Crossroads (6 page)

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Authors: Skyy

BOOK: Crossroads
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9
The bright sun felt like it was burning through Denise's brain. She quickly closed her eyes. She sat up in the bed. The ache hit her like a sledgehammer to the head. She closed her eyes as tight as she could, but it wasn't keeping the bright light out.
She stumbled to the bathroom, felt her way to the sink without turning the light on, opened her eyes and splashed water on her face.
What the fuck was I thinking?
Denise said, staring in the darkness.
Denise turned the hot water on. She slowly pulled her clothes off, letting them fall to the floor. She cautiously stepped into the dark shower. The hot water hit her body with full force. She let the water run down her back.
Denise pulled the ponytail holder off of her hair. She let her thick hair absorb the water. She made a mental note never to drink again.
Thirty minutes later, Denise decided to venture back into her bright hotel room. The sunlight hurt, but not as bad as it did originally.
Denise fell back to her bed. She stared at the white stucco ceiling. Thoughts rushed through her mind. What should her next move be? Everyone in her life was off doing amazing things and she was back at square one.
Denise sat up. She looked around, until she eyed her duffle bag. She walked over and picked the bag up. She threw it on her bed and plopped back down. She searched through the pockets, trying to remember where she put her cell phone. Her hands roamed through the bag until coming across the thin iPhone Cooley insisted she get. The screen was black. She turned the phone on, only to be hit with the low battery logo. She grabbed the charger before the phone cut back off. Her fingers hit the screen, dialing her voice mail.
“Hey, boo, just calling to see if you made it to New York. Give me a call. Nic and I are looking for a place. God! How did I let her talk me into staying in Memphis? Anywho call me.”
Carmen's voice made her smile. At least if she was going to end up back in Memphis she had somewhere she could crash.
“Bruh! Why the fuck is Misha on my damn plane? This is some bullshit. Call me.”
Denise pressed delete at Cooley's drama.
“Denise, I just wanted to call and check on you.”
Denise recognized Mariah's sweet, but strong voice.
“I'm actually working on something for you right now. It's not basketball, but honestly it might be better. I'll call you in the morning with more.”
Denise was puzzled. She couldn't believe there was anything being better than basketball.
“Denise, this is Lena.”
Lena's voice hit her harder than an SUV.
“I'm, well ... I have a surprise for you. I will talk to you soon.”
Suddenly the previous nights events flooded to her memory. Lena wasn't a dream, she was there last night.
Oh my God, what have I done?
Denise thought to herself, remembering the things she said. She could see Lena's face as though she was still there, standing in front of her. She saw the tears rolling down Lena's face.
Denise disconnected from her voice mail. Her body felt numb. Not the drunk numb she experienced the night before, but an emotional numbness. Lena came for her, and she'd sent her away.
Denise sank down in her bed. She didn't see how things could get any worse.
The hotel phone blared, causing her head to pound. “Hello?”
Mariah's stilettos click-clacked on the marble floor of her office building. “Denise, I have been calling you all day. What is going on with your phone?”
“I didn't have it on. I needed some time to—”
“I'm sorry to cut you off, but I'm on my way into a meeting. I need you to be up and dressed and in the hotel bar at noon. Can you do that for me? ”
“Ummm ... sure. Why? What's going on?”
“I'll explain when I get there. I think something amazing is headed your way. Just be in that bar. I have to run.” Mariah hung the phone up and walked into the meeting room.
Denise stared at her phone. She scrolled down to Cooley's number and pressed SEND.
“You would call when I only have about five minutes to talk to yo ass,” Cooley said as she picked her curly fro.
“Fuck! I got something really, really important to tell you.”
Cooley looked up at herself in the mirror. “What's up?”
“I can tell you later. It might take long—”
“Just spill it.”
Denise's voice trembled. “I'm not playing basketball.” The words coming out of her mouth sounded surreal. She fought back tears.
Cooley's mouth dropped. “What do you mean? Dee, what the hell?”
“My injury from ... Rhonda and the bad press ... the team changed their minds.” Denise struggled to get the words out. Saying them still seemed surreal.
“That's some bullshit! How can they do that? Bruh, are you OK? What do you need me to do?” Cooley sat down in one of the chairs in front of her desk.
“I don't know anything right now. Mariah called me this morning, said she got something she think might work for me. I'm meeting her at one.”
“I'm so sorry, bruh. Have you told C?”
“No, I don't know how to tell her. I know she is gonna worry. I don't know what I am going to do. I have no career, no place to stay, nothing.”
“Dee, please, you always got somewhere to stay. If this gig with Mariah doesn't work out, get yo ass on a plane and come to ATL and chill out here. You know I got you.”
Tears streamed down Denise's face. “You know that's not my style. I can't be living off you.”
“Man, if you don't shut that shit up! You are my family and I would love to have you here with me. Fuck basketball! Everything is in my industry. I can get you a job and we can be the two rich bros.”
Denise laughed. “I love you man.”
“Love you too, no homo.”
They both laughed. Denise felt a bit of ease. Cooley headed out of her office. “So, guess who picked me up from the airport?”
“Who?”
“Sahara.” I swear she showed up just in time. Misha and that damn Patrick were stalking me. But I had the last laugh in the end. Misha's face dropped when she saw Sahara's fine ass.
“Cool.”
“Yeah?”
Denise looked down. “Lena showed up here.”
Cooley paused in her tracks. “What do you mean, Lena showed up?”
“She showed up. She told me she wanted to be with me and everything.”
“And you hit me with the bad news first. That's great. Where is she now?”
“Cool, that isn't good news. I was drunk and I said some fucked up things. I told her to go back to her man.”
“You were drunk!” Cooley yelled.
Everyone looked around at her with puzzled expressions.
“You don't drink, Dee.”
“I know. Blue Top too.”
“Ah, hell naw.”
“I feel horrible. I don't know what to do. Do I call her and tell her I want her ...”
“Dee, look, I really hate to cut this short, but I gotta go meet with boss man. But I want to say this. Let it be. Dee you need to really focus on you right now. I love you, but the last thing you need is the drama of a pregnant, married woman.”
“But I feel I should apologize.”
“Give it some time. Just not yet. Focus on you. I gotta run bruh, but I'll call you as soon as I get out of here. I might even make a trip to NYC. I got to take care of some business there.”
“OK, let me know. I got the hotel room for the week.”
Denise hung up with Cooley. She put her phone on the desk. She noticed the time on the clock. Mariah would be there in two hours. She needed to completely sober up. Denise inhaled; she knew something had to happen for the good soon.
Lena stared at the door to her loft. She didn't want to stay in New York another minute. She grabbed her things from her room and headed straight to the airport. She booked a thousand-dollar non-stop flight home. She was back in Memphis before the sun completely came up.
She could hear Sade coming from the inside. She knew Brandon was home. He always listened to Sade when he had a lot on his mind.
She unlocked the door and pulled it open. The place was ransacked. A gallon of SKYY vodka lay over on its side, empty. Dishes were everywhere, chairs were turned over. Brandon had wrecked the place.
Brandon walked from around the corner. Their eyes met. Sade's voice filled the air as they stared at each other. Brandon's straight face dropped.
“You're back.”
Lena lowered her head. “Yes. I see you did some redecorating.”
Brandon walked closer. “Well, when a man's wife runs off to New York to be with some bitch, naturally, he might be a little angry.”
Lena dropped her purse and keys on the kitchen counter. “Brandon, we need to—”
“No! Fuck talking, Lena! What the fuck are you doing back here?”
“This is my home.”
“
Was
your home.”
Lena walked closer to Brandon. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Does it look like I'm fucking kidding?!” Brandon knocked the one remaining kitchen table chair over.
“Brandon, nothing happened. I just wanted to—”
“Wanted to what?”
“I just needed to say good-bye. We didn't do anything. I didn't even spend the night in New York. We talked, and I went straight back to the airport.” Lena walked past Brandon, he followed.
“And you couldn't do that in Memphis? You couldn't pick the damn phone up or send her a fucking e-mail?”
“No! I ... I don't want to talk about it.” She looked up, and Brandon was replaced with Denise. She blinked, causing Brandon to reappear. Lena's body began to tremble. Her stomach knotted up.
“You don't have a choice. We are gonna talk about this now! What the fuck, Lena? How am I supposed to respond to this shit?”
“I don't know. Probably the same way I responded to finding out about your other bitches, and your son!” Lena's side cramped. She tried to massage the cramp out of her right side.
Brandon's lips tightened, his broad shoulders sunk in. “Really, Lena, you want to go there then cool. Yes, Lena, I fucked off. But that's all I did. I fucked those bitches. They didn't mean shit to me! You, Lena, you fucking loved that girl.”
“I never ...”
“I heard you!” Brandon's body now trembled along with Lena's. Tears streamed down his masculine face. “I heard you in her hospital room. You told her that you were in love with her.”
With one swoop, his hands crashed into the expensive brown vase on the small table, causing it to crash to the floor.
The knots in Lena's stomach now filled her whole body. She stood frozen.
Brandon couldn't take his eyes off the shattered vase, broken in a million pieces, just like their marriage.
“How the fuck am I supposed to feel about that? Those bitches never meant more than a quick nut to me. I never gave my heart to any of them, only you!” Brandon cried. His body filled more with hurt than anger.
Lena and Brandon stared at each other face to face. Both faces filled with raw emotions. There were no words. Lena's body ached. Her body was hot. She could feel steam rising from her, sweat trickling down her body. She couldn't be angry, she knew he was right. She loved Denise. If Denise had her, she wouldn't be standing there right now.
Brandon's frustrated expression quickly changed. He took two steps back. A look of pure terror took over his face.

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