Chapter 7 #2
“Girl, you better breathe this weekend,” she finished, then added with a mischievous grin, “Oh, and I hope it snows like it’s mad at the ground, and y’all get snowed in with no Wi-Fi, no cell service, and only one blanket.
That way, Bryce has no other choice but to stay right there!
God clearly said, ‘Y’all gon’ deal with this today…
or tomorrow! But that’s just my little wishful prayer. ”
I chuckled. “Yeah… yours.”
“And yours too,” she smirked, pointing her acrylic nails at me. “Even though you won’t admit it.”
She knows me so well.
Right then, I heard the deck door creak open. I turned my head and saw Bryce, stepping outside like fate just pressed play again on an unwritten script.
“Uh, Klarissa… I’ll call you back tomorrow, boo," I said, voice breaking slightly as I spoke.
“You good?” I saw the concern on her face.
“Y?Yeah,” I replied, though my heart raced at the sight of him.
“Well, alright. But make sure you talk to Bryce… it’s time. And try to get some dick, too. Cabin sex hits different, especially when there’s history. Oh—and if you can, sneak a pic of ol’ girl and send that. I wanna see what we’re up against.”
I chuckled. “Bye, fool.”
I hung up, still smiling, then turned to face what was waiting behind me.
“You didn’t have to get off the phone for me,” Bryce said as he stepped fully onto the deck. “I just needed some air.”
And you couldn’t get that from the front? I thought, eyes still fixed on the trees.
“How Klarissa doing?” he asked, his voice tinged with genuine curiosity.
I smirked a little, trying to brush off the tension. “Still, Klarissa.”
Bryce nodded knowingly, like he had expected that answer.
“Look, Chess…” He turned slightly toward me with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his hoodie. “I wasn’t trying to ruin your weekend. I honestly thought it was my month. I just went back and looked over everything… and you were right. That’s on me.”
I shifted my weight, turning to face him slowly. “It’s cool,” I said, offering a light shrug. “We’re all here now.”
“Like I said, I’ll be gone in the morning.” Bryce’s voice dipped with a hint of regret coloring his words.
I nodded, but curiosity pulled at me, and we both knew silence wouldn’t do us any good.
“So… this Isis chick… she looks to be a handful. Where’d you find her?” I asked, unable to keep the probing tone out of my voice.
Bryce hesitated, his gaze drifting to the ground. “She’s one of my flight attendants,” he revealed.
I scoffed, crossing my arms tightly. “Of course you’d be fuckin’ one of your coworkers. Real professional of you, Captain Frost.” The nickname slipped out without thought, a remnant of our playful banter from the past.
“It ain’t serious.”
“Oh, that I can see,” I shot back, the grin tugging at my lips despite the seriousness of our conversation. “Still, how long has this lil' situation been going on?” Before he could answer, I jumped to conclusions. “Wait! Were you fuckin’ her when—”
“Hell no!” he interrupted, his voice taking on a deeper, more serious tone.
“This shit between us only been going on for a year. And why the hell would you assume that? Chess, you should know me better than that. I would never cheat on you. I messed up in other ways, yeah, but I never stepped out on you. Even if we were still together, I wouldn’t… and damn sure not with her ass.”
He was right. I felt stupid for even thinking that. If Bryce wasn’t FaceTiming me, he was flying, and if he wasn’t doing either, we were together.
“You’re right. Sorry. But what have you told her about me? Because it’s obvious she doesn’t like me.”
“Shid… if I were her, I probably wouldn’t like you either. You beautiful as hell, smarter than her—you’re a threat," he said, his eyes doing that intense thing they did when he was being sincere. “For real, though, all she knows is your name and that you’re my ex. Nothing else.”
I fought a smirk but failed. “So, if you're not feeling her like that, what made you bring her here then?
“On some real shit...” Bryce exhaled, looking out toward the trees, “I don’t know,” he admitted after a pause.
“Shit… I guess, I just didn’t wanna be alone this weekend, and she practically begged.
I should’ve left her ass at the gas station, though…
posted up next to the stale honey buns, expired condoms, and burnt coffee, asking the cashier dumbass questions like, ‘Y’all got oat milk? ’”
I chuckled, finding humor in his frustration. “I feel you on that.”
“Referring to yo' man?” he teased.
“My man?!” I retorted, almost offended. “Okay, for starters, Adrian is not my man. Let’s clear that all the way up right now.” I chuckled.
“I beg to differ. Him calling you C Baby and shit.”
“Bryce, I swear, I never told him about that nickname. Just one day, out the blue, he just said it. Hell, it surprised me too. But when he said it that first time, I told him not to ever call me that again.”
“Did you tell him the reason, though?”
I nibbled on my lip nervously. “No. But me saying it should’ve been enough.”
He nodded, then raised a brow. “I believe you. So if he ain’t yo’ nigga, then what kind of deluxe buddy pass he got that gave him clearance to come up here?”
“He’s the same thing to me as that girl is to you—a time-filler… a comfort seat. He begged to tag along too… probably not as hard as your little Snuggle Muffin plus-one, but he had his moment.”
Bryce cracked a grin. “Snuggle Muffin is wild.”
“I was gon’ say ‘Trial Version Bae’, but figured I’d be nice.”
Bryce shook his head, his jaw flexing with something unspoken.
“How much do you even know about that nigga, though? Like, what he do for a living? Who raised him? He got a criminal record? Food allergies? That nigga carry an EpiPen or nah?”
I laughed, genuinely that time. “Damn, you trying to run his whole life through a background check?”
“Dead ass will,” he replied, his expression serious.
“Chess, even though we're not together, I still care about you,” he confessed, not knowing how those words made my heart race. “And I always wanna make sure you’re in good hands... even if they ain’t mine.
” Byrce stepped closer, locking eyes with me, the distance between us closing as the air grew thick with tension.
"Although, let’s be real… I’m the best hands you’ve ever had. ”
I sighed, gripping the railing like it might save me from launching into bad decisions.
The way he said that… the way he looked at me. If this man flips me over this icy-ass deck railing tonight, I ain’t gon’ fight it; I’d simply whisper a silent prayer asking Jesus to be a blanket then take my chances with frostbite on my ass, hoping the icicles didn’t touch my spine.
Despite the way Bryce said that, I was a bit tempted to respond with, “I ain’t forgot who the best hands were. But even the best can drop something when they stop holding it right.”
“Well, thank you for your concern,” I said instead, keeping my composure. “But if you must know, he’s a carpenter... even got his own business. He also works as a substitute teacher at the campus. That’s how we met.”
Bryce squinted, skepticism evident in his eyes. “Yeah, no. I only believe the teacher part… and that’s only ‘cause I’m sure you saw him teaching. But a carpenter? Hell nah. That nigga look like he got banned from Home Depot for calling everything a screwdriver.”
I laughed—like really laughed—despite the situation.
“I’m serious,” he insisted, his tone still serious.
“You better go back inside and ask for receipts. Hell, ask him to build something, anything. If that nigga can’t hammer a nail, he needs to go.
.. tonight. What if a shelf falls and takes you out mid-zoom?
If you too scared or polite to ask him, you know I will. ”
I wiped my eyes from laughing. “Yeah… I know you will. You don’t even knock before starting drama.”
“And I sleep great every night,” he retorted with a grin, his eyes glinting in the soft glow of the porch light.
“Well, if that happens, at least tonight, you'll be here to save the day, Captain Frost,” I said, a playful smirk curling my lips as I looked at him.
We held each other’s gaze for a moment, a comfortable silence settling between us.
I looked down at my hands, flexing my fingers against the chill and shaking off the moment.
“But lucky for me, he’s not someone I plan to take seriously. Today revealed a lot. After this trip, I might just go ahead and end it,” I admitted, my voice dropping slightly.
Bryce nodded, taking a slow sip of his beer, contemplating my admission. “Same here.”
The silence that followed stretched longer than I liked.
“Well,” I cleared my throat, breaking the uncomfortable stillness as I straightened up, “I’m gonna head inside. Don’t drink too much out here. And if you leave before I wake up, drive safe.”
He nodded slowly.
Just as I reached for the doorknob, his voice caught me off guard.
“Chesteria, I know this ain't what either of us expected… but I’m kinda glad it happened.” The sincerity in his tone made me turn my head slightly.
“It’s good to see you, Chess, and my number is still the same if you need me… for anything,” Bryce added, softening as he looked at me.
I smiled. It was small but genuine. “Ditto,” I replied, appreciating the unexpected moment between us.
As I walked down the hall, my thoughts were louder than my footsteps.
I haven’t seen him, touched him, or heard his voice outside of my dreams in two years, and yet, here we are. God, what are you trying to do?
I needed to know, because the part of me that worked so hard to try to move on from Bryce was suddenly begging to go back.
“Nighttime Clarity (and No, You Ain’t Getting None)”
When I reached the door of the room Adrian and I were sharing, I stopped. His voice was low, serious, coming from just behind it. I didn’t catch the whole conversation—just bits and pieces.