A Love That's So Demanding

The Easy Way Out

The Easy Way Out

"Okay Non, make this quick. Grab a few things and then we have to go." Denea said.

"What if they're home?" I asked nervously.

"Then you lie. Just leave the letter you wrote in a place where they won't find it right away. Now go on this cab is going to cost a fortune." She push me toward my door and I rushed up to the apartment hoping that the guys were not home.

When I called out though Frank answered and Travis rushed to me checking over. I saw Frank turn away from us, but not before I saw the tortured look on his face. It solidified that I'd made the right choice to leave. I glimpsed the grocery bags on the counter in the kitchen and lied. Well I didn't out-right lie. I just omitted the parts of the truth that would put them on guard and leave me explaining why I had to move out.

After they followed me into my bedroom I asked them to put away the groceries so they wouldn't notice what and how much I packed. Besides they kept making me have second thoughts when I looked up to see both of them watching me.

"Later guys." I said rushing out of the front door out to the cab. I tossed the bag into the backseat, climbed in myself and burst into tears. I knew this was the only solution. Denea wrapped her arm around me and I leaned on her shoulder as we drove away.

"Do you think I made the right decision?" I asked Denea as we boarded the plane. It had taken me half the cab ride to get my tears under control and now that it was the final hour I was having second thoughts about leaving.

"I don't know what you want me to say. When you first told me about your problem I gave you the best advise I could and that was for you to tell them both what was going on," she said turning in her seat to look at me. We were fortunately able to change her seat at the last minute so that we could sit together.  "Nonnie this is your last chance to change your mind. This is the easy way out you don't have to tell Travis about what happened and they get to go on as friends without you, if you stay on this plane and that is what you wanted right? For their relationship to continue strong without you there complicating things right?"

"Right," I answered.

"So I'm getting that you want reassurance that you're making the right decision, but I'm not going to tell you that when I don't think you are. Really the first answer I gave you was the right decision even though I understand the reason you didn't choose to stay and face the music. Now what I am going to do is support the decision you have made and make sure that when we get off this plane in L.A. you have a roof over your head and food in your belly."

I wanted to be mad at her for telling me I was making the wrong decision and that I was taking the easy way out, but the truth was she was right. Not only that, but if this was the easy way out it certainly didn't feel good which meant the hard way was going to be worse and I probably couldn't handle that seeing as how I was barely holding it together now.

"Thanks," I said genuinely thankful that she told me the truth.

"Please girl you know you want to hit me for saying that," She said with a smile.

"Yeah, but if you can't tell me the truth who can you tell?" I asked. We both relaxed into our seats and I drifted off to sleep after all the tension from my day I was exhausted. I knew that I would never see Frank or Travis again and that was something I would have to come to terms with. I had a baby to take care of now. They were two grown men they certainly didn't need me around, but I was going to miss them.

When I finally woke up it was time for us to change planes and we quickly grabbed a bite to eat in the airport before boarding our connecting flight. I tried to sleep though this flight as well but I wasn't very tired after sleeping the first half of the trip. So Denea gave me one of her magazines and I flipped through it until I got bored then I just looked out the window at the clouds we flew over until my eyes started to get heavy again.

We arrived at LAX the next morning. We rushed to grab our bags and get a cab. I had no clue where we were going, but Denea provided the address and the cab driver seemed to know exactly how to get there. I watched the palm trees pass my window and thought about how I'd hoped my first trip across the country would be accompanying the guys on tour.

The ride wasn't long but it wasn't short either. The building we pulled up to didn't look bad. It had nice landscaping and the building and grounds were clean. I paid the cab driver and Denea and I grabbed our bags from the trunk. I let her lead the way as we walked up two flights of stairs.

"Whatever she says when she opens this door just remember that she's not going to turn us away." Denea said "I've known her since preschool and she loves me like a sister so while she maybe pissed at me for showing up unannounced she won't turn us away."

"Wait, she doesn't know we are coming?" I asked incredulously, but she'd already knocked on the door. I shut my mouth and shook my head. I knew that Denea said whoever lives here won't turn us away, but what if they do. I might have enough saved for a week at most at a hotel or motel and here where the cost of living is super high probably less.

"Who is it?" A female voice called from behind the door.

"Pizza delivery," Denea said with a smirk.

"I didn't order any pizza," the voice said opening the door and she froze when she saw Denea. "Oh my god!" Denea flinched.

"Hi, Ray," Denea said.

"You had better be here because you left that sick son of a..." Ray started to say only to be cut off by Denea's answer.

"It's over and he doesn't know where I am."

"You look terrible," Ray said.

"Thanks, you look great can we come in?" Denea replied.

"And who is this?" Ray asked.

"This is Rachel," Denea said looking at me. "Rachel this is Nonnie, She's going to be staying with us."

"Wait one minute. What makes you think you can just show up here and I'll let you stay? You are the one that decided to stay with the low down dirty dog you like to call Wyatt. Even after I told you he was bad news and gave me the creeps. We were supposed to move here together..."

"Because you're my best friend and I... We need your help. Nonnie's pregnant." Ray stood in the door looking at us a few more seconds then finally moved back enough to let us in.

"You guys are just lucky that I got the three bedroom instead of the one bedroom." Then she turned and closed the door locking it behind us. "So what's your story? Your boyfriend beat you too?"

"No," I paused trying to decide what I should tell her about my situation and decided that the truth was probably best. And so that's what I did. I sat down on the couch nearby and started from when I met the guys in high school until leaving them.

"So which one do you love?" Ray asked.

"Both of them," I answered.

"No, I mean which one are you in love with? Whose baby do you hope you're having?"

"I..."

"If you don't know then that's what I want you thinking about before that baby is born. Whomever's child it is deserves to be in its life."

"Ray, leave the girl alone. She does have a lot to think about and she's not going to do any of that after the long flight we just got off of," Denea said coming to my rescue. I sent her a thankful smile and gave a sigh of relief.

"Fine, she gets the bigger room though cause I'm still pissed at you for not listening to me about Wyatt."

"Fair enough," Denae said. I was happy when she showed me a room with a queen-sized bed.

"Listen, you look tired and you're probably hungry. I'll order something to eat and you get some rest. Then we can talk about getting you a job. You can stay here for as long as you want you just can't stay for free," Ray said.

"No problem, I'm not afraid of hard work," I said.

"Yeah, yeah tiger get some rest. I'll come wake you when there's food. Anything you don't like on pizza?"

"Anchovies," I said without hesitation. She nodded and turned closing the door behind her. I dropped my bag and crawled into the bed, wrapping my arms around one of the pillows as I got comfortable.