Chapter 17

 

            The weeks had flown by, as Grier promised. I sat in front of the austerely beautiful mansion where I was to be married to Bailey Michelle Price in one hour. The house was as remarkable to me today as the first time I’d ever seen it. The grass was so perfect; it looked like a calm sea of a remarkable green. Not one thing was out of place, and it was alive with activity. I watched at every person going in and out of that house. It was wonderful and exciting. My cell phone buzzed angrily in my lap. It was Claudia.

            “Hel-hello?” I almost half-whispered anxiously. 

            “Jaylen.” Claudia’s voice was unnaturally patient, sweet even. “Where are you?” 

            “At the house.” I choked out. She sighed.

            “I thought so. I’m behind you.” She said and hung up. I looked behind me and saw Claudia’s new car. In the three weeks she and Ava had been back together, she had determined it was time for an upgrade. It was still a sports car, but she’d promised Ava that she’d drive much more reasonably since this one was more expensive than her last one. I had been so out of it that I hadn’t noticed that she even pulled up. She walked up to my window. 

            “Babe. What are you doing?” She said. “Unlock the door; let me sit in here with you.” She slid into the backseat. “Why are you here?” I sighed, and where there had been nothing but tears before, I couldn’t cry. I hadn’t a tear left to shed. I shook my head, unable to answer her. I had no idea why I was here. What was being set up on this day had nothing to do with me and nothing to do with Bailey either. The wedding had been called off. “Jaylen, we have two hours until our flight. Let me follow you back to the house and then we’ll leave your car, and catch the plane, okay?” 

            I was still taking the Barbados condo as Ava had insisted. I was just going with Claudia now. Claudia had cut her hair a bit shorter, and was behind another pair of ridiculously dark sunglasses, chatting away to Ava on her cell phone while I stared out of the window. I called Andre.

            “Hey. What’s up?” He answered. 

            “Dre. Where’s Jada?” I said. He sighed.

            “Jay, I hate to hear you like this. I really do. I didn’t mean to cause any confusion, I just … I really felt like you loved Desi. I really did. I still do.” 

            “I don’t.” I said tiredly. “You never understood me, Dre. I don’t love her anymore. She hurt me.” 

            “I know she did.” He said forcibly. “I talked to her about it. A lot. Before I ever considered even putting her in your space. She fucked up, Jay. Seriously.” 

            “I know that.” I hadn’t enough strength in me to fight with him right then. “We’re all messed up. Me, her, Bailey, everybody. You. It’s all a big mess. Can I talk to Jada, please?” My voice was monotone. He sighed again.

            “I just want you to know that sometimes I am wrong, and I was wrong for that. I’m sorry if I caused any problems. I talked it over with Bailey.  We’re good.” I perked up a little at the mention of her name.

            “You talked to her? When?” I asked.

            “Last week.” He answered. “I apologized. I was wrong for assuming I knew what was best for you. Nobody knows what’s best for you but you.” Andre sounded sincere. I knew he meant it. He wasn’t much for apologies. 

            “Thanks, Dre.” I said to him. “I really appreciate it.” 

            “No problem.” He responded warmly. “Here’s Jada.” He handed her the phone. I talked to her for the few minutes that I could, and then, she handed the phone back to him. “You know she doesn’t like talking on the phone.” He laughed. “Be safe, and I’ll see you when you get back.”

            “We will. Bye.” I hung up the phone and continued to peer out of the airport windows. Then, I looked at myself. I’d kept my appointment with my hairstylist and for some dumb reason, straightened my naturally curly hair. I’d lost weight, my sundress hung loosely on me, and it had been brand new when I pulled it out to wear it. I never ate regularly before, and really hadn’t eaten now; Bailey had been gone. We hadn’t talked. When she left that day, with me still in the office, I had stayed there, shocked for what seemed like hours. When I finally picked myself up, I went upstairs and she’d left a note. 

 

Jaylen:

 

I’m sorry you’re hurt. I’m hurt too. I need time. Please respect that.

 

-B

 

No ‘Love, Bailey’ or any sort of love attached to it, really. I had called her, first irrationally upset, then angry, and then I just settled into the stinging hurt. Bailey wouldn’t answer the phone. I called Robyn and some of her other former teammates. No one had heard from her. Or so they said. I called and called and called for a week and a half. I hadn’t heard from her and she wouldn’t answer the phone. I finally stopped calling week two when the phone was powered down for days. It wouldn’t even ring, just click to her voicemail. At times, I would listen to it, craving some sort of contact, and even the tinny professional recording of her would do. ‘Hi, this is Bailey Price. Please leave a message, and I’ll call you soon.’ Liar, I would smirk. I’d left millions of messages and she hadn’t called me at all. 

            “Jaylen.” Claudia touched my shoulder. “The plane’s boarding. You ready?”  I nodded and wordlessly followed my best friend to the gate. 

 

            Several hours later, and Claudia and I landed in what had to be the most beautiful place on earth. When I thought of condos, I thought of Andre’s sparsely furnished condo that looked like an old, unkempt apartment complex. This wasn’t at all like that. It was a huge eggshell colored building with grand balconies at each home. A concierge met us at the doorway and took our luggage up. Ava’s penthouse was on the top floor of the building, and once unlocked with a strange looking key, the elevator opened up into the apartment.  The place was furnished like the expensive vacation home that it was. The beautifully white, huge penthouse boasted gorgeous views of the pristine sand and the miles and miles of turquoise water. While it was furnished in a most lovely way, having been in the River Oaks house and at the log cabin, it was obvious that the furnishings weren’t necessarily Ava’s taste. Claudia tsked all through the house, while I took it all in, the high ceilings, the exquisite terrace that looked as if it were plucked directly from the most luxurious resort on the island to be placed here in this penthouse also enclosed a private hot tub, a full bar, an outdoor dining and living room.

            “Ugh. This couch is absolutely horrible. You can tell that Margie was the one that did this, that she wanted this. And a condo? Seriously, I can’t wait until she gets a house out here like she wanted.” She wrinkled her nose, dissatisfied. I sighed. 

            “It’s lovely, Claud. So what if Margie did this? You got Ava, so don’t be a b***h.” I told her. She grinned.

            “You’re right. At least she had enough sense to the freakin' penthouse.” She allowed and walked to the bedrooms. “Here, take this room. I think you’ll love it. Come on.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the room. The bed was a king sized cloud, the immaculate, spotless white only offset by the rich mahogany of the heavy bed frame and two full-length mirrors on either side of the mahogany dresser. Every part of me longed to throw myself in there for as long as I could, but I didn’t. We headed back to the balcony. The lounge chairs were huge and comfortable. “This is my Ava.” Claudia said about the chairs, slipping into one of them. “This is how she likes her furniture.” I nodded, and sat opposite her. 

            “I’m glad we came.” I said after a long silence. Claudia patted my hand.

            “Me too. No wedding, but we can still honeymoon our asses off.” Her voice sounded serious, but I knew she was joking. I smiled, and it was the first of the day. “I love you, Jay. We’re going to get through this.” She stood up and walked to the doors. “I’ll leave you out here for a while, and then we’re going to the beach. As soon as I say, you get your bikini on and we’re going.” She kissed my forehead, and disappeared into the house. I heard the television on in her bedroom; Claudia didn’t do anything quietly. I grinned to myself, and just took in the beauty of where I was. I saw a jet ski go by out on the water. I wonder what Bailey would want to do first, if we were here together. My heart started beating faster, and I shook my head. I wondered if she was thinking of me like I was thinking of her. 

 

            We had been in Barbados for two days and I had finally started to relax. Courtesy of Ava’s generosity, Claudia wielded a credit card around town and we’d been shopping and to the finest restaurants, where I’d been forced to eat under the threat of death. I’d barely had time to think, much less be sad. The days and nights were full of activities. Claudia was unrelenting; she wasn’t going to allow me a moment to ponder the things I’d been thinking about for the past three weeks. Like where Bailey was and what she was doing. If she still even loved me or wanted to marry me. I only got a couple of hours to myself, and I could only thank Ava for that. She called every evening to talk to her girlfriend, and Claudia would disappear. She’d reappear an hour or so later, smiling and ready to whisk me off to our next outing. This evening was certainly no different. We had just gotten back from getting massages, and I was thankful when I heard Claud’s cell phone ring. I could try and get a nap in before she wanted us to go to dinner. 

            “Hi love.” She sang into the phone. She waved at me and went into her room, closing the door behind her. I did the same. 

            My favorite thing about this immaculate and impressive living space that we’d been fortunate enough to get, hands down, was this bed. It consumed me as soon as I lay in it and I was completely enveloped in white. I lay there for a minute, contemplating turning on the television, but not doing it. I cringed when my eyes met my hand, where the ring used to be. The beautiful engagement ring that Bailey had given to me; the ring that she had so lovingly picked out and spared no expense for. The almost ostentatious, sparklingly gorgeous ring that had a mind of its own, it had haunted me then, and now, haunted me in a different way. Now, the empty space, the line that illustrated where the ring once was, pained me. I wanted to look away, but instead, I touched it. Bailey hadn’t asked for the ring back. She hadn’t even spoken to me, but if she had, I doubted that she would have asked for the ring. As a matter of fact, it was at our house, in my jewelry box. It sat there, in solitude, as a reminder of our failed promises. I felt a tear slip out of my eye and I swiped it away in protest. I can’t do this. I won’t sit here and be miserable in paradise, I thought to myself. I got up and put on one of the skimpy bikinis that Claudia had insisted on buying it. It had cost a fortune, and I protested until the end, but she wasn’t hearing it. ‘I mean, you may as well show off your anorexia. These things were made for little tiny people like yourself.’ She had said. As if she was one to talk, I had scoffed mentally. While I may have lost some weight through my depression, Claudia had always been model thin. She bought three of them for herself.  I grabbed a wrap and after leaving Claudia, whom I heard cooing lovingly on the phone, a note, I went to watch the sunset and try to ignore the thoughts that refused to be ignored.

 

            We didn’t make it out to dinner that night. I’d spent the entire evening at the beach, hours, alone, and I made sure that I was in plain sight, should Claudia come looking for me. She hadn’t. I went back up when it was pitch black dark out and I was bone tired. I wasn’t hungry anyway. I was ready to shower and sleep. The apartment was dark and quiet when I walked in.

            “Claudia?” I called out to her. There was nothing. I walked to her room, but it was empty. I rolled my eyes. If she had even come outside, she would have seen me on the beach. What was going on? Confused, I walked to my bedroom, and went to shower and change. I’d call her cell when I got out of the shower. 

            Forty-five minutes later, I emerged and dressed. I was thinking the entire time of where she could be, but I couldn’t let those thoughts deter me from washing every piece of sand from my body and hair. My hair, drying quickly, fluffed out into a big bush of curliness. I threw on a sundress, and walked to the cordless in the living room. I took it out on the terrace as I dialed Claudia’s cell.

            “Where are you?” I asked her voicemail. She didn’t answer. What was going on? My heart started racing as I placed the phone back on the base. What the hell? Claudia was flighty, but we were in a different country. She wasn’t like this.   In my solitude, I started feeling the volume of the penthouse apartment. It was so big. I was nervous. I heard the elevator ding, and rushed toward it, eager to b***h Claud out about leaving without saying something or a note or anything. Only it wasn’t Claudia, I saw, as the elevator doors opened.

            “Hey. Hi, Jaylen. I’m not even sure what I’m doing here. Can we talk?” She said nervously. I nodded wordlessly, and she walked in, the elevator doors closing behind her, and the moonlight filled the room and the space between us.

 

           

Reviews

[Ruby Moon]

who whoooooo?
*rush off to the next chapter*