His body tensed as he fought the urge to run over and lift her into his arms. To hold her tight and kiss away the sorrow in the depths of her eyes.
After she left, the apartment became extra quiet. Being there alone was so much different than it used to be. He used to welcome time alone. Now, he avoided it because he craved the interaction with Tamika. She brightened his day. She made him laugh.
Anton trudged over to the nightstand on his side of the bed and reached in the back. He removed a black velvet box and lifted the lid. They’d never gone ring shopping together, but he’d gone alone. The day she miscarried, he’d planned to ask her to marry him at the Sun Dial, since he’d secretly purchased this ring a few days before. He’d told the jeweler he wanted a ring that was big, bold, and sparkled like her personality. She’d recommended this oval halo diamond ring with a pave setting. It was perfect for Tamika.
He set down the box, dropped onto the mattress, and buried his face in his hands. He didn’t want to be here at home, alone, thinking about everything they had lost, barely able to breathe, as if his chest had caved in on him.
He may not understand the emptiness inside Tamika, but there was an emptiness inside of him, too. He’d been looking forward to their baby. His parents had been excited. He’d thought about buying a house, a major decision he hadn’t considered before all of this happened. He was ready to get married and build a family with her and had already inquired at work about taking leave when the baby was born so he could spend time with him or her and Tamika. He was actually ready to be a dad, and no one was more surprised than he was.
When his brother died, he’d stifled the pain, pushing it down for years. He’d hardly talked about his brother’s death with anyone for years. Thanks to Tamika, he learned that wasn’t the best decision and opened up, talking more often about Ricky and their childhood, sharing the good times and sad times and times in between.
Now that he’d suffered another loss, he wanted to talk. He needed to. He needed Tamika.
But she wasn’t here for him to talk to.
“Hey, I’m back,”Layla called from the front, “and I brought Elijah with me.”
“I’m in the kitchen,” Tamika called out.
Both Elijah and Layla came to the open kitchen.
“Hi, Elijah.”
“Hi, Tamika.”
Elijah had dark skin and wore his loosely curled hair in a low fade. At first, Tamika thought he was too slick and reminded her of Layla’s ex, Rashad—a smooth-talking playboy who broke her heart. But Layla’s relationship with Elijah continued to blossom, and she generally seemed content, so Tamika dismissed her own reservations and concentrated on being happy for her friend.
“I stopped in to get some clothes,” Layla explained.
“You guys hungry? I made breakfast for dinner. Pancakes, sausage, and eggs.” Tamika used the spatula to point at the sausage and pancakes on the counter. She was in the process of scrambling eggs to go with the meal.
“Were you planning to feed an army?” Elijah asked, gaze on the plates of food.
Tamika laughed. “No, smarty pants. But I figured I’d make enough to have breakfast for a couple of days, too.”
If she were still at the apartment with Anton, he’d help her eat all this food. She’d be lucky to have any left for breakfast in the morning.
“We’re going out to eat. Want to join us?” Layla asked.
Tamika shook her head and wrinkled her nose. “And be a third wheel? No, thanks.”
“You won’t be a third wheel, and you’re welcome to come, if you like. My treat,” Elijah said. Then he disappeared from the doorway, leaving Layla and Tamika alone.
“He’s a good guy,” Tamika remarked. She’d had her doubts before, but maybe he wasn’t so bad.
“Mhmm.” Layla came over and leaned her hip against the counter. “Have you talked toyourgood guy today?”
“No, I haven’t. But I will.” She stirred the eggs.
“You need to call him, Tamika.”
“I will, I promise. Not right now, though.”
Layla fell silent. Then she leaned in. “You want to go out? I can ditch Elijah and we can go do something.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t like you being here alone. Let’s go to dinner or something.”
