Page 31 of Intentional Foul (The Complexity of Love #2)

Chapter Fourteen

Sound Check

Jhae

I crossed my legs, shifting away from Malcolm because he still couldn’t hear me.

“Your body language suggests you are angry, Jhae. Can you express it with your words? Malcolm will not interrupt,” Dr. June said.

I peered over to him, trying to read his body language, but it gave no clues. He had mastered a blank stare.

“Jhae, do not censor yourself in fear of upsetting Malcolm. Holding yourself back is not fighting fair, it’s weaponizing suppressed emotions. Malcolm has tools to say what’s bubbling inside and I am here to guide you through it,” Dr. June said.

She had a pair of caring brown eyes and soft facial features.

“I feel sometimes Malcolm wants a happy ending so badly that he can’t hear me. I’m scared he is going to leave me once Anissa blows her top. There is this lingering fear, I took this risk for us just to be left behind and alone,” I said.

Releasing my fears into the atmosphere forced my eyes to water. Malcolm’s chest rose and fell at my comment, but Dr. June paused him with her palm.

“And your response, Malcolm, to Jhae’s fears?” Dr. June asked.

“Jhae, you are my wife. My wife comes before my mother. I’m a little disappointed that you think I would throw us away. Do you need a reminder of the lengths I went through to get you? I’m not going anywhere, regardless of how hard Mom barks,” he said, gripping my hand.

The warmth of his touch settled the rumble within me.

“Now we have confirmation Malcolm isn’t leaving you. What will be your response to Anissa expressing anger and disapproval of the relationship?” Dr. June asked.

“I will. . .”

“Malcolm, I would like to hear from Jhae?” Dr. June interrupted.

“I’ll take it,” Jhae said.

“And do what with it?” Dr. June asked.

I shrugged, as a tear escaped from the corner of my eye, traveling down my face.

“No, you are not. I’m not tolerating any disrespect coming at my wife,” Malcolm interrupted, and tugged me closer to him.

“I deserve it,” I said as my eyes roamed the room, taking in the numerous books on the shelves.

“Jhae, you are telling me you deserve some sort of punishment for falling in love?” Dr. June asked.

“No, I love this man with everything inside me, but our love comes with a cost. And we have to pay for it,” I said.

I peered up at Malcolm and, for once, I could see a hint of anger in his eyes.

“Please don’t be mad, baby,” I said as I caressed Malcolm’s cheek.

“It frustrates me when you give up. You jumped to a conclusion and wrote off an entire relationship. Things may get bumpy, but it doesn’t mean you walk away.

Pops said being persistent is the goal. If Mom gets mad at you, so what?

You don’t give up on the relationship. I’m not giving up. We gon’ have it all,” Malcolm voiced.

My eyes traveled to the ceiling as I sighed.

“There is no world where Anissa would accept this,” I said with more tears.

Dr. June turned in her seat, confiscated tissues from her box, and passed them to me.

“We’re telling my mother to get this shit over with. I want to enjoy my marriage. I want your ring on your finger and the jumping at the door opening needs to stop now,” Malcolm said.

“No, I didn’t agree to that. We said we both have to agree before we tell her,” I said.

Malcolm used his free hand and polished his beard. “Jhae, we need to set a tell date,” he said.

“Okay, how about before the season opener?” I said.

“It will need to be before the season starts. We open with a fourteen-game road trip,” Malcolm said.

I leaned away from Malcolm in disbelief. My thoughts bounced around my head as my mouth parted.

“A fourteen-game road trip. What the fuck, Malcolm? How am I supposed to sleep at night without you in bed? Three games, max, is all I have in me. Fourteen days, are you serious? While you’re gone, what am I supposed to do? Why would the league schedule this for an opening,” I spewed.

A smile stretched across his face. “Record your album and we can talk on the phone or video,” he said.

“Video!” The word left my mouth with a bad taste.

Heat coated my body as I faced Dr. June.

I sucked my teeth with half a mind to write the head office of the Basketball League.

My feet dangled as I thought about sleeping in his big ass bed alone.

I still had my condo, but I hadn’t slept in my bed in months.

My clothes, shoes, and makeup were in Malcolm’s closet.

“Well, Malcolm, you will be missed,” Dr. June said.

“Before we conclude, Jhae, call me optimistic, but I believe with some tools, you can navigate these waves with a different boat. I implore you to schedule another session. Jhae needs tools on how to fight fair. Remember, you two are now a family unit. Protect your family with strong boundaries, hard conversations, listening, and agreeing. This includes outing your relationship.”

We scheduled a new date with Dr. June before we left. I exited the office first, in a daze. Malcolm is leaving in a few weeks, the Anissa thing is still looming, and my unfinished album exhausted me.

With the days before the tell date winding down, I scheduled lunch with Anissa. I sat at a wooden table with a mini potted plant as the centerpiece.

Hubby

Music Note

Seeing the name Hubby come across my screen made my shoulders bounce.

After I changed his name, I texted him something random to see it on my screen.

It made this marriage real to me, especially when I’m hiding my ring.

I had intentions of keeping it on my finger, but once I sat down, I slid it off.

My guilt of avoiding Anissa continued to put Malcolm in the middle and it hurts.

Me

Meeting Anissa.

Hubby

I prefer you to wait until we are together

Me

Malcolm, don’t fight me on this. We settled it last night.

Hubby

You sexed a yes out of me

Me

Not my problem

“Jhae!” Anissa said, and I jumped, almost dropping my phone.

“Girl, what is wrong with you?” she said, taking the seat across from me.

It had been months since we sat across from each other. She was back to her original size before the pregnancy. The dark hue of her skin glowed and for once, she allowed her hair to hang at her shoulders. In true Anissa fashion, she wore a black fitted suit.

“Bestie, you are glowing. Are you pregnant again?”

She crinkled her nose, creating a tight line in her forehead.

“Oh, hell no. Kal is fixed. Khaira has worn my ass out. I left her and her daddy at home,” she said.

Anissa’s ring glistened when the light from the window hit her hand. I found myself jealous that I didn’t have the confidence to wear mine. She scanned the QR code and browsed the menu.

“I don’t know, Anissa, you look great,” I countered.

She gave me a sharp stare before rolling her eyes.

“Girl, it’s a sex glow. Kal and I had a quickie before I left,” she said without shame. “Did you order?” Anissa asked.

“No, I was waiting for you.”

I scanned the QR code and ordered a chicken salad sandwich I had no intention of eating. My stomach was doing a floor exercise as if I was at the World Games.

“Alright, give me the update. It’s been a while since we connected and what was urgent you had to tell me?” she asked.

I examined Anissa’s brown eyes and the softness of her features, and my heart sank. This was supposed to be easy. The goal was to say it and run. It’s the reason I picked the seat by the window.

“Anissa, you know I love you and I didn’t do this...”

“Ahem,” someone interrupted.

Anissa and I both turned toward the server. I scanned her body, her beautiful chocolate skin, bone-straight hair, and slim figure until I ended at her name tag.

“Are you Anissa Shaw as in Marquise’s mother? You look similar to the picture on his profile,” Brittany asked with questionable confidence.

I sat back in my chair with bunched brows, trying to figure out where this was going.

“Yes, can I help you?” Anissa said.

Fuck . Anissa shifted her mood from let’s talk to defensive. She could turn it on and off without warning. The last thing I needed was her to already have her guard up.

“I-I. Sorry, let me get my nerves together,” she said with shaky hands. “I’m Brittany.”

Anissa peered over at me and then back to Brittany as she re-adjusted in her seat.

“I can’t get a hold of Marquise. We are in love with each other, and he stops answering for me. I think there may be a mix-up. Is he okay?” she asked Anissa.

My lips retreated inside my mouth. Marquise was playing the game in the living room when I left this morning.

“Yes. I spoke with him earlier today,” Anissa said.

Brittany held her chest and exhaled a worried breath as if he was in some kind of danger.

“It’s weird; we were discussing a future, and he fell off the face of the earth. He even let me come over one time. Do you think I should stop by unannounced,” Brittany said. Her voice elevated to almost squealing, showing her excitement.

Shit, Marquise has a stalker, I thought to myself.

“Okayyyy,” Anissa sang with widened eyes. “What future did you two discuss? I do not recommend you stop by unannounced.”

A smile settled on Brittany’s face. “About me being the first woman to stay the night with him and getting to meet you, the Anissa Shaw,” Brittany said with pride.

I chuckled as Anissa turned to me and then back to Brittany. It was clear she was in love with Marquise and we both knew she was a mere number.

“How long ago was this, exactly?” Anissa asked.

“January. Marquise preferred we move at a slower pace. He has a hard time trusting people,” Brittany said.

The glow on her face suggested she would be the one to save him from this pain.

“Shit,” I said, drawing their eyes to me.

“I promise, Mrs. Shaw-Jefferies, I’m a good person. I’m pre-med, no children, and I come from a middle-class home. I work here part time.” Brittany gave her accolades with pride.

The only mistake she made was sleeping with Marquise.