"Nobody's perfect, uh
Nobody's perfect, ay ay, uh
Hey, but you're perfect for me
Nobody's perfect, uh (Ay, ay, ay)
Nobody's perfect, ay
Hey, but you're perfect for me
We rollin', we ridin'
He like to go inside and
I love to go all night and
We rock the boat, Poseidon
I love to call your name, name, name
Yeah, baby, I love to call your name, name, name, ay."
J.Cole ft. Missy Elliott "Nobody's Perfect"
Nicole
"I'm starting to think I'm just paranoid because we haven't seen anything incriminating since we installed those cameras over a month ago." I sighed, covering my face. I connected with that tech guy Nicole recommended. I told Kennedy I was going away for a week for work. I left the house yesterday and actually crashed at a hotel for the night.
Luis and I have been in his van since 6 am. It's parked literally less than 10 houses down from mine. 11 hours later, no one has entered the house. Kennedy has just been laying around all day talking on the phone and eating my food.
"Maybe today's our lucky day." I looked up at the screen that was zoomed in at the front door. There was this clown *ss n*gga standing there with a f*cking durag. I watched as Kennedy pulled him into the house.
"I know she's not going to do what I'm thinking." I stared at the next camera like a hawk. This dude slipped off his shoes and Kennedy took off her dress. She motioned for him to follow her. I immediately jumped out of the van and ran towards my house.
"Dewayne! Dewayne stop!" I heard Luis yell from behind me. I paid him no mind as I bolted inside the house. The living room was empty, so I went to the room to find her sitting on top of him.
"So this is what you do?" Kennedy immediately jumped off of him and the dude sat up looking confused.
"Dewayne, it's not what it looks like."
"Shut the f*ck up! I can't believe you would do this sh*t in my house and in my bed."
"Bro, I know this is your sister but I think she's old enough to have a boyfriend." My head tilted sideways and my eyes bulged wide open like Stewie Griffin's as my attention turned to his random guy.
"What the f*ck are you talking about?"
"Kennedy said this was her brother's house."
"Man, this is my house and Kennedy is my girl. Well, she was because you can have her now."
"Dewayne, we can talk about this." Kennedy pleaded, trying to touch my arm and I snatched it away.
"Don't you dare touch me. Both of you, get the h*ll out of my house right now before my true colors come out."
"Bro, I'm sorry. I would have never came up in here if I knew she had a dude. I don't roll like that. Kennedy, you wrong as h*ll. Lose my number." I watched this man grab his jacket and walk out.
"Why are you still here Kennedy?"
"Don't put this all on me."
"What are you talking about?"
"I tried so hard to be a good girlfriend, but you didn't make it easy because as hard you tried to deny it, you were in love with Nicole, I know you did. I never had all of you! To fill those voids, I saw other dudes. Yeah I was wrong, trifling, whatever you want to call it but you were too."
"Kennedy, just leave. Your lies are not going to make up for the fact that you cheated on me."
"Look me in my eyes and tell me you don't love her."
"Kennedy, get out!"
"You can't even deny it! It's whatever though. I'm done." She walked out into the living room to retrieve her dress and handbag.
"Raggedy *ss b*tch!" I yelled as she left and got onto the sidewalk.
"N*gga, fuck you!"
"F*ck you too!" I slammed the door shut. I better not see that b*tch again. I grabbed the sheets off the bed and threw them into the fireplace.
I looked at all the sh*t I bought her. I'm going to sell all of it and get my money back. I gotta win somehow.
I need to see Nicole. I picked up my phone to call her.
"Hey Dewayne. What's up?"
"Can you slide through?"
"Right now?"
"Yeah. Please?"
"Okay. I'm on my way somewhere, but I can make a quick stop. You okay?"
"Yeah, I just need to talk to somebody."
"I'll should be there soon."
"Thanks."
I lit up a blunt up and opened up a bottle of Bacardi, taking it to the head. I sat on the floor with my back against the couch as I watched the flames of the fireplace. I'm not going to cry over that h*e.
Luis called me to check if everything was fine. I thanked for his help. After we finished talking, I sent him the rest of his money via Zelle. I may not have liked what I saw on the cameras, but he did his job and deserved his money.
After 20 minutes, I heard a knock at the door.
"It's open!"
"Why is the door unlocked? What's going on?" Nicole walked into the living room, confused at my state.
"Kennedy had the audacity to bring a dude into my house and try to f*ck him on my bed."
"Are you serious?"
"I almost choked the life out of her, but I realized my freedom wasn't worth it."
"Thank God your senses kicked in. I'm sorry that happened to you. I know you really loved her."
"I should have listened to you."
"You had to see it for yourself. You can't take the blame. It's her loss. But this drinking is not going to make the pain go away." She took the bottle from me and placed it on the table.
"I know. I'm just glad I found out she was cheating before we got serious."
"You'll be alright. You just need some rest and find something to take your mind off of it."
"Where were you going when I called you? It sounded like you were driving."
"I've actually been at the warehouse all day logging in the new inventory for the next drop. I was going to stop at the hair store to get some edge control before meeting up with Kyle. We're going for dinner at that new spot near the aquarium."
"Yeah, I heard about that place."
"Have you eaten?"
"Nah, that sh*t made me lose my appetite."
"You still need to eat."
"I'll order a pizza or something later."
"Okay, if you say so. Are you going to be okay on your own?" She helped me up.
"Yeah, I'll survive. Thank you for coming over."
"Of course. I'll call you later to check up on you." Nicole hugged me. When she pulled back, I leaned in and tried to kiss her but she moved her head.
"Woah, what are you doing?"
"Nicole, I'm sorry I never saw it before but it's not too late."
"What are you talking about?"
"I finally realized that I f*cked up. I've been wasting my time with Kennedy when I really should have been with you." She looked at me before bursting into laughter and clapping her hands.
"You are so funny."
"I'm serious."
"Dewayne, where is this coming from?"
"We both know you remember that night we shared."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Nicole, I know you're probably angry about how I handled the situation."
"I'm not mad. That night may be engrained in your memory, but it's not in mine."
"How can you say that? That's when I realized I loved you more than a friend."
"I think it's time for me to go because it's obvious you're not in your right frame of mind." She walked past me to get to the front door, but I ran to block her exit.
"Nicole, you don't have to deny that you have feelings for me. I'm trying to pour my heart out to you and you want to walk away."
"Dewayne, cut the bullsh*t! You've walked away from me since we were kids. I should have walked away from you since you pretended like nothing happened between us on prom night."
"I made a mistake and I'm trying to fix it!"
"When I'm finally happy, and I found someone I wouldn't have to chase and wait to love me? You have some nerve."
"You can never forget your first."
"Dewayne, you're not the first person to take someone's virginity and you definitely won't be the last. If you ever loved me, you wouldn't have moved on to the next b*tch after that night. If I felt anything for you, that was in the past. It is buried and gone. I love Kyle with all my heart. He is who I want to be with. Get out of my way."
"Look, I need you to listen to me. I'm sorry."
"I don't have anything against you. That's all in the past. I understand you're hurting and looking for a rebound, but it's not me. I am with an amazing man who I wouldn't trade for anything in this world."
"Look me in my eyes and tell me you don't love me."
"I do not love you Dewayne." I saw how serious she was.
"Nicole."
"Take care of yourself." She walked out of the door, leaving me all alone.
"Fuck!" I slammed my hands against the wall.
What just happened?
*************************************************
Nicole
"Damn, that's unfortunate." I commented, watching game four between the Hawks and Celtics come to an end. I kind of knew Atlanta didn't have a chance of beating Boston, but I didn't think they would get swept.
I'm having dinner with my boo. I've pushed that incident with Dewayne to the back of my mind. He is out of his mind to think I would leave Kyle for him. I'll have to tell Kyle what happened, but not tonight.
"There's always next season." I looked over at Kyle from across the table.
"You okay babe?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
"No, you're not. You've barely touched your food."
"I think that appetizer filled me up." But they were only 6 mozzarella sticks and I had 4/6 of them.
"Kyle, you can be honest with me. What's wrong?"
"I just don't feel well."
"Is it your stomach again?" I swear, I trust Kyle with all my heart. He has repeatedly complained of stomach pain and he said the doctor prescribed him painkillers. I felt like there was more to the story, but I couldn't find anything inside of the house that contradicted his story. No pill bottles other than Tylenol, no medical reports, no images from scans.
I've asked him a couple of times if he's hiding something, but he denies that he is. I don't want to keep pushing him and make it seem like I think he's lying.
I really hate seeing him in pain and not being able to do things when he wants to.
"Yeah."
"Okay. We should go and get you home."
"No baby. I don't want to spoil the night."
"How you feel is more important to me right now. I understand. We can go out another time."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'll call the waiter to get us a takeout box."
"Thank you. I'm going to go to the restroom real quick."
"Alright, be careful."
"I will. I'll be back." Kyle tried to hide his grimace as he stood up, but I noticed it as he stood up. When he got to the end of the hallway, I saw him hold his side as he opened the door.
I caught our waiter's attention and he offered to pack up the food for us. He brought back the boxes before Kyle came back. I stood up, seeing him returning to the table.
"You ready love?"
"Yes. Wait, you got something on your shirt." It was a red stain near his breast pocket that looked like a drop.
"It's probably some of that marinara sauce."
"I'll get it out when we get home. Come on." I intertwined our hands together.
"Hold on. We have to pay the bill."
"I already did."
"Nic—."
"Shhh! Let's go." Not him about to argue with me over a bill when he's in pain.
I drove us home and Kyle took some Tylenol before getting into bed after changing into more comfortable clothes. I tried to stay awake and reply to some emails, but that chimichurri steak was weighing me down and making me sleepy.
I plugged my phone into the charger and laid down on my side. I checked the time before I switched off the light. It was 9:13. I fell asleep soon after.
In my dream, I could hear something vibrating. My eyes popped open and I realized that it was my phone. I reached my arm out onto the nightstand and grabbed it. I squinted at the screen, trying to see clearly. Tae is calling.
"Hello?" I answered groggily.
"Girl, let me tell you what Shawn did."
"What happened?" I asked, yawning.
"Wait, were you sleeping?"
"Yes."
"Oh my bad. I didn't think you would in bed this early."
"What time is it?"
"12:05." That's early?
"I thought it was later than that. Kyle and I crashed after coming home from dinner."
"Okay. I'll call you later when you're more awake because I need you to pay attention when I tell you this story."
"You are so crazy. I'll talk to you later."
"Goodnight." I stretched my legs and felt behind me. My hand met an empty bed. I turned around to confirm that Kyle wasn't there. I looked towards the bathroom and saw no light coming from under the bathroom door.
Where is he?
I got up from the bed and grabbed my phone. I walked out of the room to see no lights on from the other rooms.
"Kyle." When there was no response, I slowly walked down the stairs. "Kyle." I heard coughing coming from the half bathroom close to the kitchen.
I opened the door to see Kyle kneeling over the toilet and coughing up blood.
"Oh my God!" I ran beside him and went to call 911, but he pushed my phone down.
"No, stop."
"What do you mean stop? We need to get you to the hospital."
"I'll be fine."
"No, we need to find out what's wrong. It's obvious that there is something more to your stomach pain. It has gotten worse and developed into coughing up blood."
"I already know what's going on."
"What is it?"
"I have colon cancer."
"What? Wait, hold on. Let me try to understand. You have colon cancer?"
"Yes."
"Since when?"
"Three years ago, I caught it before it got bad and I got surgery to remove the cancerous parts. Then I had to go through chemotherapy for six months before we could say the cancer was gone. Unfortunately, it returned and it was starting to spread more quickly so I went to Canada."
"The time before my last birthday?"
"Yeah. When I said I was going for business, I was actually going to try a more aggressive approach but I backed out of it because I didn't want to go through chemo again and deal with the effects of radiation. I've been doing herbal remedies, but there haven't been any improvements. At my last doctor's appointment, they told me I had up to a year left. Since then, I've just decided to accept my fate and hope for the best."
"That was six months ago. Were you ever going to tell me?"
"Probably on my death bed. I know you would be crushed and I just wanted to keep you happy for as long as I could."
"I would rather know the truth than to lose you without a warning."
"I'm sorry for not telling you. I know it was selfish and you deserve better. I'll understand if you want to leave."
I leaned back against the wall. So many thoughts were running through my mind. For one, I can't believe Kyle has been keeping this secret from me for so long. At the same time, I'm still trying to process the fact that in six months I may not have the man who has the key to my heart by my side.
I love this man so much. I am disappointed by his dishonesty, but I need to focus on the bigger picture.
"I'm not going anywhere. Let me get a towel and some water."
"You're not mad?"
"I'm more concerned than to be angry with you right now." I wiped his face and gave him the cup so he could rinse his mouth.
"You think you can make it back upstairs?"
"Yeah." I helped him walk up the steps and get into bed.
"Promise me no more lies. I want to be there for you every step of the way."
"I promise." He squeezed my hand and kissed it. I gave him a faint smile before getting up from the bed.
"Where you going?"
"I just need to use the bathroom. I'll be right back." I kissed his forehead before I calmly entered the bathroom and locked the door. My back was against the door as the tears started pouring from my eyes.
I want someone to tell me this is all a dream.
Leaning over the sink, I felt my chest getting tight. Out of all the people in the world, it had to be my Kyle. The kindest man I've ever known. The most attentive, funny, creative, and loving. I would trade everything he's ever given me so that he can have a longer, healthy life. All of those material things mean nothing if he's not here.
God, I pray, pay my tithes, go to church, and give to people freely but you still want to take him me. If I lose this ray of sunshine, I don't think my days will ever be bright again.
God, I need a miracle.
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