Josiah stared up at the ceiling with his arms behind his head. He didn't get much sleep because he thought about Ava all night. He wanted to text or call her before he went to sleep but he didn't want to seem like he was doing too much. This wasn't like him. He was usually chill and laid back, nothing much phased him. He needed to pull back because he felt himself becoming too pressed.
He rolled his eyes and sighed as he heard the toilet flush from his master bathroom.
"Baby, you need more tissue in your bathroom. I know I told you that some time last week. I'm going to have to start bringing my own toiletries and supplies to keep over here." Jade nagged.
Jade Lewis was a girl Josiah had been dating for the past few months. She called it dating. To him, they were just sleeping together.
"Nah, you're good." He assured her.
Jade used her body and seductiveness to her advantage. She always has and probably always will. That's how Josiah got involved with her in the first place.
He and his teammates were out one night in Seattle after a long series of games. Josiah didn't party much but he didn't mind seeing the different women in each city he traveled to. Jade was waitressing at the club they were at. She flaunted her fat ass and her flat tummy in Josiah's face the entire night. Making sure he was always good on drinks, rubbing against him every chance she got, and even purposely spilling ice in front of him, so that she could bend over and give him a nice view from behind. Josiah was well aware of what she was doing and usually didn't pay the thirsty ones attention, but he respected Jade a little more because at least she was trying to be subtle.
Josiah kneeled down to help her clean up the ice and struck up a conversation. He found out that she was originally from New York but sometimes traveled to other states to waitress at different clubs owned by her boss. She seemed like a cool girl and with that, they exchanged numbers. A couple nights later, Jade called him asking if she could come see him. Not to take her on a date or anything but to come to his apartment at 10 at night. Josiah knew what was up and obliged. Unsurprisingly, he hit on that same night. The first night.
He continued to sleep with her because she seemed uncomplicated and she was, up until recently. She traveled a lot so Josiah hardly ever seen her and when he did it was at night and only for one thing. Sometimes she would stay the night but most times she would leave before the sun rose. But here lately, she wanted to text or call, sometimes both ALL the time. She wanted to spend the night more often and never knew when it was the right time to leave. And as of last week, she's been complaining about him not having sex with her.
Last night he didn't want Jade to come over. She had texted and called him while he was having dinner with Ava and he ignored her. Unluckily for him, her cousin lived in his building and she "just so happened" to be standing in the lobby "talking" to the doorman sitting at the front desk when he made it home. He saw her and mumbled "fuck" under his breath but it was too late for him to make a run for it. She had already seen him and of course she pretended to be surprised by his arrival, as if waiting for him wasn't the real reason she was standing there pretending to be interested in anything the short, chubby doorman had to say.
She lured Josiah into a conversation that lasted all the way until they reached the top floor to his penthouse condo. The conversation was one sided as Josiah stared ahead quietly until it was time to exit the elevator. He would have told her he didn't want company but he didn't want to embarrass her in front of the elevator operator.
Josiah didn't hear a word Jade said the entire night. He went straight to his bedroom and laid in the bed, consumed with thoughts of Ava. Jade did everything in her power to get him to touch her but he didn't accept any of her advances. He rolled over and turned his back toward her. Jade took the hint and finally fell asleep.
Josiah got up and went to the bathroom as Jade continued her discussion with herself about toiletries. He took a shower and prepared himself for the day.
After he lotioned his body, Josiah threw on some basketball shorts and socks before heading to the kitchen. When he walked out of his bedroom, he saw Jade laying comfortably on his couch in his robe.
She had some nerve, he thought as he peered into the fridge, deciding what he would eat for breakfast.
Josiah settled on cooking a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. While he was cooking, Jade made her way behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and moving her hands up his bare chest. Josiah managed to break free from her embrace as he fixed his plate.
Jade stared at him with a contemplative look. "You know, you've been acting weird lately. What's going on?"
Trying to avoid the argument that was about to transpire, Josiah simply said, "Nothing."
"I can't continue on in this relationship like this, Jo. Is there someone else?" Jade waited for him to answer.
Josiah gave her a disbelieving look. "Man, what the fuck? I thought you were different. Damnit, Jade."
"What do you mean different?" Jade was a ticking time bomb. Her light skin was beginning to turn red and her green eyes darkened.
"This is not a relationship. It never was. You're cool people and I fuck with you but I think you've misinterpreted what we had going on. I'm not trying to do that with you and for real, this has become more than what I bargained for. You trying to stay here every night, calling and texting me all day. I'm not with that shit, man." He gave her an apologetic look but honestly, Josiah was happy he was finally ending this. It felt as if a burden was lifted off his shoulders.
Tears began to form in Jade's eyes. She struggled to keep them from falling but she refused to cry over this asshole.
"Misinterpreted, huh? You've got to be fucking kidding me! All the late nights? All the time we spent together! And you're telling me you don't want this?" Her voice was shaky.
"They were just that, Jade. Late nights. Nothing more." He felt bad but he couldn't lead her on any longer.
Jade stormed out of the kitchen and gathered her things from the bedroom and dressed in the outfit she wore last night.
Josiah tried to offer her some consolation, "I truly am sorry for making you think otherwise."
She rolled her eyes.
"Do you at least want to eat before you go?" he genuinely asked.
"Fuck you, Josiah!" She ran out of his condo making sure to slam the door behind her.
He was glad that was over.
