Page 28 of Tell Me You Love Me Again

“She doesn’t need to go back over there. She can stay right here,” my father concluded.

“James,” my mother seethed. I could tell she was getting upset with him and I didn’t want to get in the middle of that.

“Look, Daddy. I’ll be fine. If there’s anything I need to talk to Gabe about… I will. I don’t know why you’re so hellbent on hating him when he’s been nothing but good for me throughout this entire process.”

“Well, that’s the least that he can do.” He turned to leave without saying another word. My mother walked up to me and placed her hands on my shoulders.

“Listen, Chiara. You need to go home and talk to your husband. That’s the only person who can give you insight on what’s going on. Go talk to Gabe and call me later.” She gave me a warm, motherly smile before she kissed my cheek.

Heading to the door, I left with my mind running a mile a minute. I needed to talk to Gabe and see if he knew what father was talking about in regard to me leaving or us having an argument. Maybe if I had more details of what led up to the accident, I could make better sense of it. Hopefully that was sooner rather than later.

Gabe

I dropped Chiara off at home and headed to meet Chiquita. She was out at the furniture store and needed my input on what she picked out before she made the purchase. It was hard as hell keeping this from Chiara, but I knew she would appreciate my efforts in the end, or at least I hope she did.

I pulled up to the store in the downtown area of New Grove. Putting my truck in park, I hopped out and trekked inside so that I could see what Chiquita picked out and make it back to Chiara so that we can enjoy the rest of our night. When I walked in, I searched for her until I saw her in the far back, talking to an associate.

“Here he is now. Gabe, this is Amanda, and she’s been helping me with the bedroom sets. Since you would be the one utilizing it, I figured it was best that you be the one who picked it out.” I shook Amanda’s hand and greeted Chiquita before looking over the set that they were standing in front of.

“I’m glad you hit me up, because this one, ain’t it,” I revealed. “It’s too plain. Amanda, show me what else you got in a California King.” Nodding, she led the way with Chiquita and I in tow. We stopped in front of this massive ass gray bed. It had a tufted headboard that had lights going along the border. There was extra storage underneath the bed, as well as a chaise lining the foot. The matching nightstands had lights illuminating them. I was glad to see that the dresser had eight drawers instead of the standard six. I would still add the extra chester drawer; maybe two.

“This is it,” I stated, looking at Chiquita.

“I like it, so I know my sister will love it.” She beamed.

I let Amanda know I would take it and followed them to the front of the store. I went ahead and signed for the delivery after looking at their dining options. I chose a six-seater that had a bench. The table was enormous and was perfect for entertainment. After I authorized the payment and delivery, I told Chiquita how much I appreciated her helping me before heading home to my wife. I wasn’t sure if she was back yet, but I was going to shower so we could enjoy our night.

I got home about thirty minutes later, and Chiara still wasn’t home. I knew she was visiting her parents, so I wasn’t about to hound her. So instead, I went upstairs to our bedroom to shower. I moved back into our room after we had sex. After that night, I didn’t see the need for us to sleep in separate rooms. Gathering my things for the shower, I went inside of the bathroom and starting handling my hygiene. When I was done, I wrapped the towel around my waist and headed into the room. I heard my phone beep and picked it up, thinking it was Chiara, but it was the travel agent instead. She was sending the confirmation of the trip I asked her to book for me and Chiara in Miami. We were leaving in the morning, and I was elated. I got to spend five interrupted days with my wife, and I was beyondready. As I sat the phone down, the bedroom door came open and in walked Chiara. I wasted no time going to greet her. I dropped a kiss on her lips, but the gesture wasn’t reciprocated, causing me to draw back.

“Wassup, Snook?” I asked, eyeing her up and down.

“Did you tell me everything about my accident?” she asked, confusing the fuck out of me.

“I told you what I knew and what was told to me. Why are you asking me this now?”

“Well, while I was at my parents, my father told me you were the last person to call me before it happened. He also told me I was leaving you because you were neglectful. I can’t help but wonder if any of that is true and the reason you’re being so nice now is because you feel guilty,” she stated, and I can’t lie and say that I wasn’t pissed the fuck off. Not only did James insert himself into my fuckin’ marriage again, My wife just revealed that she planned on leaving me.

“You were planning on leaving me, Snook?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but it makes sense, since I don’t remember anything about our marriage.” She shrugged.

Shaking my head in disappointment, I looked at my wife with sad eyes. “Wow. I don’t even know what to say to that. Here I was planning a trip for you so you could unwind, and we enjoy each other, and you come in here with this bullshit.” I was pissed the fuck off and wasn’t trying to hide it. Walking into the closet, I grabbed a sweatsuit off of the hanger and slipped it on.

“Gabe, you can’t be mad at me,” she said.

“Oh, I’m not. I’m mad at myself. Look, I need some air. I’ll be gone for a few hours, but I want you to pack a bag if you still want to go on the trip I planned. We leave for Miami in the morning.” I didn’t say anything else as I picked up my phone and kissed her forehead. Once I got downstairs, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. Not once did Chiara try to stop me, and I wasn’teven mad. I needed to clear my head, and I was going to the only person who could help me at the moment…my brother.

I arrived at the company’s building and parked in my designated spot before getting out. When I walked inside, I nodded at the receptionist and headed straight to my office. I needed to check my email while I was here. I knew I was supposed to be taking a break, but I couldn’t help myself. Hustling by any means was in my blood, and I was going to get it by any means necessary. Hell, I even did auto repairs on the side. Like I said, all money in. While I was checking my email, Gary came swaggering in.

“Wassup, bruh. What you doing in here…again,” he stressed while dapping me up.

Leaning back in my chair, I swiped my hand down my face before speaking. “I actually came to holla at you.” He sat back, giving me his undivided attention. “After Chi’s doctor’s appointment, I dropped her off at home because she wanted to go see her people. That worked out perfect for me since I needed to go meet Quita about the house.”

“How’s that going, by the way?” He but in.

“It’s coming along great. We should be able to move in by Christmas.” He nodded, signifying me to continue. “So, I beat her back home thinking I’m going to spend the rest of the night loving on my wife. Bullshit. When she came home, she came in questioning me about her accident and rambling on about some bullshit that her punk ass pops said about me being the cause of the accident because she was leaving me. The shit fucked me up because I didn’t think shit was that bad, bruh. I mean, I’m literally busting my ass to give this girl the world and she was planning on leaving me? Do you know how that shit makes me feel as a man?” I knew I looked and sounded like a simp, but I didn’t give a fuck. My marriage was suffering, and my fucking heart was hurting.

“Damn, bruh. I hate you’re going through this shit. I think you need to go ahead and tell her about the house. You don’t want her to have a foul taste in her mouth and she can’t even remember what she had.” I heard Gary, but I needed to hold off a little longer.

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