I couldn't believe my fucking eyes.

It's as if God wants us to keep bumping into each other. But for what though? We have nothing to talk about or come to Jesus about. We're better off not even being in the same space.

Unfortunately, we can't get off the boat now.

"Trippy, how odd it is to see you here...all by your lonesome. Then again, it could be common for someone like yourself," he chuckles as he sips on his beer.

Just because I'm at the table by myself doesn't mean I'm alone but he can continue with these jokes. I'm gonna try to take the advice Kyra's manager gave me and keep it pushing.

"Alright, that was good one coming from someone whose wife could possibly set the boat on fire with her breath alone. Don't you need to go pull her away from an open bar or do you not know she's there?"

Well, I guess Lina's advice just flew right on out the window.

Cam's spit take hits Davin in the face and he looks shocked. Cass' jaw drops and she's looking between the two tables, surprised.

Davin steps away from the table and scowls at me on the way to the bathroom. Not my fault that his wife got some issues she needs to resolve and he can't handle it.

"Aw, come on, man. Dust that salt off your lap!" I shout, watching him stomp off.

They're so right. Laughter is the best medicine. That surely did make me feel better. Now, I'm chill and I can continue eating my food.

"What up, Tripp? Good to see you again," Cam compliments but it doesn't phase me.

Speaking of wives, where's mine? She's been gone for the longest time. She left as soon as she realized that we were sitting near them, saying she was gonna check what was upstairs and find seats up there.

Kyra left me here to watch Journee get pissed off and walk away from all of them. Could've been because Cass intruded on them and took her drink but it looked deeper than that, like there's something going on between her and Pretty Boy.

Either way, it ain't none of my business.

Going back to my dinner and waiting on Kyra, I hear a thick sarcasm coming from that girl's best friend.

"He said that it was good to see you. Can you not hear or something?"

Can't lie here. It's not so good to see or hear any of them so I made no comment. Had nothing else nice to say so I kept my mouth shut but she's pushing it.

Honestly, Cam's crossed over to the dark side and couldn't give two shits about his best friends so there was no need in acknowledging him like that anymore. It's like we had a fake acquaintance between two business partners who needed something from each other. He's changed and so have I.

Finally, a touch on my shoulder alerts me and it's Kyra telling me to meet her upstairs.

"Meet me by the big hula performance. It's on the other side of the deck. It's a better sight than being down here and I'm not really hungry anymore," she slightly shades while we both look over at Cass and Cam.

Agreeing with her, I leave the table and go upstairs while she makes a quick dash to the bathroom.

Once I reach the upper deck and get a good look around the place, guess who I see stuffing her face in a fat ass drink by the bar?

She's more than halfway through with it and I chuckle to myself.

Then that chuckle turns into me clearing my throat because that ain't funny at all. Her man's supposed to be this awesome king that's the perfect man for her and he's nowhere to be found.

It's none of my business. Let him, Cass, and Cam deal with all of that. I can't jump into that situation.

I go to the other side of the deck and find a seat in the crowd, waiting for the hula performance and Kyra to come back.

Maybe she'll want a drink when she gets back but I'd rather not hit up the bar, remembering who's still drowning herself in a sea of alcohol. If Kyra saw me over there, she'd be pissed off and that's another story that could be thrown around the internet. I can see it now:

Famous Actress' Husband and Baby Father Caught Cheating with the Press

Maybe Kyra will be back soon and she can stop by the bar to grab us some drinks. That's if she comes back in time.

"So, you don't talk to us anymore? It's like that now?" Cam expresses as he sits down beside me and leans over.

Shaking my head, I say exactly what I'm thinking. "Nah, just don't associate myself with people who don't remember where they come from. That's all."

"What's that supposed to mean, bro? I ain't ever changed. Y'all just act like we can't have other friends besides y'all-"

"But you- You know what? It ain't even worth explaining myself," I stand up and get ready to walk off before a staff member explains that we have a whole 30 minutes before the next show.

Where the hell is Kyra at? She's taking way too long, putting me in a position where Cam and them can talk to me. Really, I don't care to be bothered right now.

She could be doing her makeup or something but she doesn't take a whole 45 minutes to do her makeup. Well, scratch that. It depends on the brand and how she's feeling that day. She could take up to 3 hours doing her own makeup but she wouldn't do that while we're on this boat...

Right?

Forgetting who's over at the bar, I get to the bar and make myself comfortable in one of the stools. In the middle of ordering our drinks, a familiar voice overthrows all of my thoughts and I'm distracted.

"Can I get another one please? Keep them coming."

Goodness gracious. This ain't funny, man. Where's her man at? Ain't he coming to help her? I can't do what I did last night, especially since Kyra's not tied up with her production team.

Her husband's around here...somewhere...right? Plus, she seems to be sober so she can control herself with the liquor. She'll be alright.

Lifting my eyes from the menu, they catch glance of a few empty glasses and I sigh deeply. Where's Cass to come help her cheer up? She should at least have her best friend beside her. Why ain't she here?

Then, that sniffling sound rings in my ears and I'm angry. The familiar sobs echo in my ears, tearing at my heart. Those sobs are sobs of sadness, brokenness, hurt, and neglect.

That's it. I can't handle this. My conscience would never forgive me.

Once that drink comes out, I grab it before she does and she turns towards me abruptly. You can feel the heat coming off her. She's angry because somebody took her drink but, when she finds out who took it, that heat dies down pretty fast. That's shocking.

The mascara sliding down her face represents her sadness and pain but she quickly wipes it away, trying to cover up everything. She takes deep breaths and gathers herself in order to ask me for the drink back.

I've never seen this side of Journee. She's cried and has been pissed with me but it's never been like this. This side of Journee concerns me. This is a dangerous Journee and, if they won't stop her, I guess I will.

The sound in her voice is so fragile and broken. Seeing her so emotionally drained is heartbreaking. You can tell she's unhappy and, when she was unhappy...

I'd do anything to see her smile again.

That's when she was mine and she's not mine anymore.

There's a pause between the both of us with no eye contact and a strange connection.

Looking down at the drink, my heart feels guilty because this shit is poison and she's becoming addicted to it...

But it makes her happy.

I push the drink back in front of her and order a piña colada for Kyra. Speaking of her, she ain't showed up and it's almost been an hour since she's been gone.

Her eyes on me; I can feel them studying me and it's just a little uncomfortable.

The bartender moves over to Journee and I overhear their conversation about this huge drink in front of her.

"Is everything alright with the drink, Miss? I'm very sorry-"

"No, everything's fine. I'd like to pay for my tab now."

My eyes move to her and they catch her watching me still. She's sharing a confused look and pushes the drink away from her, as if to give it back to the bartender.

There isn't much for us to say to each other after that but she opens up the conversation between us.

"Thanks?" she says with conservation in her voice.

"It's cool. Just don't drink too much tonight," I say, grabbing Kyra's drink and about to walk away. That is until she stops me.

"Why do people seem to think I have a drinking problem? There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just trying to have fun like my husband."

"Are you fucking kidding me, Journee?" my lips open as I turn back around with a bit of anger.

"No, I'm not. I just want to have fun."

"Journee, your definition of fun is damaging your kidneys, ruining yourself physically and emotionally, and messing up your life. You've downed four of these big ass drinks. That's enough for you tonight."

"And why the hell does it matter to you? Why do you care so much, Tripp?"

"Because I don't want you to-"

And my speech is interrupted by her. Her presence just stops me from speaking my piece. The way she's pushing this aggressive persona but she's really heartbroken inside. It's strange talking to her like this.

"Don't want me to what?" she asks with such ease as her eyebrows separate as her face falls.

I'm speechless right now, tongue-tied.

Shaking my head, I think of something to say back and come up with "There's just so many people that care about you, J, and-"

"You just called me 'J'."

She's right. I did. It's something I promised to never say ever again. Shit.

It grows strange between us and a sinking silence lingers over us. Someone has to squash the tension right now.

"All I'm saying is think about everything you're going to give up just by drinking your life away. Your life is important. That's it," I pat her on the back before I make the mistake of looking her in the eyes...

Those precious chocolate jewels in her eyes. Fuck.

Ain't no connection between us anymore. We've established that and accepted that. We've got people around us who care and don't need to speak unless it's about Noah. She's just my baby momma...

But, honestly, she represents a part of me and that's just something I can't shake. Seeing her like that pisses me off.

"There you are, baby love! I've been looking all over for you!"

****

Dun dun dun dunnnnnn!

What's up?! What do y'all think of this chapter?

Sorry it's been a minute but it's the holidays and I'm excited to get back to one of my first loves, writing!

Please tell me what you think is going on right now. Do you believe that Tripp and Journee made a connection or was it something else?

Do you think Tripp is being petty with Cam or is it rightfully so?

Why did Kyra have to go to the bathroom and stay in it for so long?

Thanks for reading! So grateful you're sticking beside me and still reading my craziness.