I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I didn’t like the way the air shifted in the room. It was uncomfortable and for some reason I felt like I was the third wheel, intruding on something private.
“Should we get to the meeting?” I interrupted their stare off after a while, unable to handle the way she boldly eye fucked him. I pushed back my chair and took a seat.
“Right, take a seat.” She grinned, sitting down, her eyes still locked on Creed.
I bit the inside of my cheek as she began speaking. I tried to focus on what she was saying but it was hard. Every so often her eyes would travel to Creed. He was on his phone for most of the meeting. I didn’t know if it was intentional so he could avoid the awkwardness or what.
Dedra was nice, she was good at her job, highly sought out and expensive. Typically I enjoyed meeting with her but right now I was counting the minutes until it was over.
“I just need a signature here and here and we’re all set,” Dedra said.
I signed where needed then stood so we could leave. “Come, Bella,” I called out, causing her head to pop up.
“Creed, can I talk to you for a moment?” Dedra asked, flashing a sultry grin at him. I studied Dedra, the way she was looking at Creed and saying his name was so familiar. I thought for a second, wondering how they could know each other. It took a few seconds but suddenly it felt as if I was hit in the gut as the realization came to me. Dedra was the same color as the girl I had watched Creed with. The girl had locs like Dedra too. My stomach sank.
Was she the same girl he was with that night?
Dedra didn’t even wait until I was out of the room to walk around the desk. She leaned down and whispered into Creed’s ear.
I cleared my throat. “Can I have the keys so I can go to the car?”
Creed looked back at me. He narrowed his eyes before his face went slack. “We gotta get those groceries home,” he said, speaking for the first time since we sat down.
He stood up, causing Dedra to step back. “I can take you home if you want. This was my last meeting of the day.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and crossed my arms over my chest. There was no reason for me to feel jealous. I had no claims to Creed. I had already turned him down, but I hated seeing how Dedra practically eye fucked him.
“Nah, I’ma leave with Nakyra, but I’ll hit you up later,” he told her.
My lips tucked into my mouth.
“Okay.” She stepped forward again and leaned up so her mouth was close to his ear. I couldn’t hear what she was saying but it was clear it was something that appealed to Creed.
I left the office before Creed, not wanting to see them interact anymore. It didn’t take long for Creed to follow me. We didn’t speak, and when we got to the car, he opened the door for me after I got Bella into the car.
I shouldn’t be upset. I tried to lose my attitude, but the tugging feeling in my chest refused to go away, thinking about Dedra experiencing Creed in ways I never would.
____
“I’m telling you guys he’s sleeping with her!” I complained to Summer and Camilla as we sat in my living room. Creed was again gone and I figured he would be until much later, just like he had been for the past few days.
“I’m confused on why it matters though? Didn’t you say you turned him down?” Camilla asked while texting on her phone.
“Only because it would be wrong for the two of us to get together.” My teeth sank into my bottom lip. I hadn’t been able to get the thought of Dedra and Creed out of my mind. He had come home and showered, then left shortly after. The dinner I planned to cook quickly became an afterthought. The moment he was gone I called the girls over, needing to vent.
“You like him, don’t you? More than you want to admit?” Summer asked. I gave her my full attention. She stared at me with a blank expression, waiting for me to answer.
Fumbling with my hands, I licked my lips as my heart slammed against my ribcage. “I don’t even know when it happened.” I choked out a laugh. “The more time we spent together, the more I found myself liking him. I keep telling myself it’s nothing, but today… seeing him with that girl.” My hands balled into fists. “I don’t remember ever feeling like this.”
“Creed’s a great guy. I’m not shocked you fell for him, babe,” Camilla said.
“And I know you might feel guilty about it and it may be wrong to some people, but you can’t help who the heart wants.”
Sighing, I stared down at my hands. “So what should I do?” I signed, looking between them.
“Be honest with him,” Summer said. “I mean you said he admitted to having feelings for you too, right?”
“But what about Rome?”
