Accidental Arrangements

by Alexandra Warren

  Kelvin and I were already heading back down to the lounge floor when he insisted, “Well at least treat yourself to a drink or two. Just make sure you spread them out during the night, lightweight.”

  “Have one with me?” I asked as I slipped behind the bar while Kelvin made himself comfortable on the bar stool across from me.

  Then he nodded as he answered, “Sure. We gotta make it quick though. You know Maxwell will be trippin’ if he catches us.”

  “I’ll just be sure to tell him the good news. That should be enough to yank the stick out of his ass,” I joked as I poured a few of my favorites into a shaker with ice, giving it a stiff toss over my shoulder before distributing it evenly into two glasses.

  And while I grabbed a few garnishes to top it off with, I listened in as Kelvin replied, “Only if Nori hasn’t already shelved it for good. Hell, she might’ve just exchanged it for one of her little toys.”

  “Ew! I don’t wanna think about… anyway. Come on. Let’s cheers,” I settled on as I slid his glass across the bar top.

  And he held it in the air almost as proudly as I did when he said, “To your new career.”

  “To, what I hope to be, my new career.”

  &

  I stumbled into the apartment, still grinning from ear-to-ear as I thought about all the good that had been thrown my way in the last week. Spending time with my best friend even if it almost ended in real ass death, the call I had been looking forward to since the plans were made to one day receive it, and then getting the blessing from my boss to celebrate on the clock, giving me the opportunity to drink while also making the money I needed to stay afloat.

  Oh, and of course reconciling with the fine ass basketball player who I just so happened to share an address with.

  In fact, he was the only thing on my mind as I tiptoed through the eerily quiet apartment towards his room, planning to share the news and continue my night of celebration with my knees pinned somewhere near my ears. But after a few short knocks on his door, and then a self-served invitation to step inside, I found it just as quiet as the rest of the place.

  “Maybe he went out with Wes,” I thought to myself, trying to maintain my excitement as I snagged one of his t-shirts before I headed towards my room to change out of my clothes into his. But after doing that, and twirling my thumbs, and scrolling through his social media for any clues of his whereabouts, I decided to do what should’ve been the first choice; give him a call.

  He picked up after only two rings, his voice mellow when he said, “Hey Jules.”

  “Levi. Hey. Where uh… where are you?” I asked, trying not to sound too needy as I tugged at the hem of his t-shirt that hit me right above the knees.

  But tugging quickly turned into fisting when he answered, “Just landed in cold ass Milwaukee.”

  “Milwaukee? What are you doing in Milwaukee?” I asked, my buzz officially blown now that I knew I’d be spending the night alone.

  And things seemed to be taking a slow turn for the worst as I listened to Levi explain, “My agent finally got all of my meetings and tryouts lined up. So I have one here first thing in the morning, then I’ll take the short flight over to Chicago for another one in the evening. The day after that I’m headed to New York to do two. Then I’m shooting back over to Phoenix to wrap things up.”

  While I did the quick calculations in my head for how many days he would actually be gone - at least three -, I also tried my best to be excited for him. “Oh wow. That’s… that’s great. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks, pretty girl. What’s up with you though? How was work?”

  I yanked at the collar of his shirt, taking a deep inhale of its scent to calm me before I answered, “Uh… it was good. But I wasn’t calling to talk about work. I was calling to… well I wanted to tell you to your face, but since you aren’t here I guess this will have to do.”

  “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice holding an undertone of concern as he waited for me to respond.

  But for whatever reason, it no longer felt as exhilarating to share, “I got the call. My audition is next week.”

  My monotone didn’t stop Levi from being excited for me when he replied, “That’s dope, baby! I knew it would all work out for you.”

  “Yeah. I’m excited too,” I replied, a half-hearted smile he couldn’t even see being my best attempt at matching his enthusiasm.

  I wasn’t even sure why I was so suddenly… over it. Couldn’t put my finger on why Levi’s absence bothered me so much. But that didn’t stop him from picking up on it as he said, “You don’t seem too excited.”

  I shrugged, gnawing at my lip as I tried to find the words to explain. “I just… I don’t know. I guess I wish I could’ve told you here. At home.”

  “Yeah, I wish I was there too. But fortunately and unfortunately, duty calls,” he reminded me as if it wasn’t already being thrown in my face.

  In fact, that’s when it all really seemed to hit me. That this, whatever this was, would be the norm if we chose to move forward. Lonely nights at home while Levi chased his dream. Celebrating alone, sleeping alone, while Levi focused on himself and his career. And while I knew we had both made an effort to save ourselves from this exact predicament, I could only nod as I held the phone close and replied, “Right. I understand.”

  “Let me get all settled in here and I’ll give you a call back. Bet?”

  I would’ve loved to talk to Levi until I fell asleep the same way I did when he was here, but I knew a call back only meant prolonging the inevitable. And since that conversation wasn’t exactly phone appropriate, I simply told him, “Don’t worry about it. You probably need your rest.”

  “You sure?”

  Again, I nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. Good luck tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day.”

  He chuckled, clearly not taking things as deeply as I was when he said, “I appreciate it, Jules. Miss you already.”

  “I… I miss you too. Goodnight, Levi.”

  “Sweet dreams, pretty girl,” was all he replied before ending the call. And then I just sat there, trying to evaluate my options though only one made real sense. The same one that had always seemed to make sense to Levi. Though I, for whatever reason, had never really accepted it.

  Well, I tried to accept it, tried to keep him at a distance. But I was also just as easily sucked back in by his charm, sucked in by the idea of being necessary for his success; being an integral part of his world. But the truth was, he never really wanted this. It was convenient for him, but he could do without it if he had to. It was me who had become completely attached, me who was holding onto the idea of being in an actual relationship with someone who had made his intentions clear from the get-go. Hell, it was obvious in the way he had skipped town without a fair warning, without even leaving a note when we were on the best of terms.

  But everything about this was temporary for him; his current lifestyle and career, the balance in his bank account, along with the arrangements his sister had made for him to become my roommate in the first place. And now it was clear that the one thing I had foolishly thought of as permanent - me - was also going to be added to that list.

  Levi

  I couldn’t wait to see her. In fact, I had decided to come to her the second I made it back in town instead of waiting for her to get off of work, way too anxious to reunite after a long four days without her.

  It was crazy to me how used to being around Jules I had become, how much I craved her presence while I was away, not to mention the butterflies I got as I strolled into The Max knowing I’d finally be able to make good on all of the feelings that had stirred up during our time apart. But it also felt good to know I had something - someone - so special, worthy of the foreign mix of emotions. The emotions that went into overdrive once I laid eyes on her at the bar, using a quick hand to squeeze a lemon wedge before dropping it into a glass and sliding it to the customer.

  I tried to keep a low profile as I slipped through t
he crowd, making a beeline to her station. And it didn’t take long for her to notice I was there, though the reaction I had in mind wasn’t the one she gave as she quickly masked the initial tight-eyed, tight-lipped face she gave with a smile before turning to take the order of another customer.

  It was almost as if I had imagined the whole thing. But then again, this was Jules. I had to expect the unexpected. So I waited patiently as she served another two customers before finally making her way to me. And when she did, it was only to say, “What can I get you?”

  “Well that’s not the warm welcome back I was hoping for,” I told her teasingly, trying to ease whatever tension she was obviously carrying from her day.

  But apparently I hadn’t eased enough of it as she quickly fired back, “I’m not exactly sure why you expected anything different. You came to a bar. People usually do that when they want something to drink.”

  I shrugged, giving her the smirk I knew she couldn’t resist when I replied, “Well I guess I don’t consider myself any ol’ person.”

  She finally gave me a smile, though it was obviously laced with a layer of sarcasm once I heard her agree, “You’re right. You’re Levi Graham. Superstar. Welcome back to your old life. I bet you want a free drink, huh? Free section? Let me get my boss. I’m sure he’ll take care of you the way you’re used to.”

  She turned to walk away, but I reached over the bar top to catch her by the arm and ask, “Jules, what’s the matter with you? Why are you being like this?”

  “I have customers to take care of,” was all she answered as she snatched her arm away, heading back towards the far end of the bar. And I could only sit there stunned, trying to figure out what could’ve possibly gone wrong in the short couple of days I was away.

  I mean, we were good. We were happy. We… missed each other. At least that’s what I thought, though it completely contradicted the way Jules was acting towards me.

  And to make matters even worse, I felt a body squeeze onto the bar stool next to mine, the flowery smell of her perfume along with her chipper little voice being the first indicator of who it belonged to. “Well, well, well. Looks like there must be a little trouble in paradise, huh?”

  “We’re good. Not that that’s any of your business anyway,” I told her with a roll of my eyes while I kept my attention on Jules who was busy mixing another drink.

  “Relationships are my business, Levi. And yours is clearly on the rocks. I guess little baby is big mad at you now, huh?” she asked mockingly, practically forcing me to turn her way in annoyance.

  “Man, take that shit elsewhere, Layna. You’re just mad cause I ain’t wanna fuck with your wack ass like that. And I’m so glad I didn’t.”

  Instead of being offended the way I expected her to be, she actually chuckled when she agreed, “I’m so glad you didn’t too. I got a crazy amount of views on my blog from that post without having to waste my time trying to get you hard. Win-win for me.”

  “Fuck you, Layna,” was the only thing I could reply without really going off.

  But it was clear she was actually proud of herself for all the bullshit she had strung together, oozing with arrogance when she challenged, “You wanted to, Levi. Admit it.”

  “And catch whatever it was that required that penicillin shot Wes saw you getting at the hospital the other day? Nah, I’m good.”

  That seemed to get under her skin as she tensed up before replying through clenched teeth, “I had strep throat, asshole.”

  And this time, it was me feeling arrogant when I shrugged, smirking as I told her, “Never knew strep throat and syphilis were interchangeable.”

  But the smirk was knocked right off of my face once Jules approached us wearing a scowl of disapproval for obvious reasons. Reasons that Layna quickly doubled down on when she said, “There’s little baby now. Jules, be a doll and get us a round of shots to celebrate.”

  Jules and I were equally confused when she asked, “Celebrate what?”

  And I was pretty sure my heart skipped a beat when Layna licked her lips before insisting, “Your breakup, of course. One woman’s trash is another’s treasure.”

  “Bitch…” was the only word I heard Jules grumble as she launched at Layna from over the bar top, knocking a few glasses to the ground when she grabbed a handful of her hair in one hand and landed blows to her face with the other all while balancing on her stomach as her feet hung in the air.

  My body was frozen in shock though I was mentally cheering my girl on as her boss came out of nowhere to pull her away. “Jules! Jules, stop. Let her go!” he shouted as he pried her hand from Layna’s hair until she finally let go, falling to her feet behind the bar then taking a glance at her hand.

  And Layna was already putting a hand to her jaw, checking the damage as she spewed, “Oh bitch, you’ve fucked with the wrong one. I’m gonna bury your ass in so many headlines, you’ll never get another job in this city!” Then she turned to her savior and demanded, “Kelvin, fire her.”

  “Fire her? I’m not gonna fire her just because you got your ass beat, Layna,” he replied with a short laugh, turning to Jules to ask if she was alright.

  And that seemed to piss Layna off even more as she screamed, “Are you kidding me?! Your bartender just attacked me and you’re not gonna fire her?”

  He shook his head, clearly amused when he answered, “Nah. I… Jules, how about you just... go home for the night? Until we can get everything all sorted out around here.”

  “Go home? But I need this money, Kelvin,” Jules whined as if it was even possible for her to just go back to work like nothing ever happened, as if all of the eyes in the lounge weren’t now focused on us.

  In fact, some people even had their phones in their hand as if they were just waiting for more action to break out so they could record it. And Layna certainly didn’t help her cause when she muttered, “Poor ass bitch,” Causing Jules to break out of Kelvin’s protection when she climbed from behind the bar.

  And now it was me stopping the fight as I stepped between them just as Jules said, “Oh, I got your bitch.”

  Luckily I caught her just as she tried to slip under my arm. “Jules! Come on. Let’s go home.”

  “That’s right, Jules. Go home with that moochin’ ass mothafucka!” Layna shouted over my shoulder as if I was on her side and there was any truth to her statement.

  I almost let Jules go tag her ass once more, but instead chose to do the responsible thing of escorting her to the back to get her stuff while Kelvin worked to get the crowd back to regularly scheduled programming. But no matter how removed we were from the scene, Jules’s focus was still, “I’m gonna kill her. I have to kill her,” as she snatched her jacket, purse, and a change of shoes from her locker before she started taking off her jewelry.

  And I could only shake my head as I reasoned, “Jules, she’s not worth it. Let’s just get out of here while you still have your damn job.”

  Her anger in general suddenly became directed at me as she stabbed a finger in my chest. “You shouldn’t have been entertaining that raggedy ass bitch to begin with. Shots to our break-up, right?”

  While I knew what Layna said was a little fucked up, not to mention completely off base, I couldn’t help myself in defending, “Man, I can’t control what comes out of her mouth.”

  “But you can control this, right? Control what happens between me and you? Well, guess what? There is no me and you.”

  “Jules, you’re buggin’. I didn’t even do anything. Where is all of this coming from?” I asked, unable to figure out how we had even gotten to this point. How things had gone from me surprising her at work, to me escorting her from a damn fist fight, to her now picking a fight with me.

  But apparently it was me who was the problem as she groaned, “You’re right. You didn’t do anything. You just sat there, so worried about your own ego that you couldn’t see yourself out of the situation. But you’ll gladly use those around you to do your dirty work just like Lily said
.”

  “So now it’s my fault you wanted to go all Fight Club with Layna cause she got slick at the mouth?”

  Before Jules could answer, our argument was cut short by Kelvin coming in the room. “Jules. Please tell me you had a good reason to cause such a scene out there. I mean, the DJ had to play three bangers in a row just to get shit back to normal,” he said as he grabbed a hand towel to wipe his sweaty forehead with.

  And angry Jules had quickly been replaced with a remorseful one as she replied, “I’m sorry, Kelvin. But it was long overdue.”

  “Well look. I’m not gonna fire you cause to be real, Tiana has been wanting to do that since before we even got engaged. But you’re lucky Maxwell wasn’t here, though you know he’s going to hear about it from a few different people.”

  Jules nodded regretfully, her eyes directed toward the ground. “I know. And if that’s what it has to be, I’ll understand.”

  Lucky for her, her boss wasn’t nearly as troubled when he replied, “You know I’ll vouch for you, girl. Don’t even trip. Now get your Floyd Mayweather ass out of here before Layna calls the cops. And take the back way.”

  Jules grabbed her things, sticking most of it in a jumble under her arm as she said, “Thank you, Kelvin. I appreciate it more than you know.” Then she peeked up at me with eyes that shot darts straight at my heart before she slipped out of the room.

  I was getting ready to follow her, but Kelvin stopped me in my tracks with a hand to my chest. “Say, bruh. Hold up a minute.”

  “What’s up?” I asked, knowing I only had a few seconds if I really expected to catch up to Jules. But it hardly seemed possible once I watched Kelvin settle in against the wall, meaning he planned on holding me up for longer than I expected.

  “First, I wanted to thank you for stepping in out there. I knew Jules had some fire to her, but I never would’ve imagined all that.”