Amari
"Okay I'm done." I said climbing off of Justin.
"Why?" He whined. "One more."
He grabbed my waist to keep me from moving.
"No. My fingers hurt." I laughed. "I'm done massaging you. Massage my back."
"Yes ma'am." He said all too quickly.
"Never mind!" I screamed as he flipped us and climbed on top of me.
He started pressing into my back.
"I'll massage anything you want me too, just so you know." He said moving his hands beneath my shirt.
"I know you would." I said into the pillow. "Which is why I never ask you to."
"Did I hear full body? Deep tissue?" He asked.
"No." I laughed.
"Bueno, creo que no hablo inglés entonces, eh?" He laughed. (Good thing I don't speak English then, huh?)
"Screw you." I mumbled as he karate chopped my back.
"Yes please." He said blowing on the back of my neck.
I shrugged my shoulders to my ears and flipped beneath him.
"Stop." I laughed. "How old are you?"
"Over 18, baby." He smiled down at me.
"Are you sure? You act like a six year old." I laughed.
"I'm positive." He nodded. "Can I get a kiss?"
"No." I rolled my eyes.
"Alright. Keep treating me bad." He said climbing off of me. "Watch what's gonna happen."
"What's gonna happen?" I asked as I watched him go over to the balcony doors and pull them shut.
"I'm gonna ruin your summer." He said pulling the curtains shut.
"Now why would you do something like that? That's just childish." I said sitting up.
"Yeah, alright. You think so." He said. "Your friends are gonna be clubbing and you're gonna be here mad and pregnant."
"Justin." I said seriously.
"Quit being mean to me then. You think I won't do it? I will." He laughed. "I'm not scared. We can afford it."
"Justin, I will move in with my Mom and leave you. I swear." I said.
"So? 9 months and 18 years, baby." He said coming over to rub my stomach. "Little Justin."
"I hate you so much." I laughed pushing his hand away.
"And that hate is what's gonna have you walking around here with fat ankles and tired feet." He said. "Don't test me."
"Shut up." I laughed reaching over to answer my cell phone that was ringing.
Tyler
I couldn't get her off my mind. It had been so long since the last time we've seen each other. Since the last time we've spoke to each other.
She didn't look any different. Maybe a bit taller than before and her curves were more filled out, but she looked the same.
She has a boyfriend? I wonder how they managed to get together.
I hoped she didn't fuck that up like she did with me.
"What're you thinking about?" Danielle asked stepping back into the room.
"Nothing." I shook my head. "Just... Amari looks happy, huh?"
"Yeah she does." Danielle said laying beside me. "She's got a glow to her now. She's so pretty."
"I wouldn't go that far..." I mumbled and Danielle looked at me confused. "The glow thing. I wouldn't say all that."
"I would." Danielle laughed. "Last time I saw her was at your graduation and we both know how that ended."
"Amari, just listen to me!"
"Nope. I'm done with high school, I'm done with you."
"We're going to the same college and I don't want to have to see you everyday when we feel this way about each other."
"Then go to a new college! I'm sure your Grandpa can get you into any one you want."
And she was right.
Grandpa got me into the college he had attended. When Spring semester started, I went there instead of the college I had always wanted to go to.
Instead of the college with Amari.
Would things have played out differently if I went to college with Amari?
Would Justin be in her life?
Would I have married Danielle if Amari was still an option?
"It was like she had a rain cloud hanging over her head, honestly." Danielle continued. "Now, it's like the sun shines down directly onto her."
"Yeah..." I mumbled. "She was just so stubborn back then. I hope that's changed."
"Speaking of the sun..." Danielle started. "My parents are going to Jamaica and wanted to know if we could go with them. Sounds fun?"
"Actually, it does." I nodded. "Set that up."
"Already on it."
Amari
Next Day
"I don't like that." I said looking over the design plans Tyler had sent to us. "I'm not signing my name to this. It's ugly."
If he hired me to design the shit, why do it himself?
"It's perfect for a hotel, though." Lisa said. "It's great for the spaces we're working with, it's inexpensive on his side, and it's a quick clean cut. We could be done with the entire hotel in a month if we get enough man power on this."
"You're not wrong, but I don't like it." I said closing the folder and sitting back in my chair. "Did he send over the contract?"
"Yes ma'am." Lisa said rummaging through her folder. "Drew brought it over Today."
She handed it to me and I glanced over it.
"What an idiot..." I mumbled. "He tried to add in that we were goin to get all of the items specially made instead of buying in bulk. Change that."
She highlighted it on her copy.
"Let this be your lesson." I said flipping the page. "Never trust someone you have a bad history with."
"A bad history?" She asked and I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Don't pry." I mumbled and she nodded looking back at her documents. "Get this out..."
Tyler
"Is she serious?" I scoffed looking over the contract revisions Amari had made. "Tell her that we're definitely getting our products specially made or we need to re-evaluate her payment."
"Sir, getting custom furniture for the hotel will throw back the entire process for weeks if not months." Drew said. "And you want this hotel open by May."
"Tell her to get it done faster. Her name must carry some type of weight." I glared at him. "Never trust someone who has proven themselves to be utterly clueless time and time again."
Amari
"Rose for Brooks." I said storming into the lobby of his building.
"Do you have an appointment?" The secretary asked in a calm voice.
"I don't need one." I said. "Call him down here."
She went to say something I didn't want to hear, but froze when I glared at her.
"Yes ma'am." She said with a shaky voice and called him.
Ten minutes later, Tyler was coming out of the elevator with Drew behind him.
"How may I help you?" He asked with an amused smirk.
"We need to talk." I said slapping the folder onto the secretary counter.
"About?" He asked.
"Get that smile off your face before I do it for you." I said seriously and he glared at me. "We need to talk. Now."
"Drew." Tyler said glancing over his shoulder.
"Yes sir?" Drew asked.
"Show Lisa to the lounge area. We'll only be a minute." Tyler said before looking back at me. "Follow me."
I followed him to the elevators and up to his office. He closed the doors behind us and crossed his arms over his chest waiting for me to continue.
"I can't do this." I said holding up the contract. "I'm not going to request for your custom items and get them rushed all at the same time. You're costing me my connections and reliability. Not to mention how many imperfections there are going to be if I do that!"
"I'm paying you to do as you're told." He said walking over to his desk. "Now, if you're incapable of completing the simple task I've given to you, that's another story for another conversation."
"I can do it. Trust me." I said sitting in the chair in front of his desk as he sat behind it. "But with the deadlines you want me to reach, it's damn near impossible."
"Not if you triple the time you spend on it." He shrugged looking over the contract again. "Drew did the math."
"I get that, but I'm not doing that." I said.
"Why not?" He asked looking up at me again.
I looked at him as if he had grown a second head right before my eyes. How dumb was he?
"Because I have a life outside of work." I said. "I mean, Justin hasn't gotten his next deployment date yet and I want to spend as much time as possible with him. Also, I have appointments with other clients as well."
He grimaced and looked back at the contract.
"That's not my problem." He said. "Don't you know not to put relationships before business?"
I stared at him blankly.
"I want this done by May 4th." He said. "If it takes you any longer, that's bad time management on your side and I will be letting people know about that as well as requesting that you give me a discount or I'll see you in court. Now, will this be a problem?"
"Fine. May 4th, but no custom items." I said. "You waited too late to ask for them and I can't have them done in time."
"Why not?" He asked annoyed.
"Because I won't rush my workers for you. I have other jobs to tend to. You just aren't that important of a client. There's three excuses. Pick one and stick to it." I said standing up and grabbing my bag. "That last excuse was a personal shot, by the way. But you already knew that."
I grabbed the contract off of his desk and began to leave.
"Boyfriend? Not husband or fiancé?" Tyler asked once I reached the door.
I turned around and saw him leaning against his desk with his hands in his pockets. His eyes stared directly into mine. They weren't faltering.
"Yeah. Not all relationships have a deadline they need to make in order to be granted full control over a business." I shrugged. "Danielle, though? I'm not surprised."
I pulled the door open and before I left I heard him say one more thing.
"It was the second best decision I've ever made..."