Drunk in Love 2: An Original Love Story (12 page)

“Next time I need to be more prepared.” Zoe stated, thinking that Dillon had certainly put the beat down on her and what a good beat down it was.

Dillon lay down behind her. “Do you think we should tell Zay and Olivia?”

“Nope,” Zoe quickly responded, not ready to talk about being with another man just yet and especially being that the other man was him.

“Okay,” Dillon said as he leaned over and kissed her on the back of the neck. He definitely liked her so he didn’t mind playing by her rules. If she wanted to keep quiet about their relationship then he certainly would oblige.

__________

Mark sat in the driveway thinking long and hard about letting go of his marriage. He didn’t want to, but the way Zoe was talking to him made him think that Olivia had already made up her mind about it. After hanging up, he forced himself to get out of bed and take a good long, hot shower. He hadn’t washed in a couple of days and it felt good. It seemed like something that he needed. As the hot water washed down his spine, he thought about Olivia. He wished he could hear her voice and just apologize. He loved her more than he ever thought he could and never did he imagine losing her.

He picked up his phone and messaged Zoe.

Please give me your sister’s number. I just want to talk with her. Mark

He sat there for about ten minutes waiting for a response as the sweet sounds of Sade only made him feel worse. The pouring rain drummed against the car adding to the lonesome feeling he had. He looked down at his phone. Zoe hadn’t responded yet, so he sent another text message.

Would you give her this number and tell her to call me. Please, it’s very important that I speak with her. I love her. She’s gotta know that. Mark

For another ten minutes there was no response.
Zoe please hit me back.
He thought as he sat there contemplating if he should get out and make a run for the door. A text message alert chirped in the background, causing him to smile as he picked up his phone. Quickly he opened up the envelope to read the message.

What are you doing? Felisha

Mark’s happy expression quickly turned sour. It wasn’t that he was disappointed to see that the message was from Felisha, but because it wasn’t from Zoe giving him good news about his wife. He stared out the window feeling a tear that wanted to fall from his eye. Blinking his eyes, he held it back. His heart was broken even though he was the cause of it. He felt bad and didn’t understand why the flesh could be so weak. For years he hadn’t looked at Felisha in that way. He’d programmed his mind that he didn’t want her, simply because he didn’t. He only loved his wife, but Felisha had become the mother of his kid. A child he never expected to have, but loved him very much, anyway. Lil Romeo was indeed his son and he didn’t treat him any different. The only thing was that Lil Romeo called him Mark instead of daddy. He’d rather him use his real name instead of calling him something he wasn’t to him. He and Olivia played house almost every weekend, keeping him. He was like the son they never had.

An alert came through on Mark’s phone, indicating that he’d gotten another text message. He anxiously looked down at his phone again, noticing that another fifteen minutes had passed by quickly while he was deep in thought.

Please, let this be O’.
He thought, opening up the envelope on the phone.

What are you doing? Felisha

Seeing another message from Felisha snapped him back to reality. Zoe wasn’t going to respond and neither was Olivia.

Knowing Zoe, she probably didn’t even tell her,
he thought. He pulled down the visor and checked his face in the mirror. Even though he could tell his face had slimmed off, his fresh shave and haircut did him some justice. He might not have felt like Mark, but he was now looking back like Mark and that’s all he needed to feel a little better about himself.

Since the rain didn’t seem like it was going to slack up and the text he wanted hadn’t come through, he jumped out of the car and ran for the door. No sooner than he could get there, the door opened.

“What was taking you so long? I thought you were going to leave.” Felisha said, as Mark walked inside her house brushing the rain off his clothes. She shook her head, feeling good to see that he’d cleaned himself up. Even if he didn’t want her, she still wanted the best for him. “You look better.”

“Thanks,” he said as Lil Romeo shot around the corner.

“MAAAARK!” he called out, running into Mark’s arms.

Felisha smiled. “I told you that Mark was coming over to tuck you in since tee-tee is out of town handling business.”

“Hey buddy.” Mark said, already feeling one hundred percent better. He kissed Lil Romeo on the forehead as a smiled spread across his face. Seeing his son always made his day.

“Glad you came. He’s been asking about tee-tee, because he hears from her almost every day and she hasn’t called him in a few days.”

“No problem,” Mark said looking from Felisha then back to Lil Romeo. “Tee-tee is fine, buddy. I know you miss her, but when I talk to her I’ll make sure she calls you.”

“Okay,” his innocent voice responded. “Tell her I love her like craaaaazy, too.” He said with a big smile on his face.

Felisha looked like she wanted to cry. It broke her heart that so much betrayal was going on right under his little nose, yet he knew nothing about it. The only thing she ever hoped was that he’d never have to suffer because of her poor decisions.

“She knows, but I’ll tell her anyway. Now come on and let me tuck you in.” He said as he and Lil Romeo disappeared down the hall.    

Chapter 10

Olivia woke up then rolled over with a long stretch and a yawn. The next morning had come quickly and she’d found herself still hung over from watching Zay leave her to return back to the states a few hours prior. Her heart ached for wanting to be with him, but wanting to do what was right was taking over. She looked over on the nightstand and grabbed her phone. She’d turned it off so she could enjoy her last moments with Zay until he boarded his flight to go back home.

The phone turned on with just a press of her finger on the cellular’s screen. As it powered up, thoughts about her conversation with Zay continued to play in her head. He was right about a lot of things and she understood why he wanted to protect his feelings. She had to get herself together. Her business wasn’t going to run itself nor could she afford to be out of the loop much longer. She’d gotten caught up in her feelings, but the time she needed to clear her thoughts was over. It was time for her to face her issues head on and book the first flight out.

Three beeps sounded off on her phone indicating that she’d gotten three text messages. She opened up the envelope to see that the first text message was from Zoe.

Hey Sis. I’ve tried to call you twice already. Now, I’m figuring that your phone is off since you have company. Anyway, I think it would be wise for you to call mom and talk with her. She’s worried sick. I know she works our nerves, but you know she’ll be the first to have our backs. Don’t make her suffer like that. Call her please. Zoe

Mom always has a way of getting under your skin, Zoe.
Olivia thought, feeling like Zoe was always the weakest link. “But, I’ll call her.” She said going to the next message which was also from Zoe. She pressed on the message and started reading it.

Hey Sis. I wish you’d turn that phone on. Anyways, Mark called. He really misses you and says that you need to call him ASAP. His number is 706-555-6869. I hate what he did to you, but maybe you shouldn’t walk away from your marriage so quickly. Okay well, I love you. Call me when you turn this phone on. Zoe

“Zoe, when did you become Dr. Phil?” Olivia questioned with a shake of the head. She strolled down to the next message and it was from Zay. It was a bitter, sweet smile on her face as she read it.

Hey love. I know I’ve only been gone a couple of hours, but I miss you already. I want you to know that whatever you do or don’t do that I’ll always be here for you. We’ve become close for a reason and even if we end up being just friends, I want you to be happy and okay. Call me whenever you’ve had time to clear your thoughts.

Olivia wiped the tears from her eyes. She was hurt, but she had to set him free so she could take her vows more seriously. If her marriage had a chance at working, she had to at least put in more effort. She strolled back up through her messages, stopping at the one that Zoe had left with Mark’s number. Three seconds later, his phone was ringing.

__________

Mark leaned over on the nightstand and picked up his ringing cell phone. He looked at the caller ID not recognizing the number, but he answered it anyway.

“Hello,” he said in a raspy, heavy tone. Nothing was heard on the other end. “Hello,” Mark spoke again.

“Uh hey,” Olivia spoke. Instantly hearing his voice caused her stomach to turn. Deep down she loved Mark, but it was so much missing in their relationship. Trust now being at the top of their list.

Mark was quiet for a moment. He rubbed his eyes like hearing her voice was part of a sick dream. “Hello,” he said.

“Baby, it’s me.” Olivia said.

Mark sat straight up in the bed. Just hearing her say
baby
gave him a glimmer of hope. “Hey baby,” he spoke back, trying to clear his throat. “How are you? I’ve been worried sick.”

“I’m good. I’ve just been clearing my mind and trying to unravel some things.” Olivia responded.

“How is that coming along?” Mark asked, hoping that this is when he’d get the good news that she wasn’t leaving him.

“I’ve come up with only one thing and it’s that I don’t want to give up on our marriage just yet. I mean, I’d like to at least give it a chance.” She said to his surprise.

“I promise to not let you down. I love you.” He said.

“Don’t think that things will be like they used to be. Not just yet, because it’s so much that I have to process. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time and see where this will lead us.”

“I understand,” Mark said.

“I take my vows serious and somehow if our marriage has a chance then I need to put forth an effort to at least try.”

“I’m glad that you decided that. I won’t let you down.” Mark said.

“I hope not,” Olivia said. “Whatever happened in the past, we’ll need to leave it there if this is going to work.”

“I know. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make us work. I just needed to hear that you hadn’t given up on me.”

“I wanted to, but I can’t.” She said then cleared her throat like she wanted to say more, but didn’t know how to proceed. “Uh,” she said then thought.
Fuck it.
“You said that you and Felisha only slept together once, right?”

“Yeah,” Mark lied. He knew that if he was honest his marriage was sure to be over; no ands, if’s or buts about it. “It only happened once. I don’t know what got into me. I don’t believe she even knows what got into her. It just happened. It was quick and it just happened. I can’t apologize enough. I know it was wrong, but if I have to spend the rest of my life making it up to you, I will.” He sincerely said.

Olivia sat quiet for about a minute before responding. “We’ll both have to make some things up to each other.” She said, feeling bad that she wasn’t the ideal wife herself. “I’ll be home some time tonight.”

Mark smiled from ear to ear. “I can’t wait to see you,” he said, not caring where she was as long as she’d said that she was returning home. “I’ve been staying in a hotel room, but we can look for an apartment or something quick until we find another house.”

“Yeah, we’ll think of something.” Olivia responded, having second thoughts and jitters all of a sudden.

“Baby,” Mark called out. “I know you may not want to hear this, but please call Felisha. Y’all have to talk about this at some point.”

“I don’t know if I’m ready,” Olivia stated.

“Don’t forget about Lil Romeo.”

“I haven’t,” Olivia said. She couldn’t forget about him. He was like her baby. She was there when he was born and she’d always made it her business to try and get him on most weekends. He literally looked to her like a second mother. Half the shit he had was because of her and Mark. She felt bad thinking that she’d neglected him because of the foolishness her husband and best friend had started, but it wasn’t his fault that they fucked each other.

“You there?” Mark questioned since Olivia had gotten quiet.

“Yeah, I’m here. I was just thinking a little.” She responded with a deep sigh. “Look, I’m gonna get off this phone so I can get my flight booked and head back home. Did you check on the salon?”

“Honestly I didn’t since calling the first day you were gone and finding out that Mama Jackson had made herself at home inside your office until you returned.

“Yeah, I heard about it, but Zoe messaged me to remind me so that I’ll call and talk to her.”

“Are you going to tell them about us, about what happened?” he pondered.

“I don’t know,” Olivia said. “I don’t’ even want to think about it right now to be honest.”

“I understand,” Mark said. “Well, handle your business and call me as soon as you make it back here.”

“I will,” she responded.

“Hey,” Mark called out. “I love you.”

“Okay,” Olivia said and with that, she hung up. Just because she’d decided to stay with him didn’t mean it was going to be easy. He had certainly better know that he was going to have to work hard to get back in there good.

__________

Mark felt good to know that his wife was returning home. He looked over to the right of him and again felt like shit that this had happened again.

“So, she’s coming back and I’m once again left alone.” Felisha stated with a roll of the eyes.

“Please don’t start this shit.” Mark said. “I didn’t know what O’ was going to do. I thought she’d left me for good.”

“Well, now that she hasn’t.”

“I’m leaving,” Mark said and quickly got out of Felisha’s bed. “I need to be gone before Lil Romeo wakes up, anyway.” He put his shirt on. “I think you need to make peace with Olivia. She is the majority holder in your nail salon, she looks out for Lil Romeo like he’s her own, and she has been nothing but a good friend to you.” He slipped on his pants. “You should forget about me and what we had. This was the last time. It can’t happen no more.” He slipped on his socks then his shoes.