face dropped at the sight of Terrin.
“Can I help you?” Brandon stood in the door like a security guard. He looked down at Terrin's boyish appearance.
Terrin looked at Brandon's massive body. “I'm sorry. Is Lena here?”
Lena's whole body tensed up when she heard the voice. Her heart started beating fast. She rushed to the door and wedged herself in front of Brandon.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
Terrin looked at Lena then at Brandon, his face covered with anger. “I was just coming by to say hey. I hadn't heard from you in a few days.”
Brandon's tight-lipped expression dropped. He shook his head, letting out a chuckle while walking back into the house.
Lena closed the door behind her. “I'm sorry. I've had some family stuff going on.” Lena lowered her voice.
“I see. Well, I guess, get at me when you want to.” Terrin turned around.
Lena grabbed her arm. “Terrin, please don't be mad. It's not what you think. It's a long story, but trust me, it's not what it looks like.”
“I hear ya. Well, you know where to find me, Lena.”
“I will call you, I promise.”
Terrin walked away without responding.
Lena took a deep breath then walked back into the house. She closed the door and looked at Brandon, sitting on the arm of the couch, staring at her.
“Don't start,” Lena huffed, walking into the house.
“So, you want to talk about me and who I'm kissing. Hell, at least it's someone of a different sex.” Brandon crossed his arms.
“Brandon ...”
“So what? Are you gay now, Lena? You coming out the closet? Is that your new little boyfriend?”
“Brandon, please.” Lena sighed.
“Tell me, Lena, how do you think it's gonna make me look when someone snaps a photo of you hugged up with some dyke?”
“That's not gonna happen.”
“How do you know?”
Lena turned toward Brandon. “Because unlike you, I know how to do my shit in private.”
Brandon's bottom lip dropped. “So, you really are messing with that girl?”
“I'm not messing with anyone. She's nice, we hang out.”
“That's bullshit and you know it. What the fuck are you, some damn dyke now?”
Lena's mouth dropped.
“Answer my fucking question!”
“I'm not answering a damn thing.” Lena rolled her eyes.
Brandon was fuming. He let out a loud growl. Pure rage consumed him. He flipped the dining room table over with one quick lift.
Lena jumped.
Brandon paced the floor.
“Brandon, please ...”
“You know what? Fuck this shit. You wanna be a dyke, then go be a damn dyke. I'm done wit' yo ass.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Brandon rushed up to Lena. Lena ducked. Brandon looked at Lena's scared face. He backed off, shaking his head.
Lena's whole body quivered in fear.
“You know what? This shit is for the birds. You wanna go be gay, then do it. I'm not about to sit around and watch the shit.”
“Brandon, you don't understand what I am going through,” Lena cried. “I just gotta figure things out on my own.”
“Do that then. But I'm not staying around to watch you ruin your life. I'm out of here.” Brandon grabbed his keys and walked out the house. He slammed the door with so much force, it shook the room.
Lena stared at the door. She knew the only man she loved was never coming back.
Other books
The Great Partition by Yasmin Khan
Hunting Medusa: The Medusa Trilogy, Book 1 by Elizabeth Andrews
Finnish Wood by Kojo Black
World Series by John R. Tunis
The Alpha's Surrogate: A Paranormal Pregnancy Romance by Angela Foxxe
The Soldiers of Halla by D.J. MacHale
Finding Cassidy by Laura Langston
The Lost Sun by Tessa Gratton
The Last Days of New Paris by China Miéville
Secrets for Secondary School Teachers by Ellen Kottler, Jeffrey A. Kottler, Cary J. Kottler
