Barely Associated

12

Amari

"He's upstairs." Danielle said closing the door. "I'll go get him."

She rushed off to get him.

Why was I here? Why did I come to him of all people? What was I going to say when he came down here? Should I just leave? I should.

"Amari?" Tyler asked coming downstairs. "Are you alright?"

I sniffled and shook my head.

He rushed over to me and quickly pulled me to him in a hug. I pushed away from him. The last thing I wanted was for him to touch me.

"You ruined everything!" I yelled at him. "You walked back into my life like the asshole you are and ruined everything."

"What are you talking about?" He asked. "Calm down."

"I told Justin about us and now he's leaving." I said.

"He broke up with you?" Tyler asked.

"No. He volunteered to be deployed for a year because you ruined me!" I said. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Amari..." He shook his head and pulled me into a hug again.

It was no use in fighting him off. He wouldn't let me go. This was his overprotective side kicking in. I knew this side of him far too well.

"Tyler... You can't do this." I said quietly.

"I know." He sighed.

"You can't hurt me and think you can walk back into my life years later as if nothing ever happened." I said with a shaky voice.

"Hurt you?" He scoffed and let me pull away. "You hurt me, Amari! You left me in that car. Not the other way around."

"You cheated on me, Tyler!" I yelled at him as my face heated up.

"I didn't cheat on you!" He screamed at me. "That night I left you at that damn party, I went with Danielle because my Grandpa told me to. All we did was talk about you because I'm an asshole who didn't care if Danielle liked me! I only got with Danielle because you left me, but even then I didn't sleep with her until after we graduated! Prom night I spent the entire night trying to get a reaction out of you because I loved you!"

"No." I shook my head. "You called me your friend, nobody, and just Amari."

"Because my grandparents aren't modern people. You know that." He argued. "If Grandpa knew I was with you, I wouldn't have been able to take this company and give you the life I thought you deserved. Everything I did, I had you in mind!"

"You have her my Prom dress!" I yelled at him.

"I didn't give her anything!" He yelled back. "That dress was a gift from her mother and I told her I didn't think she should wear it, but she insisted because it matched my tux better than the other one."

We stared at each other.

"Amari, you didn't trust me. I trusted you. Even when Jake was right there, I didn't question your loyalty a bit." He said.

"Because I've never cheated on someone." I mumbled.

"Okay? I would've never cheated on you." He said. "You left me. Not the other way around."

"Well, it doesn't matter now." I shrugged. "You're married and I'm with Justin."

"Right..." He nodded. "I love Danielle."

"And I love Justin." I said quietly. "...I can't finish your hotel. I don't think it's appropriate anymore."

"You don't think it's appropriate?" Tyler asked. "Or because Justin doesn't think it's a good idea?"

"It's not appropriate." I said. "This is my decision and I think it's best for both of us if we cut all ties now."

"So that's it for us?" He asked.

"I guess so." I shrugged. "I'll have the flooring done by next week, but then I'm done."

"You're really not going to finish the hotel?" He asked. "Amari, no one can do it better than you."

"Working with you is interfering with my personal relationship with Justin." I sighed. "I've risked enough with him."

"This is your job." Tyler scoffed. "Just... Think about it. I'll pay more if that'll make you stay on the job."

"It won't." I shook my head. "That's all."

Tyler

I watched Amari leave the house.

I hope she'll fix things with Justin.

As much as I hate to admit it, I've never seen her happier than when she's with him.

"Amari is the girl you used to complain about?" Danielle asked.

I turned around and saw her sitting on the stairs.

"How long were you sitting there?" I asked.

"Long enough." She shrugged. "Amari? I should've known."

"Danielle..." She cut me off.

"No. Stop." She held her hand up. "Why didn't you tell me? Because you weren't over her or because it's still raw?"

"I didn't think it mattered." I said. "She left me."

"Exactly." Danielle nodded standing up. "She left you because she was over it. You still wanted her. She left you because of me. You didn't leave her because you wanted me. No matter how you say it, I just don't see you being over her."

"I am, though." I said.

"You're not." She shook her head. "And I don't blame you. She's not the type of person you get over overnight. What you two had... You had a friendship before a relationship. You knew each other. Us? We just jumped into a relationship head first and apparently, I don't know too much about you."

"Danielle!" I called after her as she walked to the front door.

"I'll be back later." She said. "I just need to go..."

And she left.