Shades of Sepia

XXVI

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles
March 27th
Houston, Texas

"Anything in perpetuity is out of the question and non-negotiable. I am sure that my partner has told you that already so I am perplexed as to why you are bringing the notion up again."

I sat back, twiddling my fingers and playing with my pen. I picked up my phone and sat it right back down on the table. I wasn't paying attention. Solange knew, that's why she was picking up the slack.

"Beyoncé? What do you think?"

I lifted my head and looked at Solange who nodded. "I think that's a great idea. We would genuinely be thrilled to have you as partners."

Jeff smiled and I let out a breath. I was glad that my response was right because my mind was obviously somewhere else.

My thoughts were with Onika. I was losing faith that she would call, but my heart refused to let me give up on her. That woman rocked my world, and I would be a fool to let her slip through my fingers because I had given up. I couldn't let that happen. I refused.

We all stood to shake hands and I took a seat while Solange walked them out. I picked up my phone again and sighed at the drought of our text messages or our call log. I shook my head and tossed my phone on the table again.

"It's going to feel longer if you are sitting there hovering over your phone."

Sighing, I responded, "She's all I think about. I can't focus."

"Obviously."

"She said she would call."

"And I'm sure she will."

"One more week and it'll be two months."

"It won't make it that far."

"Then you don't know Onika."

"She'll call Bey."

To take my mind off of it all, Solange took me out for lunch to her favorite sushi place. She had been here so much that they knew her name and by proxy, they knew mine. Solange didn't even have to order. They knew exactly what she wanted.

"That's a damn shame."

She shrugged, "I don't care. They love me."

"They love you because you won't stop spending your money here."

"Only they know how to get my sushi right."

The waitress came and dropped off our sushi, smiling as she walked away.

"She likes you. I've never seen her smile that hard."

I shook my head, "I'm not checking for nobody else and you know that."

"I was just letting you know."

I knew a part of Solange wanted me to give up. Sierra too. They thought the longer she stayed away, the less interested she was, but neither of them knew her like me. Sierra was her best friend, but she didn't know her romantically. If I gave up on Onika, I would never get her back. She liked to be chased, and I would chase her to the ends of this earth. The longer she stayed away from me, the more I would chase after her. Period.

"The Randalls' want us to come to their auction."

"They want us to make a donation," I corrected her.

"They do, and we kind of owe them."

"We don't owe them shit, but I see what you're saying. When?"

"Tonight."