Differences

Chapter 14

14

Taja

“D amn girl, you trying to get you a man tonight!” Allison commented as I walked out of my bedroom.

I scoffed. “Girl, please! When I tell you I’m done with men for a long time, I mean a very long time.”

I applied the brown lip pencil and gloss to my lips before we headed out of the door. Tonight was TRU’s gala. Allison and I spent all day in hair and makeup. We knew that everyone who was someone was going to be there, so we had to look the part. I wore a long, red mermaid satin dress with a slit that went all the way up my thigh. The dress was strapless with sequins across the top. Allison wore a beautiful metallic gold dress with a dramatic train. She was stunning. She had returned from Japan a week ago and had been staying with me, keeping me company.

“Don’t let one raggedy, stank, poor, ashy-ass man spoil it for everyone. Jay should’ve been left in the dust a long time ago. He has been holding you back. Now you can travel with me more,” she squealed.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Allison wasn’t right. I hadn’t sworn off men because of Jay’s ass, nor was I thinking about another man because I was still thinking about Weston. I didn’t tell Allison about Weston because everything still stung. The day he put me out of his house hurt so badly. All I wanted to do was be there for him, but it wasn’t enough. I thought that maybe by now we would’ve seen each other at work, but he had been out. Everyone at the company was concerned. Finally, I took it upon myself to let the leadership team know about the passing of his mother. I didn’t want him to lose the one thing he helped build. The company sent flowers and cards to his home, but as of today, there wasn’t a response.

I reached out a few times to Rae just to let her know I was thinking about her. We kept the conversation short and sweet. I didn’t bother asking about Weston. If anything, Weston was probably still being a jackass to her, and she had not heard from him either. However, I won’t lie. I was missing him badly. I was concerned about his well-being. I felt conflicted, and it was killing me. Tonight, he was one of the recipients being honored, but I doubted he would be there, especially after everything.

“Ta! The car is outside. You ready?” Allison asked.

I smiled and grabbed my clutch. “As ready as I’m going to be.”

* * *

I stood at the bar, grabbing a glass of white wine for Allison and me. We had been at the gala for an hour, and more people were strolling in. Everyone was dressed in their best, and it was beautiful to see. Allison was mostly taking pictures with people. I couldn’t help but be proud of her. Allison had worked her ass off, and she deserved everything that was coming to her. I sipped from my glass while scanning the room. Everyone who was everyone was in the building. TRU even extended the invite to the top buyers and fans. I’ve always imagined myself here one of these days, but actually being here was beautiful. A part of me was thankful that Jay cheated on me. I knew I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this moment and take it in if he had been on my shoulder.

“This for me?” Allison asked, walking up and reaching for the other wine glass.

“Yep, I was about to drink it,” I teased.

“Girl, people won’t give me a break, but I don’t care. I love this shit.”

“I know you do.”

“Hey,” she said. “Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here in this position. You are an amazing person. You had an opportunity to come up, and instead of only worrying about yourself, you included me. I’m forever in debt to you, Ta.”

I felt the tears building in my eyes. “You’re welcome.”

We hugged each other tight before heading to our seats. The awards ceremony was starting. Allison and I sat at a table with a few other people from the company. The CEO made his way to the stage with his beautiful wife beside him. He was an older white man with a gray pepper beard, and his wife was a chocolate-skinned older woman who didn’t look a day over forty.

“Good evening, everyone. Wow! Don’t you all look ravishing tonight!”

Everyone cheered.

“I just want to thank you all for coming out supporting TRU tonight. We have sacrificed a lot to get here. I would let you all know I would do it all again in a heartbeat with the same people I see out in front of me. I appreciate you all, and this is just the beginning.”

The crowd clapped and cheered.

“Thank you,” he expressed. “Even though we have made some groundbreaking moves this year by everyone, we are going to take the time out tonight to honor a few people.”

Suddenly, the crowd whispered, and a sudden commotion began. I looked toward what everyone was staring at. Most of the people were staring at the entrance. I had to stand to see past everyone. Once I laid eyes on what the commotion was, my soul left my body. There stood Weston in a black fitted tux. His hair was cut to perfection, his skin looked as if he was younger, and the small smile on his face warmed my heart. To the left of him was Rae. She looked beautiful. She wore a baby blue sparkly gown that showed her beautiful curves. Instead of her locs, she had on a wig that was curled in layers, and it flowed down her back. My heart smiled at seeing them together. He walked further into the room and grabbed a seat at a table. He pulled the chair out for her, helping her into her seat.

Allison leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Girl, who is that woman on Weston’s arm? I know these hos in here mad as hell.”

I smiled and focused my attention back on the CEO, who was watching the interaction. He had a big smile on his face. He nodded his head at Weston and began speaking back into the microphone.

“We are going to get started honoring our first employee.” He looked over at Weston. “This gentleman has saved and grown this company in many ways. You know, some people might say he holds a tight fist around the pocketbook strings, but that’s what makes a company successful. He has done everything he could to make sure that this company has stayed afloat even during hard times. Therefore, we honor him. Can I have a round of applause for Mr. Weston Jones?”

The room filled with applause as Weston stood from his seat. He made his way on stage but not before shaking hands with a few people. Once he was on stage, he and the CEO shared a brotherly hug, and the CEO’s wife passed Weston a crystal award. Weston looked at it and smiled. The crowd went quiet as he approached the mic. He stared out into the crowd. He didn’t look as if he had just taken the biggest loss of his life. He looked as if he had it all together.

My eyes stayed on him. I didn’t want to miss anything. I missed him, and my body missed him. If his being a few feet away from me helped my longing, I would take it. He dropped his head and cleared his throat. When he looked up, he locked eyes with me. Chills shot throughout my body. He kept his eyes on me for what felt like forever.

“Girl, why is he looking at you like that?” Allison whispered. “Do you know something that I don’t know?”

I shook my head. Weston continued to stare at me. If Allison noticed it, I’m sure everyone else did, so I broke eye contact. Weston cleared his throat again and spoke.

“Thank you. It is truly an honor to be receiving this award. Um...when I took on the role of CFO, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, especially since it was a makeup company. I remember going home and telling my mama and sister about my job. They both looked at me confused, proud, but confused.” He chuckled. “That’s all I wanted to do, was make them proud.” His voice cracked, and my heart stung.

“About a month ago, I lost my mama.” The crowd gasped. “Um...it’s probably one of the hardest things I ever experienced. Grief is a tricky asshole. A lot of regret, guilt, anger, pain, confusion, and sadness. That is what I have battled with over the past month. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still grieving and will probably grieve for the rest of my life. Yet I’m learning to accept it’s okay. However, what I know is that it’s best to live your life to the fullest. Never take those that are important to you for granted. Love on them, laugh with them, hug them, and apologize to them without letting an hour or day go by.”

He paused, clearing his throat and looking at me.

“Allow the stubborn wall to fall and let the person you love know how thankful you are for them and that you cannot imagine life without them. I was never a person who believed in love at first sight, especially between two people on two different ends of the spectrum. But I’m a walking testimony. It is real...”

He kept staring at me as he let his words trail off.

“To my sister, Raven.” He looked over in her direction. “Stand up, sis.”

Rae hesitantly stood up, and the crowd clapped.

“Thank you for being you. You are an amazing big sister, and we are all that we’ve got. I love you, Rae. Thanks for never giving up on me. I would also like to thank someone special. Thank you for also not giving up on me. From that night of us sharing a medium fry to you holding me while I cried over my mother, I appreciate you more than you will know. I’ve loved you since I spotted you in the club, and I will never stop. If anything, I love you more now, after everything,” Weston professed.

My heart raced, and I could feel the tears preparing to fall.

“Last but not least, to my mama.” His voice softened, and he wiped at his eye. “Mama, I’m sorry that you are not here to physically see this. I know if you had been here, you would have made everybody in here look bad. You would’ve stolen the show.” He smiled, and the crowd laughed. “But I’m thankful to know that you are now with me every step of the way from now on.” He reached into his shirt and pulled out a gold necklace. It had a heart locket. He tapped it with his hand. “Thank you, Mama. This one and everything else after this is for you. Thank you, TRU, I appreciate y’all. It’s only more to come!”

The crowd stood on their feet and clapped loudly. My eyes became wet, and I knew if I had stayed there any longer, people would’ve noticed the tears. Allison called for me, but I was on a one-way mission out of the room.

Finally, I made it to the restroom, ran into a stall, and let the tears fall. I knew the all-day makeup was going to be ruined, but I didn’t care. It was a sigh of relief seeing Weston stand on stage. I didn’t realize how heavy I felt about not seeing him or speaking for him. Then, to hear him mention me made the heaviness creep away. I was satisfied knowing he was going to be okay.

I opened the stall door and damn near jumped out of my dress.

“Shit, Weston, you scared the shit out of me.”

Weston rested against the sink with his arms folded across his chest and his ankles crossed. He didn’t seem the least bit fazed, startling me.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m okay.”

I wanted to fall into his arms. I wanted him to kiss all over me, sweep me off my feet, and love all over each other, yet I knew at this current time he didn’t need that.

“You look beautiful. Shit beyond beautiful.”

“Thank you. You look handsome as well. Rae looks ravishing. Please tell her I said she stole the show tonight. Beautiful speech, by the way.”

I tried to move around him to the sink, but Weston stepped in front of me. I looked at him, confused. He stared at me. There was no expression on his face, and the more he stared at me, the more nervous I became under him.

“What are you doing?”

“I miss you.”

I tried to move again, but he blocked me again. “Nah, I’ve missed you.” He placed his hand on my cheek. He used his thumb and softly rubbed in the same spot.

“What I said up there, I meant all that shit, Taja, since that day in the club. I want to apologize for everything I said to you. I apologize for dragging you along through all this shit. I also want to say I’m sorry for going cold the way I did.”

“It’s okay. You were going through something, so I understand,” I softly voiced.

“But it’s not. I regret everything about that day. I knew I needed to fix myself before I dragged you into a crazy world. You’re too perfect for that.”

“Weston...”

He dropped his hand from my face and reached for my hands. He placed a kiss on both before speaking.

“I’m not saying I’m perfect. I’m learning how to grieve. What I know is I can’t do another minute without you. I needed you then, and I need you now. Taja Walker, you are it for me. Since the day you came into my life, you’ve had me head over heels for you. I want you to be all mine.”

“Weston...”

“Please say yes. If I have to buy you McDonald’s every day, I will, just to get a yes. If I have to get on my knees and beg, I will. I just know ain’t no way you’re walking out of this bathroom without me.”

“Weston!” I smiled. “I’ve missed you more than you know.”

I jumped in his arms and kissed him with all the built-up energy I had since I last saw him. The kiss lasted for another thirty seconds before we pulled away from each other. We rested our foreheads against each other. He pecked my lips before speaking.

“I’m going to make all this up to you. Spending that time away from you lets me know that no matter what I’m going through or how good or bad my day is, I need you there. You blind me with your light, baby. I love you.”

I smiled. “Love you, too, Tank Head.”

He chuckled. “Haha, funny. Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to be around all these people anymore.”

“Where we gonna go?”

“To Rae’s. I’ve been staying there at least twice a week. Keezy is there now.”

My eyebrow raised. He huffed. “Yep, whatever you’re thinking, the answer is yes.”

I laughed. “Good for Rae!”

Weston scowled at me.

“I meant bad for Rae!”

“Whatever. If he makes her happy, I can’t do anything about that. He’s been supporting us, and that lets me know she’s in good hands.”

Surprised by Weston’s response, he let me know he was working on himself, and once the work was completed, he was going to be a different person.

“Well, we can head over there. I’m ready to get out of this dress.”

“I’m ready to take you out of this dress,” Weston flirted, kissing my shoulder.

“I have to let Allison know.”

“Go ahead. I’ll grab Rae, and we’ll meet you out front.”

I smiled and turned to walk away. Weston grabbed me by my hand and spun me back around, causing me to crash into his chest.

“I love you, Taja. No amount of money can equate to how much I love you. Thank you.”

“And I love you more, Weston Jones.”