Misery No Company
One month later…
It had been thirty days. Thirty days of no affection. Thirty days of one-worded answers. A month of no sex. 730 hours of no real connection with her husband, and Bria was over it. Lo had given her a preview of their marriage before they saidI dobut she had no idea that it would get this bleak in the Crown household. They came and went like strangers. Bria tried sharing conversations with Lo, but she couldn’t get anything out of him. Frustration had become an uninvited guest in her marriage. She craved more but Lo was so shielded that she felt like an outsider in her own home.
The house, though. It was something out of a brochure. The day after the wedding, Lo took her to their new residence that sat on a hill overlooking the ocean. The beatific views were a great tradeoff for her lackluster marriage. Lo had downplayed the house when he initially told her about it. He made it seem like it was a one-bedroom shack when it was more than that. It had five bedrooms, six bathrooms with a gym, sauna, and open-floor kitchen. There was soon to be a dance studio for Bria once the contractors were finished renovating it.
Everything about the house was perfect but the union that dwelled there was uninspiring. Bria possessed this wishful idea that they could grow closer. She envisioned them having long talks at night and her waking up to cook him breakfast. Her actual reality was an empty bed at night and sometimes inthe morning. Lo was always gone. He rarely spent time with her and the only time she heard from him was when he sent herYou straight?text messages.
Granted, it had only been a month, but Bria was exhausted with the course of her marriage. She wanted the GPS to lead Lo to her so they could form a bond. However, he had his own map, and she obviously wasn’t one of his destinations.
“One more set,” she whispered, picking up the twenty pound weights and squatting.
Fitness had become an escape along with dancing. Seeing that Lo wasn’t going to invest any time with Bria, she had submerged herself in work. She had a ballet performance in Miami the following day. It was a solo act, so Bria wanted to make sure she had the endurance to kill it. Training and working out had been her routine for the last month. It was a great distraction from what wasn’t transpiring in her life and that was Lo.
Once Bria finished her workout, she glanced at her Apple Watch and saw a text from her sister.
Cali: Drinks at Liqarish?
Her sister always had perfect timing. She instantly replied yes and headed upstairs to the bedroom. Entering into the bathroom, Bria showered then walked into her massive closet. Lo had his own and she had hers. Bria grabbed a little black dress that had a peek-a-boo cutoff at the breast area. Her shoes were high, black stilettos with a gold bracelet, her wedding ring, and a high ponytail. Bria applied her makeup and completed it with a pink, glossy lip.
She was shocked when she heard the heavy footsteps of Lo in the bedroom. She didn’t see him much during the day and sometimes at night. Grabbing her clutch, she inhaled a deep breath before stepping out of the closet. When Bria’s gaze landed on Lo, she sucked in a deep breath. He had just come from thebarbershop. She could tell by his crisp lining and sharp beard. He even smelled like the scent all men inherited once they visited the barbershop. Everything about him was so attractive to her. From his towering six-foot-three frame down to his thick calves that she desperately wanted to rub.
Lo stood in front of the mirror, brushing his hair. When he turned to her, he studied her with the eyes of a professor. Bria couldn’t tell if he liked what he saw or not. That’s how hard it was to read him. He was a closed book; one that she would never be able to finish reading because it was too much of a slow burn. Bria continued her quest to get the hell out of there. She couldn’t even get a ‘you look good’from Lo. It broke her heart every time he didn’t connect with her emotionally.
“Where you going?” he asked, peering at her through the mirror.
“Out.” She kept it short, trying her best to hide her attitude.
“Out where?”
“Out, Lo,” she hissed, facing him. “Why do you care? You don't tell me where you're going.”
Still brushing his hair, he asked, “Are you my protector or am I yours?”
“Oh, I didn’t know you were protecting me.”
His eyes narrowed as he put the brush down. Slowly, he turned to her, peering at her so intensely that goosebumps embellished her skin.
“You got beef with me?”
Yes, I have big beef with your inconsiderate, emotionally-unavailable ass…
Mentally, Bria couldn’t handle an argument with Lo. She just wanted to leave her misery and get some relief from this overly complicated man she was married to.
“I don't have anything. I just want to leave.”
Lo turned back around. “You can leave when you tell me where you’re going.”
Smacking her lips, Bria walked out the room, refusing to divulge any information to him. How could he demand her whereabouts when he barely connected with her emotionally? He had no right, morally. Yes, he was her husband, but that seemed as if it was only valid on paper. A husband didn’t ignore his wife then command that she inform him of her locations. If Lo didn’t want to let her in, she would follow his lead and do the same.
Arriving on the lower level, Bria headed toward the garage. Opening the door, she got inside her AMG Benz and pressed the button to lift the garage door.
“What the hell?” she whispered, pressing it again.
For some reason, the door didn’t lift. So, she got out of the car, walked to the other side of the garage, and pressed the button. When it didn’t lift, she walked back to her car and pressed it again.
“Come on,” she complained, walking back inside the house.
