TroubleinParadise by Cindy Jacks Page A

A sly grin
completed his thought. “When she saw you were at the door, she sent me out here
‘to clean up after myself’.”
    Clarissa squeezed the bridge of her nose between her thumb
and forefinger. “This whole situation is one big, fat, hairy mess. I didn’t
mean to interrupt you two. You should be inside making up with Michelle, not
playing wet-nurse to me. I feel like an idiot.”
    The weight of her foolishness bore down on her. A few sobs
clutched at her throat. Though she fought to keep her composure, she lost the
struggle. Fat tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down the bridge of her
nose, taking her mascara with it. She swiped at them, leaving black smudges on
her fingertips.
    A sheltering arm wrapped around her. He whispered to her,
“Sh, sh, sh.”
    Of all the intimate moments they’d shared in the past weeks,
this one felt real, felt good. Built not on misplaced affections, but the
security of a friendship that had weathered a storm. Sione held her as she
cried, the hum of the occasional passing car the only indication the outside
world still existed. But one vehicle didn’t drive past, and the slam of a car
door drew their attention.
    “What the fuck, man?” A sharp tone of indignation rang out,
perhaps more than that—a deep wound. Mika stalked across the street, parking
himself in front of his wife and his cousin.
    Sione stood up. “Brah, it’s not what you think.”
    “You.” Mika gave an accusatory jab to Sione’s shoulder,
moving the man backward. “You don’t talk to me right now, Sione, or I’ll bash
your fucking face in. Let’s go, Kala.”
    “You’ve got the wrong idea.” She rushed to get up.
    “Didn’t I just say I don’t want to talk about this now? Just
get in the car, Kala.”
    “Cuz, nothing happened. Nothing happened,” Sione called
after Mika.
    Mika spun around, chest heaving. “Who you trying to
convince? Me or you?”
    “Don’t worry,” Clarissa said to Sione. “I’ll talk to him.”
    Sione gave her a curt nod, his lips tight against his teeth.
    Her feet weighed down by anchors, body wooden, she trudged
to the van and climbed in. Mika tore away from the curb.
    “I get that you’re upset, but could you not drive like a
madman?” she said.
    “What were you doing there?” He gripped the steering wheel
tighter.
    “Talking, that’s it. I swear.”
    “What you two have to talk about, huh? This is the second
time I find you with him after we fight. Is there something going on?”
    Clarissa didn’t reply.
    He turned left onto the main thoroughfare without signaling.
His teeth ground against each other. “I’ve been looking all over the place for
you. To apologize. But I couldn’t find you anywhere. So I come over to Sione’s
to grab a couple beers while you cool off and I find you there, making a fool
out of me with my own cousin.”
    “I didn’t do anything but cry on his shoulder.” She set her
jaw—it was time to come clean. “But I find him so much easier to talk to than
you. He’s easier to be around.”
    Mika flinched “Are you telling me you want to be with him?”
    “No. I just… I have doubts about us. I think we want
different things.”
    “Doubts? Why is this the first I’ve heard of you having
doubts?”
    She flung up her hands. “Are you kidding me? I tell you all
the time, you just don’t listen!”
    “But I bet Sione listens real good, huh?”
    Objections and excuses evaporated on her lips. The hard fact
of the matter was she had no good excuse for her behavior. She could protest
her innocence all she wanted, but her intentions tonight hadn’t been innocent.
By dumb luck, she and Sione had dodged a bullet. If Michelle hadn’t been there…
Clarissa didn’t finish the thought.
    Silence stretched into a chasm between them. Clarissa stewed
in her own guilt as Mika pulled in front of their apartment building. Reaching
across her, he shoved open the passenger-side door.
    “You’re not coming in?” she