"So, when are you coming back man?" Bryan asked an already drunk Justin, he paused to take another drink and answered "soon bruh, I'm having too much fun with these bitches out here. You need to come up on spring break." Justin continued. Bryan hadn't told Justin about Leyah yet, he wanted to wait till he got back to New York. "Yea, sounds good man. Let's do it!" Bryan responded. Justin laughed uncontrollably and hung the phone up.
Bryan got dressed, he put on a pair of khakis and a red polo shirt, his tattooed muscled arms bulged through the fabric. "You look handsome" his mother complimented him as he stared at himself in the mirror. "Who's the lucky girl?" She queried. "A girl from East side." His short answer made his mother suspicious, she yearned for more information.
"And?" she pressed, as she helped him straighten his collar. "Is she your girlfriend? I thought we tell each other everything." she nagged.
"She's kind of my girlfriend I guess, I mean we've only been out a couple of times."
"Well do you like her?" His mother asked impatiently.
"I do, I like her a lot." She doesn't go to Monroe but were both planning on going to NYU. I met her at the mall when I was buying your Christmas present." He paused to look at his mother's reaction "And please don't ask when you're going to meet her."
His mother bit her fingernails, she always did this when she was nervous. "This is your first girlfriend Bryan; I want to meet her." she pushed.
"She ain't my first girl." He said annoyed.
His mother walked to the kitchen and grabbed herself a drink of Cola. She popped the top and sat down cross legged wanting to hear anything and everything about this girl.
"Well those other tramps don't count" she mumbled. He started looking for his phone around the room, ignoring his mother's comments. "I have to go Mom or I'm going to be late." Bryan kissed his mom on the head, and she jumped up and followed him to the door. She watched as he walked down the path to his car. "Be safe," his mother yelled behind him. He waved at her without turning around.
His mother stared at her son as he got into his truck, she didn't understand him, he resembled his father but had her gentle heart. His body, his suave moves and his big deep voice. His mother knew girls found him attractive.
From the early age of fourteen she noticed older girls and women looking at him when they would go to the supermarket together. One time she finished early from work and walked in on him naked in her living room. She didn't know that it was her best friend under the covers with him.
"Karen?" She yelled at her friend who was hiding under the covers with her eyes peeking out. "What are you doing with my son?" She asked furiously. Karen was a thirty something year old mother of three, she still looked good for her age mind you, big butt and a pretty face. She was so embarrassed.
"I'm so sorry Regina," she cried trying to avoid her stare. Bryan walked into the bathroom avoiding the drama. "I came looking for you and one thing led to another." Karen cried while putting on her clothes. She grabbed her bag trying hard not to make eye contact with Regina. His mother stood there in awe as Karen walked quickly out of the front door. It took all her strength to not beat Karen down for touching her fifteen-year-old son. But she knew Bryan wasn't no angel either.
"Boy get out here now!" She screamed while planting herself on the couch. Bryan came out looking down and pressing both his lips together.
"I'm sorry Ma," he sat down staring at her as if he was about to get spanked. She got up and walked away into her room and burst into tears; it wasn't easy bringing up a son. How does she teach him how to treat a woman? When all he saw as a kid was how badly his father treated her. She warned him not to bring any women over to her house ever again and never to disrespect her like that. She felt sorry for those girls, like his father, Bryan played these girls not wanting any commitment, just using and abusing them and then throwing them in the trash when he was done.
His mother thought she could change Bryan's father, she managed to settle him down for a few years after they had Bryan. Then he went back to his old tricks after he lost his job, he thought he could get his manhood back by sleeping with a bunch of women rather than looking for another job. After she found out, he begged and pleaded to stay, his face so sad, promising he would never cheat on her again. He too, would avoid her gaze like Bryan did when he did something wrong. He always showed her his boyish grin, which made her melt. She took him back time after time, praying he would change every time, and as soon as she was comfortable and happy, he turned her world upside down once again.
"A woman can only take so much," she told him, " until we don't have the energy to give anymore, no more tears and no more forgiving. It's time for you to leave and maybe one day you will realise the pain you caused me and your son." He got up from the couch and looked at Bryan,
"Don't be like me boy," he told his five-year-old son who was playing with his truck. Bryan looked up at his father and cried until all the colour from his eyes disappeared, and that night his father walked out of their lives forever. His mother always tried to tell Bryan how painful it felt when a man treated a woman that way, and now she just felt all those words fell on deaf ears. His mother watched as he drove off into the arms of a woman that he probably won't want to see again or answer her calls after he gets what he wants. She closed the door and walked to the fridge to eat the leftover sweet potato pie, it was made to soothe a broken heart, so she thought, and within minutes she demolished the last piece and she still felt sad.
Leyah waited in the front living room for Bryan, she wore a short black leather skirt with a long sleeved cream coloured crop top. She wore black high heels and her legs were shiny from the lotion she put on them. "Who is he?" her mother asked. She looked at Leyah,
"And that skirt is way too short."
"Mom please, it's not that short." She said pulling it down.
"And you'll meet him when he gets here, it's not a big deal Mom, seriously." Leyah said as she looked at her phone.
Leyah's mother was a splitting image of her, only twenty years older. Her long brown hair and green eyes were tired from her heart being broken throughout the years.
The lights shone through the front window as Bryan pulled up in his black truck. Leyah waited for him to knock the front door and then invited him in. Her house was immaculate, it was a double story house with four bedrooms, she had two older brothers who both went to NYU and lived at the dorms, so it was just Leyah and her mother at the house. Bryan stood by the door as Leyah's mother shook his hand,
"come in," she said pointing to the couch. He sat down and almost hit the coffee table with his long legs. Bryan was nervous, he had never met any girls' parents before. Leyah went to get him a drink, while her mother interrogated him. Her first question was, "how old are you?" his massive appearance threw people off with his age.
"I'm seventeen, turning eighteen next month."
"Please look after Leyah."
"I will Mrs Davies, I'll take care of her I promise."
Leyah's mother smiled as she saw her beautiful daughter walk down the pathway as Bryan opened the door to the car for her. She always worried about Leyah, she wondered if she was having problems at school. They pulled away in his black truck.
Bryan looked over at her, "you look beautiful Leyah." She looked out the window, he touched her hand as she smiled at him.
"You don't look too bad yourself." She wasn't happy in her heart, earlier on she went on Instagram and saw Adrian update his status saying, "Happy in love." She blocked him, it was like salt on her bleeding heart, it hurt like the pressure from a heart attack. Bryan held her hand, it was hard for Leyah to feel anything for Bryan, he was nice but so was Adrian. She didn't know him, he could be playing her the same way Adrian did, her past with Adrian was holding her hostage.
"You always look like you're deep in thought baby," he commented. "Tell me what's on your mind?"
Leyah pulled her hand away from him, "it's nothing, "she lied. "I'm just thinking about getting into this club, I've never been to an older club before." Bryan smiled and reassured her,
"it's okay baby, I told you I got connections." He stopped at the red light; people were everywhere. New Year's Eve was wild in New York everybody was celebrating, hoping the next year would be better than the last.
They walked into club Forenza after Bryan spent half an hour talking to a couple of buff bouncers at the front, they hugged like they were old gym pals and let Leyah and Bryan walk through the ropes, Leyah looked back to a long line of impatient faces. Bryan held Leyah's hand as they walked into a smoke-filled zoo. He led her to the bar, "hey get me two illusions please." The pretty lady behind the counter smiled at him and started mixing the drinks together like a witch brewing a spell, a bit of this and a bit of that. Leyah looked on, Bryan handed the lady fifty dollars and didn't take the change. "She whispered something in his ear as he laughed, carrying the two drinks carefully and handing one to Leyah. It was too loud to talk, he didn't even attempt, the music was banging, girls were grinding and twerking, and the men were sleazing and lurching.
It was Leyah's first time in a club, last year Roni tried to get them in using a fake ID, only to be told "if you ever come back with this bullshit ID, I'll call the cops on you little girl." The bouncer ripped into them; Roni was so embarrassed.
Leyah turned to Bryan and smiled, he leaned down to her, talking into her ear, "are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said as a huge guy with blond dreads came up to Bryan and bro hugged him. They looked like they were just mouthing words to one another because you couldn't hear a thing. A tall light skinned man, clean shaven wearing a suit and tie approached Leyah. His friends who were also wearing suits looked on as he made his moves, Bryan's friend with the dreads nudged him using his lips to point at the guy who was trying to talk to her. Bryan stared at him patiently waiting for him to move. "What's your name beautiful?" He asked Leyah unaware of Bryan's deadly stares. She sipped her drink as she sat on the bar stool. "I'm here with somebody," she yelled through the noise. He was very handsome like a model from the old GQ magazine, clean black Hugo Boss suit like he just got off from work. He looked around twenty-six years old. Bryan looked on from the side, waiting for the guy in the suit to notice him. It took a lot for him to control his jealous rage. Bryan's friend with the dread locks was laughing and egging him on from the sidelines.
"Beat him down man!" Bryan's eyes turned a dark black, he didn't want to show her he was jealous again. He wanted her to get up and come over to him, but she didn't she just sat there and sipped her drink. The guy in the suit turned around and noticed Bryan looking at him, Bryan's muscles were tense and ready to test the skills he picked up from boxing at the gym earlier today.
"You alright man?" Bryan yelled at him lifting his chin up. The guy in the suit backed off.
"Sorry man, I didn't see you there." he was apologetic while holding out his hand trying to make peace, Brian pushed his hand away. The guy turned to Leyah and apologised.
"Fuck him up!" The guy with the dreads said to Bryan.
Bryan asked Leyah if she was okay. She just shrugged her shoulders like nothing had happened. She didn't need him to look after her, she knew how to tell a man she wasn't interested. Bryan wanted to protect her, he stood closer to her and continued talking to his friend. The guy in the suit went back to his friends and they moved to the other side of the club trying to avoid Bryan's gaze.
Leyah looked at the people dancing, she wondered how Adrian met his wife. She wanted to know what she looked like as she watched beautiful women walk past. Leyah stood up from the stool, Bryan put his arms around her.
She didn't understand why Roni made such a big deal about going to a club, to her it was a boring place to be. People intentionally getting drunk, so they have balls enough to ask someone to dance. Leyah leaned into Bryan and wrapped her arms around him, he bent down to kiss her. The guy with the dreads fist bumped Bryan and walked off making the phone signal with his thumb and pinkie finger.
Bryan put his arm around Leyah's waist and led her to the other side of the club away from the bar, Bryan had a bottle of Moet in one hand and sipped on it as they were walking. Everywhere was packed as he looked for a quiet place, they ended up by the staircase.
"So what number girlfriend am I?" Leyah asked teasingly as she leaned her body into his, she could feel his muscled in his chest. Bryan laughed, as he drank more champagne from the bottle. "Does that mean you're my girlfriend?" he asked while avoiding the question.
Leyah laughed, "I guess, if that's what you want." She smiled, acting like she didn't care either way.
"Of course, I want you as my girlfriend." he answered. "Well to answer your questions then, you're my first girlfriend then," he answered still smiling. He pressed his lips together, like he achieved his goal. Leyah let out a huge laugh,
"really? I'm your first girlfriend? Yea right."
Bryan looked at her and squeezed his brow down, "It's not like I'm a virgin or anything. I been with girls, but I ain't never had a girlfriend," he explained. "What about you? I bet you've had hundreds of boyfriends."
She shook her head, then thought about Adrian, he wouldn't have counted as a boyfriend because he was married, she thought.
"No, you would be my first too, if you don't count Vinny who was my third-grade boyfriend, which lasted an hour then he dumped me." They both laughed.
"8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 HAPPY NEW YEARS!!" The whole club screamed. Bryan pulled Leyah close to him and kissed her. He smelled so good, Ralph Lauren, Leyah thought. She held his waist in the crowded club trying not to get pushed around by couples dancing beside them. Bryan held her, protecting her from prying eyes and anyone else who tried to come near his prize. She felt herself, starting to fall for Bryan, she hadn't planned to, but he was so kind and gentle with her. She needed someone like him after Adrian treated her like she was nothing.
After the movies that night, Leyah ran to the bus stop and waited for her bus. She wanted to see Adrian so bad, to ask him why he treated her the way he did? She was too scared to call, and he never contacted her after the horrific phone call with his wife. Her Adrian withdrawals were bad, she was feenin for him like a drug addict.
Bryan leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I like you so much Leyah." He kissed her again and she told him she liked him too, not knowing if he heard her through the screams of the crowd. He squeezed her closer as they stood together on the dance floor surrounded by drunk faces and hot bodies.
Bryan ordered Leyah a drink and told her he was going to the bathroom; he disappeared and was engulfed by people. He was starting to get drunk after finishing two bottles of Moet, he pushed through the crowd. Nobody would've had a clue he was seventeen by the size of him.
Leyah sat down and looked around at all the people, the music was loud and abusive. She looked at the time on her phone, it was already twelve thirty. Roni had messaged her from a party in the upper west side harbours. She always loved hanging out with the rich and famous, she was complaining that Chris Brown and Nick Jonas didn't come to the party like they were supposed to.
"Hey beautiful, can I get a dance please?" She looked up and a very handsome man was smiling at her. He was tall, dark and trouble she thought. He looked about twenty, and he was quite muscular. His eyes were a deep brown and his lips full.
"I'm here with someone." She replied. He looked so sad when she rejected him.
"Can I at least get your number then?" He asked, his voice was so deep and thick like he was a base singer. Leyah was mesmerised by his good looks and his beautiful dark skin.
"I'm Drew, what's your name?" He pursued.
"Leyah." She said, wanting to get away but something about him stopped her from moving. He handed her his phone and she looked at it.
"I have a boyfriend," she said fighting with those words. She hoped she wasn't jumping too quick into something with Bryan, maybe it was too soon, since she just broke up with Adrian.
Drew took a breath as he took his phone back,
"what's your Insta name? I'll add you and we can be friends. Leyah looked at him, he was so handsome.
"Leyah1609" she said.
"See that wasn't so hard." He said to her smiling, his dimples made his white smile even more gorgeous, she thought.
Bryan came up from behind him, Drew turned around.
"What the fuck you doing man?" Bryan yelled at Drew. Leyah was scared that they were about to fight, she felt terrible for talking to Drew.
"Hey man, what the fuck you doing here? Ain't you underage?" Drew asked him.
"Same age as you fool!" Bryan looked at Leyah, she looked confused. "So, you trying to hit on my girl?" Bryan asked him as they laughed. They bro hugged as Drew leaned in to whisper in Bryan's ear.
"That girl is fine man, you're a lucky motherfucker! Let me get you a drink fool. What you drinking?"
"Moet."
Drew walked off to the bar. Leyah realised that they knew each other, she felt so bad. Bryan looked at her as he bit his bottom lip.
"Are you gonna break my heart Leyah?" He asked her sadly, Bryan was so jealous that Drew was trying to hit on her. He hated that other guys liked her, especially his friends.
She looked back at him, he looked so defeated like as if she had already broken his heart.
Drew came back with a bottle and handed it to him.
"Were in the corner over there, come by bruh before you leave." He said to Bryan, he could still see that Bryan was angry. Bryan looked over at the corner and he could see about five guys from the team.
"Yea, I'll do that." They bro hugged again, as Drew saluted Leyah and walked away.
Bryan grabbed Leyah's hand and they walked out of the club towards the parking lot. Bryan opened his truck door and let Leyah in on the passenger's side. He got into the truck and breathed out a huge sigh as he rested his head on the steering wheel.
"Was Drew tryna' get with you?"
"No," she lied. She didn't want to get into an argument with him, she could see where it was going. "He was just asking me my name, that's pretty much it."
"We play on the same team, he's an arrogant fuck!" He tried so hard to control himself from getting angry, he hated these feelings of jealousy he had.