Under The Influence: N 2 Deep

94. Since Way Back

Mercedes' POV

"So you're not going to tell me?" I ask my cousin. I'm usually able to get a little info out of her but she's very tight lipped with this one.

"So anyway, more importantly, I just got news that Chris is seeing Karrueche again."

"No..." I say, shocked. "That can't be true. Where did you hear that from?"

"Chris." She says and my mouth drops.

"They haven't been together in almost 10 years. Why are they circling back now?"

"Mercedes I don't know but I am very bothered by this." She says

"I would be too. She was like...that one who got away for him. Now she's giving him some play...this might be it for him. Like, for real for real."

"When Chris and I first met he was very open about that situation. He said he wanted me to feel comfortable about it because their break up was only like eight months prior to us meeting. He told me a lot of things about that and overall he pretty much was still caught up on her. That was partly the reason why I didn't want to be with him, but he was so caught up in trying to make things look like he had moved on. I think if he gets involved with her again, that means our friendship is probably going to be hurt."

"I remember you telling me about that. That's when he was in the blogs super heavy. He was really flaunting you around like crazy." I say.

"And that was why. I remember the first trip we ever took, it was to Miami, and he had this bright orange Lamborghini. He wanted to drive me around in it and I hated it because it was such an attention grabber. I literally argued with him about not wanting to ride in it, but he talked me into it anyway and he took me to this restaurant, which oddly enough was the restaurant I first met Aubrey at.... This shit is starting to become too weird." She says. "But he kept taking me to places where there were a lot of paparazzi. He was really trying to get us in the media for people to stop talking about their break up."

"So he did all of that because he wanted people to stop talking about him and her. Now he's jumping at the chance to get back with her?"

"He was hurt when they broke up, he was really down bad and I know I came in like eight months after, but it really seemed like he was trying to separate from that. I knew he wasn't ready. I wasn't ready either. But it seems like she's been doing little things over the years for attention, and I'm not saying it's to get his attention, but it could've been. They could've been talking all along, I don't know. I don't put it past him." She says

"You would've known if they were still in communication."

"Maybe, but he's really good at lying." She says

"Anyway, you don't really need to worry about this right now. Remember Joe?" I say

"Yeah, but if this is bothering me how it is, maybe I'm really not done with him. I thought I was but—."

I cut her off. "No... we are NOT going to do this. I am not going to deal with you going back to him. It seems like you're second-guessing everything because she's back in the picture. Why?" I ask

"I'm really scared that our relationship will become nonexistent."

"But that doesn't mean try to conjure up some feelings for him just to get him away from her. Who are you, Ammika?" I joke. "You're not crazy like that. Leave that to her, and when she finds out about them, let her be the stalker. That's not you."

"I agree with you, but I can't help it."

"If you're feeling some residual feelings for him, that's a different story, but with you now all of a sudden bringing it up when you've been working so hard to not go there with him, I don't think it's real." I say, honestly.