Dede looked down at Louis, resting his head against her bosom. She ran gentle hands through his curls and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. As she looked at him, she was filled with a rush of emotions. The last couple of days had been hell for both of them, especially him, and seeing her usually exuberant partner appear so quiet tugged at her heartstrings. He was such a sweet man who brought so much laughter and joy to everyone around him through his music and performances. He didn’t deserve having a friend backstab him so publicly. And she knew it had been difficult for him to put on a brave face and pretend to have fun during his two events. Having to sing and entertain his fans while he was hurting from a friendship breakup was hard. Especially since the world had witnessed his former friend try to destroy his character on a sleazy podcast with lies. Not only had he accused him of meeting with Zionists but he had also accused him of being part of a smear campaign against another artiste – an accusation that was easily debunked with information and videos readily available online. The dates and times of his supposed involvement gave him a tight alibi because he was documented elsewhere each time. He had also cast doubt on the authenticity of his relationship with Dede, who was also a fast-rising model and actress, feeding into the rumour that they were only in a PR relationship, which was uncalled for when Ben had seen them together several times and been with them on dates.
At least, Dede thought he looked so much better now than he had when he had finally shown up at her door last night, his usually bright eyes looking dull. He had smiled so wide when he saw her, enveloping her in his arms. Having his big body hug her smaller frame always felt so good. It made her feel warm, safe, and at home.
She’d pulled away grudgingly after a while and dragged him into her black-and-white-themed living room and onto the couch.
“I missed you so much, D.” He’d told her, looking at her with so much sincerity and emotion that it made her heart trip. It was ridiculous how easily he did that, but she didn’t mind. It felt so good to constantly have butterflies dancing around in her tummy. They had only been dating for two months, but those have been the most amazing two months of her life. It helped that they had been friends for a month first. It had given her the chance to get to know the man beneath the popular face.
“I missed you too,” she’d told him, happy when his eyes brightened up a little more.
“How are you feeling?” she’d asked before he could ask her. She wanted to centre his feelings instead.
He shut his eyes briefly, and when he opened them, his brown eyes were teary. “I’m hanging in there.”
She scooted closer to him, almost in his lap, and wrapped her arms around him. “You can let go, baby. I’m here.”
They had already discussed the issue several times over facetime, and he had already had a mini breakdown with his family, but it was different with her. His family loved him, but only someone like D, who was also in the public eye, would fully understand what he was feeling. Besides, she had also been thrown under the bus, and they shared in the betrayal because they had all been friends. However, he was hesitant about breaking down in front of her. He couldn’t offload on her when she was also going through so much. He had to be strong so that he could be there for her instead.
“Come on, Louis. I’m okay; you can let go,” she’d cajoled, realising that she was losing him.
He didn’t say anything, just stared at her, conflicted.
“I’m here, baby. I’ll catch you if you fall. Please let me be there for you,” she’d pleaded.
That did it, and her heart tore when he finally let go of his emotions and broke down. She tried to keep her emotions in, but seeing him like that broke her too. Her goofy, happy, and sweetest man was never supposed to be this sad.
When they were both calm, she held him against her for a moment, and they comforted each other in silence before she got up to bring him a glass of water.
She hadn’t expected to feel so protective over him. Having their roles reversed was surreal, but it made her feel fortunate to be able to give him that kind of emotional support. And she felt blessed that he let her.
She knew Ben had some issues with Louis, but never in her life had she expected the kind of betrayal that had occurred. Not only was it a betrayal against Louis, but it was also a betrayal against her. She was conflicted about Maria, who is Louis’ girlfriend and someone she had thought was one of her closest friends. Had she known about what Ben was going to do? Had she cosigned it? It was difficult to believe that she had no idea. She and Louis knew how the other felt about all their friends. She didn’t want to think about Maria, though. She wanted to be there for Louis tonight.
As she recalled how distraught Louis had been when the podcast dropped, her anger resurfaced, making her feel like going to the group chat to express her thoughts without considering the consequences.
“How do you want to handle it?” she’d asked him after a while. “Do you still want to remain silent?”
“I don’t know,” he’d replied forlornly. “What really hurts is that I didn’t know he felt that way. I thought we were friends, D. Maybe not as close as we were before, but I thought we were friends.”
“I know,” Dede replied, rubbing a comforting hand against his back.
“I don’t want to say anything. I don’t think I need to defend myself or our relationship. The internet is already doing it for us. And for the friendship Ben and I once shared, I would rather not do anything to add more tension to the situation or create problems for you. I don’t really mind people coming at me, but I would rather not give them any reason to make things worse for you either.”
Dede’s heart filled with love for this man who always put her first even when he was hurting. Being with a famous white man who understood that as a black girl, every situation was worse for her was a blessing. She wanted to make him feel better, to forget about all the crazy things that had happened in the last couple of days. And she knew the best way to distract him. Besides, it had been so long since they’d been together like this and she was dying to be under him again. She was dying to be lost in his kisses and touches. This would kill two birds with one pleasurable stone.
“Come here,” she’d said, wrapping her hands around his neck.
He didn’t have to be told twice, leaning forward to fuse their lips together. He sighed into her mouth as she moaned into his. All the stress from the last couple of days fell away, and the world was made up of just the two of them. Their kisses have always been hot, and this was no different. It was always a burst of flames as soon as their lips touched, and just like that, everything was forgotten. They got so lost in each other’s mouths, and with gentle hands, they touched each other while still kissing. When they came up for air, she stared at his handsome face, pupils blown wide open and gazing at her with desire and affection.
“You make everything better,” he’d whispered.
She couldn’t help the way her heart swelled or the smile that slipped from her lips. “I can make it even better.”
“Tell me more.”
She ran her hands down his chest to grip the edge of his shirt. “We have to take this off for the next part.”
“I like that idea.”
“I thought you might,” she’d said, taking off his T-shirt.
*********
Now, she tried to suppress the memories from last night as she looked down at him. There was no point getting herself excited when he was running late to the airport.
“You’re going to be late for your flight,” she finally prodded reluctantly, hating that they had to separate again so soon.
“I know,” he whispered back but didn’t move away.
She sighed. She didn’t want him to leave either. Being apart had been harder than any of them had envisioned, and it was getting harder and harder to say goodbye for long periods of time. They had both been so busy with work and lived in different states. With her living in North Carolina, seeing each other took a flight and extra effort.
“I can’t wait for you to move to LA. This is hard,” he said against her chest, reading her mind.
“The realtor has some excellent options for me now that I think you will love as well. Worst case scenario, we will only live 20 minutes apart. Once I wrap up business here, we’ll sort that out in no time,” she told him.
He finally pulled back, a huge smile on his face. “Really?”
She smiled back, pleased that most of the light was back in his eyes. “Really.”
“I love you so much, Dede. I’m glad you’re here.”
Her smile widened. “I love you right back, Louis.”
When he returned to his position against her chest instead of getting up and leaving for the airport, she let him.
