Always Us (Always and Forever 2)

I know something funny is going down, and I’m not going to let her win. I know who she really is, she’s the same woman she was years ago, and this time, she won’t leave everyone in her wake broken.

Rushing to the dress store, I find Lana for a moment alone and tell her everything.

“What a sneaky bitch. Shayla, you need to tell Trey.” She shakes her head from side to side, just as shocked as I was.

“I will. Trust me, I so freaking will.”

I nervously twitch the rest of the day, waiting to get home and tell Trey about what happened. Don’t get me wrong, I’m worried about his feelings, but more so I’m worried about him and what could happen to him if I don’t tell him his mother is up to no good. We made a promise to always be honest with each other last night. We promised to never hide secrets, and I plan to keep that promise, no matter the cost.

Unlocking his door, I walk in. I assumed Trey would still be at the studio but to my surprise he’s home. I’m in a rush, never slowing down as I shut the door and place all my things down. I’m about to go in search, finally slowing my roll, when I see him on the couch.

Only problem, he’s not alone. Gwen’s sitting just next to the fireplace, in the love seat. My eyes bulge from their sockets when I take in her appearance. Her makeup is smeared with lines of mascara running down her red cheeks, her arms are covered in scratches, and her shirt is torn in various places.

“Baby, what’s going on?” I go to sit next to him on the couch, placing my hand on his knee. They both stay silent, Trey’s eyes never leaving Gwen’s place on her chair. I look to her when he says nothing, beyond confused with whatever I just walked into.

“Okay, what the heck happened, Gwen? Are you okay?” Not like I truly care, honestly, the second this is over, I’m spilling the beans, opening the can.

Her brows nearly lift to her hairline, the brown in her eyes turning darker. “Are you joking? You’re just going to sit here and act like you didn’t cause this?” She gestures to the marks all over her body and it’s my turn to blow my brows off my face.

What? As if I leaped from the couch and landed into the twilight zone, I look over to Trey.

“What are you talking about? Trey!” I grab his knee and pull him from his headspace. When I finally get his attention, his naturally blue eyes are even more blue, crispy blue. Searching him, I implore for answers with just my eyes. My face contorted, my brows drawn in, my frown set deep. He looks lost…scared…broken. That same broken I witnessed when he read the letter to me in the tree house all those years ago.

“Baby, talk to me.” I ignore Gwen’s audible cries, obviously fake. She’s delusional.

“What happened at the cafe, Shayla?” Trey finally speaks. There’s a crack in his voice, the vulnerability laced around his question tears me up inside.

“Nothing! Trey, nothing!” I panic, not sure what to do. I start grasping at anything I can right now. He’s questioning me while Gwen sits in the room, spinning lies to get what she wanted—me out of the picture. What do I do? What can I say, she got here before me, who knows what kind of tale she spun, now she has the upper hand—again.

“She attacked me, I was on a date and you fucking attacked me, you bitch!”

“Hey!” Before I can even react to her venomous accusation, Trey stands fast from the couch, silencing her. “You don’t fucking talk to her like that. I asked her a question. I’m going to ask her what happened and so help me God, Gwen, if she didn’t do this, you’ll be dead to me.” My heart aches when he cracks, his naturally deep voice, wavering. Standing, I place my hand on his shoulder, taking deep breaths to calm myself. He’s still here, my best friend, my love, he is still in there.

“How will you know that? She’ll just lie, Trey! Why would she admit it?” she screams, standing to face off with him. I grip his shoulder tighter, holding him in place, planting him to the foundation that is us. I am the one thing that can keep him here, the one thing that he has solid footing to stand on.

“Because Shayla would never fucking lie to me, especially about this!”

The sound of his shouting makes my hair prickle, coming to stand on edge, Trey is a naturally calm, reverent being—very laid back, so when he snaps, it’s something to make your skin erupt in goose bumps, your legs to tremble, and knees to buckle. I hate when he rages. Not because I fear him, but I fear what that rage can do to him.

“Bullshit, she hides things from you all the time, what makes you think lying is beneath her?” she lashes back, her dark eyes flicking to me, if the devil were alive in the flesh, he would look like that. I swallow hard, for the first time fearful of this woman and what she is capable of.

“Oh yeah, like what?”

“Her pregnancy!”

Wait, what?

He turns, looking at me over his shoulder. “What the hell is she talking about?”

I shake my head fast, I’m not sure what she’s talking about. I’m not pregnant, is that what she thought this whole time? If so, why? I thought she meant she knew about the possible infertility.

“I’m not pregnant, at all. I swear.”

“I saw the test.” We both look to her then to each other once again. Is Gwen also delusional? I have never taken a pregnancy test; there is no test.

“You didn’t see anything, Gwen, I have never taken a test, I can’t—”

“No, you don’t owe her anything, baby,” Trey cuts in, stopping me from continuing.