Heartbeat by Tara Ellis Read Free Book Online Page A

fuck alone. He ran his hands over his chocolate bald head one last time before he walked into his closet, grabbed a few things then walked out of the house.  
     
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kesha
    I tossed and turned for four nights in a row expecting Darnel to come in the middle of the night and follow through on his threat but by the fifth night, my nerves had settled and I realized he knew staying away from me was the best thing for him. Once the insomnia wore off, the loneliness crept in. But there was not enough loneliness in the world to make me miss Darnel.
    I finished my shift at the drugstore and rushed outside to my car. Once I was in my car I took my white pharmacy coat off and threw it in the backseat. I dug in my cream Louis Vuitton Brea bag for my cell phone that had been going off all day. I quickly dialed Charlie’s number when I saw I had six missed calls from her.
    “Charlie! What’s going on?”
    She sniffled on the other line and my heart sank to the bottom of my feet when she said, “You were right. Rick is cheating on me.”
    It took me a second to grasp what she’d said. I was right? I felt horrible because even though I’d told her some shit I’d heard, I hadn’t in a million years thought he was actually doing anything wrong.
    She laughed but the laugh was bitter. “Yep! I saw the dog ass nigga with my own eyes!”
    I gasped. “What do you mean, Charlie?”
    “I followed his lying ass to some ghetto ass apartments,” she paused and sniffled. I could tell it was taking everything out of her not to burst into tears. “I mean, the bitch didn’t look like shit, Kesha,” her voice dropped. “She was standing there with my man like…” Charlie stopped like she couldn’t think of a word to describe it. “And when I saw them together, I just lost it. I like, blacked out and some dude was pulling me off them.”
    I was glad that I hadn’t started driving out of the CVS parking lot, otherwise, I would have ran into someone’s car. “Pulling you off them?”
    “Kesha, girl, I jumped on both of their asses. I don’t know how that even happened. I just wanted to see blood. I didn’t care whose it was.”
    All I could do was shake my head. What was Rick thinking? That was the problem, his ass wasn’t thinking. He had everything and here he was throwing it out the window like it was nothing. Niggas! I swear. All I could do was shake my head and wish I could have found the words to comfort Charlie.
    “Where is he at now?” I asked.
    “Girl, who knows. He just left with a few of his things. I hope he never brings his ass back.”
    I knew she didn’t mean that. I mean, this was Charlie and Rick . They’d been together for as long as I’d known Charlie. I couldn’t even imagine them not being together. “Are you going to work today?” I wanted to change the subject.
    “Yeah, I’m about to head out today even though I don’t know how I’m gonna be in the salon all day when my life is falling apart.”
    “I’m so sorry this happened, Charlie.”
    “Yeah, me too.”  
    “Me and Lake will be over there tonight to keep you company.”
    She paused and I knew she was trying to think of a way to keep us from coming over but I’d been through my share of breakups and each and every time I needed my girls by my side so there was no way I was going to let her talk me out of it.
    She finally sighed and said, “Ok.”
    “Alright, girl. And if you need anything today, just call me.”
    “Thanks, Kesha.” She hung up and it took me awhile to even digest our conversation. Things were getting so crazy. First, Darnel put his hands on me, Lake had her baby, and now Rick had went out and lost his got-damn mind, cheating on Charlie. The summer was just starting and I could already tell none of our lives would be the same come fall.
    I put my Audi A7 in reverse and headed home. I stopped by the Burger King up the street from my condo. After the news I’d just gotten from Charlie, I had to have