Chapter Thirty
“What do you mean, you're back?”
Jayna walked in looking at Darren like she had seen a ghost.
“What didn't you understand?”
He turned his back on her and walked away.
Darren walked toward the interior of the home. He left the door open and headed to the bedroom. Jayna never saw his front, but she did see his-well sculpted backside. Darren walked in the bedroom where Korie was still sleeping. He put his underwear back on and his jeans. He then came out to the living area and went to the refrigerator to see what Korie had in the fridge. He wanted to continue to sleep. He wanted to continue making love to her. Clearly, that wasn't about to happen, so he decided to get his energy levels back up and prepare breakfast.
Jayna was still standing there with her mouth open. She couldn't believe that Darren was back in Korie's life. More than that, she couldn't believe that Korie would cheat on a man like DeVaughn Harris or that she would take Darren back. She was miffed. She was miffed the way that women often are when their girlfriends take ex-boyfriends back. She looked at him as if she was dreaming and he just happened to be in her dream. She couldn't believe that he was there.
“It's been a few years,” Jayna said to Darren.
“It's been five years.”
Darren went back to looking for something to eat. He pulled out turkey bacon, eggs, toast, potatoes, and a number of spices.
“What are you doing?”
Jayna sounded as if she were questioning why he was there more than what he was doing with the food.
“Making breakfast. You want some?”
Darren continued, oblivious to Jayna's shock. In truth, he didn't care what she thought. Jayna put her bag down and paced a bit before she spoke.
“You do know that she's seeing someone, right?” Jayna said.
Darren smiled a bit before speaking. His every muscle tensed up in his body. His bare chest and arms flexed a bit as he tried to contain his frustration with her.
“You do know that none of this is really your business, right?”
He began cutting up an onion and pulling out more spices from the cabinet.
Jayna walked closer to the counter to speak with Darren. She walked over as if she were sneaking to say what needed to be said. As if she was feeling guilty. She kept her voice to just a whisper.
“That's my best friend in there,” she said while pointing to the bedroom.
“Right. And we know how loyal you are to your friends.”
Darren found a carton of orange juice and took a sip directly from the carton, a habit that Jayna hated and one that she knew Korie hated when she and Darren lived together. It was one of those things that Korie used to always complain about. Silence fell between the two of them. Jayna knew exactly what it was that he was implying.
“That was a long time ago. I'm a changed woman.”
“Then prove it. Mind your business.”
He scraped the onion in a skillet and added diced potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. He leaned in to smell the mixture as it cooked.
Jayna still was thrown off. She didn't expect to see Darren there. The years had been good to him. He was fitâvery fit. He was ruggedly handsome, and he obviously still knew how to make Korie smile. He walked around the kitchen with familiarity. He walked like he owned the place or as if he lived there. It was like he just walked in and picked up where he left off years ago.
He cooked. He cooked the food that was in the fridge and just like years ago, Darren knew his way around a kitchen. He brewed more coffee, made breakfast, and even cut up some fruit. Jayna said nothing initially. She just watched him. He ignored her and turned the radio on in the kitchen while he cooked. He ignored her but that didn't mean he hadn't noticed her. She looked good, damned good. But she wasn't his Korie. And she still had a problem minding her own business. As far as Darren was concerned, she was another obstacle in the way.
Because of her inability to mind her own business, he ignored her. He promised himself he would be cordial, but nothing more. He hated that she was here, but it was obvious that Korie was expecting her. Jayna was in running gear and Darren remembered tossing Korie's running gear aside as they made love in the bedroom.
“I just have one more thing to say, “Jayna said.
“Of course you do,” Darren said flatly.
“All I ever wanted for my girl was for her to be happy. If that means that she's with you and you're in it for the long haul, then fine. But she has a good man now. She has a man of means. If he can make her happier, you should consider walking away. He can offer her more than you can. I know that you might find that hard to believe if you're still half the arrogant SOB that you were years ago. The man she is dating isâ”
“DeVaughn Harris. I know. And how do you know I can't offer her what he can?”
“Because he flew her to Tokyo recently.”
Back to this Tokyo trip again, Darren thought.
“And is that all that is important, what he can do financially? I'm no slouch myself.”
“Maybe not, but you're not in the same league financially that he is.”
“You're right. I'm not. But there are other things besides finances.”
“Like what?”
“Like love. That's what Korie was trying to explain to me years ago.”
“Wow, and it only took you five years to figure that out,” she said sarcastically.
Darren cut Jayna a look and she cut him one back. Both were trying to be cordial. Both were trying to keep the kid gloves on for Korie's sake.
Darren pointed at Jayna and started to say something mean. Instead, he started cleaning up the counter and putting the spices back.
“Okay, now here you go,” he said with his back to her.
“She never told me why you left. Only that you left”
“Then I guess it's not for you to know why. Just know this: I'm back.”
“Yeah . . . back. But for how long?”
“Forever.”
“You said that the last time.”
“And I meant it the last time.”
“But you left.”
“Jayna, there are two sides to every story.”
“And I don't know either side.”
“Hmm, I wonder why that is?”
He didn't say anything else to her. He took the bacon and placed it in a skillet as well as the potatoes. He added the spices, surveyed the fridge to see what else was there, and went to work in the kitchen. He had the meal prepared in almost no time. He didn't speak to Jayna again. He couldn't. He knew if the two of them kept at it there would be a fight, a huge one that would end up in screaming and swearing. He didn't need that. His fledgling relationship with Korie didn't need that.
He drained the bacon on paper towels, scrambled the eggs, and made the toast. The potatoes were seasoned to perfection and tossed in the oven on warm. He sliced fruit on a plate and set it out to be eaten. He then went to the linen closet to gather a towel and toiletries. Everything was exactly where it was when he left.
“Excuse me. I need to get in the shower.”
He grabbed what he could find and jumped in the shower. Seconds later water was running, the music was playing in the kitchen, and the sun was up and flexing its morning muscle. Jayna was two and a half hours late for their run, but Korie hadn't called, so she assumed Korie was still asleep as she always was when it came time for their run. Jayna figured it didn't matter what time she arrived, and decided to let Korie sleep a little later today since she was at an event last night. Apparently, she had an event this morning as well.
Minutes later, Korie surfaced. Her hair was all over her head and she came out in just a pajama top. She didn't even bother to fasten the top. The smells from the kitchen woke her from her slumber. She was yawning and scratching her head as she exited the bedroom. She was practically in the kitchen before she bumped into Jayna.
“Oh shit, girl, you scared me!” She fastened her top.
“I don't know why. You obviously have protection sleeping over.”
“What?”
Korie then recognized that her shower was on and that someone obviously had to have let Jayna in. She had a look of confusion and guilt on her face and then she just kind of shrugged her shoulders as if to say, I don't know what to tell you.
“Oh yeah, about that . . .”
“Korie. What's going on?”
“I . . . dunno.”
“Korie, you're naked.”
“Okay, there is a good explanation for that,” she said jokingly with one finger up as if she were trying to excuse herself in church.
“Korie, what's Darren doing here?”
“He just showed up.”
Again she shrugged her shoulders. The pajama top was his. It was one of the things of his that she slept in from time to time since he'd been gone. Clearly she found it. As she shrugged her shoulders, the oversized sleeves and top practically swallowed her.
“After five years? He just popped up out of the blue?”
“Well, no. He's been trying to contact me for a few months now. I told him no andâ”
“And your body obviously told him yes. Let me guess, you accidentally fucked him last night?”
“It wasn't last night. Actually, it's been for the last three hours. And by the way, you're late.”
Korie poured herself a cup of coffee.
“You don't look like you're ready to run, anyway. Shit, you look like you just stepped out of a washing machine after the damned spin cycle. Are you seriously telling me that you let him walk back into your life after all he's done?”
“Jayna, it's complicated.”
“You're damned right it's complicated. What about Vaughn?”
“I don't know.”
“What do you mean, you don't know?”
“I mean, I don't know. I like Vaughn a lot. But I never stopped loving Darren. I'd be lying if I said that I did. I always had a soft spot for Darren. Even after all this time. A lot of women would make up some silly excuse for doing what he and I just did. A lot of women would blame it on weakness, or the man being manipulative, or just being horny. I miss him. I love him. And I know it's not right and he and I have a lot of problems and things to sort out. Maybe I'm being stupid. Maybe sleeping with him was a mistake, but at least I'm woman enough to admit it. And hell, I enjoyed it.”
“Girl, did you offer any resistance?”
“Oh yeah. I let him have it verbally. I took my shots. I let him know how angry I was. In fact, I was in the middle of kicking him out before we slept together.”
“And then what?”
“And then . . . he took off his shirt.”
Korie shook her head in amazement as she remembered what happened. She was forced to smile just a little bit. The whole thing was actually kind of funny.
“His shirt?”
“His shirt.”
“And then what?”
“And then his pants.”
“For what?”
“He said to show me what I was missing.”
“And what did you do?”
“IâuhâIâtook off my clothes too.” Korie had a sinful look on her face.
“You did what?”
“Shit, I decided to show him what he was missing!”
Korie put her hands on both hips as she made her point.
“You are both a hot mess. What did he say when you disrobed?”
“He said... damn!”
Both women laughed, then high-fived each other. Jayna shook her head in disbelief as she took a seat in the living room recliner.
“Oh, I wouldn't sit there until I've had a chance to use some upholstery cleaner.”
“What? Ewww!”
Jayna moved to the couch.
“Uh . . . the same with the couch.”
“Again, ewww.”
“In fact, don't lean on the countertop, watch the floor, let me move this chairâoh, and the cocktail table, as you can see, is broken.”
Korie rushed around to tidy up a bit.
“Korie, the cocktail table? Are you kidding me? You didn't lose that much weight.”
“We had to try it out.”
“Did you now?”
“It was one of those things that just kind of happened.”
“You're lucky you didn't cut your ass in half.”