Hearing her say it aloud makes me feel guilty all over again. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand being with the both of them makes me feel complete, yet on the other hand I feel guilty. The person I love and dropped everything for is the same person I just broke all over again making her relive that trauma.
After she gets up to go lay down Foe comes and hugs me. "Yes you fucked up, I'm not saying you didn't. What I will say is do not beat yourself up over it. We have to move forward, yes WE, cause like it or not we're all in this together. It's just gone take us some time to get used to." He kissed my forehead, looked me in my eyes, "Now go do what ever you need to do to express yourself and calm down. I'll clean this up and make a few calls."
Nodding my head yes. I went to grab my paint supplies and stepped off the bus. I hate that I reminded her of that bitch ass nigga Reese. Especially because I was there when it all happened. I was her ride to the hospital, I helped her get into therapy, I helped nurse her back after losing the baby.
Now look at me a cheater just like that fuck ass nigga.
Today's theme is torn. I feel like I'm split into two. I want this man with every fiber in my body but I love this woman with my entire essence.
After about an hour or so I notice Foe behind me watching me intently. "You know it's rude to stare?" I keep making strokes adding my finishing touches.
"So this is what you meant by artist to artist?" He came closer. "This is beautiful Princess. I think when Pyn wakes up you should show her this, let her see into your mind." I can feel the warmth of his body on my back. "I made a few calls. I got the BNB for an extra week and moved all my appointments over to two weeks from today. I want both of you to know I'm serious about dating y'all. Everything with y'all just seems genuine like I don't have to pretend or close myself off. I can just be me." Finishing my last stroke I sat everything down and face him. Looking up into his eyes I get lost in the color.
Breaking my concentration he said, "Let's sit down and get to know each other. You got some more canvases?" Came his question.
"Yeah, whatchu thinking?" I tilted my head to the side inclining him to answer.
"Let's have our first date. I'll reimburse you for the canvases and whatever paint we use. We each pick our favorite color and swap paintings every five minutes. And before you say anything I'm GOING to reimburse you Princess." I like how he thinks.
"Okay what about filler colors? Like white or black?" I love a good accent color.
"We can use those to make whatever color we choose darker or lighter, you coo with that?" That's a challenge but I think I can make it work.
"Yeah let me go grab the stuff we need then." Jogging back to the bus I grab a large outdoor blanket, two 12"x16 canvases, all my acrylics and head back to our spot. Not seeing Foe around I just start setting up laying everything out. About five minutes later he comes out with two plastic cups full of water, wine glasses and a bottle of wine. "A paint and sip date? Vibeeeeeeees."
He just chuckled and sat down passing me a cup and pouring our wine. "I'll take sapphire blue if you got it." Searching through the box I found it, plus the color I was using, and exchanged his paint for my glass. "I would've never took you for a purple woman."
"Not just any purple either, amethyst ." I say sticking out my tongue causing him to chuckle. "So we just paint whatever and after five minutes we switch and just add to that one matching the theme?"
"Yes Princess." He set up his work space as I did mine. Afterwards he pulled his phone out, "Starting the timer now. So tell me about yourself."
"Well as you know my name is Cypress Carter. I'm the middle child of three, I have a big sister named Reneé and a little brother named Malcom. Reneé does teachers without boarders and who knows what the fuck Malcom does besides being annoying. Before coming out here on the road I was a Real Estate agent but my boss, who's one of my closest friends fired me so I didn't have no regrets."
"And do you?" He paused the stroke of his brush.
"This is probably the best decision I've ever made in life." Leaning over I kissed his cheek for reassurance. "Before I came out here I was only into men never thought about being with a woman in the way that I am now, but now I don't see me ever turning back." Clearing my throat I continue, "As you know my birthday is June 25th and I'm 25. I have no kids. I want kids though someday when the time is right."
"How many?" The timer went off causing us to switch.
"I don't want an odd number but I also don't want too many so like four maybe." I shrugged my shoulders. "You?"
"How ever many God bless me with." Good answer. "Last question for now, why do you feel like all your puzzle pieces snapped into place once I came in the picture?"
"I'll answer that after you tell me about yourself." Gotta keep it a mystery for now.
Throwing his head back laughing he brings a smile to my face. His baritone laugh was truly infectious to the soul. "Okay my name is Forrest Rivera. I'm 28 years old my birthday is December 11th. My father is from Honduras and my mother is from Ghana."
"That's why you so damn fine. How'd they meet if you don't mind me asking."
"Nah i don't mind. They were both exchange students at FAMU and whenever they had to go to American events they clung to each other which led them to falling in love, but there was a lot of bullshit in between before they were able to be together." About to open my mouth he cut me off, "My fathers parents were upset he decided to be married to a dark women whereas my mothers parents were upset she ran away from her husband they picked out for her."
"Damn that's tough and they're still together?"
His eyes lit up and a smile took over his face, "Yeah going on 54 years on New Years. They showed me what pure genuine love is." The timer went off causing us to switch our paintings and our topic. "You've already met my brother, it's just us. We're close. No matter how much he gets on my damn neves I wouldn't know what to do without my brother in my life."
A family man clearly by the way his eyes light up talking about them. I knew my intuition was right about him and I didn't just want that horse dick he got. But baby I'm happy about how much he slanging. Damn let me get my head out the gutter.
"I own a tattoo shop with Chavo, who you now know is my cousin on my father's side, down in Miami. I'm a silent owner though, so everybody thinks it's just his shop."
"You don't wanna correct them?"
"Nah let em think whatever I know what it is and so does he. I don't need nobody knowing my business all the way. I handle the behind the scenes business while Chavo handles everything else. I know what I got that's all that matters." I don't know how a simple statement just broke the flood gates but it's causing me to shift from being uncomfortably wet.
After that we kept switching our canvases back and forth until we were done. The whole time we were laughing, joking and learning about each other. I learned that he wants to go out the country to Greece before the end of the year, he wants to be married someday, he's a mommas boy. Even after being done with our paintings we just sat there talking.
The man I met at the convention is not the same man sitting across from me. That man was rude, demeaning and disrespectful. This man is gentle, kind, caring, firm, funny, beautiful inside and out. This man is the man that I'll call my husband eventually.
YOU ARE READING
Their Journey
RomanceIt's hard finding somebody that understands every part of you, let alone finding two people. But you always have to remember there's somebody for everybody.
