This Could Be Us But You Playin' 2 (9 page)

“Sure,” was all she said in return as she picked one up.

For the next few minutes, they sat there in silence, each feeling awkward about the situation. Kaleb wanted to say more, but decided against it. Although he was happy to see Dominique, if she didn’t want to talk to him, he wasn’t going to beg her. Before long, Desmond and NiChia walked back up and took their seats. NiChia plopped down in her and by the look on her face, everyone could tell that she now had an attitude.

“What has everyone been up to?” NiChia asked, picking up a wing and taking a bite. “Cause I ain’t been doing shit but getting told about myself by his big head ass.” She pointed in Desmond’s direction.

He looked at her with his face twisted. “I done already told you don’t start no shit, Peanut,” he warned, causing NiChia to roll her eyes. “You always gotta do the fucking most,” he said in an annoyed tone.

“Whatever,” NiChia responded, not really wanting to argue with him in front of Kaleb and Dominique. “What you been up to Kaleb? I ain’t seen you in a while.”

“Shit,” Kaleb replied. “Just doing me.”

“That’s what’s up.” NiChia smiled. “And Nikki, what have you been doing?”

Dominique cut her eyes at her sister because she already knew what she was doing. “Shut up, Peanut. I’ve been at grandma’s house with you all weekend, so you already know what I’ve been doing,” she snapped.

NiChia smacked her lips. “Well, excuse the fuck outta me.” 

For the next half hour, the group made small talk. Desmond and NiChia did the most talking, while Kaleb and Dominque said a few things, but not too much. They felt uncomfortable around each other and really didn’t know what to say to each other. Dominique figured Kaleb was upset with her about ignoring his phone calls for the last few weeks and she wasn’t going to pretend like everything was cool between the two of them. He, on the other hand, was just glad that she was around, even if they weren’t speaking. What Kaleb didn’t know was that Dominique felt the same way. While surprised that he was there, she was happy just to be in his presence.

“Why does that ugly ass girl keep looking over here?” NiChia asked. “Her eyes have been glancing this way since I sat down. Do either of y’all know her?” When Desmond laughed, she stared at him with a look that let him know that she didn’t see a damn thing funny. “Fill me in on the joke. I wanna laugh too.”

“Calm yo’ ass down,” Desmond told her, still laughing. It was no secret that his woman had a jealous streak.

“That’s Des’ girl,” Kaleb joked, as he dipped his chicken wing into the small cup of ranch that sat on the table.

Desmond threw his head back and laughed even louder. “Fuck you, nigga. That’s yo’ girl.”

“Will y’all stop giggling like little ass girls, shit!” NiChia yelled. Seeing the girl look over at them once again had her frustrated. “I need to know if I need to smack a bitch or not.” She knew that the chick wasn’t her man or Kaleb’s type because she looked ran through and rough, so NiChia wasn’t worried about that. She wondered if the girl had a problem with her, because if that were the case, she would gladly go on over there and solve it.

“I said calm down.” Desmond got serious. “That damn girl ain’t thinking about you,” he told her. “She’s with that big nigga over there playing pool.”

“Well, why does she keep staring over here?” NiChia asked. As she finished her sentence, another female caught her attention. This one was walking straight towards their table.

“What’s up, Des?” The chick said when she was standing right beside him. “Long time no see.”

“Hey, what’s up Pam?” Desmond responded. He could feel NiChia’s eyes burning a hold in the side of his head. 

“Humph,” NiChia snorted.

She looked the chick up and down, not happy at all by what she saw. Pam was light-skinned, with gray looking eyes that sparkled under the lights. She was of medium height, with a long, bone straight weave in her hair that flowed down her back. The pair of skin tight, damn near see-thru leggings she wore left very little to the imagination, and a cut off white belly shirt that displayed her defined abs, letting one know that she hit the gym a few times a week. With thick thighs and hips and ass that you could see from the front, NiChia felt a twinge of jealousy as she observed the beautiful woman that was too close to her man for her comfort. She knew that she was just as attractive, but it was something about their connection that bothered her. The way the female leaned her head and smiled at Desmond gave her the inkling that they had previously had an intimate connection.

“Pam, this is my girl, NiChia and her sister, Dominique,” Desmond introduced. “You remember Kaleb.”

“Yeah, I do. What’s up Kaleb?” she spoke, never once acknowledging the women at the table. “Tracy was just asking about you the other day.” Dominique’s ears perked at the mention of another female, but she didn’t say anything.

“What’s good? You can tell her I said hello,” Kaleb told her, trying not to be rude.

The truth was he wasn’t thinking about Pam or her crazy ass friend. Tracy was one of the women that he messed with before he met Tiera. He and Desmond met them one day at the gas station. At first, she was cool with their arrangement of just casual sex, but soon she started to act like they were in a relationship. She would call his phone all times of the night and pop up in places that she knew he frequented. Not only that, but she would threaten to whip whichever chick’s ass she caught him with. It just became too much for him to deal with. It got so bad that Kaleb had to change his number to keep her from calling. Desmond, on the other hand, dated Pam for a little while longer before they called it quits. Just seeing Pam had him wondering if Tracy was nearby. Kaleb hoped she wasn’t, because he didn’t want anything to jump off between her, Dominique and NiChia.

“We should get together sometimes,” Pam said, licking her lips. She smiled as she leaned in closer to Desmond.

“Nah, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He looked at her like she was crazy, while putting his arm out and stopping her from getting too close. “As you can see, I’m with my woman.”

Pam put her hands in the air. She glanced towards NiChia, before refocusing her attention back on Desmond. “I’m sorry, no disrespect. Can I speak to you in private for a minute?”

It was NiChia’s turn to say something. “Damn, bitch! Don’t you get it; he’s not interested. Take yo’ desperate ass on somewhere!” she yelled. She was tired of trying to play nice. The bitch was trying to be slick, and she had about used her pass up. 

“Shit,” Dominique whispered. She knew that it was only a matter of time before her sister snapped, and she hoped that woman would just walk away.

“Who the fuck you calling a bitch?” Pam snapped, taking a step back. “You don’t know me, hoe!”

“You right, I don’t know you,” NiChia said in a calm tone that scared everyone at the table because they already knew what she was capable of. “But if you don’t get the fuck away from this table, my fist gone know yo’ face.”

“Pean—” Dominique started, but was interrupted.

“I’m not the least bit worried about you or those weak ass threats,” Pam rebutted, showing no fear. Dominique couldn’t do anything but shake her head because the female clearly didn’t know what she was in for.

“Oh, they aren’t threats baby girl. I plays no games about mines,” NiChia told her.

“All that talking ain’t necessary. I’m all about actions, sweetheart. Now if you don’t mind, I would like to continue my conversation with my
ex
without any more interruptions.” Pam smiled and winked her right eye.

When NiChia slid her seat back and stood up, both Desmond and Dominque got up as well. Desmond was the first to grab her arm, so Dominique stood back because she figured that he had her. Both looked confused when NiChia started to laugh. She was pissed that the chick tried to play her, but it was also funny because she didn’t have a clue who the hell she was dealing with. Yeah, her little comebacks where cute, but they didn’t hold any weight. NiChia knew that she was crazy with her hands, and even if Pam could fight, she wouldn’t be able to fuck with her; and that she was certain of. With Desmond holding her arm, she contemplated her next move. Since she wasn’t able to blast her ass in the face at the moment, she thought of something else. Quickly, she picked up the plate of wings and slung the meat across the table. Before Pam could react to the chicken being thrown on her, she was smacked in the face with the plate.

“Bitch!’ she yelled, lunging across the table, knocking all of the food to the floor in the process.

This was exactly what NiChia wanted. Snatching her arm from Desmond’s grasp, she grabbed ahold of Pam’s hair and pulled her the rest of the way across the table. Both her and Desmond’s chairs flipped over, as she started to swing, hitting Pam all in the face. Dominique rushed over and tried her best to grab her NiChia, but she wasn’t having it. She turned Pam’s now dangling body in the direction of her sister, stopping her from to getting too close. Desmond stepped over the falling chairs and grabbed NiChia in a bear hug, lifting her off of his ex. When he did this, Pam was able to stand up, even though her hair was still being pulled and before anyone had a chance to grab her, she swung and hit NiChia in the face, splitting her lip.

“Bitch!” Dominique yelled.

Seeing her sister hit, she threw a punch and hit Pam square in the back of the head, which caused her to stumble forward. She turned around and rushed towards Dominique, but before she got there, NiChia wiggled free from Desmond’s hold and grabbed her hair, jerking her backwards, and pulling her to the floor. Both sisters began to swing on a now screaming Pam, as she tried her best to curl into a ball. Everyone in the bar came closer to see the fight. Some were yelling, while others were recording everything as it went down. The sound of security rushing their way snapped Kaleb out of the trance he was in and right when he saw one roughly grabbing on Dominique, he intervened.

“Get your fucking hands on her, Fam. I got her.” Kaleb pushed the guard out the way and grabbed Dominique by the arm. When the tall dark-skinned guy turned around like he was going to do something, Kaleb gave him a look that let him know that it wasn’t a good idea. Not wanting to get into a brawl himself, the guard turned back around and started to help Pam off of the floor.

“Stupid ass bitch!” NiChia yelled, as Desmond, once again, lifted her off of her feet.

Not wanting either of the girls to get arrested for the fight, he told Kaleb, “Let’s get the fuck outta here!” Moments later, when they were outside, Desmond sat NiChia inside his car and turned around. “I’m going to take her crazy ass to the house. You want me to drop you off, or can you ride with her?”

Kaleb looked over at Nikki, not thinking that it was a good idea. When she spoke up and said, “Yeah, I’ll take him home.” He was shocked.

“Cool. I’ll talk to you later,” Desmond told him before he climbed into the driver’s side of his car.

“Call me, sis!” NiChia yelled before he closed the door.

“Alright,” Dominique replied, shaking her head. She couldn’t believe that NiCiah’s crazy ass had gotten into yet another fight, even though she was already going back and forth to court for the one she had with Shanice. “Something is seriously wrong with that girl,” she whispered as she and Kaleb climbed into her car. “Where to?”

“I live in Hampton. Just jump on the freeway, and I’ll guide you there when we get off,” he told her, still wondering if it was a good idea.

Chapter 7

Dominique drove for close to fifteen minutes in complete silence. She wasn’t sure what to say, so she didn’t say anything at all. If sitting beside each other in the bar was awkward, riding with Kaleb in her passenger seat was even worse. She could feel the tension in the air. It was so thick; you could cut it with a knife. Not able to take the silence any longer, she lifted her arm and turned on the radio. When Jazmine Sullivan’s,
In Love With Another Man,
off of her
Fearless
album started to play through the speakers, she quickly hit the FM button. Dominique had forgotten that she was listening to that song earlier that day while she was, once again, lost in her thoughts of Kaleb. After changing the station to a hip-hop one, she sat back in her seat embarrassed, hoping that he hadn’t figured out that the song was for him.

“Once you get off the freeway, turn right,” Kaleb spoke. “Then at the BP, you make a left.”

“Okay,” Dominique replied, as she got off the highway.

Ten minutes later, they were pulling into the front of Kaleb’s apartment. Dominique shifted the gears and put her car in park as she looked up at the tall building. It looked to be about twenty stories high and had a dark colored awning in front of the entrance. Dominique could tell that it was expensive just by looking at the outside. There was beautiful shrubbery decorating the building, and she could see that each unit had a balcony. She was so caught up in looking at the structure; she didn’t realize that Kaleb was staring at her until she turned her head.

“What?”

“Nothing, just thinking,” he responded, still watching her.

“Thinking about what?” Dominique asked, even though she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer.

“Do you want the truth or a lie?”

Without thinking, she blurted out, “The truth. You already know I can’t deal with the lies.”

“Why did you just shut me out like that?”

Dominique dropped her head. She already knew that this was what he was going to say. Unable to come up with the words, all she could do was shrug her shoulders. She knew she was wrong dead wrong to disappear on him without even attempting to give him an explanation. It was no doubt selfish of her to do so and unfair to Kaleb, who deserved to at least know that she was going to try to make things work with Deondre. It wasn’t his fault that she was confused as hell. At the time, Dominique thought that by ignoring his calls, somehow he would come to the conclusion that she was ending things between the two of them. Not once did she think that since she had done it on numerous occasions, that it wouldn’t mean anything. She didn’t believe that Kaleb figured that she was just doing her thing as usual and continue to call.

Finally, she whispered, “I don’t know. I guess it was my way of running away from the obvious.”

“The obvious?” Kaleb asked, shifting in his seat. “And what is that?” He wanted to give her his undivided attention when she gave him her reasoning behind what she had done. 

Dominique picked her head back up and stared him directly in the eyes. His stare was so intense that she almost looked away. “The fact that I’m in love with you and don’t know what to do about it.” The sound of someone beeping a horn behind her caught her attention.

“They must be trying to either pick somebody up or drop someone off,” Kaleb told her, as he turned to look out of the back window. “Why don’t you come up with me so we can talk?” he asked, turning back around to face Dominique. When he noticed her apprehension, he put his hands up. “I won’t do anything, I promise. I just really want to talk to you.”

“I don’t know. Won’t your girlfriend feel some kind of way with me coming up there?”

“Nah,” Kaleb thought for a second. He started to make up a lie, but decided to just go ahead and tell the truth. “We broke up. Tiera left not too long ago. She said she was tired of being put on the backburner.”

Dominique’s eyes got wide. “Did she know about us?”

“She didn’t, but she figured something was going on.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault. That was all on me,” Kaleb told her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “So, will you come up and talk to me?”

“Yeah, I guess.” She said quietly. “I mean, I don’t see why not.”

“Thanks,” Kaleb said, happy that she agreed.

Once Dominique put her car back in gear, he guided her around the building and to one of his available spaces in the parking garage. Pulling into the spot beside his truck, Dominique killed her engine, all while wondering if going up to his apartment was a good idea. Her panties were already moist just being in his presence, so she was scared of what would happen once they were alone in his place, because every time they were alone, they ended up having sex. Dominique knew that with what she had planned, sex was something that she should avoid with Kaleb because it only complicated things much more than they were already. Even with that being said, she had told him she was coming up and wasn’t going to go back on her word, no matter how nervous she was. After taking the elevator up to the penthouse floor, Kaleb stepped off, followed by Dominique.

“Come on in.” Kaleb waved to her when he noticed that she was still standing by the door.

Dominique slowly did as she was told. When she stepped into the foyer, she followed Kaleb’s lead and removed her sandals, before she placed them on top of the rug that sat in the corner. Now standing barefoot, Dominique allowed Kaleb to slide her purse off her arm. Taking her keys and her cellphone, she dropped them both inside. He walked a few steps and hung it on one of the hooks by the door, right before he tossed his keys into a crystal bowl on the nearby table. He then walked further into his apartment, with Dominique following closely behind with her feet sinking into the plush carpet with every step that she took.

As they made their way down the long hallway, Dominique glanced at all of the art that adorned the walls. When they rounded the corner and she was able to see the living and dining room, Dominique’s mouth dropped open. The place was beautiful! A tan leather sectional sat in the middle of the living room floor. There was tan, white, and blue throw pillows strategically placed, which complemented the rug that lay on the floor. The white marble end tables stored blue and tan lamps, while the matching coffee table held a tray and large glass surrounded candles. There was a flat screen television mounted on the wall and surrounded with wooden cabinets. Dominique wasn’t sure if Kaleb had decorated his apartment by himself, but whoever had done it had good taste.

“It’s nice out. We can go outside on the balcony if you like,” Kaleb said, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Sure, sounds good.”

Kaleb led her past the dining area and over to the sliding doors. Pulling it back, he turned to look at her. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Ummm, I guess I’ll take a glass of wine if you have some,” Dominique told him, hoping that the alcohol would calm her nerves.

“Okay, I’ll get you some. You can have a seat. I’ll be out soon.”

As Kaleb walked away, Dominique stepped out on the balcony in awe. It wasn’t your ordinary outdoor space, and the view was amazing. There was a wicker set with consisted of two chairs and a U-shaped sofa. The cushions were blue and matched the night sky, and there was a small table in the middle. Opting to the sit in one of the chairs, instead of on the sofa, Dominique took a seat. It was where she was more comfortable because she knew that Kaleb couldn’t sit as close to her there. Not long after, he emerged through the doors. In his hands, he held her glass of wine and a beer for himself. After handing her the glass, he walked over to the fireplace on the far side of the balcony and pushed a button. Immediately, the fire began to blaze. Although the space was already nice, the color of the blaze gave it a much nicer tone.

“This is really beautiful,” Dominique told him, taking a sip of her drink.

“Thank you.”

“Did you decorate it yourself?” She asked already believing that Tiera had.

Taking a seat on the sofa, Kaleb placed his arms on the back of it. “Nah, my mom’s did everything. This place was nothing but some rooms with plain ass walls when I bought it. She did it all. I mean, she added doors and all kinds of shit. All I did was cut the check.”

“Wow, that’s what’s up.” Dominique nodded her head surprised as she looked around the area once again. “How is your mom doing anyway?”

“She’s doing alright. I told her I ran into you and she told me to tell you hello.”

“Really?” Dominique smiled. “Tell Ms. Kendra I said hi. I haven’t seen her in years.”

“I will. I know she’d love to see you.”

“I’d really love to see her t—” Dominique stopped short. There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Neither of the two knew what to say next.

Kaleb exhaled loudly. “Talk to me, Nikki. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“I don’t know.” She dropped her head. “I just don’t know.”

“Come on. You can’t tell me it’s nothing because I see it in your face.”

“I’m confused!” Dominique blurted out, looking up at him. “I don’t even know what the hell I’m doing right now. I shouldn’t even be here.” Tears filled her eyes.

“Don’t cry,” Kaleb told her, standing up and walking over towards were she was sitting. He used his fingers to wipe the falling tears from her face, before taking a seat on the ground by her feet. “You know I hate to see you crying. That shit kills me.”

Dominique sniffed. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Just tell me how you feel.”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

For the next ten minutes, Dominique told Kaleb what had happened from the time she left him at the mall weeks ago, up until that very moment. She filled him in on the plan that she had to keep her family intact, and how much she wished that things could be different between the two of them. Kaleb listened while she shared her feelings, never once interrupting her. He wanted her to get it all out. When she started to cry again, he had to keep himself from jumping up and consoling her. He knew that she needed to release everything she was feeling and didn’t want to make her think that he was trying to take advantage of her.

“So, that is why I stopped answering your calls. I was trying to make things work with Deondre, and knew that if I spoke to you just once, I would keep doing the things that we’ve been doing.” Dominique wept.

“Can I ask you something?” Kaleb asked.

“Yeah.”

“Why stay with someone that you aren’t happy with?”

“It’s complicated.”

Kaleb looked up at her and shook his head. “It’s only as complicated as you make it. Nikki, you don’t have to be with dude for y’all to raise y’all’s son together. There is this thing called co-parenting. There are a lot of parents who do it. Staying in a relationship that you’re not happy in will only make you resent him in the end.”

“I know, but that’s a chance I’m willing to take,” Dominique sighed. “You just don’t understand. You don’t have any children, Kaleb.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” he agreed. Kaleb knew that she was right. Children do complicate things a bit more, but they didn’t have to make it as hard as she was making it. “I also can’t see myself staying with someone that I don’t really want to be with.”

Dominique raised her eyebrow at his comment. “What about your girl? You were with her and you didn’t want to be.”

“Nah, my situation with Tiera was different,” Kaleb revealed.

“And why is that?” she asked, placing her drink on the table and crossing her arms.

“Because before I ran back into you, I was happy with her.” When he saw the jealous look flash across Dominique’s face, he broke it down further. “What I’m saying is I was content with my relationship with her. That is, until I saw you again. It was then that I realized that I was still in love with you. Then everything between her and I was different. In a sense, I did exactly what she accused me of… I put her on the backburner and concentrated more on what we have.”

Dominique bite the corner of her lip and tears filled her eyes once again. “And what is it that we have?” she asked, as she let them fall.

“I don’t know, Nikki, you tell me.”

“I love you so much, Kaleb.” She cried.

“Shhhh.” Kaleb stood up and reached out to her. When she grabbed his hand, he pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s going to be alright,” he told her, rubbing circles in her back. “If you wanna work on what y’all have, I’ll fall back. I don’t want to stand in between you and your family.”

Hearing him say that broke Dominique’s heart, even though she knew that it was the right thing to do. Working on what she had with Deondre was what would keep her family together. This was what she had planned to do to keep her son happy. So, why did it hurt her so much to know that Kaleb was ready to walk away from her? Was she making the right decision to stick it out with Deondre? How would she feel to know that Kaleb had moved on and was in another relationship? These questions bounced around in her head as he continued to hold her right. The smell of his cologne intoxicated Dominique. No longer was she crying. Now instead, she was feeling frisky and ready to feel his touch; a touch that her body had been craving for the last few weeks.