Page 31 of Caught Stealing Your Heart
“I am. So serious that he wants to do an exhibit showcasing your work.”
It was taking everything in me not to scream at the top of my lungs and jump across the table on Brandon. “Before I get too excited, you gotta show me the proof. I need to know it’s real.”
Brandon held his finger up and pulled out his phone. He typed a few things before sliding it over to me. Shortly after, a FaceTime call came through. I glanced up at Brandon who nodded for me to answer. When my finger slid across the screen and revealed Blaque on the other side, I almost passed out.
“It’s really you!” I gushed, throwing my hand over my mouth.
Blaque laughed, showing off his beautifully aligned smile and nodded. “It is. How are you, Leilani? I’ve heard some great things about you.”
“I’m in disbelief but the good kind.”
“I get that often from up-and-coming artists. Your work is absolutely breathtaking. Brandon showed me your FameVsYou profile, and I was immediately intrigued. I would love to sit down and meet with you before the exhibit I’ll be hosting in your city. I want to showcase some of your work to my colleagues as well.”
“A-are you serious?”
“Very much so. I’ll be honest with you and say Brandon wasn’t the first person to introduce me to your talent. Your boyfriend, Boss, actually sent your work to one of my colleagues a few days before I connected with Brandon. I had to snatch you before she did.”
Tears welled in my eyes. I dabbed at them with a napkin, feeling an overwhelming number of emotions taking over, and it wasn’t because of Blaque giving me an opportunity. Banks never failed to show me he kept his word and supported me, even when I didn’t know it. We agreed at the three-month mark was when I would have access to his resources, but I guess he had other plans.
“He’s so full of surprises. He didn’t even tell me.” I giggled in-between tears. “I’d be more than happy to meet with you, Blaque. This is like a dream come true.”
“Give me your number, so I can store it in my phone. I’ll be reaching out later today to confirm details once I go over my schedule with my assistant.”
I rattled my number off, and Blaque immediately sent over a text. After thanking him, we ended the call. I sat back in my seat in complete awe. Nothing could steal my joy.
At least I thought.
Brandon and I finished up our lunch after I thanked him repeatedly. He wasn’t the only person I had to thank. Banks had also put my name in a room without me knowing. If it wasn’t for him, it was possible nothing would’ve happened so suddenly.
In my car, I unlocked my phone to find an email from Banks’s lawyer.
“What the fuck?” I gasped, reading over the contents stating our contract had been voided. Everything around me started spinning. I couldn’t fully grasp what was happening or why. It was so abrupt with no explanation from Banks.
So, I called him.
I called him repeatedly, but it went to voicemail each time. I tried texting him, too, and none of my messages went through. The saltiness on my lips trickled down and splattered onto my phone screen. There was no use in stopping my droplets of pain from falling. Banks had pulled one from right underneath me, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.
It’d beentwo weeks since I’d received the picture of Leilani and her ex out together. The only way I could handle my emotions was to do everything I could to not feel. I wanted to be numb, but drinking and drugs weren’t even an option. Regardless of how I felt, taking care of my body remained a priority for my career.
The only way I seemed to be able to manage was by joining my teammates in their nightly outings after our games and ignoring anything that had to do with Leilani and me. I’d been bombarded with questions from my family and the media. Everyone felt as if I owed them an explanation when I didn’t.
Leilani owed me one, but I didn’t even want it. Her actions told me everything I needed to know. When she started moving differently, I should’ve known something was up.
I should’ve known better than to allow my feelings to get involved, but it was out of my control. From the jump, I believed things would be different with Leilani. She wasn’t like any other woman, so I treated her differently. My mistake for thinking so.
My front door opening caught my attention. The only people who had access into my home without needing me were my parents. I grabbed a bottle of water from my fridge, just as they rounded the corner with Paisley in tow. I gave them a head nod and went back to the couch. My parents and I hadn’t spoken much since that night of interrogation. They continued to show up for me, which I appreciated, but I was still processing things.
“Well, hello to you too, son,” Mom greeted with a shake of her head. “You should be grateful we’re coming to check on you after the way you’ve been acting.”
“If you came over here to chastise and question me, then you can turn around and walk right out the door. I love y’all, but I’m not in the mood for any of this.”
Dad spoke up. “Come on, Banks. Don’t tell me you’ve allowed a girl you barely know to have you acting like this toward us. I understand you may be in your feelings about the breakup, but the two of you were only together for what? Two or three months? You can’t be that affected by it.”
I released an irritated sigh and set my water bottle on my coffee table. “How are you going to tell me how I should feel when you don’t know her? You don’t know what we shared, so you can’t speak on how I should feel.”
“She’s extremely disrespectful, Banks. You heard the way she talked to me that night, and you didn’t bother taking up for me.”
“Because she’s the only person who’s ever taken up for me. Why did you feel the need to question me like you did when it was evident I wasn’t okay? Why couldn’t you offer me some type of solace? All you were concerned about was how I played instead of how I felt. It’s always been like that with y’all. Thepressure y’all have put on me since I was a kid is the reason I can be distant from y’all. Sad thing is, y’all never noticed. Leilani noticed before y’all did which speaks volumes on how she cared about my feelings,” I expressed.
