Two Months Later
Xora.
I giggled into the phone as I got dressed and finger combed my hair and allowed it to hang freely.
"Bye Zeek." I said with a playful eyeroll before hanging up the phone.
I was still occupying my own living space, but that seemed to make the relationship that Zeek and I had even better. It took me back to the days before we lived together which happened to be our best days.
I made sure he knew where we stood. I needed a break from him, but I did love him still and I knew he loved me. And distance was proving that.
"Kai, baby your ready to go see auntie Ree?" I asked as I stepped into my sneakers, grabbed my keys, wallet and headed out of my room. Kai was sitting on the couch rummaging through a box of lucky charms pulling out all of the marshmallows and I put my hand on my hip. "Really, Kai? You aren't the only one who eats those."
"'Mommy you took forever!" He exclaimed as if that made a difference.
"Whatever boy. Let's go. Grab your bag."
I checked the time as I pulled up in front of Cherise's house. She and her daughter were taking advantage of the hot summer day buy tossing water balloons back and forth at eachother.
"You guys seem to be having fun." I said as we walked through the grass to where they were.
"Hey girl." Cherise greeted partially out of breath. "Come on Kai baby since mommy is going to the gym without me." She said playfully rolling her eyes.
"Oh whatever." I laughed. "I promise the kids are all mine when I get back. You can go wherever you'd like."
After being playfully dismissed, I hopped back into my car and made my way to LA Fitness. I was already running late.
Upon entering, I was hit with a whiff of cool air that I appreciated before I scanned the vicinity. I smiled a bit before heading toward the treadmills and hopping up on one, setting it and beginning a slight job.
"Look who finally made it." I heard from beside me, but I only kept running and trying to hide my giggles for being late. I was supposed to meet him an hour ago. His long slender fingers moved from his space to the keypad on my treadmill and I suddenly felt my body jerk and my legs moving faster and faster under me.
"Oh my God!" I squealed jumping off to the best of my ability while he laughed. "Why must you play, Ant?" I whined, slightly embarrassed.
"Why must you be late?" He retorted. "So you could match your top with your sneakers?" He laughed and I rolled my eyes.
Stepping toward me, he wrapped his long arms around me, still smelling like the axe body wash he wore even through the sweat spilling from his pores. "Hey ma."
"Hey stranger." I said with an eyeroll and placed my hand on my hip. Over the past couple of months, Anthony and I had gotten pretty close. We'd discuss things like what we planned to do with our students once the school year started or he'd just come over to chill and talk which I appreciated because it kept my mind off of a lot of things.
Although I was staying in Ava's house temporarily, she and I had fallen off a bit. She would purposely ignore my calls, texts and any other form of communication until it was convenient. I wasn't sure why, but I was never one to kiss ass for friendships. It did hurt my feelings a bit though, I couldn't lie. But with our fallout, I wasn't trying to stay at her place any longer than I really needed to.
"Don't start. You know I've been working a lot lately. I'm lucky to even have time for this. But guess what." He said a little too excited.
"What?" I genuinely wondered stopping both him and I and sitting on the padded bench in front of the large mirror.
He looked at me and poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue before scrunching his eyebrows as if he were in deep thought.
"Damn, are you about to tell me you won the lottery?" I joked.
"Nah." He laughed and hopped up on the pull up bar, breathing in and out while he lifted his body up. "I'm moving."
"Really?" I cooed. "Congratulations! To where? From where since you never let me come over?" I joked but he only continued to pull his weight up and down as if he didn't just drop what I assumed to be great news on me.
"Anthony." I called, but he ignored me.
Standing, I grabbed onto the waistband of the front of his black gym shorts catching him off guard. He hopped down and wiped excess sweat from his face with the t-shirt that hung freely around his neck.
"What's going on?" I asked him. "you moving out of the state or something?" I asked not even realizing how low my face dropped at the though.
"No." He chuckled. "But it's cute to see you care." He said, pinching my cheek and earning a playful punch to the side.
Anthony.
I had worked extremely hard the past few months. With all the hours I had put in, working double sometimes triple shifts, I was able to get a two bedroom apartment that didn't look like a piece of shit.
It wasn't much, but it was something to be excited about when you've been living out of your car for what seemed like forever. I was so excited, I hadn't even realized I was preparing myself to tell Xora just for the sake of telling someone until the words passed my lips.
I wasn't prepared to tell her my situation. I never planned on it and I expected for her to never know, but here I was in the awkward position where I had to say something. I could tell by the look on her face.
"I've just been in a bit of a bad place lately, but I'm good now. I was just a little excited but it's really not a big deal." I laughed. "You want to help decorate?" I asked changing the subject.
"What aren't you telling me? You live with your mom or something?"
"No man." I laughed. "I told you my mom doesn't even live here."
"I know. I just wanted you to fix your face." She giggled a bit. "But what's going on? You want you to go get lunch so we can talk?"
"Xo." I said, stale facing her. "You want to leave the gym to go eat?"
A roar of laughter erupted from the pit of her stomach as she grabbed my hand. "I'm just here for support and to look cute."
She hopped into the passenger seat of my car and convinced me that Panera bread was healthy as we drove singing along to ten year old hip hop songs.
"So, I'm moving but I'm not really moving from anywhere." I began nervously, not wanting to wait until we were face to face to tell her of my misfortune.
"What do you mean?" She wondered. Her voice was soft and she gazed out of the windshield for my comfort,
I chuckled a bit and licked my lips. I couldn't believe I was about to tell someone I've known less than six months some of the heaviest shit I've ever dealt with, but I didn't have too many other people. My family were all in a different state and ninety nine percent of my friends were mutuals of me and my ex. They either cut me off after we split, or I cut them off. Either way, I kind've needed the weight lifted.
"I was in a fucked up situation, lost it all, been living out of my car for some time, but I'm getting back so." I rushed out, making sure to not say too much, and ignored when she turned to face the side of my face.
"Wait, huh?"
"But I'm not no dirty, bum ass nigga." I said defensively. "I just-"
She grabbed my face in her hands as we stopped at a red light and forced me to look at her.
"Don't give me that pity stare."
"You could've told me, Anthony. I could've helped you. You could've stayed with me until you found a place. Oh my God, have you been living off fast food?" The sudden raise in the pitch in her voice when it came to food made me chuckle a bit.
"I'm good." I promised just as the car behind me beeped for me to go. As I began to pull into the parking lot of our destination, she quickly told me to continue up the street.
"No, we're going to the market. You need some real food." She huffed, like she was talking to her son. Laughing a bit, I shook my head and kept going, but with my mind focused on my own daughter.
I wondered if she still liked the same things, how she was doing in school, if she thought of me as much as I thought of her or if she got a bad taste in her mouth when thinking of me. I wondered if her mother painted a bad picture of me or if she told her I loved her regularly.
Releasing my death grip on the steering wheel, I blew out a breath and reminded myself over and over again what the mission was: to get my baby back.
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Xora.
The plan was for me to cook for Anthony, but he surprisingly ended up cooking for me.
"Don't be trying to poison just because you know nobody will be able to connect me to you." I joked and he shook his head and smirked while draining linguini noodles in the sink.
He was making me his favorite; shrimp scampi and I couldn't wait. Looking around the small, cozy apartment, I took notice to the fact that there was only a trash bag sitting in the corner, furnishing the place.
"I have things in storage." He told me, and I turned to realize he was staring at me.
I didn't want to make him feel bad, I just wished he would have told me. I told him all about my issues, but he remained secretive. Beyond good sex, we were actually good friends and I was sort've offended and he didn't think he could be opened with me. I felt bad for ever looking at him and thinking he had it all together.
I didn't want to dwell on what he had been through, so I snatched a shrimp off of the plate just as he was sprinkling parsley and lemon juice over it. But before it had the chance to pass my lips, he caught it with his teeth and began to chew. "Don't touch until I say so." He demanded while I sat with my mouth ajar, sad that I had to lick the savory flavors off of my lip knowing I never got to enjoy it.
He began to laugh, and I assumed he was laughing at my facial expression as he made my plate, placing a lemon wedge and parsley leaf on the side like he was on a cooking show.
"Ms. Hamilton." He said as he placed the dish in front of her on the small square glass dining room table.
"Thank you Mr. Young." She said in return as she watched him sit across from her and extend his hand. She quickly grabbed a hold of it and they both bowed their head and prayed silently.
After endless laughs, good conversation and a surprisingly delicious meal, I stood to throw away my trash.
" I have to get going. It's getting late and I have to go pick up Kai from my girlfriend's before he drives her crazy." I chuckled and he did the same.
"I understand. How old is he again?"
"6." I reminded while pulling a black tank top from my bag to cover my exposed belly.
"Six." He stated. "That's a good age. What does he like to do?" He wondered as he walked me to the door.
"Just typical kid stuff." I laughed. "Getting into everything, he's into extracurriculars now like sports, thinking he's grown."
He chuckled a bit, but I didn't seem to have his attention anymore. As he stared into space, he didn't even see me swinging my hand in front of his face. Finally snapping out of what I assumed to be his daydream, he apologized and embraced in our usual hug to bid eachother adieu.
Rubbing his hands over my bottom then squeezing gently, he smirked at me. "When you coming back so we can decorate?" He asked and I could tell by his tone he wasn't only referring to fixing up his new home.
I blushed, my chocolate cheeks reddening as I popped his hands. "Bye Ant."
He only chuckled and grabbed onto the gold door knob. "Be safe. Let me know when you get home."
Anthony.
Plopping down onto the comfortable burgundy carpet of my living room, my mind traveled a million miles a minute as I thought of my daughter.
Xora talking about her son only made me think of my baby girl and how I had no idea what she was into now. It broke my heart. But as I looked around the barely put together apartment, I knew that it would only be a matter of time.
Deciding to take my mind off of it, I began to tidy up everything that had come out of my car and made a trip to my storage unit to retrieve the things that would fit in my car to turn my house into a home.
Xora.
I allowed the cool summer evening air to blow freely through my windows as I cruised down the slightly busy streets in route to Cherise's house.
While listening to the smooth sounds of nineties R&B, my rang interrupting the music that played through the aux cord.
"Yes Ezekiel."
The sweet voice that I had grown accustomed to hearing since he was trying to get back on my good side was no longer evident in his tone.
"You out here embarrassing me! All up under niggas in the gym and shit-"
"Let me stop you right there." I said cutting him off, growing irritated really quickly. "You have no right to talk to me about shit I do. We are not together." I told him, breaking up the sentence so that he would understand clearly. And two, how do you know that wasn't my trainer? Stop listening to those niggas who run their mouths like bitches." I told him before pausing and chuckling. "Or maybe it was a bitch." I concluded.
"Man Xora, don't -" he began before getting cut off.
"I have to go." I told him parking in Cherise's driveway.
I had no sympathy for regard for Zeek's feelings, I did need to stop being careless when it can't go mine and Anthony's friendship. Since we had gone from just fuck buddies to friends who have sex occasionally, we often didn't see a reason to hide out. Especially since Zeek and I were taking a break, even though in his mind I was his forever.
Ignoring the constant vibration in my pocket knowing it was only Zeek calling back, I walked up the brick stairs and rang the door bell.
I could hear the kids laughing inside before Reese had even come to the door, dressed in pajama pants and a tank top.
"Hey gorgeous." I greeted as she held the door opened for me to enter."
"Hey mama." She said before leading to the living room where the kids were sitting on the soft beige carpet with a tray of cookies and photo albums.
"Mommy!!" Kai squealed before jumping up and showering me with kisses before going back to what he was doing. His excitement to see me never lasted long when he was with Rocky.
Cherise took her seat back on the couch and folded her legs Indian style under her. "We were having Movje night, but miss priss over here wanted to show her b-o-y-f-r-i-e-n-d how pretty she looked in tutus." Cherise laughed and I followed suit, kicking off my shoes to get comfortable and enjoy The Lion King that was going unnoticed by the children.
"Let me see your pretty tutus baby. Mommy's hating?" I questioned jokingly as I helped her pick up the dark album that seemed to be filled with pictures.
"This one is my favorite!" She squealed. "My daddy got it for me. It's red cause that's his favorite color!" She said but my voice was trapped in the back of my throat.
Blinking and eyeing the picture again, like I hadn't seen it right, I cleared my throat. "Wow you look so pretty in that! Who's this with you?" I asked her but directing my attention to Cherise.
"That's daddy!" Rocky said excitedly shoving the book in my face, giving me a better look at the familiar light skinned, slim man with the strong facial features. But it had to be a coincidence that he looked so much like Anthony Young.
Cherise scoffed looking over at the picture. "Yeah, that's AJ's no good ass. I thought I showed you him before." She mumbled so that her daughter wouldn't hear her ill feelings toward her father, and my heart began to race.
How could I have grown to build a great friendship with a man who would leave his family, his child behind? How could I have mind blowing sex with him when he could do such a thing. I was disgusted with myself.
Eyeing the picture again, I turned up my nose and discreetly shook my head. "Let me see some more of just you, Rocky." I requested, unable to look at his face any longer.
"That's probably why his ass was homeless." I thought to myself. "God don't like ugly."
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No edit. Excuse mistakes.
How are y'all?