Dove

12. Dove

TWO DAYS LATER

“She keeps climbing higher and higher. We know Reighvyn Bloom doesn’t have a wife out there, so I wonder what her interest in the MMA star is.”

“Girl, we already know it’s about the money. She lucked up finding one who doesn’t have kids, a wife, or a baby mama. She’ll get bored soon.”

“That heffa’s gonna get pregnant first. Watch what I tell you. She’s gonna make his ass pay before she releases him.”

“You see how she thought she was good until that reporter recognized her?”

“Girl, the look on her face!”

I recalled a time when I used to love watching the MixTube channel, Telique and Tequana Talk About It! I once loved the twins’ vlog, especially fashion chats and even some of the celebrity gossip. Now that I was the one under the spotlight, it didn’t feel so good.

I scratched my forehead and pulled my knees up to my chest before I wrapped my arms around them.

I was learning to find comfort in the little things.

Watching all these videos online about the airport incident was becoming overwhelming, but as soon as I finished one, another one popped up.

They were hard to ignore, no matter how much I needed to and wanted to.

They didn’t hurt as badly as they once had, though.

My phone rang, jarring me out of my reverie.

I smiled when I saw that it was a LiveTime call from my best friend, Myracle Stone.

We hadn’t spoken much since I’d come out here to the island.

She was a quality assurance auditor, and she was often required to travel to foreign plants, shipyards, and supplier facilities to conduct safety inspections.

“Hey, girl,” I greeted.

“Don’t hey me, boo. What’s this I hear about you and Reighvyn dating with his fine ass? Milk does a body good because he’s gotten fine as hell since he grew up. His muscles even have muscles. Big, fine ass. What’s up with y’all, girl?”

“Nothing.”

Myracle leaned closer to the screen and tapped on it before she frowned at me. “Heffa, lie to my face again,” she retorted angrily.

“Really, friend?”

“I’m the one who should be upset. Why I gotta find out the tea online by reading the latest gossip vlog and on Sociogram, because I just knew they weren’t talking about my bestie? Hell, I didn’t even know y’all were back in touch.”

“You’re in Malaysia. It’s not my fault you’re twelve hours ahead of me and never available,” I whined.

“I am now.”

I laughed, but I indulged her and gave her the details of how Reighvyn and I reconnected.

“Honey, it sounds like you traded in that no-good ass nigga for a gift.”

“And if you never mentioned that other nigga again, I would be just fine.”

We laughed. “Honestly, you deserve the best, Dove. Except for this minor indiscretion, you’ve always done what’s right. Give yourself grace and forgive yourself.”

“Girl, I’m trying to.”

I got up off the couch to head outside and see what Reighvyn was doing.

“It’s time to move on, Dove.”

“That’s why I’m here on this island—healing and acceptance.” I leaned against the doorframe and stared at Reighvyn stringing a cord through shells.

“Then do that, friend.”

“Speaking of which, . . . I’ve got to go because one very fine man is staring at me with a sexy, crooked smile on his face.” I wiggled my fingers at Reighvyn who winked at me.

“Mm. Girl, you’ve got me over here fantasizing. Let me get off this phone and play with myself for another hour,” Myracle stated.

“Eww! Nasty ass.” I pushed off the doorframe and walked toward Reighvyn.

Myracle laughed her ass off as I ended the call.

“Who was that?” Reighvyn asked.

“Myracle.”

“How is she doing?”

“Same. Still crazy and wild as ever.”

He chuckled. “She’s a good girl underneath.”

“She is. What’s that?” I asked.

“This . . . is for you, beautiful.” He grabbed my hand and placed a bracelet, made of beautiful seashells in iridescent colors, around my wrist and fastened it.

“You made this yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“Baby, it’s beautiful.” I turned my arm in different directions to catch the gleam of the waning sun on the seashells.

“I just thought you might want something to remember our time here.” He tugged me down onto his lap and wrapped me in his arms. This was where I felt the safest at, and I loved being here with him like this.

Whenever I thought about either of us leaving this place, it saddened me.

I wished that we could remain like this forever.

“Thank you. It’s beautiful, and I’m sure that I will cherish it for a lifetime.”

“Why are you looking so sad?”

“I don’t look forward to us leaving.”

“We’ll be in the same city.”

“I know, but here, we’re in our own little cocoon where I feel safe and protected.”

“Li’l bit, I don’t know if you know this, but it doesn’t matter where we go. As long as I’m there with you, you’ll always be safe and protected. I’m on that ‘I wish a nigga would’ shit when you’re around.”

I giggled. “Seriously though, Reigh. You’ve had a great reputation. Your comeback is going to be even greater. Everyone all over social media and the news outlets are talking about it. That’s why you shut your phone off.”

“Shit gets overwhelming.”

“I know. I don’t want that for you, but I also don’t want to be the reason that it all goes away.”

“What are you talking about, Dove?” he asked, scrubbing his hand back and forth over his head in a repeated, fast motion.

“I’m talking about all the stuff surrounding my affair with Neal, the rumors about me breaking you and Danielle up, and the lies about my shop struggling. I don’t want my problems to pervade your life.”

“All things go away in time, Dove, and the same will happen with this bullshit they’re on about your life.”

“Yeah, but what if in time, the issues that are in my life causes you to lose sponsorships and the support of your fans?”

“Baby, trust me. You could never hurt me that way,” he reassured me and kissed the side of my neck.

“I think we should address the rumors then. Let’s put it all to rest once and for all.”

“How?”

“I’ve been in hiding for a year, and I want to tell my story. I want to protect you at the same time. Will you let me?”

“Baby, in this place that we’re in, you’re already protecting me. You give me a safe space to escape the world, Dove.”

“I want to go on social media and tell the truth about what happened between Neal and me. I want to let the people know that I care about you deeply, and it doesn’t matter what everyone else feels; it’s only about how we feel about each other.”

“You know what you’re gonna say?” he asked.

“I just want to speak from the heart.”

He pulled out his phone and went to the Sociogram app on his phone, and I did the same.

He went live and allowed me to join his live since he had the most followers.

“Hey, y’all. I guess you all have heard the news by now about the decision and my reinstatement.” People were sending comments like crazy. Reighvyn took his time responding to those before he switched gears.

“Listen, there’s someone very special in my life, who is sitting here with me now.

We wanted to address a couple of things.

I’ma tell y’all straight up. You know I’m a private person.

I don’t do interviews and shit like that.

I only post shit that’s fight related. But for her, I’ll do what she needs me to do, so I’m hopping on here to chat with y’all.

I’ma tell you straight up: Don’t come with the disrespectful comments and shit, or your ass will get blocked.

Don’t come with the lies, or your ass will get sued.

Y’all feel me? A’ight then. Let’s get into it,” he stated, nodding at me.

I smiled into the camera. “You guys may know me because of a very reckless decision that I made a couple of years ago. I’ve been dubbed with a name that I prefer not to address, but my real name is Dove.

I simply wanted to come online and address the rumors that were spread about Neal Cunningham and me. ”

I explained the details about how Neal and I met, what I was led to believe, the poor decisions that I made after learning about his wife, and what happened in the aftermath.

The viewers were growing by the hundreds, and people were tuning in to hear what I had to say.

During the conversation, I received a DM from Neal, but I ignored it.

“The most important thing that I wanted to address is this man. I don’t believe that I owe anyone an explanation, but because he means the world to me, so does his reputation.

I’m not here to tarnish or take anything from his life.

I’m simply here to give him everything that I’ve always given him, .

. . peace,” I stated simply as I looked away from the camera and into his eyes.

“Y’all, this one is a real one. She’s like my day one.

We’ve known each other since elementary school, and when all the people in my inner circle dipped on me at the height of this scandal, God brought her pretty-eyed self through the doors of my life.

Like literally, y’all. She’s made every day brighter since then, and she’s made it easy to get through these trying times. She is my peace.”

He tipped my chin and leaned in and brushed his lips sweetly against mine. Once he did that, he turned back to the camera and announced, “We out this bitch.” He ended his live, and I clicked out of the app.

I looked into his eyes and giggled. “Did we just do that?”

“We did.”

“I mean, so are we like a couple or now or what?” I asked as our phones pinged with notifications.

“Girl, if you ain’t figured out this the shit a nigga been wanting since I was a young nigga still having wet dreams, I’on know what to tell you.”

I giggled, and he kissed me again, but this time, much slower and definitely sexier.

I moaned into his mouth as he cupped my hip and squeezed.

His phone rang, but he kept kissing me. Whoever it was really wanted to talk to him, because after the first call ended, they called a second and then a third time.

I pulled back from the kiss and wiped my lip gloss off his lips. “Bae, you might want to answer that,” I remarked.

He glanced at his phone and frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Daniella.”

“Your ex?”

He bobbed his head. She called again after that. “Maybe you might want to take that,” I suggested and hopped off his lap.

He sighed and replied, “Yeah. She’s gonna just keep calling.”

I watched as he stood and walked away to take the call.

I wondered what she wanted that was so urgent that she kept calling.

Although I understood the need for privacy, I couldn’t help but feel a bit insecure that he walked away.

I found myself second-guessing everything and wondering if I moved too fast.

I sat at the patio table playing with the leftover seashells, arranging them in various patterns.

“Ella wants to work things out,” he announced when he returned ten minutes later.

He stood there staring down at me.

“How do you feel about it?” I asked, resting my cheek in my palm.

“I don’t.” His voice lacked emotion.

“Are you surprised?”

“Hell nah. I expected to receive that call once I was reinstated. There’s nothing left to talk about.”

“Do you want to work it out with her?”

“No, Dove. Daniella was in my life for the time that I served her purpose. When I wasn’t serving her purpose, she left. I told her that the only woman I want now is the one I love.”

He sat down on the bench and lifted me onto his lap. His succulent lips covered mine, and he took his time kissing and licking on them and even nipping them until they felt swollen. When he finished, he wrapped me in his massive arms and rested his forehead against mine.

“I want you to get out of your head about whatever you think Ella and me got going on. That shit is done. It’s you and me now. You’re all I want, Dove. I love you.”

He kissed me again so deeply, and that paired with his confession of love and how nothing else mattered but me, left me breathless. In one conversation, he had expelled all doubt from my heart.