Love, Lies & Consequences

by Frazier, Natasha D.

  “Thank you,” they said in unison.

  “Thanks Kensi. This is my favorite cup of hot coffee, caramel latte. A sip of this yummy goodness is just what I needed,” she said. She took a sip while peering over her cup only to find Kensi’s hazel brown eyes staring at her.

  “What?” Rae asked, confused.

  “You are afraid of what Caleb will say, aren’t you? What if nothing happened? You’re going to start feeling like you need to make a decision now and choose between Caleb and Rico...No one is asking you to make a decision about this now, nor do we know that you will ever need to. You always think way too far in advance, putting too much pressure on yourself. I think the real problem is that you still have feelings for Caleb and you’re afraid to admit it or confront those feelings,” Kensi said as she shot an imaginary ball into a basket as if scoring in a basketball game.

  “You don’t have to say anything but I know I’m right on point again,” Kensi said, smiling.

  “Ugh, you make me sick too!” Raegan said laughing. “Why am I even considering this if I love Rico so much? I mean, it was just last night that I was sitting around laughing and talking with you guys telling you how much I like him.”

  Quickly interrupting Raegan, Kensi added, “and also voicing your uncertainty.” Kensi wanted to see Raegan with Caleb.

  “Yeah, but he’s still my beau and Caleb just had to come messing that up.”

  “How is he messing that up? Did you leave something out of that half-story you just told me? Don’t think I missed how you left out tons of details. Classic Rae,” Kensi said, shaking her head in disapproval.

  “What details did I leave out? The interaction was short. He stated he wanted me, but I still don’t know what he meant by that. He then stated that I should hear him out about that little incident that tore our relationship apart back in college. I said no, doesn’t matter and left. That was it” Raegan said, summing up her encounter with Caleb.

  “Well, it is obvious that it does matter, or else you wouldn’t be sitting here discussing it with me. By the way, what does Rico have to say about this?” Kensi paused, waiting for Raegan’s response. “Wait, does he even know who Caleb is?” she said laughing. “Poor fella. He doesn’t even know what he is now up against.”

  “I really don’t see the amusement and no, he doesn’t know the full story. I didn’t want to talk about it.” The truth is that Raegan was now trying to sort through everything herself. Raegan knew that Rico was going to want to know more. There is no way that he is going to let this go under the radar. He asks too many questions, questions that she herself didn’t have answers to. “Do you think I came up in their conversation?” Raegan wondered.

  “Rae, why are you asking questions that you already know the answer to? Of course you came up! Rico is probably trying to be slick and get any information out of the guy that he can bring up again in conversation with you!” Taking a sip of her latte, she continued. “Why didn’t you just tell Rico that Caleb was the one? He can’t do anything about that. It’s all in the past,” she said using air quotes again. “At least for now,” she said, smiling.

  Kensi was right. Raegan secretly desired to see Caleb again, although she didn’t know how she would deal with it. Now that they’d seen each other again, there was no way that things could stay the way they had been between them. Silence. Tension. Unforgiveness. At least all on Raegan’s part. Caleb on the other hand had been waiting for such a moment. A chance where he could reconnect with the love of his life.

  “So does that mean you’re going to get the scoop on Caleb for me?” Raegan asked. She was curious about what he had been up to, and if she knew Kensi, she was probably already ahead of her.

  “I didn’t know you cared so much,” Kensi teased.

  “Not really. But I’m all grown up now; I can handle it.” Raegan noticed the shift in her friend’s face as she flipped her laptop open again. “What is it? Do you know something that I don’t know?” She paused and turned to look her friend in the eye.

  “Well,” Kensi stated emphatically, “I may know a little something. And before you say anything, I never said a word to you about it because you didn’t want to hear anything remotely having to deal with Caleb. You know how you are…” Raegan always tuned anyone out whenever they would mention his name. “Plus, I’m not entirely sure how much of it is true so I didn’t want to bring it up. I assumed that you two would eventually work it out.”

  “I’m listening now.” Raegan sat with her arms folded, ears perked up. She wanted to know everything that Kensi even thought she knew about that night. Even though it took her a decade to listen, she was ready now.

  Kensi recalled what she knew about that night. Raegan stopped by Caleb’s frat party looking for him. One of his frat brothers told her that he was in the room with someone else, a woman. Angry, Raegan went to the door, attempted to open it and it was locked. Upset, she stormed out of the frat house, walking back to her car. Moments later, Caleb came running out of the house behind her and she turned around and slapped him without even giving him a chance to speak. That was exactly how Raegan remembered that night.

  Raegan thought there was no reason to hear what he had to say after he was locked in the bedroom with someone else. What could he have said that would change anything?

  “How do you even know that it was Caleb in the room? Did you actually see him?” Kensi questioned.

  Raegan pondered Kensi’s question. With all of the time that had passed, Raegan never even considered that Caleb wasn’t the one in the room. She never even thought to verify that it was him. She honestly didn’t know who was in the room. In fact, the mere thought of it being Caleb sent her into a rage. It was enough that they struggled with purity and the thought of him sharing what they shared with someone else was just too much for her to even think about. That type of hurt was unforgivable in her mind.

  Kensi took Raegan’s silence as the answer to her question. “So you ran off and threw your entire relationship away without any actual proof?” Kensi asked, confused. They had never really discussed the subject until now because Raegan had always been so stubborn.

  “Well, that doesn’t really change anything. Why would anyone say that he was in the room if he wasn’t?” Raegan defended, justifying ending her relationship with him. At that time, she felt like any reasonable person would have done the same thing.

  “Girl, the person who told you that was probably drunk and had no idea what their own name was, let alone who was where.” Kensi was making sense. Raegan knew how wild those fraternity parties could be, but in her mind, the Caleb she knew wouldn’t have allowed anyone to even think that he was doing such a thing.

  “What if what you’re suggesting is true? I’m too embarrassed to even admit my part in being wrong in all of this,” she said, leaning back in the booth and resting her hands on her forehead. “I guess I do need to hear his side of the story.” But what about Rico? Raegan felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. What would it mean if Caleb never cheated? They couldn’t just pick up where they were before the break-up because so many things had changed. But Caleb was the one she thought she would marry.

  “You’re going to need to find out though, honey. No one is saying that you have to do it today, although I’d like to know today.” She winked. “Besides, he’s in town and I’m in town. I’d rather receive the juicy details of this reunion in person,” Kensi said, slightly joking. “I’m laughing but I am so serious. So what are you going to do?”

  “Like you just said, I don’t have to do anything today. I think I need to sleep on it.”

  “How much longer is he here again?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t ask, remember?”

  “Well, how long is his fraternity’s convention?”

  “A few more days, I guess,” Raegan said as if she was unsure. Because of her involvement with Rico, she knew how long the convention was scheduled go on.

  After finishing off their second cups of latt
es and friendly chatter, Raegan decided to go home and rest. She had a late night with her friends and one heck of a day. She encouraged Kensi to stay with her so they could attend church together the next morning. Having Kensi around also gave her an excuse not to spend too much time talking to Rico and explaining the whole Caleb situation. All of that would just have to wait.

  CHAPTER 18

  ∞

  Kensi joined Raegan at church as promised. The pastor preached about forgiveness.

  “Matthew 6:14-15 says, ‘For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins,’” the Pastor said as he began his sermon.

  Raegan felt heat rising on the back of her neck after hearing the scripture reference. She immediately felt convicted because of the grudge and bad feelings she held against Caleb for wronging her. All she could think about during the rest of the sermon was the whole ordeal involving Caleb. She actually missed most of the message because her mind wandered back and forth between whether or not she should call him to hear his side of the story. It had been so long, she didn’t know what to expect or how his words would change things. What about Rico? She continued to wonder. She really liked him but she had doubts. But who didn’t have doubts? Her thoughts were interrupted by Kensi nudging her in the side.

  “Pass me an offering envelope,” Kensi whispered.

  “Oh, sorry.” Raegan didn’t realize that the usher had his hand extended towards her to pass the envelope over to Kensi. Where had she been? The service was ending. “Here you go. Did you take good notes?” Raegan asked.

  “Of course I did. From the looks of things, you’re going to need them because your page is empty,” Kensi said, tapping Raegan’s notebook.

  Raegan glanced down to see that she’d only written today’s date, Scripture reference, subject and the pastor’s first point. “I’m glad you did. I will copy your notes later,” Raegan said, trying to silence the thoughts that continued to erupt in her mind.

  When service ended, Raegan and Kensi went out to brunch to chat some more before Kensi had to check into her hotel and begin preparing for her work week. During brunch, Kensi encouraged Raegan to call Caleb before he left town. “You’re going to regret it if you don’t,” Kensi said to her one final time before leaving.

  When Raegan returned home from brunch, Kensi’s words rang in her ears along with the words from today’s sermon. Kensi reminded her that she would regret not talking to Caleb and the last thing she needed right now was more regrets. She took her church clothes off, slipped on her yoga pants and tank top and reclined in her chair. She pulled out her phone and began to dial Caleb’s number. After all of those years, she still had his number memorized. Before she could complete the number, she hung up and took a few deep breaths. She had to prepare herself to hear his voice and for what he might say.

  “All right, just breathe. You have nothing to be afraid of. This is just a conversation. You are only calling to get the facts. Nothing more. Nothing less,” Raegan spoke to herself, trying to calm her nerves. “I can’t believe I’m so nervous and shaking. Why am I being this silly?” she questioned.

  Getting her nerves together, she quickly dialed his number and somewhat hoped that his voicemail would pick up. Before she could finish the thought, he answered.

  “Cami.” She could hear his smile as his deep familiar voice spoke her name.

  “Hey, Caleb. Listen…I thought a little about what you were trying to say to me in the parking lot yesterday; I’m ready to hear what you have to say.” There, she said it. That wasn’t so bad, she thought to herself, letting out a long sigh as she pulled the phone away from her mouth so that he wouldn’t hear it.

  Whatever his response, she didn’t hear him..

  “I’m sorry, I missed that. What did you say?”

  “I said that I would much rather talk to you about it in person. I need to see your face and I need you to see mine,” Caleb said, not wanting to miss this opportunity. The fraternity events would have to wait. Now that he had laid eyes on her again, his business with her was way more important.

  “Caleb, why can’t we just talk about this on the phone?” she whined. She knew that her eyes would give her away and Caleb knew that as well. She needed time to process whatever he would tell her, and she didn’t want him to be able to read her expressions. But deep down, she really wanted to see him.

  “No…I think we need to have this conversation in person. Besides, I’m only in town for a few more days.” He chose not to reveal to her that he was also in town looking for a place to live because his company was sending him there to lead their new business unit.

  “Okay, fine. Where do you want to meet?” She relented.

  “Let’s grab dessert. I know how you love ice cream. Is there a Blue Bells around?”

  “Yes Caleb, but that’s too far away from me. Let’s just meet at Char. They have the greatest dessert ever! I love it,” Raegan said. Her mouth watered just thinking about her favorite dessert, only served at Char.

  “That’s cool, too. Any place is fine as long as it’s not over the phone,” he said. She should have known that one phone call was not going to be sufficient, especially after all of this time. “Text me the address so that I can put it into my GPS.”

  “Texting now.” Raegan figured that she could meet up with him and get back home in time to relax before work tomorrow. She also knew that Rico was attending one of his fraternity events tonight and she wouldn’t have to worry about seeing him or explaining where she was or whose company she was keeping.

  Raegan slipped out of her lounge clothes and rummaged through her closet to find something cute, yet simple. She didn’t want him to think that she was dressing up for him or that she put too much effort into her wardrobe. She settled on a purple, casual, long sleeved wrap dress and coordinating flats. She showered and touched up her soft curls before heading out of the door. As she curled her hair, she reminded herself to stay calm and just listen. Don’t show any emotion. After her pep talk and one final primp, she felt confident enough to face the situation head on.

  CHAPTER 19

  ∞

  Raegan’s drive to the restaurant felt like an eternity although the ride was smooth with light traffic and few red lights. She wasn’t breathing normally and she didn’t realize it until she exhaled and let out a long breath of air upon arriving at the restaurant. The tension she felt was evidenced by her sore back. Get a grip, she coaxed herself.

  While looking for a parking space, she saw that Caleb was already there, punctual just like she remembered. He stood in front of the glass revolving doors at the entrance, near valet parking, waiting to escort her into the building. Parking her car, she exhaled slowly and deeply, gathered her composure, got out of the car and walked towards the entrance.

  Caleb’s eyes immediately captured hers as she neared him. As she held his gaze, his smooth voice began to echo in her ear. “Cami, thanks for meeting me,” he said as he grabbed her hand, quickly brought it to his mouth and caressed it with his lips. The move startled Raegan but she was pleased nonetheless. Here we go, she thought.

  “You’re welcome,” was all she could muster.

  He extended his left hand toward the door, gesturing that she should enter first. He was always a gentleman. That was one of the things that she liked about him. Raegan sauntered past him, being careful not to sway her hips too much or too little. She wanted to make sure that he didn’t think that she was trying to impress him.

  He watched her as she walked in front of him, admiring her class and elegance. He missed her so much and hoped that tonight he would get a chance to make things right between them.

  “Welcome to Char! Will it just be the two of you?” the hostess asked.

  “Yes,” they responded in unison.

  The hostess grabbed two menus and requested that they follow her to an empty booth in the rear of the r
estaurant.

  “I hope this works okay for you two. Please enjoy your evening here at Char,” the hostess said with a smile as she placed their menus on the table, whipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder and walked away.

  Raegan was grateful for the seating in the rear of the restaurant because she had a pretty good view of the entire place, including the entrance and exit doors. She didn’t think Rico would show up there but just in case he did, she would spot him long before he would see her. He should be with his fraternity brothers at the convention anyway.

  Waiting for Raegan to slide into the booth, Caleb remained standing until she was comfortably sitting. After she sat down, he began thanking her again for meeting him and immediately picked up the conversation where they left off on the telephone.

  “Cami, it is so good to see you,” he said again, flashing his bright white smile that showed his slightly crooked bottom tooth. “You know, after all that’s happened between us, I never thought that we would ever sit down like this again. But that didn’t stop me from hoping and praying it would happen. I appreciate you giving me the benefit of the doubt, even if it has been a hundred years,” He said. His gaze remained locked on hers.

  Fiddling with the black cloth napkin in her lap, she smiled and remained quiet, motioning with her head for him to continue. She didn’t want to waste any time. Far too much time had already passed, and after talking things over with Kensi she was quite interested to hear what he had to say now.

  “First of all, I never cheated on you. When you came to the frat house that night, I was not in the bedroom with anyone. In fact, I wasn’t locked up in that bedroom at all. I was in the bathroom, sick from either the alcohol or something that I had eaten earlier that day or possibly a combination of both. When I came out of the bathroom, one of my brothers told me that you had just left. When I heard that, I came running out of the house to find you, and that’s when I called your name and you turned around to slap me. You didn’t give me a chance to say anything. I had no idea what happened or what even warranted that reaction from you. It wasn’t until later that I found out that Michael was locked up in the room with Stacy and you thought that it was me,” Caleb said, elbows bent on the table, shaking his head in confusion. Revisiting that night brought back intense feelings. He was visibly agitated.