Suds – Season 1, Episode 18

… a mini soap opera that bubbles with Love & Drama

[Last time on Suds... pause... I must confess that I am soooo into Darien right now. I mean, the man just has a way with words. So effortless, so sincere, so… me, LOL!!! Allow me a moment to get over myself. Woooo-saaa and I’m back. Mira revealed that Darien was driving Leilah home, and both Terrance and Shantel were unable to hide their festering contempt. Leilah was 100% correct in episode 14 when she predicted that this situation was “bound to get messy.”

Meanwhile, I was right about that Mira / Sylus connection. I’m guessing… well you just have to see for yourself. The bath water is ready, so jump in...]


Darien’s hypnotizing eyes captured her heart and took her to a tranquil place. Leilah forgot about everything that happened, and accepted the private invitation to be lost in the sincerity of his eyes.
~~

Shantel sat in the passenger seat of Terrance’s SUV contemplating her next move.
“Baby, I’m tired," she said sweetly as she turned to face him. "Can you take me home?”

He smiled, reaching for her hand and weaved his fingers between hers. “You can sleep at my crib. Most of your stuff is there anyway.”

Shantel bit her bottom lip, and turned to look out the window as they drove past the entrance to her dorm. Anxiety gripped her. I need to know if Darien is still with that hussy. Maybe he just took her home, but what if they are still together. She looked at the time on her cell phone. 3 am, there's no way they're still together... but what if they are? That's ridiculous, Darien would never choose her over me.
~~

[Clarifying insert: Question after question, story after story, they revealed their happiness and hurts. Leilah allowed her protective wall to crumble. Likewise, Darien removed his universal mask and together they swam into a deeper level of understanding.

"Wow, so you really are into God?" she asked in amazement.
He nodded and lay back on the sofa, propping his feet upon her lap.
"Please, make yourself comfortable," she said sarcastically, then teased, "Isn't touching a no-no for you."

Darien cracked his knuckles like a pro and said, "It's all about self control. I can control myself. You're the one on the shaky side." He grinned, "Though, I should move and sit over on that chair to help you out. Being close to all this goodness you can't have must be tearing you apart."

Leilah laughed, "Please, get over your self." She rested her hands at her side, afraid to touch him, and watched the movie. In a daze, she imagined what it would be like to be with him... like a girlfriend of sorts.

"Are you alright," he asked.
Startled from her thoughts, she stammered, "Y- Yeah, I'm fine."
Slowly, he lifted his legs from her lap, repositioning himself so they could dangle off the sofa instead.
"You don't have to move," she said, although her body stiffened.
"It's cool," he smiled, "A brother is on the alluring side."
"Really, get over yourself," she gratefully laughed as the joke minimized the awkwardness.

Watching the movie, Leilah glanced at him from the corner of her eye. His braided hair was rough and his squared jaw sloped each time his smile etched into his cheek. He laughed at the comedian on the screen, enveloped in the joke. Leilah noticed that even when his eyes weren't focused on hers, they still managed to hold her attention.

Nervously, Leilah inched closer to Darien until their knees touched. She clasped her hands into her lap, picking her nails as she pretended to watch the movie. Thoughts of possibilities and fears raced through her mind, but Darien calmed them all when he sat up beside her and touched her hand. She allowed his hand to slide between hers.

Leilah looked at their joined hands, then finally met his waiting gaze.

They stared in silence until he said, "I always wanted to be like my pops."
Leilah laughed at the unexpected subject.
"I'm serious," he laughed.
"I know," she said, regaining her composure. "I'm ready, tell me more."

Darien leaned against the back of the chair, and sighed, "He's a good man. A good father. A good husband. The kind of man I thought I could never be."
"Why not? Shouldn't it be easier since you have an example?"
"Should be," he shrugged. "But, some people always mess up."
"Are you that type, the one that always messes up," she asked warily.
"I'm trying not to be." Darien covered his eyes, partly expecting her to walk away.

Leilah nodded, squeezing his hand in hers, "I look a lot like my mom," she said. And without any further explanation, she rested her head against his shoulder, and settled to watch the movie.

Darien recounted Leilah's description of her mother's character from her difficulty breaking away from drugs to abandoning her children.

After a long pause, Darien answered, "You don't look like her," he said. "You look stronger."

Tears dripped from Leilah's eyes, moistening his shirt. "You probably look a lot more like your dad than you think," she said.

~~

Darien and Leilah soaked in conversation through two movies, sharing tidbits about their lives, and enjoying each other's company.

“Man, I can’t believe you’re leaving me already,” he teased, pulling her into his arms as sunlight peeked through the windows of his apartment. Leilah rested her chin on his chest as he circled his finger on her back, stirring the oversized tshirt into circles.

“Well, come with me,” she said, excitement seeping through her voice unintentionally. Shielding her over excitement, she mimicked the last movie they watched, “It’s Fri-day. You ain’t got no job. Stimulate your mind, Craig.”
Darien chuckled. Then his smile slowly faded and was replaced by deep thought.
“What?” Leilah asked.
Darien shook his head, “Nothing.”
“What?” she insisted.
“I don’t have any classes today.”
“And that means?”
“It means I could ride with you… if you really want me too.”
Leilah grinned, “And I do.”
“But,” he said, “We should take my car.”
“Good cause my car is iffy,” she laughed. “We should probably get some sleep. I’m good if I can get four hours.”
“I need all eight hours of my beauty sleep.”
Leilah giggled, “Alright Princess, we’ll leave around two o’clock then.”

Her smile brightened her face allowing him to zero in on her natural beauty. He pushed her hair away from her face, returning her cheerful grin. And despite the absence of sex in their embrace, Darien felt closer to Leilah than he ever felt with anyone else.

She drifted into sleep as his fingertips grazed the side of her face. Darien stared at her soft features. God, why am I so drawn to her? Her lips twitched into a faint smile as she nestled into his chest. His heartbeat quicked and he possesively folded his arms around Leilah.
~~

Shantel slid out of Terrance’s bed at six in the morning. She tiptoed over to the chair, scooping up her purse, and snuck into the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet seat, she dialed Darien’s phone number. It rang four times before the voice mail picked up. She hung up and called the number two more times. No answer.

Shantel dropped her phone in her bag, cradling her face in her hands. She panicked. Why isn’t he answering?

Shantel stayed in the bathroom another fifteen minutes before flushing the toilet to complete her ruse. She picked up her bag, turned off the light, and opened the door.
Terrance stood in the doorway.
~~

“You’ve been tested right, you’ve been tested?” Mira horrified scream echoed throughout her apartment. “When was the last time…” she bent over clutching her chest, gasping. “When was the last time you were tested?”
“A few months ago,” Sylus snapped. “Chill Mira, everybody in the world doesn’t have AIDS.”
“Everyone doesn’t need to have AIDS,” she snapped back, “just one person with a busted condom!”

Sylus stretched into his shirt, shaking his head in disbelief. “This is crazy. That’s why I stopped messing around with you. I’m surprised you didn’t try to douse me in Clorox.” He muttered a string of unintelligible protests.

Mira sat at the edge of her bed, wrapped in her bedspreads. Her entire body shook as various stories of how people contracted HIV raced through her mind. Calm down, she reasoned with herself, bending her chest into her thighs to brace her shivering body. Don’t overreact. Six months. Things couldn’t have changed that much in six months.

Sylus snarled, pounding at his chest, “This is me, Mira, and you acting like I’m some diseased dude up off the street.”

Mira tugged the roots of her hair. She closed her eyes to concentrate, blocking out his rant. Fishing through her memory, she searched for recent rumors of Sylus, but couldn’t find any. God, please don’t let this be happening. Not to me. Her eyes welled up with tears. Please, don’t let this be happening.

She heard his boots stomp toward her front door. He slammed it shut.

Relax, she thought. Just relax. What are the chances?

[Stay tuned: Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast…]