Mariah
“That man don’t care about me at all!” I yelled at Shyheim.
“I thought he would have called me when he got in a bind, but no, he called the girl he is talking to, and come to find out she’s making a dress for me.
Well, she was. She texted me this morning and told me that because of how I acted, she doesn’t want to work with me anymore. Can you believe that?”
Shyheim just looked at me and softly nodded as I took a sip of wine.
“I mean, yeah, I kind of can. It seems like you weren’t acting like yourself.”
“How can I?”
Shyheim opened his mouth, then closed it.
“You seem stressed,” he said. “Can I take you on a date?”
“Right now?” I asked him.
“Yes, I need to show you something.”
I smiled softly. “Umm... Okay, let’s do it.”
We finished our drinks and hopped in his car.
As Shyheim drove, I stared out the window, listening to the music, when Shy turned and up and started singing, making me jerk my neck around and look at him.
“You can sing?!” I asked. “I didn’t know you could sing.”
“Maybe…you should try to get to know me more,” he said with a playful smile.
We drove downtown, and he parked on a side street, turned off the car, and he turned to face me.
“I don’t want you to talk about Rosama when we go in here. I don’t want to talk about the girl he is talking to. I want us to…live in the moment.”
I swallowed hard as I nodded slowly. “Okay.”
Shy gave me a slight smile as he got out of the car and walked around to my side. After helping me out, we walked across the street, and down the steps to the tucked-away lounge.
Inside, the lights were dim. Little lanterns sat in the middle of each table. A live singer was singing R&B covers with a piano backing her up. Shy led us to a booth in the back of the lounge, and the waitress came right over with the menus.
We ordered our drinks, and I slid close to him.
“If talking about…everything was bothering you, you should have told me.”
“It’s not bothering me,” he said low. “Can I be honest with you?”
I nodded.
“I think you are too wrapped up in a nigga that don’t want you to see that it’s a man in your face that's trying to be everything and more to you.”
I stared into Shyheim’s eyes and saw that he was being sincere.
“I told you I would be here for you, and I am, but I need you to open your eyes. It’s more men out here—and men that would treat you right.”
I was speechless.
And he could tell.
The singer started a new song, and Shy glanced over at her, then back at me.
“Would you like to dance?” he asked.
I smiled. “Yes, I would love to.”
We walked out to the dance floor, and Shyheim took me into his arms, pulling me into him. The music was soft and slow, allowing me to rest my head on his chest as we rocked around in circles.
“You are so beautiful,” he said softly.
I just smiled, even though I knew he couldn’t see my face.
For the first time in a long time, I actually felt it.
Shyheim was right. I needed to open my eyes.
If I didn’t, I would have noticed that since I've been spending time with him.
I have been cared for. I have smiled a little more than I have been.
“Thank you,” I said as I looked up at him.
“For what?”
“For being patient with me. For giving me time to figure out what I want to do.”
“You still don’t know what you want to do?”
I shook my head. “I don’t. I know that is crazy to say, but I don’t.”
He nodded. “That’s okay, I’ll still be here.”
I smiled at him, and he leaned down and kissed me.
Not a lil’ kiss either, a long kiss pressing me into him so much I could feel his dick print against me.
I locked my arms around his neck, almost forgetting where we were as we kissed more.
We only stopped because the waitress cleared her throat, letting us know our drinks were at the table.
Shyheim and I stared at each other for a second.
“Umm…are…do…” he paused.
“Do I want to get out of here?” I asked. “Yes, I do.”
Shy smiled, and we damn near ran out of there.
In his car, he was touching all over me. I was kissing all over him. God must have known I needed him because traffic was light and we were hitting all green lights.
When we got back to his house, we crashed into the front door as he unlocked it while ripping each other's clothes off.
He walked me backward to the steps. He stopped and smiled at me as he went to close the front door.
“You know what?” Shy said softly.
“What?” I responded.
“I have been wanting to take care of you for so long now.”
“Oh really?”
He nodded as he walked back to me.
“More than you would ever know.”
Shyheim picked me up. I wrapped my legs around him as he carried me up the steps. We made it to his bedroom, and he tossed me on the bed.
“I want to take my time with you.”
I smiled and pulled him on top of me.
“Then do it.”
Shyheim smiled and slid inside me, taking my breath away, and I remembered that I didn’t remember the last time I had sex.
I wrapped my arms around his neck as he stroked me slowly with kisses. I moaned softly in his ear.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him into me further.
“Damn, you feel so good, Mariah,” he said in between kisses.
I took in all of him as we rolled across the bed, taking time to smile, talk, and kiss each other.
He didn’t fuck me. For the first time in my thirty-plus years on this earth, I was making love, and it was amazing. He caressed my body softly. Each touch, every kiss was intentional.
He talked me through it, with each stroke, making me pull into him more each time.
We came together and didn’t move, just laid there kissing and touching. We had our legs tangled together, staring into each other's eyes as he moved my hair out of my face.
“How do you feel now?” Shyheim asked.
I laughed a little bit. “I feel good, much better.”
He smiled back at me. “I want to be there for you in every way that I can, Mariah, but I think—I know that for me to do that, you have to let go of your husband and sign the papers.”
I raised my eyebrows as I sat up in bed. “Are you friends with him or something? You are rushing me to sign it too.”
“What?” Shy yelled out. “Mariah, please chill out. You know I don’t know that man.”
“Then why are you pushing me to divorce him?”
Shy looked at me like I was crazy. “Mariah, I am trying to be considerate. But baby girl, you have been at my house crying over how a nigga is in the streets and have been doing you wrong, don’t want you, and you asking me why I'm sayin’ that you need to divorce him?
Because you been here and I have been there for you, and we just had sex, the fuck. ”
I got out of bed and looked around his room for my things.
“How dare you talk to me like this! I thought you were here to support me.”
“I am trying to support you, Mariah. But I be damn if I'm catching feelings for a girl that has no intention of leaving her husband.”
I remembered all my shit was downstairs and stormed into his bathroom and came back out with a towel wrapped around me.
“I told you I needed time to figure out what I wanted.”
“What do you need time for? He told you he didn’t want you anymore. He slept with your friend. He is dating somebody else. What else do you want that man to do to tell you to move on?”
I couldn’t believe how Shyheim was talking to me. I never thought he would come at me like that.
“I am so glad that your true colors came out before anything more happened between us.”
He laughed as I walked out of his room.
“I'm glad to. The studio be saying you're crazy. I said you were just hurt, but in all honesty, you are fucking crazy, Mariah.”
I ran out of his room, down the steps, and put my clothes back on, trying not to cry.
“I gave you a chance!” I yelled up the steps.
Shyheim came out of his room.
“You didn’t give me shit, Mariah! I bet if we laid in that bed for five more minutes, you would have started talking about Rosama.”
“He’s my husband!”
“BUT YOU JUST FUCKED ME!”
I stood there for a second, looking at him, and he laughed at me.
“Just go, Mariah, and when that man tells you again that he don’t want you, PLEASE, I beg you, PLEASE, do not come running back to me.”
I nodded. “Fine, Shyheim.”
I slammed his door behind me and walked out to my car. As I sat in the driver's seat, I let out a scream. I pulled away from Shyheim’s place and headed home, wiping tears from my eyes when my phone dinged with a notification.
An email from Rosama’s lawyer. I picked up my phone and called him, already knowing it would go to voicemail.
“I AM NOT SIGNING IT, ROSAMA! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO LEAVE ME! HAVE YOUR FUN WITH THAT BITCH ‘CAUSE YOU ARE COMING BACK HOME TO ME!”
I hung up the phone while breathing heavily, trying to get myself together.
“I don’t care what anybody says,” I mumbled under my breath. “Rosama is not leaving me!”