The Confrontation

Chapter 6   The Confrontation

The air was thick with tension, drowning every inch of the space with an unsettling fog. The silence dominated the dialogue coming from the TV, making it nearly inaudible. Little Faree sat uncomfortably at the end of the couch. Nicki leapt from Drake’s lap wobbling, as the fresh pink roses cut through the blinding mist, falling to the floor. Broken petals sprawled across the floor, the flowers that were once a gift for someone special now wept against the cold hardwood floor. Safaree wanted to leave; to just go back out the door, walk back inside and see a different vision; a less devastating vision. Many problem filled scenarios played through his mind each day, but this was something he did not fathom would happen; his fiancée straddling another man, who was violently gripping her thighs. He waited for anger and rage to take over but it didn’t. Though his heart left, he couldn’t get his feet to move. She stood there in front of SB, their eyes locked in a silent confrontation. His stare was confused, shocked, pained. And her stare was remorseful, lost, pained. Drake knew what he’d done and felt like he was no longer welcome there. Ever. The fact that it had to be this way was beyond him. The love triangle would never work, because he was never really in it to begin with. Neither of them noticed when he swiftly and silently inched out the front door saying only “I’m sorry” before retreating. It was the only way he could save himself, and the little dignity that remained. The thud was feeble and made no change in the overwhelming atmosphere. SB forced himself to focus. The lump in his throat suffocated him.

  

“Nicki…What’s going on?” His words came out slow. Nic’s regretful eyes broke contact becoming heavy, flooding with water that was determined to spill over. “Are you…still…mine?”

She commanded her words to surface. “Yes. Of course I am. I love you” Nothing more than a whisper escaped her.

"Then why would you do this? Onika, why would you let me put myself out there every damn day giving my all to be with you, just to have me standing here ready to give up anything for you, and do this to me?” His voice was not his, but a disguise; a robotic monotone sound that sheltered any and all emotion from breaking free. At this moment he didn’t feel much of anything, except that this must have been somehow his fault. Misery paralyzed his entire being.

“I'm sorry. Please don’t think badly of me. I'm just scared and confused about all this. But nothing happened. I promise." She couldn’t control the desperate pleas that sounded with her every word.

"Did he…touch you?" His face changed, glowing an ominous black with resentment. She struggled to speak, shivering at his frigid words. Lying was not an option. She closed her eyes, and released a long, heavy breath.

“Safaree…” Her voice trembled.

“Did… he touch you Nicki?” He interrupted. Anxiety built inside him. Though he walked in to her straddling Drake, she knew that was not what he was asking. Did Drake touch where he’d touched. Had Drake had her in all the ways Safaree did. He was staring at her, and she wondered what he was thinking.

“Yes…but only” Before she could finish his feet were forcing his body to the door.

“At least let me explain!”

He became rooted in place, needing to hear the whole story, needing assurance that she was still his and she was not falling for Drake. He waited.

“I'm  in such a crazy position Safaree. We’ve been through so much lately, and the one night we went out and had fun you had to mess it up. You think it was easy for me to watch you leave? No, it hurt.”

An apologetic frown pulled at the corners of his mouth.

“When I got home Drake called me and I couldn’t talk. He heard me crying and came over. He layed next to me in the bed and held me for a while and while I slept. Then…” She trailed off. With an idea of what she would say next he stood still, watching her with a dazed horror waiting for her to continue.

“Then…He kissed me” Silence. “And I...kissed him back.” Her voice sounded like a criminal on the stand.

SB was in disbelief, his heart began drifting further and further away with every word spoken.

“We watched TV and layed together…I tried to get up and he pulled me on top of him.” She sighed heavily. 

“He felt up my thighs and started to take my shirt...”  She couldn't finish. SB’s face crumpled.

“He pulled me down, when I went to get up. And then you walked in.”

SB said nothing nor moved an inch. Nic reached for him holding his hands. His mind slowly recovered from shock feeling cold and betrayed. He stood silent, blinking slowly. Her stomach clenched and unclenched in need of a response. His disconnection scared her severely.

Unable to wait another minute she stood on her toes and cupped her palms over his temples forcing his attention on her face.

“Safaree” She whispered. “What are you thinking?”

Without saying a word he grabbed her hands, gently removing them from his face. Her arms fell as disappointment crashed through her. At least of he was spazzing it would be clear that he was upset; that he cared. But his face was now a hard mask, blank. Her pleading eyes begged for some sort of indication. She just needed to know that he still cared, that she hadn’t pushed him too far. But despite everything he had to fight himself to resist her touch, her words, she was still the only one who altered the steady beat of his heart anyway she wanted. He was as desperate as she looked to have her back, but just couldn’t deal with so much at one time. It was understood why she did what she did, he just couldn’t believe that she actually did it.

“Please say something.” She fought to keep her hands at her sides, tempted to embrace him, to wipe that pained contorted expression from his face.

“What do you want me to say?” This was the first time he’d spoken in over a half hour. His robotic voice spewed through the living room, eyes closing defeated.

“Tell me you forgive me”

“I’m sorry…I can’t.” A lone sob escaped her as a high voltage of rejection and anguish slid down her spine. Her cry repeatedly rang in his head, guilt raged through his body making his stomach turn. He peered down at her.

“But…I’ll always love you no matter what.”

“He’s leaving me” chanted in her mind. The thought was unbearable. Her lone sobs were now not so lonely.

“Imma go” was all he could get out as he slogged toward the door, needing to get away before he lost it. At this point time was SB’s best friend. It’s what was needed.

"I’m sorry...please don't go safaree...please...don’t leave me” Her body wobbled uncontrollably, while she gripped him for dear life. “It was nothing. I promise.”

“You don’t seem so sure” He countered before trudging down the hall. Her knees buckled, she clung to the doorframe for support. Safaree knew how she felt about him, but he also knew that she loved Drake as well; maybe not as much as she loved him but enough to question herself. It wasn’t her fault that she felt that way; it isn’t uncommon for a woman to be torn between two men. Though he was no longer confident about his place in her heart, he’d find out soon where he stood. It hurt him deeply to leave for her sake as well as his; but time and space was key to possibly getting back on track. Being in each other’s faces at a time like this would only end badly. She needed to figure some things out and he sadly but openly left to allow this to happen. The vision of the two intertwined on the couch resurfaced in his clouded mind, slowing his heartbeat to a contained weep. In the parking garage the sparkling lambo smiled, waiting to be driven. SB grudgingly flopped into the car, rolling the windows down and driving away into the stubborn waking sun.

On the end table the little blackberry vibrated insistently.

“Nicki I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” Drake’s tone was nothing less than sincere.

“Get off my phone Aubrey” She managed through her teeth. On the other end he was in shock that she’d addressed him by his real name in such a harsh manner. She had every reason to be upset and this was obvious.

“Listen I know you’re upset, but if you need me to…”

“I don’t need you for anything. I've never needed you" She spat before hanging up, slamming the phone on the night stand, and retreating into her bed laying on “his” side.

~TBC~