The Awakening by Shakir Rashaan Page B

around the bush, so I came out and asked, “How long has he been staying here with you?”
    Candy acted like she’d been slapped. “Are you gonna hear me out, or are you gonna blast me?”
    Well, since she put it that way, I sat down on the couch to hear my girl out. “All right, baby, talk to me, because you know this doesn’t look right.”
    â€œJay needed a friend. Someone that he could talk to that wouldn’t try to play marriage counselor. He’s really confused right now, baby,” Candy explained. “He needed to lay low for a while, and he knew my place would be the last place that anyone would look to find him.”
    â€œWait a minute,” I responded. “You can’t be serious. After the way you lit into Jasmine a few weeks ago, what would make you think she wouldn’t think to come by here?”
    â€œBaby, you know Jasmine has been—and would have been—calling over at your house, waking up the kids, looking for him. You know I’m right, Mercedes,” Candy said, reading my mind. Everyone knew that Kane and Jay are tight. “And I wasn’t the one who ripped her to shreds at my house, Mercedes; you were.”
    Candy had a point. The last few weeks, Jasmine had been so convinced that Jay was with one of his ex-girlfriends she literally went to the one house where she suspected him to be and confronted the poor woman about it. Last I heard she took a restraining order out on Jasmine to get some peace. After the blowup that we had with her, this would have been the last place Jasmine would think to look. Even if she did, she wouldn’t have the guts to take the chance in finding out.
    â€œOkay, so what’s going on? You can trust me not to blow the whistle, right?” I asked.
    â€œJay has been careful not to have Jasmine find out where he is. So, yes, I’m asking you to keep this under wraps for now, baby,” Candy replied, and then braced for the impact of the next statement that she was about to make. “Especially considering that we’ve gotten close over the past few weeks.”
    â€œClose?!?!?!?!” I yelled. My mind raced, but I tried to keep my promise to stay calm and not blast her. “Okay, what the hell are you thinking?”
    Candy sat down next to me. “Jay and I have always been cool. But over the last year, I’d taken notice of how Jasmine mistreats him. Everyone has. So, when all this went down, he naturally gravitated towards me. This wasn’t planned, Mercedes, I swear.”
    I really needed to concentrate, but it wasn’t an option at that moment. Candy and I were close, too close for some who were on the outside looking in, but that’s their opinion. Right now, my best friend needed me, and I was not turning my back on her. “You know I got your back, baby, if this is what you want to do, but this could get sticky.”
    â€œIf it will make you feel any better, we haven’t slept together, period. Now, I won’t lie, I might catch feelings if I’m not careful, but karma’s a bitch that I’m not messing with right now,” Candy reassured. “Jay and I are friends, for now. Besides, you know that you and Kane are my first option if I need sum, and I know I’m not supposed to do anything without your permission.”
    I admit, it did feel good to hear her say it, but I also knew that some shit was gonna go down because of the decision my best friend had made.

9NEFERTERRI
    Let’s get ready to rumble…
    Somehow we were able to get Jay and Jasmine to sit down and talk without yelling a couple of days after I’d found out about Jay’s whereabouts. Jasmine was still being stubborn about the whole episode, trying to blame Jay for her cheating on him. I gave her a dirty look when she tried to pull that stunt, and after what I informed him about the two “gentlemen” that were involved in this whole mess, he cut his