“It’s okay.”
“I know it’s your life, but I’ve watched you go through so much, and I want the best for you. And Wes isn’t it.”
I had no response he would’ve liked, so I decided to leave the conversation as-is.
“Thanks. I’ll see you when I get home tonight.”
When I got to the front door of the daycare, I searched my purse for my badge to get in the building. After two minutes, I accepted it wasn’t there.
“Are you serious?” I sighed. My badge must’ve still been in Wes’s sweatpants from when I gave him a tour of the facility on Saturday.
I banged on the door, and Amira let me in.
“Sorry, I forgot to unlock the door. So, how was your weekend?” she said with a coy smile.
I shrugged, toying with the ring on my finger. “Definitely unexpected. But in a good way. We need to have a staff meeting this week to discuss plans for the new funds.”
“Of course. I’m so excited.”
The doorbell rang, and Amira went to the door to greet our first child of the morning. I headed into the office to check emails. As more children got dropped off, the sound of them laughing filled the space. I smiled thinking about how much more laughter we were going to be able to hear thanks to Wes and the donations.
There was a knock on the office door and it swung open.
“Good morning,” Steven said with a smile.
Amira looked at me, shaking her head. “I tried to get rid of him, but he pushed past me.”
He walked into the office, closing it in Amira’s face. I stood from my chair and walked to him.
“Steven, you can't just show up here. What are you doing?” I asked as he locked the office door behind him.
“I finally get it; why you broke up with me. I understand what you were trying to say. And you’re right.”
“Steven…”
I backed away from his approach as he removed his suit jacket and tossed it on the chair.
“You said we weren’t compatible because I’m too boring.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“But that’s what you meant. And you’re right. You tried to spice things up, but I didn’t see it: sex on the couch, trying to take things to the next level, even by drinking wine at dinner. I wasn’t ready. But I’m ready to change for you now.”
There was a tap on the door.
He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it to the side. In the blink of an eye, his slacks were off, and he was just in his boxers.
“Steven, there are children here! Now stop this. We’re done.”
I had no more room to back up and he was right on me. His breath was sour.
“Are- are you drunk?” I asked him.
“Keisha, are you okay?” Amira asked.
“Unlock the door, Amira!”
“Let me get my keys!”
He yanked my arm and pulled me to him.
“Don’t be afraid, I'm just being spontaneous like you wanted. To show you I can do it. I’m not here to hurt you; just give me a chance.”
He grabbed my hand, pausing when he saw my ring finger. “This is new…”
He released me and backed away. “So, there was someone else the entire time. You were playing me.”
“No, it’s not like that,” I said, not sure of why I felt the need to explain myself.
I heard keys in the door, and it swung back open with Amira and Wes standing in the doorway.
My eyes widened at Wes. “It-it’s not what it looks like.”
Steven picked up his clothes, staring Wes up and down before looking back at me with a sneer on his face.
“I see how it is.”
He went to leave, but Wes put his hand on his chest, blocking him. Steven backed away.
“Hey, don’t touch me, man.”
Wes was unfazed at the threatening tone of his voice. “You need to get redressed before heading out. There are kids here.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
Wes crossed his arms, widening his stance as he blocked the exit. “I am. And you’re not leaving this office until you do.”
Steven puffed out his chest, and I stepped in between them; we didn’t need a brawl to start our day- especially before I had my coffee. Luckily, Steven backed down and threw his clothes on before storming out.
Amira went to make sure he left without incident, leaving Wes and I alone.
“Are you alright? Who the hell was that?” he asked me.
“Yeah,” I said, pulling into the hug he offered me. “Just an ex who won’t leave me alone.”
“If he’s bothering you, I’ll make sure he gets the memo to leave you alone.”
“No, no. He saw my ring, and I think he has the hint now. It’s fine. What are you doing here?”
When we parted, he handed me my badge. “Vivian found it this morning when doing laundry.”
“She does your laundry, too?”
I shook my head. The more I learned of his living situation, the more uncomfortable I became.
“It’s not a big deal, Key.”
I sighed. “I mean, Kevin and I mix our loads together if we have small piles. I guess it’s not completely strange.”
He hooked a finger under my chin and lifted my head to face him.
“I need you to trust me.”
“I do.”
“You don’t. You forget, I know what our relationship is like when we have trust, and this isn’t it. My Key wouldn’t worry about Vivian, because she’s too confident to do so. She knows that I only have eyes for her. Always have, and always will.”
“You know, it’s not even you. It’s her. You may think the relationship is platonic, but I don’t know if she thinks the same thing.”
“What do you want me to do? Kick her back out on the street?”
“I… I don’t know. I mean, can't you get her a hotel or something?”
“I don’t trust her on her own yet. If I put her out on her own and she relapsed or got herself into another bad relationship, I’d blame myself.”
I shook my head, leaning against my desk. “She looks fine to me, but okay.”
He walked over to me. “I’m glad to see that ring back on your finger, but we have a lot of work to do. Before we walk down the aisle, I need you back at one hundred percent. And I promise I’m going to do everything in my power to prove to you that you’re the only woman I see.”
“I know,” I gushed, his eyes sparkling as they took in my form.
“But I don’t think you do. And it breaks my heart.”
11
I wasn’t in a bad mood when I arrived at Wes’s after work, but a scowl quickly formed as soon as I entered the house. Vivian was prancing around the kitchen in a tight little number as she prepared dinner. I tried to look at the bright side- at least her butt was covered.
Wes wasn’t home yet, so I went into the kitchen with Vivian.
“Anything I can do to help?”
She smiled. “Can you… chop some onions?”
“Sure.”
She exhaled a long breath. “Good. I was hoping you’d say yes; I hate chopping them.”
She directed me to the cutting board and I grabbed a knife, quickly dicing a red onion.
Vivian peered over my shoulder.
“A little smaller; he likes them really tiny.”
“Okay…”
I chopped them up as small as I could, her incessant humming behind me scathing my ears.
“Can you boil some fettuccine? No more than five minutes; he likes it a little hard. And we need some spices. I started a fresh herb garden by the window.”
I sighed inwardly and turned the stove on to start the boil before turning to the foliage by the window.
“Making Italian? How about a little basil?”
She turned her nose up. “No, he doesn’t like that. Can you chop up some oregano?”
I snatched a few leaves from the potted plants and went back to the cutting board. Was she about to tell me how finely he wanted his herbs chopped, too? I swear, I was really trying with the girl, but she was irking my last nerves.
“Damn it!” I stuck my finger in my mouth, sucking off a thick glob of blood.
Vivian stopped what she was doing, her eyes wide as she winced at my slashed skin. She wrapped a paper towel around my finger.
“Are you okay?”
I shook my head. “I shouldn’t be in here. I’m not a cooking type of person. I’ll leave you to it.”
“Okay. Thanks for your help; bandages are in the bathroom upstairs!”
I got my purse and left the house without saying goodbye. Wes was right; Vivian was a major thorn in my side. To me, she was competition. Why else would my non-cooking ass be in the kitchen?
I was comparing myself to her, and every positive favored her: her banging body, her culinary skills, even her relationship with Wes. I was struggling with believing him about a stupid afternoon with my mother, and she trusted him with her life.
I called Amira as soon as I pulled out of the lot.
“Hey, you free? Want to get dinner?”
“Yeah, I’m just finishing up at the center. Want to meet at the diner on the corner?”
“Sure; be there in twenty.”
I called Kevin and left him a voice mail, telling him to meet up with us if he was hungry. He sent me a text message just as I sat in a diner booth:
Working. Be home later. Thanks for the invite, though.
“What happened to your finger?” Amira asked, sliding into the booth seat across from me.
“Tried to help with the cooking.”
She snorted. “I hope Wesley isn’t marrying you for your cooking.”
I rubbed my finger over a sticky part of the plastic menu. “We have a long way to go before we have to think about that.”
“But I thought ya’ll were engaged before? Why wait even longer?”
I shrugged. “It’s not the same. I mean, I feel the same way about him, but life has gotten in the way, you know?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t know. One of the perks of being married is dealing with life together, not letting it tear you apart. I’m sure ya’ll will be fine.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I rolled my eyes after looking at the screen and tucked it back away.
“Steven is
still
calling me.”
“Ugh. Okay, I change my mind about him; you don’t need to pass my number along. Did you meet him online?”
I nodded. “Of course; and he’s the first crazy one I’ve had. I think it may be time to change my phone number.”
A figure appeared in the corner of my eye. My mouth dropped as I saw it was not the waiter, as expected.
“Oh my God, what are you doing here?” Amira asked Steven.
“I tried to call, but you ignored it, Keisha.”
“How did you even know we were here?” I asked.
“Kevin told me.”
I rolled my eyes; I told Kevin to join us for dinner,
not
to invite this clown.
“Steven, we’ve had a long day-”
He threw his hands up. “I just wanted to apologize to you. You know I’m never like that. My behavior was unforgivable, but I hope you can find it in your heart to do just that.”
“I’ll forgive you if you leave. Right now.”
He nodded, backing away. “Fair enough.”
I watched him walk out of the diner, turning my head back to Amira once he was in his car. Her eyes were just as wide as mine.
“Okay; he’s getting scary.”
“I don’t know what his problem is. I’ve tried to be as direct as possible; what more do I need to do?”
“Restraining order is your next option.”
She laughed, but she may have been right.
Kevin still wasn’t home when I arrived after dinner with Amira. I hopped in the shower, ready to unwind after my long day. It would have been nice to relax with Wes, but I just couldn’t deal with Vivian. Being around her only made me more stressed. He’d called me while I was with Amira, but I sent it to voicemail. We were talking, and I didn’t want to be rude. I’d give him a call in the morning.
Someone started banging on the door as soon as I stepped out of the shower. My heart raced in my chest as I put on a robe. With my luck, Steven was going to be at the door, asking me if I’d had enough time to forgive him. I couldn’t deal with him for a third time in one day.
I grabbed my phone and a baseball bat before walking to the door, sighing when I looked through the peephole.
“Where were you at dinner?”
I stepped aside and Wes entered my home, his expression severe.
“I’m sorry; I had to get out of there. I’m trying to work with Vivian, but she just makes it so hard. And why on earth does she walk around in those little dresses? It’s like every time I see her, she makes me more uncomfortable.”
“Are we really going to have this conversation again?”
I rolled my eyes; I didn’t know why I expected him to be sympathetic. He didn’t see anything wrong with his living situation.
“She gets under my skin. I think what you are doing for her is incredible and selfless, but are you sure she understands the arrangement? I mean, is she playing sexy housewife to try to make the situation a permanent one? Has she ever tried anything with you?”
I almost didn’t want to know the answer to that. If Vivian had ever made a move on Wes, no matter how long ago it was, I knew for sure I’d never be able to play nice with her as long as she was in his house. I thought back to how close they seemed at Ashley’s wedding. They were so intimate, I thought they were flirting. Wes was just being friendly, but what about Vivian?
He laughed as my stomach turned. “No, she hasn’t. I told you, she’s like a sister to me. I don’t pay attention to what she has on.”
“But still-”
He pulled me in for a hug, shushing my next words. I didn’t realize it until it happened, but I needed his calming embrace. I wrapped around him tight, my ear against his chest as I listened to his gentle heartbeat. I felt my heartbeat thumping in my chest, perfectly in sync with his.
Wes was mine, and I was his. I had no doubt he was my soul mate. My heart knew Vivian was no competition, but my mind kept plaguing me with wariness.
Wes sighed after our brief silence. “Alright; I’ll talk to her.”
I shook my head in his chest. “No, that’s not fair to her. You’re right; she should be allowed to be comfortable at home.”
He pulled back and looked in my eyes. “Look, I don’t know how long she’s going to be staying with me. I don’t want her to be a deterrent for you to come to me.”
“And I don’t want to put a wedge between you and her. I’ll get over it; I promise.”
Kevin entered the house, causing me to jump. I dropped away from Wes and turned to glare at him, my eyes nothing more than tiny slits.
“And what the fuck are you trying to accomplish?”
“Huh?” He put his keys on the hook by the door, staring at me with his mouth gaped open.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Wes said. “We’ll finish this talk later.”
He gave me a kiss before slipping out. I was glad he left; I didn’t want him to hear about Steven stalking me.
“For the last time, I don’t want Steven.
You
are not in control of my love life. Your concern for my well-being is starting to turn into straight-up meddling. I love you Kevin, but this has got to stop.”
“I’m sorry, am I supposed to ignore his phone calls just because you broke up with him?”
“No, but you don’t need to tell him of my whereabouts! I didn’t appreciate having my dinner interrupted.”
All traces of confusion left his face. “Did he go to the diner?”
I threw my hands in the air. “Yes! Because you told him where I was.”
He shook his head. “I’m so sorry; I just said it in passing. He called and I just mentioned I was going to meet you at the diner for dinner. But I ended up getting a work order as soon as you called and couldn’t make it. I didn’t know he was going to show up.”
“Why was he calling you in the first place?”
He shrugged. “Trying to reach you. Honestly, it just slipped out.” His eyes widened when he saw the ring on my finger for the first time, but he gulped back whatever he really wanted to say. “It’s clear you aren’t interested in him any longer; I’m not pressing the subject anymore.”
I groaned to the ceiling fan spinning above my head as Kevin kept apologizing.
I shook my head. “It’s fine, babe. I’m sorry for snapping.”
He walked up and pulled me into a hug. I took in a big whiff of the air around him and twisted my face.
“Ew, take a shower.”
He laughed. “Shut up, I just got off work. Movie after?”
“Yeah.”
“You pick. Be out in a sec.”
He started undressing before he even got to the bathroom. I wondered if Wes and Vivian did the same thing. As I inspected at Kevin’s toned body, I felt nothing. Kevin was family to me, much like Vivian had grown to become family for Wes. Kevin’s body, no matter how impressive, wasn’t a big deal to me. So, I had to accept the same mindset for Wes.
I plopped down on the couch and flipped through the channels to find a movie. Kevin emerged from the shower in nothing but a fresh pair of boxers and sat next to me on the couch. My, my, what a hypocrite I was.
“Are you and Kevin made up?” Amira asked me the next morning.
“Yeah, it was just a misunderstanding. If Steven comes near me again, I’m going to get a restraining order.”
“Well, you have your new boyfriend to protect you,” she said with a smile.
I opened my mouth to say my usual: he’s not my boyfriend, I don’t do relationships, etc- but I closed my mouth without a word. I was wearing my old engagement ring; if that wasn’t a sign of a relationship, I didn’t know what it was.
And for once, I didn’t mind. For the first time in a long time, the thought of a relationship excited me; it was something I wanted. I was never anti-relationship; I was just always looking for the right person. Turns out, I knew him all along.
“Did you ask Wesley about the proposal?”
My eyes widened. “I completely forgot.” Yesterday started crazy, and ended up even worse. Over dinner the evening before, Amira told me about a new grant she found that we were eligible for. It had the potential to be a major game-changer to us. It was a big one, and a good letter of recommendation from one of our new donors would be a huge help.
“It’s due in four days.”
“I know, I know. I’ll ask.”
I slipped into the office as the first child entered for the day, waving to her mother before closing the door behind me. I called Wes from the office phone.
“Hello?”
“Hi.” I smiled into the phone when he answered, the sound of his voice almost making me forget the reason I was calling. “Can you come over tonight?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Amira found a great opportunity for us, a grant. I was wondering if you could speak with one of your friends from the awards ceremony to provide us with a recommendation. It would be a huge help.”
“Absolutely. I’ll have it for you tonight. Should be there by seven.”
“Thanks.”
The thought of interacting with Vivian made my skin itch, but I was serious when I told him I would try. I respected their living situation and relationship, and I was slowly starting to accept that it was similar to mine and Kevin’s.
Luckily for me, tonight was just another night I could pretend she didn’t exist. Kevin was working late, so Wes was coming over to my house instead.