When Love Just Happens: Episode 3 – First, Become A Plot Twist
ESME
“Don’t I have news for y’all,” I said.
My girls, Juliette and Clarke, and I had finally settled in on top of our individual queen-sized sheets we’d brought from home. The edges of those sheets overlapped so that we weren’t sitting too far apart.
We were in Bryant Park. After enjoying dinner and wine at a nearby bistro, we walked our full bellies to the park for that week’s Movies in the Park. Tonight, they were showing Pretty Woman, but honestly, it didn’t matter what was playing on the large screen. Time with my girls was always a time to be had, regardless.
“What’s up?” Clarke asked, rolling onto her stomach. Her shoes were kicked off to the side of her sheet, just like mine and Juliette’s.
The evening was nice. Warm with a breeze, thanks to the lush trees surrounding us.
Around the 9.6-acre green space were stylish bistro tables and chairs, food kiosks and carts, a beautiful fountain, and a carousel that added a whimsical touch to the night.
Skyscrapers surrounded us, their square windows twinkling in the night. Summer in New York City was always a sight to behold, and this year was no different.
“Do y’all remember that kid I tutored last summer?” I began. “The one with the fine-ass daddy?”
Juliette giggled. “I do.”
“How could we forget Mr. Rich and Fine?” Clarke chimed in.
“I kissed him,” I revealed.
Both of their brows shot up.
“Or he kissed me.” I shook my head. “Maybe we kissed each other?”
That, right there—the confusion over who kissed who—had been replaying in my mind for days.
I was convinced I’d initiated it because I’d been fantasizing about this man since I first laid eyes on him during one of the virtual interviews he conducted before I started tutoring his son. He was the main reason I even agreed to tutor Mason again this summer. I saw it as another opportunity to see and talk to his father.
But never did I think I would actually kiss the man… even though I imagined doing much more with those lips of his.
“Hold up.” Clarke sat up, gathering her locs into a ponytail. “What did you just say?”
“Esme kissed her boss, basically,” Juliette teased with a smirk. “And clearly, the shit was good.”
I tossed my head back and took a breath. “Girl! Good doesn’t even do justice to what that man did to my tongue with his.”
They both laughed.
“You know you have to start from the beginning, right?” Clarke said, pointing at me.
And so I did. I told them everything—from my frustrations with Mason resuming his bad behavior from last summer, to his dad apologizing and suggesting we meet up for dinner, to the kiss. The very unexpected kiss that had me wondering who kissed who.
“I’m pretty sure it was me,” I said, leaning back on my hands, my eyes wandering to the large screen across the lawn. I loved Bryant Park on any day, but when it was transformed into an open-air cinema, it was truly magical. “But then again, I know it wasn’t me because that’s not something I would do.”
“Well…” Juliette said, brushing a copper curl out of her face, “what was the vibe like afterward? Did you two talk?”
“We didn’t talk,” I replied. “We haven’t spoken.”
They both turned to me.
“Mr. Lawson and I haven’t spoken since the kiss. I tutor his son on Monday nights now, and we haven’t had any reason to talk before then.”
“Oooh.” Juliette smiled. “Mr. Lawson. That sounds so kinky when you say it.”
Clarke and I burst into laughter.
“You better shut up!” I shouted.
“I don’t know,” Clarke said, still laughing. “Tongue-tussling seems like a good enough reason to speak outside of business hours.”
I pinched a piece of popcorn from the tub and threw it at Clarke’s face.
She tossed her head back and laughed.
Juliette giggled. “What does he look like?”
“Fine,” I said, licking my lips with a grin. “Like a darker, sexier version of Lance Gross.”
“Mmm,” Clarke moaned. “Chocolate is very nice.”
I grinned. “Save that mmm shit for Yusuf, please.”
Clarke smiled. “Speaking of which, I might need to leave soon because my man might be missing me, you know.”
Juliette and I shook our heads, laughing. Clarke had been on cloud nine since she and her boyfriend, Yusuf, made things official after meeting in Hawaii last year. Juliette, too, had been glowing with love ever since she got together with the head coach of a university that’s a longtime rival of our alma mater.
It was just me—alone and without a choice. Once, a relationship was important to me. I wanted it badly, and that led me to fall for so many duds that I got tired of getting my hopes up and my heart broken.
“Have you looked him up?” Clarke asked next.
“Looked him up?” I questioned.
“Yeah,” Clarke replied. “Googled him.”
I raised an eyebrow. “No. Why would I do that?”
“Because it’s standard!” Clarke exclaimed. “Are you for real?”
“The man is the father of a child I tutor,” I explained. “Yes, I find him very attractive and have had some… several, imaginative intimate moments in my head at night…”
Clarke smirked.
“But I’ve never thought past that. I’ve never thought about shitting where I eat.”
“You kissed him,” Juliette suggested.
I held up a finger. “The jury is still out on that. We don’t know who kissed who.”
“Let’s just… look him up now,” Juliette suggested.
“Yes, let’s,” Clarke said, scooting closer. “What’s his name?”
I hesitated, then twisted my lips before answering. “Malcolm Lawson.”
Juliette smiled as she pulled out her phone. “Malcolm Lawson is a strong name.”
I snickered, shaking my head.
“Oooh!” Clarke said, glancing at me. “He is fine.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Juliette agreed, licking her lips.
“Aht!” I hollered, snapping my fingers at them. “May I remind y’all that you’re both going home to men tonight, so chill out!”
“Oooh,” Juliette teased. “She’s already getting possessive! That kiss was more than what she’s telling us, Clarke.”
I laughed. “Shut up!”
“And I get it, because the brother is accomplished,” Juliette added. “I found the company he works for and his bio. You know I love company bios—people can’t help but spill all their business in them.”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t look away. Now, I was intrigued.
I didn’t know much about Malcolm other than what I saw and how he carried himself. I knew he had to be someone important, but I wasn’t sure of what or who. I knew he had to make a decent salary because of the view from his windows that I could see over Mason’s shoulder during our tutoring sessions.
“He’s a senior financial planner,” Juliette informed me. “Did you know that?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Malcolm Lawson is a seasoned financial planner with over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry,” Clarke read. “A graduate of the prestigious Wharton School, he holds an MBA with a concentration in finance…”
Damn.
I shifted on the sheet, leaning in, now very interested.
“…recipient of the Top Financial Advisor Award by Wealth Management Magazine,” Juliette continued, “and named to the Financial Planning Leaders List for several consecutive years…”
“Bih!” Clarke hollered.
“Shh,” I hissed, glancing around. Thankfully, everyone was focused on the movie, not us.
“You caught you a big fish!” Clarke laughed, tossing her head back.
I couldn’t help but laugh with her.
“I approve,” Clarke nodded. “For you? Yes, I approve, friend.”
“Oooh, check this out,” Juliette said. “At Empire Wealth Management Group, Malcolm is a Senior Financial Planner, where he leads a team of experts in providing comprehensive financial planning services…”
Clarke and Juliette looked at each other and said in unison, “Damn!”
I hollered with laughter before covering my mouth. “Y’all are so extra.”
“Fine and paid,” Clarke said, bumping shoulders with Juliette. “That’s our girl’s catnip.”
“Her aphrodisiac,” Juliette added.
“What makes her panties come right off like a Fruit Roll-Up off the paper,” Clarke teased, fighting back laughter.
“Y’all need to shut the fuck up!”
They both laughed hysterically, Clarke falling back on her sheet.
I shook my head, trying not to laugh too.
Because they were right. I liked men with money. A fact that had bitten me in the ass many times.
Some women loved men for their strength. Others loved them for their minds. I loved those things too, don’t get me wrong. But yeah, the bank account had to be as fat and long as… well, you know.
“I like him for you,” Juliette said. “He’s fine, you’re beautiful, it’s perfect.”
“Except he’s my student’s father, and you know my hard and fast rule on that.” I sighed. “So, let’s put the phone away and move on…”
“Oop, what’s this?” Juliette said, squinting at her phone.
“What?” Clarke asked.
I tilted my head, waiting.
“Is this a wedding website?” Juliette asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, he told me he just got a divorce last year.”
Clarke and Juliette focused on me.
“That was one of the reasons for our meeting,” I explained. “His son, Mason, has been acting out since the divorce…”
Juliette returned her attention to her phone.
“Malcolm said Mason’s bad behavior stems from the divorce and his struggle with the idea that his dad isn’t returning home.”
Clarke and Juliette shared a glance.
“That tracks,” Juliette said, suddenly putting her phone away.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Juliette replied, waving her hand. “Let’s just watch the movie.”
“We already missed so much of it—” I pointed at the screen, then back at her. “What did you see on your phone?”
“It’s nothing,” Juliette insisted.
I turned to Clarke, who was conveniently looking away, sipping her water.
I stretched my hand toward Juliette. “Let me see your phone.”
“Esme—”
“Give me the damn phone, Juliette, or I’ll come over there and get it!”
She sighed, handing it over.
I unlocked the phone and saw what they were looking at—a wedding website. Malcolm’s wedding website, to be exact.
And one look at the homepage photo triggered something deep inside me.
They looked beautiful. In love. It was the most unforgettable engagement photo I’d ever seen—sexy, timeless. Malcolm and his ex-wife, Candace, looked perfect.
Most couples put together wedding websites to handle RSVPs. Often, they were forgotten after the wedding, but not this one. This one had been updated over the years, with wedding photos that showed a love story written in the stars.
Their autumn wedding had burnt orange and blue as the color scheme. It sounded odd, but they pulled it off beautifully.
Malcolm looked just as fine as he does now in his suit. And Candace? She was gorgeous, even more so in her wedding gown. A gown that would’ve made Cinderella look like the help.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
You don’t get over something like this. You don’t plan a wedding like that, invite all those people, and just move on, even with a divorce.
I kissed my teeth, closing the screen and handing Juliette’s phone back.
It was all so triggering. Once again, I was the rebound girl. The woman men came to after a heartbreak, only to treat me like shit or leave me when they realized they still loved their ex.
That’s what happened in my last relationship. He left me after four years of dating, only to marry his ex a month later.
“Whatever,” I muttered, taking a deep breath and exhaling.
“Their wedding was so long ago,” Clarke tried.
“Girl, bye.” I rolled my eyes. “We saw the photos.”
“Pictures lie,” Juliette added. “People post their highlight reels. Those photos could mean nothing—”
“Y’all, those people were in love, and probably still are,” I insisted. “I’m not doing it. Forget I mentioned him, forget I said anything about the kiss. He’s my student’s father anyway, so it was bound to be a no-go from the start.”
I reached for the bottle of red wine we’d brought, grabbing the corkscrew. I needed a drink after seeing Malcolm and his ex-wife look like they were anything but over.
Because if you ask me? Not even a divorce could break what I saw on Juliette’s screen.
A New Episode of When Love Just Happens Will Be Sent And Posted On Monday, September 16th!
When Love Just Happens is a spinoff of the Energy Series. Esme appears in both When Luke Met Juliette and in When Life Gives You Sunsets. Get to know her friends Juliette and Clarke in their books below!
