Nafessa Williams
"Ouuu I knew it!" Ryan squealed. "I knew you two would get it popping again! I'm so excited. I'm so happy—."
"Popping? What? No. We kissed and we explained our feelings."
"You mean poured your damn hearts out?" My best-friend corrected me. "You don't just do that Nafessa. You and her are going to get back on the road to dating and then marriage and maybe finally you'll have me a damn niece or nephew to spoil."
I rolled my eyes. "You have one first and then I'll follow. How about that?"
"Man, now you know I'm not trying to have children before marriage."
"Well hurry and get married so you can have children. I'll follow in your footsteps."
Ryan chuckled. "The day Keith decides to propose to me is the day I'll cry myself a river. He's been my husband in my head for years. Just think about the actual title. Ouu. I can't wait."
Little did she know, the wait wouldn't be for long.
I smiled. "I just love you two together. Have you talked to Kelly? She's usually the one on time."
"Nope. Maybe there was traffic."
"Your lie isn't always the reality."
She pushed my shoulder. "Oh whatever."
My phone vibrated and I picked it up to see that Toni was texting me.
Toni
Hey, Kennedy's going to a sleepover for the weekend and I haven't seen you in like three days. I miss you. Can I come over later?
"Ouu must be Toni texting. Look at your little school girl smile." Ryan poked my cheek and I slapped her finger away.
"Stop it." I rolled my eyes playfully as I texted back.
To: Toni
Of course. And I miss you too. Ry and Kel are here right now but they'll be gone before tonight. Just come over whenever you feel like it.
A knock at the door told us that Kelly was here. I went to open the door and my friend stood on the other side looking rough as hell. "Girl what happened to you?"
Kelly walked into my apartment silently and Ryan stood up. "Yo, sis you okay?"
She shook her head as she began pacing. I shut my door and rushed to her side. "What's wrong Kelz? You gotta talk to us."
"I did it."
"You did what?" Ryan asked as she came over to her as well. We stopped her from pacing and laid a comforting hand on her arm.
She hesitated before answering. "I slept with her. We slept together. God, Tim's going to leave me, huh? Why did I sleep with her?"
My eyes widened and when I glanced up to see my best friends reaction, I saw that hers mirrored mines. Ry asked softly. "To be crystal clear here... You slept with Janet?"
Our friend nodded, instantly making Ryan and I take our hands off of her bare skin. Kelly's face furrowed. "Why'd you two do that?"
"Cause you and Janet have nasty ass sex. Don't know what you been doing." Ryan explained as we both headed into the kitchen to wash our hands.
"Oh whatever. Fuck both of you."
I chuckled as I rinsed my hands and then put soap on them. "Sorry sis. Can't risk it. Still, I know you will need a drink. So what do you want?"
"Vodka. Mix it with Patron. Please and thank you."
Ryan looked at me in horror as I grabbed a paper towel and dried my hands. "She tryna die. It's only 9 in the morning."
"Wait hold on—." Before I could ask my question, my house phone rang and I picked it up before announcing. "It's Tim." Kelly stood in pure fear and rushed into the kitchen with us as I answered and put him on speaker phone. "Hello?"
"Hey sister in law, it's Tim. How're you?"
"I'm making it brother in law. How about you?"
"I'm alright. I was calling to see if Kelly was still over there with you. I've been calling her phone since last night and she hasn't been answering. I know how rowdy you all get with your girls nights, so I'm just calling to check in."
"Oh yeah. Kelley's still sleep. We played drunk UNO and mixed the liquors last night. She's slumped on the couch next to Ryan and they are going to both be hung over as much as we drank. The only reason my ass is up is because I had an audition that I had to go to this morning but I just got back and I'm about to go right on back to sleep."
"Yeah. That's what I'd figured. Well okay, I was just making sure she was okay."
"Do you want me to wake her up for you? Cause I can." When I said that, Kelly looked at me like I'd grown two heads and I held my finger out to her knowing exactly what her husband was about to say.
"Oh no! No. It's okay. Let her get her beauty rest. Whenever she wakes up, can you just let her know I called?" He asked sweetly.
"Of course brother in law!" I exclaimed.
"Thank you. I'll talk to you later."
"No problem. Bye." Hanging up, I looked at Kelly who looked relieved and nervous at the same time. "Bitch! You were with Janet all night?!"
Ryan chuckled. "Whew, acting paid off for us. You played that really well bestie."
"And you stop laughing." I scolded Ryan. "Kel, now you know better."
Kelly took a breath. "Guys... I don't even know what to say. One minute I was standing my ground, the next minute I'm ass up, head down. I just don't know."
"I'm screaming!" Ryan began laughing hard.
I rolled my eyes. "Get it together Ry."
"Like that woman just has her ways. With her words. With her eyes." She looked down like she was reminiscing. "With her tongue."
"Okay! Okay!" I stopped her. "I don't want to hear that."
"Ouu I do! Bitch was it good?"
She looked at Ryan and made a face of approval. "Bitch was itttt? Chile, if that woman could've gotten me pregnant, I would be sorting through ideas for my gender reveal right now."
"Timothy. Your husband. Remember him?" I asked.
Kel frowned. "Okay yes. I'm back. Look, I have to tell him."
"Agreed."
"What?" Ryan asked. "Like hell you do. You can't tell him!"
"What? No Ryan, she has to tell him. That's her husband."
"Her husband that you just lied to about her and I being hungover on your couch, after playing drunk UNO. No, I don't think you should tell him. Tim is a sweet man and as long as you don't make the same mistake again, I think you should just forget this ever happened."
I shook my head. "I disagree."
"Fes, he doesn't have to know."
"So you're saying you wouldn't tell Keith if you cheated on him?"
"I wouldn't cheat on my man... so this doesn't fit my foot. The shoe ain't fitting at all."
Kelly broke into the conversation. "I'm telling Tim."
"Thank you."
"Oh whatever." Ry rolled her eyes at us. "You're gonna break his heart and you know that damn man is a teddy bear. You're going to break a damn teddy bear's heart."
"He deserves to know." I reminded Kelly knowing she'd let Ryan's words get to her.
"Yeah... he does." Kel mumbled. "I'm going to tell him."
"Great. When?"
She pointed as she went to leave. "Right now."
"Whoaaaa." I grabbed her arm. "Now I do agree with Ryan about that one. I did just lie for you."
"Oh yeah. Right. Okay... well we sit here for some hours and then I'll go tell him I slept with her last night, came over to your place afterwards, drunk and went to sleep. Boom."
"Great. As long as we have some damn story." Ryan mumbled. "By the way, I hope you're going to make this your last time sleeping with that woman, because if you aren't done messing around with her— you'll hurt him even more."
"See that's the thing... I'm about to leave my husband."
Ryan stopped completely and my jaw dropped. Ry asked. "Whoa.. I was just playing. You shouldn't leave him. Why're about to leave him?"
"Because I love her." Kelly mumbled. "I never stopped being in love with that woman and a marriage was supposed to make that feeling go away but it didn't. So I'm leaving him."
"Fessa! Say something! Tell her not to do it." Ry pushed my shoulder but I was stuck. Completely stuck.
My mouth opened and closed before I shook my head. "I don't know what to say."
"Kelly, you cannot leave that man for that woman. You don't even know her intentions."
"I guess I'll figure it out soon." Kel began to explain. "Look, I don't think I was ever in love with Tim. I was just in love with the idea of Tim and this perfect marriage but guys I don't think it was ever real. I just think it was me trying to forget about Janet and it didn't work. Or at least it did for a while but not anymore. I just... I need to do this for me. I hope you guys understand that."
"Understand what? That's bull—."
I cut Ryan off. "We don't have to understand it Kel, but we have to respect it. We're your best friends and whatever choice you make, even if it isn't what we would do, as long as it makes you happy than we are happy for you. Ryan might disagree with your choice right now, but in the long run it's just us wanting what's best for you but you know you more than anyone else. So whatever you want to do... go for it."
"Toni got your ass soft already." Ryan muttered as she rolled her eyes.
"Toni?" Kelly asked in confusion before she looked at me with a smirk. "Ouu I knew it!"