LLH book 3

Happy Sunday!!! I know I took a long time to post, but here is chapter 27!!! Unfortunately, the fourth book was never created, since at the time when I was going to put this version on sale, I began writing In Love With My Best Friend.

Now, I’m not ruling out doing the next installment to this version of the series; especially since the published version of Love, Life, & Happiness is coming to a close in December.

And starting next week, I will begin posting Baker 6. This is the original story that features Camille and Trevor and was the story I was set to published, but instead wrote In Love With My Best Friend.

But for now, enjoy the final chapter of Book 3 🙂

The doctor continued to look at everyone and gave a tiny smile.

“He’s going to be fine.”

“Oh thank God!” Mrs. Walker exclaimed as her husband hugged her.

Riana went to the nearest chair and sat down. She held her stomach and looked up, giving thanks to God for saving Shawn.

“Shawn is a very lucky man. Where the bullet landed, it could had killed him. When he was brought in, his injuries were so severe we immediately operated on him. We knew from the information his brother gave to the nurses’ station, he gave consent to operate if necessary, so we went by that to do so.”

Cheryl began to rub Marcus’ shoulder as he had his eyes closed, still in shock over everything.

“While operating, we were able to repair the damage that was done from the bullet, as well as stop the bleeding. Luckily, he didn’t lose a lot of blood to request a transfusion.”

“Really? That’s amazing.” Marcus said.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. He had a lot of support on his side, including from above.”

“That is so true.” Mr. Walker said.

“Can we see him?” Marcus asked.

“Yes, but I’m only allowing one visitor at a time. He’s still a bit weak, so I don’t want to overwhelm him.”

Everyone glanced at Riana, knowing she should be the one to go in first.

“Are you sure? I would rather for you to go, Mrs. Walker.”

“No, sweetie, you should go.”

She smiled and whispered thank you, before going with the doctor to the double doors. He led her around the corner and to the first room on their left. He opened the door and Riana immediately began to tear up. Shawn was in the hospital bed. He slowly looked over and saw Riana and smiled.

“Hey.” He whispered.

“I’ll leave you two alone. If he needs anything, just push the call on the left side of the bed.” The doctor said.

“Thank you, Dr…”

“Bennett. And you’re welcome.” He said and gave a smile before leaving.

“You gave us quite a scare.” She said as she went over to Shawn.

“Hell, I was scared. I’ve never been shot before, so it was crazy.” He whispered as he tried to sit up, but Riana wouldn’t let him.

“Take it easy. Hopefully, this will be your first and last time.”

“Let’s hope. What happened to…?”

“Don’t worry about her. She’s in custody right now.”

“I’m sorry.” He slowly said.

Riana glanced at him and touched his cheek. “It’s not your fault for what happened. Even if you didn’t cross paths with her, she would had found a way to get to you. She even admitted that.”

“I know, but if I would had done something…”

“Shawn, it’s not your fault, so stop. Just know that everyone is here for you and they can’t wait to see you.”

“My parents are here too?”

Riana nodded. “In fact, your mom insisted I come in first when the doctor said only one visitor.”

“Really? I told you my mom would slowly come around.”

“For now.”

“No, she really is, Ri.”

She nodded and stared at him. “Don’t ever scare me again.”

“You know and I won’t. I love you.”

“I love you too. But right now, I think you need to rest, so I’ll leave.”

“Please don’t.” He whispered.

“No, I don’t want to get too worked up, so I’ll leave. I’ll be in the waiting room.”

Shawn was still trying to convince her to stay, but she wouldn’t hear it. She figured if she did, he wouldn’t want to sleep and he’ll continued to talk. How he was struggling to speak, she didn’t want to stay and have him trying to hold a conversation.

She gave him a smile before heading to the door. Once she did, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She clutched her stomach, wondering what that was.

Shawn glanced at her as she closed her eyes, trying hard not to become scared.

“Is everything okay?” He asked.

Before she could say anything, she felt it again and kneeled in pain.

“Baby, speak to me.” Shawn said, as he stared at her. He wanted to get out of the bed and go to her, but he could barely stand, so that wasn’t an option. Not waiting for her to say anything, he quickly pressed the call button, hoping someone would come in soon.

Riana clutched her stomach as she looked up to the ceiling. She didn’t want to scare Shawn, but the pain was starting to become unbearable. Once the next wave hit, she wailed, leaning onto the wall.

“Ri, is it the baby? Ri.”

Before she could speak, a nurse walked in and quickly kneeled down to Riana. She tried to get her to stand up, but Riana couldn’t. Riana looked down and noticed she was bleeding, which the nurse immediately went to the nurses’ station.

Riana turned her head and noticed the worried look on Shawn’s face. She knew he wanted to help her, but he couldn’t. At this point, no one could.

“What happened?” A doctor asked while rushing into the room. The nurse came near the hall with a gurney as the doctor slowly lifted Riana from the floor.

“I don’t know. I started to walk and I suddenly felt a sharp pain. I’m only a month pregnant.” Riana said in tears.

“You’re going to be okay. We have to get her into a room immediately.” The doctor said to the nurse.

“Page Dr. Michaels and see if she’s not with a patient. I need her on this.”

“Yes, Dr. Paige.”

Shawn watched helplessly as the doctor slowly put Riana onto the gurney. He wanted to go with them and be by her side. He knew she was scared, that’s why he needed to be with her.

So much as happened with them and the issue with Dominique that he wondered if they could possibly get through this. If anything happened to Riana or the baby, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

“God, please let Riana and the baby be okay…”

Hi everyone!! Sorry for the delay with posting chapters 26 & 27, but I’ve been busy working on both The Way We Were (which is finished and with my editor now) and started working on Love Always (which will be a great conclusion to the series and for Riana and Shawn fans!).

Chapter 26 is posted and chapter 27 will be up tomorrow. Enjoy 🙂

Jackie glanced at Dean Bradford while Britney cleared her throat. He was already suspicious of the two, so they have to figure out something to throw him off.

Before she could say anything, Monica jumped in.

“Dean Bradford, Mr. Parker was gracious enough to take time out of his schedule to go over the project for our Introduction to Education class.”

Dean Bradford raised an eyebrow at Monica and then looked at Jackie and Britney. “Oh really.”

“Yes; we all scheduled an appointment with him, but unfortunately, there was a time conflict, so he suggested we all go to lunch and discussed the project. Right, Chris.”

Chris glanced at Monica before saying anything. “Yeah.”

Dean Bradford didn’t look convinced as he stared at Jackie. “Is that true, Mr. Parker?”

“Yes, sir, it is. “

Britney’s and Monica’s phones began to go off at the same time. The two looked at each other before picking up them up. They looked at them and gasped.

“We have to go.” Monica said. She gently shoved Chris out of the way so they could exit the booth.

“Is everything okay?” Dean Bradford asked with a concerned look.

“I’m afraid not. One of our friends was shot inside the GZG house.”

“Oh no. I really hope they’re okay.” He said.

“We hope so too.” Britney said while almost in tears.

“Do you all need a ride to the hospital?” Jackie asked.

Britney quickly glanced at Dean Bradford, who was carefully studying them. She shook her head.

“No, Chris will take us to the hospital.”

Jackie nodded. “Okay. I really hope your friend is okay.”

Britney nodded and followed Monica and Chris to the door.

She looked at Monica and gave her a hug. “Thank you.”

Monica nodded and the two got into Chris’ car. Britney’s phone began to ring as she noticed it was a text. She opened the messenger and saw it was from Jackie, letting her know he will be at the hospital and he loved her. She replied back, saying thank you and loved him too.

She sighed, wishing she was leaving with him, but she knew they couldn’t, especially with the dean on to them. Although Monica saved them from this situation, she knew it was only a matter of time before they would really be exposed. When they do, no one would be able to save them.

***
Riana, Marcus, and Cheryl were in the waiting room at Penbrook Memorial, not knowing what to do or say to each other. Before arriving, Dominique was taken into custody by campus police until she is transferred by Houston Police. Although they wanted to know what she would be charged with, the only thing mattered was knowing if Shawn will be okay.

Cheryl gripped Marcus’ and Riana’s hands as she closed her eyes. She couldn’t get the image of Dominique and Marcus struggling with the gun and Shawn going in front of Riana to protect her. The entire scene was something she would had seen in the movies, not something she would had experienced in real life.

She glanced at Riana who was still in tears. She tried to get her to see a doctor to check on her and the baby, but she didn’t want to in case anyone delivered news regarding Shawn. She held her hand even tighter and sighed.

“Shawn is strong, so he will pull through this.”

She looked at Cheryl and nodded. “I want to believe that, but he lost so much blood.”

“Ri, Shawn will make it. He’s not going to leave you or his child.”

She gently rubbed her stomach and sighed. “I know.”

Cheryl looked at Marcus, who was in a daze. He’s been that way since they arrived. She put her head on his shoulder and he gave a deep sigh.

“Did you want anything? I could go to the vending machine or the cafeteria.”

He shook his head. “I just got my brother back. I can’t lose him again.”

Cheryl was on the verge of tears. She really hope Shawn pulled through this for both Riana and Marcus’ sake. They have all been through so much, so they deserved to be happy.

She looked up and saw Britney, Monica, and Chris walk into the waiting room. She stared at Monica and Chris, knowing it wasn’t the time to be upset with the two.

“Any news on Shawn?” Britney asked as she went over to Riana for a hug.

“Not yet.” Marcus said.

“How did this happen? What was he doing at the GZG house?” Chris asked.

“He was there because of us. We were confronting Dominique when she went postal and had us at gunpoint. Shawn and Marcus snuck into the house. Shawn was trying to calm her down, but she shot him when Marcus tried to restrain her.” Cheryl explained.

“Oh God! I really hope she’s locked away somewhere.” Monica said.

“All we know is that she’s in custody right now.” Cheryl said.

“Ri, is there anything we can do?” Britney asked.

Riana continued to look ahead, wondering when the doctor would come out and talk to them. They have been waiting for awhile now, so someone should know something.

Marcus looked up and saw his parents walk in. He went over to them and gave them a hug.

While explaining what happened, Mrs. Walker covered her mouth with her hand while Mr. Walker was close to tears.

“Is there something you can do about this, Marcus? Do something so she could be charged and locked away!” Mrs. Walker exclaimed.

“There’s not much I can do. We just have to wait on word from the department on whether she would be booked and arraigned.”

Mrs. Walker looked over at Riana, who was wiping tears from her eyes. She glanced at Mrs. Walker and suddenly became nervous. Deep down, she had a feeling she would blame her for this, which honestly, she was right. If she didn’t cheat on Shawn with Marcus, they would had been together and he wouldn’t had ever been with Dominique. But even if the two were together, she would had found some way to get into his life; case in point, with the internship position.

She walked over to Riana and stared at her. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do if the situation turned ugly. Mrs. Walker wrapped her arms around her, giving her a long hug. She pulled away and gave a tiny smile.

“I know about everything, Riana. Shawn called me earlier and told me.”

Riana began to cry even more at what Mrs. Walker just said. She didn’t even know Shawn called his parents, which made this situation even more difficult.

“I know we had our differences, but just know that Shawn will be there for you and for your son or daughter. I know my son; I know he will be a wonderful husband and father.”

Riana began to shake, which led Mrs. Walker to hug her again. Marcus looked at the sliding doors as a doctor was walking towards them. Everyone looked at the man approaching them, wondering what type of news he was going to deliver to them.

“Walker family?”

“Yes. How is Shawn? Is he okay?” Mr. Walker asked.

The doctor gave a look that no one was able to understand. Riana glanced at him, praying that Shawn is okay.

Please let him be okay….

Britney stared at Jackie as he glanced at his menu. The two were seated inside of Chili’s waiting on Monica and Chris to arrive. She couldn’t believe she was going to have lunch with them. She still didn’t like the idea of what they done to Cheryl, but just as she mentioned to her earlier they all have to get along in some way, so she was going to let the situation slide.

“So, your friend started a relationship with her other friend’s boyfriend?” Jackie asked.

“Yeah, terrible huh?”

“Yeah, but at least you’re being the bigger person and still being friends with her.”

“Well, since we all had done our share of dirt, I can’t judge her.”

Jackie nodded when Britney saw the two walked in. She stood up and gave Monica a hug.

“Have you guys ordered yet?” Monica asked while sitting down besides Chris.

“No, we were waiting on you two. Chris, this is Jackie; Jackie, Chris.” Britney said.

While the two exchanged nods, Monica began to speak.

“So you two are being seen in public more.”

“Well, even though we are away from campus, but yeah, we are.” Britney replied.

“Shouldn’t you two be out of the public eye since dating each other is forbidden?” Chris asked.

“That’s the reason why we’re away from campus, Chris.”

“I’m just saying, since he could be fired and you could be kicked out of school. I mean, is it really worth it to be doing this when everything you worked for is on the line?”

“Thanks so much for your encouragement, Chris. What the hell is wrong with you?” Britney asked.

“There’s nothing wrong with me; I’m just stating the truth.”

“And you’re being a jerk right now. Seriously, you have completely changed in the past few weeks. Is something going on that you need to talk about.”

“Nothing is wrong. Why did the conversation turn to me all of a sudden?”

Britney glanced at him angrily while Jackie caressed her back.

“Listen, no one is trying to accuse the other of anything; now, can we just enjoy the day and not talk about Shaw, okay.” He implied.

Britney nodded and he kissed her cheek.

“Mr. Parker, I’m surprised to see you here.”

Jackie looked ahead and saw Dean Bradford, the Dean of Education staring at him and Britney. He had a frown on his face as he studied the two’s body language.

“Dean Bradford, it’s nice to see you.”

“Miss Lewis, it’s good to see you as well.” He said.

“Hi Dean Bradford.” She said while lowering her head.

“Mr. Parker, is there something you need to tell me?”

Jackie stared from him to Britney and sighed. Britney closed her eyes, knowing her worse nightmare was coming true. They were finally caught.

***
Marcus looked over at Shawn, who was continuously wringing his hands together. He knew his brother was nervous, so he needed to find a way to calm him down; but for some reason, he couldn’t, since he was nervous about Cheryl too.

“Bro, you have to calm down. Ri and Cher are okay.”

“I just have a feeling they’re not. Dominique could be capable of anything; if they tell her they’re dropping out, she could go ballistic.”

“Let’s not think like that. For all we know, they could be somewhere else instead of at the house.”

“We just need to get there.” Shawn said and stared out the window.

Marcus sighed and pulled onto the curb of the house. The two got out and went to the door, not
knowing what to expect.

As soon as they approached the door, they heard Dominique screaming which made Shawn even more
anxious.

“We need to get in.”

“How are we going to do that?”

Shawn looked over and noticed a huge rock near the front window. He went to pick it up and threw it, shattering it inside the house and on the grass.

“What the hell, Shawn!”

“I have to go in.” he said.

He went through the window, realizing it was to the kitchen and walked inside. He continued to
hear Dominique yelling and saw Riana and Cheryl in the middle of the living room, in a panic
state. That’s when he realized why they were panicky when he saw the gun she was waving around.

“Shit.” He whispered. He looked behind him and saw Marcus coming in.

He held his hand out, letting him know to stay still. He pointed towards the living room and at the gun Dominique had.

“What the fu…” Marcus was about to say, but Shawn silenced him.

He slowly walked into the living room when Dominique saw him.

“How in the hell did you get in here?”

“What are you doing, Dominique?”

“I’m doing something that I should had done a long time ago. I’m about to kill your precious girlfriend and your child.”

“Dominique, I need you to calm down, okay. Whatever happened between you and me does not have anything to do with Riana or Cheryl.”

“She has ever reason for what happened! She was the one who ruined our relationship! She sashayed her ass back into your life and you couldn’t resist. If she would had stayed with Terrance, we could had still been together.”

“That’s not true, Dominique. I admit, we had a great time together during the summer, but I’m in love with Riana. I’d always been in love with her and not you or anyone else could had changed my mind.”

“No, you’re lying. If Riana…”

“Listen, Dominique! There’s nothing you can do to change my mind. Riana is the love of my life and we will be together, and there’s nothing you can do about that.”

Dominique glanced from him to Riana. She shook her head while waiving the gun around.

“I’ve been in love with you since the moment I’d laid eyes on you during our freshmen year. Of course you didn’t notice me, but I definitely did with you. When I met Marcus at the party, I thought I would have a chance since he was your brother, but I screwed that up when I slept with him. After that, I tried what I could to get your attention; that was why I jumped at the chance to do the internship, to be closer to you.”

Cheryl and Riana looked at Shawn. He stared at the two and mouthed “I’m sorry”.

“I wanted you to notice me and it almost worked, until she messed it up. Tell me, what she has that I don’t! Tell me!”

“Dominique, I can’t love you the way you want me to. I don’t love you.”

She started to cry as she pointed the gun at Shawn.

“Well, if I can’t be with you, then she can’t either.”

Shawn looked behind Dominique and noticed Marcus behind her. He don’t know how he was able to get there, but he would try to distract her while he get her gun. He nodded so Marcus could grabbed her.

“Sorry Shawn, but I have to do this.” She said.

Marcus went to her and grabbed her by the waist. There were screams from the sisters as he tried to hold her while taking her gun. She tried to push him away from her, but he was too strong. She reached around him and tried to aim the gun at Riana. Shawn jumped in front of her while Marcus tried to pull it away from Dominique, but he was too late. A bullet came out of the gun, hitting Shawn in the chest.

“Oh my God!” Riana yelled as she watched Shawn go down on the floor.

Marcus stared at Dominique as she was still shrugging from his embrace. He held her hands together while he asked one of the sisters to hold onto her. One of them ran to the two and grabbed Dominique.

“I didn’t mean to shoot Shawn! I was aiming for Riana!” She yelled.

Marcus glanced at her before running over to his brother. He was lying on the floor in shock from the gunshot.

“Bro, stay with me, okay.” He said as he took off his shirt and applied it to the wound.

“I’m trying.” Shawn whispered.

“Shawn, don’t do this! You have a fiancée and a child coming; you’re going to survive this!”

Riana glanced at Shawn on the floor and almost collapsed. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She looked over at Dominique who was held by two of the sisters. She continued to yell out that she wasn’t trying to shoot Shawn.

Riana felled down beside Marcus and stared at Shawn.

“Baby, you’re going to be fine.”

Shawn tried to nod, but Marcus stopped him.

“Save your strength, bro. Has anyone called 911 yet!”

“They’re coming.” Cheryl replied.

Shawn began to close his eyes when Marcus tried to hold him steady.

“Don’t do this Shawn!”

Riana put a hand over her mouth as Cheryl hugged her.

“Get her out of here!” he yelled to Cheryl.

“I’m not leaving him!” Riana yelled.

“Leave, Riana!”

Cheryl pulled Riana away from the two and helped her to the door. Before she could leave, she reached out and punched Dominique. She felled down on the ground, unconscious from the blow.
“You bitch!” Riana yelled. Cheryl quickly took her outside when she felled into her arms.

Cheryl held her while they watched the paramedics run into the house along with several of campus police. As she tried to confront Riana, she didn’t know for sure how things will go. She just hope Shawn will pull through for his fiancée and for their child.

Riana glanced up and noticed the bright light coming down on her. She moved her head and slowly turned her body so she could stare at the door. She noticed Shawn sitting beside her and smiled.

“You gave me quite a scare.” He said.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, baby.”

“Am I at the hospital?”

“Yeah. How are you feeling?”

“Besides a little woozy, I’m good.”

“Do you remember what happened?”

“I was trying to fight Terrance off of me when I hit him over the head with a vase. I know he slapped me too.”

Shawn balled his fists, clearly upset over what Terrance did.

“He still better be out cold or I will find him and kill him.”

“No, Shawn. He got what he deserved, so just let it go.”

“He deserved a lot more than a few punches.”

“Baby, let it go, please.”

Shawn shook his head and looked ahead.

“Did the doctor say anything to you whether I had a concussion?”

“Not yet. They are still running tests.”

Riana sighed and closed her eyes. The light was really starting to blind her.

“I’m really sorry about tonight. If I was by your side…”

“Stop, Shawn. I mentioned before that this was not your fault.”

“Are you going to press charges on him?”

Riana sighed. She really didn’t want to. She wanted to put this nightmare behind her.

“I rather not.”

“Why not?”

“I just want this to pass, so pressing charges is not an option.”

Shawn shook his head. “I don’t agree with your decision, but if you don’t want to, I won’t stay in your way.”

“Thank you.”

“But there is one thing I want you to do. You need to stop investigating and quit the pledging process.”

“Shawn…”

“No; this is becoming too dangerous. You need to stay away from everyone that is associated with GZG and Omega Si.”

“But this incident didn’t have anything to do with GZG; it was just Terrance being a jerk.”

“Yeah, but those two stick together in the Greek system. They will retaliate; if they weren’t going to already.”

“They were going to even before this happened. I heard him and Sonya talk about some plan Dominique thought up for Cheryl and me. That’s why I have to finish this.”

“You don’t have to do anything. What if you continue and someone do something much worse? Baby, you have to think about yourself as well as Cheryl. Just quit.”

Riana sighed when someone walked into the room.

“I see you’re awake, Miss Robertson.”

“Hi, Dr…”

“Sullivan. You gave everyone quite a scare when you came in. How are you feeling now?”

“I’m okay, I guess. Still a little dizzy.”

“That’s to be expected, but it may not be for the reason you think. We ran tests to see if you had a concussion, but turns out you don’t; but I do want to recommend taking it easy for the next few days to see how things will go.”

Riana nodded. “Sure.”

“But you and the baby are doing just fine, which is great considering the fall you experienced.”

Riana and Shawn both stared at Dr. Sullivan. “What?” They both asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“You just said the baby is fine. I’m not pregnant.” Riana said.

“Based on your blood test, you are, Miss Robertson.”

Riana felt as if she was going to faint again. She glanced at Shawn, who looked just as shock as she was.

“Wow, I didn’t know .”

“Based from your last period, you are a month, give or take. Why don’t you set-up an appointment with Dr. Greer, who is our OBGYN, for a full check-up.”

Riana slowly nodded.

“It seems as if you two need some time, so I’ll leave you alone. As soon as we get the rest of your tests back, we can release you.”

“Thank you, Dr. Sullivan.” Shawn said.

She nodded and walked out of the room.

Shawn stared at Riana before sitting beside her. “You’re pregnant. I thought you were on the pill?”

“I was at first, but I stopped taking them after we broke up.”

“But I thought you were using them for your periods.”

“I really wasn’t using them too much anymore. I was going to switch to a new brand, but never did.”

“Wow, Ri…”

“It’s okay. I guess this sort of happened for a reason then; if I didn’t come here, I wouldn’t have known.”

“You haven’t had any symptoms?”

“I noticed I’ve been gaining weight, but that was all.”

Shawn smiled. “I guess we should have stopped during one of our sessions for a condom.”

Riana giggled. “Maybe so. Do you…”

Shawn shook his head. “No. It just makes me love you even more.”

Riana smiled and he kissed her. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure everything out.” He said.

“I love you.” She whispered.

“I love you too.”

And the two hugged each other, still in shock over what they just heard, but in a good way.

***
Cheryl and Marcus were in the waiting room, waiting on word about Riana, when Marcus gently placed Cheryl’s hand in his. She squeezed his hand and smiled.

“We didn’t get a chance to talk about that kiss from earlier.” Marcus said.

“I know. Marcus, I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately. At first, I was scared to admit anything, but now, I’m ready to see where things go between us.”

Marcus looked at her. “Really?”

“Yeah. You have been such a great friend, and you have helped me through so much.”

“Just like you have for me.”

“That’s why I want to see where things go with us. I want to be with you.”

“What about Chris?”

“What about him? He made his choice when he slept with Monica and then admitted he wanted to be with her. I’m done with him.”

“Are you sure?”

Cheryl put her hand on the side of his face and gently touched his cheek.

“I’m very sure.”

He smiled and kissed her, which made her smile.

“With everything that has happened, I wasn’t going to tell you the feelings I have for you; but now that you admitted yours, it’s only fair to admit mines.”

“Definitely.”

“I really do like you Cheryl and I would love nothing more to see where things will go with us too.”

She smiled and put her head on his shoulder. “This is kind of weird to be discussing this in a hospital waiting room, especially with us dressed like Robin and a slutty waitress.”

Marcus laughed. “So true. Would I be forward in saying how much I want to take that outfit off of you?”

Cheryl looked at him and smiled. “Not at all.”

She leaned into him and kissed him again when someone cleared their throat. They looked up and saw Chris and Monica standing in front of them.

“Is there a problem?” Cheryl asked.

“Not at all; just seeing how Riana was doing.” Chris said.

“We don’t know yet.” Marcus replied.

Chris glanced at Cheryl and sighed. “Can we talk, please?”

“I don’t have anything to say to you.”

“Please, Cheryl.”

Monica gave Chris a puzzled expression. “Why do you need to talk to her?”

Cheryl rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, I don’t want to talk to your boyfriend.” She snarled.

“I just need to clear some things up, that’s all.”

Marcus looked at Cheryl. “Maybe you should.”

She shook her head and got up. The two went near the vending machines before Chris started the conversation.

“I just wanted to apologize for my behavior lately. I know I’ve been out of line with everything. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Really? Well, you did a bang up job trying not to.”

“Now you see how I felt when I saw you and Devin kissing.”

Cheryl shook her head. “That was a mistake and you accepted it. Now, all of a sudden, you turn everything around on me, saying I’m the reason you’d cheated when all along you wanted to sleep with Monica. Stop using me as an excuse because you wanted to be with someone else.”

“Cheryl…”

“No; I’m not going to listen to you make all of this my damn fault. Yes, I admit what I done was wrong, but I owned up to my mistake; you on the other hand, wanted your cake and eat it too. While I was a wreck over what you’ve done, you were out doing whatever you wanted with Monica. Now, all I want to do is put our relationship behind us and move on.”

“By being with Marcus?”

“Yes. He has been really kind to me and I appreciate all the of times we’ve spent together so far.”

“So you’re going to be with someone who has been with your cousin?”

“Maybe I do, but that’s my problem if I want to be with him. In fact, I’m thinking about having sex with him tonight. Is that a problem for you?”

Chris smirked. “Which you wanted to do all along.”

“So what if I did. You shouldn’t judge me, especially after what you pulled. In fact, why don’t you go be with your new girlfriend, and leave me alone?”

He nodded. “Fine; I apologized, so there’s nothing else left to say.”

“No, there’s not. I really hope you and Monica have a great life together. You’re both cheaters, so you’re a perfect match for each other.”

Chris stared at Cheryl as she walked back to Marcus. He stood up and put his arms around her.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Shawn just texted me. They’re going to release Riana soon and said we can leave if we want to.”

“Okay. I’ll go by her place in the morning. Right now, I need to go.”

“You sure you want to leave?”

“If I look at those two any longer, I will start swinging, so yes.”

“Okay. You want me to drop you off at your dad’s?”

Cheryl shook her head. “No. I was hoping you could take me back to your place and take this outfit off of me.”

Marcus smiled. “Are you sure?”

Cheryl nodded. “Definitely. But there is one thing I need to know.”

“What’s that?”

“Have you recently been tested?”

Marcus nodded. “Yes, a month ago. I’m clean, Cheryl.”

She smiled. “Okay, let’s go.”

She took his hand and they left the waiting room.

After what happened with Chris, Monica was outside Britney’s apartment. She didn’t know if she was there, but she needed to talk to her, so she took a chance.

She knocked on the door and it quickly opened. Britney glanced at her with an impatient glance.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“You sort of did.” Britney replied.

Monica looked inside and saw Jackie on the couch. He gave a smile while putting on his shirt.

“Mr. Parker.” She said while staring at his chest.

Britney looked at Monica and rolled her eyes.

“Hi, you must be one of Britney’s friends. You can call me Jackie.” He said while approaching the door.

“Maybe I should go.” Monica said.

“No, let me; there’s some stuff I need to take care of. I can come back later.” Jackie said. He kissed Britney, smiled at Monica again and left.

“I’m so sorry.” Monica said.

“It’s fine. So what’s the emergency? You seemed kind of frantic.” Britney said while sitting down.

“Where should I start? Something really strange happened today.”

“Okay, please enlighten me.”

“Well, you know Chris and I have sort of been hanging out lately, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Anyway, he helped me with my math assignments and stuff. Anyway, we spend the afternoon together, and then I went to his job to keep him company. We were talking and out of nowhere, he talked about how much he was thinking about me and wondered how things would have been if we pursued a relationship.”

“I remembered you two were sort of talking, but didn’t because of Donnell.”

“Well, today, Chris kissed me, but it doesn’t end there. When I was at his job, we sort of had sex, twice.”

Britney stared wide-eyed at Monica. “Are you serious? Why would you do that? He’s involved with Cheryl.”

“I know, and believe me, I feel really guilty about it. After we did it, Chris was so nonchalant about it, as if it was no big deal. Now, I’m wondering if he just wanted to find a way out of his relationship by being with me.”

“If he wanted out, he should have talked to Cheryl. And to think those two had a solid relationship.”

“He admitted part of the reason why he distanced himself from Cheryl was because of everything that happened with her and Devin last semester; I guess he felt he couldn’t trust her again.”

“If he’s thinking like that, why would he tell her to go talk to Marcus? You know what happened with us last semester?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, even though I’m guilty about what happened, I really had a great time with him. He’s a great person to hang out with. He’s nothing like Donnell.”

“You’re definitely right about that.” Britney agreed in a sarcastic tone.

“What does that mean?”

“Donnell would never cheat on you, even though you have on him millions of times. In fact, are you even still with him?”

“We sort of still are. I haven’t seen him in days though.”

Britney rolled her eyes. “You really need to let him go. Being together is not doing you or him any good.”

“I know.”

“And now that you and Chris slept together, there’s no point in saving the relationship.”

“I know.”

“Do you want to be with Chris?”

Monica sighed. “I don’t know; I mean, I really like him and I would like to see where things go between us.”

“How are you going to do that when he’s still with Cheryl? I know none of us should really judge each other because of our dating histories, but do you really think Chris will be with you? He cheated on Cheryl with you, so what makes you think he’s not going to do it to you.”
“If I decide to be with him, then that’s a risk I will have to take.”

“I think you’re setting yourself up for failure.”

“I wished you were a little more encouraging.”

“And I wished you were a little more realistic.”

“Maybe you should be giving this advice to yourself since you’re dating your professor.” Monica said. She got up and went to the door.

“Just forget we ever talked about this.” She added. She opened the door and left.

Britney shook her head and sighed. “Maybe we should.”

***
After staying at Marcus’ for two hours, Cheryl decided to call it a night. When he dropped her off at her place, he hugged and gave her a kiss on the cheek, which made her smile. She wanted to do a little bit more, but Marcus was right; they definitely should not cross the line.

Before she got out of the car, she saw Chris sitting on her doorstep. She glanced at her watch, wondering why he wasn’t at work.

“Everything okay?” Marcus asked.

Cheryl shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

She got out and went towards him. He looked up, giving her a worried expression, which made her a little anxious.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“I left early.”

“Is something wrong?”

He looked away from her, not knowing if he should tell her the reason why he was there.

He glanced over and saw Marcus’ car in the parking lot.

“Were you with Marcus tonight?” He asked, suddenly realizing the outfit she was wearing. “Were you two on a date?”

“Not really. We just hung out.”

“Wearing that?” he asked while staring at her.

“Is that a problem?”

“I don’t know, considering his history with your cousin.”

“You’re the one who told me to look after him, so that’s what I’m doing. What is your problem?”

“I don’t have one, but I will make it one if he does step to you in any way.”

“Excuse me? Should I say the same thing about Monica then, because you’re spending an awful lot of time with her?”

“She’s different.”

“I don’t know what your issue is right now, but maybe you need to leave and sleep it off.” Cheryl said while heading to the door. Before she could go in, Chris grabbed her arm.

“Wait.”

She glanced at him while shrugging her arm from him.

“There’s a reason why I came by. You are right about Monica and me. We have been spending a lot of time together.”

Cheryl glanced at him. She didn’t like how this conversation was going. Based on the look on his face, he was about to tell her something that she knew she wouldn’t like.

“What is it, Chris?”

He cleared his throat before looking ahead.

“We went out for lunch earlier; when I dropped her off at her room, I kissed her.”

Cheryl raised her eyebrow at him. “What did you say?”

“We kissed, Cheryl.”

She closed her eyes, not believing what she was hearing.

“And tonight, she came by my job to hang out. One thing led to another, and we had sex.”

Cheryl stared at him, when suddenly her hand went across his left cheek. The impact was so severe, he bent over, clutching it with his hand.
“You asshole! Is this some sort of payback from what I’ve done? At least I didn’t sleep with Devin!”

“But you wanted to. I saw it every time you were around him.”

“Oh, so this is my fault that you went out and cheated? That you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants!”

“Don’t give me that! I bet you want to be with Marcus right now, that’s why you jumped at the chance to watch over him.”

“I did it as a favor for you. Because I know what it’s like to spiral out of control. I thought I could help him, and sleeping with him is not it.”
“But you want to. And don’t deny it.”

“You are really being a dick right now. You’re trying to turn it around on me like it’s my fault you slept with Monica?”

“I’m not doing anything. You’re the one who assuming things.”

Marcus came over to the two, wondering what was going on. “Is everything okay?”

Cheryl shook her head. “No, it’s not.”

She looked at Chris. “So, are you trying to say you don’t want to be with me anymore? That you want to be with Monica?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Well, you must want to, because you’re certainly not going to be with the both of us.”

“Why can’t I?”

Cheryl was about to slap him again when Marcus grabbed her.

“I bet you’re glad this is happening. You couldn’t have Riana so you’re going for her cousin.” Chris claimed.

“Are you drunk, Chris?”

He shrugged, which made Cheryl even more furious.

“Just go, Chris.” Marcus said.

“Cheryl and I are not done talking.”

“Yes, you are. Go back to the dorm and sleep it off.” Marcus suggested.

“I’m not done talking to you, Cheryl! Just know you shouldn’t be upset with what I’ve done when you were having thoughts about sleeping with two different guys. So who’s the one being unfaithful?”

“Leave, Chris!” Marcus yelled.

Chris turned around and walked away. He stopped mid-stride and went back over to Cheryl.

“And I do want to be with Monica.” He said. He turned back around and went to his car.

Cheryl stared at him leaving, not knowing what to say. She was about to fall over when Marcus caught her. She began to cry while he held her.

“It’s going to be okay.” He said. He glanced at Chris pulling off. He couldn’t believe he would do that to Cheryl. Something must be going on with Chris, because he would have never done that.

“Come on.” He said. He continued to hold her as they made it to his car. He carefully put her in the passenger seat. When he went to the driver’s seat, he looked at her. She was still crying, but stared at the windshield.

“Why would he do that to me? Why would he tell me that and leave? I really thought he was different.”

“I don’t know, Cheryl.”

He put his arm around her, while she cried on his shoulder. A part of him wanted to go after Chris and beat his ass for what he’s doing to Cheryl, but he couldn’t do it. A few months ago, he was in a similar situation with his brother and Riana, so he couldn’t judge. All he could do is be a friend to Cheryl; just like she has been for him.

Riana hung up with Cheryl and stared at Shawn, who was busy looking at the road. He glanced at her and smiled.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She replied. She knew what Cheryl was up to. There was only one diner near a park, and that was near Marcus’ apartment. She knew she was trying to find some way for the two to talk, which was fine with her, but would probably piss Shawn off.

“What Cheryl wanted? And why she mentioned Dominique and Terrance?”

“She has some big news that she wanted to share with us. She told us to meet her at Murphy’s Diner.”

“Really? I wondered what that could be.”

Riana shrugged and glanced at the road ahead.

“Have you found anything for your story? You haven’t mentioned much since the first assignment?”

“No, not yet; but Professor Caldwell loved the trial article I submitted. He said there is a position on the staff if I want it.”

“Well, isn’t it?”

“It is, it just now, should I really be digging up information about GZG? At first, I was eager to, but now, I’m not so sure.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“Based on what happened earlier today, she has the mind to do anything if you cross her. I just don’t want to find out what she’s capable of. But a part of me wants to find out.”

“Baby, you should do what’s best. In fact, maybe you should drop out of pledging.”

“I would, but it’s Cheryl…”

“I know, her dream; but I think Cheryl wouldn’t mind doing the same, especially if she knows something about Dominique.”

Riana sighed as Shawn pulled into a parking spot near the diner. The two got out and went inside. Riana gave a disgusted look, wishing Cheryl would have asked to meet somewhere else. She heard stories about this place around campus; now she saw why. That’s probably why she told her to meet there, because no one, particularly Dominique nor Terrance, would see them there.

She was hesitant to sit in the booth as she looked at the seat. Shawn shook his head and pulled her into his lap. “Better?”

“Definitely.” She smiled.

He kissed her while caressing her back. “Hopefully she’ll come so we can go back to your place.”

“She will.”

The door opened and Cheryl and Marcus walked in. Shawn looked from them to Riana and sighed.

“Is this a set-up?”
“Shawn, please, just calm down.”

“Why? I said I didn’t want to talk to him.”

“Maybe it’s time you do.”

He shook his head as they approached the booth.

“Hey.” Cheryl said. She looked at Shawn, who had a heated expression.

“Hey Shawn.” Marcus said.

Shawn rolled his eyes and looked to the door. “Was this the big news you wanted to share?”

“Sort of, but I really have some news about Dominique and Terrance, but I think Marcus should be the one to tell you.”

He gave a curious glance while looking at him. “Why would you have information about the two?”

“Because I sort of know Dominique.”

“Seriously?”

“Remember the incident that happened at the off-campus party during your freshmen year? I was a part of it; so was Dominique.”

“What?”

“We talked during the party and we had sex, but one of her sisters caught us, so she claimed I’d raped her.”

Shawn looked at his brother, not knowing whether to believe him, but the look he had on his face told it all. He was telling the truth.

“Terrance is also Dominique’s stepbrother. She mentioned that to me during our conversation.”

“So it all make sense now with you dating him. He spotted you out at the party and talked to you. I’m sure she put him up to it.” Cheryl said to Riana.

“That bitch.” Riana muttered.

“Are you still involved with her? I know Cheryl mentioned Riana is trying to dig up dirt on the sorority.” Marcus inquired.

“Sort of, but I think Ri is having a change of heart. She wants to quit.” Shawn said while staring at her.

“I don’t know now. Since I learned this, I really think I need to continue. If she’s capable of that, I’m sure she has done things in the past to humiliate pledges.”

“Ri…”

“Shawn, I think I need to continue. If you want to quit Cheryl, you can, but I’m staying.”

“Shawn’s right; you need to quit, Ri.”

“No, I’m not.”

Cheryl sighed while Shawn closed his eyes in frustration.

“Come on, Ri; I need to talk some sense into you.” Cheryl said. Riana glanced at Shawn and Marcus, wondering if she should leave them alone. Cheryl noticed the look and motioned to the door.

“Fine.” She said. She got up from Shawn’s lap and the two went to the door.

Shawn looked at Marcus while he began to wring his hands together.

“I’m really sorry she put you through that. I knew during that time you kept your distance from everyone, but I didn’t know why.”

“I know. I was trying to protect you. I didn’t want you to be bombarded with people asking questions about what happened.”

“Does anyone else know?”

“Chris does.”

“So that’s why he warned me about her.” Shawn realized.

“Listen, I know we’re not on speaking terms right now, and I understand, but you’re still my brother and I care about you. I don’t want anything to happen to you, so just watch your back around her.”

Shawn nodded. “Thanks.”

“Riana needs to do the same.”

“I agree.”

“As for Ri, I’m really sorry for what happened. I should not have crossed the line with her and I’m regretting that decision every day.”

“You really hurt me. It wasn’t the idea that you pursued her, but it was the fact that you betrayed me. We’re supposed to be family and you stabbed me in the back.”

“I know that, and believe me, I’m not proud of that.”

“I wonder should I forgive you, because I miss you. I mean, I forgave Riana, but I can’t with you.”

Marcus nodded. “I understand if you can’t. I know it will take some time for you to do that.”

“Let me finish. Although there are still a lot of issues we need to resolve, I don’t want us going through life not being around each other. Women will come and go, but we’re family, and that will never change.”

“So, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying we need to try and establish a relationship again. Not only for our sake, but also for Mom and Dad. She called today and she’s still pissed that we’re not talking.” Shawn said.

“I can imagine.” Marcus said.

“So are you willing to work things out?”

Marcus nodded. “Yeah.”

Shawn went up to him and gave him a brotherly hug. They pulled apart and Marcus smiled.

“Just promise me one thing?” Shawn asked.

“What’s that?”

“Don’t pursue Riana again.”

Marcus nodded. “Of course I won’t.”

“Good, because I’m not trying to kick your ass again.”

Marcus laughed. “Seriously? I think I kicked yours.”

“If you say so.”

Shawn playfully shoved Marcus and he grinned.

“Now that has been resolved, what’s going on with you and Cheryl? Are you trying to do a repeat with her and Chris?”

Marcus sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. She’s been hanging out with me because Chris told her to keep an eye on me, but she has been a really great friend.”

“How bad off were you?”
“I recently was arrested for assault and I’ve been drinking a lot lately.”

Shawn gave a sad expression. “Man, I didn’t…”

“It’s okay; it was my fault for my actions lately, not yours.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Little bro, stop. I’m okay now, thanks to Cheryl. She has helped me see that what I was doing was wrong and I should turn any negative energy I have into something positive, which I did.”

“What was that?”

“I decided to go back to school for my master’s.”

Shawn smiled. “Really? That’s great.”

“Yeah. I already have a couple of courses I’m thinking about taking, so you never know, I might actually quit the force.”

“Mom would be glad to hear that. Or is there another reason why you would be quitting?”

“I haven’t been to work for the past two weeks now; and now with the arrest, I might not even have a job.”

“Sorry, man.”

Marcus nodded and looked at the door. He saw Cheryl and Riana smiling at the them.

“I see they’re happy we’re speaking again.”

“Of course they are. Now going back to Cheryl, you do know she’s with Chris, right?”

“Shawn, it’s nothing going on.”

“Really, because it doesn’t look that way to me. I could tell by the way you’re looking at her.”

“We sort of kissed earlier tonight.”

Shawn shook his head at his brother. “I see you haven’t learned anything.”

“Why is it my fault?”

“Is it some sort of goal you’re trying to reach to get with a group of friends? First Britney, then Ri and now Cheryl. I’m surprised you haven’t got with Monica.”

“You think this is funny?”

“No, I don’t. If Chris finds out about this, he will kick your ass, and I’m sorry, but I probably won’t stop him.”

“I deserve that.”

“You damn right you do. Before you mentioned about him, I already knew he was still talking to you. Ri let it slip.”

“Don’t be mad at Chris.”

“I’m not; I just wished he had told me.”

“Are you going to tell him about Cheryl?”

Shawn shook his head. “No. That’s between you and Cheryl. I’m not taking any part in that.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you have feelings for Cheryl? I mean, I know you said that about Ri…”

“It’s too soon to tell, but she has been really great “

“Just be careful.”

Marcus sighed as Riana and Cheryl walked back to the booth.

“So, you two made up?” Cheryl asked.

“Yeah, we did.” Shawn said.

Riana smiled and kissed Shawn on the cheek.

Cheryl looked at Marcus and smiled. He smiled as she put her hand into his.

Riana looked at the two, wondering if she should warn Cheryl again about spending too much time with Marcus. She was going to while they were standing outside, but realized she shouldn’t. She has no right to judge her, especially with everything she put him and Shawn through.

“If you want, we could go to my apartment and watch a movie or something.” Marcus said.

“Yes, please. I didn’t know how long I can sit in this place without needing a shower or a flea dip.” Cheryl said.

Marcus looked at Riana and Shawn. “The offer stands for you two as well.”

The two looked at each other and gave Marcus a smile.

“Why not. Lead the way, brother.” Shawn said.

And the four left out of the diner.

***

Terrance and Dominique sat outside of Murphy ‘s Diner watching the four go to their cars. Dominique gave an evil glance as she watched Shawn and Riana get into his car. Terrance looked at Dominique and sighed.

“Did you really think those two were going to be apart for long?”

“I can’t believe them. I really thought Shawn was different.”

“He’s in love with her. Can you just let go and move on.”

“But he made a commitment to me. He’s basically cheating on me with her. I bet that brother of his told him about what happened.”

“How do you know?”

“The two haven’t talked in four months, so what else could they been discussing?”

“Isn’t her cousin with Chris?”

Dominique laughed. “She’s just like Riana. A damn whore. Now that I know the truth, they won’t know what hit them once I’m done with pledging.”

Terrance gave her a worried look. “I really hope you’re not going to do anything stupid.”

Dominique continued to watch them with a smile across her lips. “Trust me, it will be big. Really big.”

***

Monica put her shirt back on and stared at Chris. She couldn’t believe what just happened. Although she enjoyed it, she felt guilty knowing what she did to Cheryl.

Chris stared at her and smiled. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“If you regret what happened, please let me know.”

“You don’t feel guilty about it?”

“I do, but honestly, I don’t.”

Monica looked at him in shock. “Really?”

He went over to her and kissed her.

“Chris, I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

He kissed her neck, which made her tilt her head back.

“We can keep it a secret, can we?” he whispered, which gave Monica all sorts of tingles through her body.

” I guess we can.” She whispered.

He sat her down on the counter and continued to kiss her, which made Monica forget about everything, including her guilt over Cheryl.

As soon as Marcus and Cheryl entered his apartment, they immediately headed to the couch, kissing each other. There was so much going through Cheryl’s mind right now. With Devin, she was able to control herself, but with Marcus, she didn’t want to. She didn’t know what type of effect he was having on her, but she didn’t want it to end.

The two lay down, still kissing each other, when Marcus suddenly stopped. He looked at her, realizing what he was doing.

“What’s wrong?” Cheryl asked.

“We can’t do this.” He replied. He sat up and stared at the wall.

“Marcus…”

“Cheryl, if we did go there, I would be hurting someone else again. I already lost my brother; I can’t lose my friend too.”

Cheryl sat up and looked at him.

“I understand. In fact, this was a mistake. We let things go too far.”

“Yeah, we did.”

Cheryl smiled. “I still want us to hang out though, or will that be a bad idea?”

Marcus touched her shoulder, which led Cheryl to shiver.

“Not at all. You’re great to hang out with, so that wouldn’t change.”

“I’m glad, because these past few days have been really relaxing.”

“I’m glad it has.”

Cheryl stared at him, wanting to kiss him again; but he’s right, they crossed the line.

“Maybe I should go.” She said. She started to get up, but Marcus gently grabbed her hand.

“You can stay if you want. We can watch a movie.”

Cheryl nodded and sat back down. She turned to look at him again, wondering if she was making the right decision.

***
Chris was at his job working the late shift again, which was starting to become annoying. Although he needed the money, he wanted to at least have one night free.

He glanced at the clock and sighed. He just arrived and he already wanted to go. His mind shifted from his job to what happened between him and Monica earlier. He could still feel her soft lips as he glanced at the door. She walked in, which completely surprised him.

“Hey. What are you doing here?”

She smiled. “You mentioned you were working tonight, so I wanted to stop by and keep you company.”

Chris smiled. “Really?”

“Yeah. So this is all you do? Just look at the building and see if anything strange occurs?”

“That’s what security usually does.”

“But you should be able to study, right?”

“I should, but half of the time, I don’t. “

“You probably should take advantage of the time you have.”

“I should, huh.”

Monica smiled. “Well, this would be a fantastic job for me. I could catch up on studying and my TV shows.”

Chris laughed. “Of course. So, why are you here when you could be spending time with Donnell?”

Monica stared at him. “Because I figured why should I? Donnell and I are done.”

“Shouldn’t you tell him that then?”

“I will, eventually.”

Chris shook his head. “You’re ruthless.”

“How am I ruthless? In life, there are some things you should just let go, and being in a dead-end relationship is one of them. I’m tired of us trying to make things work when we know it’s not.”

“I can understand.”

“No you don’t. Your relationship with Cheryl is solid. Or is it?”

He sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. Don’t get me wrong, Cheryl is great, but maybe we moved too fast.”

“Why do you say that? You two started things slow.”

“Maybe so, but now I’m wondering if things should had cooled down.”

“Are you having second thoughts about being with Cheryl?”

Chris glanced at her and sighed. “Honestly, a little. At first, things were cool, but now, I just want to see what else is out there.”

“Basically, you want to date other people?”

“Is that wrong?”

Monica shook her head. “I could be the wrong person to ask that to, but honestly, no.”

“What if I say I wanted to date you?”

“What?”

“Lately, you’re all I’ve been thinking about. Especially since that kiss we shared earlier.”

“Which I have to ask what was that for? You just kissed me and walked off.”

“Monica, you know I’m attracted to you; I always had been.”

“But I was with someone then; just like you are now.”

“I know, but what if I don’t want to be with Cheryl anymore. What if I want to be with you?”

Monica glanced at Chris as he pulled her to him.

“We both know we want to see where things can go, so why not just let them be.”

“Because Cheryl is my friend. Our relationship was kind of rocky at first, and now we’re able to talk to each other. I don’t want that to end because I’m attracted to you.”

“I understand, but I can’t get you out of my mind. I think about how pretty your eyes are, the way you smile.” He said. He stared at her lips and smiled.

“And those lips of yours.” He gently brushed them with his finger, which made her trembled.

“Chris…”

He grabbed and kissed her, which caught her by surprise. They continued to kiss when he led her towards the back of the booth. Chris knew what he was doing was wrong, but at that point, he didn’t care. He wanted Monica since he first saw her; now he was about to get his chance to.

***
Cheryl glanced at Marcus, who was busy watching TV. She knew he wasn’t, but was only doing it so he wouldn’t talk about what happened. She sighed, knowing he was right about what happened, but all she wanted to do at that moment was kiss him again.

Her phone rang, which startled her since she thought it was on silent. She looked at it and saw it was Riana.

“Hey.”

“Hey. Sorry I’m just now calling you back. What’s up?”

At first, Cheryl forgot why she called her, until she remembered the conversation she had earlier with Marcus.

“Are you with Shawn?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Could you meet me at the diner across from the park? I need to tell you something.”

“Why you just can’t tell me on the phone?”

“Because this is important. It’s about Dominique and Terrance.”

“Dominique and Terrance. Please do not tell me they were involved?”

“You’re sort of right.”

“We’ll be there.” She said.

Marcus looked at her with a curious glance. “What are you up to?”

“It’s time for you to talk to your brother.” She said with a smile.