Chapter 52 - Continuation

*

"What are you doing here, Taye?" Adena asked him. She had enough disappointment for today, and her biggest disappointment was standing right in front of her with a stupid smile on his face.

"Well, hello to you too," Taye said to her, but he wasn't surprised. She hated his guts. He knew that. He deserved it. When she was in love with him, she was hard on him, and he couldn't handle it. Now she was in hate with him, and it would be even more challenging. He believed he could handle it though, because he was prepared for the worst and knew it was going to take a lot of work to get her on his side and get her back.

Ok, good luck with that, Taye.

Then he decided to drop a bomb on her. "Anyway, what am I doing here? Therapy. I can ask you the same thing though-"

"Therapy??" Adena asked him in shock.

"Yeah, I'm still seeing Dr. Osbourne. We're like best buds now. He really understands me. He also calls me out on my bullshit. Just like you used to be with me, I should really thank you for introducing us."

Adena side-eyed him. "Technically, I didn't introduce you. Kimberly introduced us. How is she doing, by the way?" she asked with an attitude.

Oh yeah, that...her.

"Adena, I'm sorry, I really am. Doc has been disappointed in me as well, and now Kim is upset that I told a colleague of hers that she respects about us."

"Well, quite frankly, I don't give a damn," she said as she felt her phone vibrate.

"So what are you doing here, and why are you leaving so fast?" he asked her; if she didn't care, he could change the subject. Thank God.

"I'm late for a class so I'm going to come back tomorrow. They already started," she said as she looked at her phone and started typing.

Taye nodded; he knew her all too well. She HATED being late. Walking into something that already started and being stared at by everyone in the room was on her pet peeves list. "I'm curious. What kind of class?"

"The Lamaze class," she said offhandedly as she continued to type, barely paying attention to him.

"A La-what?"

"Lamaze. You know, the breathing exercises. The mommy and the daddy sit on the floor and learn how to be prepared when this baby actually comes," she said as she continued to type.

"Oh well, that's pretty important. You sure you should be missing that?"

"I know how important it is, but shit happens sometimes," she snapped at him as she put her phone away. She sighed, "They'll be here tomorrow."

"The baby could be here tomorrow, then what? You'll know nothing. You won't be prepared. I mean, isn't that dangerous?"

"It's too soon for all that. Baby is fine. They'll be baking for another couple of months. I have time," she said, and Taye looked at her. "What?"

"For someone who hates being unprepared, you're being very nonchalant about this-"

"It's too late! Now I'm even later. They started at 6:00. I'll disrupt everyone. It'll be fine."

"Adena, it's 6:06. I'm sure you can catch up on the 6 minutes you missed."

"I'm not going in there alone. I'd rather die," she said, turned around, and headed for the door.

"Oh, that's understandable. HE'S too busy, huh?" Taye said as he walked in step next to her.

She knew he meant Craig. Craig called him every name in the book but Taye and Taye refused to say his name at all and referred to him as "HIM." "Yeah, he's too busy," she repeated. Too busy being an asshole.

"How about I do it?" he asked as he stopped walking.

That also made Adena stop walking. "How about you do what?"

"Be your partner in your class."

Adena burst out laughing. "HA! Me and you? Partners? Are you crazy??"

"Ohmygod what the fuck" he groaned. "Everyone says this baby is mine, and now I'm trying to step in and help, and you don't want it? If I ignore it all like I have been doing, I'd be a deadbeat. I can't win. But fine, go ahead and go. I'd rather miss 7 minutes instead of a full class but whatever."

Adena side-eyed him again; what was really going on? Her phone buzzed again. She sighed and took her phone out. It was her Mom.

Don't forget about your Lamaze class, Adena. It's imperative. You are at a critical stage right now in your pregnancy, and your unborn baby should take precedence and be your biggest priority right now. Not work. For the baby's safety AND yours.

She sighed again. Damn it, Mom. Now that she was reaching the last couple of months of her pregnancy, everyone, especially her Mom, was freaked out. Issues arose at this stage, and they didn't want the same thing to happen to her.

She definitely didn't want that to happen, either. She could imagine the pain her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother went through even though she's never given birth. She's never lost a baby, but she did lose a brother and a sister.

"Good luck with everything, Adena," Taye sighed and headed toward the door.

Adena looked up at the ceiling and asked the Lord above why he was doing this to her. It was obviously a test. Risk it all, her baby, her health, her everything because of missing 8 minutes of class and not wanting to sit through it alone or sit through it with the father of the child who didn't want to be the father of the child. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath in and out. "Wait," she said. Taye stopped immediately and turned to her. "Let's hurry up; we wasted 5 minutes just being in the damn lobby," she said as she turned around and walked back down the hall from where she came, texting her Mom that she was there.

Taye smiled. Wow, he was astonished at the quick change of heart. She walked to a door and peeked in through the blinds at the class. "Come on, Dena, what are you waiting for?" he asked her. He then stopped; this was very, very hard for her to do. However, he didn't know if it was walking in late and being embarrassed or realizing this was really happening and she was doing it with the person she hated the most—or both. "Come on, let's rip off the band-aid. Follow my lead. It'll be fine."

Before Adena could protest, Taye opened the door and practically barged right in, pretending he was out of breath. Adena cringed. "Oh, I'm so so sorry we're late. I don't know if we're in the right place. We're here for the-"

"Lamaze class?" the instructor asked as she peeked around him to see Adena frozen in the doorway. "What's your name, sweetheart?" she asked as she picked up a clipboard and looked at whatever was written. The whole class stared at them.

Before she could open her mouth, Taye said, "Adena Houghton. Or Adena Capricorn. A-D-E-N-A."

Adena Houghton. She thought she would never hear those names in the same sentence ever again.

"Oh, there you are! Adena Capricorn. Yes, you two are definitely in the right place. Come on in."

Taye grabbed her hand and led her to a couple of yoga mats on the floor that the instructor pointed at. Adena paused. Should she take her shoes off? Did they have to sit on the floor? "You need help?" he asked her.

"Just give me a second," she said below a whisper. She decided to slip off her flats, thankful that she just got a pedicure. Who knows what her feet looked like, but she knew they were swollen; at least they were pretty and swollen now. Taye took the purse off her shoulders.

"Ok, yes, that's it. Hold her steady, and remember, partners, the mommies need all the support they can get at this stage. They especially need your strength," she said to the class and turned back to them. "Give her time; remember, she's holding extra pounds and can't see her feet. Am I right, Mommy's?" the instructor asked, and all the Mommy's nodded, groaned, or laughed. Adena, though was frozen in place. Everyone was staring at her. Everyone.

She then felt Taye's hand on her back. "Come on, Dena, it's ok. They're staring at me too. You're not alone."

Adena looked at him with wide eyes, was she crazy, or was he...

Those three words put her in a trance, and soon he helped her get seated on the floor.

"Good job, and what would you like to be called?" the instructor asked him.

"Taye is fine," he said as he sat behind her as the other partners did.

"Ok, Taye, you're going to be Adena's partner in many ways. It would help if you were her accountability partner as well. She's missed the first couple of classes which happens; we all have busy lives. You have to be her clock and calendar and ensure she gets here every time from now on, ok?"

"Ok," he said with a nod. However, he was surprised. Adena missing class? That was rare. "You hear that? No more playing hooky, young lady. Can't go repeating freshman year, right?" he whispered in her ear as he sat behind her and then chuckled.

Adena almost forgot about that. She ensured Taye was on time for all his classes when they went to Columbia, even the ones she wasn't in. She was his calendar, alarm, timer, and clock. She would call him and tell him to 'hurry your ass up' and sign his name on the roll so he wouldn't get docked for being late. She looked out for him then.

It seemed so long ago, but it also felt like yesterday.

Then one day, it happened. Adena was late to class, and not only was she late, but if she didn't show up, she wouldn't be able to complete her final and may have to repeat the class despite her straight A's. He freaked out and called her as soon as he realized.

"Hurry your ass up. Where are you?" he asked, playfully mocking her. However, he sobered up immediately when he heard her sniffles. "Adena, what's wrong?"

"I...I can't breathe..."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know...I'm scared...and I can't...breathe."

"Ok, take a few breaths, ok? Why can't you breathe? Did something happen?" he asked her, but all she did was cry. "Should I call an ambulance? Where are you?"

"No...don't. I'm in my room..."

"Ok, hang on," he whispered as the instructor came in and passed out the roll call sheet. He called Missy first on the other line. "Miss? Missy?"

"Taye, what's wrong?"

"It's Dena. She's in a lot of pain, and I can't get to her. Where are you?" he asked, trying not to panic.

"What? What happened? I just left my shit ass math final. I need a drink."

"She's at the dorm. I don't know what's going on, but she's not good at all. Our final is about to start, and she's not here."

"She's going to miss her final??" Missy asked in shock. "Ok. I'm on the way right now. I'm gonna find Kim too, and I'll keep you posted. Everything will be ok."

He thanked her and hung up. "Missy's coming, babe. Everything's gonna be ok," he told her.

When the roll call was passed to him, he signed his and her name. He stayed on the phone as long as he could with her, and it was so hard to say goodbye and hang up. Then their professor started handing out the test immediately. Shit, they weren't going to do a disclaimer or introduction first? The professor handed out stacks of the test to every person on the far left. "Take one, pass them down."

Shit. If he signed her name, but she didn't take the test, they would be fucked. He got his test, and thankfully he was the last person in his row. He waited for the professor to go back to their desk.

"Once you get your test, you may begin. You have an hour," they said. Everyone got started. He got up and descended the steps as fast and calm as possible. "Yes?" they asked him.

"I never got a test. Not enough in the row," he said. The professor paused and then handed him another test. "Thanks," he said and practically raced up the stairs to the back of the room. He got into focus mode. He had to pass this test for them both.

Long story short, the test was easier than he thought. He and Adena spent a lot of time studying. Also, her doing. She made flashcards for him that really worked. He completed both tests without getting caught. As soon as he was done, he raced to Adena's dorm. Adena had an anxiety attack. It was her first time doing finals in a college setting, and stress couldn't even cover it. She was also so damn hard on herself that she got herself worked up. He laid in bed with her for the rest of the day, and she was grateful he turned the test in for her. And what do you know, they both got an A.

If they didn't, she probably would have killed him.

Once the Lamaze class started back up and everyone stopped looking at them, Adena began to relax, and what do you know, Taye picked up on everything faster than she did, probably because she was drained.

But she was grateful again that he was there for her, stepped up like never before, like he did back then...and she didn't like it.

*

Capricorns are the least boastful of all the Roosters, and they know that a conservative image is more suitable to achieve the material success they desperately crave.

*

Taye walked into his apartment later than usual and was thankful that no maintenance calls were waiting for him. Kim was in the kitchen. "There you are," she said when she heard him walk in.

"You were looking for me?" he asked her.

"Hell no," she said with a chuckle. "I figured you were still working." Taye sighed with relief.

"What are we having?"

"Lime Chicken Tacos," she said as she read the instructions. She was addicted to getting those preplanned dinners in the mail. She didn't have to go to the store and stress about what to eat. She came home, and the food was already waiting for her. All she had to do was read and follow the directions.

"Smells good," he said as he kissed her cheek and got himself settled. Once dinner was ready, they sat right down and started to eat. They both were starving. "Get me a beer from the fridge?" he asked her. She nodded, opened the door, and looked in. She paused. "What?" he asked.

"You got quite a selection in here," she said as she looked at the several six packs of beer that were stuffed into the left drawer at the bottom of the fridge. Corona, Blue Moon, Samuel Adams, Heineken.

"How about some Heiney," he said with a flirty smirk. She rolled her eyes playfully; she hesitated and took a bottle out. She got herself a bottle of wine. She handed it to him. "Thanks," he said as he cracked it open.

"You got a lot of beer in there," she told him. Her voice said to him that it wasn't just an observation. "Alcohol and your meds don't mix; remember that. Alcohol is a depressant."

"Come on, and I can have one beer, can't I? I've had a long day."

"Yeah...sparingly, but all of that in there looks like a frat party binge waiting to happen."

"I'm not going to drink them all at once. There was a BOGO type sale, and I took advantage." She gave him a look. "You think I'm an alcoholic?"

"No, the fridge just suggests it..."

"It's called buying in bulk," he said to her. "I'm not going to drink them all in one night. A week even."

"Promise?" she asked him. He nodded. "Ok," she said and immediately dropped it. She poured herself a glass of wine and took a few sips. She looked across the table as he inhaled his food. "So I thought about what we talked about...long and hard...and my answer, my decision is yes."

Taye looked up at her and saw her with a wide and beaming smile on her face, her green eyes shining, and her nose ring even glistening in the light.

However, he had no clue what the fuck she was talking about. "Wow, really?" he asked and smiled as big as hers, hoping she would explain, pretending he knew. "What exactly did I...what exactly changed your mind?"

"You made a compelling argument," she said with a smile and took a sip of her wine, which didn't help at all. He waited for her to explain, and every second was torture. "I thought it was too soon, especially after everything, but like you said, we care about each other, look out for each other, and that'll be easier on us. I'm here almost every night, or you're at my place. I thought about it, and I agree," she said with a happy smile. Taye then realized.

Oh yeah, he had asked her to move in.

She picked up her wine glass, got up, and sat on his lap. She smiled at him and kissed him. After moaning into the kiss, she pulled away and whispered in his ear. "You also said you'll blow my back out all over this apartment, and tonight I wanna do it right here, in the kitchen."

His eyes widened. Holy shit, that was probably the sexiest thing he ever heard. She kissed him passionately, and once he pulled away for air, he said, "This table won't be able to handle it."

"The counter then," she whispered seductively in his ear as she giggled. He immediately forgot about everything running through his mind and picked her up, and sat her on the counter. She took off his belt, and he hiked up her dress. This was why he loved sex. He was always present, and it was hard to distract him. He never thought or worried about a thing unless it was about him not wanting to come too soon.

Oh, that.

He pulled away. "What?" she asked impatiently.

"Can I get 2 seconds to find a condom?" he asked with a laugh, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him back toward her.

"Just pull out," she said with an almost evil-like smirk.

Nope, he was mistaken; THAT was the sexiest thing he had ever heard.

*

Capricorns born under the Rooster sign make loyal and devoted lovers, but their intellectual lives must be fuller than their love lives.

*

Craig took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he breathed the fresh sea air around him. It felt therapeutic; the weather was perfect, the sun wasn't too hot, the breeze was excellent, and the beautiful Pacific Ocean sparkled under the sunlight. He opened his eyes and sat down, looking out on the water, enjoying the solitude in deep thought.

"Hey! There you are!" Beverly said as she walked toward him. "I've been looking all over for you. You alright?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm getting some fresh air, much-needed fresh air," he said. The city felt like a suffocating hotbed of stress. He could finally relax and breathe.

"Where's your drink?" she asked him.

"I told you I slowed down on all that."

"Yeah, you said you slowed down, not quit entirely cold turkey."

"I've been drunk and high for a straight two weeks. It's good for me. I'm fine."

"But it's your birthday. What are you going to drink? Water?" she asked incredulously. He laughed at the horrified look on her face. "We got so much liquor. I even got that Scotch you love so much."

"And I thank you, but I'll have to take that back home. Water sounds great, actually," he said. He looked at her deadpanned face. "What?!"

"What about the cake? The cake has Patron in it, and it's soooooo good."

"I bet it is, and I guess that's fine."

"Will you at least have champagne so we can give you a proper birthday toast?"

"Ok, fine," he said with a laugh and then paused as his sister's face got more concerned by the second. "It's fine, Bev. I'm ok."

"Are you just saying that?"

"No! I really appreciate you going all out for me this year. This may be the BEST birthday I'll ever have." Once she saw his smile, she calmed down some. She hugged him close and then fixed the collar on his white linen button-up.

"Stick with me, kid, and I'll blow your mind and top it next year," she said. She kissed his cheek. "Well, I'll go get your water. You don't wanna come up? He's giving us turns driving the yacht."

"Yeah, in a second," he said as he felt his phone vibrate. He took it out. He didn't recognize the number and ignored it. Beverly skipped off, and he stared out at the water. He unbuttoned the shirt and sighed, letting the breeze move the fabric off his stomach and chest. He didn't mind that Beverly said he needed to wear it. She planned the whole outfit, white linen everything. Supposedly he looks great in white but hated wearing it because if one spot got on it, he'd be annoyed.

Bless his baby sister's heart. She planned this big birthday trip for him. Guess she thought that if she whisked him off to the other side of the country, he'd forget about her. Unbeknownst to her, as soon as they landed in LA, all he could think about was how excited he was that he was going to surprise Adena at the art show in San Francisco. Literally hours after the best gig he's ever had. Their first time...and second. Then later, finding out that not only was she sick, but she was pregnant. It all happened so fast. California flipped his world upside down just as much as New York City has.

So he was thankful when Beverly surprised him with an 'exclusive weekend like no other.' They only stayed in LA for the night, and today they checked out at noon, got on this luxurious yacht, and sailed to the main attraction. He thought they would have a nice day on the boat, but that wasn't enough for Beverly. Brandon didn't mind giving her anything she wanted. And she wanted him to have a great birthday that he would forget about 'all that.' He had almost laughed at her excited face when she gave him a brochure and said, "That's where we're really going."

Santa Catalina Island. He had no clue that California had several islands along its coast. It felt like they were venturing into a whole new world he never heard of. The brochure said it started as a vacation spot for Hollywood's elite in the 1920s and 30s, away from all their hard work and film sets. Now it was a huge resort town with secluded areas where all the vacation homes still were. It had a huge casino, restaurants, wildlife, white sandy beaches, cabanas, water sports and attractions of every kind, a ballroom, and a museum. There was even a mountain, Mt. Orizaba. He would actually love to climb that.

He was excited, but it was hard for him to show it. He had so much on his mind. He was always too fucked up to think about it - which was the whole point. Like he said, he was drunk and high since he and Adena called it quits again and then saw her out with Kehinde Wiley. He still couldn't believe it. He still had hope that maybe he was wrong, but with every passing day without her, that hope started to go away, but at the same time, she was everywhere. That night he told her he was coming over and then bolted. He thought he would at least get a chance to argue with her before he made his case that he was better for her. She never called like she didn't care if he tried or not. Like she didn't care about being stood up.

The only reason she would feel that way was a world-famous artist extraordinaire who had Obama in his phone contacts swept her entirely off her pretty feet. Mr. Capricorn probably loved him.

So he drank, sniffed, snorted, smoked, and drank and drank some more, in that order. Ron had to bail him out on various occasions. Fever was surprised he wanted to return, but they weren't interested. He was pretty close to getting fired from The Love Shack because he was never in his right mind, and you could tell if you knew him well enough. The manager loved him, though, and he was on his 5th warning, which no one would ever get, but he was pretty sure the 6th would be his last. He was a nomad and skipped from couch to couch, living the artist's life. If he wanted his own place, he would have to get a second job, and that caused him to load up on all substances he could get because it depressed him too much. One day Ron went so far as to drop Craig's ass off at the Hills Estate.

"Take him before he actually kills himself," Ron had told Beverly. Which was a terrible choice of words, but it was the truth. Brandon got him a job at an exclusive resort restaurant in the Hamptons, a friend of the family owned. He's been laying low and his head down at the Hills for the last week with help from his sister in their pool house. He was grateful to stay, it was separate from the entire house, and the housekeepers occasionally checked in on him if Beverly didn't, which she did ten times a day. He had his own space, no one to bother him, and Adena wasn't hung up in the damn bathroom.

A waitress, which he didn't know was even provided on the yacht, gave him a glass of cucumber water, and he happily drank it and asked for another. Forget bottled water. It was cucumber water or none at all.

Adena would have a joke - but at the same time, love his bougie taste - every chance she would get, he knew. Adena would love this yacht. She wouldn't mind wearing all white like Beverly requested all the party guests wear today. She would probably have on a white dress. He knew she would look beautiful and tan. She would be so excited once they got to the island. There was an art section on the island, but he couldn't even read that section of the brochure because...well.

He was down bad.

He sat and stared at the water, enjoying the quiet and the solitude.

For a second. He couldn't exactly get it because someone kept calling him repeatedly. He was surprised he had service out here. He was ready to block the number, but a second later, he decided to answer.

"Hello?! Who is blowing me up? Hello? Who is this??"

*

Famous Capricorn Rooster - Dolly Parton (singer/actress); b. January 19, 1946

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