"Popular Thug II: Beautiful Disaster"

Ch.2

       (The Next Day)

       Brittney stepped out into the cool air, the meeting had run over four hours and her heels were starting to hurt her feet. Her black Armani suit, with a knee length skirt, and a silk black tank top, fit her to a T.

       The sky darkened above her and she sighed, it was definitely going to rain before she got to her truck, she had gotten so many notes that she was holding two folders and her briefcase. The meeting had been more than a small 'Powwow' between competitive companies. It had been a meeting from Hell that would do nothing but fuel the competition.

       Out of no where a huge gust of wind blew her folders right out of her hand, with an irritated sigh, she began to pick them up, she stopped when she noticed another person picking up her papers. She looked over at the Fubu clad person and struggled not to smile.

       "Druex, thanks," she whispered as he handed her the crumpled papers.

       "No problem," Druex replied, sticking his hands in his pockets, he had forgotten why he even showed up.

       "So," Brittney mumbled as she tried to straighten her papers.

       "You know since I'm here, want to go out for lunch?" Druex asked hopefully, knowing full well she might say no.

       Brittney looked down at her watch before turning back to him, "Um sure why not, I've got an hour or so before I have to get back to work."

      


       They sat in a classy restaurant quietly, Druex was sipping on a Scotch and Brittney was nursing a Perfect Ten. Neither was saying anything, they were barely meeting each other eye to eye. Druex had no idea what to say and Brittney was wondering how she even got to this place.

        Brittney was remembering their first date, the lunch date where she had at least tried to smile and be sociable, she wasn't trying now. Her mind was blank and it seemed he wasn't trying to hard himself.

       Druex decided to break the silence, "How long have you been out here?"

       "About three years now," she replied, sipping the drink slowly, not trusting her words at all.

       Druex nodded his head, knowing that she wasn't going to try much harder, "So, I didn't know you drank coffee?"

       Brittney had to smile at his persistence, he was going to make a conversation, "I didn't drink it back in New York, it's just become a habit in the past five years."

       "That Zimbabwe coffee is pretty rich," he replied, elated to see some semblance of a smile on her face.

       She raised an eyebrow, replying, "Chocolate, coffee and men: All better when rich."

       Druex laughed at that, he knew her sarcastic side always made up for when she didn't know what to say, "Are you sure?"

       "Very," Brittney replied, sipping from her cup again, hoping the hour would come to a close soon.

       "Look, I'm not goin to sit here and partake in this idle conversation and act like there's not something I came to say. It's been along time but what I felt then never went away. I've tried to get over it but it's not possible," he said sitting his cup on the table, his eyes burning holes through her soul.

       Any trace of a smile was wiped off her face when she gave a hollow laugh, "Your heart doesn't quite oblige you now does it?"

       "Look, I'm telling you, without your love, lord knows where I'd be," Druex hissed, his eyes narrowing as he reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.

       "Why are you here Druex? Tell me that," Brittney demanded, fighting off the pain that threatened to take her over.

       "That's confidential," he replied, tightening his grip on her wrist.

       She pulled her arm away with a growl, "Then let me go!"

       Druex inhaled silently, his eyes closing in frustration, momentarily, "I'll be courageous if you pretend you've forgiven me."

       Brittney moved to get up, "I can't pretend Druex."

       Druex stood and tugged at her arm, "Brittney, please, don't go."

       "In my mind I know this isn't the sanest decision," she mumbled as she took her seat again.

       Druex sat down with a sigh, "Sometimes sanity takes vacation on us."

       Brittney sat her purse on the table and stared at Druex for a moment before speaking, "You know you talk about me forgiving you, which hasn't happened yet, but have you even forgiven yourself?"

       He bit his lip momentarily, "Truthfully no, I feel like I need to be redeemed to the one I've sinned against because your all I ever knew of love."

       She rolled her eyes, drinking the last of her drink, just at the Waiter returned, "Stop talking like that, like we are still whatever we were."

       Druex drank all of his Scotch in one gulp before asking for a double Vodka on the rocks, "It's hard to redefine something that never had a name."

       "What were we Druex?" Brittney asked, resting her elbows on the table.

       Druex looked down into the clear liquid that burned his throat and cleared his head, "I don't know Brittney but I do know it was nothing but love."

     "We just need some more time Druex and we'll both be over it," she replied drinking her drink slowly.

       "More time Brittney? We've had five years, none of this should even exist for us anymore but it does," he whispered looking up into her soft brown eyes.

       "Druex, times goes by slowly, the nights are cold, we shouldn't be holding on, but we are. We need to move on, OK," Brittney answered looking down at her watch and rising, putting her purse on her arm.

       "I guess, I love you came to late for us," Druex said, drinking his Vodka in one fell swoop.

       "I guess, I have to get back to work, I'll see you later, I guess," Brittney whispered walking out of the restaurant without so much as a look back.

      

      
       "Where have you been girl?" a brown skinned woman asked as Brittney stepped off the elevator to return to her office.

       Brittney barely glanced at the woman as they walked toward her office, "At lunch, Mr. Lansing didn't want me did he?"

       "No but you totally forgot our lunch date for today," Porcha Medlin said as they entered Brittney's office.

       Brittney sighed apologetically, mentally cursing, "Porcha, I'm so sorry girl, I just ran into an old friend after the Powwow and he offered lunch."

       Porcha raised a perfect eyebrow, as she fixed her shoulder length brown hair in Brittney's mirror, "Old friend? I thought you didn't know anyone here?"

       "He just arrived from...New York," Brittney replied uncertainly as she sat the many files on her desk.

       "He? So I'm guessing this is an old flame," Porcha smirked as her brown eyes twinkled mischievously.

       "Stop guessing and come get these files and deliver them to Lansing," Brittney smiled, Porcha was Mr. Lansing's Personal Assistant.

       "Steven can wait," Porcha sighed sitting in a chair in front of Brittney's desk, it wasn't a secret that she and Mr. Lansing were close.

       "There is a rumor going around the building that Steven has been seen at several Jewelry Stores this week," Brittney grinned, knowing that marriage wasn't not on Porcha's list of things to do with Steve Lansing.

       "Please, girl, I don't want to hear it. Steven knows I'm not ready for that," she replied picking up some files and looking through them, almost uninterestedly.

       Brittney leaned back in her chair, raising an eyebrow at her best friend, "A lot of people are saying it's because he's white."

       "That means a lot of people need to keep their mouths shut. That's not the reason, I do have strong feelings for Stevem, I am not ready for marriage. Whether he was black, white, Indian, or Mexican. You know that Brittney," Porcha snapped, sitting the files in her lap.

       It was the truth, Steven Lansing was good-looking, just thirty-five, a millionaire, and a very good employer. He had been hooked on the coffee-skinned Porcha from the moment he'd laid eyes on her and Porcha was taking her time with their relationship.

       "Yea, now get these files to Steven before I get fired," Brittney laughed handing Porcha the stacks of folders that sat on her desk.

       Porcha smiled as she opened the door, "Yea, I'll see you later girl."

       "Yea," Brittney replied softly as Porcha left her to her self and her thoughts.

       She kept running that conversation over in her head, she could still see the haunted look in his eye, he stilled loved her. There was no way she could say that she didn't love him but she had become better at hiding it. Five years ago he had broken her heart and now she wasn't woman enough to forgive him for giving up on them.

       "I'll be courageous if you pretend you've forgiven me."

       Brittney laughed silently to herself, he couldn't be courageous, not with his job between them. He needed to be courageous if he was to get her back but that wasn't going to happen because she wasn't capable of pretending that she had fogotten that he'd given up so easy. Brittney was disgusted to think of his last words to her, she was supposed to have nice life, without him.

       "Fat chance," Brittney mumbled to outloud, she knew as long as he was in L. A. there was no chance of her 'having a nice life'.

       She could still hear his voice, it rang in her head, she would never forget.

       "I'm not asking you to give up on me, no baby I could never -- baby never, I'm just asking -- no, I'm just trying to...tell you that this is the end...for us."

       "It was the end," she whispered softly as she gazed out the window.

       "Brittney...we can't be together...now...or ever. I love you -- and you love me...but WE aren't meant to be...well -- maybe we are...just not now. I -- you can't stay with me baby...it's not going to work."

       "You're damn right, it's not going to work," Brittney growled as she punched the button on her intercom and decided to get to work.

....
I'm longing for love and the logical
But he's only happy hysterical
I'm waiting for some kind of miracle