Chapter 6
Dyani
I cursed while I adjusted the hold I had on my groceries and did my best to get through the front door of the apartment complex. I cursed again when I heard something fall out of one of the bags.
“I’ve got it!” someone announced.
The door opened wider and I wobbled through before looking back.
“Jayme!” I grinned at her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She grabbed some of my bags and I let them go without argument. “Is this everything?”
“Yep. I was not trying to make another trip.”
“I felt that.”
We both laughed as we headed toward the elevator.
Jayme pressed the button and we waited in silence. I wasn’t sure how to put my finger on it but there was something off about Jayme. She wasn’t acting like the same women I’d met when we were furniture shopping. She wasn’t sweet and bubbly. She looked like her head was a million miles away.
I didn’t want to pull her out of her head though.
Shit. For all I knew she could have gone quiet around me because she thought I was trying to fuck her baby daddy which, as bad as it sounded, was actually somewhat true.
I exhaled. Jayme looked over at me.
“You good?”
“I was actually about to ask you the same thing.”
Jayme shrugged and we filed out of the elevator when it dinged on my floor.
“Life is doing what it does,” she said.
“I felt that.” I nodded. “Do you need anything?”
“Nah, but thank you for asking. That’s sweet.”
“Of course, and if you change your mind, this is where I am.”
I stopped in front of my door, rummaged for my key, and popped it open.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I set my bags right in front of the doorway then turned around to grab the other ones from Jayme.
I made a split decision.
“Can we talk?” I asked.
She blinked at me. “Uhm, sure.”
“Okay. Great.” I pushed the door open further and gestured for her to head inside. “You can sit anywhere. I’m sorry I have all of this stuff everywhere.”
I threw my keys on the little table by the door and dragged my bags to the kitchen, tossing them on the counter.
“Girl, you’re good. The furniture looks good in here,” she sang as she looked around the crowded space.
“Thank you. I had pretty good help deciding what would look best.”
“The best help.”
“You’re not lying.” I started taking my cold items out of their bags. “Can I get you anything to drink or something?”
“Nah. I’m good.” She hopped up on a chair. “But what’s up?”
I exhaled and turned around to face Jayme. I set my hands on the island.
“I kissed Arris,” I blurted.
Jayme blinked at me. “Okay?” she scoffed.
“I didn’t know you two were linked and we kissed and I’m not going to pursue anything with him if shit is going to be weird.”
“I— Dyani…” She paused then snickered. “Arris and I have been broken up for a while now and he’s free to date whoever he wants, I promise.
We have a good coparenting relationship and I don’t know.
You seem nice and you’ve already met Blake.
I don’t feel any type of way about what y’all have going on and that’s not going to change.
” She reached over and set her hand on mine.
“I’m good. I promise and I appreciate you telling me this and caring. ”
I exhaled.
“Okay. I just… I don’t know. I mean, I technically met him first but I think you’re good people and I don’t know.”
“We’re good,” she assured me. “I mean, if I was jealous of anyone, it would be Arris, not you.” She winked at me and I scoffed.
“So, you’re…?” I waved my hand side to side.
Jayme laughed and sat up.
“Oh. I’m very…” She flipped her wrist downward.
We both laughed.
“Same.”
“So I have a chance?” she joked.
I lifted an eyebrow. Jayme was gorgeous and I enjoyed the time we’d spent shopping. We exchanged a few messages here and there in the days since and I thought she was funny, but her flirting with me was different. I was instantly nervous. I swallowed, licked my lips, and shifted on my feet again.
“Well, I have a date with Arris tonight so you may be a little late.”
“Please,” she rolled her eyes, “Arris would love a little friendly competition.” Jayme chortled. “I’m joking, Dyani. Breathe. I’m just coming out of a relationship. I’m not trying to jump into anything else serious right now,” she assured me.
“Oh.” I shifted on my feet. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. It was a dead-end relationship anyway.”
“Well I’m glad you figured it out sooner rather than later.”
“Yeah. Me too.” Her phone beeped. She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at her screen. “Thanks for having me, and if you ever want to hang out, feel free to let me know. We can let Blake and Arris hang out while we shop or something.” She hopped up.
“That sounds nice.”
“Good.” She walked around the counter and gave me a quick hug. “And if I finish healing and Arris hasn’t locked you down, I’ll call you.” She winked. I giggled. “Have a good day, Dyani.”
She let me go, spun around, and headed toward the door.
I watched her go.
Arris and Jayme were both so confident and straightforward it was a little off-putting.
Fuck.
They were going to make me crazy.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
I was getting overwhelmed and more annoyed by the second.
I took a few more deep breaths, then looked around my crowded bedroom.
I’d done my best to unpack my kitchen and bathroom yesterday but hadn’t exactly gotten back to it after going out with Illiana and ending up with Arris.
After shopping and unloading my groceries, I’d tried to get work done but due to sleeping in, there wasn’t much time to get things handled.
Now I stood in the center of my bedroom, spinning in a slow circle, trying to remember where I’d put the box with my cute dresses or at least the one with my better jeans.
I shook my hands out and locked in. I wasn’t going to get upset or stressed.
I made a beeline for the kitchen, grabbed the first knife I saw, and started ripping open boxes.
There was a chance the box I was looking for was just mislabeled.
It had to be here though. I made sure my old place was empty and I’d double checked the truck my stuff had been moved in, making sure it was empty after delivery.
I paused and my head jerked up when knocking echoed throughout the apartment.
“Fuck!” I rushed over to the door and peeked through the hole.
I looked at my watch on my wrist then outside again. Fuck. It wasn’t seven yet, but of course Arris was early.
I opened the door just a little and peeped at him.
He stood there with at least two dozen flowers in one of his hands, the other shoved into his pocket. He wore a white button up and black pants but he looked damn good, like always.
“Hey,” I said lamely. “I don’t know if I can do this date thing tonight.”
“Okay.” He blinked at me. “Are you okay, Dyani?”
My lip stuck out automatically. Arris’s eyes widened slightly.
I sniffed. He pushed the door open softly.
I took a step back to let him push his way in and he closed the space between us, his strong arms immediately wrapping around me.
The second he tightened them, my tears started flowing.
I didn’t know what it was about having someone ask if I was okay that unlocked the tears, but it worked on me every time.
“You good, Dyani,” Arris said quietly. “You good and I’ve got you.” He pulled back and looked down at me. “What’s wrong?”
“Sorry. I’m just overwhelmed. I’m sorry.” I sniffed.
He gave me a small smile.
“It’s okay. There ain’t no reason for you to apologize for how you feel. What’s going on?”
I gestured around but didn’t say a word. He walked further inside, looking around at the scattered boxes littering the floor. He offered the flowers back to me.
“Thank you.” I sniffed as I took them.
“Stop crying,” he said as he walked toward the few boxes still in the kitchen. “I don’t like that shit.” He plucked a box up and set it on the counter. “I’ll open the boxes and pull everything out and you decide where you want it to go.”
I sniffed again and wiped at my eyes.
“Arris, I’m not going to make you unpack my stuff.”
“You can’t make me do anything I don’t want to do, love.”
He pulled a pocketknife out and sliced the box open. I stood in shock for several seconds while he started taking the dishes out and setting them on the counter. I sniffed again as I walked over to him.
“I thought we were going on a date.”
“I just wanted to spend time with you and get to know you. We can talk and get to know each other while we unpack.”
“Arris—”
He cut me off. “You got a vase for those flowers?”
“No, but I can get one.” I exhaled and smiled. “They’re beautiful by the way. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He flipped the box in his hands, cut the bottom expertly, and started folding it up. He looked over at me and his eyebrows fiddled together. “You good?”
“Yeah.”
“You just want to stand there and stare at your boy?” He grinned and I rolled my eyes while I tried to fight my smile and failed. “I mean, you can sit there and stare at me while I do this if you want, but shit, it may take a little longer.”
“As if.” I sucked my teeth and took the empty box from him to start a pile near the front door.
With the open floor plan, it was right between the kitchen and living room anyway.
“As if what?” Arris started pulling each of my cabinets open.
“As if you’d let me sit there and watch you unpack all of my shit.” I stressed the word my.
“Let me tell you one more time since shit is obviously getting lost in translation. I just want to spend time with you.”
“I heard you.” I walked over to the nearest box on the living room side. “I just didn’t take that to mean you’d let me sit around giving you directions.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. Men aren’t usually good at listening.” I shrugged.