Darryl tramped through the front door of his apartment, his shoulders slumped in defeat. His attempt to meet Vanessa had been a failure, and he couldn’t shake off the feeling of disappointment that lingered within him. And Carolyn, who was supposed to help him, was mad at him. What can he do? He wondered as he trudged inside the house.
As he entered the living room, he was taken aback by the sight of Sophie and Tania sitting on his couch.
“What the hell?” he blurted out in surprise. For a moment, he stood frozen, his mind struggling to comprehend the unexpected scene before him.
Sophie and Tania? Then, he remembered Tania still had the spare key to his apartment. But how did Sophie end up with Tania of all people?
“She came here looking for you and I can’t just watch her stand outside.” Tania explained casually, like it was normal to get into his house without his consent.
“Drop my spare key on your way out.” Darryl said firmly.
“Darryl…” Tania began, but Darryl stopped her before she could continue.
“Stop it. What exactly do you want from me?” Darryl snapped at Tania.
Darryl’s initial disappointment had changed into annoyance at the sight of Tania. How could she come to his house after everything she had put him through?
Sophie, on the other hand, quietly observed the exchange between Tania and her brother. When she got to Darryl’s house, he wasn’t inside. As she tried to call him, Tania came to her rescue and told her about how Darryl gave her the spare key to his house.
She might not like Tania, but it would be rude to decline her offer to help her inside. That was how she found herself in this awkward situation.
“I was just trying to help. I can’t just watch her stand outside in this.” Tania said, sounding emotional.
“As you can see, your help is no longer needed. And I don’t want you around my sister. You might have trapped my mother in your sick games, but my sister is off limits.” Darryl pointed his fingers as he warned her.
Only God knows how long Sophie had been sitting with Tania and what Tania would have said to her. Darryl wondered as his hand moved through his hair.
“Darryl, I wouldn’t have gone through your mother if you had listened to me. I tried to talk to you, but you never gave me the chance. You were occupied with your games with Vanessa and I didn’t want you to get lost in your games,” Tania said. She took a step closer to him, trying to reach his hands as she explained, but Darryl flinched before she could touch him.
“What I do with my life is none of your fucking business, Tania. I can do whatever I want with whoever I want to. It is my life, not yours.” Darryl said, throwing his hands in the air as he explained.
“That’s what you say all the time, then you come back to me, broken. I can’t watch you go through that pain again. I can’t just stand there and do nothing to stop you.” Tania said as tears welled up in her eyes.
Darryl scoffed at her reaction. He knew she was trying to play her emotional blackmail card on him, but it would not work this time.
“Just leave. And don’t forget to leave my keys behind.” Darryl said, his hand pointing towards the front door.
Tania moved closer to him, closing the space between her and Darryl. She stretched upward, trying to meet his height. Her lips moved to the side of his face, closer to his ear.
“You and I know that it is impossible to kick me out of your life now. Whether you like it or not, we are meant to be together, and I won’t stop until I get married to you.” Tania whispered before pulling Darryl into a hug.
With a satisfying look, she untangled herself from Darryl and turned to Sophie. “I hope our next meeting will be less dramatic, Sophie,” she said. Tania flung Darryl’s spare key on the glass table before walking out of the house.
Sophie let out the breath she had been holding as she watched the drama between Darryl and Tania.
“What have you gotten yourself into?” She couldn’t help but ask Darryl after making sure Tania had left the house.
“Thank goodness you can see for yourself. I beg you, just stay away from her.”. Darryl said as he slumped onto the couch.
“How did it go with Vanessa?” Sophie asked.
Sophie could tell from Darryl’s eyes that there was more to his relationship with Vanessa.
Sophie’s question brought back his initial pain and disappointment. His little exchange with Tania had made him forget his anguish.
“It didn’t go well.” He sighed, feeling defeated.
“Why? Did she say it was over?” Sophie inquired, feeling her brother’s pain.
“I didn’t get the chance to explain myself because she was gone before I got to her.” Darryl explained with a taste of defeat on his tongue.
“Gone?” Sophie blurted out in shock. “Where did she go? You should follow her until she hears you.”
“If I knew where she went, I wouldn’t be here with you, Sophie.”
“You can’t tell me you have no clue about her whereabouts. Don’t you know her friends, her family or any of her close relatives?” Sophie inquired, giving Darryl a questioning look.
“Carolyn is the only friend I know Vanessa has, and she is not at Carolyn’s. About her family. I’ve spoken to her mother over the phone, but I don’t know where she lives. Moreover, she doesn’t have the best relationship with her mother. I doubt if she will go to her.” Darryl explained.
“You can’t just decide without asking her mother.” Sophie countered his idea.
“What if she is not with her mother? That will only create chaos. All I want is to handle this quietly. I don’t want to involve others.”
“But it is impossible for a lady to have just one friend. Think deeply, she probably has another friend.” Sophie encouraged her brother.
Darryl’s lips tugged up as he engaged his brain to find out more about Vanessa. “Phoebe,” he said.
“Who is Phoebe?” Sophie asked.
“A friend of Vanessa. I don’t know if they are close friends, but there’s no harm in asking her,” Darry said.
With a stricken purpose, with haste, Darryl rose from the couch. “I have to go, Sophie.” He said as he walked towards the front door. “You can keep the spare key.”