It's summertime in '97 and Imani Nicoles is a young adult learning the ins and outs of life all on her own in this great big world. She's living it how she gets it but aspires to become a professional dancer. What she didn't expect was the opportun...
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June 9, 1997
Days had gone by, but the thoughts and feelings still remained. Imani tried to run from the emotions and completely forget about Janet. However, it seemed that was something she could not obtain. Imani turned to healthy distractions; yoga, meditation, journaling, going outside and screaming as loud as she could. None of those helped, and her thinking lead her to make a move. " Should I call- noooo no thats too much... No I should." Imani wrestled with her shifting thoughts. It had been hours and Imani was debating rather to call Janet or let things be. Her heart wouldn't allow her to just let things be. Imani glided towards the house phone and proceeded to make the call. " Everything will be alright either way." Imani reassured herself as she dialed Janet's phone number. The phone rang for a moment, but it seemed everlasting. Imani started to fiddle around with the phone cord, as the nerves began to fill every muscle in her body.
" Locs ?" A petite voice took the place of the phone rings. Imani was absolutely stunned. The words escaped her lips and she was in a state of paralysis. " Locs, you there?" Janet held a certain level of concern in her voice as she awaited Imani's response. "I... Hello, Janet?" Imani finally spoke up. " Yes baby, it's me." Janet giggled a little bit. " Why do you sound so nervous?" Janet questioned. Imani didn't think twice. " Because you make me nervous. I can't help it." The widest and brightest smile appeared on Imani's face. It had been weeks since the two even spoke to one another, but you could tell there was still unspoken love and care that they shared for each other. " I've been thinking about you so much, Imani. That's an understatement but you've taken up space in every corner of my mind." Tears started to form in Janet's eyes. Imani stared off, and their two heartbeats sped up which further confirmed their connectedness no matter the distance. " I really want to talk to you... One on One and in person. Just the two of us without any of the other distractions." Janet sat up in her seat and moved the phone away from her mouth, as she rejoiced as silently as she could. " Locs! That is so crazy because I was going to call you and suggest the same thing. Honestly. I was too busy trying to build up the courage to do it, but I have to completely second this suggestion. We need to meet up and talk" Imani released a sigh of relief. Things were going as planned and she finally felt like going with her gut feeling, when it came to Janet, was paying off for the better.
" Where do you want us to meet at?" Janet asked immediately. A moment passed before Imani presented a destination. " Let's do it at ' Flower Field' it's so much beautiful scenery out there." Janet gasped, " Thats a beautiful place, baby. I've always wanted to go there but I never really had time to." Janet's excitement about this trip was charming. " If you're not busy we can do it later tonight and enjoy the sunset. I'll bring the snacks and make us some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." Imani was already headed towards the kitchen to prep all of those things. Janet giggled a little bit, " I'd LOVE that, beautiful. I could bring some wine." They ended the call, as they rushed to get ready for their "Date". They knew that spending time together would feel like ecstasy.
Within an hour Imani was headed out the door. " I didn't forget anything did I?" She questioned herself before fully leaving out of her home. The entire drive Imani only listened to the songs that reminded her of Janet. She was getting closer to her destination and the butterflies in her stomach were multiplying rapidly. Before she knew it, Imani was pulling into the parking lot at Flower Field. She took a deep breathe, " She bet not fuck this up..." , Imani grabbed the picnic basket and this mystery black box. She looked around for a minute before noticing Janet, who was smiling and signaling Imani to come where she was.
" Wow, you got here before me? That's crazy!!!" The two shared a short-lived laugh before silence suffocated the moment. They weren't really close to one another. Seemed like they were saving room for Jesus. "You gone give me a hug or you gone just stand over there like I'm a stranger?" Imani broke the silence, which wasn't at all surprising. You could see the guilt forming over Janet's face as she remained silent. " Come on, girl... dang acting like I'm finna bite." Imani took the initiative to pull Janet close to her. Janet was visibly breathing hard and looked as if everything was replaying in her mind as she stared into Imanis eyes. Finally, Janet folded her arms around Imanis body. They were so close they could have morphed into one body. That's what Janet wanted. " I missed you so much, locs. I am SO SO sorry for everything that I took you through. I don't even deserve-" Imani placed her hands on both of Janet's cheeks and held her face up so that they'd be looking at each other. " I know... But I'm trusting you not to do it again because if it happens again I'm done. I have to put my mental health first, and I absolutely love you Janet.. I love you with every limb in my body. I'd do any and EVERYTHING for you. But I have to know that I'd get the same from you because these past few incidents has left me feeling like you don't give a fuck about me or how I feel. I was so angry with you and everything. I isolated myself so that I wouldn't go out hurting anyone because of my own emotions. I don't want that happening anymore, Janet. I'm so for real about this too, because as much as I love you, I'll fuck you up and leave if I keep getting played like this." Imani made this very VERY clear.
Janet took Imani's hands and interlocked their fingers. " Imani, baby, I love you beyond words that can explain. You give me a reason to be a better person and also be better to myself. I admire everything you do. You are such a giving and genuine human being and I wanna spend the rest of my days with you. I mean this from the bottom of my heart, baby. That's why-" Janet took a big gulp before she finished. " That's why I'm canceling the tour until later. If this process is going to put me and you in a bad situation then I don't want it. They only thing I want is you. I want to give you all of my time and attention." Imani backed away, as confusion filled her face. " What do you mean canceling the tour? Don't do that because of me... You should do it if that was your plan." Imani shook her head in disapproval. " I mean it's not like I wanted to do it anyways... I need a break from it all and that would just put me in the storm all over again. I rather spend all my time with you. Besides, we're going to get rid of Shawn for good." A wicked smirk formed on Janet's face.
Imani was even more confused at this point. "What do you mean get rid of Shawn?" Janet moved her head to the side because she thought it was obvious what she meant by getting rid of Shawn. " Get rid of Shawn... Imani, baby, it should be clear, love. She gone get what's coming to her. I'm just ready to experience life on the wild side."
Imani wasn't sure what Janet meant by "experience life on the wild side" but she was down to do whatever her baby wanted to do.
Hi guys hope you enjoyed... this story is about to take a shift yall so hang on.... But Janet and Imani back on good terms AYEEE AYEEEEEEEE
