Closure and New Beginnings

It had been three months since we left the island a second time. We watched his sister graduate with honors and we made a family trip with her to Tallahassee to see her off for school.

I had successfully opened my business in a business shopping center. Chelsea’s Catch This Beat was a huge success. I offered spaces for others to rent and Christian and I opened a dance studio. He had this passion for dancing and wanted to teach salsa, bachata, and other forms of dance.

By late August, it was time for me to visit my girl in Tampa. I wanted her to meet Christian. She said she had to meet him to see if he was legit. She needed to feel his energy.

On August 27th, we traveled to Tampa. Our first stop was Aunt Nina’s. Since Aunt Nina was a real estate tycoon, you can imagine what her home looked like in Tampa. It was a waterfront property. As Christian pulled into the driveway which was made out of these intricate bricks, he said, “Ooh wee, Aunt Nina got a fire crib.”

I laughed, “Yeah, she does, and wait until you see the inside.”

She greeted us at the front door. I saw you pull up on the security system,” she said as she hugged me, “look at you.” She checked me out in a cute maxi dress showing off my curves.

“You remember Christian?”

She hugged him, “Of course, I haven’t seen you in years, just as handsome as ever, come inside and have a drink or two.”

Walking inside was like stepping into a palace. The hardwood floors shined. I took off my shoes and reached into my purse for some soft fuzzy slip-ons. Cristian removed his shoes and we went to the kitchen for a quick drink.

We talked for a little while and she said, “And see…you weren’t even going to go to the island. I had to make you.”

I nodded, “Right. I’m glad I did. It was what I needed.”

“So, what are your plans?” she asked Christian.

He looked at me and smiled, “It’s serious. I can see us married in a year. We’ve talked about it.”

“Good. That’s beautiful.”

We stayed a little longer and then went to Lisa’s house.

*****

On the way over, I called Lisa and said we were en route. She had a new boyfriend she wanted us to meet as well. His name was Simon Wallace. When we arrived, she greeted us at the door. Even though we had kept in touch over the phone, it hit differently to see my girl up close in the flesh after so many months.

I started crying tears of joy. The men stood by awkwardly. They ended up introducing themselves while we exalted in one another’s presence.

“Sorry,” she said to her man that stood as tall as Christian. He was a cinnamon-colored fellow with brown freckles on his nose, and bright brown eyes to match his personality, “this is my best friend, Chelsea.”

He shook my hand, “Nice to finally meet the woman Lisa adores so much.”

“Thank you. This is Christian.”

“Yeah, yeah, we met a few minutes ago, come, come we have some snacks prepared before we go.”

We headed to the kitchen. Lisa had already given me the rundown about how Ashton had slept with some girl in her house. So when she told the story again, it was not shocking. The guys got a kick out of it.

“Yeah, he kept trying to contact me on Facebook telling me that he was coming for what was his.”

I made a face, “for what was his.” I laughed.

“I didn’t entertain dude. I blocked him.”

“I would have done the same thing, man,” agreed Simon. “It’s sad when a man has a good woman, refuses to do right but when he sees another man doing right, suddenly he wants a second chance. Seriously, dude, you’ve had more than enough chances.”

“Right.”

“Well, let’s forget about him, I figure we’d hit up this spot in downtown St. Pete. There are a lot of clubs and a few outside restaurants. Live music. It’s a vibe,” suggested Lisa.

“Oh, I see, you on some bougie stuff tonight.”

“Girl, you know me.”

*******

We took one car. Simon drove. He parked at a garage and paid five bucks and we walked to the main strip where all the nightlife was happening. We heard the live instruments playing. We strolled. Two couples. Happy.

Since we had eaten some snacks at Lisa’s I wasn’t really hungry. We continued to the wine bar and sat waiting for the musicians to play. I was snuggled up with my bae giving him sweet kisses and I don’t know why I had this inkling that someone was watching me.

I felt a pinch on my thigh. I looked over at Lisa, “We should leave,” she said with concern. My eyes followed where hers looked. I saw Mister standing at the door waiting to enter with a group of his friends.

I looked over at Christian, “You wanna go?”

“No. We haven’t even heard the band play yet.”

So, we continued with our night sipping on expensive champagne. When I looked up, I caught his eyes. He was with a woman. I was happy for him. I figured he had finally moved on. I looked away. The musicians were warming up. The show was about to begin.

After they started playing some old-school tunes, my mind forgot that Ashton was there. I was focused on having a good time. Around midnight, we paid. As we were leaving I heard my name, “Chelsea!”

Lisa insisted that we keep walking but I stopped. He caught up to us. He looked at Christian, “Hey man, I’m sorry about those messages. I was in a bad place before.”

Christian nodded and stood firm.

“You mind if I speak with Chelsea right quick?”

“Say what you have to say but I ain’t going nowhere.”

Ashton took a deep breath, “Um Chelsea, I’m sorry, “He looked over my shoulder, “and, Lisa I’m sorry.” He looked back at me, “I’ve been working with a therapist. I know I did some messed up stuff and I lost. I have to deal with that.”

“I’m happy for you. That’s a good start.”

“I just have one question, why didn’t you respond to my email?”

I sighed, “I didn’t get it.”

He turned his lips over, “Come on Chelsea.”

“I didn’t get it. The message was deleted before I could read it.”

He looked over at Christian, “Well played.”

“It doesn’t matter. Our relationship was damaged beyond what an email filled with empty promises could fix. You needed to hit rock bottom. You had to learn from your mistakes just like I had to learn from mine.”

“I guess you’re right. I hope you don’t hate me.”

“I don’t. Just make sure you take what you learned and apply it to your new girlfriend or friend girl.”

He chuckled, “She’s, my girlfriend.”

“Nice. Take care of yourself. I wish you nothing but the best.”

“Same to you.”

When I turned away from Ashton. I closed that chapter of my life. I looked at Christian and smiled, “Let’s go.” He was my future. He was the next chapter and I looked forward to filling our book with many amazing chapters….