Chapter 2: The Shoes Beside the Bedroom Door
“Whose shoes are those?””
Tiana's question was quiet enough that Dray almost pretended not to hear it.
Almost.
His eyes flicked toward the hallway again, and Jordan followed his gaze. The color drained from her face as she noticed the shoes beside the bedroom door.
They were white sneakers with pink laces.
A small silver charm shaped like a heart hung from one lace.
Jordan looked down at her own feet. She wore black sandals.
Then she looked at Tiana.
“Those aren't mine,” she said.
Dray rubbed both hands over his face.
“Can everybody just calm down for one second?””
Keisha folded her arms.
“That's interesting. You had eleven months to calm things down before you started dating two women.””
“Stay out of this,” Dray snapped.
Keisha took one deliberate step forward.
“Try talking to her like that again.””
“Keisha,” Tiana said softly.
Her friend immediately turned toward her.
“I'm here,” Keisha replied.
“Just say the word.””
Tiana appreciated the offer, but she didn't want a shouting match. She wanted answers. Real ones. And every time Dray opened his mouth, another lie seemed to rise behind his teeth.
Jordan stepped onto the porch, leaving the door open.
“Who else have you brought into my house?””
Dray shook his head.
“Nobody. Those shoes belong to a friend.””
“What friend?””
“Someone from work.””
“What is her name?””
He hesitated.
Jordan's eyes narrowed.
“You know what? Don't bother. I can see you trying to invent somebody right now.””
“That's not fair.””
“Fair?”” Jordan repeated.
“You told me your last relationship ended two years ago. You said you hadn't been serious about anyone since then.””
Tiana felt her chest tighten.
Two years.
Dray had told her something different. He'd said his last relationship had ended badly the previous summer, and he'd needed months to recover.
He'd even cried once while telling her how difficult it had been to trust someone again.
She remembered sitting beside him on her couch, holding his hand while he described the woman who had supposedly broken his heart.
Now she wondered whether he'd been thinking about Jordan when he told that story.
Or someone else entirely.
“When did you meet him?”” Tiana asked.
Jordan looked at her.
“Eight months ago. At a friend's birthday dinner.””
Tiana let out a breath.
Eight months.
She and Dray had already been together for three months.
“Where did you think he lived before this?”” Tiana asked.
Jordan pointed down the street.
“He told me he was staying with his cousin while he saved money. He said this place belonged to his aunt, but she'd moved out of state.””
Tiana closed her eyes briefly.
“He told me he was renting an apartment across town.””
Keisha muttered, “Of course he did.””
Dray stepped between the women, palms raised.
“Look, I know this looks bad. But you're both making assumptions without hearing the whole story.””
Jordan stared at him.
“What part haven't we heard? That you have a girlfriend? That you lied about being single? Or that there's another woman's shoes inside the house you told me was ours?””
“Jordan, please.””
“No.”” She shook her head.
“You don't get to use that voice with me.””
Dray frowned.
“What voice?””
“The one you use when you want me to feel guilty for asking a question.””
Tiana looked at Jordan with sudden recognition.
She knew that voice too.
It was the one Dray used when she asked why he disappeared for hours. The one he used when he canceled plans at the last minute. The one that turned a simple question into an accusation against her.
Why are you always suspicious?
Why can't you trust me?
I work hard for us, Tiana.
He had made her feel ashamed for wanting the truth.
Now she watched him attempt the same trick on another woman, and the sight made her feel sick.
“Tell us what happened,” Tiana said.
“Start with the truth.””
Dray exhaled sharply.
“I care about both of you.””
Jordan recoiled as if he'd slapped her.
“That's your explanation?””
“I'm saying my feelings are complicated.””
“No,” Tiana replied.
“Your feelings aren't complicated. Your decisions are selfish.””
For a moment, Dray looked genuinely wounded.
That expression used to work on her.
He would lower his eyes, soften his voice, and remind her of everything he'd done for her. He would tell her she was the only person who understood him.
Then she'd end up apologizing for asking him to be honest.
But today, the familiar expression looked like a mask.
Jordan turned toward the open door.
“Get your things.””
Dray blinked.
“What?””
“If you're living some double life, you can do it somewhere else. Get your things and leave.””
“Jordan, this is my home too.””
“Then why are you so scared to tell me the truth inside it?””
He had no answer.
Jordan stepped inside, but Tiana caught her own reflection in the glass panel beside the door. Her burgundy dress looked brighter than usual against the white porch railing. Her long braids rested over her shoulders.
She looked composed.
She didn't feel composed.
Her hands were cold, and her stomach twisted every time Dray moved.
Still, she refused to leave.
Not yet.
“There's something else,” Tiana said.
Dray turned toward her.
“Don't.””
The word came too quickly.
Tiana noticed.
“So you know what I'm going to say.””
He stared at her.
She reached into her handbag and pulled out her phone.
“I found messages last night. You told somebody you were going to spend the weekend with them.””
Jordan's expression sharpened.
“What messages?””
Tiana unlocked her phone, but before she could show them, Dray grabbed the railing.
“Those messages were private.””
Keisha laughed without humor.
“You cheated on your girlfriend and now you're worried about privacy?””
“I didn't cheat!””
Both women stared at him.
The silence was devastating.
Dray swallowed.
“I mean, I didn't plan for any of this to happen.””
Jordan shook her head slowly.
“You planned every date. Every lie. Every time you told me you were working late. You planned all of it.””
She turned away, pressing her fingertips to her lips.
Tiana wanted to reach for her, but she didn't know whether the gesture would be welcome.
Then Jordan did something unexpected.
She walked back to the doorway and picked up the white sneakers.
A folded receipt slipped out from beneath one of them.
She bent to retrieve it.
Her eyes moved across the paper.
Then she stopped breathing for a moment.
“Dray?””
He looked at her.
“What now?””
Jordan held up the receipt.
“This is from a jewelry store.””
“So?””
“It's dated yesterday.””
Tiana felt the air shift.
Jordan turned the paper around.
At the bottom, beneath the total, was a handwritten note from the sales associate.
Engraving confirmed: Forever, D.
Jordan stared at the words.
Then she looked at Tiana.
“Did he buy you something yesterday?””
Tiana's heart began to pound.
“No.””
Jordan's fingers trembled around the receipt.
“Because he told me he was working late yesterday. He said he had a meeting that couldn't be moved.””
Dray took a step toward her.
“Jordan, give me that.””
She backed away.
“Who did you buy this for?””
He reached for the paper again.
Jordan held it out of reach.
“Who is D?””
Dray's jaw tightened.
For the first time, his anger broke through the carefully practiced charm.
“Give me the damn receipt!””
Jordan flinched.
Tiana stepped forward immediately.
“Don't yell at her.””
Dray stopped.
He looked at the three women standing against him, and something changed in his face. His eyes moved from Tiana to Jordan, then toward the hallway.
He was calculating.
Looking for the next lie.
Looking for the weakest person in the room.
But none of them looked away.
Finally, he spoke.
“It's not what you think.””
Jordan lowered the receipt.
“Then tell us who the jewelry was for.””
Dray opened his mouth.
And from behind the bedroom door came the sound of a lock turning.
Everyone froze.
A woman's voice drifted into the hallway.
“Dray? Is everything okay out there?””
Tiana felt the blood drain from her face.
Jordan slowly turned toward the bedroom.
Keisha whispered one word.
“Wow.””
May you like
The door began to open.
And the woman inside said, “Baby, I thought you told me nobody was coming over.””
