Things were looking up for Cassandra, Kyle had gotten a young police officer who had a vendetta against him.
He was fighting fire with fire but there was a chance that this could backfire, Kyle knew that this was a possibility even though they wouldn’t find anything on him.
They couldn’t convict him of anything if he was not guilty even though he would get a lot of raised eyebrows.
That was about it, there was nothing else to press a case but he knew that Priscilla was a lady that went out of her way if she thought someone was guilty.
And this was an unexpected blessing in disguise, one he could utilize to his advantage.
Priscilla drove away and this left Kyle with Jones, who came over the table as soon as his company was gone.
“Who was that? She is scary!” Jones pointed out; he was intimidated by Priscilla because she had this aura of someone that would beat the shit out of him if he looked at her the wrong way.
“A police officer,” Kyle said the obvious but Jones raised a brow to this.
“Is that the kind of woman you go after? A woman that can beat you to death?” Jones questioned before sitting right across him.
“I mean, it keeps the relationship exciting, no?” Kyle responded.
“You’re one crazy sonuvabitch!” Jones laughed it off.
The employees were looking at how well he got along with Kyle, no one would guess that Kyle was a tenant in his building.
They sounded like they had been friends for years but their relationship only just took a thing despite them knowing each other for quite some time.
“What can I say, if she can’t kill you, are you even living?” Kyle said with a chuckle.
He didn’t want to drag Jones into his problem, there was no telling what would happen if he did.
It was something that he couldn’t risk either way because Jones already had his troubles.
The last thing he needed was getting him mixed with all of this.
Jones kept quiet for a second but that felt like an eternity, he tried to continue but Kyle realized it was about time he checked in on his friend.
“Is everything okay at home?” Kyle asked and Jones hesitated to give a response.
This was unlike him, Jones had quick wit so any hesitation gave Kyle his answer indirectly.
“It is okay, I’m here to listen,” Kyle reassured him. He knew the last thing Jones complained about was not being able to keep up with her sex drive.
Kyle wondered if this was the thing causing trouble in their marriage, it might seem insignificant but sexual satisfaction was important.
“Marriage man, it isn’t easy…” Jones finally spewed.
“You tell me, I’m not the one married,” Kyle shrugged it off prompting Jones to chuckle faintly.
“I know it is hard, that is what makes it worth a damn but everything just seems to set her off these days. I work so hard and I’m a great father but I’m afraid I might not be so great a husband,” Jones said.
Any other person would have jumped at him and told him about how great of a husband he is but that would be invalidating his concern. This was why Kyle just stayed and listened, he didn’t confirm or deny any allegations that Jones laid on himself because he knew that there must be some truth to it.
A person knew themselves better than anyone else, this included their flaws.
Disregarding a flaw simply because you have seen a flawless version of themselves creates a disconnect and this was something Kyle wasn’t about to do.
“Why do you feel that way?” Kyle asked, permitting Jnes to go into details.
“I don’t know what else to say, everything’s just falling apart,” Jones confessed but Kyle knew he was beating around the bush without touching the major subject.
Kyle noted how Jones highlighted his might in other aspects except being a husband.
“Do you think she is cheating on you?” Kyle asked and judging from Jones’s lack of a reaction, he knew he hit it right on the head.
“Tell me why you think so,” Kyle said but a brief thought flashed through his mind.
“Damn, I sound like a freaking therapist!”
“The late nights, the not picking my calls, the switch up… I wouldn’t even blame her,” Jones was worn out but the last sentence almost made Kyle lose respect for the older man.
“You wouldn’t blame her for cheating on you?” Kyle repeated, wanting to make sure this wasn’t a slip of the tongue.
“I know how it sounds but I wasn’t kidding when I said I haven’t been the best husband,” Jones reiterated.
“Tell me why you think this way,” Kyle realized this wasn’t about him and he had to keep his feelings in check.
“You know, Aiysha was never my first choice when it came to partners when it came to marriage..” Jones began but he felt like Kyle was judging him.
“I know what you’re thinking, she is gorgeous! But she hasn’t always been that way,” Jones pointed out.
“You see, she was a woman I married not because I loved her but because she was a good wife. However, I grew to love her,” Jones revealed.
Kyle was beginning to understand why she was so obsessed with the gym, she was once a lady of unhealthy weight. Jones married her that way and then she got her weight under control, turning into drop-dead gorgeous beauty.
“I cheated on her in the past, you see… And I have been trying to make it up to her ever since then,” Jones confessed and there was his flaw.
Jones was too perfect a man but Kyle realized that his dedication was linked to his past.
Aiysha got into shape after the affair, she wasn’t Jones’s first choice and the only reason he married her was because she was a safe option.
He didn’t have to worry about anything because of her size, she was obese and this made him complacent.
He cheated on her repeatedly with the girl he did have affection for but she cheated on him after declining to marry him, this brought an end to their relationship.
However, after a few years, they reconnected and she was looking even better than ever.
Things had gotten boring in his marriage and he sought to find some sort of excitement to wake his heart up.
And there she was, Chloe, ready to fill that role, which made Kyle feel alive once again.
But it couldn’t last forever because Aiysha caught him but she did forgive him.
Jones ended the affair right away and earned that forgiveness, he begged her and even offered to give her a free pass if this meant she would forgive him.
She blamed herself and realized she had to work on herself so her husband wouldn’t look outside.
This was the motivation for her transformation and ever since then, Jones has been the ideal husband but as of recent, his insecurity was getting the better of him.
Aiysha was a woman everyone wanted, she went from a woman no man desired to a woman every man desired.
Jones became worried that she would do to him what he once did to her.
Jones told Kyle in great detail about these events and all Kyle did was listen.
He didn’t know Jones was this kind of man but everyone made mistakes and he had done enough to make up for his.
He couldn’t judge him because marriages were complex and just because a story starts bad doesn’t mean it couldn’t end up good.
This made Jnes appear a lot more human to Kyle and realized that their marriage problem wasn’t because of Aiysha but Jones.
Jones no longer trusted his wife but Kyle could see why.
It was justified because Kyle had questionable run-ins with her and this was something that Kyle couldn’t tell Jones or it would break his marriage.
Kyle didn’t offer any solutions because that wasn’t what Jones was looking for, he just acknowledged what he was told and this made Jones feel better.
He just wanted to get it off his chest more than anything and Kyle allowed him to do just that.
But he had one question on his mind, was Jones’ concern unfounded? There was only one way to find out.
The only reason he would think she was cheating was because he knew he wasn’t satisfying her.
Kyle knew this was something he didn’t need to worry about when she was obese but not anymore.
Kyle was impressed that she stayed, it was something he couldn’t see himself doing if he was monogamous.
But he could grasp why someone would take this route.
Kyle spent more time than he would have liked here but it was worth it, there was something comforting about being the shoulder that Jones could lean on.
The men said their farewell and that was more than enough socializing for one day.
Kyle’s social battery was drained and needed to recharge.
Nate was pretty much running the club and showed he was more than capable of tackling the task so he didn’t need to worry much about that.
Calista knew her place and didn’t try to cross lines that shouldn’t be crossed so there was nothing much to worry about.
Cassandra basically signed her soul away to him and he knew that this custody battle would be the thing to push her towards him.
Kyle’s life was fantastic, he couldn’t complain, not for a second but he was nowhere where he wanted to be.
He wanted to etch his name into the universe itself, he wanted to be known forever.
That was the only way he could live forever, maybe then his father would see just how much of a mistake he made by throwing him away.