Impossibly Love (9 page)

     He observed
my reaction as we sat at a high table near the dance floor. “I knew you’d like
it,” he said confidently, sounding like my own personal broken record.

     I winked.
“Okay. You were right, again.”

     “So, do you
want anything to drink or eat?” he asked.

     “I’ll have a
coke.”

     Branden left
to get us drinks and I continued admiring the ambience. I was also unable to
stop myself from grooving along with the music. The hypnotic beat was creeping
underneath my skin. Even when Branden returned with our drinks, I kept rocking
on the seat.

     He stood and
watched me take a sip, then took my hand as he said, “Let’s go dance.”

     “Oh no, I
don’t dance,” I said like a fearful little girl.

     “Well, there’s
a first for everything, Moya.” Branden grinned broadly, exposing his perfectly
white teeth as he led me to the dance floor.

     As stiff as
I was when it came to dancing, it was a wonder why I hadn’t resisted further to
keep from looking idiotic in front of him.

     Branden
flowed better to the music than I’d anticipated. He placed both hands on my
waist and I moved along with him. Surprisingly, I wasn’t as bad as I feared.

     We had so
much fun dancing with each other that I didn’t want the night to end. Mix after
mix was exciting. The DJ truly knew how to keep a crowd entertained. Branden
and I couldn’t leave the dance floor.

     Later on,
the DJ slowed things down and Zedd’s ‘
Clarity’
began to play. It was one
of my favorite songs at the moment because the words were so relatable. Branden
must have realized my love for the song, because he stood reading my
expression, and then began pulling me intimately closer.

     My heart
pounded as the warmth of his body engulfed mine. I gripped him tighter. Like
this dance, this moment, was our last. He made every single hair on my body
stand up as his breath tickled my neck. He lowered his head and lightly kissed
me there.

      My insides
were on fire. I wanted to say the words I’d been fighting back since I’d
realized how I felt about Branden. At the end of the song, I eased out of his
arms to look him in the eyes. Then I noticed his bliss from earlier was being
replaced with agony.

     “What’s
wrong?” I asked.
“Branden?”

     He curved
over, clenching his chest. “Nothing,” he exhaled rigidly while shaking his
head. “It’s a chest cramp. That’s all. I’ll be alright, gimme a sec.”

     I wasn’t
satisfied with that because it didn’t seem like his discomfort was going away
after a second. “Are you sure you’re alright? Maybe I should get some help—”

     “No,” he
said. “It’s fine. Don’t do that.” Branden tugged my hand and we made our way
outside.

     I exhaled in
the cool night air, still worried seeing Branden hung over his car, breathing
deeply. I moved closer and massaged his back. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

      He
composed himself then turned to face me. “Yeah, baby. I’m alright. I’m sorry
about that.” He stuck his hand in his pocket and took out his car keys. “I
guess we have to head back to campus. I’m sorry.”

     I didn’t
protest as he opened the door for me to get in. There was something wrong. I
had a gut feeling there was a secret Branden was trying to keep from me.

     On the drive
back, I implored, “Maybe you should see a doctor. Is it the same thing like
last time when I walked with you to your dorm?”

     Branden
remained quiet, his eyes gazing out the windshield, not looking at me once.

     “I’m fine.
It’s no big deal,” he finally said, his words coming out like a whisper.

     No matter
what he said, pain was still evident on his face and in his reddened knuckles
as he gripped the steering wheel. Branden wasn’t doing a good job at hiding it
from me. But I didn’t mutter another word, though, until we got back to campus
and he parked his car.

     Getting out,
Branden offered, “I’ll walk you to your dorm.”

     I actually
wanted to help him back to his. “No, maybe I should—”

     “Its fine,”
he cut me off. “I don’t want you walking alone at night.”

     I nodded in
agreement, realizing there was no talking Branden out of it. His mind was
already made up.

    
 Anxiety itched at my heart as we walked back to my dorm. I wanted to know
what was really going on with Branden, what he seemed to be hiding. As I drew
closer to the entrance, I took out my identification card and unlocked the
door.

     My body
shivered as I turned to Branden and asked, “Will you come up?”

     He looked
surprised by my words. I really wanted to be close to him this moment.

     Moving over
to where I stood, Branden touched my hand on the handle and eased it away. He
entered, closing the door behind him.  

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Branden

    
The entire
walk up the stairs to Moya’s room
we stayed in silence, and I held her hand
tightly in mine all the way. I didn’t want her to worry about me. That was my
reason for accepting her invite. I had no idea what would happen after getting
to her room.

     When I
entered, I was surrounded by darkness until she flipped the light switch. Her
room was barely decorated. Not that I was surprised. She wasn’t the type to go
all out putting up posters or displaying an artistic collection on shelves.
 

    
“Water?”
Moya offered, taking a bottle out her little
refrigerator.

     I took the
bottle out of her hand.

     She motioned
for me to sit down and I rested on the edge of her bed while she sat at her
study desk.

     I gulped
down some water as Moya continued to stare troublingly at me. “Are you sure
you’re alright?” she asked.

     “Don’t look
so worried,” I tried to assure her. I wanted that sexy and self-confident smile
to return to her beautiful face. After all, it was my own damn fault for
getting too excited at
Sound Box
when I was constantly warned that too
much activity would rile up my condition.

     Moya cleared
her throat and I zapped out of my thoughts. “I was thinking, Branden. I barely
know anything about you besides what you study.”

     I straightened.
“Ask me anything you want to know.” Was that a good idea?

     “Okay, for
starters,” She got up and walked over to the bed, sinking down beside me, “why
International Business?”

     It was the
only other area of study I thought of when my dream of becoming a professional
hockey player was shattered. Initially, I had wanted to major in Sports
Management. After giving up hockey I’d decided to stay as far away from
anything athletics as I could.

     “Because…I
like it,” I lied.

     Moya nodded,
disbelief still covered her face. I decided to return the question. “Why
finance?”

     Her eyes
softened as she answered, “Because I like money.”

     We both
laughed. Soon our chuckles faded and the air became interestingly strange as we
stared back and forth from each other to the bed on which we sat.

     “It’s
because,” she continued, “I want to be able to give back to my momma one day.
She’s done a lot for me. Helped me get to where I am today.”

     I nodded, feeling
great admiration for her. “Your momma should be proud.”

     She smiled,
dipping her head shyly. “So,” her voice chirped, trying to find something else
to talk about, “tell me about hockey. Why’d you stop playing?”

     Not this
again.

     A tight knot
developed in my throat. “It wasn’t for me anymore.” That was my usual excuse
whenever someone asked. It wasn’t convincing Moya to drop it, though.

     She pushed
further. “But you were so good. I saw videos of you on YouTube. Plus, wasn’t
that your scholarship? I even heard you were drawing the attention of
recruiters to get drafted by some popular teams.”

     She amazed
me with how much she knew. “You checked up on me?” It thrilled me to hear she
had taken the time to find out about me.

     Moya pursed
her lips innocently as her eyes glanced around the room, looking at everything
else but me. “No, I wasn’t checking up on you.” Her voice was high pitched and
sounded nervous. “When Vanessa told me how weird it was that you quit, when you
were so good, I wanted to find out for myself. That’s all.”

     Finally, she
stared at me again. But it was now my turn to look away from her gorgeous brown
eyes.

     I found
myself in a dilemma.

     Was it fair
to like her so much and make her feel as if she could freely do the same, when
my life was so complicated? If I told her the truth now, what would happen?
Would she have the same reaction like Samantha did?

     “You seem
really lost in thought,” Moya chimed, taking the bottle from my hand to put
down on top of the desk.

     I stood as
well, staring at her back. It had to be now. I had to tell her about my
condition.

     When Moya
turned to face me I clenched her shoulders. “There’s something you have to
know, Moya, and it scares me a lot to tell you because I feel like we’re
starting something great.”

     She parted
her lips and her eyes widened. “What is it?”

     I took a
long breath. “The reason why I stopped playing hockey in high school is
because, I—”

     A vibration
resounded nearby and threw me off. Peering around, we saw that it was her phone
ringing on top of her desk.

     Moya tried
to ignore it. “Never mind, keep going.”

     I urged her
to see who was calling, only to create a diversion so I wouldn’t have to go
through with telling her at this moment. I didn’t have the courage at all. “It
could be important.”

     Picking up
the phone, she checked the screen. “It’s Vanessa. I’ll call her back. What were
you saying?”

     No. I needed
the disruption. I was too afraid and couldn’t possibly share my secret with
someone who already established a special place in my heart. I couldn’t risk
losing the connection we had so far. “It can wait, answer it.”

     I moved over
to the door as Moya spoke to Vanessa on the phone. I could hear how upset her
friend was; Vanessa sounded like she was crying hysterically, as if her world
had fallen apart.

     When Moya
hung up I asked, “What’s going on?”

     “Vanessa and
her boyfriend had a fight, she’s on her way over so we can binge and talk crap
about him until they make up again,” she chuckled, raising one hand to rub the
back of her neck.

      “So, I
guess that’s my cue then. No boys allowed.” I moved closer and combed my
fingers through her thick curls.

     She frowned.
“I’m sorry, Branden, you wanted to tell me something important.”

     “It’s
alright, friends come first. I’ll tell you next time.” I pulled her in for a
tight hug then gave her a kiss on the forehead as I cupped her cheek.

     Moya wanted
more. She flung her arms around my neck, pulling me in aggressively for a kiss
on the lips. I placed my hands at her waist, leaving them there and not going
further. I yearned, though, to caress her curves.

     I left
Moya’s dorm before Vanessa showed up. Still hurting a bit, I walked over to my
dorm and took my medication immediately after getting to my room. Sadly, they
weren’t working very well—which reminded me I had to meet with Doctor Henderson
to discuss my options, now that the MRI had showed the Aortic Dissection was,
in fact, back and in full force.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Moya

    
The next
evening Vanessa and I
went window shopping around the plaza near school. I
wanted to hang out with Branden afterwards. However, he hadn’t showed up for Business
Law in the morning and his cell phone had been off all day. I wondered if he
was still feeling sick.

     Of course,
after crying her heart out last night on the floor of my room, and cursing
every single thing about Calvin and Basketball, Vanessa forgave him when he
showed up this morning with flowers. Talk about a light switch relationship.
                           

     As much as
her boyfriend and I didn’t really get along, I could understand him not being
able to spend a lot of time with Vanessa due to his Basketball commitments. It
had been bothering her more than ever lately, though. She seemed really
frustrated about it.

     Strolling
along the shops, Vanessa kept me from inquiring about her relationship by
asking about Branden. “So
can
I stop trying to set you up with other
guys?”

     I giggled.
“It would mean a lot if you stopped doing that. I never liked it anyway.”

     She rolled
her eyes. “I had your best interest at heart. You know, I almost considered
what Tobias said about you being a lesbian. I mean, you’re my best friend and I
love you regardless. But don’t try to make a move on me,” she joked.

     I sucked my
teeth. “Whatever. But, Nessa, about Branden…”

     We came to a
stop and sat down on the stone bench around the fountain in the middle of
Sheppard’s Plaza.

     “Oh jeez,
don’t tell me you’re second-guessing now?” she asked, seeing I was in
contemplation.

     I played
with my butterfly pendant necklace. “No. Not that. Did you hear anything else
about him and the reason why he stopped playing Hockey?”

     Her forehead
creased as she narrowed her eyes and slanted her head. “Only what I’ve already
told you. Girl, if you’re so curious why don’t you ask your boyfriend?”

     “He seems so
apprehensive, talking about hockey. Like, it’s hard for him. I don’t know…” I
trailed off in thought. We continued to sit there in a comfortable, if tired,
silence as the evening wore on. Then I remembered. “Oh, I have to call that
place.”

     While taking
my cell phone out my clutch, Vanessa inquired, “What place?”

     “The jewelry
store in Berlin Heights Branden said is looking for someone to work on
weekends. That reminds me, I should ask Momma where she bought my necklace
because Branden said the store sells them there.”

     “Ooh, I
see.” Vanessa nodded as realization dawned on her. “That’ll be good, too,
because you go home on weekends, anyway.”

     I placed my
finger to my lips and indicated for her to be quiet as the phone rang twice. A
lady answered on the third in a jovial tone, “This is Teresa.”

     “Hi, is this
the owner of
My Love’s Finest
?”

     “No, I’m the
store manager. Are you looking for custom pieces?” Teresa asked.

     “Oh, no,” I
shook my head as if she could see me through the phone. Vanessa laughed inaudibly.
“This is Moya. My boy….” Maybe I shouldn’t say that. “My friend told me you
were looking for someone to work on weekends at your jewelry store?”

     “Oh, yeah,
Branden said you’d be calling soon. Well, I need another person to work the
register. Have you done that before?” Teresa asked.

     I replied,
“No. But I’m a fast learner.”

     She
continued, “I see. How about you stop by this Saturday for an interview and a
quick run through of the store? If all goes well, I’ll let you start.”

     I answered
enthusiastically, “Sure thing. I’ll be there.”

     Teresa gave
me the address. Even then, I didn’t know where the jewelry store was. I didn’t
think I had ever been in that part of Berlin Heights before.

     Vanessa squealed
when I got off the phone. “Yay, girl, how sweet of your boo to hook you up with
a job. I must say I’m starting to like this Branden more and more.”

     “I haven’t
gotten it yet, Nessa,” I laughed.

     “You will.”
She waved me off as we got up from the fountain and began heading back to
campus.

That evening, I tried calling Branden
again. He finally answered and I asked straightaway, “What happened? Are you
still feeling sick?”

      “Sorry
I didn’t call you earlier. I had something to take care of and my phone was
off.” Branden sounded overwhelmed.

     A wave of
stillness entangled the line, and I wanted to get us out of it. “You wanna hang
out tonight, by the river, or…?”

     “I’m home,
Moya,” he breathed deeply.

     I didn’t
understand. “How come, did something happen?”

     “It’s hard
to explain over the phone. Maybe we could meet up on Friday before you leave
for the weekend?”

     “Okay,”
Branden had me beside myself with worry. His voice sounded so tired on the
phone.

     His words slurred
when he spoke. “I’ll meet you at your dorm Friday night then.”

     “Sure.”

     We hung up
and I was left wondering what could possibly be going on with Branden. Did it
have something to do with those sudden aches he’d get? I didn’t even get to tell
him I was going to start working that weekend thanks to him.