"Tomorrow"
Ch.1
---- 8:30 AM----
Talia Wilson walked quickly down the hall, her fitting outfit seemed to be made especially for the office but not her stiletto heels. She walked toward the door that she had been looking forward to getting to, she walked in and say a man no older than 50 sitting in front of her desk.
"Hello Miss Wilson." He greeted as she sat in her desk, she yawned into her hand. Sleep hadn't been coming to easily to her these days.
"Mr.Parker, good morning, how are you?" She asked sitting down, she loved her job but sometimes it got tiring.
She works for a multimillion dollar corporation, K & A Inc, its one of many rival large multi-industrial companies that crowded downtown Nashville, TN. She had worked here, in the Advertising Sector of the company, for 5 years working her way up from internship but she still got nervous finding her boss sitting in front of her desk.
"Miss Wilson we decided that since the Clinique account was stolen away by B. J. Smith that we would clear our mind and start all over again." He said folding his dark leathery hands in his lap. He was a tall black man with graying curly black hair, a voice so sharp it would strike even the strongest of men.
Talia shook her head understanding that the account had been the foundation of the whole company's imagination of the new direction the company could take. And when it was pulled right from under them they all were greatly disappointed, "So where did we start?" Being the Executive of advertising she thought it appropriate to dig deeper.
"I thought I would bring in two new executives to help you along," And with that he stood and opened the door and there stood the man that had haunted her dreams for so long now, "Talia Wilson I would like you to meet one of your new partners Jarrell Houston."
She couldn't smile or anything as she shook Jarrell's hand, her mind was spinning and she couldn't take it. Then stepped in the door one of the best looking men she had seen in a while, and she knew him and his best friend who was dating her big brother, "And this is the other, Druex Fredricks, I got both of them at the end of their contracts from none other than our Clinique thieves. These were the master minds behind the 'heist', now I thought mixing these to master minds with your brilliance we could dominate."
------ 10 Hours Later ------
Talia sat at her desk, her suit jacket hanging off the side of her chair, four hours into their deep discussion of the right account to pursue she had taken it off showing off her white sleeveless shirt and all of her mid-length red skirt. She looked down at the papers laying on her desk, the sun was setting beautifully with bright colors through the big window that allowed her a view of the business district of Nashville. Talia gazed distractedly at the numerous drawings, sketches, outlines, and contracts that laid on her desk, she was still in shock over him showing up here, she couldn't believe it.
They had met their first year at MTSU, and it had been all good since then they both had majored in advertisement, they had fell in love and at first it was a very healthy, stable, and loving relationship. Well, until everything started to fall apart and Jarrell started using her, cheating on Talia every chance he got. And that's when all the shit hit the fan, she found out about every girl, every hoe, and every lie. She left him, and every night since she had nightmares, he had been her first love and it never sat right how he had ruined her happiness.
Jarrell looked at Talia his mind wondering back to that strange ass dream he had the night before, "Talia where you been? You look tired."
Talia glared at Jarrell her life was just getting back together and here he comes again trying to ruin everything she had just got everything in order, except for him showing up in her dreams. Her half brother Omari always liked Jarrell until he found out about what he did, unlike her oldest half brother who always hated Jarrell. She thought she was falling in love again, and here he is right back in her world. "Thinking, and am tired."
"Well, we could start this up again tomorrow?" Druex said stretching and throwing the papers he held into a chair.
"Sounds good." Talia smiled stacking the papers neatly.
Dreux put his jacket back on, "Aiight then I'll see you to tomorrow morning," He looked over at Talia, "oh I forgot see you tonight."
"Yea see ya, bring that girl O and Michelle have been talking about." She smiled trying her best to ignore the other person in the room. Her brother Marques was having a party to celebrate his engagement to his longtime girlfriend Brittany.
"I might! Bye Jarrell." He called leaving the spacious office and Jarrell just nodded his head.
"So...I haven't seen you in a while." He said sitting on the edge of her desk, she had always loved to see him in a suit and he looked damn good in one.
Talia looked up at him and rolled her eyes, "Damn good thing too huh?"
"I saw your brothers and another guy the other day at the Street Festival." Jarrell tried again, he knew she wouldn't talk to him but his dreams haunted him day in and day out. Both their minds went back to the spring days they used to spend at the Street Festival, dancing, eating, and enjoying each other. That was a long time ago.
Talia shook her head and put some contracts in a folder, "Yea, O and Marq mentioned that, and that 'other guy' is De'Mario Thorton, my boyfriend."
"Oh really?" Jarrell said his eyes wide, he wondered why that guy kept mentioning Talia.
"Yes, really." She said matter-of-factly, she was ready to get at far away from Jarrell as possible.
"He just doesn't seem...hmm never mind." He started opening his brief case and closing it again.
Talia put her jacket back on, closed her blinds and glared back at Jarrell, "Doesn't seem what Jarrell?"
"Like your type." He replied turning toward her with his hand in his pocket, Talia tried her best not to check him out but damn he had only gotten finer in the year and half since she had last seen him.
She looked at the picture on her desk of her and Mario at a mutual friends wedding a couple of months earlier. "Well, that shows you know nothing about me anymore. Mario has been there for me when I thought I would die, he helped me, loved me. He is more my type than anyone I've ever met in my life."
Jarrell knew she meant him, but that didn't faze him. Though he did her wrong, and she left him it never stopped his belief that they were all that would ever be right. "I used to know you real well."
"Well, that was yesterday Jarrell, I remember a time when I thought I knew you but I was wrong." Talia replied throwing some things into her briefcase, turning off her laptop.
He went up to her desk, she was still behind it, and he leaned closer, "Talia people make mistakes are you going to ever forgive me for mine?"
Talia leaned over and glared at him her eyes now just slits, and her thick hair hitting her cheeks, "I have but I'll never forget them, Mario all ways said a person could forgive but they'll never really forget, and he's right."
Jerrell laughed and shook his head putting on his over confident grin, "Oh your little boyfriend is such a philosopher!"
Talia glared at him, still a bastard when he wanted to be, "Shut up Jarrell."
"Ha ha," He laughed enjoying pissing her off he always did, "what does De'Mario do for a living?"
"Not that it matters to you but he is a lawyer." Talia replied setting her answering machine.
Jarrell raised his eyebrows, "A lawyer aye? With what firm?"
"Russell & Thorton, he's the chairman's nephew." She replied walking toward him and the door, as she went by him he smelt the perfume that she used to wear.
"De'Mario Thorton, I knew I've heard that name before! He worked with Metro police with that suit filed by an ex alcoholic." Jarrell said as he followed her out the door.
"Yep." Talia smiled as she walked down the hall and added, "Is Evone still putting up with you?"
"Yep, that's my best friend, why wouldn't she put up with me?" He asked pushing the button for the elevator.
Talia glanced at him and rolled her eyes, "Cuz no good woman should."
------ Jarrell's Place ------
He sat on the couch next to his best friend Evone Lopez, she was one the best looking women he had ever seen but she was such a good friend he didn't want to lose her like he Talia. Evone was a Puerto Rican and black beauty, her long brown hair put up in a messy clip, and her light brown skin glowed from being outside too long.
He sighed loudly and said, "Guess who Druex and I are working with?"
"Who?" Evone asked putting down the puppy that her favorite of Jarrell's girlfriends Telisha, his first one, gave him.
"Talia, Dreux and I are her new partners." Jarrell replied looking at his best friend she knew how he felt about Talia, and she was there through everything.
Evone raised her eyebrows, she could remember when he and Talia were happy and then she could remember when he ruined his own happiness. "How is she? Still pretty as always?"
Jarrell patted the dog as it jumped in his lap, "She's fine, I mean that in both ways, she's involved with a lawyer. De'Mario Thorton, you know who Druex took you to go see in court that day."
"Yea, I wrote an article on him! That man is fine, I see why she's involved with him." Evone laughed as Jarrell threw a pillow at her.
"Shut up, you're supposed to be telling me that she's gonna forget about him and come back where she belongs." He said as Evone threw a look like 'nigga please'.
"Nigga, do you really think she'd come back to you after all you put her through? And it really doesn't look good that you have three girlfriends either, I maybe your best friend but I'm not going to lie to you." Evone replied playing with the puppy on the floor.
Jarrell said nothing as the doorbell rang and he went to answer it, he licked his lips as he saw one of his girlfriends, Faith, "Hey Faith."
She stepped in and gave a smile to Evone who just shook her head thinking, 'Dumbass he's playin you, and plus he's in love with his ex', "Hi J, ready for a little fun?"
Jarrell's eyes swept over her short, 5 foot, figure, though she looked good he didn't want to risk running into Telisha or Jennifer, "Oh, baby I don't feel like going out."
Faith licked her lips and pulled at his arm, "Good, cuz the fun I was talking about has nothing to do with anyone else but us."
Jarrell laughed as she kissed him, "Mm, sounds like my kind of fun. Evone see you later."
Evone turned her nose up at Faith and kissed the puppy, "If you want to get in touch with me, page Druex I'm going somewhere with him."
"Mm, yea holla." She heard him yell as Faith slammed the door.
------ Marques' Place ------
Talia shook her head as she thought about Jarrell, she couldn't believe he was back in her life, she had made a point of avoiding him and now she couldn't. She deep in thought when she felt some soft lips go across her cheek, she looked up and smiled, "Mario."
He smiled and sat by her and Best friend Danielle, sat beside Mario and her brother Omari on her other side. "What's wrong?"
Talia grinned and laid her head on his shoulder, "Ya'll know who is my new partner is right?"
"Who?" Omari asked turning toward her, Danielle made a little face, she knew who it was because Talia had told her about the dreams she had been having.
"Jarrell Houston." Talia replied simply and the face of every person in the room changed.
Brittany, Marques fiancee, frowned looking up at the man she loved, "Oh, when did you find out?"
"This morning, my boss introduced me to him and my other partner, Druex." She replied watching her brother steam, there was no one in the world her oldest half brother Marques hated more than Jarrell.
The whole atmosphere changed after that but most people couldn't shake the fact that he was back in her life after all this time. The party made up of family and friends knew her history with Jarrell. Druex walked in with a beautiful lady, and as she looked around the moment screamed Jarrell.
Talia stood up and walked over to Druex and his guest, "Hi Evone."
The people who knew Jarrell and Talia from then, knew that was his best friend she smiled cussing her best friend out in her mind, "Talia, hi."
Omari's girlfriend, Michelle, walked over to her best friend and drug him from the two woman now talking, "Come on, she just told everyone about her new partners."
Druex looked back knowingly, "Oh, OK."
------ Jarrell's Place ------
She was my once in a lifetime,
and the ending come true.
Oh...I guess I should have told her,
I thought she knew...
"So you saw me today." The voice sneered surrounding him no matter which direction he went.
"I see you everyday, and I love you everyday." He yelled through darkness, the black, opaque, room seemed to stop his voice like an endless space.
Once again the gray clouds appeared and he thought the light would come but only the voice, "Ha! I'm in love with DE'MARIO...HA HA...I DON'T Need you! I don't want you and you are paying!"
As the voice laughed bitterly, he could hear the faint whisper of her in tears and she was everywhere. Memories surrounded him, he ran forever trying to find the door, only to see Talia with De'Mario in the delivery room. They seemed so happy, she seemed so happy, he didn't want that so he ran the other way, every memory and every vision he passed, her eyes would follow him with triumph in them. His heart raced as he finally found the end of the hall. The black turned to a sad blue, and there she stepped out of the darkness, dressed in the white lace nightie that she had worn the night he took her virginity; the one and only night they had slept together.
Out of no where a gust of wind blew her shoulder length, thick hair back and tears fell from his eyes. She was so innocent then, so sweet, and still in love with him, and he had already killed her three times over by then. "Jarrell, I use to love you."
He reached out to touch her, to feel her, to caress what he really loved, "I still love you."
"Forever will you play the liars game." She whispered coming toward him, floating like an angel.
She came so close he was about to kiss her when she flew back and those double doors appeared again out of no where. And again he raced to her, reaching for her, and this time she reached for him. And out of no where on the other side was De'Mario and he called for her and just as the balcony fell he caught her. Mario pulled her into a passionate kiss as Jarrell watched, his heart moaning with pain. She turned back to him, both their eyes boring wholes into his head.
Mario spoke his voice strong, and laced with obvious protectiveness of Talia, "You are a pathetic man...you never deserved her."
Jarrell jumped up sweating, tangled in his sheets panting, "I did, I did."
He sat up on the side of his bed and drank most of the glass water sitting on his bedside table. Jarrell threw a disgusted look at Faith who lay comfortably sleeping in his bed wrapped up in a sheet. He pulled on his boxers and walked into his huge closet, reached up for a box on a shelf, and pulled out an old clipping. It was about De'Mario Thorton and his successful efforts in a law suit against the Matro Police.
Jarrell skimmed over the article his best friend had written, past the picture of Mario, until he got where he wanted to read : "His girlfriend, successful advertising executive for K & A. Incorporated one of the many Advertising Powerhouses in the South, Talia Wilson smiled proudly as the press pounded the lawyer and his clients.
When asked what are her thoughts on the lawsuits and the outcome she is quoted to have said, "Metro picked the best man for the job, and he performed his task flawlessly, as I expected."
The day in court was topped off by a wonderful counter attack by Mr. Thorton, retaliating the Prosecutors attempt to say 'Metro Abused a Pathetic Man's First Amendment Rights,' he came back and said 'this was a drunk man, not pathetic man, not one bit, just an addict. And MP wouldn't be doing their jobs if they let a pathetic man roam the streets, at rush hour, attacking innocent citizens.'
When asked about the couples plans, both grinned, and Miss Wilson replied, 'Hopefully there will be more happy days like this, and we have no plans for anything very permanent right now. Just to be happy is all we want.'
Mr.Thorton agreed and gave props to her for helping him come up with the counter attack, 'I have to say if it wasn't for her, today wouldn't be so successful for me.'
So staying with that the couple is doing very well sharing a home in the suburbs of Antioch, with their two labs, it seems for them today is a happy day.
Jarrell threw the article in back in the box, frowning, "Damn it."
Lyrics: N'SYNC - "I Thought She Knew" (c) 2000