“Fuuuuuuuuck!” Brendon said, banging his fists on the granite countertop of his kitchen island. The throbbing that shot through his hands and up his arms made him grit his teeth.
He’d received Crystal’s text message and despite her telling him not to contact her, he’d tried to call her anyway. When his call went to voicemail, he’d gone by her home, but no one was there. He’d tried calling Amethyst and Ruby again, but they didn’t know anything. It was too late to call Jade since she was on the other side of the world.
Brendon didn’t tell Ruby or Amethyst what happened, just that he and Crystal had a misunderstanding. They didn’t buy his excuse and Ruby tried to grill him like he was on the witness stand, but he stuck to what he said. They did have a misunderstanding, and he’d be damned if he explained himself to Crystal’s sisters before he explained everything to her.
He walked into his bedroom and headed for the bathroom to get some ibuprofen for his hands, which were on fire from him hitting the counter. Looking at himself in the mirror, he sagged against the large vanity. Popping the pills in his mouth, he swallowed them dry, grimacing at how difficult it was to choke the pills down.
Finished, he ran his hands down his face and hung his head between his arms, which were outstretched with his hands braced on the countertop. He’d royally fucked up. He should have told her about the pregnancy when it happened, but at the time, he hadn’t known how to feel about being told that he was losing the child he’d literally just found out about.
Brendon walked out of the bathroom and paced the length of his bedroom, his footfalls silent on the light carpet. How could he explain to Crystal if he couldn’t talk to her or find her? Never in their ten-year friendship had they ever been so mad at each other that they ignored phone calls and text messages.
He walked to the big picture window and glanced out into the dark, inky night. Silence surrounded him, but his mind continued to spin, emotions all over, but the dominating emotion was anger. He was upset with Crystal for walking out without giving him a chance to tell her why he’d kept the secret. He was angry at Eloise for barging back into his life and disrupting his euphoria. Mostly, he was mad at himself because had he told Crystal before now, they wouldn’t be separated.
The silence was interrupted by his phone ringing. He didn’t leap to answer, and in fact debated whether to pick up. LL Cool J’s “Around the Way Girl” didn’t blast from the phone, so he knew it wasn’t Crystal. Growling, he prowled over to the device, picking it up to press ignore when he saw Eloise’s name. Next, he blocked her number, not wanting to hear anything she had to say.
He walked into his man cave without turning on the lights, allowing the darkness and silence to envelop him. So much of his spare time was spent either with Crystal or thinking about being with Crystal. It was one thing to not be able to talk to her because she was out of the country with her friends, it was unbearable knowing he couldn’t speak to her because she left the country to get away from him.
Brendon wanted to call her, but he didn’t want to hear her voicemail, again.
“I’ll give her a week. After that, if I have to get a private investigator to track her down, then that’s what I’ll do. I’m not giving up on us,” he said out loud, conviction ringing throughout the room.
Crystal grabbed her luggage from the baggage carousel and walked towards the exit for passenger pickup. Jade was standing outside of a black sedan, looking down at her phone. Her curls were up in a messy bun and she wore a baggy plain pink T-shirt that she’d cut the neckline of so that it draped off of one shoulder. She’d tied the shirt in a knot on the side and completed the outfit with a long flowy floral maxi dress on a white background and pink espadrille wedges that wound around her ankles.
Hoisting her weekender bag higher up on her shoulder and lugging her rolling suitcase behind her, she approached Jade, smiling when her sister’s attention lifted from the phone and she spotted Crystal.
Jade opened her arms wide, and Crystal walked right into them, sighing and relaxing within her embrace. Jade pulled back and looked her over. She’d opted for a pair of black leggings and a long grey tunic T-shirt that hit her mid-thigh. A denim jacket completed her outfit to ward off the chill from the plane. She also wore a pair of black Nikes to make navigating the airport easier.
“Girl, this is not you. This is the most unglamorous I’ve ever seen you. Let’s get in the car,” Jade said, opening the back door and sliding in.
Once the driver got out and put her bags in the trunk of the car, Crystal followed behind her. Jade pressed a button that made a divider slide between the front and back, giving the two of them privacy. “Never let a man affect your fashion, sis, especially since your income comes from how you look.”
Crystal rolled her eyes. “I don’t look that bad.”
Jade shook her head. “No, for any other person, you’d look fine. But your job is as an influencer. You’re not influencing anyone with your travel wear. You could’ve thrown on some Ivy Park gear and been comfortable and stylish. This screams cheap.”
“You sound like a snob,” Crystal teased.
“Nah, I’m telling it like it is. This outfit is okay for me, Ruby, and Amethyst, not for you. Anyway, I moved my meetings to earlier since we weren’t shooting today. For the rest of the day I’m free. Want to go back to my bungalow, drop your bags off, and go explore?” Jade asked, crossing her legs.
Crystal thought about the options for a second, but in the end exhaustion won. She hadn’t slept well last night, and although the seat on the plane was comfortable, she hadn’t been able to sleep. “Can I get a nap first? I didn’t get much sleep since we last talked.”
“Sure, I probably should have asked if you needed to rest. Are you hungry? We can stop and get something light.”
“Can we get a salad? I know we’re in this exotic country and a salad sounds boring, but I don’t want anything heavy—just a light bite,” Crystal said.
Jade waved off her words. “No need to explain, we can order a salad from the restaurant at the resort and have it delivered up to the room. That will give you enough time to take a shower and unwind from the flight.”
Crystal laid her head on Jade’s shoulder, glad she’d called her big sister for advice. Jade wrapped an arm around Crystal’s waist and laid her cheek on the top of her head. They rode to the resort in silence.
Once they got to Jade’s bungalow, Crystal perused the menu and ordered a shrimp and crab salad. Jade walked onto the outdoor deck to take a call, so Crystal busied herself by taking out her toiletry bag, underwear, and something to lounge in.
Stepping through the sliding glass doors, Crystal caught Jade’s attention. “Hey, I’m going to take a soak in the tub. Can you let me know when my food arrives, if I’m not out?”
Jade waved her hand. “Sure, let me finish this call and then I’ll come in.”
Crystal nodded and walked back inside, grabbing her things and heading straight to the open and airy bathroom. The ceiling was brown wood, and the walls were painted white. The tub was a large white soaking tub that she couldn’t wait to get in. She turned on the water, and after it reached a warm enough temperature, she plugged the drain and moved to her toiletry bag to unpack.
Once she laid out all of her toiletries, she grabbed her shower gel and loofah and stepped into the tub, sighing at the warmth of the water. She leaned back against the white bath pillow and stretched out her legs. When the water covered her upper body, threatening to spill over if she moved too abruptly or too much, Crystal carefully leaned forward and shut off the faucet.
“Hmm,” she moaned, closing her eyes. Her shoulders relaxed into the tub, and she let her arms sink to the bottom. The stress and grime from travel melted away the more she lowered into the water. With her eyes closed, she let her mind wander, and predictably it wandered to Brendon. What was he doing right now? Was Eloise trying to sink her claws into him?
Her muscles tensed as she thought about Eloise, and she gritted her teeth. Opening her eyes, she looked around and took in the tranquility of the bathroom. One wall held a sliding door that opened to some tall foliage and provided a modicum of privacy. She’d opted to leave the doors open and allow the cool breeze to enter the room, and she was glad.
Lifting her leg, she watched the water roll down her brown limb. As mad as she was at Brendon, she wished he were there with her, sharing the bath. The fun they could have making love in the confinement of the tub, water splashing over the sides as they rocked against each other.
“Crys? Your food is here!” Jade called out from the bedroom.
Crystal sighed, then washed her body. After rinsing, she stepped out and wrapped herself in a large thick white towel and stepped into the bedroom. Jade had placed her salad on the table, and while she’d been in the tub, she’d taken the luggage and placed them in the closet.
“Thanks for putting my bags up,” Crystal said, sitting at the table and tucking the towel more securely against her breasts.
“Yeah, about that. I’m starting to remember why I don’t like sharing my space. Don’t leave a mess wherever you go, clean up behind yourself. I’ll give you some leeway because I know how grueling that plane ride is, traveling across the Atlantic and Africa,” Jade said, sitting across from her at the small dining table.
“My bad, I wasn’t thinking. I would’ve gotten around to it after eating. When I finish this salad, I’ll clean up behind myself in the bathroom,” Crystal said, spearing a succulent shrimp with her fork and bringing it to her mouth.
“You do that. Oh, and we have to share a bed…I’m not Brendon, so don’t try to cuddle me in the middle of the night,” Jade teased, stealing a shrimp off of her plate and smiling.
Crystal rolled her eyes and popped Jade’s hand as she reached for another shrimp. “You wish I would cuddle you. It’s probably been years since someone held you to their body.”
“Whatever. I’m going to spend some time reading in the hammock on the deck. We can talk about what to do for dinner and entertainment when you wake up. If you don’t wake up until tomorrow morning, there’s a good chance I’ll be on location for my photoshoot. There’s an extra key next to the room phone, take some time to relax.” Jade rummaged through one of her bags on the living room sofa and pulled out a paperback book and closed the bag.
“I’ll probably spend some time by the beach, or I may check out the spa,” Crystal said. She took another bite of her salad, this time gathering some shrimp and crab to go with the greens. She moaned as she pulled the fork out of her mouth, the taste of the savory seafood and salad delighting her taste buds.
“Make sure you close all of the windows and doors and make sure that they are locked,” Jade told her.
“What are you reading?” Crystal asked, nodding at the book in Jade’s hand.
“Seasoned by Delaney Diamond. It’s a romance novel. One of the models recommended it,” Jade told her.
“You? Reading a romance novel? Since when?” Crystal teased, eyes wide as she feigned surprise.
Jade flipped her off. “I read all types of books, you ass.”
Crystal laughed and finished her salad. Jade went out onto the deck with her book, leaving the doors open. Crystal stood and walked into the bathroom and quickly went about setting it back to normal.
Finished, she took off the towel and put on the white cotton short shorts and camisole set. Tossing the soiled towel in the pile with the other dirty towels, Crystal walked out of the bathroom and straight to the bed. Pulling back the comforter, she laid down and pulled it back up over her shoulders. Soon, her eyes closed in slumber.