36

Janet

My phone ringing woke me up and I looked at it and saw that it was Tika calling me.

I looked over at Beth who hadn't stirred from my phones vibrating. It was 5 in the morning. What did she want?!

I got out of the bed and answered the phone as I walked out of our bedroom and down the stairs.

"Hello?"

"Janet." Tika sounded as if she was crying. "I need to talk to you."

"Tika what's wrong?"

"Please can you come over? I need to talk to you." She was practically begging me.

"Tika, it's late and Bethany will kill me."

"Janet I wouldn't be asking if I just didn't need to talk. Please."

I sighed as I thought it over. "Fine, same place?"

"Yeah."

"Give me 15." I told her as I hung up and paced my living room.

Nothing would happen. I would be back before Bethany woke up and everything would be alright.

We had just got on good terms and I didn't want to mess that up, but Tika knew she had a soft spot in my heart.

Making my decision, I walked up the stairs quietly and walked into our bedroom. Beth was still sleep and I went into my draw and pulled out a pair of my sweats.

I threw them on and headed out the door as I grabbed my keys off the kitchen bar.

Getting in my car, I started it and drove to Tikas place.

When I made it there, I saw all lights were on in the house. I checked my phone to see if Beth had texted me, she hadn't.

No lie, I was nervous. More so scared, but definitely nervous.

Getting out the car, I didn't even have to knock because Tika was already at the door.

She opened it and pulled me into a hug as she busted into tears.

"Tika whats wrong?" I asked as I hugged her back. She didn't reply and I asked more urgently. "Tika, what happened?"

"The baby's dead Janet." Tika mumbled softly as she let go of the embrace we shared.

My eyes swiped over her face, and I knew that she was serious. "What happened?"

Tika turned away from me and walked towards her kitchen as she responded. "James is what happened."

I closed her door quickly as I followed her to the kitchen. "What do you mean James happened?"

"He was fighting some man shit face drunk, and when I broke it up he hit my stomach on accident. Next thing I knew, I was bleeding out at work." Her voice was broken and I knew that she wasn't dealing with this one well. "This was my one chance of raising a life again. I was going to start new. Fresh."

"Tika, I'm so sorry." I told her honestly as I watched her movements. She grabbed at a bottle of liquor.

"I'll be fine." She poured a glass and on instinct I took it from her. She glared at me. "Don't start this."

"Drinking your way back into the AA meetings is not the way of getting through this. You need to talk. You can't numb your way through life Tika."

She grabbed the bottle instead and shot it back. "Janet, I'm grown."

Walking around the bar, I poured the cup of alcohol out in the sink as I sat the cup in the sink.

Turning around to face her, I went around and tried to take the bottle out of her hand and she kept her grip. "Tika, let it go."

We went back and forth for a little bit before she yanked it harshly and I let the bottle go. It hit the floor and shattered and I stepped back.

Tika sighed. "Janet, why would you do that?"

"You want my help? Okay. You wanted to talk? This is what I have to say. You cannot and will not on my watch drink your self into oblivion. So stop Tika, just stop! You aren't doing nothing but the same thing you did when we were together."

"Okay?!"

"Okay and that's what ruined us!" I yelled out at her. Tika clenched her fists together. "You wanna punch something? It better be that damn wall next to you because we both know us fighting doesn't go well at all."

"Nothing goes right. Never. I'm not going to lie, I always thought that we would find our way back to each other, but you really love Bethany and it kills me inside. She does everything I could never do, including love you."

"You loved me Tika, we just lost each other that's all." I responded softly. "I never felt unloved, just felt replaced."

Tika looked up at me. "Do you still feel like that?"

"I mean yeah, you chose something over me. Of course I still feel replaced." This talk, unknown to Tika, was giving me all the closure I needed in this situation.

She walked up to me as she placed her hand on my cheek. "Let me fix that."

My face furrowed as Tika leaned in and we kissed. I pulled away first and put space in between us. "Tika, no. I have a girlfriend."

When I turned to walk away she grabbed my arm and spent me back around. "Well I guess you'll see her in the morning."

Tika's lips met mines again, and this time I knew it was no fighting it. The passion that built inside of me, maybe because she was all of my firsts.

Maybe because she knew she had a hold on me that only she could release.

As we kissed she groped my ass which caused me to moan into the kiss. I jumped as she caught me and I put my legs around her waist.

It was no going back now.

She walked me to the wall and pushed my body against it as we released from the kiss.

"You know you aren't going home tonight right?" She asked me to make sure I knew the extent of where this was going as she kissed on my neck.

"Tika, don't remind me." I told her breathlessly.

She slid her hand between my sweats and I groaned from the contact.

I rolled my eyes playfully when I saw her smirk. "I still know your body, I'm good, man I tell you."

"Shut-up." I warned her because every time she spoke it made me want to rush to my girlfriend.

She shrugged. "Alright, if you say so."

Without warning, two fingers entered me and I moaned out as I bit down on my bottom lip. She began moving in rhythm and it reminded me why it took so long for me to leave this woman.

My hips matched her fingers rotations as the moans that fell from my lips could no longer be sustained.

She bit down on my collarbone and I felt that familiar feeling building inside of me.

"Tika, don't stop—."

Tika tugged on my ear with her teeth as she whispered. "Cum for me Janet."

No other words were needed as I climaxed on her fingers. When she pulled them out, I whimpered from the loss of touch.

She let me down as our lips met again and I shook my head. "Fuck."

Tika backed up sensing I needed space. "You're about to leave huh?"

Nodding, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

I got into my car and hit the steering wheel. What the hell did I just allow to happen?

Driving back to my house, I realized I didn't feel anything.

Tika was good, but Bethany was just better.

When I made it back to my house, the sun was coming up.

I rushed into the house and closed the door quietly as I climbed the steps. My heart dropped when I opened my bedroom door and Beth was sitting on the edge of the bed with her phone in her hands.

"Morning." She told me lightly as she didn't look up.

"Let me explain." I tried to but completely fell short of an excuse.

"You sleep with her? Cause even if it wasn't obvious that you were at her house before, it became obvious when you left your fucking phone there!" Beth yelled suddenly and I jumped. "You know that bitch answered your phone and told me that my girlfriend had left this house at 5 in the morning to comfort her."

I touched my pockets for my phone and came up empty. Shit, I didn't even make it a hour with this secret.

"You never answered my question Damita." Beth muttered lowly as she finally looked at me. "Did you sleep with her?"

My words didn't form as my eyes immediately broke eye contact with Beth and fell to the floor.

Beth scoffed as she laughed. "That's fine. We're even. Cause I slept with April."

My head shot up as I looked at her crazily. "What?"

"You heard what I said. You sleep with Tika, well I slept with April. Even eh?"

I bit down on my tongue. I couldn't even begin to get mad at my girlfriend for doing the same thing that I had just done.

"When?"

"Does it matter?" She questioned me as she walked closer to me.

Nodding, I responded. "In my book, yes."

"So you did sleep with her?" Beth asked me again as she touched my shoulder. "Cause I know someone who needs comforting doesn't leave their bite marks on your shoulder."

"Beth I'm sorry." The tears began to fall as I looked up at my girlfriend.

"No, I need you to say it." Beth's eyes showed no remorse and her voice came out dry. "Say that you slept with her. Tell me that you slept with this woman, Janet. I need to hear you say it."

"Baby..." I trailed off.

My girlfriend shook her head. "Janet, why would you do this?"

"You slept with April."

"I didn't sleep with that woman. I just wanted you to look me in my eyes and tell me that you slept with Tika. After all the shit you've done to prove to me that you're over her, you go and do this shit?"

"I'm sorry." I tried to apologize but I knew it wouldn't help anything right now.

When I tried to wipe her tears that she let fall suddenly, she jerked away from me. "I don't want you to touch me right now. I don't want to be touched."

Instead of Beth leaving the house, she walked outside to our balcony and sat down.

I followed her outside and sat in the chair across from her.

After a while of watching the sun rise, Beth asked me. "Do you resent me because of all the lies I told you? Or is it the kiss with April?"

"I don't resent you."

Bethany looked at me as she questioned my motives. "So why'd you let that happen? Why'd you go over there and sleep with that bitch?"

"Maybe that needed to happen."

"What's that supposed to mean."

"Tika's always had this hold on me. This hold of possessiveness and I couldn't seem to shake it off, then you came along and I— I just fell for you. And earlier, I just let her words and touch get into my head." I explained, or at least tried to explain what happened.

"Do you still love her?"

I shook my head. "No."

"You want Tika back?"

"No, I just want you Beth. Nobody but you. I messed up, and I'm sorry about that. It won't happen again baby, I promise." I tried convincing my girlfriend.

Beth didn't verbally respond but instead came and laid on top of me. She sniffled a few times before mumbling. "I'll kill you and her if you do it again. I'm not playing Janet, one phone call. Literally. One fucking phone call."

I wrapped my arms around her waist as I nodded. "I know, it won't happen again."

Bethany wiped some more tears. "You owe me something. I don't know what, I don't care what. I just know my feelings are really hurt."

"Okay. Why didn't you leave? You usually— well we both usually run out of this house halfway through an argument."

"I tried to do that before, you followed me to the car. So I'm over walking away from conversations." Beth sighed and got up. "Go shower, I smell her on you and it's making me want to fight."

I knew she felt some type of way but wasn't really telling me. Yet, I didn't know how to bring it up.

Instead of trying to talk about it more, I got up and walked into the restroom and started the shower water.

Did she really just let this situation slide?

___

Updates are going to come more frequently here guys, the last chapter will be 40, and more than likely, I am going to double update up until the 40th chapter. So, I'll see you guys latesssss, 37 will come later on tonight. 💙