Chapter 5: CHAPTER 5
"Is everything okay? Nia asks.
Khaleesi sits sullen in front of her cup of coffee. She exhales heavily, replying, "...no."
Putting her phone down, Nia gestures with her hand. "What's up?"
"It's Felix."
"Felix?" Nia repeats. "What's wrong with him?"
"I told him a few days ago that I plan to move into my own place."
"You didn't tell him about your roommate, did you?"
"No. I wanted to, but with how he was acting that night, I knew it wasn't a good time to discuss that."
Relieved, Nia holds her chest. "Alright, good, good…" Feeling more composed, Nia states, "Felix has not been doing good with you not being around. He's rather…reckless in certain aspects. Keanu takes him out occasionally to hang out with the guys to help him cheer up."
"Reckless how? Is something going on?"
Hesitant, Nia struggles to find the words. "Well, yes. But Felix would have to tell you what that is."
"Really?" Khaleesi pouts. "You guys have been keeping more secrets than I imagined."
"Not intentionally." Nia corrects. "A lot has happened while you were back home. I, for one, nearly ended up homeless because my dickhead of a landlord changed the rent when my income increased."
"What?!"
"Thankfully, Keanu and I were still good friends and he didn't have a girlfriend at the time, so he was kind enough to let me crash at his place until I got my life together."
"That's very sweet of him."
"Yeah, it was…" Nia sips her coffee gazing out the window. "It's crazy how far we've come. I'd never expect to fall in love with him."
"Honestly, I knew at some point you and him were going to probably hit it off."
"No way," Nia gapes. "You actually thought that?"
"Uh, yeah!" Khaleesi cheeses. "I've noticed how Keanu looks at you when you'd speak about ANYTHING! Felix and I would always tease him when you weren't looking. We almost got caught a few times in high school, remember?"
"So that's why you guys always looked suspicious when I looked back! I can't believe you guys had me in the dark!"
"I guess this is payback for not telling you Keanu's secret." Khaleesi chuckles to herself.
Sadness suddenly overtook Nia and it showed on her face.
Concerned, Khaleesi takes her hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
"Oh, what are you talking about, Kiki?" Nia laughs. Nothing you said was bad, so don't worry."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Nia smiled. "I'm sure."
"Well…" Kahleesi begins. "I guess I should start getting the haul trucks to bring my stuff in the storage to the apartment."
"Oh? They got delivered already?"
"Yep. I just gotta make the phone call and they'll start bringing my stuff."
"Oh, I'm so glad that you didn't get rid of your furniture from your bedroom. A lot of them looked very beautiful. I think they would be very good for the theme of your bedroom."
"I think so too." Pausing briefly, Khaleesi purses her lips. "To be honest, Nia, I'm really bothered about something that Felix said to me that night."
Curious, Nia tilts her head. "What did he say?"
Khaleesi's stomach sank, making her fidget. "He told me that everytime he tries to get closer to me, I always do something to push us further apart."
"What?" Nia was in disbelief. "Why would he say something like that?"
"Because I'm moving out already. He doesn't like that I would rather pay someone else's rent when I could just live with him."
Nia's lips twisted, revealing how estranged she was by his comment. "He's acting like you'll never see each other again."
"That's what I'm saying…I told him how many times that I'm not leaving just yet. I plan to live with him for a while longer before I officially take my leave."
"Kiki, I know I said this before, but imma say it again. It's best that you don't bother telling him about your roommate anytime soon."
"Trust me, Nia, I know. But I can't help but feel like keeping this secret from him is only going to backfire later on."
"We've all got secrets, Kiki. Trust me."
Khaleesi went silent hearing those words. Nothing more was said between them.
Ending their late morning coffee, Khaleesi returned home to make her phone call to the moving company. They scheduled her furniture drop off on the upcoming Sunday.
Calculating her agenda, Khaleesi prepares for her upcoming interview. She leaves home once again to find a pharmacy that could print out a few resumes for her.
Felix shared with her that there was one located a few blocks from where they lived.
Wasting no time, she picks up her pace.
Arriving at the street, Khaleesi looks around at the signs to see where the pharmacy was. Her face lights up when she realizes that she isn't lost.
Walking in, Khaleesi takes in the medical air that filled her nostrils. She hadn't been inside one of these buildings in so long.
Khaleesi finds a worker, asking if they could help her print out a few resumes.
Charged for an odd sum, Khaleesi was startled by how pricey printing a few sheets of paper was.
"$10…?" She frowns.
She buys a folder to put her papers in and secures them in her bag. Pondering on what else she should buy before leaving, Khaleesi browses through the aisles, waiting for something to catch her eye.
Nothing essential stands out to her, so she takes her leave.
On her way back home, Khaleesi looks through the window of a home supply store, captivated by the beautiful pink pots put on display.
Wasting no time, she rushes inside and buys them.
Khaleesi was very enthused that she was not returning home empty handed. She makes her final stop at a grocery store, buying some meat, rice, and seasoning to cook at home.
Returning home, Khaleesi strips off her shoes and places everything on the kitchen table. Placing her hands on her hips, she breathes hard.
Felix later comes home to a wonderful smell of food cooking. It was after six in the evening when Felix took his jacket and shoes off. "Babe?"
Startled, Khaleesi grins ear to ear. "Baby!" She waves a hand for him to come over.
Felix approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist. He rests his head on her shoulder and watches her stir the meat.
"What chu making?"
"Just some white rice and ground beef."
"It smells yummy."
Chuckling, Khaleesi leaves the fire on low and covers her new pots with their lids. "Thanks. And check this out—I bought new pots!"
Felix steps aside to get a better look at his girlfriend's collection. "Yeah, they look cute."
"Thank you! I saw them displayed in a store window after I left the pharmacy."
"Speaking of which," Felix leans back on the kitchen table. "How did that go?"
Recalling what happened earlier, Khaleesi's face soured. "…they charged me $10 for ten copies of my resume. Unbelievable."
Felix laughs, holding his stomach. "Yep! Welcome to New York. Ain't nothing here priced the way it should be."
"Inflation is serious here."
"Which is why I advise that you stay here with me."
Raising an eyebrow, Khaleesi scoffs. "Nice try, Fifi. But my mind is already made up."
Felix glares disappointingly at the redhead. "What's it going to take to convince you to not leave?"
"Where's this coming from?"
"I just want to be able to spend as much time with you as possible. In a few months, I'm going to be interning for a company. After that, I'll officially start working for them and I won't have as much time to be with you…I just want to spend as much time with you as possible before that time comes. Is it that hard for you to understand how I feel?"
Moved, Khaleesi touches Felix's face softly. "I told you I'm not going anywhere for a while. I can wait until then."
They stare at each other silently before locking lips.
***
"How's Khaleesi doing?"
Putting her satin bonnet on, Nia sighs. "She's okay. But Felix is pressuring her to not move out."
"Sounds just about Felix." Keanu chuckles to himself.
Unsettled, Nia stops wiping her face with her cloth and turns to her boyfriend who lays in bed shirtless. "Do you think I should tell her?"
"I can't answer that one for you." Keanu replies. "Are you ready for us to face the consequences?"
Smugly, Nia comments, "I like how you say us…"
"Well babe, when she's going through it…you'll probably be going through it too. I'd have to be here to comfort you."
"I don't know, babe…I'm scared that telling Khaleesi will completely break her. She loves him so much, you know? She defied her parents just to be with him."
"Khaleesi is definitely admirable for that. Her parents are scary."
"It just baffles me how much Khaleesi sacrificed for that guy, and yet even after we've caught him red handed, Felix never stopped talking to that girl. Mind you—it's been over two years."
"That just comes to show you how immature he is." Keanu deadpans. "You and I both know how hard Khaleesi has been working to make it to this point in her life."
"Do you think you can talk to Felix? Talk some sense into that guy!"
"Nia, I spoke to Felix how many times? Clearly he's made up his mind. And I'm not chasing a grown man to make him stop doing what he already knows is wrong." Sighing to himself, he continues. "I'm praying for Khaleesi. She doesn't deserve this."
Nia climbs into bed, feeling defeated. She hugs Keanu tightly, laboring a hard sigh. "I have to tell her…but not yet."
"You're waiting for a special time, huh?" Keanu wraps his arm around Nia. "Is that why you insist on her moving out?"
"Yes." Nia answers. "She doesn't know it yet, but I'm preparing Khaleesi to mentally detach herself from Felix. This way…she doesn't become dependent on him. I refuse to let Khaleesi become trapped in Felix's mess."
"I gotta hand it to you." Putting his phone down, Keanu turns Nia's face to his. "You're a good friend. I'm glad you made the move on me." Kissing her on the lips, he continues. "I'll do my best to help you. But you know, I can't directly interfere."
"Yeah…I know."
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