Cha-Cha took Deonte over to the couch where Deandre sat. They ended up talking and watching TV while A.B. and I went back to eating.
"I forgot to tell you that Cha-Cha and Deonte are siblings," I spoke.
A.B. asked, "Y'all been hanging out a lot?"
"No. We actually became friends after our performance on the float. Aja was supposed to perform with him, but she couldn't make it. He asked me for a favor and paid me with food from Cha-Cha. I ended up meeting his brother and little sister, too. Speaking of... where is Chanel?" I turned around and asked about her.
"She's at her friend's house," Cha-Cha told me. "I didn't tell her you were here. The next time you see her, act like this day didn't happen."
I chuckled, "Noted."
"Cha-Cha, do you have a restaurant?" A.B. asked her. His plate was almost clean.
"She needs one!" Deandre said.
Deonte added, "We keep telling her to open shop, but she thinks it won't be a success."
"Cha-Cha!" I exclaimed.
A.B. said, "It's a crime not to have a place where we can dine in, but if you ever decide to get in the business, you should open one in East Grove."
"Right!" I agreed with A.B. "You would have a hard time keeping people out. We East Grovens love to eat."
Deonte looked at me. "As long as you've been in L.A., I thought you were one of us now."
Deandre laughed, "You ain't even from L.A." He told his brother.
"Nobody in here is," Cha-Cha stated.
Deonte walked over to me. "Let me see what my sister cooked." He looked at my plate. "She hit y'all with the sliders? Cha-Cha, where's my plate?"
"I made something else for you and Deandre. Those sliders are for Jae and A.B."
Deonte whispered to me, "I'm not gonna ask for anything on your plate. I know how you do." He walked away.
I looked at A.B. who was looking at me.
"We can leave when I finish my plate." I picked up my fork.
"Take your time. I want seconds," he said to me.
I disagreed, "You can get it to go just like I am." If we stay here any longer, I'm afraid Monica will somehow show up and make things even more awkward.
A.B.'s phone vibrated. He glanced at it before apologizing to me. He answered the phone. "Yeah... Is is urgent?... Have you tried contacting their office?... Right. I understand... Okay. I'll be there... Alright. Bye." A.B. hung up his phone and turned to face me. "There's some property issues going on with a few of my tenants. It's been a few weeks, and they're not too happy about it. So, I have to take care of the situation in person."
"Meaning?" I questioned, but I already knew where this was going.
A.B. answered, "I have to leave..."
I slowly nodded my head before picking up a fry and eating it.
"I don't know when I'll be back, but I'll do my best to return to spend time with you."
I stood to my feet. "I'm going to the restroom." I walked to the half-bath and locked myself inside. I sat on the lid of the toilet.
What does he mean he's leaving? He just got here! I rested my face in the palm of my hands. Again, my mind was spinning like a whirlwind. I recalled saying I would give A.B. some time, but I have no issue with forcing myself to stop liking him.
Several minutes later, I walked out the bathroom to see Cha-Cha and A.B. engaged in a conversation.
"I was seconds away from knocking on that door to check on you."
I looked to my right to see Deonte leaning against the wall. "I'm starting to feel a little sick."
"Cha-Cha isn't perfect. Sometimes, she misses the mark."
I giggled, "It's not the food. It's..." I looked at A.B.
Deonte sighed, "The only thing he got on me is he met you before I did. I shouldn't be helping my competition, but if you really like him, you need to tell him."
"I've told him twice too many times already."
Deonte poked my arm. "You give up too easy. Did I ever tell you how many no's The CRU heard before we got our deal?"
I shook my head.
"Thirteen over the course of five years, and a lot of those record companies said no more than three times. Do you know why we finally got a yes?"
"Do tell." I folded my arms.
Deonte smiled at me. "We didn't quit."
I lightly laughed, "That was a wonderful lesson, but that was for music. Have you ever heard no from someone you liked and wanted to be with?"
He replied, "Yes. It first happened at a famous birthday party. Wait, that was you when we first met."
I pouted, but I admired Deonte's honesty.
He continued, "He's a good dude, Jamie. I just talked to him, and I can tell that he cares a lot about you. You know sometimes there's a reason why a man can't pursue the woman he wants. It can be timing, personal matters, or anything."
"Why are you saying this?" I asked him.
"If I can't be that man in your life, I want it to be someone who is right for you. "
"That doesn't make me feel any better," I admitted.
Deonte pointed to A.B. "Good. Now go talk to him instead of talking to me."
I walked over to A.B.
"Are you okay?" He asked me.
I nodded my head.
Cha-Cha placed a paper bag on the bar. "Here's your to-go plates."
"Thanks, Cha-Cha," I told her.
"It's nothing. I enjoyed your company. A.B., it was a pleasure meeting you."
A.B. and I said our good-byes before dismissing ourselves. We left the apartment and went to the parking garage where we got in the car.
"Where to next?" A.B. asked me.
Confused, I asked, "I thought you had to leave?"
A.B. replied as he drove, "I do, but we haven't finished spending the day together."
I smiled as I looked out the window. "Let's get some donuts."
I heard him laugh. "Perfect."
After getting a variety of donuts, A.B. found a park near the Rivers' neighborhood. He parked the car. "Can we talk about this party situation?" He asked me.
I opened the box of donuts. "Umm... okay."
"As much as I don't want you to perform there, I understand this is your choice. But if it's okay with you, I want to hire a few bodyguards to be with you for now on."
I picked up a strawberry donut with sliced strawberries and powdered sugar on top and took a bite out of it. "I don't know what's sweeter. You or this donut," I teased him.
A.B. glanced at me. His eyes were serious. "I haven't been too vocal about my feelings for you, but I hope you know that I care for you, Jamie. When the time comes, I'll tell you everything and anything that you want to know. Right now, I'm working on a few projects that I have to dedicate a lot of time to."
I huffed, "A.B., I get it. Don't worry about me. Monica, the big bad wolf, will be with me. Deonte said he'll be on watch with his bodyguards, and Zeke's brother will be there, too. I'm getting paid. I'll do the job, and I'll leave right after. I will be fine."
"Thanks for understanding, but I still want you to have a security team."
I put my donut back in the box and picked up a regular glazed donut. "Open your mouth," I told him as I held the donut to his face.
He grinned before opening his mouth and taking a bite of the donut.
"You know, you should really try something different. Plain donuts are boring." I put the glazed donut back in the box.
"What do you mean?" He inquired. "You are something different, Jae A.B."
I pointed at him. "Eat your donuts, sir."
"Your friend isn't bad at all. I trust him about 80% with you," he admitted.
"Deonte Way?" I asked.
A.B. answered, "Yeah. I'm glad there's a man in the industry that will treat you with respect and look after you."
That made me smile. "I'm happy to hear you say that. He even said you were a good guy. I can see y'all being friends."
"I don't know about that. When he gets a girlfriend, I can give him the other 20% of trust. Actually, I'll give him 10%, because of his sister. I didn't know she's a believer in God."
"Yes! I've talked with her about her beliefs, because she puts Bible verses on her food containers. Can you believe she doesn't celebrate holidays? Well, her whole family doesn't celebrate."
"Neither do I," A.B. said.
I quickly looked at him. "You never told me that?"
"Because that's not important. Pure religion is to help those in need while remaining clean from the dirt of the world. That's not verbatim, but it comes from James 1:27. Religion can be done in vain; therefore, being more important than faith in God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Loving God is not about what pleases us. It's about pleasing Him. I get nothing from telling people my standards and how I choose to live. I do get joy when I share God's Word and salvation with others. The only reward I look forward to is the promise of eternal life. If the purpose of our relationship is that alone, I'd be satisfied with that." He reached in the box and picked up a chocolate donut with peanut butter, chocolate chips, and whip cream on top.
I waited to see his reaction as he took a big bite of it. After he chewed and swallowed, he said, "That's different."
We both laughed.
On the way back to the Rivers' Residence, A.B. and I continued talking.
He spoke, "Believe it or not, I'm learning a lot from you."
"Me?" I pointed to myself. "You know way more about life than I do, sir."
A.B. came to a red traffic light as he stopped the car. "For instance, I'm not big into music, but you sing. Then, you got signed. I get to learn about the business of music through you. Although I don't have an interest in the music industry for several reasons, seeing how happy you are when you perform and hearing you sing your songs gives me ease. Now, I'm not so quick to write-off every person in the music industry. In God's time, those who belong to Him will seek Him and find Him."
"Like me!"
"Exactly," A.B. continued, "If you can answer this, what are your plans as a singer? How long do you see yourself doing this as a career? What else are you interested in doing?"
Oh, he's coming with the questions today. I answered, "After being in this world of music, I do not see myself doing this for the rest of my life. Singing - yes! Being tied down to a record label, and being treated like I'm not a person, I don't--I can't tolerate that. I used to laugh when some singers or rappers would become one-hit wonders, but if all I had was one hit song or one hit album, that would be enough for me. I just don't want to struggle financially. Outside of this, you know I worked at Music Bravos for years. It was my first and last regular job. I didn't finish college. So, I really don't have much to fall back on."
"You can work with me," A.B. suggested.
I twisted my lips. "You mean work for you."
A.B. shook his head as the light turned green, he stepped on the gas pedal. "No. You can work with me. I've trained a lot of real estate agents and agencies. I'll teach you everything I know, and you'll be able to work for yourself if you want."
"I've also thought about being a stay-at-home wife," I joked.
"I doubt you'd want to stay-at-home, but I can support you if that's what you want."
Something's different about A.B. Not in a dramatically noticeable way, but he seems more open to us being a couple. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm gonna get to the bottom of it.
Soon, we arrived at the Rivers' mansion.
"There's one more donut left, and it has your name on it." I picked up the donut with green icing, green sprinkles, and sliced pistachios.
A.B. looked at me, "I'm giving you my dentist's bill."
"Eat!" I held the donut to his face.
A.B. took a big bite.
I watched him as I took a bite of it. It was so good. We both agreed as we chewed. A.B. ate the rest of it.
Soon, A.B. got out of the car and opened my door. I stepped out before he closed the passenger's door.
"Have you found a flight back home?" I asked him.
"I did. Plane leaves in two hours. I'm going straight to the airport after I get my luggage from my Airbnb."
I read his entire face, and I could somewhat see that he didn't want to go.
"Take care of your business, and when things are good, come back to see me."
"I will."
I hesitated before stepping towards him and wrapping my arms around his neck. "You can hug me."
A.B. wrapped his arms around. "Please be careful, Jamie. I'll call you, but you don't have to pick up if you're busy."
I mumbled, "Please call me every day... if you can."
A.B. said, "I will do that. Bye, Jamie."
"Aww, looky-looky!"
I quickly released A.B. to see Monica walking toward us. Ever since I've asked God to help me be more patient with my cousin, she's been popping up. Is this why they say be careful what you pray for?
"Don't y'all look like the cutest couple -- wait, that's reserved for E and me."
A.B. released me. "Ladies, have fun. I'll be back soon."
"See ya later, A.B.!" Monica told him.
He waved as he got in his car and drove away.
I turned to Monica. "How do you know when I'm out here?"
"I put a tracker on your phone."
"What?"
"Got'cha!" Monica laughed at me. "Now that you're back. We need to figure out what we're wearing tomorrow for this party."
I quickly turned around, but A.B.'s car was gone. "Nooo... come back."
"What's wrong?" Monica asked me.
"He left with my to-go plate."
Monica took my hand. "Girl, we're staying in a mansion. We can get any food we want." She led me back inside the house.
I'm definitely not looking forward to tomorrow.