“Fuck you, Kamal!” She screamed. “You never loved me.”
“Maybe, you’re right.” I left her in the hallway and shut the door.
“Fuck you!” she screamed on the outside.
Damn it! I just want this shit with her to end.
My phone rang.
I answered, “Hello?”
Mr. Cruise came on the line. “Did she hang up?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I. . .I apologize, Kamal. This is not how I raised her.”
“I know.”
“I will get in touch with Amber and then work on her getting back to California. Thank you for giving her the time.” Mr. Cruise sighed. “It’s the pills. She wasn’t always like this.”
Pain throbbed at my temples.
Mr. Cruise continued, “And then, maybe this is. . .in her DNA.”
“What do you mean?” I went over to the fridge and grabbed a beer.
“Her mother battled with depression. She was a basket case all of Amber’s childhood. Did you know that Amber was the one that found her mother?”
The headache increased. I held the cold beer up to my forehead. “I didn’t know.”
“Yes. Amber walked in the bedroom and there her mother lay on the floor with a cut open wrist. Amber used to have nightmares about it.”
I closed my eyes and took in the coldness of the glass. “I’m sorry to hear that, sir.”
“A doctor prescribed Amber pills to help her sleep after that. Then, he gave her pills to brighten her mood. Next, it was pills to help her pay attention in school. An addiction was liable to come.”
I opened my eyes and moved the beer from my head.
Mr. Cruise continued, “Amber went back and forth with the pill addiction, but when she met you in college. . .I thought that finally, my little girl would have a happy ending.”
“I had no idea she had a pill problem.”
“After college, you two were long distance. It’s easy to hide things.” Mr. Cruise coughed. “Well, that’s her calling on the other line. Thank you for letting me know. You shouldn’t have any more problems out of her.”
“Okay, but call me if you need me, sir.”
“I will, Kamal, I will.”
I hung up and pocketed my phone, not sure of what I would do with all the information on Amber. It was a sad story and also confirmation that I had no idea who she was the whole time. We’d basically had a superficial relationship—one furthered by the long distance. But, when I brought her to New York, the reality came to light.
I headed over to the bedroom and knocked. “Jade, she’s gone now.”
Jade opened the door.
Ganesha came out with her and then proceeded to explore the living room with his nose as if trying to track Amber.
Jade walked over to the table and picked up her glass of wine.
I took off the top of my beer and took a swig.
She turned my way. “That was. . .”
“Toxic. Insane. Unhealthy to participate and even witness.”
She gave me a weak smile. “I was going to say unexpected.”
And what should I say to Jade? I shouldn’t have brought that filth her way.
Unsure of how to deal with it, I drank more of the beer.
She finished her wine, carried it over to the kitchen, and washed the glass. “I’m going to head to bed.”
“We should talk first.”
She shook her head. “You don’t have to explain. . .all of it. Breakups can be messy.”
I held in my groan. “Yes, but I’m not messy.”
“Well, sometimes we all must deal with a little crazy.” She put the glass in the dryer and wiped her hands off on the towel. When she was done, she left the kitchen and began to walk past me. “It doesn’t matter.”
I tenderly caught her arm to stop her. “It does matter.”
She paused and turned my way. “Does it?”
“We kissed.”
She looked down at her feet. “We shouldn’t have. You’re still dealing with your ex.”
Damn it.
“Forget Amber.” I slipped my fingers down her arm and then moved it away. “I’m enjoying our time together. I want to explore it.”
“Maybe, we can do that when Amber and you are officially done.”
I gritted my teeth. “We are done.”
“Yeah, but. . .she’s crazy. To the point where I might get involved and start—”
“No. I wouldn’t let any of this touch you.”
“She was just in the living room talking to me.” Jade stepped back. “But even more. . .you just broke up with her yesterday because she cheated on you. That’s a lot of pain and confusion.”
“Wait.” I set my beer on the table. “Are you saying that when I kissed you it was because I was confused?”
“I’m saying that we have no business kissing right now with all the stuff that’s going on. You just needed to be comforted or—”
“Bullshit, Jade. This isn’t about my need to be comforted. You’re fucking attractive and sexy. I wanted you bad. And by the way, this isn’t something new. I’ve always found you gorgeous.”