Everything Started Here With You

Our Commonplace

"Even if you understand the person, understanding the situation is a different matter."

-- The Beauty Inside

It felt good to be back. After only three days back in Queens, I was already getting back into my flow. More cases had been pouring in. Jacobi was more irritated than ever. The kids and I spent a lot of time together now. Hayden and I dismissed the idea of a divorce for now. No one could think about it since we were back home. Everything feels right again.

Tamera, Abby, and I were meeting today to discuss Sha'Kayla. We all loved her at one point, but she was going far enough with Luca. I don't think he's even seen her in the past couple of days. If he has, then there's something wrong with that picture. If she thought playing with him while he's still in a relationship was the way to his heart, she was about to be kicked out of ours.

Maybe it was just me and my emotions, but I felt she was going to need a second chance. Until Lexi and Luca are officially separated, she won't be needed anymore. She can't be my best friend, but she can be a friend. I never considered her feelings in all of this. If she wants to tell them to me when we all confront her, then so be it. They don't have to accept her.

Just like any other day, I walked up to the café and was met with multiple cameras and mics being shoved in my face. How could I ignore something like this? They've figured out where I'm meeting my friends. I'm so grateful they're never allowed inside restaurants. The questions and flashes were muted as I entered the place.

"Hey, queen!" Tamera yelled. Right on time.

"Hey, guys. It's great to see you again." I smiled at both of them. "How's everything been?"

"Please tell your mom to stop giving the kids to me. I have two of my own who suck the life out of me daily."

"...I would have taken them from you, but Keke's mom hates me and I was pretty busy," Abby apologized. "We're not here to talk about us, though. We're here to talk about you."

"What about me?"

Abby looked at Tamera and sighed. I looked between the two of them. What was going on?

"...Queen, we know your week in California wasn't ideal with what's going on between the two of you," Tamera started. "You said you went gambling Saturday. How'd that turn out for you? You know Hayden isn't good at card games--"

"Except Blackjack," Abby cut in. "Even then...he muted your feelings with a platinum rose."

"We won over a thousand dollars in pocket money," I said. "He didn't mute my feelings with a platinum rose. I gladly accepted it, because if I opened my mouth to argue he would have smacked me."

"In public?"

"In front of all those rich people?"

"...Yeah. He's done it before. No one cares, because he is a freaking hotshot model and knows how to manipulate people."

Right. I was in an abusive relationship with a man who claimed he loved me. His schizoaffective disorder wasn't helping me at all in any situation. I doubt he would have held back at the hotel if I kept talking about getting a divorce. I've never known him to be depressed, but abusive...I'm very familiar with that.

But they didn't understand anything I was going through. I'm married to my best friend's brother. That makes me family. Anything I did to her while married to him is just calling for trouble. If Lexi finds out that I aided Wayne...I don't know what she'd do. How she'd react depends on if I can stay married to her brother.

"Have you heard from Erik since...you know." Tamera waved a waitress over. "He called me asking if you were still mad at him."

"About what?" I asked. I barely remember meeting him before leaving Queens.