Not So Perfect Love Story: Part 3

Okay, so maybe I exaggerated a little bit about the extent of my injuries from the crash. Honestly, I only had a cut or two and a possible concussion, but I was urged to go for precautionary measures. I thought it was minor but hey you never know with these types of things. Of course, once people got word of what happened, people began blowing up my phone and showing up at the hospital. The first to get there was my friend Karim…

Karim: Brandon! Are you okay?

Me: I’m fine… It’s just a few cuts and the worst headache I’ve ever had. Do you think you can call Jameelah for me?

Karim: Well I’m glad you’re okay… I can see what I can do but you need to focus on your health buddy!

Me: I know… She’s all I can think about though.

Theo walks in.

Theo: You good bro?

Me: I’m good man… I’m surprised you showed up though.

Theo: Why?

Me: Well I mean, after falsely accusing you of playing a part in everything that’s been going on, I just figured you wouldn’t want anything to do with me right now.

Theo: That’s petty stuff. We’re bros for life! You know that!

More and more friends and family came to see about me even though I tried to keep it low-key. I guess in a sense it was refreshing to see and know that people cared for me, but something was still missing. I’m sure you guessed it… Sadly, she never showed up. I didn’t even get a single text from her. I shouldn’t have expected anything, but I just figured that since technically we were engaged a few days ago, she would care.

A few weeks go by and we still haven’t contacted each other. It’s sad but hey, I guess I have to just get over it right? I mean, I can’t force what’s not meant to be, right? Didn’t I learn that with Marriana? Ugh! I’m such a mess and it’s not getting any better. My friends have tried everything, but nothing is working…

Karim: We need to get you out of the house buddy!

Me: I can’t!

Karim: You can! You need to have some fun!

Me: I really can’t. Fun is the last thing on my mind right now.

Karim: But it’s not healthy to be moping around all the time. I hate to say it, but I think you just have to let it go.

Me: That’s the thing, I don’t think I can.

Theo: You said the same about Marriana and you found Jameelah. You can do the same now and find someone else.

Me: I don’t know man... It’s crazy because a lot of people ask me like, how could I let such perfect girl get away. A girl that was down for me and never did anything to ever hurt me or anything like that… Yeah, it sounds really bad when I say it. I’ve tried everything and she’s not coming around, so I’ve been trying to act like she never existed and it’s impossible. When she was a part of my life, every day was like Christmas and she was number one on my wish-list. There’s no cure for this feeling… It’s like I lost my life but I’m still living… I know that doesn’t really make sense but that’s the thing! None of this makes sense and I’m just rambling because I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do and like suicide is something I’ve thought about. I know that’s not a good thing but...

Theo: Now you’re talking stupid. Ain’t no girl worth killing yourself over. There’s too many of ‘em walking around for all that.

Me: They not her though.

Theo: (throws hands up) I tried.

I should’ve gone out with them because what happens next, happened so fast and it caught me completely off-guard. Guess who decided to randomly call me…

Jameelah: …. Hey

Me: Hey?

Jameelah: You doing okay? I heard about your accident that night…

Me: I’m good… I’m simply confused as to why you waited this long to ask me that?

Jameelah: I know... I’m sorry but I was hurt and couldn’t stay to see or talk to you at the time.

Me: So, you just abandoned me? Awesome. Did you not once think that I was hurt by the situation as well? I know how it looked but I never cheated on you and never will. You quickly jumped to conclusions and dipped.

Jameelah: You put yourself in that position, Brandon. I didn’t call you to argue…

Me: I put myself in that position? Okay… so what exactly did you call for then?

Jameelah: Clearly not for this… I see I made a mistake by even calling to begin with. I should’ve left it alone.

Me: Yeah, you think? Shit, honestly if you wouldn’t have been so insecure and untrusting none of this would’ve happened. You always thinking I’m out here making you look stupid, when in reality you got that on your own.

Jameelah: Oh, so it’s all my fault? Don’t even worry about it. I’m done with you…

Brandon: Okay? So, you’re making it official now… but it’s been over since the day it happened.

Jameelah: You’re right, it’s been official; I already have a boyfriend!

Brandon: Wait… Who?

Jameelah: Michael B. Jordan

Brandon: (hangs up)

Was it childish of me to hang up? Yes. Was it childish of her to date him of all people? Hell Yes! I feel like the only reason why she’s dating him is because she wanted to make a statement and replace me. I was definitely the cause of that fight, but I didn’t care, she still shouldn’t have found somebody so fast. For all I know she could’ve been cheating on me the whole time. She kept taking last minute gigs but really, she was probably meeting up with him. I needed something to take my mind off what had just happened, so I called my friends to try and catch them before they got where they were going.

I got the place and address and met them out there…

Chris: Is that a ghost? How did you guys get him out the house?

Brandon: Nah, it’s me... I’m back!

Theo: He’s lying. He’ll be crying/leaving in 5 minutes…

Brandon: I’m good man. I’m serious, let’s get this thang started.

Danielle: I don’t know… I think he really might be back…

Brandon: I keep saying I’m fine… Let’s go!

This was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I forgot what a night out with friends was like. After the club we went to this party thing…

Brandon: The night is young, let’s get it in!

Chris: Aye!

Danielle: You need to get drunk!

Brandon: You think so?

Danielle: Know so! Let’s go!

Yeah, that was a horrible idea…. I got so drunk that it was embarrassing. The worst part about the whole thing was, I met this girl and I rambled on and on about the craziest things.

Brandon: Hi

Marshá: Um (giggles) hi

Brandon: I’m drunk… well only a little bit but I’m okay. I think. Wait, I didn’t get say… I mean, I’m Brandon.

Marshá: (laughs) Are you sure you’re okay?

Brandon: I’m fine… I only had like 12 shots (holding up 3 fingers).

Marshá: Haha

Brandon: You’re pretty… Like, you’re prettier than my girlfriend… Well, she’s my ex because she cheated on me. She thinks I cheated on her, but I didn’t… Well kind of but not really… I guess you can say I halfway did it but she all the way did it, which is bad. It hurt, and I cried so much! Like big tears…

Marshá: (messing with me) How big were they?

Brandon: (Shows her how big they were) Like this big! But I’m okay now because we fought, and we don’t like each other anymore. She told me she was done and now she has another me. So now I’m here talking to this angel. You came to rescue me! Yay! Take me away…

Marshá: (laughing) I think you’re a little drunker than you think.

Brandon: I’m fine!

Waking up the next morning was the absolute worst! I had the worst hangover and to top it off my phone was blowing up about how the night went.

It was so embarrassing but hey, I guess that’s the sign of an enjoyable time, right? That sad part about the whole thing was that I didn’t get the number of the girl I was talking to that night. I honestly couldn’t even remember her name if she even told me. Luckily after talking with my friends one of them actually got her contact information since they knew I was too messed up to even think to do that. So clutch! Thanks Karim! So, I decided to call this girl to figure out what happened and what was up.

Marshá: Hey, who is this?

Brandon: Hey! It’s Brandon from that party last night.

Marshá: Oooooh! The drunk guy!

Brandon: How embarrassing… but yes!

Marshá: (laughs) It’s all good. We all have our moments! Besides, if it makes you feel any better I was a little tipsy myself.

Brandon: So, what happened?

Marshá: We just talked at first and you were telling me about your girlfriend or ex. I’m not really sure what she is.

Brandon: Oh lord. Definitely an ex. We kind of recently broke up, hence the drinking.

Marshá: Then you started dancing…. on a table.

Brandon: I did what?!

Marshá: Yeah and then you somehow lost your pants and started crying and asked me to help you look for them.

Brandon: Yeah, maybe I shouldn’t have asked about last night…

Marshá: Wait, there’s one more thing!

Brandon: Do I even want to know?

Marshá: Yeah, it’s not that bad.

Brandon: You sure?

Marshá: Yeah… So, once we found your pants you just back on the table and started stripping and screaming that you were Magic Mike and that you wanted all of the guys to come dan…

Brandon: OKAY…. Enough about that!

Marshá: (laughs) I’m just kidding. After we found your pants, you laid down on the counter and passed out.

Brandon: That’s a little better (laugh) but still.

After this me and Marshá got closer and closer and I actually felt happy again. Could this be the one? I mean, I didn’t want to rush it but like things kind of felt right. Some weeks went by and we went out a few more times and it was magical. I know you’re thinking, here we go again. I know, I’m just a sucker for love and I’ll admit that, but I can’t help it. I’m obsessed with the thought of it and the feelings that you share. Yeah, I’ve had my fair share of bad luck, but we’ll see how this goes.

I planned to ask her out that Friday, so I ran the idea past my friend earlier that week…

Brandon: (talking to Karim) So I have a question… You remember that girl from that party, right?

Karim: Yeah

Brandon: I think she may be the one.

Karim: The one?

Brandon: Yeah, I’m thinking about making it official.

Karim: Are you sure? Are you completely over Jameelah yet and are you even sure you don’t want to try to make it right?

See, I had my mind all made up until Karim started asking all these questions… Now I’m not even sure what I should do. I love Jameelah, I really do but we ended on a pretty bad note. I’ve been wanting to call her lately, but I just figured I would leave it alone. I don’t know….

Karim: I’m just looking out for you buddy… You have to stop diving in too quick and getting hurt.

Brandon: Yeah, I know… I’ll definitely think about it a little more.

At this point, I’m a huge mess! Even though Karim didn’t say much, her words were hitting pretty strong. She was right. I was rushing in like how I did with everyone else that I’ve ever talked to. Maybe I should try to fix things with Jameelah because everything that we had was magical. Everything was perfect and irreplaceable…. Eh, what am I saying. I don’t listen to advice.

A few days go by and it’s about that time to make it official with Marshá and I’m making up this plan to make it perfect. I had the perfect spot, and everything was set up. So, I text Marshá…

So, we get there and the manager of the Cheesecake Bistro that we were going to eat at, who happened to be a friend of mine told me some bad news. Apparently, there was a delay in the preparation of our special date spot and they needed 30 minutes before it would be ready.

Marshá: Ooooh, it’s nice out here!

Brandon: It really is, isn’t it?

Marshá: That is what I said…

Brandon: (laughs) Shut up! …Oh shoot, hold on let me take this call really quick. I’m sorry.

Marshá: It better be important.

Brandon: ……………. Okay, so we have a slight change in plans.

Marshá: You never even told me what the plan was.

Brandon: It’s a secret but let’s go this way!

So instead of eating and then taking Marshá to the special spot, we had to do it in reverse.

First, we walked down my secret trail.

Once we got around the corner, we got to the spot.

As we get there, her eyes light up. It was the perfect night because the weather was perfect, she was perfect, everything was falling into place but then…

Marshá: This is so beautiful!

Brandon: Not as beautiful as you are!

Marshá: (jokingly) Stop.

Brandon: No, it’s the truth! I brought you out here because I wanted to make us official.

Ever since that crazy drunken night that I met you, I’ve been unable to get enough of you. It’s weird because even when I’m on set or writing, my normal escapes, you’re always on my mind.

Marshá: Is that right?

Brandon: Yes ma’am! I love you!

I notice that once I said that she cringed, her smiled stopped and she turned away.

Marshá: I can’t do this…

Brandon: Wait, what? What’s wrong?

Marshá: I’m sorry, I just can’t do this….

I then got a text about our reservation.

She ends up leaving right after that. I felt bad obviously because it didn’t work out like I planned but also because it clearly brought up some sort of pain/memory or something once I said the l-word. I felt really bad and wanted to leave but since they went through so much trouble with the reservation, I decided to still go.

It was kind of embarrassing going alone because everyone (manager and his people) had the expectation of seeing whoever it was that I was talking so highly of. I told him what happened, and he promised to keep it clear and I could take all the time I needed. I was being super dramatic eating the bread and moping lol.

I end up finally eating and right as I’m about to leave, Marshá texts me…

That’s not how I planned this night to go at all but that’s how it went. Hey, the way I see it is that we all take L’s. Some people just take more than others but taking one is inevitable. I didn’t let it get me too down after the fact though. I won’t even act like I wasn’t hurt at first, but I understood where she was coming from. I’ve been there. Life goes on though and I had some important stuff to do. I had a new premiere, a score and two other scripts in the works. As I was taking a break from writing I saw this post about TMZ on Twitter that looked hilarious, so I clicked it. After reading it something else caught my eye. It was an article about Jameelah.

I don’t know why they felt the need to have my name on there, but I instantly got excited because that was a pretty big deal for her. She always told me she wanted her own vodka line and look at her doing her thing. I wanted to say something, but I didn’t know if I could. I actually thought that she had forgotten about me considering the fact that she had new a boyfriend and all. I started to talk myself out of it because I then started wondering what I would say if she asked how things were going in my love life and I wouldn’t be able to say anything. After going back and forth and calling and instantly hanging up, I decide to man up and just do it. The worst she could do is just hang up on me.

Brandon: Hey

Jameelah: Hey

Brandon: How are things?

Jameelah: Everything is going well. How about you?

Brandon: It’s going… (laughs) I have a lot of stuff coming up and its just kind of overwhelming at the moment.

Jameelah: Ah okay… You’ll get it! I know you will! You always figure things out.

Brandon: Yeah… Thanks!

Then there was this awkward silence for a minute or two.

Brandon: Uh, I’m not bothering you or anything am I?

Jameelah: No no! You’re good!

Brandon: Okay… I didn’t know if you were with Michael or anything. I didn’t want to seem like I’m intruding. How are things with him by the way? …if you don’t mind me asking.

Jameelah: Everything is fine. What about you? I heard you have a girlfriend?

Brandon: Uh, things are good actually. Yeah…

Jameelah: Oh… Well, I’m happy for you!

Brandon: Same here. I’m happy for you as well… Oh yeah! Speaking of, I saw you launched a new vodka line.

Jameelah: You did?

Brandon: (laughs) Yeah, it was on TMZ. My google alerts dinged because they mentioned my name.

Jameelah: Oh, haha sorry… Yeah, it was nothing though…

Brandon: Nonsense! You always wanted that and now you got it. I’m proud of you!

Jameelah: Well, thanks!

Brandon: Yeah… Well that’s all I wanted really… I don’t want to take up too much of your time. Bye!

Jameelah: Bye

That was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. It was at that moment that I realized how much I missed her. I wanted to keep talking but I knew I couldn’t. It wouldn’t have been in our best interest to do that. We would’ve ended up fighting or something anyway. It was good hearing her voice though.

Some days go by and things seem to go back to normal with Marshá. It was as if that little date night fiasco had never happened but there was still an understanding that it wouldn’t be anything more than just friends. It was weird at first, but we made it work and it was cool. A few more days go by and it’s time for my premiere. I didn’t take a date because Marshá wasn’t big on being around all those cameras and people and stuff, so I invited some friends including my two closest ones.

Brandon: You guys are honestly the best friends that anyone could ever have.

Theo: You already know!

Karim: Aw buddy! Wouldn’t miss it for anything!

The night was amazing! Everything went so smoothly, which was a relief because I was really nervous for some reason. Towards the end of the night I ended up running into an old friend, Morgan.

Brandon: Oh wow! Hey!

Morgan: Hey!

Brandon: It’s been ages!

Morgan: I know right!

Brandon: Gotta work on that…

Morgan: For real. Congrats by the way!

Brandon: Thanks

So, we catch up for a while… Morgan happened to also be really close friends with Jameelah as well and she then brought her up.

Morgan: So, I heard you talked to Jameelah like a week or so ago?

Brandon: Yeah, we spoke a little bit. It was short though. I really just wanted to congratulate her…

Morgan: And that was it?

Brandon: Yeah…. Well… No… I really wanted to talk to her, but I knew I couldn’t. I mean she has a boyfriend now so.

Morgan: Actually, that’s where you’re wrong. Her and Michael broke up a long time ago.

She was missing you too much and knew she was in no position to be in a relationship with someone.

Brandon: Really?

Morgan: Yup

Brandon: But she…

Morgan: Lied? Yeah… She thought you were happy, so she didn’t want to mess things up.

Brandon: That’s hilarious because I only told her that I was happy because I thought she was. I lied as well.

Morgan: You two are ridiculous. So, what are you going to do?

Brandon: I don’t know what do you think I should do?

Morgan: It’s on you… but if it was me, I would call her and tell her what you’re telling me.

Only do it if you really mean it though. Don’t break her any more than she’s already broken now.

Brandon: Broken?

Morgan: Yeah, she’s been a wreck…. Anyways, enjoy the rest of your night. It’s all about you! Congrats again.

After hearing that, all I could think about for the rest of the night was calling her. I didn’t know she still cared like that. Especially enough to lie and mask her pain like that. Shoot, I would’ve called her a long time ago if I would’ve known all that. Once I get home, I called her…

Brandon: Hey

Jameelah: Hey! How was your premiere?

Brandon: You keeping tabs on me haha... It was fine. Guess who I ran into though…

Jameelah: Who?

Brandon: Morgan…

Jameelah: Oh?

Brandon: Yeah… You know you don’t have to lie to me, right? She already told me…

Jameelah: Told you what?

Brandon: You know what I’m talking about! I miss you too. It’s okay… To be real with you, that’s why I called you that day.

Jameelah: Really?

Brandon: Yeah…

Jameelah: I’m sorry…

Brandon: For what?

Jameelah: Everything!

Brandon: No, I’m the one that should be apologizing… I’m the one that went off on you for no reason when we first fought.

Jameelah: No, I deserved it. I overreacted from the beginning. I knew you didn’t do anything with that girl. I was just tripping. I was stressing from how busy and hectic my schedule was and I just lost myself. Then once I made a fool of myself, I didn’t want to make myself look any crazier by showing up at the hospital. I should’ve been there for you, but I wasn’t. I felt so bad about it that I didn’t take any work for months. It got so bad that even Michael was telling me to at least try and talk to you.

Brandon: It’s fine… You’re right, I put myself in that position, so it’s on me. By the way, I was fine. The hospital visit was just a checkup. But really? He did?

Jameelah: Yeah

Brandon: (laughs) And to think that this whole time, I hated his soul.

Jameelah: (laughs) why?

Brandon: I don’t even know honestly…

Jameelah: So, what’s with that girl you’re with? Are you guys really together or not? I don’t want to get in the way.

Brandon: To be honest, she told me a while back that she didn’t want a relationship. She got hurt by someone previously and she doesn’t want that to happen again.

Jameelah: But does she not know who you are though? You wouldn’t hurt a soul. You have a big heart. I should’ve seen that instead of acting the way I did.

Brandon: It’s fine…

Jameelah: So, what do you want to do? Are you going to wait on her or do you want to try to rekindle what we had? Either way I’ll be your friend, but you have to make up your mind…

Brandon: She’s a great person. I don’t know though… She did say she only wanted to be friends…. Umm…. Let’s try just being friends again for a little while first.

Jameelah: Okay. That works!

Just like that, the power couple was back in the makings again… I got my ‘meelah back. Kind of anyway… We’re just friends at the moment… It’s going to be a long road to get back to where we were, but I feel like if it’s possible, we can do it. The craziest thing about this whole thing though was that I had my phone on do not disturb the whole time, so I didn’t realize that I got a text from Marshá.

Are you serious? What are the chances of that? The timing of that couldn’t be any worse. Since it was late, I was able to get away with not responding until in the morning. That was the plan at least until something else unthinkable happened…

I know you’re thinking, DON’T ANSWER IT, but I did…

Brandon: Hello?

Marriana: (crying and talking)

Brandon: Are you serious?

Marriana: (crying and talking)

Brandon: Wait, are you okay?

Marriana: (crying and talking)

Brandon: Where are you?

Marriana: (crying and talking)

Brandon: Hold on… I’ll be there!