Chapter Eight
Edwin wasn't the only one trying to get over unwanted feelings. Janelle had been laying in her bed, knowing she should get up before her mother arrived, but she was having difficulty doing so. Not due to the soreness that was starting to become second nature after their sexing, but it was because of her thoughts that seemed to include Edwin. She turned her head and inhaled deeply his scent that he left behind in her bed.
My gosh, girl, it's only been a few weeks, almost a month. Snap out of it! But she knew going in that this might happen. He was the only one, in a very long time, that she’d had a relationship like this with. No one since the accident, to be honest.
“Shit!” she moaned into the empty room as she brought her hand up to touch her scarred face. It was like a salve on her raw feelings. It served as a reminder of why this was all just a beautiful lie that she needed to start pulling away from. With that in mind, she rolled out of bed and walked into the bathroom to get cleaned up.
Maybe it was a stroke of luck that Edwin said he had to take care of some business this morning and left her alone. She had been spending the majority of her time with that man over the last week and half, and that wasn’t healthy. She needed to be by herself to get back to some routine that didn't include his sexy, handsome, funny, and easygoing.... Stop it! she chided herself. She made quick work of things as she wiped down, did her makeup, and took down her Bantu knots, letting her new curls hang free to her shoulders. She marched quickly over to her dressing closet, tossed off his shirt and stood there trying to decide what to wear.
“What the hell?” she exclaimed while she walked over to the far end of the room. He had made space for his clothes in her closet, she noticed. She shook her head and started to finger through his stuff.
Oh, I like those , she thought, pulling the pants off the line.
They were a pair of heather gray and black cotton sweat pants, but on the dressier side, from American Eagle. Janelle slipped them on, walked over to her clothes, picked out a black tank top, and finished her outfit with a pair of Superman -themed high-top Converse sneakers. She ran down the stairs and opened the door just in time to see her mom walking across the stone path toward her door.
“Oh, don't we look funky today. Are you preparing for a fight?” her mother asked, taking in Janelle's street wear.
“I just might,” she laughed with a shrug.
It had been such a long time since the pair had gone out and really had fun. Sure, she and Camilla were close, but Janelle was still distant and grumpy in a lot of ways. Today she was much more open, forgiving, light-hearted, and laughed over their breakfast more today than she had in months. They then walked along the beach like they used to do when she was younger and chased the seagulls, followed by shopping and a walk in the Morikami Japanese Garden. She really needed this in her life. She realized she was ready to move on, and she knew she had Edwin to thank for the joy that she felt.
“Oh, something smells good,” Janelle said as she walked into the main house.
The aroma of charcoal was being carried on the breeze along with the sound of music. “Oh, Mom…you and Dad are cooking out,” she stated as she rubbed her hands together, greedily. She let out a load scream when she walked out back, onto the large patio to see it filled with people. Everyone turned at the sound of her surprise. Her eyes darted from face to face, many people she hadn't seen in months or, even longer, years. She couldn't contain her emotions. With tears flowing, she tried to escape back into the house, but her way was blocked by Edwin.
“Hey, where you going? All these people dropped everything to be here for you,” he whispered as he took her hand, and guided her outside.
“I can't do this,” she cried.
“Why not? None of these people here care that you were a bitch to them at one time. If they did, they wouldn't have come to the party,” he slowly explained to her.
He let go of her hand and pushed her into the crowd of family and friends that had been waiting for her return. She glanced back over her shoulder at him one more time before she was engulfed by the many bodies. High school friends, cousins, and other family friends were all there, all smiling as they hugged her, kissed her, told her how good she looked, and how much they had missed her. Some even brought their new spouses and a few even had kids to introduce her to. It wasn't long before sounds of hoots and loud laughter was echoing across the patio and backyard. Edwin turned and took back his place behind the grill. He knew that this was what she had longed for, and he was happy he could make one of her dreams come true. It was the least he could do seeing how she was making his dreams come true.
Which one? a voice in his head whispered. His blue gaze searched through the crowd to find her. She's wearing my pants , he noticed and smiled. They were big on her and hung extra low on her hips. He felt something beginning to stir in him, and he broke his gaze as he resigned to focus on his cooking.
I didn't count on this , he thought. Like being carried on the wind, his grandma's words came drifting back to him. It might end up being a lot more than you can handle, she had warned.
He had thought at the time that she had meant him meeting resistance, but now he saw that her words held a much deeper meaning. Whoever was the one that calmed that it was easier for a man to fuck and leave obviously never fucked the right woman. No, he wasn't saying he was in love with Jay, but she was different. She was special. And he wasn't ready to leave her just yet.
“Hi, sir, I can finish that for you,” the man said with a heavy Spanish accent.
Edwin turned to see a tall man with his hand outstretched to take the tongs from him. With a smile, Edwin relinquished his position as cook to the real professional that Clifton had called in to finish preparing the meal.
“Thanks for coming in at such short notice.”
“And thank you for getting everything going. It smells pretty good,” the man laughed.
Edwin mingled with the other guests, but he kept his distance from Janelle. He didn't want to infringe upon her time with her friends and family, not to mention that he was at odds with his feelings. But he was never too far from her and his eyes were always on her, watching her every movement and gesture.
I should just disappear, he considered . She’s so caught up in the activity of things, she wouldn't even notice that I was gone .
His mind was telling him one thing, while his body refused to move from the spot he was in.
“Does he have a friend? A black one, of course.”
Janelle laughed at her friend Trish's question. “To be honest, I really don't know. We haven't been kicking it for that long.”
“Kicking it,” repeated Trish as she shook her head. “I think it’s a lot more going on here than just kickin it,” she finished with a frown.
“Yeah, he can be pretty convincing, but I promise, that's all it is.”
“Mr. Handsome hasn't taken his eyes off of you, sweetheart. If that's all a bunch of drama, he deserves an award,” she replied with a gesture of her head.
Janelle looked over in the direction and her brown eyes locked instantly onto his steely blue gaze. He was surrounded by a group of women, which wasn't surprising, but the fact that he had been watching her the whole time was. He had responded to someone with words that had them laughing, but his gaze was intense as he bit down, making his jaw flex. She turned quickly away, not knowing what to make of his expression.
“Yeah, um,” she stumbled over her words for a second. “So, you're moving?” she asked, finally getting the words out.
“Yes, I think so,” Trish sighed. “The kids and I are moving to Atlanta. Things are over between me and Bryan, have been for a long time. I need to put some miles between me and his shit, you know. Besides, he moved on a long time ago. I think it’s time I get my stuff together too. Hey, maybe I should cross the color lines, too,” laughed Trish.
Janelle was so happy that out of all of the people there, her childhood friend had found it in her heart to forgive her and showed up. She had known that her marriage with Bryan wasn’t going to last. The man had always been jealous of her and it only had gotten worse over time when everything he had set out to do had all turned to shit in his hands. He had played football in high school and his family members had all thought he was going to eventual go pro in college, which he didn’t. But during that time, his parents had thought that he was too good for Trish and had done all they could do to break them up.
Although Janelle had always felt that the no good, unskilled, cheating ass wasn’t good enough for her friend when she had started dating him their junior year in high school, Trish had been in love. She could have had her pick of many guys, but she had chosen to waste her time, money, and talent on Bryan's momma boy ass. And now, three beautiful kids later, her friend had finally become strong enough to put her plan into action and move on. It was time to put her rotten, bloated marriage six feet under ground and live again.
Janelle was just happy to see that Trish had transformed herself from the last time she had seen her before their falling out. Back then, her friend had picked up a lot of weight, didn’t do her hair, and had taken up making sure everyone else looked good while she looked like the hired help. But now, her hair was fashionably cut low all around the sides with the top hair long and flipped as it fell forward into her now thin face. Her hands and feet were done and she was dressed sharp. And during the time they had stopped talking, Trish had sought out medical help to clear up her skin and her once acne prone complexion was now smooth, radiant, dark brown skin.
“You do realize that assholes come in all skin tones, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” she sighed. “Actually, I’ve liked white guys, but I don’t know…they just never seemed to like me. Shit, I wouldn't know what to do, you know,” she paused. “How’s the sex?” she inquired.
“Fucking back breaking!”
“Damn, now I really might do this thing!”
“I’m never going to let you go now that we’ve buried the hatchet,” said Janelle, giving her friend a hug.
“So, we’re going back to talking everyday on the phone. I need you to teach me how to give off that vibe that them white boys pick up on,” chuckled Trish.
Janelle opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off.
“Hello.”
Janelle closed her eyes at the sound of his voice as she fought to gain control of her feelings.
Trish smiled. At this close range, he was even more handsome, if that could be believed. She could cut the sexual tension with a knife it was so thick. She knew what her friend had said, but the way that he was looking at Janelle and how hard Janelle was trying to remain calm under his gaze, made it very clear to Trish that there was more here than what met the eye. The two were giving off some strong vibes, indeed.
“Hi.”
“Oh, I'm sorry. This is my best friend, Trish,” said Janelle, remembering her manners.
“Nice to meet you,” responded Edwin, his eyes still trained on Janelle.
“I thought you were still talking with those people over there.”
“They bore me. I couldn’t wait any longer. I was tired of being away from you,” he answered, matter-of-factually.
She looked up into his face and narrowed her stare. “Have you been drinking?”
“Not a drop. Come dance with me,” he ordered, taking her hand. “Nice meeting you, Trish,” he said over his shoulder as he led her away. Others had already shouted out their enjoyment of the music mix he had playing on his cell phone that he had plugged up to some booster speakers. He twirled her around once before he pulled her into his embrace.
“I think I like your ass better in my pants than I do my shirts,” he confessed as he looked down into her face.
“Thank you. I bought three pairs for myself today.”
“Why? I would've let you wear them whenever you wanted to.”
“That's all fine and good, but you'll need your clothes back when you leave.”
“Hm, now why do we need to start talking that crazy shit?” he asked as he leaned in for a kiss.
She pulled back from his lips. “Because it's just about that time, right?”
He tightened his grip on Janelle's waist as he brought his hand up to place it on her back, drawing her closer. “I think that's for me to decide. I told you, I don't like being ordered.”
“Edwin, I think you're starting to blur the lines here,” she responded cautiously, breaking free of his arms.