Page 81 of Taeja

Liyah had swapped her skinny jeans and blouse for their college’s dark blue and yellow basketball jersey. The number ten decorated the front.

“Yu nuh tired fi thief Mason clothes?” Taeja joked, resting her water bottle and phone on the ground beside the chair.

Snickering, Liyah sat on the chair beside Taeja. She swung her feet onto Taeja’s lap. “Nope! He’s my man.”

“All who nav man a bat.”

“All who navmena bat,” Liyah countered. “Wonder if Mason waa share me?”

“Mason would never.”

Liyah chuckled. “True. He loves having me to himself too much to be open to that. And me nago ask fi next man and mek him ask fi next gyal. I don’t want to share him either.”

“He loves you too much to give another girl the same time of day.”

Liyah’s smile washed away, a small frown taking its place. “How can someone say they love you and still cheat?”

To Taeja, it sounded like Liyah was asking herself the question. So, Taeja didn’t reply. She kept quiet and listened.

“I love Mason with all my heart. No riches or my biggest celebrity crush can stop me from loving him,” Liyah said. “So, if I love him that much, and he says he loves me the same, why did he cheat? Every day since it happened, I’ve been trying to understand, but I never do.”

Looking at Liyah’s feet in her lap, Taeja sighed. She ran a finger over Liyah’s big toe, painted nicely in white while hers was lavender. “People make mistakes, Liyah,” Taeja said. “What matters is how we learn from them.”

“You’re right, but—” Liyah sighed. “I still feel embarrassed. Out of everyone Mason could’ve cheated with, why Ebony? She and I have almost all our classes together because we have the same concentration. She knows that Mason’s my boyfriend. I think the entire college knows because he’s the star basketballer, who’s said he loves me on national television several times. How am I going to go to class and look at Ebony’s face every day? How am I supposed to not feel embarrassed when there’s a video of them doing it? A me people ago laugh afta if me continue stay with him.”

“Yu care what people think?” Taeja scoffed. “You told me that my relationship isn’t for anyone except me to understand. I think you should follow your own advice, Liyah.”

Liyah sighed. “You’re right, but damn, it’s hard. Mi deevn ago try pretty it up. I just hope when classes start in two months, everyone can forget what happened last semester.”

“They will, trust me. It’s gonna be our last year of college. Only idlers ago focus on anything except their coursework.”

“You’re right, I guess… Should I forgive him?”

Taeja stopped playing with Liyah’s toe to look at her face. “I can’t answer that for you.”

“I’m going to take that as a yes. I do miss him. Even more now because yaa start fi slowly dash mi weh fi yu man dem. How are things, by the way?”

Taeja smiled. “Great! I’m still getting the hang of things, but it’s going better than I expected, you know?”

Liyah nodded. “I understand. Two man one time, wow…” Liyah trailed off. “How different are they? Because mi fraid of the madman, so mi hope Damon nuh stay like dat.”

Tossing her head backward, Taeja laughed. “Zain isn’t mad! He’s just… reserved. And blunt. But Damon isn’t like him. Damon is sweet, and he gives me all I’ve been looking for in a relationship. They both do in their own ways.”

“Aww, look at her blushing,” Liyah teased, making Taeja’s cheek sting as her smile stretched. “Do you love them?”

Taeja choked on air, her eyes widening. “Love?”

Liyah nodded. “Yes. Love.”

“N-no,” Taeja rushed out. “It’s too soon.”

“Soon?” Liyah mocked. “You made them come in you within a day of meeting them. You met their parents, and you live with them. It’s not even been three weeks. Yu goodly a breed already and deevn know.”

Taeja gasped. “I rebuke you!”

Liyah chuckled. “I’m just teasing you, Tae. But no, I don’t think it’s too soon. And who am I to judge? The first time I had sex with Mason was at that senior kickback, where all those high schools came together. I didn’t even know his name. I just wanted to lose my virginity before college, so I thought it was no harm because I wouldn’t see him again.”

Taeja smiled. “I still remember how shocked you were when we got accepted into college and you saw him at the freshman orientation.”

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