"Friends & Lovers" Part VI

On the way back from Lenox Mall, much of the tension between Dion and Andre had passed.  The comfort level was back again.  Andre felt bad for making Dion cry in public.  He hung the pictures that they took together in the photo booth attached to one of his car ornaments.

"Andre"
"Yeah.."
"Have you ever been in a relationship before, like ever been in love before?"

Andre pulled over the car onto the shoulder.  This took Dion back a little as he wasn't sure what was going on.  Andre took a deep breath and the furrows of his forehead cringed.  Dion became concerned as he thought once again, he had done something wrong.

"Dre what's wrong?" Dion started getting worried
"I'm fine, I'm sorry.  I have been in a relationship..." he said "...about two years ago, I fell in love with this dude Chaddrick.  He was my first love, my best friend, I thought he was my everything. I would go to school and he'd pick me up and we'd go to his place and just kick it ya know"
"What happened?" Dion said
"I don't know what happened but he started getting controlling and crazy for no reason! He started accusing me of cheating on him and we'd get into fights.  My parents thought all the black and blue was from school or football practice or whatever, but they were from him." Andre rested his arm on the lowered window on his side of the car.
"One day I just had enough and I drove away and he followed me.  I drove faster and he tried to catch up with me so I got on the highway to get away from him.  I was more scared of what would happen if he tried to catch up with.  I managed to escape him though.  He wasn't able to escape the 18 wheeler though"
"Aww man, I'm so sorry"
"Man fuck him, I found out at the funeral, he was the one cheating on me" Andre said
"What?"
"And ya know that's probably why I can't cry about him now. Why? He didn't love me, he just wanted to control me"  Andre said holding back tears.

Andre somewhat felt like he was responsible for Chaddricks death.

"I hadn't talked about what happened with anyone, not even my mom and dad" Andre said
"Wow, I don't know what to say boo"
"You don't have to say anything.  You just being here is everything"

It was clear to Dion that while Dre was ready to move on and find somebody to be with, He still had unfinished business with Carl before he can move to the next level with Andre. They've only known each other for a little under a week and it was clear to him that they were possibly still moving too fast.

After nearly a half hour on the road, Dion & Dre pull up the house.  Dion takes a deep breath as he know he is going to have confront the man he has been in a relationship for the past few years and confront him with his feelings for Andre.

"I'll wait out here if you need me, yell, call anything" Andre said
"I'll be fine, Carl won't do anything stupid" Dion said

Andre and Dion lean over to kiss each other. Dion opens the door to the car and walks to his front door.  Andre immediately turns his atention to Carls vehicle..  He thought to himself, hmmm thats a familiar looking car.  The car looked familiar to him and he didn't know why and it finally came to him but he didn't want to believe it.  He picks up his phone to call his roommate Trey.  Trey picks up the phone and lowers the volume on his television.

"Yooooo" Trey said in his deep southern voice
"Ayo Trey, that dude that you be having coming over...Carl, what car does he drive?"
"A grey 2006 Nissan, why?"
"I think something messy is about to go down"
"You always think somebody is being messy"
"No seriously, dude is messy"
"Whatever nigga" Trey said in mid yawn
"Trey we both know how you get down, all I'm gonna ask you is this, have y'all been using protection"
"Nigga that's none of your business what I be doing"
"Come on now this ain't none of your young ass punks, I think the dude you been fuckin with is my dudes boyfriend"
"Well that ain't got shit to do with me, that's their problem and you oughta stay out of it it too"
"We'll talk about this later"
"Ain't shit to talk about, I ain't being bothered with them folks mess, fuck outta here"

Trey clearly upset on the other end of the phone, hung up on Andre.  Andre is now confused as to whether he should knock on the door or stay outside like Dion asked.

Dion slowly walks into his living room to see Carl sitting on the couch.  The tension between the two of them is extremely thick.

"Carl" Dion said with a nervousness in his voice
"Hey baby" Carl said with a smile and a slight nervousness in his voice

Dion didn't respond, he just looked at his boyfriend.  Something was odd, wrong and different about him.  He didn't appear to be the confident boyfriend that he once had been.

"I've missed you baby" Carl said in a soft voice

Something was wrong because Dion could feel it.  Carl was rather unusual acting but Dion sat down on the couch next to him.

"So what's been going on?"
"Nothing"
"Nothing?"
"What are we doing Carl?"
"What do you mean?"
"Have we been loving each other or Have we been just putting on one big show"
"What are you talking about?"
"Our relationship has been going south ever since you been taking all these trips"
"Baby I been doing it for you, for us!"
"Well neither one of us is benefiting from that"
"What are you talking about?"

"Carl I think it's time that we end it for real"
"Baby we can work this out"
"I've been seeing someone else"
"I know"
"What?"
"I saw you two together in bed this morning"
"Is it because I wouldn't let you fuck me? Is that what it was?"
"What?...Carl no! it's not about who's the top of who's the bottom, Our relationship was more than just who was fucking who and who was taking it.  It became one-sided.  Everything became more about you then it was about us, ya know You and I..  If it didn't concern you, you weren't interested."
"Give me a chance to at least make a change"
"You've said that before Carl, you're selfish and I let you remain that way with me.  People are supposed to grow in relationships but I let you be usual self"
"Baby what can I do to make this work"
"It's over Carl. It was over for a long time. Neither one of us saw it coming"
"So you about to up and leave and move on to the next thing that makes you feel good?"
 
Dion's phone rings and it's Dre. Dion picks up the phone looking directly at Carl.
 
"Baby, Carls been cheating on you this whole time. I just found out he's been fucking with my roommate. I just got off the phone with Trey"
"WHAT?" Dion became aggitated by the news
"My roommate is HIV+. I'm not trying to scare you but I know my roommate and he's not responsible at all. I think you and I should get tested just to make sure"
"Are you sure"
"I'm very sure"
"Baby I'll be out in a minute"
 
Carl became angry at Dion calling another man baby, What he didn't expect was Dion to punch him in the face so hard that his nose began to gush blood.  Dion was never the angry type nor the type that fought.  Dion at the same time was no punk either. He hit Carl so hard that his nose began to throb.
 
"What The Fuck!"
"Trey...who's Trey?"
"I don't know who the fuck you're talking about and what was that about"
 
Carl held his nose trying to stop the blood but there was too much running down his nose.  Dion picks up Carls blackberry that was sitting on the table and began peering through the contacts list.
 
"If I find anyone name with Trey or Tremaine in this phone"
 
The first name that appears on the screen is Trey from College Park 678-229-6261.  Dion then drops the blackberry and stares at Carl. 
 
"I want you gone when I come back"
 
"Babe!" Andre yells and nudges Dion as they're waiting for their test results
"Huh" Dion woke up out of his daze reflecting on earlier events
"She is talking to us"
 
Standing in front of the two genetlemen was Nurse Jacqueline Brown. Earlier Dre joked and called her Nurse Jackie. Wearing a lab coat and a hair style resembling Michelle Obama and simple earrings, the chocolate brown complexion nurse smiled at the pair.
 
"Ok gentlemen, I got you're results and I'm pleased to say that both of you came back HIV negative. Negative for syhphillis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes. All negative"
 
Dion and Andre hugged each other, tears of joys began flowing.  The nurse handed them both their papers stating their clean bill of health and walked out to let them gather themselves.
 
"Marlon and Robert wants us to come over for dinner" Dion calmly sighed
"Does this make us official?" Dre said with a slight smirk
"Let's take it slow. one step. one day at a time...but I got a good feeling about this" Dion as he kissed Dre on his lips "I got a good feeling about you and I"
"Me Too" Dre said.