You Can Trust Me (Keith Powers Story)

24

Suddenly

New York, NY

• January 8, 2018 •

"You're always one choice away
from changing your life."
-Mac Anderson

__________

Two Weeks Later...

Keith

"Perfect, just magnificent! And that's a wrap everybody!"

I relaxed my body and came out of the slight pose I had been in for a few seconds now. At the same time, everyone else began to scurry around cleaning up set almost immediately after Lora's demand.

"Great job today my love! You know I can only tolerate being disappointed once a year but you my dear, just seem to never do as such."

She exclaimed walking closer to where I was standing with my belongings already in hand.

"Preciate you Lora, you know that's all because of you right?"

"Oh nonsense! I just worked a little of my magic to get you out there. You did the rest hunty, okay?" She said with the snap of her fingers. I dropped my head as I chuckled lightly at her dramatics.

I met Lora when I was an up and coming model at the age of eighteen. She noticed me at this café shop not too far from my old crib and recognized me from some print work I had done not too long before then. From then on, she's been a mentor, friend and occasionally my personal photographer since.

"Well thanks again, I couldn't have accomplished what I have if it wasn't for you and your connections! Better?"

"Better." We both laughed and said goodbyes while going our separate ways.

Venus is expecting me to be at her place for this talk we're supposed to be having at seven o'clock and its already six-thirty. That means  there's only a half hour to get there and I'm already anxious. I in no way shape or form intend for this to go left or sideways because Venus means too much to me to lose her now or ever for that matter. There is one thing I have been keeping from her but I've finally decided that it will come out tonight. I pray she understands why I kept it from her but of course I'm prepared for the worst. If I have to fight for her all over again then that's exactly what I'll do.

Weaving my way through traffic, I retrieved my vibrating phone from my jeans pocket and answered it without thinking twice.

"Yo talk to me."

"Keith Powers?" A male voice inquired.

"Yeah you got him, who I'm speaking to?"

"Oh I figured you'd know this voice by now playboy." He voiced with a chuckle.

That's when it clicked. It's Venus's ex, stupid nigga Josh.

"How you get this number and what you on my phone for bruh? I know you ain't got nothin better to do but damn." I shook my head as I slowed down to a red light.

"Don't worry about none of that light bright! Just know you ain't makin it to my baby's place tonight b. See you on the flip side!" He finishes while laughing and ends the call.

I looked down at my phone in disbelief like...
Fuck is this nigga talkin bout?

The light had just turned green but before I could even process what had just happened, I was taking my foot off of the break and gaining speed when the car in front of me stopped short suddenly.

———

Venus

"Done."

I spoke lowly to myself as I set a bottle of pink Moscato in the middle of the already set table. Filled with a few mini candles and two plates of fried chicken, mac & cheese and broccoli. I checked the time on my wall clock and saw that it was a few minutes past seven. Panicking was the last thing I would do because even though Keith usually does a pretty good job with being punctual, everything doesn't always go as planned. Learning that lesson a few times throughout my life had finally made it stick.

Even when fifteen more minutes passed by, I still remained calm as my brain began to go over all of our memories together. From the little moments of us locking eyes in the hallway all the way up to the first trip we had just taken. At this point, I really believe he's too good to be true because even though he found out about one of my major issues, he did the complete opposite of what I assumed he would do. Which would've consisted of him not wanting to go any further with me. But he did the exact opposite by comforting me and showing me he may want to stick around after all and I couldn't have been anymore grateful because...

I think i'm in love with him.

My thoughts were cut off by the sound of my phone ringing and sighed a breath of relief, assuming it was Keith. Without checking the caller ID, I answered to an out of breath Veronica which had my heart skip a beat as I felt a horrible feeling growing in the pit of my stomach all of a sudden.

"Venus-Venus come to the hospital quick! Oh my lord let me breathe." She exhaled as she caught her breath before continuing. However, my hands and feet were already thinking for me as I was throwing on a jacket and some old tennis shoes. Not remembering when I set the phone down on the counter and put it on speaker, as I'm grabbing my regular go-to fanny pack, she continues as my heart begins beating faster and faster by the second.

"I was jogging and as I'm turnin' a corner I seen him on a stretcher so I followed them here. It's the one on William street so come asap!" She paused before continuing as she took a deep breath, "It don't look good V."

The urgency and extreme sadness in her voice made my heart finally feel like it broke into pieces.

Why God?

I finally let out a quick and painfully sounding "Oh my Jesus okay." along with the huge breath I had been holding before hanging up.

Putting a pep in my step and almost tripping over the rug in the process of wiping the tears I didn't know fell, I made sure I had all of my necessities before jogging to the front door. Turning the knob quickly and swinging the door out wide, before I could even take a step forward, a hard object came in contact with my forehead as everything quickly became black.

************

i'm baaaack😭❤️