Chapter 6
SIX
“Maybe we could go some place for a few days to spend some time together – one weekend you’re free.”
Fuck, I groaned inwardly, still unable to rip the plastic open and retrieve the content of it.
It was content that I desperately needed and couldn’t go even another few hours without.
In fact, I was hoping I wasn’t too late already.
The seventy-two hour window was slowly closing and the small talk that Collin was making was disrupting my train of thought.
“Lyric. Baby, did you hear me?”
“I’m sorry. Uh. Yeah. Sure.”
“Yeah? We should get out of here. Where to?”
Wrestling again with the stubborn plastic in my hand, I nodded. “Umm. Hmmm.”
“Lyric, baby you don’t have a clue what I’m saying, do you?”
“I really have to go relieve my bladder. Sorry.”
Discreetly, I tossed the entire package into my oversized Chanel and pulled it up on my shoulder.
Before Collin could get his next set of words out of his mouth, I had disappeared down the hallway.
I crept into the bathroom and locked the door behind me.
Finally alone, I removed the packaging from my purse and stared at it intently to see what the hell was stopping me from getting inside of it.
“Looks normal.”
The wrestling started again as I tried to force my way inside.
Frustrated with my failed efforts after a few seconds, I tried determining the best course of action.
Asking Collin would be absurd, but I wasn’t against the idea completely.
Desperate times called for desperate measures.
The only other option was asking someone in the kitchen of Maple Berries Brunch House that we were visiting to lend me a knife because instead of their food, I was having a Plan B for breakfast.
“Uggggggghhhh.”
Bzzz.
Bzzz.
Bzzz.
My phone buzzed in my bag.
Bzzz.
Bzzz.
I rummaged through the purse to find the newly cased iPhone. Because I hated clutter and unnecessary junk inside of my bags, it was easily located. Ever’s name danced across my screen, prompting me to answer.
“Why is the Plan B package so difficult to open?”
“I have no idea because I’ve never had the pleasure of taking one. I’m five babies in.”
She included Dylan, always included Dylan, and I loved that about her. He wasn’t forgotten and never would be. Not with a mother like Ever. Lucas was her first boy since Dylan, and I was just as happy for her to hold him in her arms as she was. In so many ways, he was her redemption.
“Well, I don’t have that luxury seeing as though I was definitely ovulating when I slept with both of my brothers’ best friend. It’s a risk I’m simply not willing to take.”
“Better you than me, love, but try squeezing both sides until the little part that they hang on the shelves opens. Then, you can stick your finger through it and pull it apart.”
“Of course you have all the answers. Thank you,” I praised her.
“Of course, babe. Where are you?”
“At Maple Berries with Collin. I promised him brunch Saturday morning, so we’re here grabbing breakfast.”
“Yet you’re in the bathroom wrestling with a Plan B package?” She chuckled, finding my situation comical.
“Hey, you’re laughing a little too hard,” I warned, trying my hardest not to join her.
“You’re just prolonging the process, love. It’s going to happen one way or another. Whether it’s this year or next or the one after that, you’ll have some pretty brown babies running through your home soon enough.”
“I’m not having that man’s children, Ever. Please get whatever idea you have about that out of your head.”
“I see that you’re in the business of convincing yourself because you’re surely not convincing me of anything.”
“Thanks for your help, Ever, but I’m going to end this call.”
“Oh, for once I’m not right?”
“Goodbye!”
I ended the call before she could taunt me any longer. I hated that her words felt so true, but the challenge to make her a believer intrigued me beyond satisfaction. Soon enough, she’d understand that the entire Keanu phase had swiftly ended, no matter how long it had lasted prior.
The little shimmy she’d suggested worked like a charm. I was able to safely remove the pill without harming myself. Once I’d secured it in my bag, I used sanitizer to clean my hands before stepping out of the restroom.
When I made it back to the table, Collin was still waiting for me and so were the two waters we’d asked to start with. I slid into the crushed velvet booth, smiling to reassure Collin that everything was well, although I felt like I was falling apart.
As a woman who prided herself in having it altogether, I felt as if I’d lost control of myself the moment I shared my most intimate thoughts with a man who didn’t give two thoughts about mustering a reply.
Not even a few words but had the audacity to show up to my home, and I allowed him.
Not only did I allow his presence, but I allowed him to fuck me into a rage that forced me into a relationship that would possibly save me from embarrassing myself in front of my family again.
It wasn’t ideal, but it was my reality. So was the fact that Collin was a great man.
He deserved me, and I damn sure deserved someone mentally stable and financially suitable for my lifestyle.
I didn’t feel a single regret after agreeing to be his girlfriend because I knew he’d handle my heart with care.
The only thing I was afraid of was being able to reciprocate his energy and give him all that he was deserving of.
With the glass of water in one hand, I popped the pill into my mouth with the other. It was small and easily glided down my throat with the assistance of the water that had been waiting for my arrival. Collin’s throat cleared in the distance.
“Are you alright? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I answered with a nod, “everything is fine.”
“Then, why are you taking medication?” He wanted to know.
“Preventative measures. But I’m fine. I promise.”
“Okay. If you’re not feeling well, we can reschedule.”
“It’s fine, Collin. I don’t want to reschedule. Here is exactly where I want to be right now, with you.”
“Music to my ears. I ordered for you already if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t. So, what am I having?”
I put the entire Plan B fiasco being me as I adjusted my posture and straightened my body. With my chest piercing the air and my head held high, I felt a bit more control of the moment as I waited for Collin to run down the order.
“A chicken and cheese omelet with a side of breakfast potatoes and fresh fruit.”
“Look at you,” I boasted. “You’ve got me all figured out, huh?”
“Not quite, but I’m trying.”
“A man that pays attention to detail… I like it. I like it.”
“It’s the least I could do, right?”
“If you say so.”
“Now, about this trip,” casually, he revisited.
“Where are we going? When? And for how many days?”
A trip sounded like the perfect solution. With everything going on around me, I could use the break. It had been over a decade since I’d left the city with anyone other than family or Ever, but I was willing to let my hair down for once.
“Ahh. I was thinking of Aruba and in the next sixty days? I have a shitload of important dates coming up, but I have a week break coming up in about thirty-eight days.”
“You know your schedule too well,” I tittered. “I don’t even know what my schedule looks like next week so definitely not next month.”
“It’s the only way I function. Otherwise, I’ll lose my shit.
My calendars are set forty-five days ahead of time at all times.
I always know what’s coming up so that there are no surprises.
Now that I have a lady in my life, that’s important.
I can block off early morning meetings and start my weekends on Friday now, so that you never feel neglected and time is always carved out for us to get to know each other better and help this thing we’re starting to grow. ”
“I like the sound of that.”
“So do I.”
“So, saaaaaaay, about a month and a half from now you want to go to Aruba?”
“I do.”
The waitress returned with hot plates in her hand. She sat my food in front of me and then Collin’s in front of him. Conversation ceased until she disappeared again.
“I’m ready to make fond memories with you,” Collin revealed before forking his benedict.
The smirk that rested on his handsome face confirmed my assumptions, making the flesh of my walls cream. Keanu’s round, curious eyes and dimples flooded my memory. Instantly, my eyelids sealed themselves and my chest hiked. Pebbled were my nipples, tingling as they brushed against my top.
“Ummmm,” a moan seeped through my lips.
I clenched my walls, milking them of the goodness he’d thankfully left behind. Because if I didn’t know any better, I would’ve sworn he was trying to wring me of everything I had to offer so that I wouldn’t have it to produce for the next. For Collin.
Give that nigga my pussy and it’s going to be a problem, his words were vivid as they rushed to the forefront of my thoughts. I could hear the seriousness and pain that radiated from his body as he delivered them.
“Lyric?” Collin pulled me back into our reality, one that didn’t include Keanu.
As quickly as my walls began to salivate, the moisture they produced dried.
“You good?”
“Yes, babe. I’m fine,” I confirmed with a nod.
Silence fell over us as we both dug into our food, making light conversation in between. Divine was the food. I absolutely loved the effort put into the aesthetic of Maple Berries Brunch House, but I was most appreciative of the fact that the food matched it. It, too, was perfect.
“I need to get to this meeting across town,” Collin announced after finishing his second glass of water.
“And I have some work I need to get to as well.” I sighed.