CHAPTER 51: NOW

"Hayzenn…" the soft voice was heard again, "I need to get back to the wedding." It finished, and in shock opened my eyes and sat up quickly, looking around. I was in the car, and the voice well; it was Aaliyah. Gently placing her hand on my thigh she looked at me trying to sooth me, but she too seemed equally shocked maybe at my reaction.

I checked the car's clock, on the dashboard, and realized it was already noon. I looked back at Aaliyah, who had already let her once-bun hair fall into wavy lengths.

"I'm sorry," I said, now feeling somewhat refreshed. "What happened?"

I didn't even remember anything that happened after Aaliyah became a blur in my vision.

"You spoke a lot," she said, smiling, and I now eyed her, quite intensely wondering what I had stated. "I never knew you talked that much. You also never told me you were meeting your ex-girlfriend, who apparently has a child, although now gone. When were you going to tell me that?" She questioned, without smiling, as my face turned to stone and my mind went blank. I needed a drink so badly. I didn't know what else I had told her. I needed to stop daydreaming and having mental breakdowns. I might spill my biggest secrets to strangers. Oh God!

"She…" I tried to explain, but she shushed me.

"I need to go back to the wedding, and I need your car. So, let's get you to rest, and then I will leave," she stated.

I didn't even have time to argue as she got out of the car, and I followed her without a word. I didn't notice that she had already taken off my tie and that the first four buttons of my shirt were open. I think she thought I had fainted or something.

Up the elevator, left, and then right to my door. She unlocked it quite steadily as I checked her out from behind. 'This girl was hot,' my mind thought, and I stopped my thoughts. I really needed some rest badly, or else I might become a dull doctor for the next shift, which was at eight pm.

After making sure I had entered, she slightly closed the door as I clumsily untied and removed my shoes and headed straight to the sofa.

"No… no… you are not watching a screen like this. You are sleeping first." I don't know why I smirked when she said that to me, but I found it very sexy, especially the way she was waving her slender index finger with beautifully painted white nails.

"Okay," I just said, standing up and taking off my shirt without giving her time to speak. God! She checked me out… honestly, she did. She almost choked on her breath. Maybe she forgot to breathe for a minute.

She then led me to my room, took out some gray sweats and a white T-shirt, and then went to turn on the shower for me. 'If she were my wife…,' my thoughts sang.

"Hop in before the water runs out… and wear that," she said, taking deep steady breaths as I had already taken off my trousers. I was enjoying this side of her, the side that tried hard not to look and just enjoy.

"I will," I said, my voice becoming deep and my eyes focusing on her.

She was standing at the bathroom entrance and steadily, or maybe unknowingly, took some steps closer to where I was.

"I don't want you to get sick," she whispered, and God knows how much I wanted to kiss her. But if that started, she wouldn't make it to her sister's wedding. It would be terrible of me.

"Do you love him?" I asked, and I knew from the way I looked at her that the answer she gave would either break or repair me.

"I shall leave," she said, closing the distance between us. She gave me a slight kiss on the cheek, and as she almost left, I caught her hand.

"Do you love him?" I asked again.

She was silent.

"Just tell me. I don't know why I'm asking, but please just tell me." She still didn't answer but just let my hand slide off and left my room as I entered the now steaming hot shower.

I needed the shower; I needed to drain all my thoughts.

"Ahh… I needed to just drain them…" I growled loudly.

"I will leave now," Aaliyah stated without my notice, opening the shower door and looking at me. She had already fixed her makeup, and her lipstick was well intact. I observed her as she did to me, making me look to the other side. You know, sometimes when we shower, we men, we have, um, issues, and I couldn't let her see that.

"It's nothing I haven't seen," she said, chuckling, and left as I almost choked on the water, swallowing it unexpectedly from what she had said. Aaliyah was a flirt, one hell of a flirt I hadn't noticed before.

I don't believe even three hours passed while I was asleep. Now, I'm just lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what Kate was going through. I didn't want to call her, no, not really. She had evoked a side of herself in me that I didn't like. I didn't want her seducing me like that. It was everything I would have wanted for a long time, but not this time. This time, I just wanted us to be professional and give Funky all the respect.

So I decided to try Funky's number.

After three rings, someone picked up.

"Yes."

"Hello, Funky, it's me, Hayzen."

"Oooh…" I heard him say, or maybe breathe out.

"How are you all holding up? Has everything been sorted?"

"Yes," he stated.

"Okay." I felt he didn't want anything to do with me. By the way he was answering, he was not ready for a conversation.

"Zen…" I heard Kate call out from the other side, and I almost hung up, but I just couldn't hang up.

"Kate… How are you holding up?" I asked.

"Can I see you? Please!"

"Kate…"

"Funky isn't near me. I just want to see you. I just want to apologize. Where do you live?"

"What are you apologizing for?"

"You know what it is… I respect your wife. I just need closure, maybe. I did a lot of bad things. I shouldn't have treated you that way. I should have fought for…" Before she finished, I hung up.

I hung up because I didn't want to remember all that. Whatever happened. The police restriction, the fact that I couldn't even meet her when she was in the hospital, and worse, I couldn't look at my son's face or even hold him. I stayed for years waiting for her text, to tell me, "Let's get back together." But all she sent me was a random "send some cash," and I did that without any question.

After a few seconds of contemplation, my phone buzzed again. It was her calling me with her new number.

"Kate," I answered.

"Do you really care so little about me?" she questioned.

"Kate, I do care, but whatever you're asking me is something I don't think I'm supposed to be doing."

"I'm not asking you to be with me. I have Funky, for goodness' sake."

"Let's meet at the hospital. I have my shift at seven," I stated.

"Okay, but you'll take me home," she finished and hung up.

Maybe one thing I forgot in this world was that Kate was a confident baddie. However, I knew this was not the right time to have my life distracted. I didn't want her coming back to destroy everything I had just built. Thus, in frustration, I buried my head in the pillow and just told myself, "It's going to be alright." Then I shifted my head position from being buried in the pillow to my side, and I scrolled to call Aaliyah.

"Hayzen," she answered. The background music of some classical piece could be heard. Were they dancing?

"How's the wedding?" I asked. There was always something different about my voice when I spoke to Aaliyah. It was different from the way I used to speak with Kate. Maybe this was a grown man's voice, speaking to a beautiful lady. Or it was something more, but trust me, I hoped she wasn't dancing with that shameless boyfriend of hers.

"It's fine. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I stated, and then after a long pause, "Aaliyah, can I take you out?" That just slipped out, but I did really want to take her out. I didn't know if she would accept my offer. She had a boyfriend, with whom, apparently, Elvis had told me, she had been together for some years. It hurt hearing that she was cheating on him, but I was no angel either. Additionally, one boyfriend cannot stop a person from meeting their soulmate.

"Hayzen," she stated.

"I'm sorry." I just said, but I knew I was apologizing for nothing. Maybe I needed to first introspect if I really wanted her. However, what I thought was that I was doing all this just because I believed the guy was going to hurt her. But how come I was being, I was suddenly being like this? Feeling this need for assurance that I still lingered in her mind. "How long have you been together?" I added after the long pause.

"I will come with the car. We shall talk," she stated and hung up on me. I thought I had my cards right, or maybe that was what I thought.