CHAPTER 5 Zuri
Evie
Draven growled his displeasure while blocking my path through the door. I noticed the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention. He was clearly agitated.
I looked over his shoulder and saw my friend, Zuri Robinson, wearing a black and white printed knotted side wrap dress, her black hair in a neat bun on the top of her head, pursing her lips, annoyed to see him so early in the morning. I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. I forgot Zuri and I were going to drive to work together.
"Draven, don't you have a young wannabe model you need to babysit? A dumb bleached blonde who loves to baby talk her way into getting what she wants? Why are you here at Evie's so early in the morning? Oh, I know. You need Evie to go around town again and purchase that special almond milk because your girlfriend is lactose-intolerant," she said, scoffing at him disapprovingly while folding her arms in front of her chest. She was an attorney whose firm worked with Draven's company. She disliked Draven because she believed he took advantage of me.
Draven stared at her, unfazed at her greeting.
"I brought Evie coffee and invited her to breakfast, making sure she eats and stays healthy." Draven disliked her because he believed she took advantage of me... and that she smelled funny. "And why are you here? Oh, I know. You need to use Evie so she can introduce you to another high-profile client," Draven threw back at her.
Zuri's eyes narrowed. She didn't like what Draven was insinuating.
"For your information, Evie and I agreed to drive together today so we can go pick up a gift for your mother, then have dinner together since she'll be with you the whole day tomorrow," Zuri said. I felt like a piece of rope in the middle of tug of war.
Zuri and I became friends in college. She lived on the same floor of our dorm and when we met, she and I just automatically knew we were meant to be friends.
I thought Zuri and Draven would instantly bond because of me, but they disliked each other on sight. I spend time with them separately, as if the other doesn't exist.
I pushed Draven out of my house and locked my front door.
"Uhm, Draven, I'll ride with Zuri like we agreed to do the other day and just meet you at the diner. In that way, everyone is happy. Okay?" I hated this feeling like I was cheating on the both of them. I never knew it was possible that the two people who meant the world to you could hate each other.
To the both of them, it seemed I was getting the short end of the stick in each of our relationships. But in reality, I've gotten more out of our friendships than they both thought.
"Fine," Draven quickly agreed, hearing the sound of his phone ringing. He took his phone out of his pocket and walked to his silver Bentley sitting in front of my driveway. "Mama, good morning! Of course, I sent it to your house. It still hasn't been delivered? Alright, I'll check the address and make sure they didn't make the same mistake of sending it to Santa Monica Boulevard not Santa Monica Suites."
I waited for Zuri to open the passenger door of her black Audi parked behind Draven's Bentley, but it seemed she was busy listening to Draven speak on the phone with Mama Agnes. Zuri has never met her, so I could understand if she was curious to know a few things about the woman who raised Draven Blake.
"Zuri, open the door please." I said impatiently. "Or we can take my Chevrolet." She finally snapped out of it and shuddered.
"No, girlfriend," she said, pushing a button on her car key to automatically open the doors. "I need my car in case you drive off later with Draven." Her face didn't hide her disdain.
I entered her car and groaned. It was going to be one of those days.
"Evie, why are you constantly doing this to yourself?" Zuri asked as she followed Draven's car. "Can't you keep your relationship with him strictly professional? I mean, there's gossip Cheryl and he are-"
"They broke up," I said, cutting her off. I knew she was going to bring up the rumors about Draven and Cheryl supposedly marrying.
"They what?!"
"I said... they broke up. I just found out earlier. Cheryl has been seeing Harrison Crowe on the side," I quickly explained.
"When you told me Cheryl was cheating on him, I actually didn't believe you," Zuri said. "I thought it might be just wishful thinking on your part since you're in love with him. I'm sorry."
"I understand, Zuri. I know I'm such a bad person to wish for his relationships to end... for him to finally realize I'm the one for him." I sighed. "Maybe Draven is right. Maybe he and I are destined to stay as friends. I just hope that someday, I will bump into someone who I'll fall in love with and he will love me just as much as I love him. I actually pray each day that I'll find that someone soon."
"But now that Draven is single once again, I have a feeling you're going to try... again," Zuri murmured. "If you are, please, please, please, may this be the last. I can't stand you relapsing into depression again when Draven starts dating a hot new chick he meets at Click." Click is a trendy nightclub at downtown Los Angeles owned by Eric Morgan, Draven's fraternity brother. If you want to be seen, Click is where the action is.
I looked out the window and remembered all those times I cried myself to sleep. It wasn't worth the heartbreak. What I needed was a change of scenery, to move on, to do what I've always wanted to do.
I wanted to become a doctor. It was a passion that could fulfill the empty space in my heart.
"You know what? I'm not going to try to gain his attention this time. I think it's time I pursue what I've always dreamt of," I mumbled. Saying it out loud made it seem scary. To actually disentangle myself from the man I had followed all these years.
"Yeah? And that is?" Zuri asked.
"To become a doctor," I answered. "I have enough money saved up and I have a great portfolio after finishing my masters in business administration. I mean, there has to be a medical school out there who will be impressed with what I've accomplished. I've already taken my MCATs and got a ninety percentile and have sent the necessary number of applications. All I need to do is be patient."
"You took the medical college admission test? When the hell did you have time to prep for that and how did I not know about this?" Zuri asked incredulously.
"Uhm, when Draven started dating Cheryl and you were at Harvard for that short six month course," I answered coyly. "I decided to enroll in online MCAT prep courses for review, then I took the test before you came back and got the results one month later. Term starts in August. I've already sent applications to various colleges and universities and I'm crossing my fingers for one to accept me. I don't even care if it's in the East Coast."
"Y-you can't leave C-California. Y-You have a house here, friends, a l-life," Zuri stammered. I glanced at her. Her face was all flustered, angry even. I frowned, thinking that was strange.
I thought she'd be happy for me.
"I thought the same when I was still living in Wisconsin, Zuri," I argued. "Anyway, I haven't been accepted to any medical school yet, so I don't know why you're emotional. I actually believed you'd be happy for me." I sighed, saddened by her reaction. "I'm wondering how Draven is going to react when I tell him... that's if I get accepted. Well, for now, let's forget I mentioned it. Honestly, I think I might not get accepted at all."
"Evie, I didn't mean it like that. Of course, I'm happy for you. It's just... thinking of you leaving hit me. I expected we'd be together, you know, going to family birthdays, being godparents of each other's children... like bestfriends for life."
"Zuri, I'll only be gone for four years, then maybe I can get into a residency program here so we can be together again. Wouldn't that be nice?" I reached over and patted her hand. I was surprised to find her skin so warm.
It was like Draven's skin. But Draven was wolf though.
Maybe it was that time of the month.
A sudden jolt interrupted my thoughts. Zuri had stopped her car in front of the diner.
"Hey, since plans are shaky, how about you call me later at lunch?" Zuri asked. I smiled at her.
"Sure," I answered before exiting the car. I waved as she drove off to her office.
"You smell," Draven said behind me while spritzing me with some perfume. I coughed, waving my arms to get rid of the sweet scent. "Whatever you talked about, she didn't look too happy about it. Did you tell her you wanted to break up with her?"
"Ha ha ha, Draven," I muttered. "We were just talking about, uhm, plans in the, uhm, unforeseeable future." He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Evie, your future is with me," he remarked while grabbing my hand. "I'm hungry. Two plates of bacon, eggs and waffles coming up."
I wished he meant it the way I had always hoped for...
For me to be by his side as his wife, his lover, and not just a bestfriend.