Tell Me No Lies

by Nikki- Michelle

  “He’s already eaten, so all he’ll need is a snack,” Aric said to me once he made it down the stairs.

  I watched him put his shirt on; then he reached into his pocket and put his Cartier glasses on his face. Gabe dismissed himself when his phone started to ring.

  “Okay. Sorry I’m late. I had lunch with Kay, and then we went to the grocery store.”

  “It’s cool,” Aric said, reaching out to run a hand over AJ’s curly hair. “He’s my son. No need to apologize for letting me spend a little longer with him.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that. Don’t forget I’m leaving next weekend.”

  “I didn’t forget,” he said to me as he tickled AJ and made him squirm in my arms.

  It was Aric’s way of really ignoring me. He hadn’t liked it when I told him I was going to meet Jamie’s family. I didn’t know why.

  AJ laughed and wiggled around. “S’op it, Daddy,” he said.

  I couldn’t help but smile at their playfulness. “Where’s his bag?” I asked Aric.

  “In the den. Come on, AJ. Let’s go get it,” Aric said.

  AJ jumped from my arms down to the floor and took off running toward the den. I laughed when I heard Aric fussing and asking AJ if he knew how to walk anywhere. There was playfulness in his voice, which made me admire him as a father. Once he came back with AJ’s bag, Aric walked me out to my car. After AJ was strapped in, I stood there talking with Aric for a bit. We talked about how AJ was progressing in school and about the programs Aric wanted to sign him up for before he changed the subject.

  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something, two things, actually,” he said as he leaned against my car by the driver’s-side door.

  “Okay. What is it?”

  “AJ told me you were crying. What’s up with that?”

  Oh, Lord. My mind started going a mile a minute. When had AJ seen me crying? It must have been after the last argument Jamie and I had. That was the only time he’d brought me to tears. It wasn’t because of anything he’d said per se. It was more because I didn’t even know what the fight was about to begin with.

  I closed my eyes and shook my head before looking back at him. “We didn’t have a fight, Aric. We had a disagreement, and my emotions got the best of me.”

  “It brought you to the point of tears,” he said, then folded his arms after adjusting his glasses. “Must have been serious.”

  “It was in the moment, yes.”

  He studied me for a while. “I’ve noticed that you have been a little stressed as of late. You okay?”

  My heart warmed a bit. I didn’t know how to take Aric when he was showing the sensitive, caring side of himself. It had always been a scary thing for me, because when we’d been together, it had always made me fall deeper for him. Nevertheless, I sighed and nodded. I opened up to him a little bit. I told him about how Jamie and I had been arguing a lot more. I also played it off and told him it could be because of all the hours I’d been putting in at work due to the new deal we’d gotten. I wasn’t too sure if I should be talking to him about it, but it felt good to have another way to vent about things.

  “Maybe you should sit down and talk to him again. Try to figure out a way you and he can meet in the middle,” he said.

  “I know, and I’ve been trying.”

  “Try harder.”

  I looked at Aric, trying to see if he was joking or not. It wasn’t like him to be as encouraging as he was being. However, I listened to his advice, anyway.

  “You’re right. I will.”

  “I don’t want my son hearing you guys fight, and I don’t like that he saw you crying afterward. You have to take better care in that, Chyanne.”

  “I know that, Aric. I had no idea he even saw me crying, but I don’t want you thinking that he’s in the middle of a war zone, either.”

  “I don’t think that. Jamie has proven to be a good dude, so I know he’s not mistreating you. I just wanted you to know AJ saw you crying and he was worried, so he came to me and told me.”

  I nodded and looked in the backseat at AJ playing with his toy plane. “Thank you for that.”

  “You’re good. Now, one more thing,” he said.

  By the time I turned back around to look at him, his body was in close proximity to mine and his arms had caged me in against the driver’s side of my car. Those hazel eyes held me in a trance, and the heat index of my body shot up twenty levels. I hadn’t been that up close and personal with Aric in a very long time. He was looking down at me, and because I had on heels, his face was so close to mine, I could smell the mint on his breath.

  “Aric . . . what are you doing?”

  “The next time you pick up the phone in the middle of having sex and I’m on the other end, I’m going to fuck you up. Understand?”

  At first I was confused. “What?”

  “You heard me. Try that shit again.”

  “Aric, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Bullshit. I heard when he told you to answer the phone,” he said.

  The way he was glaring down at me told me he was serious. My mind was trying to figure out what he was talking about . . . and then it dawned on me. The time when Jaime handed me the phone and I never got around to answering it, because we started making love, had to be what he was talking about. My eyes widened, because I’d had no idea it was him on the phone. I hadn’t even thought to check afterward.

  “Aric, that was a mistake. I had no idea—”

  “Mistake or no mistake, don’t do that shit again. I’ll really fuck you up.”

  For a while all I could do was gaze up at him. Having him that close to me brought back memories—and a whole flood of emotions. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing would come out. He had me in a trance, and too late I realized that he’d figured it out too. Before I could stop him, his lips were on mine. His tongue traced the outline of my lips before it was in my mouth. It was almost a crippling experience, because I started to remember. I remembered what it felt like to have his body pressed close to mine. I remembered what his hands felt like on my body, especially when he brought one hand down to pull me closer to him as the kiss deepened.

  When I felt his manhood harden against my stomach . . . oh God, did I remember what that felt like inside of me. My panties were soaked; my nipples were hard as they pressed against my bra. But by God, when he groaned and the sound traveled to settle in the pit of my stomach before pooling between my thighs, I knew it was time to go.

  I pulled back from the kiss and caught my breath. “Aric, stop,” I said to him, placing my hands on his chest to push him back. “I have to go.”

  As I looked up at him, I didn’t know what to feel. “I miss you,” he told me.

  “Aric, stop. Don’t do this to me, please. We’ve both moved on.”

  “You’ve moved on.”

  “Because you told me to.”

  “Doesn’t mean I can’t miss you.”

  “We can’t go down this road again. The outcome is never good. I love Jamie. I can’t and I won’t cheat on him with you.”

  “You don’t miss me, Chyanne?”

  “To be honest, I hadn’t even really thought about it until now. I have to go, Aric,” I told him, pushing him back some more so I could turn and open my car door.

  We both turned to look when Gabe walked out. I was happy for the distraction.

  “I’m going to head out,” Gabe said to Aric, glancing at his watch. “I have to stop by my mom’s for a while to check on her.”

  Aric only looked over his shoulder and gave a head nod. He didn’t turn around, because his manhood was still showing that he’d been turned on.

  “A’ight. Hit me up later and tell her I said hello,” Aric responded.

  Gabe hit the alarm on his truck and looked at me before getting in. He shook his head, as if to say that even he was disappointed in me. It could have been my guilty conscience already working me over. While Aric had his head turned, I
opened my car door and got in. I couldn’t even look at him for fear of what would happen if I did. I cranked my car and got the hell out of there.

  Chyanne

  I got out of the car and opened the back door so I could wake up AJ. After the whole thing with Aric, I couldn’t even bring myself to drive home, so I headed over to my old neighborhood to check on April. Not so much because I cared, but because I needed time to figure out if I was going to tell Jamie about that kiss. I looked across the street and the old man was sitting out on his porch. I waved, and he nodded at me. I’d gone over to thank him a few weeks after I got home from the hospital, but all he did was brush me off. He told me that he’d done what God wanted him to do.

  AJ jumped out of the car and looked up at me as he took my hand. “Mommy,” he called out to me, tugging my jacket.

  He was sleepy and wanted me to pick him up.

  “We’re just checking on an old friend,” I told him.

  I hadn’t been over to see April since that night I let her in the house. Jamie still wasn’t too happy about that, either. He had fussed, saying that I needed to stop letting myself be used. I had even talked to Jo-Jo. I had told him about his mother, and I was sorry to say that he didn’t seem to care one way or the other, or at least that was the way he’d made it seem. When I told him, there was a long silence on the other end of the phone, and then he asked me if I had seen his last game, like it was nothing. Aaron and Aaden, however, seemed to have taken it hard.

  I used my key to open the door. The smell of fried chicken wafted through the house, captivating my senses. I found April sitting at the kitchen table, typing away on her laptop. She looked up when she saw me. Her skin color was coming back, and she’d done something to her hair, so she looked presentable.

  She stood and walked around the table. A pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt were her outfit. I noticed her eyes stayed on AJ. It wasn’t hard to tell he was Aric’s son, since they looked identical. Everything matched except for the head full of curly hair on AJ’s head.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hello, April.”

  I looked around the place, pleased she’d been keeping it clean. “Your agent stopped by and brought some people to look at the house, so I’ve been keeping it clean for you.”

  That surprised me. Her calm and humble nature was something I’d never seen before.

  “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”

  I saw her eyes go back to AJ. “Wow, Chy. He’s gotten so big. He’s come a long way from that little baby.”

  I smiled and nodded, looking down at AJ, who was holding tight to my thigh. “Yes, he has.”

  She laughed lightly. “Not hard to tell he’s Aric’s son at all. Looks just like him.”

  All I did was smile. There was an awkward silence that settled between us. I’d come to tell her that she’d have to find somewhere else to go, but I found myself having doubts. Although I had a mind to be evil, my heart wouldn’t allow me. I walked AJ over to the couch and sat him in front of the TV. I found Arthur on PBS and let him watch it. Then I walked back toward the dining room with April in tow.

  “Look, Chyanne, I want you to know how much I appreciate this,” she told me once we were both sitting at the table. “I know I didn’t seem like I was appreciative before, but that was me still on the defensive.”

  I waved my hand. “That’s fine, but I need to get some things off my chest,” I said, looking at her. “You never apologized to me for what you did, April. I thought we were friends. I did a lot for you because I loved you as your friend. Why did you hate me? What would make you intentionally hurt me like that?”

  The conversation was long overdue.

  “I didn’t hate you, Chyanne. But I can admit now that I was jealous.”

  Her answer didn’t surprise me. After I’d had time to think over all the things that she’d done and said, it made sense.

  “Why?”

  “Are you serious?” she asked. “You had everything. You were young, smart, pretty. You owned your own house, car. You had a good job at B&G. You had everything that I never got a chance to have at that age. At your age I already had three children and a husband. I never experienced life the way you did, Chy. And now you’re still in a relationship, you have a kid, you own your own business, and you got a good man, I’m assuming. Everything. Why wouldn’t I be jealous?”

  “There was no reason for you to be jealous. I went out of my way to be a good friend to you.”

  “I know, and you were a great friend. I just have some issues I need to work out. I don’t know, but when you left the other night, I cried for hours. I’ve been through a lot in my life, Chyanne, but I think this is the lowest. I never had a childhood, because I was always helping my mom and dad look after my six brothers and sisters. I was the oldest, so when Mom and Dad were at work, I had to cook, clean, and help with homework. Then a couple months before I turned eighteen, I got pregnant with Jo-Jo.” She stopped and wiped the tears running down her face. “I got married before he was born. Girl, to make a long story short, I was jealous and I’m sorry.”

  I just sat there and looked at her for a long while. That was all I could do. We’d been friends a long time, but this was the most honest conversation we’d ever had. Still, my heart was telling me to keep my distance.

  “I mean, I don’t know what to say. I wish you had seen that I loved you like you were my sister. I was always there for you. Always wanted to be there for you, because I thought we were friends.”

  “I know, and that’s why I’m apologizing. I’m not asking you to just forget everything and be my friend again. I just want you to forgive me.”

  “I actually forgave you a long time ago, April. I don’t hold grudges like that, but we can never be friends again, because I’ll never trust you again.”

  She looked at me and nodded, then wiped her eyes again. “That’s fair. Thank you for letting me stay here.”

  “You’re welcome. Have you been looking for another job?”

  I asked because my agent had told me that a couple was really interested in buying my house. I wanted to sell if they made up their minds to do so.

  “Yes, I have. I have a job interview at Southern Regional tomorrow. I’m not trying to freeload or anything. I’ll pay you back for room and board as soon as I get on my feet.”

  I waved my hand and stood. “Don’t worry about it, April. Just get yourself together,” I said to her, walking over to pick up AJ.

  I turned to look at her as AJ laid his head on my chest. She looked as if she wanted to ask something but wasn’t sure if she should.

  “Chy, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  “Have you talked to Jo-Jo?”

  I’d known that was coming. “Yes, I have.”

  “Does he know?”

  I nodded. “Yes, he does.”

  She looked down as fresh tears started to roll down her cheeks, and she fumbled around with her fingers. “I talked to Aaron and Aaden, but Jo-Jo never answers his phone when I call. If you talk to him again, will you tell him that I love him?” she asked, with tears running down her face.

  I wanted to reach out and hug her. Instead I reached out and grabbed her hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “I’ll tell him, April. He loves you. He’s just . . .”

  I really didn’t have the words to give her the comfort she needed. So I stayed there with her a little while longer, just so she’d have someone’s shoulder to cry on. She’d lost everything, literally, but all I had to offer was a shoulder to cry on. I could give her nothing else.

  After a while, AJ and I left. I made it home just as Jamie was pulling up. The guilt from the kiss Aric and I shared immediately attacked my gut. I didn’t even want to get out of the car, but as soon as AJ saw Jamie, he unbuckled his seat belt. When I opened the door, he jetted from the car and ran into Jamie’s outstretched arms. It was good to see Jamie smile and even better to hear him laugh. I watched as he played with AJ.
He spun him around and playfully tossed him in the air before his eyes settled on me. He beckoned to me with an outstretched arm. I closed the car door after grabbing AJ’s bag and walked over to him. When he pulled me into his arms, then kissed my lips, I jumped like I’d been shocked by electricity.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, studying my face.

  I swallowed and thought about how not so long ago Aric’s lips had been on mine. “Nothing,” I lied. “Just happy you’re home and glad you’re feeling better.”

  He smiled. “Yeah, me too, baby.”

  I was nervous as we walked into our home for two reasons, one being that I was hoping Jamie would stay in a good mood, the other that I didn’t know how to act. I felt as if I’d cheated on Jamie with a man whom I had promised myself I would never be involved with on that level again. I just hoped and prayed that was a secret I’d never have to tell or a lie I’d always keep.

  Jamie

  I held the woman I loved in my arms as we watched TV. AJ was in his room, asleep for the evening. It felt good to actually just have that intimacy with her. I needed it. Chyanne and I hadn’t been on the best of terms since I got that phone call from my grandmother. I had to admit to that being my fault. I was going through some things mentally that I was sure she needed to know about. I just hadn’t been man enough to tell her yet.

  “How’re you feeling, baby?” Chyanne asked me as she looked up into my eyes.

  She was in a jersey dress that was fitted across her breasts and spread out over her hips. It stopped mid-thigh, so anytime she moved, it inched farther and farther up her thighs.