“You have every right to feel off kilter. You just ran into your ex-fiancée after three years. I bet your feelings are bittersweet.” Keonte acknowledged.
When everything first happened, he was one of the few people in my corner. Of course, as a big brother, he basically told me there were plenty of other women in the sea. It wasn’t as simple a task, but I appreciated his support, nonetheless.
We made our way back to our rooms and changed for the evening. They were having a Latin night at the nightclub, so we decided to slide over there. I might not know much about the music, but I figured it would be a vibe. I booked a balcony room, but Keonte said he didn’t want to be so high up and opted for a room on the lower deck, along with Nigel. This was my third cruise, and I promised myself I would get a balcony view to take advantage of the scenery.
I decided to keep it simple with a white and blue open button-up shirt and some blue khaki shorts with my white forces. When I glanced in the mirror, I admired myself while I sprayed my cologne. I heard a knock on my door, and I didn’t bother to ask who it was. My brother and Nigel were standing in the hall waiting for me.
“Look at this dude. I should have known you were gonna have your chest out. It looks like you oiled yourself down with baby oil too. Thirst trappin’ ass nigga,” Keonte teased.
“Man, you sound like a hater. We’re on a ship in the middle of the ocean. You’re damn right I’m gonna be showing skin. Outside of these meetings, I don’t plan to wear a shirt for most of the trip. I work too hard in the gym not to show it off.”
“Yeah, whatever. I won’t be shocked if you wake up tomorrow and find three stalkers sleeping outside your room. You know how wild and crazy your fans are about you. They kept it cool today, but I anticipate you signing a few titties by breakfast.”
Keonte wasn’t lying. As much as I loved my fans, they could get out of hand sometimes. I’ve had to call the police a few times because people have found my address and shown up at my place. It was the reason I sold my first house after Laikyn left me. There were too many crazed fans with my address, and some of them pulled up unannounced.
“Damn, it’s packed in here. I didn’t realize there would be so many people here tonight. The women are sexy as hell though.” Nigel whistled as a pretty Latina walked by. She was a gorgeous girl, but her face looked stiff and full of fillers. I didn’t have a problem with women doing whatever they wanted to make themselves feel beautiful, but I preferred women who were a little more natural.
“The vibe is cool foreal. I wasn’t sure what they were gonna play, but I can get with it.” The room had a smooth, sexy ambience, and the music set the tone. We ordered some drinks at the bar, then found a couple of seats. I wasn’t much of a dancer and had no plans to get on the dance floor. I did enjoy people watching though.
“Damn, her ass looks like it’s about to detach from her body. I never thought I would say these words, but there is such a thing as too much ass.” Nigel commented on an older woman whose ass looked like she was smuggling two large butterball turkeys in her leopard leggings. It honestly looked painful rather than sexy.
“Auntie needs to go back and get her money back. It’s even worse because she’s out here dressed like Fran the nanny,” Keonte added.
“Aye, Fran used to put that shit on back in the day,” I interjected. Our grandmother made us watch the show with her when we were younger. At first, I complained, but after a few days, it grew on me. Then the next thing you know, I was turning it on myself whenever we went over there. The memories made me think of her, but I shook those thoughts away. The club was not the place to think about what I had lost.
I bopped my head to the music, sipping my drink and observing the room. My mind was on Laikyn even though I tried to get her out of it. All I wanted to do was find her and finally have the conversation we should’ve had all those years ago.
For the remainder of the night, we chilled and enjoyed the music. Many women approached us, but I kept my interactions short. I wasn’t signing autographs, taking pictures, or answering any football questions tonight. Plus, I had no intentions of hooking up with any cruise baes on the trip. I wanted to enjoy myself, and a headline in the tabloids was not on my agenda.
“I see your ass over here sulking with your face all scrunched up. There is nothing you can do about what happened tonight. Try to shake it off and put it to the back of your mind for the moment. In the morning, you can pay one of the staff to get her room number and go from there if you want, but don’t let this ruin your vacation.
“If things go well this week, you might be signing another large contract with a major brand. There are too many reasons to celebrate for you to let some girl from your past get you down. You’re Kyon mothafuckin’ Shoulders, and you can get any woman in this room. Come on now.” Keonte attempted to cheer me up.
I appreciated his efforts, but he just didn’t understand. It wasn’t about replacing her, because if I was honest with myself, there was no replacing her. She meant everything to me. Keonte had never been in love with a woman, so he couldn’t understand how strong those bonds were. No other woman would ever measure up to who she was to me.
When the club closed, I went back to my room, took a shower, and got into bed. I knew sleep wouldn’t find me easily, and even when it did, my dreams would be consumed byher.
Chapter
Three
Laikyn Morrows
Day One
“Where are you going?” Kalvin asked when he stepped out of the bathroom and noticed me fixing my hair in the mirror. I don’t know why I decided to get bundles when I should have stuck to the original plan and gotten my hair braided. It was cute, but I hated having to sleep with my flexi rods in at night.
“I’m going to the Lido deck to eat breakfast,” I replied dryly. He came stumbling into the room around two in the morning and immediately jumped in the shower. When he climbed into bed, he wanted to hold me while he slept. I politely moved his hands off me and put plenty of distance between us. Kalvin never liked to apologize and thought that when he was ready to get over something, everyone else was supposed to fall in line. Not this time.
“Oh, well, why didn’t you mention it to me?”
“They made an announcement about when breakfast would be served, and it’s on the pamphlet on the table over there. I wasn’t aware I needed to remind you.”
“Yeah, okay, smart ass. I mean, you never told me you were going. What if I wanted to come with you?” He had a stupid pout on his face as if I had hurt his feelings or something.
“You’re the one who told me I was on my own for the majority of the trip. Why would I assume you wanted to go to breakfast with me?” I was beginning to think he was bipolar, and quite frankly, it irritated me. His mood swings were becoming difficult for me to adjust to, and I was unsure if I even wanted to try anymore.
“You could have asked.”
