The Only Exception

16

"Wait Letoya. Wait a minute." She kept walking and I put my hands on her shoulder as I pulled her back. "Letoya, damnit just stop walking!"

When she whipped around to face me, her eyes were streaked with tears. "What?!"

"Let me explain—."

"Are you engaged?"

"Letoya—."

"Are you engaged?" She firmed her tone as we met eye contact.

My hand ran over my face. "It's more complicated than that, Toya."

She rolled her eyes. "How in the hell? Jo either you're going to marry a man, or you aren't. Which is it?"

"I'm going to explain this to you... just hear me out. Please." My voice cracked because I just knew I was about to lose her again. I couldn't lose her again.

Letoya took a breath before mumbling. "Fine. Get to talking."

"Not out here."

"Well then there's nothing to talk about Jo." Her stubbornness came at me full blast.

"Letoya, it's freezing out here. Just come in the house. I understand you're pissed off, hell I would be too, but you need to hear me out. So get your ass in this house. It's not an option and take these damn keys back."

I placed the keys back into her hands as I turned around and walked back into my house with her following. Gil was peeking out the door and stepped back as he grabbed his coat. "I'm gonna go. Hey Letoya."

"Hi Gil." She mumbled back as she sent a toothless grin his way.

"Wait Gil, maybe you should stay. I don't quite believe that Letoya's going to believe what she hears." I muttered.

Gil looked at me. "You are about to tell her that?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I am."

He closed my front door and hung his coat back up. "Fine, but I'm not saying anything unless asked."

"That's fine." I agreed to his terms. Letoya walked into my living room and stood by the fireplace. I sat down on the couch and Gil sat on the love seat. I placed my head down for a minute before speaking again. "My family loves control. They want a hand in things that sometimes are impossible to get. They made me the person I am today but when I got the opportunity to become governor, they changed for the worst. They love me, but me winning is more important than their love for me. So, they met Williams parents at one of these little millionaire retreats and together they decided that William would get his seat as judge and I would get mines as governor together. We would fake this engagement until elections."

Letoya searched my eyes and then Gil's. Finally she pointed at me as she looked over at Gil. "Gil, that's true?"

My friend nodded. "Yeah, her and William hate each other in reality."

"So let me get this straight..." Letoya placed her hand on my mantle. "You're faking an engagement so you can win elections because I've done research. You and Williams numbers and chances to win are high. So together you both get what your parents want, and then afterwards you two do what? Call it off in the public's eye?"

"Yes. We say that we've grown apart since we've won. We say our schedules were busy and we are still friends, just not a couple anymore." I informed her on the plan.

"When we went to the courthouse that day, you went to see him?" She asked me.

She seemed to be putting something together as I replied. "Yes. He kept calling my phone and texting saying we needed to meet. When I went he told me that his parents were pushing to get a date decided. They want this to seem real."

Letoya shook her head as she spoke to herself. "What the hell did I get myself into?" Looking at me, she replied. "The contract, the whole relationship. This— I don't know. Whatever you wanna call it, relationship, connection. What is this Jo? What the hell are we doing? I mean if the public found out that you were doing this whole contract thing, it could ruin everything."

My face furrowed. "I don't care about that. Nor do I care about the contract. I care about you, Letoya. Ask Gil."

Gil looked up at the mention of his name as Letoya motioned him to vouch towards what I was saying. "She does care about you. She cried and everything."

I looked at him crazily for mentioning that. "Gil!"

Letoya looked at me. "You cried?"

"Like a little child." He mumbled chuckling to himself. "I came in to find my bestie on the floor bawling."

"Okay, bawling is kind of much. Matter fact what happened to not speaking unless asked a question?" I asked him.

He put his hands up. "You're right. I'm minding mines again."

"So it's not just me. You want more than that contact too, right?" She asked me.

I hesitated and when I did, Gil popped into the conversation again. "Dunk, you need to tell her."

"I do." I finally let out. "I want more than that contract could ever give us. It's more than sex to me Letoya."

She nodded softly. "Okay."

"Okay?" I asked in confusion.

"Well what do you want me to say?"

"I want you to say that you're coming back to the office and work again. I want you to say that we can start over, right... this time. I want you to say that you forgive me." I vamped out.

"I... I trusted you Jo." She began as she fumbled with her keys. "You could have told me that. I mean my best friend had to tell me and I—."

"Best friend? She told you that I was engaged?" I questioned.

Toya nodded. "Yeah. She did after a whole rant about how she loved me."

"I knew it!" I yelled out because I was right. Toya sent me a look, and I quieted down. "Sorry, continue."

"She said she loved me and I told her that I couldn't do nothing about that. Then she got all upset and told me I was breaking up an engagement."

"Bitch needs to mind her business." Gil mumbled to himself where Letoya couldn't hear him but I could.

"Shit, I'm saying." I mumbled back lowly.

Letoya looked at us. "You could have told me you were engaged Jo. Why didn't you?"

"Would you have honestly even thought about signing that contract if you knew?"

She shook her head. "Honestly. No. So, give me time."

"Give you time... okay. How much time?" I asked for clarification.

Toya shrugged as she mumbled. "I don't know. I have to go."

No other words were spoken as she headed towards the door and left. I listened as I heard the car start up and soon leave.

Gil sat up some as he smirked. "I like her. She's got a bang for her buck. Doesn't take your shit, stands up for herself. I approve of this one."

"I like her too." I mumbled as I smiled to myself knowing that she probably won't be gone for long.