Toni arrived in Chicago with just enough time to get ready and head to the show. There was a ticket waiting for her at will call. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't happy with how Janet took the whole Dahlia thing but actually having to explain who she was, made her stomach hurt. She was absolutely terrified, but she needed to trust in the love she shared with Janet.
Tonight was Toni's fourth time attending the tour. She was just as excited to see her tonight as she was the first time. Janet was a force on stage and Toni was front and center for the entire experience. She sang and danced along with the fans to every single song and had a wonderful time. She even took the time to snap a picture with a couple of fans.
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The Dressing Room
Toni had been waiting patiently in Janet's dressing room for almost 45 minutes, when the door finally opened.
"Mm." Gil said as her entered the room. While there was plenty of room on the couch next to Toni, he decided to sit in Janet's chair instead. They were both quiet, hearing the muffled roar of the crowd still lingering in the background. Gil spun himself in circles in Janet's chair, slowly spinning around and cutting his eyes over at Toni every once in a while.
"Are we going to talk about this?" Toni asked, finally breaking the silence.
"Nope." He responded rolling his eyes, letting out a long and over dramatic sigh. She stood up and walked over to him.
"Gil I really think we should talk."
He stood to his feet. "Bitch it is called personal space for a reason... learn it, study it, apply it."He shooed her with his hands. Toni could feel herself starting to get angry and took a deep breath.
"What is your problem with me?"She finally asked.
He swung his head around and looked at her. "Do you really need to ask? Are you that dense? Bitch I don't trust you."
Toni scoffed. "You don't even know me!"
"Bitch YOU don't know you!" He raised his voice. "And frankly, I'm not about to let your confused ass hurt my sister okay."
Toni just looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Gil I love her."The hurt in her eyes made him feel just a tiny bit of guilt for the first time, but he was standing his ground.
"You know what? I don't doubt it. You'd be a damn fool to not love her, but until you learn to love her the way she deserves... I will read you every mutha fuckin chance I get."
"Don't I get a say in all of this?"They both turned to see Janet standing at the door.
"Dunk I-"
"No Gil, I asked you to leave this alone. You promised me that you would stay out of it."She was clearly disappointed. Gil couldn't even look her in the eyes. He hated when she took that tone with him.
Toni stepped forward. "Janet, this was my fault. I started with him."She turned to Gil. "I'm sorry Gil. I know I'm not perfect and I sure as hell haven't been in the past, but I'm trying. I know she deserves better than what I have been showing her. I will prove it to you."
Gil looked over at Toni. "You don't need to prove anything to me... prove it to her."He glanced at Janet, walked over and kissed her on the cheek. "Sorry Dunk. I'm gonna head to the hotel."He said hanging his head as her walked out.
Toni fell back into the couch, her head rested in her hands. She glanced up at Janet. "That kid hates me."
"He doesn't hate you."Janet said, sitting down beside her. "He just doesn't care for you very much right now."
Toni cut her eyes at Janet and they both laughed. Toni smiled. "You put on a fucking fantastic show tonight Janet. I had such a great time."
Janet joined her on the sofa and took Toni's hands in her own. "Thanks, I'm glad you came, again." She joked.
Toni felt the moment was right and leaned in to kiss her, but was rejected by a slight turn of Janet's head. She felt embarrassed and had read Janet all wrong.
"Not yet. We have some things that we need to discuss first."
"I know,"Toni hesitated before actually saying her name. "Mis... D- Dahlia."
Janet glanced at her for a moment. "Yeah."She finally said. "But right now, I'm hungry and sweaty. Food and a shower are the first 2 things on my mental list. Let's head for the car. My driver is waiting for us out front."Toni helped Janet grab a few things and headed for the car.
The ride was very quiet. Both women opened their mouths several times to say something but knew it was best to wait until they were completely alone.
Janet kept replaying the way Toni had said Dahlia's name over and over in her head. It seemed almost like she afraid to say it. She tried to make sense out of it but knew it was useless until they could talk.
Toni however, gazed out the window searching for what she thought would be the right words. She didn't know where she was going to start. How does she explain who Dahlia is and why she had been in her life in the first place. She is going to think I'm really screwed up after this, Toni thought.
They pulled up to the hotel and headed for Janet's room.
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They put her bags in the bedroom and then Janet took Toni by the hand. She lead her out to the balcony where they both took a seat. Janet opened a bottle of water, took a sip and then glanced at Toni.
"Are you ready to talk about her?"She asked quietly. Her body language showed how nervous she was as well. She looked down at her hands and then back to Toni's eyes again trying her best to maintain eye contact.
Toni nodded. "Yes." She said. "I just want to be honest with you.
