"Girl, you need a drink," came the blunt response over the speakerphone.

Sharon rolled her eyes as she forked another bite of the frozen lasagna she nuked for lunch. Kim had never been known to hold back. But she always tell you what you needed to hear even when you didn't want to.

Justin showing up out of the blue as a potential patient threw her for a loop. After the week she's had, Sharon saw him for what he was. The proverbial straw. And if she didn't or couldn't talk about it with her best friend she was going to go crazy.

Technically, she shouldn't talk about Justin because of doctor patient relationship. But do they have one when it looked like he had no intention of ever being her patient?

"No seriously," continued Kim. "After a week like that I'd be going to sleep with a glass of wine every night. Hell I'd start making my own. You know become my own Bacchus...ooh I like that."

Sharon chuckled. "Found another name for your future club? How long is your list now?"

"Long. And don't try to distract me."

"I wasn't." Yes she was. Sharon didn't know why she called but she needed to vent. And if you can't vent to your BFF, who else you can talk to? Plus, she still haven't told Kim about the cursed wedding invitation. The jinx that started it all.

"Pfft, whatever. So this Justin guy who made school hell for you just showed up. Kinda a Maury reunion moment for ya, huh? How you really feeling?"

"I don't know. Nervous and angry. He didn't even recognize me" Sharon pouted and stab her fork into the now empty tray. She sighed and leaned back into the leather seat. "I don't know."

The line went silent for several seconds that Sharon wondered if Kim heard her. But what Kim said next would have her in a frenzy for the rest of the day.

"He fine aint he?"

"What," blustered Sharon. "How'd you come up with that?"

"Tell me the truth," pressed Kim, her voice a notch higher than before. A hint to her growing excitement. "The boy fine and you upset because he doesn't remember you."

"That's not it. I don't want him to."

"So why does it matter that he doesn't."

"I never said it did-"

"But you mentioned it."

"Kim, you know what I meant-"

"Stop right there."

Sharon sighed in defeat. It'd be better to just let Kim go on with her theories then somehow direct her to the real problem. Should she continue with their sessions given their past relationship although the patient himself was unaware of their shared history.

"I know you. You're never going to realize the truth of things until it hits you in the face. If you did, you would've woken up a long time ago that Casey wasn't the right man for you. Now this Justin guy said something that blew up to alot of nastiness for you."

Sharon remained silent and nodded in agreement.

"Now I'm no expert but I say fifty percent of the time people don't forget and move on from such experiences because one, it was truly vicious and traumatizing. Or two..."

The line went silent again. A clear prompt for Sharon to speak up and gain Kim's profound wisdom.

Sharon steeled herself, took a deep breath and said, "Two?"

"Or two, they've never liked that person anyways." Here she paused and Sharon could almost Kim smiling a smile to make the Cheshire cat proud. "Or on the flipside of the coin, really liked them."

Sharon's jaw dropped open. She ached to refute every single word Kim said but was too shocked to even scoff. She liked Justin? The guy who walked around as if he was king of the place. Well, thinking back he'd never strutted around or anything. Always on the honor roll and well liked by everyone. He even waved and said hi her a few times. That's why it hurt so bad that because of him she became an outcast.

"There. The fact that you can't say anything means I"m right."

"No, it's not like that" Sharon finally replied. Shaking her head, she rubbed her palms on her pants and leaned closer to the phone. "Everyone liked him. He was the golden boy of the school."

"Hmhm. Rationalize all you want. Anyways, his name is Justin Boyd right?"

Sharon narrowed her eyes. Kim was up to something and it spelled trouble. She could even smell it coming off of her through the land line. "Yes. Why?"

"Just searching for him on Facebook," replied Kim without a care in the world.

"You're stalking him on Facebook!"

"No searching. There's a difference."

"You're impossible." Feeling a headache coming on, Sharon rubbed her temples until she hit on the one bright spot in this current madness. "There's probably a million Justin Boyd's. How you're going to find him?"

"Oh ye of little faith. He went to Saint Francis with you right? I'll search his name alongside the school name and Brooklyn. See how many names pop up. And the finest looking one should be him."

"You remember that," asked an exasperated Sharon.

"I remember everything you tell me."

"In no way something like that would work. Kim, let's let it go already-"

"Humuna Humuna," interrupted Kim. Sharon heard a very audible smack of her lips and groaned.

"Is that him? Hurry, check your phone. Is it him?"

A buzz alerted her that she received a text. Hands shaking, she picked up her cell and swiped the screen. Her heart was racing a mile a second as she stared at the tiny envelope on the bottom. With a press of her index finger, the widget opened and Sharon went to retrieve Kim's text.

Oh kill me now thought Sharon as she gaped at Justin's profile picture.

"Is it him," repeated Kim. "Nevermind. Don't bother. It's him. And if I were you I'd forget Casey already and get on that. Or I will."

"Can we please stop talking about this," pleaded Sharon. "That would immoral. He's a patient-"

"Not if he's not coming back for continued sessions."

"And I'm not interested."

"Maybe not now. But you were in the past. And will be again in the future. Trust me, I have a good feeling about this."

"What, you're Miss Cleo now?"

"Well you did call me," sassed Kim right back in a fake Jamaican accent. To which they both fell into a fit of giggles. "Besides, I can see it now. Your future. Bullied girl reunites with school star tormentor. He begs for forgiveness. Woos her. And gives the girl some banging sex."

"Right," snorted Sharon. "You're no psychic. And that kind of thing only happens in books or movies."

"Art is an imitation of life," sang Kim.

"Fine, think what you want. I have to get ready for my next patient. Talk to you later," said Sharon, picking up and dropping the phone receiver, effectively cutting off what Kim was saying next.

Her phone buzzed again with another text.

Denial ain't just a river. ;-P

Sharon itched to reply that it's spelled The Nile and that it is a river in Egypt but decided to leave it alone. Kim could talk she was blue in the face and down to her toes.

Her and Justin together? It'd never happen.

Never.

**

Justin circled the rim of his third glass before he had the sense to remember he'd only had a bowl of cereal before he left the house that morning. Raising his hand, he waved the bartender over and asked for the menu. And another vodka and coke.

He looked through it from front to back to front again. He shut it closed and called for the same bartender, Brian.

"Ready to order?"

"Yeah. For an appetizer I want the chicken appetizer," said Justin as Brian whipped out a small notepad and pen from the front of his apron's pocket.

Brian nodded as he took down his order and asked, "Anything else?"

"For the classic and signature combo I want the caesar salad. And the eight ounce sirloin, medium well. With steamed broccoli and garlic mash potatoes."

"Alright," said Brian tucking the menu under the bar counter. "We'll get on your order right away."

Justin watched him walk away and took another sip of his drink and could no longer taste it. Maybe, thought Justin, it was too early to be drinking. At first he welcomed the refreshment it brought like a thirsty man stranded in a desert. Now it was numbing his tongue more than memories that threatened to overtake him again.

How did you feel?

He couldn't believe she'd asked that. How is someone suppose to feel when you remember the first meeting of someone you'd planned to spend the rest of your life with, only for the opposite to happen? For that same person to turn around and leave you. Taking everything that made sense and made you happy?

How does he feel? Fucking fantastic!

Women go around and say they're no good men left. We're dogs, players and assholes only looking to get the cookie and leave. Acting the victim when relationships goes round. But what about him? What about the woman who did the same thing to him? What was he supposed to do with the crushed heart and soul she left in her wake when she left him for someone else!?

"Fuck," muttered Justin. He slammed his empty glass down and pressed the palm of his hands unto his eyes.

No don't think about her. How could a woman who left a path of destruction worse than the Haiti earthquake without a backwards glance still have some hold on him. She wasn't worth his thoughts. Yet because of her he couldn't sleep in fear that she'd consume him from the one place he can't escape her.

Damn the woman. And where was the food, he thought as he looked up and around the bar for Brian. He'd ordered over twenty minutes ago. At least if he had something to eat he can put his entire focus on trying to enjoy his meal.

Justin was just tired of this back and forth of how messed up his life was now. He'd thought he was finally winning until Sharon...Dr. Cooper brought it all back again. Now, he'd give anything for a distraction from the foul memories she stirred, however brief, in the form of grilled beef, mashed tubers and a stuffed tortilla.

As if they've read his mind and stomach his entire order were placed before him, apologies and all. Justin inhaled his food, only taking breath between bites to drink the glass of water he replaced his vodka drink with.

Where the alcohol failed the food at least filled a bit of the hole that unstoppered from this morning. Although it was nothing like his mom's or his adopted mother's cooking, it still accomplished what the vodka didnot. For just a little while, up to the last piece of steak and mash potatoes was washed down, it nourished his hunger.

Satisfied Justin paid for his bill and walked to his car when his minion ringtone went off again. Sliding into the driver's seat, he checked his phone wondering about its eery silence and groaned. He forgot to unmute it and there were string of texts and missed calls from Terrell.

Knowing him, Justin knew he'd better to call him back quick. Placing the phone back on its mount, he put it on speak and buckled himself before driving out the parking lot and through the pot-holed littered obstacle course of the plaza.

Terrell picked up immediately. "Yo man. Where the fuck you been? You 'kay? Was it her?"

"I'm good," replied Justin.

"You don't sound good. Seriously man, where you been? Did she call you or something," asked Terrell, followed by murmurs of bomboclaut and other terms he didn't understand.

When Terrell starts breaking out the patois then he was really mad. And then what he said before niggled at him and made Justin worry.

"Terrell," interrupted Justin, coming to a stop at the light on Smoketown Rd. "What you mean if she called me?"

Terrell was silent for several seconds and said, "She ah called mi fo ya numba. And mi nah give her."

He must taken the few moments before to calm down because although he was speaking patois the you couldn't hear the Jamaican accent as before. That doesn't mean he wasn't still upset as he was speaking patois when he knew Justin didn't understand the language and would often have to remind him he's not Jamaican. At least he can follow for now.

"What she want my number for," asked Justin, his heart racing. Was something wrong with Angelisa? Should he call her and find out what she want?

"Mi nuh no." Justin could imagine him shrugging his shoulders. "All mi know is shi nuh get it fram mi. So mek yu neva call mi?"

Justin sighed. Rosa trying to find him surely spelled doom. Something he didn't want to ever experience again. But he couldn't ignore it. What would she need him for for her to try to track him down when they haven't spoken to each other in a year and a half?

"Sorry boss, mi figet seh yu a nuh yardie," said Terrell before he switched to speaking in English. "Man, I keep forgetting you're not Jamaican. So, where were you man? I've been calling you all morning.

"Sorry man." Justin pinched the bridge of his nose before going at the green light. "Had doctor's appointment?"

"Everything alight?"

How did it feel?

"Yeah. I'm good. Heading home right now."

"Good then. I'll put ma's food away for you."

"You at my house?"

"What? You gave me the key. And ma made two weeks worth of food for ya. The woman threatened me that I make sure you get it and not to eat none of it. So hurry your ass home.And call and let my ma know I brought you every single damn thing. Damn, am I her son or a delivery boy?"

Justin couldn't help but chuckle. Terrell can complain all he want but he loved his mother and would do anything she asked.

"Yeah sure," replied Justin. "Be there in few. Just got on the highway."

"Good," said Terrell before he ended the call.

Justin drove back home, his stomach in a ball of knots. No matter how he thought of it he had no clue what his ex-wife could want that she'd even called Terrell.

How did it feel?

Like hell. Because now he has two women to worry about. Two women his instinct told him had to stay away from. 

I tried to think of a song perfect for this chapter when both characters are clearly in denial. Refusing to acknowledge their attraction. Then for some reason Erykah Badu's song Next Lifetime popped into my head which unfortunately I couldn't find the official video on YouTube. But here's where you can see the video: http://www.artistdirect.com/video/erykah-badu-next-lifetime/33356. 

Next Lifetime is an ode to possibility of a better relationship. Difference is Sharon and Justin aren't currently with someone yet they're still bonded to their ex's. I'd like to think that just like the couple in the song, Sharon and Justin spent previous lifetimes missing their chance to be together. This lifetime is their chance. But will they take it?

PS I never meant to but I make a joke reference to the psychic Miss Cleo who recently died. If you were an 80s baby and grew up in the 90s you definitely knew who she was. So chapter 3 is a dedication to her.

Kim's middle name is trouble. Love her or hate her, she only wants the people she care about to be happy. Sharon better watch out. And Justin, what should I do with you?

August 1st is 3 days away! :-O Don't forget to vote and nominate it on Twitter using the hashtag #mywattyschoice.

Looking forward to hear your comments and feedback. :-D