106. Room for Recovery 💔

We arrived at Deonte's condo. After getting out the elevator, I knew where he was taking us. The door opened as we stood in front of it.

Cha Cha welcomed us inside her apartment. "Come on in. I don't know if you two are hungry, but I warmed up some plates."

"Thank you, Cha Cha," I told her.

Monica asked, "I can't eat anything after what I just went through."

Cha Cha walked over to Monica. "If you like, I have a guest room that you can use..."

"Yes, please."

"Follow me." Cha Cha led Monica to the guest bedroom.

I turned to Deonte. "Thank you for bringing us here, and thank you for being there. I don't want to think about what could've happened if you weren't there."

"You don't have to thank me. I'm just amazed at how wild Aja was acting. I haven't seen a person act like that since I went Independent."

I shook my head as my mind went back to what happened at the party. My legs began to tremble. I could feel myself falling down.

Deonte quickly caught me. "Don't breakdown, Jamie. Not now. Not never. Don't let them win."

Tears began to flood my eyes as I rested my head on Deonte's chest.

He rubbed my back. "It's gonna be okay. I saw everything. Whatever you choose to do, I'm here to help."

I had a huge lump in my throat. My body felt weak.

"I don't know what all happened tonight, and you don't have to ever tell me, but I'll be praying for you..." Cha Cha spoke as she rubbed my back.

I took a deep breath before asking, "How is my cousin?"

"She asked to use my phone to call her boyfriend. I didn't hear their conversation, but I think he'll make her feel a little better."

I sighed, "He's gonna end up flying back home and hurting somebody."

Deonte asked me, "Do you want to eat?"

"Yes."

We ended up sitting on the couch. Cha Cha brought us two warm plates of chicken alfredo with broccoli and lemonade to drink. I thanked her.

Cha Cha took one of my hands and one of her brothers hands before bowing her head. "Heavenly Father, all praise and honor and glory belongs to You. I thank you for being with us on this day. I ask that you bless this food and make it a nourishment for their bodies. I pray that you cover my brother, Jamie and her cousin for what they've gone through tonight. Please protect them from any physical pain and mental stress. And for anyone who is suffering, I pray that they seek You and know You for themselves. Thank you for another day that You've blessed us to wake up and be alive for, God. I pray Your Will be done and Your Kingdom come in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen."

"Amen," Deonte and I said in unison.

"I'm gonna head back up to get some sleep, but don't hesitate to barge in my room and wake me up if you need anything."

Deonte said to his sister, "Love you, Cha Cha. You've done enough. Get some rest."

"Love you, brother. I love you, too, Jamie." Cha Cha waved at us before leaving our presence.

I picked up my fork and didn't put it down until my plate was empty.

Deonte smiled, "Someone was hungry."

I agreed, "The last time I ate was for brunch."

Deonte stacked our plates. "I'm glad you ate." He stood up and went to the kitchen, putting our plates in the sink.

I sipped on my lemonade until the cup was half empty. I didn't even realize I was staring at my cup until Deonte asked if I wanted more. "No, thank you."

He said, "If you're tired, you can go to sleep. I'm sure your cousin wants to see you."

I nodded my head. "I'll go check on her."

Deonte took me to the guest bedroom.

Monica was snoring like she just worked a 12-hour shift.

Deonte and I caught ourselves before laughing too hard.

He said, "She's gonna wake up early and hungry, but Cha Cha will take care of her."

I looked at Deonte. "Deonte, if you didn't catch me, I'd probably have an injury and be in the hospital right now."

"And your cousin would be in jail. Did you see how fast she was? She almost took Aja's neck off."

We both chuckled as we went back to the living room.

"Monica doesn't play. I do wish she would think a little more before taking action, but it might take having kids to slow her down."

Deonte disagreed, "Becoming a parent, sometimes makes people crazier. She'll end up having the strength of two men as a mama bear."

"True," I smiled at the thought.

Deonte and I ended up back on the couch. "What about you? Do you want kids?"

"Me? I used to fantasize about being married and having kids, but not since becoming an adult. Realistically, kids are not on my mind. By the way, I just got my first royalty check."

"Word? Congrats!" Deonte held up his hand.

I gave him a hi-five. "Thanks. I told my parents to take it. I'd be glad if my dad could retire so he and my mom could spend more time together."

Deonte said, "You're smarter than me. I bought a car, jewelry and clothes with my first check. I lived in a hotel for a few months, telling my family I had an apartment. Zeke found out and offered me a room at his place."

"Zeke? No one from your group gave you a place to stay?" I inquired.

"I just told you what I spent my money on. My group members didn't do any better. We were all fakin' it. They ended up staying with their friends, too."

"Wow" was all I could say.

"Zeke hasn't changed one bit, though. He normally keeps his cool, doesn't say too much, and just does what's right while trying to keep the peace," Deonte stated.

When I thought about it, I started to feel bad for how I criticized Zeke. I misunderstood his actions. He really is a caring guy. "You stayed at the Rivers' mansion?"

Deonte nodded his head. "I was on the second floor in this room that overlooked the pool."

I bucked my eyes. "That's the same room I'm in."

"Really? Man, that's the best room in that entire house. When girls used to come over, we would..." Deonte dropped his smile when he looked at me.

"What?" I asked him.

Deonte did the most fakest yawn I ever heard. "I'm a little tired."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

He asked, "Ready to go to bed?"

"No. Right now, it's kinda hard for me to sleep," I admitted.

Deonte was quiet.

"Sir, you were just talking."

"I'm trying to find something for you to do until you fall asleep."

I chuckled, "To start, I think it would help if I had some comfortable clothes to sleep in."

"You would say that after Cha Cha goes to sleep. And if Chanel found out you were here, you'd never get any rest."

"You don't have anything I can wear?"

Deonte looked at me as if I had lost my sense. "Only my girl gets to wear my clothes."

I sat there with my mouth wide open.

"Your face!" Deonte pointed at me, laughing. "Jamie, I'm joking."

I rolled my eyes. "That wasn't funny. I'm really uncomfortable in these clothes."

He stood up. "I'll bring back some clothes for you and your cousin. Even though she looked like a pig in a blanket, I'm sure that dress is gonna be a pain to wake up in."

I giggled, "Sir, be quiet. Go and get us something to wear. I'm gonna run to the restroom." I got up.

"I'll be right back."

"Okay." I went to the half-bath. After using it, I came out to find neatly folded clothes on the couch. I looked around for Deonte, but I didn't see nor hear him. I picked up the clothes and went to the guest bedroom. After changing into a white T-shirt and stripe pajama pants, I regretfully woke up Monica. She was super annoyed with me, but she'd be happy in the morning knowing that she slept in comfortable clothes - a black T-shirt and blue pajama pants.

I started to get in bed next to her, but I still wasn't sleepy. A few minutes later, I left the room and went back to the living room. Deonte was sitting on the couch wearing a white T-shirt and basketball shorts. "I thought you finally fell asleep." He said as I joined him on the couch.

"I'm still wide awake. Plus, I wanted to thank you for the pajamas."

"You're welcome," he told me.

We were silent.

Then Deonte asked, "Do you want to watch a movie or a show? That's all I can think of."

"Or we can talk," I suggested.

"What do you want to talk about?"

I rested my head on his shoulder. "How to deal with this industry... Part of me is glad that there weren't any cameras allowed. Social media would have a field day with me falling on stage."

"You were being bullied on that stage, and in this present climate, Aja would be heavily scrutinized. I've dated women in the music industry just like her." Deonte continued, "And they are very insecure."

"I can't believe I was such a big fan of hers. Wait, Zeke said you and Aja dated."

"Dated? Riiiight. That's code for other things."

I chuckled, "How do y'all do it? Just casually get with someone and then sing a song with them like nothing ever happened."

He replied, "To be honest, I don't even think it got that far. We were both kinda messed up. That was the only time I recall be with her like that."

I nodded my head.

Deonte held out his hand. I took it. He caressed it. "Friends, real friends are needed in this business. When you find 'em, you must protect them at all costs."

"You're more than a friend to me, though," I confessed. "You're an angel."

Deonte lifted my hand and kissed it. "And you are my angel. I'm glad we became close."

I asked him, "Are you happy as an Independent artist?"

Deonte quickly answered, "Very much. When my last contract ended, and no one wanted to sign me, becoming independent was far from my mind. Music is all I know how to do. Truthfully, the older I get, the more I envy regular people."

"Why?"

"They don't have to share their every phase with the world, and then be reminded of it."

I lifted my head to look at Deonte. "If you had to choose... would y--"

Deonte interrupted me, "No. I can't choose. Music is all I know."

There was a sadness in his response, and it lingered to my heart. I don't know if I like music that much anymore. I put my head back on his shoulder. "You told me before, but I think there's more to the story." I put my free hand over  his heart. "Who broke your heart?"

There was so much peace in the silence that I welcomed the sleep that overcame me.