James.The night was supposed to be perfect, but once again, my ignorant ex-wife ruined it. It seemed, no matter what I tried to do with Becca, Allison couldn't get it through her head that I was happy and didn't want her.After years of not dealing with her, the first time I take an interest in a woman like this, she acts out. Sitting in my office at my house, I chased back another glass of whiskey and looked at the clock. It was close to 6:00 in the morning, and I still hadn't found the courage to go see Becca. I should have followed her last night, but I couldn't. Becca was angry, and she had every right to be. One thing I had learned, though, is when a woman is angry, it's better to give her space to calm down instead of constantly giving her something to be pissed off about.So here I sat. Staring at this stupid f*cking photo on the wall in my office. I wasn't sure why I bought it. It was gloomy and depressing, or at least I thought so.Everything about its dark shad
There is no time like the present to change the path of your future. For if we live in the past too long, we get caught up in what could have been instead of setting forth what can be. I didn't think I would be able to get past what had happened, but as always, Allegra was able to get me through it all. She distracted my mind so I wasn't sitting around, thinking about how what I desired to have with James could never happen."What do you think about these sandals?" Allegra asked as I looked through an array of sunglasses in a shop near the beach. Turning to her, I tilted my head a bit as I stared down at her feet."Those are actually really cute." "I thought so too," She muttered before pulling her wallet from her purse and handing the cashier money. "I'm getting them."Looking around further, I tried to see if there was anything I could find I might enjoy. However, the more I looked, the more everything seemed to remind me of James."Becca, shall we all go get lunch?" Ne
Becca.Four days passed without another word from James. Our conversation weighed on my mind a lot, but I found myself busy doing other things to keep myself preoccupied, whether it was enjoying drinks and dinner with Allegra and Neal or simply even just taking time for myself.I had wondered if Miami was going to leave a nasty taste in my mouth, but in reality, it wasn't. I simply had been too caught up in bullshit to have fun.Walking down to the cafe near the apartment building, I looked forward to the breakfast tea latte they offered and a blueberry muffin. I was an addict for caffeine, and considering I had been so preoccupied lately, my recurring headaches ended up resulting from no caffeine. Something I would make up for by the cup full–or twenty.As the door chimed, I walked in to spot the usual bright, cheerful barista. "Becca… your usual sweetie?" she asked with a smile."Yes," I laughed. "Am I that obvious?""Oh, sweetie, you are the only person I know that
Waking up early, I set out to take care of the only thing I had planned for the day. Tally said she wanted to talk, and I was determined to suck it up and go with the flow. Who knows, maybe it would be a positive thing?"Alright guys, I'm heading out," I called out to Allegra and Neal who stood in the kitchen."Oh, are we going to war already?" Neal laughed, causing Allegra to smack his shoulder, shaking her head at him."Sometimes I wonder what he is on. Have fun, sweetie. If you need me, just call.""Thanks." I smiled and waved to them.It was funny how motherly she could be, and it did warm my heart to know that she cared the way she did. Even after everything we had been through.Heading out onto the street, I looked down the way for a passing taxi and held up my hand to flag it. Its yellow color quickly pulled up in front of me, and without hesitation, I climbed in.I told him, "Take me to 3204 Sunset Boulevard please." The driver didn't bother to say anything as
James.The moment I received the text from Becca, my chest squeezed with the idea that something was wrong. We hadn't spoken in a few days, but that didn't change the fact that I cared for her. I had been doing exactly what she asked me to do. I was sorting out the issues with Allison. Becca had been right when she told me I needed to sort my ex out. Allison had been nothing but a complication for Becca and I. I couldn't believe it took me being on the verge of losing Becca for good to realize I didn't want to.I couldn't lose her. The thought of it was too much to bear.Pulling up to the house, I made my way inside and to my office. I had a virtual meeting I was to attend, and only a few minutes to prepare for it.That was, until I got the text from Evette that the client was going to have to cancel."Shit. Of course, they are." The client was more than annoying, and if I couldn't get them to agree to the deal I had provided, it was going to complicate things furthe
Becca.Leaving James' house the way I did was harder than I had expected it to be. There was a point in my life when I would have done anything to keep the person I loved, and I realized with Chad it wasn't a healthy place to be. With all the twisted games these people had me playing, I had finally reached a breaking point, and no matter what shit they tried to tell me, I would not do it anymore.Did I love him? I think I did, but is love a good enough reason to mentally exhaust myself to the point of seeking some falsified sense of security?To me it wasn't, and as I found my way back to Allegra's, I knew what I had to do.I had to get out of Miami and its toxic environment.Nothing about this place screamed happy memories. Instead, it was nothing but utter chaos and great sex. Something I'm sure I could find anywhere else.Opening Allegra's door, I walked in to find Neal standing in the entryway staring at me with wide eyes. I had forgotten he was leaving tonight, and
Becca.As the plane took off from the airport, I tried to come to terms with what I had done. I was leaving Miami with Neal and headed back north to the lands I knew. It was disheartening to know things had gone as bad as they did, but I accepted it.Glancing over at Neal, I saw that he was busy typing away on the laptop in front of him. The man had been on one business call after another, and it reminded me that just because someone has money that doesn't mean they don't work for it.Like James, Neal was a busy, successful proprietor.It now made sense why he said he didn't want to leave his partner when he had to go off to another location. He wants to be part of the relationship and not constantly away. Which was sweet, but seemed lonely."Thank you for letting me catch a ride."Looking up at me, he smiled. "You don't have to thank me. I'm more than happy to help you out.""Why though? I mean, you barely know me."Neal looked at me for a moment, as if contemplating w
A few days later, I felt much better than I had when I left Miami. Neal was far wealthier than I realized, and when he brought me to his place, it all but took my breath away. Tall vaulted ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, exotic plants… The list continued with no end to the lavish things he had in his upscale New York penthouse apartment. It was his pride and joy though, and when he first showed it to me, his eyes lit up.I had forgotten how much I missed New York until I was back home. Now, I enjoyed the South. The only problem was you still had to drive everywhere for everything. Being in New York City, I didn't have to.I could simply walk out of the building down to the bodega to grab something if I wanted, or even grab something to eat at one of the vendors on the corner. You never really know how much you miss something until it is no longer available to you.Slipping on my tennis shoes, I made my way from Neal's apartment, heading to the bodega to grab a drink