Prologue
MATEO
The divorce papers were laid out on the desk before Mateo. He leans his back against the chair, staring dead at it. The lawyer holds the pen and points it at Mateo, waiting for him to sign. Mateo stroked his chin, then sighed. He grabs the pen from the lawyer’s hand and signs the paper. Emily glares, her eyes narrowing at Mateo.
Mateo throws the pen toward the desk, watching it gently land on the paper. The lawyer announces the divorce between the former couple. Mateo hugs himself, nodding to the news.
Emily tucks a strand of her brown hair behind her ear and picks up her purse. Her heels click against the ground as she exits the room. Mateo stands by the see-through doorway, watching Emily run into her lover’s arms. She wraps around his broad elbow and leaves through the glass double doors.
Mateo’s heart drops at such a sight. Through the double doors, he leaves the law firm. He walked down the stoned steps and continued. Mateo eyed the nearest bench and sat down. Then, Mateo loosens the tie around his neck.
He looks up at the sky, where the sun is shrouded in clouds. The birds flew through the pale-blue skies, which Mateo sighed. His eyes drift to the Cherub-angel statue, streaming water from its mouth. The calm and vibrant scenery eased Mateo from watching the kids run around, people throwing frisbees at each other, and a kid holding a kite and watching it drift in the sky. His eyes shift to a man and a woman jogging together.
As Mateo gets lost in his thoughts, he hears his name called.
His friend, Luis, walks toward him with hot dogs in both hands.
Mateo grabs the hot dog from Luis. He sits down beside him, munching on his food. Mateo remains tight-lipped, eyeing the hot dog.
“So, you still mourning?” Luis asked.
Mateo glances at him. “What do you think?”
Luis shrugged. “I’m just checking up on you. Besides, I want to know how you are doing.”
Mateo slowly pondered.
“We almost had a future,” he mumbled.
“I mean, you were busy. She got lonely and did something stupid. And look where you are now,” Luis stated. “Look, let’s take your mind off of this. Why not go to a bar or something?”
“No, Luis. The minute we get drunk, we do the weirdest shit. So, I’m taking a pass on this one,” Mateo replied, getting up from the bench.
Luis finished his hot dog after taking one last bite. Mateo threw the food in the trash. Then, Luis laughed at him once he got up.
“Wasted that money,” he said to himself.
Luis pats Mateo’s shoulder when they walk out of the park.
“You don’t have to drink. Besides, I know you don’t want to stay inside depressed,” he assured. “Come on, just for one night.”
Mateo sighed. “Fine.”
The men join the crowd on the street as taxis and cars wait for them to get off the road. In Times Square, honks pierce the sky, crowds swarm the streets, and buildings flash advertisements.
ABENI
A yawn escapes her mouth. She blinks a couple of times before shielding her eyes again. The sun glares through her windows. With the phone buzzing across her bed, she groans. Abeni wraps herself in her bedsheets.
A loud knock echoes against the door. Abeni’s ears twitch in response. She groaned at the sound. Outside of her apartment, Michelle shakes the keys in her hands. She inserted the key into the knob and opened it.
Michelle enters first with Camila behind her. They eyed the mess in Abeni’s apartment: bags of Doritos scattered on the floor, and a bowl of unfinished ice cream was on the table.
“Ewu (stupid),” Michelle muttered. “My god, look at this!”
They left the living room and walked toward Abeni’s bedroom door.
“Abeni?” Camila called, knocking on the door. “Are you okay in there?”
“Or else I will break down that door!” Michelle threatened.
“Go away!” Abeni cried out.
“Eh? Girl, forget about him!” Michelle exclaimed. “You don’t need to cry over that idiot. Come out, ’cause you really are scaring us!”
Abeni ignored them. She still wouldn’t leave her bed. Michelle sucks her teeth at her ignorance. She kicks the door open, forcing Abeni to retreat into her covers.
Michelle yanks the cover from Abeni. In return, Abeni pulls the hem of her sheets from Michelle, escalating into a tug-of-war over it.
“Por favor (please), stop this!” Camila shouted, coming between them.
Abeni releases the covers and gives up. She puts her pillow to her face, believing it would shield her from them. Michelle snatched the pillow from her, which infuriated Abeni.
“Can you leave me alone?!” she blurted out.
“You are crying over nothing, Abi. Suck up and move on from that bastard. You are a New York Times bestselling author for crying out loud!” Michelle assured. “He’s jealous of you and can’t stand how successful you are!”
“Everything’s going to be okay, Abeni,” Camila said.
Instead of putting up a fight, the girls watch TV in the living room. An episode of Sex And The City pops on screen.
“I’m just so messy right now,” Abeni confessed. “At the same time, I am upset and angry.”
“Hey, hey,” Camila rubs her shoulder. “You should see a shrink, okay?”
Abeni shook her head. “No, I don’t need therapy.”
Camila shrugged. “Well, it’s just a recommendation.”
She strokes her braids as Abeni rests on her shoulder.
“We should go out tonight to a bar. Explore this city!” Michelle beamed. “I didn’t drop my things and come to New York for no reason. We gotta explore this whole joint!”
Abeni glances at Michelle. “You guys came for me?”
“Of course we did,” Camila nods. “Besides, I have family here, too.”
Abeni snaps her attention to the screen. When Sex And The City finishes, Michelle grabs the remote and switches off the TV.
“So, what will you do now since you gave up writing?” Michelle asked. “So you are going to leave your readers thirsty and starved? From light romances to erotica, you definitely left us on a cliffhanger.”
“The last book you wrote was great. I’m sure you’ll get your spark back,” Camila said.
“Once you take your mind off that cheatin’ bastard,” Michelle added.
Abeni sighed, curling her legs up to her chest. “Guys, I’m already disappointing my readers by not writing. It doesn’t help that this day makes me sadder.”
“It’s going to be okay, Abeni. Don’t worry about that. Just focus on you,” Camila told her, rubbing her shoulder.
“That’s why we need to take you out!” Michelle shouted, throwing her hands in the air.
LUIS
“I haven’t found my muse,” he said, giving Mateo a beer.
The men were at the bar, talking about their lives. Luis discussed his frustration over his creative block in painting. He is known for painting realistic portraits of half-naked women to appreciate their beauty and artistic expressions from his mind.
Luis went on until he noticed Mateo’s eyes were focused somewhere else. He watches a straight couple immerse in a makeout session. Mateo slowly sips his beer and places it down.
“You know, I forgot today’s Valentine,” Luis mentioned.
“And you don’t have to remind me why this day is not great,” he replied. “I’m sharing in your misery now.”
“Love fucking sucks,” Luis said, taking a shot of his martini.
ABENI
The girls entered the scene, welcomed by a dimly lit bar. They found themselves a table in the back. Michelle pats her afro, whereas Camila uses a mini cosmetic mirror to check herself out. Abeni sits there, turning to watch people mingling at the bar tables. She lowers her head to notice her cleavage showing because of her short yellow dress. Her friends dolled her up and themselves up before they arrived.
“Half of everyone doesn’t look coupled up,” Abeni informed.
“That’s because people come here to drink their problems away. The only ones coupled up are those two over there sucking face,” Michelle said.
She lifts her finger and points at the couple.
“Want anything to drink, y’all?” Her eyes shift between Camila and Abeni.
“Martini,” Camila replied.
A sigh escapes Abeni. “I guess.”
Michelle sucks her teeth. “You won’t be disappointed.”
As she got up, she maneuvered to the bar table to order the drinks.
Abeni’s chin presses against her fingers. She observes the couple’s kiss closely. Abeni bit her lip and sighed. Michelle returns with the drinks in hand. She hands the short glass to Camila, places one on the table, whereas hovering the drink to Abeni’s face didn’t draw a reaction. The blank expression in Abeni’s eyes imbues her whole mood.
“This was a bad idea. I…shouldn’t be here,” Abeni mumbled. “I need some air.”
She stepped away from their table and went outside.
Michelle rolled her eyes. “Only for one night.”
Once she sat down, she chugged her shot.
“I mean, she can’t just forget him. And I don’t think Abeni wants us here,” Camila said.
Michelle sighed. “That’s because she wants to cry over that bitch. My god, I only wanted her to go out with us and be free. I guess she doesn’t want that.”
“It’ll take time for her to move on just like that,” Camila says, snapping her finger.
Michelle took one more sip of her tequila and placed the cup down.
“I got a wish for her,” she whispered in her ear. “That she be blessed with two men adoring her, cherishing her, and shit that happens out of a romance novel. Fuck, wouldn’t that be crazy?”
“You read too much erotica,” Camila says, slowly sipping her martini. “Drinking much?”
Michelle rubs her forehead. “Oh, honey, I’m just letting loose.”
MATEO
“Okay, I’m out,” he said, getting up.
“Wait, I’m coming!” Luis added.
As the two stepped outside, the night sky hung over them. The lampposts shine on the graffiti on the brickwalls down the block. Mateo and Luis walk toward the sidewalk, awaiting the taxi. They would flick their thumbs up, prompting Luis to call out a taxi. The vehicle skirts over and drives away.
“Fuck,” Luis muttered.
He lights a cigarette and then puffs on it.
Mateo shifts his attention to Luis. “You trying to die early?”
Luis chuckled. “Funny.”
Without fighting back words, Mateo stayed silent. As he lifts his head, he gazes at buildings illuminated by glowing lights. He slid his hands into his pockets, allowing the cooling wind to brush against his skin. Luis focuses on the cars dashing through the street. The sound of heels clicking on the pavement occurs, alerting Luis’s attention.
Luis saw Abeni sitting on the bench near a bus stop. The lamppost shone on her, which made it easier to see her in the dark.
“Hey,” Luis pats Mateo’s shoulder, drawing his attention. “We can wait for a bus instead.”
Mateo agreed. They approach Abeni’s direction. The metro bus appears on time to their surprise. Abeni was the first to enter, before Mateo and Luis.
The door was about to close until Michelle yelled, “Wait!” when running toward the metro bus. Abeni sat in her seat while Mateo and Luis sat behind her. She gasped, seeing Michelle glare at her. The girls joined her as the metro bus began moving forward.
Luis opens the window to throw his cigarette out. He sat back down afterward. Mateo leaned his head on the seat, closing his eyes to rest. At the corner of Luis’s eye, he took his eyes off the window and glanced at Abeni behind her. Her eyes were glued to the window, watching past billboards and sights of New York. Abeni took strands of her braids to push back on her shoulder. Luis looked away and watched the window instead.
