The Space In Between(36)

Perking up with excitement, Ladasha joined in. “And I’ll come too!” An air of silence filled the room. Ladasha could see the worry on our faces. Albany wasn’t really a place where Ladasha’s loud personality and sexy, flirty style belonged. But she began to beg.
“Andrea. Pleaseeeee!?” The puppy dog eyes appeared. But let’s be honest, there was no way I was going to leave her here. She showed up when I’d needed her most, and I knew in her heart, after finding her mom, she was ready to relocate. It wasn’t a want—it was an actual need. “And she comes too.” Eric agreed to the idea of Ladasha coming with. I personally thought he’d secretly hoped for her to join us.
“I’m going to bed.” I was drained and needed this night to end.
As I walked into my bedroom and slammed my door, I could hear Eric and Ladasha talking. The paper-thin walls were my enemies that night. I could hear the concern in my older brother’s voice as he spoke to my best friend. “Ladasha, you seem like a nice girl. You really do. I don’t understand why you two would do that to yourselves.”
“Do what?”
“Strip.”
There was a silence. I figured Ladasha was in search of the right words to come to her. The right film comparison. My heart was pounding; would she be able to make him understand? Please make him understand, Dasha.
“It’s like a kite.”
She didn’t go for her normal movie explanation. I grew quite intrigued, not knowing where this was leading. I sat down against the door and listened to the exchange of dialogue between the two of them.
“What does that mean?”
“A kite. There are millions of kites in the world. Different shapes. Different sizes. Some kites are made for the crazy winds. Some get torn a little. And some plop! Instantly hitting the ground right out of the package. Andrea's kite can still be repaired. She'll be fine.”
“What about your kite?” Eric’s voice softened; he knew what Ladasha meant, even with her somewhat random comparison. But that was the thing about Ladasha; in her mind, everything was connected in some way. You just had to take the time to figure out how.
“My kite?” I could hear the self-doubt in her voice. It was the same sound I’d heard escape her voice in the dressing room at the club. She didn’t think her kite was worth saving. My heart broke for her. She didn’t dare answer the question. “Let me grab you some pillows and blankets. It can get chilly in here.”
And that was the end of the discussion.
I went to bed, unable to sleep. The idea of returning home was filling my mind. I could hear the whispers now. I could see the saddened eyes staring at me.
I didn’t want to go home.
But where else did I belong?


Chapter Twenty-Two

“GO TO HELL, *.”
Welp. Didn’t see that coming. After a night filled with memories, I had to get back to the real issue at hand—finding a way to keep Andrea’s name out of the tabloids. I knew I hadn’t responded to her text messages, but I didn’t think it was that serious for name calling. I was, after all, trying to save her image. I held the cell phone to my ear as I listened to Andrea call me every negative name on the planet.
Pig. Vomit. Ass. Jerk. Liar. Idiot. Stupid-ass. Asshole. Freak. Twit.
As she continued, I slipped a few words into the conversation. “What’s going on here?”
“I don’t know, Cooper. How about you ask your pregnant wife who got Ladasha and me fired last night?”
Oh no… She didn’t. She wouldn’t. I paused and thought about Iris and her recent threats and hatred. She would. Son of a bitch.
“Where are you?” I asked. I needed to meet with her. To try to explain myself. There was so much Andrea didn’t know, and it was only fair I tell her myself. I would hate for her to hear it from anyone else.
“Ma’am, if you could please turn off your cell phone? We are about to take off.”
I heard the stranger’s voice in the background and felt chills run down my spine. She was leaving. “Andie, wait.”
Click.
I ran my hands across my face and felt the prickly hairs against my palm; I hadn’t shaved in a few days. My mind hadn’t stopped racing. I needed to talk to Andrea. And she needed to hear me out. Iris kept crossing the line, and she was really in need of a f*cking reality check soon enough.





“WE TRY TO create the best weddings for the couples. It takes a lot, to be married. And it's important to have this special day to look back on.” Iris smiled to the cameras and crossed her long, sexy legs.
I completely agreed with my wife as we sat filming a confessional scene for our ‘reality’ show. “Yeah. It's a reminder of all the things you love about each other. But some don't need the big crazy wedding to remember those things.”
“What’s that suppose to mean?” Iris looked to me with a confused look as I shrugged my shoulders.
“I think that when people are lucky, they can look at each other to remember why they made the promises that day.” I took her hand into mine and kissed it gently, “I got lucky.”
Iris smiled brightly and looked directly into the camera, pulling her hand away from me. “Yeah. But a big wedding wouldn’t hurt.”
“And, cut! Let’s take a break, everyone.” The director yelled, as the camera crew stopped rolling. Iris’s makeup artist came over and started powdering her face.
“What the hell was that, Cooper?” Iris harshly whispered in my direction. Pushing her makeup artist away, she stood up, walking to her dressing room. “We have to reshoot that now because of you. Just stick to the damn script they gave us, all right? And next time I would rather you not make me look like a raging bitch, *.”