I sat on the sink of the guest bathroom, holding my head in my hands. August had left a couple of minutes ago, after receiving a call from Mama, questioning his whereabouts.There was officially no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be with August. But there was Ty...who'd made sure to treat me how any woman would want to be treated by her significant other.
My various thoughts were cut short at the sound of a slight rapping on the bathroom door.
"Shanelle? Are you in here?"
I took a deep breath, regaining myself before fixing my clothing and opening the door. I could barely meet Ty's eyes.
"Are you okay? You'd been missing for a good hour-"
He ceased his questioning when he took notice of my facial expression.
"What's wrong?" His eyebrows knitted together in worry.
"We need to talk, Ty."
I pulled him into one of the nearby guest rooms, shutting the door. His eyes cautiously followed me as I paced the room.
"Baby, what's the-"
I ceased my pacing, standing in front of him.
"Ty, I love you..."
He flashed me a smile, pulling me to him.
"I love you, t-"
I cut him off, gently pulling from him before softly speaking once again.
"Let me finish, alright?"
He stared at me for a moment, nodding. I gently bit my lip before sighing and continuing.
"I love you, Ty. But i'm not in love with you."
He sighed, running his hand across the back of his neck.
"Is this about August?"
We stared at each other for a moment, each mentally refusing to add to the already thick silence.
"I'm sorry, Ty...it wasn't in my intentions for this to happen." I gestured between the two of us.
He nodded, looking down and placing his hands into his pockets.
"I understand. I'm glad you were forthright with me instead of stringing me along as some kind of back-up arrangement."
I gave him a small smile, sticking my hand out for a cordial hand shake in attempts of breaking the ice. I was caught by surprise when he pulled me into his chest, enveloping me into a strong hug.
"You sure about this?" His voice was barely audible, yet I clearly heard him. I nodded, gently pulling away.
"I'm positive."
He chuckled, releasing my hand and taking a step back.
"It was worth a try."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After walking Ty out through the front door, I watched him pull away, giving him a small wave. I was surprised by how easily the entire situation went. But I couldn't continue to string him along; he deserved so much better than that. I walked back into the house, gently shutting the door. Everyone was still in the back yard, enjoying themselves and having a good time, and here I was...battling a relationship crisis. I looked down at my bare ring finger...where my commitment to August should've remained. We hadn't even finalized our divorce. Maybe it was because we both knew that there was no need...
"What you doin' in here all by yourself? In case you ain't noticed, the party's outside."
I turned to Chandra, who was smiling and holding a red solo cup. She gave a slight frown when she saw my expression. She gestured to the couch and I obliged, taking a seat as she sat onto the cushion next to me.
"What's up wit' you 'Nelle? Where's ya friend?"
I looked down, playing with my fingers before sighing and looking up at the ceiling.
"He left."
She stared at me, waiting for an explanation. When I didn't offer one, she spoke, after taking a sip of whatever was in her cup. Knowing her, it was nothing less than liquor.
"Is everything okay? Why'd he just up and leave?" She raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"I broke up with him. He actually took it pretty well...."
She offered me her cup and I debated with myself before taking it and chugging the rest of the substance. A burning sensation enveloped my throat, proving my previous assumptions to be correct. I sighed in satisfaction, handing the cup back to her. She chuckled lightly before giving me a stank face.
"Damn, bitch. I offered you a sip, not the whole communion."
I laughed, relaxing into the couch.
"So you broke up with him...."
I nodded.
"And he took it well...."
I nodded once again and Chandra threw her hands up in confusion.
"Then please fill me in, cause I don't see the problem. Unless you regret your choice?"
I shook my head. Before I could respond, a smirk developed on her face.
"August."
I frowned. Was it really that obvious?
"I just don't know, Chandra. One minute, I love him and can't imagine life without his ass, and the next i'm plotting ways to make his death look like an accident."
Chandra chuckled, rubbing my back.
"Girl, that's nothing but love. I felt the same way about..."
She paused, and looked away. There was no need for her to continue; we both knew she was speaking of Mel. She rubbed my back before standing.
"Just talk to him. Ant's stubborn as hell, but he loves you."
I nodded, and sighed as she disappeared towards the back of the house, probably returning to the barbeque. I stood, taking a deep breath and following suit. There was no use in me being cooped up inside while everyone else was enjoying each other's company.
I made my way to the back yard, smiling as a few people greeted me. It was beginning to darken, but the party didn't appear to be ending anytime soon. The aroma of BBQ lingered through the air as I made my way over to Mama, who was waving at me from a distance.
"Where you been, Nelly? I been lookin' all over for you."
I smiled, glancing around.
"Y'all really went all out with this one, Ma."
She rose her eyebrow at my sudden change of conversation, but didn't question it.
"When have you ever known me to throw a side-ways party?"
I laughed and looked down as I felt a tug on my sun dress. A half asleep Amali held her arms up. Obliging, I picked her up, allowing for her to rest her head on my shoulder. Neither her or Mel were used to staying up this late, and I knew i'd have to take them home soon. Before I could announce my dismissal, August appeared next to Mama, cradling a sleeping Mel. It was actually quite ironic if you ask me. I almost smiled at the sight; it was adorable.
"Aye, Ma, can I steal Shanelle away from you for a minute?"
I spoke before she could, shaking my head lightly.
"I, uh, was actually about to head out. The kids are both exhausted-"
She fanned me off, taking Mel from August's arms before signaling for Scoot, who had been grilling, to do the same for Amali.
"I was actually gonna ask if the kids could stay with us for a couple days. The girls are staying, and I wanna have all my grandbabies together."
Scoot quickly sat the spatula down, turning the gas grill off, before retrieving Amali.
"Yeah, we don't need no more hamburgers...it's getting' dark."
I stared at him as he made his way to the house, followed by Mama, who shot August a quick wink before following him. I couldn't help but to have felt out numbered. An awkward void of silence was shared between the two of us until I spoke, awkwardly rubbing the goose bumps on my arms. Strange...the wind wasn't even blowing.
"So...where's Meagan?"
August shook his head at me, sucking his teeth.
"Man, why you doin' that shit?"
I rose my eyebrow at him, letting my arms drop.
"What do you mean?"
He stuck his hands into the pockets of his cargos.
"Actin' like you can't hold a conversation wit' me. Why you bringin' up Meagan name like that's got some typa impact on us?"
I sighed, not in the mood for an argument. "Look, August, if you came over here to argue-"
To my surprise, he grabbed my face and placed his lips onto my own. As always, I felt that flutter in the pit of my stomach, signaling that he still had that impact on me....that I still loved him, and probably always would. Our lips moved in sync, and my hands automatically reached up, running my fingers through his hair, that hadn't been trimmed in weeks. We pulled away from eachother as I gently bit his bottom lip. He leaned in for another kiss, but I placed my hands onto his chest, preventing him from doing so. I glanced around, noting that many of his surrounding family members were smiling at us. A few of his crazy ass cousins started whooping. I buried my face into his shirt in embarrassment as he chuckled. I followed him into the house, watching him as he closed the door behind us. Before I could speak, he ordered for me to take a seat on the couch. I folded my arms giving him a stank look. He sighed, and gestured to the couch once again. It took a few minutes, but after a while, I obeyed. He stood infront of me, towering over my seated 5'4 frame.
"I ain't gon' keep playin' these games and shit wit' ya, you heard me?"
He didn't wait for me to respond as he continued.
"I know you wanna be wit' me, and I damn sholl wanna be wit' you. We been through too much shit to be playin' these childish ass games wit' eachotha, ma."
I opened my mouth to speak, but he hushed me.
"Hol' up. I ain't been fuckin' wit' nobody, 'Nelle. I know you think I had some foul shit goin' on, but I ain't. When you showed up to my crib that day, me and Meagan was headed to lunch to discuss business. She managin' all my shows and shit. We ain't been together, and we ain't neva gon' be togetha. Ion think her girlfriend would like that very much."
My eyes widened in surprise. "Oh...she's-"
He nodded, chuckling. I sat in silence, letting it all sink in.
"I hear everything you're saying, August, but we're gonna have to really work at it. We've got a lot of shit that needs addressing..."
He nodded, signaling that he agreed.
"I know. I meant that shit I said earlier in the bathroom."
I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment as he referred to our earlier session of bathroom sex. I looked up at him as he tossed me a small object. I looked down to see that it was my ring.
"Put it on. And don't take it off no more."
I found myself smiling as I slid it onto my finger. August had never been into the romantic type of shit, and I knew he was doing the best that he could. It was all actually sweet. I found myself wrapped in August's warm embrace, not wanting to let go.
----------------------------------------------------------- (2 months later)
I shook my head and smiled at August, who was sprawled out on the bed, asleep. He'd been working hard, attempting to perfect his latest album, which was due to be released in a couple of weeks. He spent a lot of time working, but never failed to be seated at the table every night for dinner, in order to spend time with his family. He suddenly jumped up, checking the time on his phone.
"Shit."
I watched as he slid his feet into a pair of slides.
"Baby, what are you doing?"
He grabbed his keys. "I told 'Mali I was gon' pick her up from school today."
It was Amali's first day of kindergarten. I shook my head at him, grabbing his keys and pecking his lips.
"Go lay back down. She'll understand. I'll take her for ice cream or something."
His eyes were half closed, and he reached for his keys once again. I held them away from him, pointing to the bed. He kissed at his teeth, shuffling back to the bed before collapsing on it once again. Before I could even grab a pair of shorts to put on, he was knocked out again. I chuckled lightly before bending down and kissing his lips one more time. He didn't move an inch. I admired him for a second more before grabbing one of his hoodies and walking down the hall. After retrieving, and dressing Mel, I jogged down the stairs, with him hoisted onto my hip. Instead of going through the garage, I walked out of the front door. As I drove to the elementary school, I turned the radio off, really wanting to be in silence, which I found impossible, due to the fact that Mel was babbling in the backseat. I laughed, talking back to him as if I could understand. August and I had debated on whether to put Amali in a public or private school. August. I found myself grinning, just thinking about him. It was like we were back into our honeymoon phase. We'd been working o our relationship, as planned. I'd moved back in, and we'd made a few changes to the house to signify a 'fresh start.' For one thing, we'd painted, and even redecorated a little. We'd also had an in-home studio installed downstairs. I removed the keys to the ignition before stepping out into the September air. After retrieving Mel from the back seat, I made my way through the hall, smiling and making light conversation with some of the other parents, and staff. I made my way to Amali's classroom, greeting her teacher, who smiled at me warmly. I looked around, startled when I found no sight of Amali.
"I'm here to pick up Amali Alsina?"
The teacher's smile quickly vanished, replaced with a look of worry.
"Amali?"
I nodded.
"I'm sorry, there must be some mistake. Amali's mother picked her up about an hour ago."
I felt my heart rate increase.
"What? No...no, i'm her mother. Her father dropped her off this morning, and-and-"
The older woman attempted to calm me as one of the younger, assistant teachers gently removed Mel from my grasp. I watched as she handed him a set of building blocks to play with. The two women looked at me with worry. The older woman guided me to a seat as I continued on.
"Why would she go with someone else? I don't understand-"
I was cut off as Amali entered the classroom, holding a stuffed bear that I couldn't recall her previously having. I jumped out of my seat, running to her and taking her into my embrace. I kissed her as she giggled, oblivious to the situation at hand.
"Oh my God! Where did you go 'Mali? What did Mommy tell you about going with strangers?"
Amali looked at me with a frightened expression, apparently afraid of getting in trouble.
"But you said it was okay, mommy."
I shook my head at her, confused.
"She said you told her it was okay for me to go with her."
I wrinkled my eyebrows in confusion.
"I never said that, Amali. Who told you that?"
She gripped onto the bear, staring at me with large brown eyes. I gently moved a lock of her curly hair out of her face.
"She said she was friends with you and daddy."
A/N: I'm soooo sorry for not updating that much, you guys. I've been in a sort of funk. Shanelle and Aug can never catch a break, can they? Who do you think picked Amali up? Thoughts? How was this chapter? I kinda feel like i'm losing my touch lol
Oh, yeah, I almost forgot haha. Go check out da homie @KaylaAngel's new story FBGP! It's amaziiiing okay. Okay. Link's below!
http://www.wattpad.com/42338145-fbgp-hesitation?utm_source=web:reading&utm_medium=link&ref_id=12647930