All That and a Bag of Chips

by Darrien Lee

  “Baby, I’m just tired. Okay?”

  He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I want you, Niecy.”

  “Chill, okay?”

  “For now.”

  Before pulling away from her, he gave her a full kiss on the lips, lingering to taste her. Joshua looked over at them and said, “Hey, I’m going to tell you two right now, I’m not breaking up any fights up in here tonight. Ya’ll better stop over there.”

  Galen responded with, “Me either. I’m gonna let those fools fight it out. I don’t even see what they see in her anyway.”

  Jarvis and Joshua were laughing as Venice tried to recover from the intoxicating effect his kiss left on her. She started feeling a familiar throbbing in her middle and her skin began to burn. Craig walked back in wearing a T-shirt and a pair of sweats. He sat down in Mr. Taylor’s recliner and watched as Joshua and Galen play against each other. He glanced over at Venice and smiled. He could see Jarvis was sitting close but he had to expect that between them.

  She said, “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

  She leaned over and gave Jarvis a kiss on his luscious, awaiting lips. She then got up and gave Joshua a hug. Lastly, she walked over to Craig and gave him a similar lingering kiss goodnight. Jarvis’ blood boiled in his veins and he didn’t like it one bit. Venice belonged to him and there was no way he could sit there and stay cool.

  Get your damn hands off my woman!

  Venice looked back at him and smiled before leaving the room. Jarvis was unsure if he’d said that out loud or in his mind. Either way, he meant it.

  It was about eleven o’clock when Galen put the game on pause and built a fire in the fireplace. While Galen was busy with the wood, Craig went over and started playing Joshua on the video game. Venice went on up to her room and eased into her bed, being careful not to wake Crimson. She laid in bed with her heart pounding, knowing the two loves of her life were downstairs together. What are the odds?

  Thirty-Eight

  Christmas was approaching fast and Craig would be leaving soon. The next morning, the household was bustling. Crimson got up early and wanted Venice to get up. She told her to let her sleep and pulled the covers over her head. Crimson hopped out of bed and ran downstairs for breakfast. Crimson ran into the den and found all the guys still asleep.

  Mrs. Taylor said, “Sh-h-h, Crimson. Come out of there and let those boys sleep.” Mrs. Taylor closed the door to the den and brought Crimson into the kitchen so she could fix her some breakfast. Venice had no desire to get up. Her body was much more tired than she’d realized. It would be late morning before Venice and Sidney would get up. The guys all got up around nine o’clock and went their separate ways. Mrs. Taylor made sure they had breakfast before they left.

  They all decided to go to the club that night. Venice was excited that she’d probably see some of her friends she hadn’t seen since she left for college. They all lounged around the house most of the day. Venice talked to Chanelle and discussed what they were going to wear. Galen and Craig left, going no telling where, and Venice and Sidney chilled out at the house. They relaxed the rest of the evening. Venice was surprised Craig didn’t mention anything to her about Jarvis and Jarvis didn’t say anything to her about Craig. She was wondering if it was the calm before the storm.

  The club was filling up quickly as the partygoers arrived ready to shake their booty. It was the holidays and many were home from college and ready to release the stress of exams. Venice was happy that everything had been running smoothly the last couple of days. She just hoped it would last.

  They finally arrived and not long afterwards, Chanelle arrived. Immediately, Chanelle and Venice introduced Sidney around to some of their former classmates. Galen introduced Craig to some of his partners also. A couple of Venice’s rivals gave her jealous looks. One in particular noticed Craig was a new face in the crowd and decided to inquire about him. She twisted over to Galen and said, “Hey, Galen! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. You’re still looking fine though.”

  Galen said, “Hello, Saundra. You look nice also.”

  She thanked him and tossed her weave with her fingers. She then looked Craig up and down and asked, “Who’s your friend?”

  “Oh, this is Craig. He goes to school with me. Craig, this is Saundra.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “So…you’re visiting the Taylors?”

  “Yes.”

  Saundra positioned herself between Galen and Craig, sizing him up. She said, “Well… Craig, if you’re not doing anything tomorrow, I’d love to show you around or something.”

  The music was loud and it was hard to hear so Craig leaned down to her ear and said, “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think I’m available.”

  “Does that mean you’re busy or that you’re spoken for?”

  “Both, but thanks.”

  Saundra looked surprised and said, “It’s your loss.”

  “I’m sure.”

  As she walked away, she said, “If you change your mind, Galen knows how to find me.”

  Galen looked at Craig and shook his head in laughter. “Man…that chick is a trip! Venice can’t stand her. She tried to break her and Jarvis up once.”

  Craig said, “That’s a shame.”

  Galen and Craig got them a drink and found a table. The girls continued socializing. Venice occasionally asked Sidney if she was okay due to her pregnancy.

  As the music played, the crowd danced to the beat. When the DJ slowed the music down, Craig danced with Venice for a couple of songs. The group was still enjoying themselves when Chanelle turned and said, “Venice, here comes your other man.”

  Sidney and Venice turned to see Joshua and Jarvis enter the room. They watched as the guys gathered, shaking hands with one another. Venice could see that Jarvis was scanning the room.

  Chanelle said, “You might as well go on over there and tell him hello.”

  “He’ll find me.”

  Chanelle said, “Look at you trying to be hard. I’ll bet you’re shaking in your shoes.”

  Venice gave Chanelle a look and said, “I’ll be back in a minute. I’m going to the restroom.”

  Sidney and Chanelle laughed and said, “Don’t run!”

  Venice walked across the room, stopping to talk to several people as she made her way to the restroom. She noticed Jarvis was no longer talking to Galen and wondered where he’d disappeared to. As she approached the hallway, he grabbed her from behind, pulling her body against his. “I’d know those hips anywhere.”

  The heat from his body was electrifying. Chills shot up her arms as he held her tightly to his muscular chest.

  “Hi, Jarvis.”

  He turned her to face him and gave her a gigantic hug, lifting her off the floor. Venice hugged him back, trying not to react too affectionately. Jarvis leaned in to give her a kiss, but she turned her head and he ended up kissing her on the cheek instead of on the lips.

  He said, “Oh… You gonna do a brotha like that?”

  “Jarvis, be cool. You know Craig is in here.”

  He smiled and said, “I know he’s here. What? He’s gonna try and beat my ass or something?”

  “Quit trippin’ and behave.”

  “I’ll be cool for you, but that man ain’t got a claim on you. So, when are you gonna dance with me?”

  “If you wait right here, I’ll dance with you when I come out.” He leaned against the wall and said, “All right. I’ll wait, but not long.”

  “What do you mean by that, Jarvis?”

  “Never mind, hurry up, Niecy.” When Venice came out of the restroom, they proceeded to the dance floor.

  “Venice, like I told you in Michigan, I don’t care who you hook up with. You’re gonna always belong to me and you know it. We’ve got a history that nobody can come between. I know I messed up in the past, but I promised you that I would never hurt you again.”

  Venice, seeing the seriousness in his eyes, said, “Ja
rvis, I don’t feel like talking about that tonight.”

  “You can avoid talking about it tonight, but you can’t avoid it forever. You know I’m telling the truth.”

  Damn he feels good!

  But things were complicated now since Craig had entered her life. Jarvis was always popular and everybody liked him. He was a gifted athlete and honors student. They matched and she knew it.

  There was only one storm in their relationship. Jarvis fell under the spell of peer pressure and Venice caught him messing around on her. She was devastated but it ended up hurting him more than it hurt her. For three months, she’d given him the silent treatment as he tried to get his beg on. It was driving him crazy to know that she’d found comfort in the arms of his best friend’s brother.

  Michael always flirted with Venice but she’d never taken him seriously because they all grew up together. Michael was a year older than Galen and he was Joshua’s older brother. He had his own condo on the other side of town and worked third shift at a local company while going to college during the day. It started out innocent, but eventually their relationship took off. Galen wasn’t too happy to hear about the relationship and would occasionally crack on Michael about it. It was perfect for Venice to hook up with him after school and it almost cost her the relationship with Jarvis.

  Venice knew Jarvis was going crazy knowing she’d given it up to Michael. She felt Jarvis deserved to be hurt just like he’d hurt her. Michael was a good listener and helped her eventually find her way back to Jarvis. He suggested she try to work things out with Jarvis since they all grew up together. Michael knew if he were going to remain friends with him, he had to end his relationship with Venice. She finally was able to forgive Jarvis and they were inseparable from that moment on.

  Jarvis and Venice continued their dance and also danced with other friends in the club. The night was getting longer and Venice and her crew were beginning to tire out. There was a short-lived scuffle in the corner of the club. The bouncers hurriedly dispersed the situation to keep things from getting out of hand. It was always the same. Somebody had a little too much to drink and tried to fight somebody for stepping on their shoes or something. Venice noticed Jarvis watching her from across the room.

  I wish you would stop staring. I hope Craig doesn’t notice.

  Jarvis was very handsome, with a smile that could melt butter. He was a dark chocolate drop of gorgeous with dimples and plainly irresistible.

  Venice began to reminisce about their past together. She never told anyone, except for Joshua, that on graduation night, after their divorce, she ran into him on her way home from the graduation party. She left early due to a headache and heartache. They were trying to put a little distance between them, but it didn’t seem to work. Jarvis also left early and was picking up some take-out food. They ended up back at his dad’s house and made love all night. She was supposed to spend the night with Chanelle. They had tried to convince everyone that they were going to be just friends since college was going to be separating them soon. No one believed them, knowing how much they were in love. He thanked her for spending the night with him and when she left his house the next morning, he told her that he’d always love her, no matter what. Venice told him she’d always feel the same about him. They ended up hanging out all summer. They just couldn’t stand to be apart and they knew it.

  Back on the dance floor, he was staring at her again.

  “So…is college life still treating you okay, Jarvis?”

  “Are you really giving my stuff away? “

  Venice was shocked by his questions. “Jarvis…stop. Craig is nice.”

  Jarvis ran his hands up and down her back said, “I want to see you tonight.”

  “You know I can’t.”

  “We need to talk, Venice.”

  “Do you want to talk or do you have something else in mind?”

  He leaned down and whispered, “All of the above.”

  Venice felt a little intrigued. “It sounds nice, but I don’t think that would be cool.” When the song ended, he brushed his lips against hers and said, “Maybe you’re right. Thanks for the dance anyway. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Are you mad?”

  “Just disappointed, Niecy. Goodbye.”

  Jarvis disappeared into the crowd, leaving her standing there feeling empty. Something inside her made her feel a little disappointed that he didn’t push the issue.

  It was about 11:30 p.m. when Venice asked Craig if he was having a good time. He said he was and asked her if she was. She told him she was having a great time seeing her old friends. They continued to party with the rest of them until Sidney came over and said, “Venice, Chanelle tore her pants. She wants you to ride with her so she can change.”

  “How did she tear her pants?”

  “Girl, I don’t know.”

  Venice leaned over and told Craig that she was going to ride with Chanelle to change clothes. She explained to him what had happened. Venice asked Sidney if she wanted to ride also. This gave her the opportunity to get out of the smoked-filled room for a moment and get some fresh air.

  As Chanelle pulled out of the parking lot, they began to gossip about the many people in the club. Sidney was laughing about the way Craig looked when he saw Jarvis hug Venice. She said, “I thought the vein in his head was going to pop.”

  Venice asked, “For real?”

  “Not really. I’m exaggerating a little. But, he was checking you guys out though.”

  Chanelle said, “Venice, I’m glad you went ahead and told Craig about you and Jarvis. Under the unusual circumstances of your past, he needed to know.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  As Chanelle turned down several streets, Venice realized Chanelle wasn’t on the correct street leading to her house and asked, “Where are we going?”

  “Venice, you’re going to be pissed at me, but I’m doing a favor for a friend.”

  Venice asked in confusion, “What friend?”

  Sidney laughed and said, “Oh my God! No you didn’t!”

  Venice hollered, “What have you done?”

  Chanelle pulled into Jarvis’ dad’s driveway and came to a stop. Venice gave her a nasty look. Chanelle said, “Oh, quit acting like you didn’t want to see him. You know you wanted to get with him tonight. I just made it happen for you.”

  Sidney was laughing her head off in the back seat.

  Venice looked at Chanelle and said, “I’m gonna kick your ass, Chanelle.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  Jarvis came out with a serious look on his face and his hands stuffed in his jacket. Venice rolled down the window and asked, “What’s up, Jarvis?”

  He leaned down into the window. “Hey, Sidney. Thanks, Chanelle.” He then looked at Venice and said, “I told you I wanted to talk to you. I didn’t feel comfortable talking to you at the club.”

  Venice sat there for a moment, then got out of the car and said, “Make it quick, Jarvis.” She looked back at Chanelle and said, “This wasn’t cool, black people.”

  Chanelle shook her head, then looked at Jarvis and said, “I’ll be back for her in thirty minutes, brotha.”

  He closed the car door as Sidney got into the front seat and said, “No problem.” Sidney giggled and said, “Take care, Sis.”

  Chanelle backed out of the driveway and left them standing there in the cold. He looked at her and said, “Well, aren’t you coming in?”

  Venice walked into the house and asked, “What do you want to talk to me about Jarvis?”

  He took her jacket. “Want something to drink?”

  “No, what do you want to talk about?”

  “Us.”

  They sat down on the sofa and he said, “Venice, you know I love you and I don’t think I can deal with this arrangement any longer. Especially now that I’ve looked dude in the eyes. I just can’t do it.”

  “So what do you want me to do?”

  “I don’t know. I just can’t handle it a
nymore.”

  Venice was glaring at him. “Do you hear yourself? You and I are hundreds of miles away from each other. We get together maybe once a month. It’s nice when we do, but I always feel guilty every time I come back to school and look him in the eye. Don’t get me wrong, baby. I still love you, too, but we just can’t be together right now.”

  He took a sip of his water and asked, “Why were you protecting him tonight?”

  “What do you mean, protecting him?”

  “Every time I touched you, it was obvious you didn’t want to make him think something was still going on between us.”

  “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I wish there was some way we could…”

  Jarvis pulled her against his body and covered her lips with his. Venice kissed him back and allowed his hands to explore her body. He whispered, “Let me make love to you, Niecy.”

  “You know I can’t. Chanelle is picking me up in ten minutes. Plus, it wouldn’t be right.”

  He grabbed the phone and started dialing.

  Venice asked, “Who are you calling?”

  He smiled back at her and brushed her hair away from her eyes. Finally he said, “Hey it’s me. Could you give me some extra time?” There was some hesitation as he stroked her chin, staring at her. He then said, “All right, I’ll call you.” He hung up the phone, stood up and took her by the hands, and said, “Come here.”

  “Where? Who did you call?”

  “Your girl. She’ll be by later. Now follow me.”

  He pulled her from the sofa and reluctantly she followed, saying, “This ain’t right, Jarvis.”

  “Niecy, you know in your heart it’s perfect.” They walked into his room. He showed her those pearly whites and said, “You know you’re only woman for me.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  He pulled her to him and said, “Crazy about you.”

  He brought his lips to hers once again and they found themselves on his bed. Venice couldn’t help herself. She hungered for this man twenty-four seven.

  They hurriedly undressed and wrapped themselves around each other. Venice moaned as he kissed her all over her body. Jarvis whispered what he was going to do to her and how he was going to do it. Venice cupped his maleness and screamed out in ecstasy as he pushed into the moistness of her body. Tears begin to flow from her eyes as her nails dug into his shoulders. Venice shivered with every thrust of his hips, every beat of his heart. Venice pulled him down to her lips as he slowly slid deeper and harder into her. She took a deep breath and let out a loud, long moan as her body went up in flames. His bare skin against hers was hot and explosive. She screamed out in Spanish as she felt her body collapsed and disintegrated.