Leaving him was the hardest thing Natalie had done. Three years together seemed like forever. The passionate, off-the-chart, mind-melting, soul spinning love making was just the tip of the iceberg. His tone, the way he spoke to her...how his voice made her belly do flips and dips. How his fingers always found her spots. How he'd cradle her in his arms and kiss her ear, whispering, "I love you, girl". Watching marathons of old shows together while they drank hot chocolate. All the things she'd remembered went down the drain after she realized he was seeing someone else. Natalie had always been faithful and honest with her man...unfortunately, Hassan hadn't been those things with her. He probably only slipped up the one time, but by the time Natalie found out...she was already devastated and broken. No words Hassan could utter would or could make up for the betrayal. She left him standing in the very park she'd met him in...not even looking back.
Two years later, Natalie bumped into Hassan. Nothing had changed about him. If anything he'd gotten FINER. His swagger more intensely HIM and his smile a sweet reminder of his kisses. Natalie saw him but pretended not to. Hassan saw her and made a beeline. "Natalie? Oh, you don’t know me?" he said with his baritone voice. SHIT, his voice still had that magic...because POOF, Natalie's panties were soaking and she hadn't even turned around to acknowledge him yet. She must've been turning too slow for Hassan, almost making him doubt if she was indeed Natalie. He turned her around gently and the tears welled up in her eyes. "Wow..." she almost whispered in agony.”...You're still beautiful!" Hassan's smile widened. He felt himself harden at the sight of her light brown eyes. Her lips were beckoning him to kiss her, but he was frozen in place. Two years of non-communication, coupled with his move from the city, kept the lovebirds from truly seeing each other. He couldn't bear the thought of seeing her at anytime, especially if she ended up on the arm of another dude. "Damn, girl...I missed you." Hassan finally said. Natalie looked at him and felt her spirit slowly whirl. As if it had been still for 2 years and was now awakening in the presence of her truest love. The invisible energy was drawing them nearer to each other...until Natalie spoke. "NO! Oh, no. NO...BYE!" she said, walking rapidly away from him. "NATALIE...NATALIE...WHERE YOU GOING..." he yelled through the crowd. She was moving so fast, weaving in and out between the trafficking pedestrians that Hassan couldn't catch up. He threw his hands up and said, "FUCK...not again. Nah, man...not again."
"Natalie, do you mean to tell me that you saw HASSAN LAWRENCE? I thought he moved from here to go "find himself" after the break-up" Natalie's sister, Layla said. "Yea, he did move away...but, clearly he is back. I think if it hadn't been for the damn wall I was leaning on, I might have lost my balance. He just took me by surprise." Natalie confessed. Layla was a few years older than Natalie and knew how hard it had been on her baby sister when Hassan's betrayal was brought to light. She also knew how much the two loved each other. In spite of her insistence that she was over Hassan, Layla knew a day like this would come and Natalie's resistance would be tested. "Look, I know you don't want to hear this, but I'm gonna say it and then take my ass to bed. I love you, Nat. I don't want to see you get hurt again...but, I doubt that you're as over Hassan as you maintain. If there is any hope for you two, now is the time to find that out...before you get yourself into a situation you can’t get yourself out of. Think long and hard and figure it out, before things get bad. Okay?" Layla ended. "Yes, LaLa. I will think on it. Thanks for listening." The sisters said goodnight and hung up. Natalie went upstairs and got into bed. "Good night, baby" Natalie's boyfriend said. "Night, baby.” she said back.
Hassan hadn't been back in town less than a week and one of his first sightings was Natalie. He was unnerved. He was REALLY unnerved by the feelings he realized he still had. What the hell? How could he still love her that way? How was it that no one else had managed to bring that out of him besides Natalie? Hassan was startled mid-thought with hands around his waist from behind. "Good morning, sexy! How's my fiancé?" Beryl chuckled and said, "...I love saying that!" Hassan turned around and said good morning to his fiancée. Beryl was a cocoa-complexioned beauty. Short haircut of natural curls and the craziest, most intense gray-eyes he'd ever seen. She was a mere 5'2" to his statuesque 6'3". He'd fallen in love with her about a year after he and Natalie broke up. A few weeks ago as they were planning to move to his hometown, he popped the question. Beryl was ecstatic and couldn't wait to meet Hassan's family...he was excited to introduce her...until he saw Natalie. "So what are you doing today, baby?" he asked her. "I figured I'd go out looking for some drapes and blinds...these windows are bare. I'm going to do that now." Beryl said, kissing him goodbye. He watched her traipse out the door, knowing she'd be a while. Blinds and drapes, meant pillows, paintings, vases, lamps, etc.
Time passed as Hassan unpacked boxes while Beryl shopped. He got antsy and decided to take a walk. He hadn't been through his neighborhood in a while, so he took the 15min or so walk. He passed through, speaking to a few old friends. Saw a few of his little brother's friends...then he saw the park. The very park Natalie left him standing in when she broke up with him. He stood over by the slide. He used to push her down that very slide when they were teenagers. Yep, they'd grown up together and had fought their feelings for years, choosing to be friends over lovers. As he was in thought, he heard a voice. "So, you still find your way here? After all these years..." He turned around and saw her standing there. The reason he and Natalie were no more. "Hi, Layla. Long time no see...why are YOU here?" Layla could've been Natalie's twin, except she was a few inches taller and a little thinner. Layla sat down on the bench near the slide and said, "...She still doesn't know. She still believes that it was some random girl." Layla and Hassan's indiscretion had cost Hassan and Natalie their truest love...but, what had Layla lost? "You walked away clean on this one. You really did, LaLa. I still have my suspicions." "WHAT? YOU THINK I DID THIS ON PURPOSE?" she said incredulously. "Look, let’s be reeeeeeeeeeally real. You'd been flirting with me for a long time. Even through childhood, you would do little things to get at me. So, by the time Natalie and I were together and happy...I feel like you truly didn't like that." Layla was incensed. "I have NEVER tried to knowingly come between you all. What happened was a onetime thing. Hell, I was married...there was no WAY I saw myself doing what I did. Yes, I'd always considered you attractive. You're MY age...it should've been US dating...but, I hadn't crossed your mind. At least not until that night!" Hassan stirred around the slide. He said, "Trust me LaLa...without the cognac and wine...I still wouldn't have. You were supposed to drop off ONE thing while Natalie was away at a damn seminar...and we ended up drinking and fucking. It was YOUR panties she found...YOUR hair in our bed...and YOUR damn lipstick on the pillow..." Hassan said, stopping. Layla looked like she was about to speak and he threw his hand up without looking at her. Looking at the setting sun and burnt orange sky, he said, "It’s all behind us. If I had it to do over again...I wouldn't even have let you in. Now? Life is different for me. I’ve learned from my mistakes. Hopefully you learned from yours. I'd rather you never speak to me again." he said, walking away from her. Layla stood up and watched him walk away. "Actions speak louder than words" she said under her breath.
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