As December approached them, temperatures dropped below the 20s. Alicia wanted nothing more than to stay indoors as much as possible, but she decided to accompany Maxine to the store. She's been seeing so much of Rodney that she hadn't spent time with her friend lately.
"You know, sometimes I think of going back to school and switching careers," Maxine said. "Being an RN, though the pay is amazing, when you're Black, they pile so much work on to you sometimes. It's serious abuse."
"Then do it. Go back to school," Alicia said.
"Then I wouldn't be able to afford to pay my share of the rent and would have to move back in with my parents. I can't bring any guys over like that," Maxine said and Alicia laughed.
After buying their groceries, they exited the store and ran into Cortes.
"Oh, hey there. I remember you," Maxine said. "Cortes, right?"
"Yeah," Cortes said. "What's up? It's been awhile."
"Yeah, I haven't seen you since summer," Maxine said. "How's Rodney?"
Cortes smiled at Alicia, "Well, Alicia should know better than—"
"What are you talking about?" Alicia said, grabbing his arm. "Come over here."
She pulled him away from Maxine quickly. She could feel her heart racing in her chest.
"What? What did I say?" Cortes asked.
"Maxine doesn't know," Alicia admitted.
"Ha! You're bullshitting, right?" Cortes grinned.
"This isn't funny," she frowned. "I'm gonna tell her soon. I just—I know it's kinda weird that I'm seeing him and—"
"Hey, hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me. Life happens sometimes. You can't help who you end up liking," Cortes said.
"Thanks Cortes. I owe you one," Alicia said.
"Well, I know you're like a writer. Do you think you can tutor my little sister on the reading and writing sections for the SATs? She's about to take it. I'll pay you," Cortes said.
"Sure! And you don't have to pay me. Your Rodney's friend," Alicia said.
"I'm still gonna. You can't make that much as an intern, I mean, c'mon," he said and she narrowed her eyes. "Anyway, her name's Ramona. Here's her number. Can you please give her a call?"
Alicia agreed and Cortes bid her goodbye as Maxine joined her again with raised eyebrows.
"What was that all about?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm just tutoring his baby sister and I wanted to ask him something," Alicia lied, which wasn't really a lie.
"Ah, I see. You should've waited. I wanted to see what was going on with Rodney," Maxine nudged her.
Alicia sighed and walked on; Maxine rushed after her.
***
A few weeks passed and then it was the night of the holiday party. Alicia sat in an uber with Maxine, headed for Lotus. She was wearing a red, dinner dress; Maxine wore a black one. As Maxine kept dancing in her seat to the music the driver played, Alicia sat silently beside her, staring out the window.
"Why are you so quiet this evening? Aren't you excited? Maxine asked. "You finally get some time off from that internship after tonight."
"Yeah, I'm just thinking..." Alicia said.
"What's got you so anxious?" Maxine asked, but Alicia said nothing. "You know what, I know how to lift your spirits. A huge, whole fried turkey! Christmas is coming up and I'm going to make you the best Christmas dinner ever."
"That's sweet of you," Alicia said.
"That's what friends are for," Maxine said. "You know, you can tell me anything right?"
"Yeah."
"...Is it your boyfriend? Is he coming tonight?" Maxine asked.
"Yes, he is..."
"Ooo, I finally get to meet him," Maxine laughed.
They stepped out of the car when it came to a stop in front of Lotus. The place already had a line, but she went to the front and told security that she worked here and they let her and Maxine inside.
When she checked her phone, she got Rodney's text that he'd be late. He didn't know that traffic would be this harsh. Alicia didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or tense up.
"Let's go to the open bar," Maxine said. "I love when you invite me to these things. They're always so fancy."
"Yeah," Alicia said.
They ordered some wine and walked around, surveying the scene. Maxine kept getting some looks, in which she coyly smiled at the men she thought were attractive.
"There's some cuties in here. Let's see if I can find a guy who won't give me a head ache tonight," she said.
"Who's giving you a head ache?" Dezzi appeared.
Alicia stiffened as he stood beside her.
"What? I didn't say that," Maxine said.
Dezzi shook his head at her response before glancing at Alicia. He placed his hands in his pockets.
"Alicia," he said politely.
"Dezzi," Alicia replied. "...shouldn't you be making sure the DJ has everything they need?"
"I'll go there when you head to the entrance and see if everyone is getting checked-in okay," he said.
"I already did that," she said.
"Did you?" he asked.
She sighed, "Well, everything's fine. If it wasn't, Ana would've told me. Can't you go stand somewhere else?"
"I want to stand right here," Dezzi said.
"Hey, you know she's got a boyfriend now. You gotta stop flirting with her," Maxine said.
"Is that right? Do you know who he is?" Dezzi asked.
Alicia stepped up to him, "Enough."
"Why?" he said, feigning innocence.
"Dezzi," she breathed, "I don't want you. What we had in the past stays there, alright?"
Maxine pulled her away.
"He's coming on too strong. I don't like that. You tell them no and they don't listen. It's all about the chase for them," Maxine whispered.
"Oh now you noticed," Alicia frowned.
"Hi Alicia," a fourth voice said.
There Rodney stood dressed in all black, smiling at her. Alicia's eyes widened and she scrambled for her phone in her purse. He had texted her that he arrived, but she was so preoccupied with Maxine and Dezzi that she hadn't replied.
She clutched her phone tightly in her hand and shut her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to call the whole thing off. She couldn't tell Maxine. It didn't feel like the right moment. There was something tense about the air.
Alicia started towards him, before stopping.
"Are you kidding me? He's here?" Dezzi said.
"Rodney?" Maxine's eyes lit up. "You're here. What are you doing here?"
"Alicia invited me," Rodney said.
"She did?" Maxine said, looking at her. "Why?"
"Because—" he started.
"I—I thought because he was in one of our issues this year it'd be nice to. That's all. Uh, why don't we all get another drink, yeah?" Alicia said.
She ignored Rodney's confused look and ushered Maxine to the bar. The boys followed behind them as Maxine clamped tightly down onto Alicia's hand.
"Alicia, you're a sweetheart. My fairy Godmother! You invited him for me, didn't you?" Maxine whispered.
Alicia sighed, slightly irritated that Maxine kept dragging this on for so long. Why was she pushing this?
"Maxine..." Alicia started. "Stop."
"What am I doing?" Maxine asked.
"Just enjoy the night," Alicia said.
"I am...what's the matter with you?"
"You keep talking about him and—"
"You mean Rodney? That's so cute, you still can't say his name," Maxine laughed.
Alicia eyed her before fixing her expression and ordering another glass of wine. Rodney came and stood beside her, his arm brushing hers. Discreetly, she shifted away. Maxine got in between them as Dezzi stood on the other side of Alicia. Rodney glared at him, but said nothing about it.
"I like your suit. It looks really good on you," Maxine said.
"Huh? Oh, thanks," Rodney said.
She waited for him to return the compliment, but when he only continued to sip his drink, she hemmed. Dezzi chuckled.
"So...what are you doing after this?" she asked.
"I don't know," Rodney said.
"Wanna go get drinks and catch up?" Maxine said.
"I don't think that's a great idea," Rodney said.
"I think it is. Alicia, want to tag along?" Dezzi asked.
Maxine looked at Alicia, waiting for her to say yes.
"Yeah, sure," Alicia said.
"Okay, I changed my mind," Rodney said.
"Then it's lit," Maxine licked her lips.
She reached up and rubbed his upper back slowly, letting her fingers trace his back muscles. Alicia clenched her teeth, trying to remain calm as Dezzi covered his mouth to hide his smile.
"This is kind of entertaining to watch," he said.
Rodney stepped back from Maxine so that she wasn't feeling on him anymore. Maxine didn't mind. She kept on smiling at him as 75% of her body was faced towards him.
For the rest of the holiday party, Maxine kept him company, keeping up most of the conversation as Alicia forced herself to talk to Dezzi. She kept ignoring Rodney's looks, not knowing how to break the news to her best friend. She couldn't do it, but she couldn't stand to see Maxine flirting with him. She just wanted to get out of here.
When the party ended, they made their way over to a bar nearby and ordered drinks. Alicia sat down in an empty booth and quickly Rodney sat beside her, sitting closer to her than necessary. The sides of their bodies were squished together. He pressed the side of his thigh hard against hers before relaxing it.
Maxine obviously wanted to sit next to him, but had no other choice but to sit across from them next to Dezzi. She was frowning and Alicia tried to pay it no mind, but Maxine kept kicking her under the table.
"Let's switch!" she mouthed.
Alicia rolled her eyes and ignored her. Underneath the table, Rodney placed a hand on her thigh, caressing it.
"Why didn't you respond to my text earlier?" he asked.
"I—well, I was busy," she said.
Maxine frowned, "Ya'll have each other's numbers?"
"I mean, I got it from when I had to interview him. T-that's it," Alicia said.
Maxine decided to let the matter drop, but she kept staring at Alicia with questioning eyes. Thankfully, their orders came. As Alicia sipped her drink, Rodney leaned in and inhaled her scent, smiling at her.
"You smell good," he whispered in her ear. "You look good, too."
Maxine raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was saying to her. Alicia tried to play it off by smiling, but there was a nervous pit in her stomach.
"Stop it," she whispered back.
"What's going on? I thought we were gonna tell—" Rodney said.
"So, Rodney," Dezzi started and Alicia sighed, "Where do you work?"
"That's an odd question to be asking at a time like this," Alicia said.
"It's actually a pretty regular question to be asking someone at a time like this," Dezzi said.
"Alicia, it's fine," Rodney said, caressing her hand.
Maxine's eyes honed in on this and glanced at Alicia. Alicia pulled away and sipped her drink.
"I'm a construction worker. I have been for some years now," Rodney said.
"A construction worker?" Dezzi said.
"Yeah, it's good money. The people are cool, too," Rodney said.
"So, how'd you land an interview for our magazine? I was supposed to do it originally, but I handed it over to Alicia," Dezzi said.
"I designed some parts of the building."
"You're an architect?" Dezzi said, genuinely surprised.
"No, I didn't go to college," Rodney admitted, "But I could design here and there."
"Wow, you didn't go to college?" Dezzi asked, pretending to be shocked, "I'm not sure what my parents would've done to me if I didn't go to college. Getting my bachelor's degree was so important to them. I guess your parents are pretty laidback, huh?"
Rodney managed to smile at his rudeness.
"I'm pretty sure though I never went to college I've worked harder than you ever have," Rodney said.
"Maybe," Dezzi said.
They stared at each other coolly. It was clear they felt nothing but disdain for one another.
"So, you and Alicia work together often?" Rodney asked.
"We're both interns, that's why," Dezzi explained, "But since we graduated college, it's like we haven't been offered a real position yet."
"So, you have that good degree and good education and they still won't hire you?" Rodney asked.
Dezzi smiled mockingly at his words then he pushed his tongue into his cheek. Alicia rose, trying to leave the booth.
"I—I think I'm going to get another drink," she said.
"Oh, c'mon, Alicia, we're just having fun. Sit down here and keep me company," Rodney said.
He wrapped his arm around her waist as his large hand palmed her stomach, bringing her down onto his lap. Maxine eyes bulged out of her head and she looked again at Alicia quizzically. Dezzi scoffed at this as Alicia quickly slid off, begging with her eyes that Rodney shouldn't act like this in front of them.
"No, if Alicia wants to go and get another drink, Dezzi can keep her company, right Dezzi?" Maxine suggested.
"Maxine, enough," Alicia said.
"What?"
"Stop it, just stop. Weren't you saying that he was coming on too strong earlier? Why are you trying to push him onto me now?" Alicia asked.
"He's still flirting with you?" Rodney asked.
"Whoa, why are you mad at me for? You're the one who said you wanted a drink," Maxine said.
"It's still inappropriate. You know I don't like being around him—how many times do I have to tell you this?" Alicia asked.
"Oh, now my sharing the same air as you is inappropriate?" Dezzi asked.
"I didn't say that. Calm down," Alicia said.
"Alicia, I think you actually need to calm down," Maxine said.
Alicia glowered at her. She wanted to laugh but didn't have the energy to. Slowly, she rose up from her seat.
"Don't talk to me like that. Don't talk to me like I'm some five year old. You always act like you have my back but as soon as a guy you like pops up, you totally disregard my feelings," Alicia said.
Hurt and embarrassed, Maxine stood up too, clutching her fists. People were beginning to pay attention to them, but Alicia didn't care.
"How can you say that I don't care about you? You're my best friend," Maxine said.
"Sometimes it feels like you never listen to me. Y-you kept forcing me to settle for Dezzi, knowing I didn't want to be with him, knowing how awful he treated me—" Alicia said.
"I—I treated you awfully? I treated you like shit?" Dezzi rose. "You're full of it, Alicia, beyond belief. Everything little thing I do, you can no longer stand—"
"Because you only care about one person and that's yourself, okay? You don't care about me. You only wanted to get with me and even that wasn't good. Ever since I met you, all you've ever done was flirt with me. So the one time I finally give you a chance, you blow it. Well, can't you get it? That night was a mistake, a horrible, horrible mistake, Dezzi," Alicia said.
"What night?" Rodney slowly rose from his seat.
"The night of the last Lotus event. Alicia lost her virginity to me," Dezzi told him.
The DJ switched beats to a song that was fast-paced. The rhythm matched the adrenaline kicking into Alicia's blood stream. She didn't look at Rodney. She kept her eyes on Dezzi as her lip curled up in disgust. It was like Dezzi to hurt her when he didn't get his way.
"You lost it to him and you still work with him every day? You didn't tell me that, Alicia," Rodney said quietly.
"Why would she tell you that?" Maxine frowned.
"Because she's my girlfriend," he answered.
Slowly, Maxine's eyes widened. No one said anything for a long time and Alicia hung her head low. The laughter from other tables filled the silence. Finally, Maxine turned and looked at Alicia. Alicia took a deep breath and met her eyes, digging her fingers into the back of her palm. Maxine looked defeated and betrayed.
"Is he the one you've been telling me was your boyfriend?" Maxine asked.
Alicia hesitated before nodding. Maxine only stared at her.
"It's messed up that she didn't tell you right? Some friend," Dezzi said.
Maxine looked at Dezzi as if she didn't recognize him then stared off at nothing in silence.
Rodney grabbed the back of his neck before placing his hands on his hips. He tilted his head to the side and regarded Dezzi.
"So it was you Alicia was telling me about? Her first?" Rodney said.
"I already told you that he didn't matter—" Alicia said.
"Yeah. We were friends with benefits," Dezzi said.
"Benefits? It only happened one time," Alicia said.
"Yeah, but we use to text and make out like crazy, too. I still remember how eager you were in my arms whenever I kissed you," Dezzi said.
Rodney's blank expression remained the same, so it was hard for Alicia to know what he was thinking. He just continued to regard Dezzi in silence.
"C'mon," he said suddenly.
"What?" Dezzi said.
"Let's go outside," Rodney said.
"Huh?" Dezzi said.
"Yeah, I'm serious. You're trying to embarrass Alicia by airing out her business like that, well, I can't just let that go," he said.
"No, Rodney, wait," Alicia said.
"I'm not going out with you—" Dezzi said.
Rodney grabbed his collar and lifted him up, heading towards the exit. People gasped and started to stand up. Quickly, Alicia and Maxine rushed after them. When the four of them was outside, Rodney released Dezzi and punched him in the face, dislocating his jaw.
"Fuck!" Dezzi yelled.
People started to run out of the bar to see what the commotion was as Dezzi eyed Rodney. His lip was busted. Angrily, Dezzi tried to swing on him, but Rodney caught his fist and uppercut him. Dezzi flew into the air before crashing into some trash cans. The crowd screamed in surprise and Rodney squatted down over Dezzi.
"So, you want to brag about how you've been texting Alicia?" Rodney asked.
He reached down and searched through Dezzi's pockets for Dezzi's phone. When he found it, he stretched his arm back before flinging the phone down onto the concrete. The screen shattered and glass shot out. He began to stomp on it over and over again.
"Rodney, stop!" Alicia said.
"Isn't this all your fault?" Maxine asked.
"This is not the time to be pointing fingers, Maxine," Alicia cried.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Maxine asked.
"I didn't know how you would take it," Alicia said.
"So, all that stuff I was telling you about him, did you think it was funny? Did you laugh behind my back?" Maxine asked.
"No!"
"I can't believe you," Maxine said.
"I'm sorry, Maxine. I can't do this right now. I—I have to stop him," Alicia said.
Alicia rushed over to Rodney, pulling him away. Rodney gave Dezzi a murderous look as Dezzi groaned in pain on the ground.
"Let's leave—now," she said to him.
She faltered in step when she came to were Maxine was standing. Maxine raised an eyebrow and continued to glare at her. Trembling, Alicia continued to walk on with Rodney without saying anything to her friend.