I was going to miss her so much.
Hell... If the truth must be told, I was going to miss them both. My best friend, Deshaune and her soon-to-be life partner, K were moving...
Clear across the country.
It was so sudden, that when Dee told me, I actually thought that she was joking. But when I learned that she wasn't kidding, I was devastated.
K had been offered a wonderful position with a pharmaceutical company in California and the pay and benefits were so good that there was no way that she was going to turn it down.
She wanted Dee to be with her. And Dee wanted the same.
In the beginning of their relationship, I didn't want to like K. After the "amicable" break up of my marriage, Dee and her son Malik were all that I (and my two baby girls) had, and I will be honest, I held on to her selfishly. I made it a duty to find something wrong with any mate that she had. I made it my personal goal to not like anyone that she introduced to me. Though I never interfered with her relationships, I was never "buddy-buddy" with any of her girlfriends. I was polite... Okay! Okay! Maybe I was a little frostbitten with them, but I wasn't a complete bitch. At least, I don't think so...
But for the life of me, I couldn't find anything to dislike about K. She was wacky, creative, funny, clever. She kept Dee in stitches with childhood tales and whatever popped into her mind. She even threw me off every now and then with a gut-buster. She had a little girl who considered Dee to be her second mom. She truly made my best friend truly happy. I knew how much Dee needed that, so there was no way that I could dislike her.
DAMMIT!
But now, I had a reason to be a little resentful. She was taking my best friend 40 hours away... Hundreds of miles away... And their departure was only a couple of days away.
K had traveled to Cali for a few weeks prior to have everything somewhat settled and organized for when they would all begin their new lives in their new place. In her absence, I spent as much time with Dee as I could.
I would often just kick back and relax while Dee packed up their belongings. Sometimes we would reminisce about good times and discuss past misfortunes and whatnot. I was just happy to have her to myself for a little while. I was attached to Dee from the very first day that we met and I couldn't fathom what it was that made me cling to her...
* * *
"You're in love with her."
I nearly choked on my rum and fruit punch as I quickly looked up at K.
It was just the two of us lounging in the living room at that moment because Dee had went to the bathroom or something. We were listening to a cd on the DVD player through the television since everything else had pretty much been packed up.
"Pardon me?" I sputtered, sitting straight up from my cozy pillows on the floor where I sat in the living room that was nearly empty except for the entertainment center and wood & glass coffee table. I sat my drink on the glass of the coffee table. "Where did THAT come from?" I asked, avoiding K's penetrating look.
"I can see it," she answered. "I see it in how you act with her. I see it in how you look at her. I could tell when I first met you."
I sighed. "Am I that transparent?" I asked after a moment, embarrassed. I couldn't make myself meet here gaze. Now that it had actually been said aloud, I couldn't honestly deny it. I did in fact love Dee... A lot.
"You tried to play it off and it was a nice try," K answered. "But you are not very good at covering your emotions up. And like Dee says, your eyes snitch on you."
"I'm sorry," I said, though I had no idea of why I was apologizing.
As if reading my mind, she asked, "Why?"
I could only shrug my shoulders. "I dunno," I mumbled, yet to make eye contact with the woman who had the heart of the woman that I loved and still managed to become a friend to me as well.
"What?" she then said. "Are you expecting me to act a bitch because I know how you feel about her?"
Once again, I shrugged, unable to look her in the eyes. Maybe it was the alcohol, but I felt myself get a little emotional.
I heard the rustling of her clothes, then realized that she had scooted closer to me from where she sat on the carpeted floor. Before I had time to react, she took a single finger and lifted my head, making me look at her.
"It's okay," she then said. "I understand."
SHE UNDERSTANDS?!
Who is understanding about someone wanting their mate?! And the craziest thing was that I honestly felt the sincerity in those few words. Damn... Why couldn't she be a bitch? Why did she have to be so damn likable? Accepting the fact that she and Dee were going to be bound for life, I spoke softly, making one request.
"Just take good care of her for me, please."