Falling From The Floor

Talk To Each Other

CHERYL's POINT OF VIEW

(I moved Cheryl's birthday to tomorrow to fit this in)

"Guess who's here?" Inaya sang as she came into Cai's room. I looked over towards her and stopped playing with the two girls.

"Who?" I asked her.

"Come and see!" She said as she winked at me and gestured with her hand for me to come here. I stood up and walked over towards the door.

"I'll be back, baby girls." I said as I looked back at the two girls.

Ciyle was over my Mom's house for today. I promise you that she loves having him to herself. Tony was at work, like always.

"Inaya, who did you invite over my house?" I said as I followed her downstairs. She didn't say anything- she knew that I was curious but she said not one word.

We made it downstairs and I was still wondering the entire time as we walked towards the living room- Who could it be?

Once we walked into the living room, I saw Shemar standing there. He was just looking at some pictures on the wall of my family and he had his hands stuffed in his pockets.

I looked at Inaya and shook my head.

"No-...no, I'm not gonna do this." I whispered harshly as I started walking away. My eyes started dwelling up with tears.

"Cheryl! Get yourself together! This is your best friend!" Inaya said as she pulled me back towards her. "Stop it, Girl. He was willing to talk to you and trust me....it wasn't easy to get him to come. He was crying over the phone and everything. Talk to that man." She said to me. I could feel my face getting hot, showing me that I was about to cry. I had my back turned away from him...I didn't want to look at him.

"Shemar." Inaya said softly. I kept my back turned.

"Hey." He said in a soft tone. I sucked up my tears and turned around to face him.

"Hi." I said as I didn't look directly in his eyes.

"The two of you need to talk. This is ridiculous. You love each other, don't you?!" Inaya said as she looked between the both of us. I didn't say anything. I looked up at him and he looked me in my eyes. He was still across the room.

"I love her, yes." He said as his voice started to crack. I then turned my back towards him.

"I-...I can't do this, Inaya. Why would you bring him over here?" I asked her as I covered my face with both of my hands and just started crying.

He came over towards me and gave me a hug.
"Because the two of you need to make this right. 20 years plus of friendship! No need to cry. Just talk to him." She said as she pulled my hands from my face and wiped away my tears. I sniffed and closed my eyes. This hurt. I then turned back around to face him.

"Let's sit." Inaya said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me over towards the couch. I sat down. She pulled Shemar over to sit next to me. He was too close. I could smell the same cologne that I loved on him so much.

"Talk." She said as she pointed at us and then slowly left out of the room. I sat there with my hands in my lap and looking down. He was bouncing his left leg up and down out of nervousness- he didn't look at me. It was silent between us.

"I do love you." I told him as I broke the silence. "I just....feel so responsible for all of this." I said as I wiped my face.

"Cheryl, don't do that. We are both responsible. I understand why you are going back- you love him. I can't keep you from loving him. I just-....I wish that you....we.....I don't know. I love you so much and-....my heart feels broken when it comes to letting you go. I don't want to but I love you too much to not let you do what you want to do, Cheryl. I've said it when we were younger- you're my heart. You still are and-....I got ahead of myself. I should have stopped kissing you that day but I couldn't help it. I love you and that's why I didn't stop. My love for you is so, so, so strong and-....I'm sorry." He said as he suddenly started crying. His face was straight but the tears showed him hurting.

"You're my heart as well. You've always been my heart and that's where I also messed up. I've loved you and I've been in love with you from the start." I told him as I looked at him and wiped his face with my free hand. He was still looking down.

"I didn't mean it the other day..." He said as he looked towards me.

"Mean what?" I asked.

"That I didn't want to be your friend anymore. I do. It will hurt but- just know that...I can respect that. I really can." He said as he slightly smiled at me but then it faded from his face.

"I'm sorry." I said once again as I felt my face getting hot once more. He then moved closer to me, put his arm around me and turned to pull me into his chest.

"It's fine, Cheryl. Honestly- it is." He said as he kissed the top of my head. "Nothing can break our friendship." He said as he hugged me tightly. "We promised, right?" He said. I nodded my head and buried my face into him.

I kept thinking about how perfect him and I would have been together. Sometime life works differently and people just aren't meant for us. Things don't work out because they just never were supposed to, I guess. So many things pulled us apart, like- marriage and children. We had a chance and we had our moment(s) intimately and on other levels. We will both just have to accept the way it all is and just know that friendship is what's best- nothing more.

"Promise me something else." He said as he let me go.

"What's that?" I said as I looked up at him and in his eyes.

"Promise me that you won't beat yourself down about all of this. Know that things happen." He said as he wiped my tears away with his thumb.

I reached up and touched his hand that was on my face. I closed my eyes as I held it in my hand.

"I promise." I softly said. As I opened my eyes, he smiled at me. We both stood up and he hugged me tightly again.

"I love you so much, Cheryl Ann Riley."

"I love you more, Shemar Franklin Moore." I said as I softly laughed in his chest. He laughed along with me.

I then reached down in my pockets and pulled out the promise ring he gave me years and years ago. I broke the hug and showed him. He took it from me and grabbed my right hand automatically. He placed it on smoothly.

"Best friends forever." He said softly as he let go of my hand and looked me in my eyes.

"Correct." I said as I smiled at him. He reached up to touch the bottom of my chin.

"You're so beautiful." He told me as he removed his hand from my chin. I couldn't help but to smile. "Your birthday is tomorrow. You're gonna be old as hell, Cheryl. Damn." He said as he started laughing. My smile faded and I punched him in his stomach.

"Damn, baby gurl. I was joking." He said as he clutched his stomach. "Shit. Always hitting me. I can't recover from your hits that fast like I used to." He said as he laughed again and stood up straight.

"I'm always hitting you because you're always playing so damn much. We were having a soft moment and you messed it up." I said as I slightly laughed.

"Violent ass." He said as he grabbed me and hugged me once more. "I'm happy that we can be friends. I can't lose that." He said as he kissed my forehead.

"I'm happy too." I said as I hugged him.

I finally got my best friend back. He was there for me and honestly, he never left me. The weight was lifted off of my shoulders and it's all thanks to Inaya. Without Inaya- we probably wouldn't have spoken to each other. You can never break out friendship- no matter what happens. It's too strong. Now I can fully focus on my marriage and my entire happiness. This friendship is a plus to my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. Shemar was apart of my happiness and he still is. I couldn't do it without him- he pushes me and builds me. Super close you could say. It's always going to be that way!

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