“Damn, I knew it! I knew that shit was comfortable the moment I saw it!”
“Yeah, girl. It’s got a hold on both of us, I’m sorry. But maybe dinner tomorrow?”
“Fine. This week is about my healing anyway, so I’ll get a jumpstart on it by finding out what this California king talkin’ bout.”
“Yasss! You better go enjoy those snuggles, girl! I’ll see you soon. Love you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Bye,” I mumbled before ending the call.
Once I climbed out of the tub and dried off, I crawled in the bed and found the video TMZ posted of when they bombarded Hendrix the day of his trade announcement. Lauryn was right; just from watching the video I was embarrassed for him. I couldn’t imagine how he felt being the subject of endless gossip and opinion about his future of his career. It became clear to me that we were both in a dark place and if we were both going to make it out alive at the end of the week, then I was going to have to keep my words and my hands to myself. I didn’t like confrontation for real, but the shit coming my way had me unraveled and ready to swing at life like Cuba Gooding Jr’s ass inBoyz in the Hood. I toyed with the idea of apologizing or just letting bygones be just that. In the end, I decided to sleep on it and if we were both still breathing the next morning,thenI’d apologize,maybe.
five
. . .
Day Two
Cassidy
The sun’s warmth was set to a perfect seventy-five degrees, and there was a cool breeze coming off the water as I made my way back up the private walking path from the beach to the villa. It was a new day and while all my friends were out on couples excursions, I started on my path to self-healing by watching the sunrise and doing morning yoga on the beach. I felt relaxed as the Zen energy radiated off my body. I decided to keep the vibe going and grab a bite to eat while I relaxed on one of the oversized couches out on the pool terrace and listened to the waves gently crash against the soft, white sand of Plum Bay Beach.
I walked through the sliding glass door leading back inside and tip-toed across the white marble floor in the full gourmet kitchen, looking for the menu to see what the chef services offered. There were pans hanging from the ceiling overtop an oversized island and stainless-steel appliances. Adjacent to the breakfast bar was an eight-seater dining room table with the menu binder on it. The entire room was filled with beautiful wooden artifacts and trendy décor laced with island colors. It was almost as if you could feel the warm, tropicalbreeze from just simply standing in a room. With such inviting views, I didn’t know which part of the beautiful space had the better vantage point. Everything was gorgeous.
After looking over the menu, I decided to eat light instead and poured myself a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and plucked a few pieces of fruit in a bowl from the exotic fruit platter sitting on the kitchen counter. While sitting outside, I pulled my sunglasses over my eyes and tossed my head back before flinging a piece of fruit between my lips.
“Self-love is the best love,” I chanted as I pulled out my phone and looked on the resort’s app for which in-villa spa services I was going to treat myself to. My fingertips swiped through the pages as I went back and forth, trying to decide whether I wanted the holistic Swedish massage or holistic aromatherapy massage.
“Yo, have you seen the menu? I’m starving,” a sweaty, shirtless Hendrix asked.
From the beads of sweat racing down his temple to the eight flexed, latte brown abs invading my peace and my quiet, it was clear to see he’d just finished working out. I paused, selfishly taking him all in with my shaded eyes before uttering my first syllable. Simply put, he was too delicious not to look at.
“Good morning to you too.”
“I didn’t know we were being cordial. Last time I saw you, your wet ass had your fist balled up at me.”
I sighed, knowing it was practically now or never. “About yesterday…I’m?—”
“Yeah, about yesterday. Your rude ass needs to apologize.”
I rolled my eyes. As usual, he was two steps behind me. I didn’t need him to tell me what to do. “Hmm…damn, it’s right on the tip of my tongue, and I can’t think of it. I hate when that happens,” I said, while tapping the side of my head.
“Let me help you out. It starts with the letter ‘S’.”
“I’m s—I’m ssss—orry? There, I said it.”
Hendrix drew in a frustrated breath. “You better stop fuckin’ with me, Cassidy.”
“Or else what?”
His lips twisted as he turned to walk back inside. I quickly jumped up to follow him. “Hey, okay, okay. wait. I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have said what I said about my career being harder than yours. I’m positive I couldn’t get out there and dribble a ball with precision the way you do. It was condescending and I—I’m sorry for that.”
“That’s all you’re sorry for?” he quizzed.
I defensively folded my arms across my chest. “Excuse me? Is there something else I should be sorry for?”
He squared off his shoulders. “How about being a bitch to me since the moment I stepped on the plane and sat next to your ass?”
“Bitch?Who the fuck you callin’ a bitch?” I yelled, sending any ounce of Zen I had left flying right out.
