Chardé
I woke up the next morning, snuggled into a warm, hard chest. Mal's arms were wrapped possessively around me as my head lay on his chest with my leg around his torso.
I blushed remembering the actions of last night. Remembering his tongue trailing all over my over my body and him making love to me like I was the most precious thing in the world; the most precious thing in his world.
I'm so confused, I thought as I looked up into his sleeping face and traced circles into his bare chest.
Why am I so confused? Most women have trouble getting one good man and here I am with two willing and waiting to love me.
Maleek loves me. Malachi loves me. I love Leek. I'm in love with Mal. I can't live without either one of them, but I can't have them both.
I groaned and got up to answer the door, after getting dressed in my clothes from last night. I slightly opened the door and gave Stephanie a surprised smile as she stood there with an approving one.
"Can I talk to you? In the kitchen?"
She didn't wait for me to reply as she made her way back down the hall. I frowned and looked back at a still sleeping Mal, before softly shutting the door and meeting Steph in the slightly buzzing kitchen.
It was about six in the morning so the kitchen staff was preparing breakfast. Stephanie sat us at the booth in the far off corner of the kitchen and I slid in across from her.
"Shaad probably didn't talk much last night, Thank you," she smiled up at one of the staff members as they delivered us both a coffee, I mumbled a 'thank you' before she walked off. Steph turned back to me, "But, I do want you to know that I did say it was okay for him to sleep with you."
"Why?" I watched her as she fixed her coffee to her liking and took a sip of it.
"Because I want him to be happy and you make him happy. I couldn't stand the days when he would be glued to the TV screen, watching you play. Or when he was in LA and he would try to sneak out to one of your games like I didn't know. The man is crazy about you. So is Shaun if he's taken the time out to name a restaurant after you and there's no telling how many more he has."
She looked up at me as I added about the fifteenth hundred packet of sugar to my coffee and stirred it before taking a sip.
"I said that to say this, make the right decision and don't regret it later. No matter who you're with, they're both going to love you, but they will be hurt by your choice."
I glared down at my cup of coffee, then looked back up at her, "Why are you saying all of this? What's wrong with you and Mal?"
"My breast cancer has just hit stage four and I'm dying. I don't want Shaad to be left behind, grieving all the damn time. That's why I told him to go for you," she took another sip of her coffee, "He needs you and you need him."
I watched as she stood from the table, "And talk to Chelsea."
I sat there for I don't know how long, letting her words sink in. Everything about Mal. Everything about Leek. Even Chelsea.
I must have been in my thoughts for quite sometime because I hadn't noticed that breakfast was finished and laid out on the counter and all of the staff was gone.
Chelsea walked into the kitchen with a slight frown, probably not even noticing me sitting here. She grabbed a plate and started to pile a bunch of food on her plate. I smirked and raised my eyebrow, when had she began to eat so much?
"Chelsea," I cleared my throat, finally getting her attention.
"Oh, hey Char," she walked over and took the seat that Stephanie had once occupied. Her shocked expression was replaced by that frown again, "What happened to you and Shaad last night?"
