Chapter Twenty-Five

                                    

                                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
                          
"I didn't mean to rat you out. But you know how scary she gets. Especially when things aren't going her way," He told me. I laughed again because it was true. Since I moved to Massachusetts, I disrupted the natural order of things. 
                          
Jaylen kept quiet as we made our way back to his apartment. I tried to grab one of the paper bags from his grasp so I could help him out, but he shooed me away. 
                          
"Just received an earful from her. Heard you're going home for Thanksgiving." 
                          
"I had no choice. She cornered me. If I said no, I'm sure she'll come to get me here in New York," We had an understanding of the extent our mother would go through just to get what she wanted. 
                          
Christopher was the same which was why he can't seem to fight with her. He was a mama's boy even though he never would admit it out loud. While I had the pleasure of being a replica of my father. Quiet, observant, patient (he had to be, married to my mother and all), but when push comes to shove, he was prepared to retaliate. 
                          
"She's booking my flight for me. So, I'll see you then," The last time I saw Christopher, in person, was Thanksgiving last year. He couldn't make it home for Christmas because he had a huge case that needed all of his attention. Apparently, the company who hired him needed a win for this case. 
                          
"Our crazy mother also mentioned you were seeing someone and asked me to run a background check on him," I stopped my movements in the hallway of Jaylen's apartment building. Jaylen was too busy opening the door to his place to notice I stopped moving. 
                          
"Hold that thought," I told Chris, putting him on mute. I made my way to the front door and called out for Jaylen, "I'm going to stay out here for a few minutes." 
                          
I didn't wait for Jaylen to respond, I just closed the door and leaned against the wall. Maybe my brother would explain to me why Jaylen didn't like him. And I didn't want to risk him hearing me talk about him. 
                          
"Please tell me you're not serious about the background check." 
                          
"Ma would probably ask for a written report with a title page on the guy you're seeing. So, just come out and say who he is. I'm sure he isn't even that bad." 
                          
I bit my lip in deep thought. If I mention his name, I'll finally know the truth; instead of dancing around it. 
                          
"Well..." I trailed off, becoming more nervous by the second, "His name is Jaylen Moretti." 
                          
Christopher was quiet for a while. The dots were connecting in his head, realizing it slowly. Which was not helping my case because he confirmed that there was something going on between them. 
                          
"The basketball player?" Chris asked, breaking the silence. 
                          
"Yeah. He attends Ridgeview with me," I responded. C'mon Chris, if you're going to drop the ball, might as well do it now.