Line Of Trust

Chapter 4

Desiree gave up trying to talk to Taylor after trying four times straight, each time ending the same way: hot Fifty Shades kind of s*x. She wasn’t complaining; after all, she had not had this much s*x in a long time, but she couldn’t help but feel like Taylor was using s*x as a tool of miscommunication…something she didn’t like. Actually she did like it ­– she loved it, to be quite honest, but she almost felt like a call girl.

When she woke up to get ready for her shift on Tuesday morning of the next week, her phone was buzzing almost uncontrollably on the night stand. She reached over and took her phone to silence it. She looked at the phone and sighed. The buzzing was a reminder. She was supposed to meet Rochelle’s man Tony in a couple of days – well, she and Taylor were. She sighed as she climbed out of bed.

She was making the bed when Rochelle knocked softly on her door before opening it and poking her head in.

“Hey, are you awake?” she asked as she looked at Desiree, who had just finished making the bed.

“Yeah, what’s up?” she asked, looking at her sister who was fully dressed, a bit strange for Rochelle this early in the morning.

“I am about to go in and sit for my first preliminary,” Rochelle said as she walked into Desiree’s room.

“Bummer. I can only imagine how you must feel,” Desiree said as she looked at Rochelle.

“Anyway, I was just dropping in to find out how you are doing. I know you and Taylor are still not all one hundred since you are still spending a lot of nights here,” Rochelle said.

“Really? Is that the only reason?” Desiree asked smiling.

“And I also need to borrow your green suede peep toe heels. I want to wear the red peplum tonight,” Rochelle said, smiling. Desiree smiled and walked over to her closet and then picked out the shoes Rochelle had asked for before making her way back to the bed.

“I knew this early morning visit was more than just checking up on me,” she said as she handed Rochelle the shoes. “But don’t worry, I am just fine. Taylor and I are…on our way to great but nothing that you should be worried about,” she added. Rochelle smiled and nodded.

“Glad to hear that,” she said.

“So, red peplum, what’s the occasion?” Desiree asked.

“Well, it’s been six months since Tony and I got together….okay, since we got serious, so, we are doing something special tonight,” Rochelle said smiling. Desiree took Rochelle’s hand in hers and gave it a light squeeze.

“Congratulations. I am so happy for you, sis,” Desiree said, smiling.

“Well, I have to go, now. I hope I’ll be seeing you later?” Rochelle asked.

“I am not sure about that but we’ll see,” Desiree said. Rochelle gave her a quick hug and then stood up from the bed.

“Okay, wish me luck,” she said as she walked out of the bedroom. Desiree smiled and got up from the bed and then made her way to the closet. She pulled out her uniform and laid it on the bed before she went to the bathroom for a shower. When she got out, she got changed and then walked to the kitchen where she fixed herself a quick breakfast sandwich before she got out of the house. She was just about to hail a cab when she noticed Taylor’s truck driving towards her. She stopped and smiled as Taylor pulled up.

“Hey there. Need a ride?” he asked with a smile. She smiled and shrugged before she got in. She gave him a quick kiss before she got herself buckled in.

What brings you to my neck of the woods?” she asked as he started driving down the street. He smiled and looked at her briefly before turning his attention back to the road.

“I had a delivery to make a few blocks away. I thought I’d swing by and drive you to work or something,” he said. She smiled and leaned back in her seat. “I was thinking I would pick you up tonight and maybe do something? A movie maybe?” he asked. She shrugged and nodded even though she was really thinking that she would love to talk about what was really bothering her, or them. She wanted to blurt out something like, “How about we talk about the elephant in the room…or the really big dog that has been the cause of the major strife in our relationship?” But somehow, all that came out of her mouth was, “That would be nice,” and she said that with a smile, too.

The twenty minute drive to her workplace was filled with small talk. It was almost as if she was getting to know him for the very first time, or was it the other way around? Deep down, she was feeling empty and missing her old Taylor. When they got to the store, Desiree unbuckled her seat belt and looked at Taylor.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he looked into her eyes. She sighed and took his hand in hers and then looked into his eyes.

“Are we okay?” she asked as she looked at him. Taylor shrugged and smiled.

“Why would you ask that? Of course we are,” he said.

“Are you sure? Because I am feeling like we’ve been quite distant lately,” she said. Taylor touched the side of her face and smiled.

“We are better than ever,” he said before leaning forward to kiss her forehead. She smiled when he pulled away. “You know I love you, right?” he asked. Desiree smiled as she felt a warm tingle down her spine. This was the first time in a long time he had said those words to her and it felt better than ever. She looked at him and nodded.

“I love you too, more than you know,” she said in a whisper. He smiled and unbuckled his seatbelt before leaning forward to give her a hug.

“Don’t you ever forget that, Desiree Young. If you forget everything else about me, always remember that I love you,” he whispered before he pulled away. She looked at him and nodded.

“Why does it feel like this is one of those goodbye talks?” she asked. He smiled.

“And where would I be going?” he asked before she got out of the car. She walked around the truck and kissed him before she walked into the store. For the first time in a long time, she actually felt okay about herself, okay about her relationship. She couldn’t wait for the end of the day so that she could catch that movie with Taylor.

For the entire day, she seemed to be floating through the hours as she counted down to when she would punch out for the day. At around three, one of the girls in the store walked into her office with a big smile on her face.

“you’ve got to tell me where the hell you get all these hotties,” she said as she stood by the doorway. Desiree looked up and shrugged.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” she said.

“Really? First there’s that guy who dropped you off, your boyfriend, right? And then this other guy who’s here to see you….it’s like men from all races have a thing for you,” the girl said. Desiree looked at her and frowned.

“Who is here?” she asked. The girl looked at her and then smiled.

“Here he is now,” she said before walking away. Desiree kept her eyes fixed on the door as her heart pounded in her chest. For some reason, she felt herself in anticipation.

“you’ve been a very hard person to track down,” Mark said when he appeared I the doorway. Desiree looked at him and cursed silently as she looked unbelieving at Mark. She couldn’t believe that he had the nerve to show up at her work place….again.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Well, like I said, you are a hard person to track down,” he said as he walked into Desiree’s small office and sat down.

“Yes but that still doesn’t answer the simple question, what are you doing here?” she asked again. Mark crossed his legs and looked at Desiree, a sly smile on his lips.

“I would not be here if you had at least picked up my calls,” he said.

“Well, if I wanted to talk to you, I would have probably picked up your calls, but seeing as I didn’t, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that is a sign of someone who is avoiding you,” Desiree said as she tried to maintain her composure.

“And my big question is why you would be trying to avoid a fine gentleman like me?” he asked. Desiree gave him a cynical smile.