Free Love, Lies & Consequences by Natasha D. Frazier

weren’t apart for long. Two days after breaking up, Jason called me at work, apologizing and wanting to work through our issues. I love him so I decided to take him back without question,” Michelle said, as her friends stared intently at her, coaxing her with their eyes to continue.
    “We went to the park to talk things through but that didn’t end well at all. Our conversation quickly turned into an argument as I asked him to set a wedding date. He just could not commit to a date and I was getting so frustrated with him. His indecisiveness was driving me insane. The more we talked, the more the conversation began to get heated as he expressed how he only agreed to stop having sex just to please me but he couldn’t deal with it. It was something about the way that he said it that gave me pause. The next thing I knew, the palm of my hand met his right cheek! I knew right then that he’d cheated!!”
    Michelle’s admission was quickly met with questions from her friends as to how she knew Jason was cheating and if she ever confirmed that it was true.
    “Yes! I was so pissed. So Tammy, I guess your theory is right. He had to have it; his shameful tail just couldn’t keep his stick in his pants. It was officially over then. I threw his ring at his head and it landed somewhere along the bike trail. Who knows and who cares? But as quickly as they go, they come.”
    “What do you mean?” Raegan asked mid sip.
    “You know exactly what I mean. I’m over it. I’m glad I didn’t marry his cheating behind. I’m taking a time-out on relationships to focus on what Michelle wants.”
    “Just slow down the next time you get into a relationship, OK?” Raegan said. “You just ended your third engagement. What are you doing to these guys to get them to propose anyway?”
    “Rae, you know the answer to that question,” Kensi said chuckling. “She is giving up the cookie. I guess you can’t be an Indian giver with the cookie. It’s not working for Michelle.” The room erupted with laughter and it was just what everyone needed to lighten the mood.
    “Ah, hush girl,” Michelle said to Kensi while playfully tagging her with a sofa pillow. “So who are you not giving the cookie to these days?”
    “First of all, can we stop saying cookie ? Secondly, I’m not really involved with anyone. My efforts these days are focused on becoming editor-in-chief!” The job would go to either her or her colleague, Michael. Kensi felt as if she had to work twice as hard being a woman, so she did just that. She covered the best stories and stayed on top of any training that she could get.
    “Y’all know I spend most of my time traveling for work. I don’t have much time for anything else these days and that is all right with me,” Kensi said pointing to herself. Kensi had been fully focused on her career since her relationship failed with Zach. Zach was Kensi’s first love. The only reason they broke up is that they accepted jobs in different parts of the country and didn’t work hard enough to make their long distance relationship work.
    She had dated a few guys since then, as her way of acting out her frustration with Zach, but nothing serious. When she saw that none of those relationships were going anywhere, and her life was spiraling out of control, she decided to make a change for the better; that is when she and Raegan made their celibacy pact.

CHAPTER 14
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    Tammy was once married for one year to her college sweetheart, Joshua. They married during their senior year in college, while on Christmas break. Both were young and hopeful that their relationship would last forever, but without marital counseling or more mature married couples to mentor them, their relationship did not make it through the fire. Unlike some couples who were still experiencing the honeymoon phase during the first year of marriage, it was a time of turmoil and heartbreak for Tammy and Joshua.
    Joshua was their university’s basketball team’s MVP.