Queen Media Collective

Hey everyone! If you follow me you’ll know that I’m a published author and I love bringing stories to life with my words. One of those stories that I loved creating was the one of Rebecca & Nasir; two successful black people who realized that one person can change your life forever. I thought It would be fun to share with you all a few chapters from my book, Let’s Be Friends every month so you can get to know more about them as well.

With that said I leave you with Chapter 1 below 🙂

REBECCA

Friday night had come faster than expected. Rebecca sat at home watching an episode of Jane the Virgin, not once thinking her relationship would be coming to a screeching halt. The day was going as planned—work, gym, and then dinner. After eating the leftover chicken and shrimp fettuccine she made the night before, she hopped in the shower and made her way back to the living room to get settled in for the rest of the night. Rebecca worked as the lead editor at a publishing company and also had a pretty popular YouTube channel where she covered relationship issues and celebrity gossip. She was exhausted from her 40-hour workweek and having to deal with her bitchy-ass boss Diane. If you thought having a male boss around you all day was terrible, it was nothing compared to working with a woman who always had an attitude and never a man. Rebecca spent the day reading over manuscripts sent in from upcoming authors and editing one of their biggest clients’ newest books. Most days would call for overtime depending on how much time they had until their deadline came creeping up, but, tonight, Rebecca was set on leaving the office by 5 p.m. no matter what. Diane was not going to guilt trip her into staying till 7 p.m. like she did most nights, talking her ear off about how lonely she was. The sob story usually went something like this: “You have such a beautiful relationship, Rebecca. You two are so in love, and it shows every time he comes into the office or shows up to an event with you. I wish I had what you have…you know a man to cherish the ground I walk on, but, noooo…I get these no-good, cheating-ass men with about four different baby mothers and twenty children running around. They eat up all my food, take my money, and leave once I have no more to give, talking about ‘let’s be friends’ and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” I’m sure you get the picture, and so did Rebecca. It was a story she was tired of hearing over and over again. I’m her employee, not her fucking therapist, Rebecca thought every time Diane started running her mouth a little too much. It was obvious that she was desperate for a man, and, maybe, she thought Rebecca would be able to hook her up with somebody, maybe one of her boyfriend’s friends, but Diane for sure didn’t want those problems.

Though annoyed with the constant mention of her love life, Rebecca didn’t blame Diane for idolizing her relationship with her boyfriend Nas because they did have an amazing one. He was everything she wanted in a man and just when she thought she’d never find love again, there he was ready to give her the universe. The only flaw he had was he was a little insecure, but Rebecca used to be the same way. On Friday’s, Rebecca and Nas would meet up for a date night, but, tonight, she was way too exhausted and completely over it. She was in no mood to get dressed up or to even have a conversation. All she wanted was to have a few glasses of wine and call it a night. I’m sure he won’t be upset if I skip out on one date, she thought, Let me send this man a quick text. Nas always left the office an hour after Rebecca got off work, so she knew he’d get her message before heading over to her place. She didn’t like calling him on the job even though he was the boss. It was something her dad always taught her growing up; never bother a man who’s working hard to provide you with the life you dreamed of. They weren’t walking down the aisle anytime soon, but she had a feeling he was going to be the man she built a family with. Rebecca: Hey, love! I know we had plans tonight, but would you be okay taking a rain check? I’m extremely tired. They worked the hell out of me today. Nas: That’s fine, babe. We’ll catch each other soon. Love you. Rebecca: Love you too. The minute Rebecca and Nas made their relationship official they vowed to keep the romance alive and that meant going on a date every week or at least having a romantic dinner at one another’s home if they were too tired to go out. They met two years ago at one of her company’s events. Diane had started Pretty Women Write Publications, and, for a while, they didn’t think they’d make it in the publishing world. When Diane started the company, she wanted to bring women from all backgrounds together. It was a possibility that her vision wouldn’t come to life. She was tired of working for the man and being told she wasn’t good enough to make it on her own, but there they were, celebrating their one-year anniversary and the release of their first erotica novel by Nikki Shay—their first signed author. The event was thrown at a beautiful mansion overlooking the water that just so happened to be owned by Nas and two of his high school friends. He also had his own real estate company that he hoped to expand to other cities. Nas stood at 6’1, had a body like Shemar Moore, beautiful grayish blue eyes, straight pearly white teeth, and dark brown skin that looked as smooth as silk. Rebecca couldn’t deny how handsome he was, and the way he carried himself was real gentleman-like. By the end of the night, he was asking Rebecca for her number. Although, she was hesitant, her number was his by time she said goodbye. They kept in contact, communicating almost daily, but it still took Rebecca a while to take up his offer of going out on a date. She had been through so much bullshit with men that had her questioning if she was ready to get back out on the dating scene. Now that Nas knew they would be skipping dinner and a movie, Rebecca could finally relax. If anything, she’d receive a call or text from Nas letting her know he missed her and wished she was with him, but, for now, she was going to date the television until she knocked out. A few hours later, a loud noise frightened Rebecca, causing her to roll off the couch onto the floor. Laughing at herself, she wiped her eyes and looked to see where the noise was coming from. It wasn’t the TV, which currently read, Continue Watching in little letters. She had fallen asleep without realizing it, and it was now 2 a.m. “There goes that damn phone again. Where the hell did I put it?” She began searching the couch until a reminder went off on her phone, and she saw it light up on the kitchen counter next to an empty wine bottle. Rebecca got up to see who was sending her a text this late. If it wasn’t her man, she was going to be irritated. She may have always looked like she was fully charged, but she was drained. Looking at the screen, she saw a few messages from Nas. Nas: Rebecca Nas: Are you up? Nas: I know it’s late, but I need to talk to you. What could he want to talk about this late? she wondered, Is something wrong? Rebecca: Are you okay? Do you want to come over?

It took fifteen-minutes for him to respond, and when he did, her heart dropped. Nas: I’ve spent the whole night thinking about you. I love the time we spend together. You’re sophisticated, respectful, caring, and the sweetest woman I’ve ever met. With that said, the time we’ve spent together has been beautiful, just as beautiful as you… Reading his message put a smile on her face, and she felt herself lifting off the ground, reaching heights only a woman in love could reach. That was until she saw the word “but.” Nas: …but I think we should take a step back from each other and just be friends. Nas let her down, and she hit the ground unable to pick herself back up, drowning in a pool of her own tears. She was hurt and confused by it all. She couldn’t understand where this sudden change of heart was coming from. She thought everything was going great between the two of them. He had given no signs that he was ready to go their separate ways. They spoke to each other literally every day, shared jokes, and laughed at the stupidest things. They knew each other’s darkest secrets…at least, he knew hers, and they could always finish each other’s sentences. They would make love no matter the time of day and cuddle in each other’s arms after. To her, everything was perfect. “He promised me forever,” she cried out as she looked at his dreadful let’s be friends text.  “What the fuck does ‘friends’ mean?” she yelled, throwing her phone down on the couch. Is he really serious or is this some kind of joke? she thought. “How the fuck can we be friends?” she screamed, “We talked about marriage, our dream house, and the number of children we wanted to have…what happened to our lifetime together?” Her tears turned to rage. Rebecca picked up the glass of wine she had just poured and sent it flying across the room, watching it shatter against the wall. She grabbed her phone and started to beat away at the keypad. Rebecca: You fucking bastard… She started to press Send, but she wouldn’t have been able to take back the words looking back at her. She wanted to add so much more to the message, but regret would only eat away at her. She was hurt, and the shattered glass across the room reflected her heart—broken. Rebecca put down her phone, poured a new glass of white wine, and walked over to the couch. She downed her glass and then rested across the couch, looking up at the ceiling asking God for answers. It was like déjà vu; she’d been through this one too many times before. This time, she wasn’t prepared though. She let down every wall she had built over the years, and for what? “Why does this always happen to me when all I do is give my all?” She couldn’t help but cry. She tried to compose herself before responding to his text. She didn’t want to come off as desperate and beg for him to give them a chance at real love. She’d done that too many times in past relationships, and she wasn’t going to make that mistake again. Every time, she was left feeling embarrassed and worthless. On the other hand, she didn’t want to come off as the angry black woman who couldn’t handle parting ways. Cussing him out wasn’t going to make her feel any better. It would only intensify her anger. “If he wants to be with me, he’ll show it, but I will not chase him,” she said to herself, “He’ll just have to wait to hear from me…if ever. I don’t have time for this shit.” She sat her phone down on the table and walked back to the kitchen to pour herself another glass of wine before heading to her bathroom to have a candle lit bubble bath. She needed to clear her mind. The soothing bath along with some music playing in the background was going to do the job. It was 3 a.m., and all she could think to herself was fuck him and fuck being friends.

Reneè, Sydney. Let’s Be Friends