It's Always The Pretty Ones (15 page)

She kissed him once again.
 
“Sorry, sweetie.
 
I have to get out of here.
 
I have an all-day rehearsal.”

He poked his lips out.

“Aww.”
 
She said as she squeezed his cheeks.
 
“I know.
 
We just have a lot of work to do for the opening tomorrow.
 
Did I say how absolutely terrified I am, by the way?”

He stood up from the bed and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
 
“You will do great, just like you always do.
 
Besides, I will be front-row-center, cheering you on.”

She turned around and looked into his eyes.
 
“You are so special to me, you know that?
 
I love you.”

Romeo smiled to mask the screaming in his head.
 
He always cut and ran for the hills whenever women spoke those three words to him.
 
He knew he had feelings for her, he just didn’t know whether it was love or not. He started to open his mouth to say something, anything back, but she put her finger over his lips.
 

“It’s okay.
 
I know you’ll say it to me when you’re ready.”

He smiled, but he felt terrible that he didn’t return a response.
 

She grabbed her jeans off the back of the chair.
 
“I have to get home and take a shower.
 
Reina and I are going to the rehearsal together.”

“How long have you two been friends?”
 
Romeo asked.

“For about 6 years now.
 
We met when we both were auditioning for the same part.”

“Oh, okay.
 
So you guys are pretty close.”

Krystal smiled and gave him a curious look.
 
“Yes, she’s my best friend.
 
Is everything okay?”

“No, everything is fine.
 
I just want you to be careful, is all.
 
Not everybody is your friend.”

“Did something happen I should know about?”

He walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead.
 
“No.
 
I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Hurt by
who
?
 
Reina
?”

“She just seems a little jealous, that’s all.”

Krystal sucked her teeth as she slid on her shirt.
 
“That’s just Reina.
 
She’s harmless.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

She held his face with her hands and pulled him down into a kiss.
 
“I know so.
 
I’ll see you later?”

“You can bet on it.”
 
He smiled as he patted her on the behind.
 

They both walked out into the living room and came upon Anton sitting at the bar trying to piece back the photos that Dazzy had destroyed.
 

“Oh, no!
 
What happened here?”
 
Krystal picked up one of the pieces.

“Dazzy, is what happened.”

“Why would she do this?
 
She had to know how important these pictures were to you.”
 
She gingerly placed the piece back down.

“‘Cause the bitch is crazy, honey.”
 
Romeo said.
 

“She ripped and tore up every piece of clothing I had over there too.”
 
Anton shook his head.
 
“I just don’t know what I did to deserve this.”

“You must have put it on her!”
 
Romeo said as he looked the photo confetti on the counter.
 
“This chick is tripping!”

“Never understood the whole ‘psycho baby mama’ thing.
 
Do these broads actually thing that acting like asses is going to get the guy to want them?”

“I don’t know.”
 
Anton said taping the photo of his mom back together.

“Well, I’ll see you guys later.”
 
She rubbed Anton’s back.
 
“You‘ll be okay.
 
Just keep your head up.”

Anton breathed a sigh of relief once he taped the last piece of his favorite photo of his mom back together.
 
“All this is just blowing my mind, man.
 
I just can’t believe I didn’t pick up on this girl.”

      “Why would you?”
 
Romeo said as he made himself a cup of coffee.
 
“How would you have known she was crazy just by looking at her?”

      “My uncle always told me before he died that ‘it’s always the prettiest ones that were the craziest’.
 
Dammit if he wasn’t right!”

Romeo laughed.
 
“I don’t think that’s true.
 
I have met some relatively sane pretty women.”

“Exactly.”
 
Romeo pointed at him.
 
“Relatively.” They had a little crazy in them though, right?”
 
He chuckled.

“Yeah, but only where it counted.”
 
Romeo smiled. “What do you have planned for the day?”

“I don’t know.
 
I wanted to see Angel, but Dazzy hasn’t returned any of my phone calls and she wasn’t there when I went over this morning.”

“I’m sure Angel is just fine.”

“Oh, I don’t have any doubts about that.
 
Like I told Colbey, the one thing I am sure about with Dazzy is that she loves Angel and would never hurt her.
 
I just don’t want my baby caught in the middle of all this.”

Romeo walked around Anton and patted him on the back.
 
“Well, maybe she just needs time to cool off.
 
Then maybe you guys can talk rationally.” He headed back towards his bedroom.

“We’ll see.”
 
He looked at the photo of Angel he had gotten from the apartment.

Krystal had just stepped out of the shower when he doorbell rung.
 
“Damn.
 
I know that’s Reina.”
 
She muttered as she slipped on her robe and went to open the door.
 

“Hey girl, I see you are running late as always.”
 
Reina said as Krysal opened the door for her to come in.

“I know.”
 
Krystal laughed.
 
“I really tried to be on time too.
 
I just got caught up with Romeo.”

“With Romeo, huh?
 
You guy are pretty serious, huh?”
 
Reina followed her into her bedroom.

“Umm, kinda.”
 
Krystal blushed.

“Has he said the ‘big three’ yet?”

Krystal slipped on her jeans.
 
“Well, no not yet.
 
I’ve said it to him though.”

“He hasn’t said it back to you?
 
That is never a good sign.”

“What are you talking about?”
 
Krystal asked buttoning her shirt.

“I’m just saying.
 
Romeo is the type of guy that will probably never really love a woman because he’s a ho.”

“You just met him?
 
How can you say anything about him?”
 
Krystal said slightly irritated.

“I have dealt with enough men like him to know.”

“Well, you don’t know him like I do.
 
He has made some major changes for me.
 
I know it’s just a matter of time before he tells me he loves me back.”

“How long have you guys been seriously dating, again?”
 
Reina asked leaning back on the bed.

Krystal hesitated slightly.
 
“Three months.”

“So, three months and he has yet to even hint around that he may love you?”

“Why are you hating, Reina?”
 
A shadow of annoyance crossed Krystal’s face.

“I’m not hating.”
 
Reina sat up.
 
“I just don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all.”

“Well, he has been trying really hard and I think he’s done a wonderful job.
 
That says love to me!
 
Love is a verb.”

Reina rolled her eyes in her head.
 
“Have you been strolling around in a Hallmark store or something?”
 
They both laughed.
 
“
Love is a verb”
 
Are you serious?”

Krystal grabbed her purse.
 
“All I’m saying is that he has made a conscious effort to be with me and I appreciate that.”

“If you say so.”
 
Reina smiled as they headed out.

Anton felt a bit more relaxed after he had taken a nice hot shower.
 
He walked into the living room and turned on the TV.
 
He was restless, and missed Angel like crazy.
 
He picked up his cell phone and tried to get through to Dazzy again with no luck.
 
He had left her messages to call him so he could see Angel, but he wasn’t getting responses.
 
He was actually starting to worry a little.
   
Just as he went to put his phone down, it rang.

      “Hello?”
 
He answered quickly thinking it was Dazzy.

      “Hey, Anton.”
 
Colbey said through the phone.

      “Oh hey Colbey.”
 
Anton said slightly disappointed.
 

      “
O…kay
.
 
Try to hold back your enthusiasm.”

      “I’m sorry, it’s not you.
 
I have been trying to get in touch with Dazzy since yesterday with no luck.”

      “Oh, I’m sure she’s fine.”
 
She said knowing first hand.

      “Even if she is.
 
Would it kill her to call me back?”

      “She doesn’t strike me as the thoughtful type, Anton.”

      “I know.
 
I’m just sorry you had to get caught up in all this.”

      “It’s no big deal.
 
Look, are you busy later?”

      “Unfortunately, no.
 
Why?”

      “I need to come by and talk to you about something.”

      “Sure.
 
I’ll be here.
 
What’s it about?”
 
He sensed her anxiety.

      “I’d rather talk to you about it in person, okay?”

      “Um…okay.”
 
He could clearly hear she was pretty rattled by something.
 
“Are you sure you’re okay?”

      “Yeah, I’m fine.
 
I’ll see you around 7?”

      “Okay, see you then.”
 
The call ended.
 
He pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it.
 
“I swear it must be something in the water.