Authors: Jasmine Barber
"I know. You are definitely one of my best friends. So let me tell you about Kiyan." Brielle said getting back on topic.
"How is he? I like him Brielle. When I first met him I instantly fell in love with him. I don't know why you didn't give that boy another chance. I haven't even met your new little boyfriend so I know for a fact that he won't be around for long," Michelle told her daughter.
"Well dang ma, tell me how you really feel," Brielle laughed.
"You know me. I keep it real, so what is wrong with Kiyan," Michelle laughed along with her daughter.
"Well it's like this ma, sometimes Kiyan is like one of the best male friends I have, but then its times when he will just spaz out on me out of nowhere. I don't know if he don't want to just be my friend anymore or if he is just tired of me," Brielle began.
"What do you expect him to do Brielle? You know the boy wanted you from the beginning. You constantly pushed him away, he is only your friend because he would rather have you as a friend than nothing at all," Michelle explained.
"I understand where you’re coming from ma, but at the end of the day all I can offer him is a friendship. Plus Kiyan has a girlfriend and I'm not looking to get into anything serious. Jaiden hurt me bad. After Jaiden I promised myself that I will never let anybody else hurt me." Brielle stressed.
"Brielle listen to me, behind every beautiful girl, there's a guy who did her wrong and made her stronger. Jaiden was that for you. I think you need to live and learn from that, but don't cut yourself off from love. Kiyan can be the one that makes you happy as a boyfriend than he could do as a friend. His girlfriend is what Kris is to you.”
“And what is that?”
“Kris is just a safety net for you." Michelle said.
"Kris is my boyfriend, so I'm not using him as a safety net or he wouldn't even have that title," Brielle reminded her mother.
"Yeah whatever you say Bri, but you don't love that boy, shit I can't even see you liking him if he hasn't spent the night with you. Kiyan spends the night at your house and he is only your friend, so why can't your boyfriend spend the night? Kiyan met your mother, but you boyfriend hasn't. You see where I'm going with this? Kiyan may have a girlfriend but not for long." Michelle asked.
“Yes, I see where this is going,” Brielle responded.
Brielle thought about what her mother said and it was true. She did more couple things with Kiyan than she did with Kris. She knew that she didn’t really want to be in a relationship with him. She instantly felt bad; she had this boy in a relationship that was going nowhere fast. She had decisions to make and she wasn’t sure that she was ready to make them.
Brielle and Michelle continued their conversation and Michelle left her to make her own decisions. She raised Brielle to make good choices, so she knew that Brielle would definitely do what was right for her. After their conversation, they left the kitchen and went into the living room to catch up on the reality shows that were on. Brielle loved nights like this, just her and her mother. She wished she could stay here forever and a day, but she knew that she had to leave tomorrow and start changing things around in her life.
Chapter 20
"As long as we're friends, you got that shit forever." -Kiyan
Friday night had finally arrived. Brielle sat in her bedroom watching all the reality shows that she missed though out the week. She had been busy at work the last couple of days. It was getting closer and closer to basketball season, so most of her clients needed her full attention. She barely had time to eat or catch up with her girls, so watching TV was definitely not in the equation. It was Friday night and she planned on catching up with her girls, her reality shows and pushing her current situation with Kris to the side this weekend. She had been putting him on the back burner lately and she knew she would have to speak to him sooner or later. She still had to take her mother's advice and speak to Murder and check up on Kiyan. He had been a good friend to her lately, making sure she had lunch and kept her sanity at work. He would call just to tell her to have a good day. She hated that Kris couldn't even give her that, and he was suppose to be her boyfriend. Brielle picked up the phone to call the first person on her list.
"Yo," Murder picked up the phone.
"Is that how you answer your phone," Brielle asked.
"My bad, I didn't look at the phone," Murder lied.
"Jaiden, you have a iPhone there's no way you didn't know who was calling," Brielle reminded him she knew too much about him for him to lie.
"Oh yeah, my bad. What you doing? You calling a nigga to apologize?" Murder questioned.
"Apologize for what? You cheated on me and came over and disrespected my house," Brielle said getting pissed.
"I told you I didn't cheat, a nigga got framed," Murder continued.
"You are not on trial and we are over so you don't have to lie to me," Brielle said.
"If we’re over, then why you calling me? It's because we’re not over," Murder yelled.
Brielle hung up the phone and sighed. She knew it was a bad idea to call Murder. Every time she spoke to him, she asked herself why the hell she even fell for him in the first place. He was cocky as hell and not in a good way. She knew Murder wasn't playing with a full deck of cards. Brielle got up and decided to clean up her house.
Just as she was about to start cleaning her living room, her house phone rung. She hoped it wasn't Murder ass calling again.
"Hello," Brielle began.
"What’s up baby," she heard Kris' voice.
"Hey Kris, how are you?" she replied.
"I'm great, you? I miss you love," he added.
"Aw, I miss you too. I told you it has been a busy week for me," she reminded him.
"Yeah I know, I told you that you don't have to work all those hours, let me take care of you," Kris told her.
"I don't have the type of job where you quit, I own my company," Brielle said getting pissed.
"Give it up," Kris said.
Brielle thought to herself, this shit is really getting old. She didn't know what she saw in Kris either. She was starting to think that her and relationships didn't mix well.
"We need to change the subject." She said.
"Cool with me, what you doing?"
"Cleaning up and about to watch TV"
"Ooooh ok, you want some company?" he asked.
"Not really up for company tonight. I just want to catch up on some sleep"
"Okay. Can I take you out on Sunday? I haven't seen you all week," he said.
" Sunday it is," she said.
“Okay, I’ll talk to you later love," he said.
"Goodbye Kris. I'll talk to you later," she replied.
~~~~~
Brielle sat in her living room laughing at Basketball wives. She couldn't believe Evelyn just said Tami was a non-motherfucking factor. She knew if somebody ever called her that in public, she would quickly show
them just how much of a factor she was. Just as she was about to rewind it her phone rung and by the ringtone she knew it was Kiyan.
"Hey Kiy, wassup?" Brielle laughed.
"What you laughing at Bri?" Kiyan asked.
"I'm up here watching Basketball Wives and its about to go down"
"Why do you even watch that shit, that shit for the birds"
"Oh shut up
it's entertainment but what you up to?"
"I was about to stop through there, do you wanna watch a movie and get pizza?"
"Sure why not, we watching something here or you want to pick up a movie?"
"I'll pick something up because I swear if I watch Love & Basketball or Just Wright one more time imma go fucking crazy"
"Stop the shit boy, you be all into these movies so don't start now" Brielle laughed.
"Yeah right, I bet you we be watching some funny shit tonight"
"Yeah right, we'll see just hurry up. I'm about to order the pizza"
"Iight I'll be there in a half." Kiyan hung up the phone.
~~~~~
About twenty minutes later Kiyan pulled up in Brielle's driveway with the movies. He stepped out the car and thought about the relationship him and Bri had. Their friendship was something that shocked everybody including himself. He really loved their relationship, it felt like him and Bri had known each other all their lives. Kiyan loved the type of person Brielle was. She worked extra hard to get everything she wanted and he admired that. He respected her demanding career. Working as an image consultant required a lot of Brielle’s time and he supported her with what ever she needed. Sometimes she left work stressed and all she wanted to do was just vent. Anytime she wanted to vent, Kiyan always gave her his full attention. When she worked through lunch, Kiyan would always stop by and bring her lunch. Kiyan began to look forward to their weekly movie nights at her house because it always gave them a chance to catch up.
"Kiyan what the hell are you doing just standing there?" Brielle said interrupting his thoughts. Kiyan walked up to the porch and gave Brielle a kiss on the cheek and a hug.
"I missed you, haven't seen your spoiled ass all week" Kiyan said.
"I know, I’ve been busy. The basketball season is about to start and everybody needs my attention right now." Brielle sighed.
"I kind of figured that, that's why I was stopping by."
"Wait hold up, you knew you were coming here before you called me. How you know I didn't have company," Brielle smiled.
"I didn't give a fuck if you did, we all would have been watching these damn movies." Kiyan laughed.
"Your so damn silly, come on. The pizza should be on it's way what did you bring?" she asked.
"I couldn't decide between like four movies so I bought all four of them. I have Bad Boys 2 because that's my shit. I have Kevin Hart's new comedy, Brown Sugar, and 21 Jump Street"
"Damn that's hard to choose from, um let's watch Brown Sugar and then the rest." Brielle said. As she walked in the kitchen, the bell rung and she yelled, "Kiy get the bell, that should be the pizza."
Brielle walked in the hall to see if Kiyan needed help and heard Kiyan going off on the young boy at the door.
"Kiyan why the hell you yelling at this boy." Brielle asked confused.
"Because I open the door and this nigga all stretching his fucking neck to look at your ass," Kiyan yelled.
"Oh lord, just pay the boy." Brielle laughed.
"B you laughing because you think this shit is a game, but it's not. He better watch his fucking eyes. That's your tip, so get the fuck off this porch," Kiyan laughed as he watched the delivery boy trip over the step. Brielle couldn't help but laugh feeling bad for that young boy.
"Kiyan you are wrong for that," Brielle continued laughing.
"Man whatever, I bet you his ass will keep his eyes on the person paying him next time," he replied sure of himself.
"Come on crazy ass." Brielle said taking the boxes and putting them on the table.
Brielle and Kiyan sat down and started watching their movies while eating their pizza. Brielle thought out loud, "I could get use to this. Movie night without all the stress."
"What's going on Bri, why you stressing?" Kiyan turned to her seriously.
"You know how work is. I can never find a moment to just breathe, she replied, I need to go to the damn Spa.”
"Come here let me show you something," Kiyan said. Brielle moved closer to Kiyan as she waited for him to show her whatever it is he wanted. Kiyan turned her back towards him and began to massage her shoulders. Brielle closed her eyes as she began to let go of all the stress from work this week. Kiyan felt her tensed shoulders loosing up and then when Brielle really got into it, Kiyan stopped. Before Brielle could open up her eyes, Kiyan was tickling her making her laugh.
"Oh my god, leave me alone," Brielle choking on her laughter.
"Nope," Kiyan laughed as he continued to tickle her. He knew her laughing and having fun would make all the stress and worries from the week go away.
"Kiyan, I'm going to hurt you fool. Stop it," Brielle said.
"Ok, I'm done. Do you feel better?" he asked as he stopped tickling her.
"Yeah I do, but you don't, Brielle said smacking him upside his head, you caught me off guard punk."
"I made you feel better so instead of smacking me, your ass should be thanking me." Kiyan said.
Brielle turned around and before Kiyan knew it she was giving him the biggest hug ever. "Thank you Kiy, for everything."
Kiyan grabbed Brielle into a bear hug and looked into her eyes and kissed her forehead. Then he said, "As long as we're friends, you got that shit forever."
"And a day" Brielle added before turning back to watch their movie. She loved this part of their friendship. She hoped it wouldn't end anytime soon. Kiyan and Brielle watched movies until they fell asleep on the couch. This was definitely what the doctor prescribed for Brielle.