Chapter 33

Chelsea ... Closure & New Beginnings

It had been three months since we left the island a second time. We watched his sister graduate with honors and we made a family trip with her to Tallahassee to see her off for school.

I had successfully opened my business in a business shopping center. Chelsea’s Catch This Beat was a huge success. I offered spaces for others to rent and Christian and I opened a dance studio. He had this passion for dancing and wanted to teach salsa, bachata, and other forms of dance.

By late August, it was time for me to visit my girl in Tampa. I wanted her to meet Christian. She said she had to meet him to see if he was legit. She needed to feel his energy.

On August 27th, we traveled to Tampa. Our first stop was Aunt Nina’s. Since Aunt Nina was a real estate tycoon, you can imagine what her home looked like in Tampa. It was a waterfront property. As Christian pulled into the driveway which was made out of these intricate bricks, he said, “Ooh wee, Aunt Nina got a fire crib.”

I laughed, “Yeah, she does, and wait until you see the inside.”

She greeted us at the front door. I saw you pull up on the security system,” she said as she hugged me, “look at you.” She checked me out in a cute maxi dress showing off my curves.

“You remember Christian?”

She hugged him, “Of course, I haven’t seen you in years, just as handsome as ever, come inside and have a drink or two.”

Walking inside was like stepping into a palace. The hardwood floors shined. I took off my shoes and reached into my purse for some soft fuzzy slip-ons. Cristian removed his shoes and we went to the kitchen for a quick drink.

We talked for a little while and she said, “And see ... you weren’t even going to go to the island. I had to make you.”

I nodded, “Right. I’m glad I did. It was what I needed.”

“So, what are your plans?” she asked Christian.

He looked at me and smiled, “It’s serious. I can see us married in a year. We’ve talked about it.”

“Good. That’s beautiful.”

We stayed a little longer and then went to Lisa’s house.

On the way over, I called Lisa and said we were en route. She had a new boyfriend she wanted us to meet as well. His name was Simon Wallace. When we arrived, she greeted us at the door. Even though we had kept in touch over the phone, it hit differently to see my girl up close in the flesh after so many months.

I started crying tears of joy. The men stood by awkwardly. They ended up introducing themselves while we exalted in one another’s presence.

“Sorry,” she said to her man that stood as tall as Christian. He was a cinnamon-colored fellow with brown freckles on his nose, and bright brown eyes to match his personality, “this is my best friend, Chelsea.”

He shook my hand, “Nice to finally meet the woman Lisa adores so much.”

“Thank you. This is Christian.”

“Yeah, yeah, we met a few minutes ago, come, come we have some snacks prepared before we go.”

We headed to the kitchen. Lisa had already given me the rundown about how Ashton had slept with some girl in her house. So when she told the story again, it was not shocking. The guys got a kick out of it.

“Yeah, he kept trying to contact me on Facebook telling me that he was coming for what was his.”

I made a face, “for what was his.” I laughed.

“I didn’t entertain dude. I blocked him.”