Everything That Glitters Ain't Gold, Danielle Martin [best books to read all time .TXT] 📗

usual spot. Out of breath, she stopped in front of her vehicle. “My car! I can’t believe it! She’s alive! And she’s okay!” she clapped her hands together and jumped up and down in anxiety. Her precious baby was still in one piece and also in tip top shape. Ava looked over her shoulder at Blake who was getting out of the truck and heading her way.

“Look babe!” she jumped up and down like a kid in the candy store while pointing.  “It’s my car! It’s my car! He didn’t ruin it after all!”

Blake smirked, clicked the lock on his truck and began to towards her. “See…. I told you….” He walked to where she stood and stopped next to her. “You feel better now???” he asked.

She turned to him and nodded eagerly. “Absolutely! I’m so relieved!” she spoke in a chipper tone, feeling as if all her problems had been solved. She reached for his hand then smiled. “Blake, thank you for bringing me. I think I have what I needed. Can you drop me off at a car dealership up the street??? I can get an extra set of keys from my car salesman.” she smiled from ear to ear feeling completely satisfied with her ultimate resolution. No more stressing. No more worrying.

Instantly, Blake shot her an unapproved look. Clearly, he had caught on quick and was not letting her get off that easy. Blake shook his head. “Ava, I’m sure your keys are in that house. I’m not taking you to get another set.”

Immediately, her smile twisted into a frown. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. “Why not Blake???” she asked.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Blake looked her deep in the eyes before speaking. “I know this is hard for you, Ava but we have to do this. You have to put an end to this or else this will continue forever… It’s now or never…” his voice was firm. His expression was serious. He took a step back and held his arm out, extending it towards the house. Nervously, Ava followed the direction of his hand with her eyes, glancing at the front door of the large house. Blake was right. It was now or never. It was time to face the music. Or else she would have to live the rest of her life looking over her shoulder.

 After a few moments of silence, finally she spoke. “Alright…” she whispered in a soft tone. “Let’s go. I’m ready to get this over with.” Ava reached back and grabbed his hand for comfort. He accepted, holding her hand tightly inside his as they both headed up the walkway and approached the front door. Ava halted on top of the welcome mat and took a nervous deep breath. Blake stopped directly behind her. “You ready babe?” he asked.

Her heart was racing. Her legs quivered fearfully. She looked over her shoulder, making eye contact with Blake. In return, he winked at her, reassuring her that everything would be alright. Although she was a nervous wreck, his protective presence gave her so much relief. She was happy having him by her side. There was no way she could have done this alone.

Knock Knock knock.

Balling up her first, she decided against wasting anymore time and knocked 3 times. Immediately, the panic kicked in. Ava didn’t know what to expect. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how Desean would react to all of this.

 “You got this baby…” Blake encouraged her over her shoulder. Ava swayed back and forth as she waited, feeling herself about to become sick to her stomach. There was no turning back. No more running away from her fears. She was about to come face to face with reality. Face to face with the man she was once head over heels in love with. That love had changed. And although she still cared for Desean as a human being, she was no longer in love with him. Now she had to figure out how to say it out loud without him flying off the handle. Secretly, she knew him better than she knew anyone. Ava knew deep down in her heart Desean would never understand.

Suddenly, the door swung wide open making Ava’s entire body freeze like a deer caught in headlights. A ray of light spilled out onto the outside of the porch as the door opened wider. Ava gasped in shock. Silence. An uneasy silence. At first, no one spoke. Ava stood still with wide eyes while locking gazes with the person standing on the other side of the door.

“Who the hell are you????” Ava shouted out in a shocked tone. She did not recognize the strange face standing on the other side of the door and apparently, the stranger did not recognize her either.

“Umm…. I’m Andrea…” the soft female voice finally answered.

Ava gasped after she spoke, staring at the strange woman standing before her. The woman was yellow skinned, short and petite with long curly hair splashing over her shoulders. She was dressed comfortably in an oversized t-shirt and fuzzy bedroom slippers as if she had been here plenty of times before. Ava was speechless. She looked over her shoulder at Blake for some sort of guidance. He stood by appearing shocked as well.

Ava turned back to her. “What business do you have here??? What are you doing in my house???” Ava suddenly began to feel her anger rising as she questioned the woman. In return, Andrea stepped back after hearing the aggressiveness in her voice. She held her hands up in surrender, signaling she did not want any trouble. “Listen, I have no idea what’s going on. Desean invited me here.….”

Instantly, Ava’s jaw dropped upon hearing her say his name. “Desean???” she repeated her in a cold tone.

Andrea nodded her head. “I just met him. I had no idea a woman lived here. If I had known, I never would have showed up.”

Almost in an instant, Ava’s entire expression darkened. Her blood began to boil and her fists clenched by her side. She stepped up into the foyer and brushed past Andrea, bumping her shoulder to shoulder as she walked in. “Where the fuck is he at???” Ava cussed.   

Immediately, Andrea pointed towards the stairs then scurried across the room to a pile of clothes that sat next to the door. “I’m going to get out of here… This has nothing to do with me…” she bent down and slipped on a pair of sweats, changed her shoes and grabbed her purse that sat on the table stand. After dressing, Andrea headed for the door than stopped to look over at Ava. Surprisingly, her expression was soft.

 “I’m really sorry.” She suddenly apologized. “I’m not a homewrecker. I didn’t know he had a girl…” her voice was sincere. Ava wasn’t expecting her to apologize. Little did this woman know, she did not have to. There was only one person to blame. Andrea did not wait for her to respond. After apologizing, she quickly swung opened the door, hurried out onto the porch and slammed it shut behind her.

After she was gone, Ava turned, her vision now focusing on the stairs leading up to the master bedroom.  She glanced over at Blake. “Just wait here, okay?” she instructed him. He nodded his head.

Immediately, Ava dashed across the living room and raced up the stairs, skipping two steps at a time. She was irate, her vision seeing nothing but red. At this point, she was no longer thinking clearly.

“Desean!” Ava called out his name as she reached the top of the stairs. Approaching the bedroom door, she kicked it open with her foot, the doorknob forcefully flying back hitting the back of the wall. Entering the room, Ava’s eyes landed on a half-naked Desean who lay sprawled out on top of the bed dressed in only his boxers. Ava clenched her fist by her side, resisting the urge to jump on top of him and rip his head off. “Desean!” she shouted his name even louder this time. Her sudden scream made him jump out of his sleep.

“Huhhh???” he sleepily lifted his head.  He turned and looked around the room while rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Andrea???” he called out the woman’s name that had already left.

Ava glared. “Guess again mother fucker.”

Desean sat up, focusing his sight on her face. Immediately upon recognizing who was standing in the doorway, his eyes widened in shock. “Ava!” he shouted out to her while abruptly sitting up. He immediately swung his feet over on the side of the bed. Ava stood in the doorway intensely staring him down as he scrambled to his feet.

Desean was now fully awake. “Baby!” he shouted out while approaching her. “I’m so surprised to see you! What are you doing here???”

Ava shot him a disgusted look. She looked his half naked body up and down before speaking. “What am I doing here??? This is my house too!!! My name is on this lease!!! Did you forget that???” she looked around the room checking to make sure no one else was here.

Desean reached out to her. “Ava… please… let me explain!”

Quickly, she jumped back as soon as she felt him getting close to her. “Don’t you dare touch me!” she shouted at him.

Immediately, he pulled away staring at her with defeat in his eyes. He had been caught red handed. Ava extended her finger across and pointed towards the large canopy in the middle of the room. “That is my bed! Those are my sheets! Those are my clothes in that closet! How dare you allow another woman lay up in the house that I still live in??? What is your fucking problem???”

Desean held his hands up in silence. She could tell he wanted to say something, but he was at a loss for words. “Av—Ava….” He stammered her name. “Ava… I didn’t do anything with that girl. I just met her… We hooked up at the club, had a few drinks and we came back here to hang out. That’s it, I swear.”

Ava glared. His excuses meant nothing but it didn’t stop him from pleading. “You haven’t returned any of my calls…. I thought I lost you for good… I just needed someone to talk to.” Desean poorly pleaded his case, making an extremely horrible effort. Ava rolled her eyes. She heard enough lies. It was time to end this once and for all.

She held out her hand and extended it in his direction. “Where is my car keys Desean??? You need to give them to me now!” She ordered him to hand them over. Things were going to get ugly if he didn’t comply. Desean dropped his head, a surprising expression of guilt spreading over his face. Slowly, he turned his back to her and walked towards the nightstand. Ava followed him with her eyes watching his every move. He bent down, opened the drawer and retrieved her car keys after digging inside. Secretly, Ava breathed a sigh of relief after laying eyes on them. Finally, the worst part was over.

He walked back to her and dropped the keys in her hand with his head still hanging low. “So what does this mean for us???” he asked in a sad, depressed tone.

Ava dropped her keys in her back pocket while examining him. His expression was remorseful, but she knew it was only because he had been caught. And to think once upon a time, Ava would have given in. She would have fallen victim to his lies. To his cheap ass apologies. She rolled her eyes, immediately deciding in her mind she had something better planned for her life.  She no longer grew weak for Desean. His puppy dog eyes no longer had an effect on her.

 “It’s over...” she blurted it out. His jaw practically dropped to the floor in astonishment.

“Wha—Whattttt???” he stammered. “It’s over??? What are you saying??” he repeated her