Kiesha wasn't the type to snoop. She was the type who trusted. The girl who gave you the benefit of the doubt until the cliff crumbled beneath her faith. But lately, her instincts had been louder than usual. Sharper. Something was off.
David didn't text like he used to. Tessy flaked on plans more and more. And the one time all three of them were in the same room? The air was thick. Sticky. Like unspoken truths were clinging to the walls, waiting to fall.
Kiesha stared at herself in the mirror. Her reflection didn't look unsure—it looked betrayed, though she hadn't caught anyone red-handed yet. It was the vibe. That weird energy that sticks to your skin when you walk into a room you weren't supposed to enter.
Tessy had been her girl since college. They'd cried over heartbreaks, bled through bad decisions together, held each other's secrets like delicate glass. So why did it feel like one was about to shatter?
She scrolled through her messages. Tessy hadn't replied to her last one from yesterday. Kiesha had sent a selfie, captioned, "Miss your chaos. Let's link."
Left on read.
David walked through the apartment door like a man with nothing to hide. That in itself was suspicious.
"Hey babe," he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead.
Kiesha tilted her chin slightly. "You smell like Versette's backstage."
He laughed. "You know how those shows are. Champagne, perfume, and broken dreams."
She didn't laugh back.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"I don't know, David. You tell me."
He sat across from her on the edge of the couch, fingers interlaced. "You're acting weird."
She blinked. "So are you."
He ran a hand through his hair. "Babe, I love you. But you've been on edge lately. What is this really about?"
She wanted to say it. Wanted to scream, "I know you're fucking her."
But she didn't. Because she didn't have proof. Just a gut full of rage and sadness and that sickening sixth sense women are cursed to carry.
She swallowed the accusation like it tasted like poison. Which it did.
Later that night, while David was in the shower, Kiesha checked his phone.
She knew his password. Of course she did. Love teaches you to trust. But fear teaches you to remember passcodes.
No texts from Tessy. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a clean screen.
Too clean.
Almost like someone had scrubbed it.
Her heart sank.
She called Tessy the next morning. No answer.
She FaceTimed her. Declined.
She Dym'd her on Instagram.
Seen.
No reply.
That's when the feeling went from gut to certainty
Kiesha booked a mani-pedi appointment and texted Tessy casually. "Let's pamper today. My treat. Noon."
Tessy replied ten minutes later. "Can't today. Got fittings."
Kiesha lied. "I saw your name's not on the lineup."
No response.
Busted.
She didn't confront her. Not yet. Instead, she started watching.
When Tessy posted a mirror selfie from her apartment, Kiesha zoomed in.
That was David's hoodie on the floor.
His shoes by the door.
His cologne on her counter.
The pieces were forming a full picture. Ugly. Clear. Unforgivable.
The following weekend, Kiesha threw a small party. Just close friends. She invited Tessy. Invited David too. Pretended she didn't know a damn thing.
When Tessy walked in, Kiesha hugged her like usual.
But the hug lasted a beat longer.
And in that beat, she whispered into Tessy's ear.
"You wore that same perfume when you fucked my man, huh?"
Tessy froze. Smile cracked. Eyes wide.
"What did you say?"
Kiesha pulled back and grinned. "Nothing. Just glad you made it."
The whole night, Tessy couldn't relax. She barely touched her drink. David avoided eye contact. Kiesha? She laughed like nothing in the world was wrong.
But her heart was cold.
Her gut had been screaming.
And now, her gut had receipts.
She was done.
But this wasn't the kind of pain you cried over and moved on.
This was the kind of betrayal you planned a comeback for.
Kiesha left the party early.
David texted her, "Where you going'?"
She replied, "To find the version of me that won't ever let this shit slide."
No more gut feelings.
Only action.
And revenge?
That was going to be styled better than any runway Tessy had ever walked.