"You lyin!" Chrystal yelled, after I finished telling her.

"Me and Lau haven't kissed yet, but why would you run off like that?! I know I would've never done that! What, you don't like him or somethin'?"

"No, it's just- like, okay- I just, I don't know! Maybe it's the whole thing with Shane, and I don't think I'm ready to let anyone in yet. Plus, they're famous, Chrystal! You know how much ass they probably get?! You see how many girls were surrounding them that night! I don't think I'd be able to handle being in a relationship with someone like that. I mean, you know I'm not the jealous type, and I'm not saying he'd disrespect me, but jump-offs and groupies wouldn't give two fucks about who they're seeing." I looked down, ashamed and embarrassed.

"Are you serious Vanika?! We're talking about a kiss, and you're bringing up marriage and kids! Fuck girl, have fun, let loose! Shane is the past. It's time for you to do you now!"

"I mean, I don't mean we're going to be in a relationship or anything. I'm just saying, I don't want to take the chance of starting something and I fall for him." I sighed and then continued, "I already like him. Things will just get too complicated. And you know how sensitive I am."

"True!" she said. She gathered our McDonalds bags and went to throw them away in the kitchen trash bin.

"Well," she said, heading back to the living room to sit next to me, "whatever you think is best for you, I can't push you in the other direction. At least talk to him though girl! He was acting like you just hit his dog, got out of the car, kicked it, and then pulled down your pants and pissed on it for good measure or something!"

This girl definitely knew how to get me out of my funks. I cackled at the image that came to my mind. She was so damn detailed with it!

"Okay so, now, we have to figure out how in the fuck we're going to get back to the club to get my car! It's been," Chrystal checked her watch, "a little over an hour now, and they're still not back yet. You think they're coming back?" She asked me.

"I don't even know."

"Well, call Larry and ask him!"

"Girl, bye! You are so stank sometimes Chrystal, I swear!"

She laughed while giving me the I'm-just-fucking-with-you face and picked up her cell to find Lau's number. After a few seconds, she got an answer. I couldn't really hear what was being said, although I wanted to be nosey just incase Larry's name was brought up, but I couldn't because she had made her way into the back to her room.

I flipped through the channels, anxiously waiting for her and she came out after 20 minutes with a Kool-Aid smile on her face.

"So?!" I asked.

"So, what?!"

I smacked my lips, rolling my eyes and folded my arms.

"Oh, you tryna see if we were talking about you and your boo thang! Well, he said he's not talking, so they are just going to head back to their place. We're going to have to catch a cab over there to get my car."

I threw on a pair of sneakers, sweats, and a tshirt that I had left over her house. I had a lot of clothes over here, as she did at my place. This made staying over more convenient.

After a half an hour, the cab was in front of her condo downstairs when we received the call of its arrival. We- well, I should say she walked whilst I limped to the elevator doors.

"I'm taking you to the hospital after we pick up the car too!" She stated, letting out a giggle after watching me struggle.

-ONE MONTH LATER-

I'm not going to pretend like I didn't miss Larry, because I did. Lau still came around, even coming to my house with Chrystal on a few occasions. I honestly think he was using me for my dance/photography studio on the top floor, but I wasn't complaining. Whenever they came over, he allowed me to shoot videos and take photos of him.

They were so cute together. And yes, they kissed... A LOT! This made me miss Larry even more. It didn't help that his brother and he were the spitting images of each other, despite the slight differences that I grew to notice the more I was around Lau.

I had been depressed for a while now, envy eating away at me when I saw Lau and Chrystal together. Lau had just finished dancing to Edit: Ants, a favorite of his and his brother and Chrystal, whom was sitting next to me watching Laurent had headed downstairs to get Lau's 2 liter of Sprite from the fridge.

He walked over to me, "You not clap this time Variété. You always clap when I finish. Why not this time? What wrong."

I instantly perked up and gave a fake, overly dramatic smile. In all honesty, I wasn't even paying attention to his dancing this time, and even if I had, I really wasn't in the spirits to cheer anyone on, while I was loathing away in my self-pity.

"Sorry Lau, I was thinking about a shoot I have coming up!" It was true; I was lined up to shoot the singer Banks for her new upcoming album release. I was in love with her song Drowning. I really prefer the Stwo remix of that song. I wasn't thinking about the shoot though, as I told Laurent I was; I was thinking about his brother and regretting pulling away from him.

Chrystal had told me about a month ago to call him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It would be extremely awkward. Needless to say, he stayed away from me, as I, him.

Laurent tilted his head sideways, his breathing more settled, and lazily put his hands on his waist, "Why you lie to me girl? I not lie to you!"

I let out a breath, "It's your brother."

He stomped in a circle, throwing his left hand and head up in the air, "Hhha! I know this!" He stopped, facing me again, his body bent forward at his waist to be at my eye level with a finger pointed at me. "I tell Chrystal you so sad lately because my brother! He still not tell me what wrong!"

Lau then slid down the wall mirror, plopping down next to me with one leg in front of him, the other with his knee tucked into his chest. He didn't say anything for a few seconds as he began drawing circles with his index finger while the other arm rested on his drawn in knee.

I was staring at the imaginary picture he drew on the ground and then looked up and met his worried eyes when I saw his head lift.

"You ganna tell me what happen?"

Chrystal walked into the studio, overhearing Laurent's question, obviously knowing what he was referring to.

"Just tell him Vee!"

I rested my head back onto the wall mirror and looked away from him and stared straight ahead out of the windows. The sunset was so beautiful: pink, orange, purple, and blue skies mixing soundly with one another. I looked down at my own lap and let out a deep sigh.

"Umm." I looked up at him again, "Me and your brother kind of kissed-"

He cut me off, "Genre???! Quand?!" His mouth hung open as he leaned into me, steadying himself on one hand. His eyes looked as though they were about to pop out.

"Yeah, I'm serious! It was the night of the fight at the club. It happened when you and Chrystal fell asleep at her place."

Chrystal took over the story, "Yeah, and she didn't even kiss-kiss him you know?! She just gave him a sorry ass peck on the lips, then she got up and hobbled to the bathroom! Hahahahaaa! Can you imagine what that probably looked like?" I rolled my eyes at her as she continued, "Then this chick decides to lock herself in the bathroom, while your brother was pounding on the door, begging for her to come out!"

"Chrystal!" I bellowed, "Now you know that I did notsay that! He didn't pound on the door, he just knocked a few times to check on me!"

Laurent spoke up, "So that why he being so sad! He probably think you brushing him off! Why you do that though Vee? And you not even talk to him afterward?"

"I mean, I was going to, but he was asleep by the time I came back out!"

Laurent scoffed, "Genre! He not fall to sleep this fast! Whatever! I gonna talk to him!"

"No, Lau!" I pleaded. "I don't want you caught in the middle of this! I'll talk to him! Okay! Crois moi, s'il te plaît."

"Oki Variété." He stood up and turned to Chrystal, who was shaking her head at me, arms folded, "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I am." She replied, still looking at me.

"What?! Why're you staring at me?!"

"Hmmm, no reason. Let's go Lau."

They walked out of my studio hand-in-hand.

"Where are you guy's going?" I asked, feeling left out.

Chrystal turned around, "Yo, honestly, you need to be worried about Larry, instead of what we're up to! Love yous!" She blew me a kiss in the air and they continued walking out.

I really did need to talk to him.

After about 10 minutes of trying to work up the nerve to call him, I decided that a glass of wine would give me the liquid courage I needed in order to dial him up.

I headed downstairs, taking my time, hating the task that was waiting for me at hand. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a wine glass, placing it on the counter, then chose a bottle of red from the wine chiller fridge.

I poured myself a fourth of a glass and downed in within seconds, soon after, filling it up again, but half way this time. I placed the wine back in the chiller and made my way over to the couch to grab my phone sitting on the coffee table. I sat down and entered the passcode, then went to my contacts and scrolled through it until I found his number.

My heart began to pound out of my chest. I felt like I was a five year old in trouble.

"Okay," I said to myself, inhaling through my nose then letting out the air through my mouth, "you can do this!"

I took a large gulp of the wine and set the glass down onto the coffee table, going through my breathing exercise again, attempting to calm my speeding heart. It didn't help though, nor did it matter, because I then began to feel the liquid courage taking its effect. So with shaking hands, I touched his name next to the picture of him making a silly face with crossed eyes that he took the day I photographed them during Beyoncé's photo-shoot.

I place the phone to my ear and it began ringing. This sped my heart up even more and gave me butterflies in my stomach. I low-key was hoping he didn't answer so I could just leave a message. Or maybe I should've texted him instead I thought to myself.

It rang one last time before I heard the other end pickup, ending the ringing.

There was silence on the other end.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Jes? Who ees thees?"

I froze. It was a woman's voice with a Latin accent. I didn't answer.

"Hallooooo?!" She said in a sing-song voice, "Cun I help you?"

I hesitated for a half of a second before pressing "END".