THREE’S COMPANY PART TWO: SILENT MODE

Tonya wasn't the type to go looking for trouble.

At least, she tried not to be.

She had learned a long time ago that if you went searching through a man's phone, nine times out of ten, you'd find exactly what you were afraid of.

So she didn't touch Samuel's.

She didn't ask for passwords.

Didn't check call logs.

Didn't wait for him to fall asleep so she could hold his phone up to his face and unlock it.

She wasn't doing all that.

But she wasn't stupid either.

And lately...

Samuel's phone had been doing a whole lot of talking.

Bzzzz.

Unknown Caller.

Bzzzz.

Another number.

Bzzzz.

No contact name.

And every time…

Samuel ignored it.

One Saturday afternoon, they were sitting on Tonya's couch trying to decide what they wanted to eat.

“Chinese,” Samuel suggested.

“No,” Tonya replied.

“Why you say no that fast?” Samuel asked, laughing.

“Because you pick Chinese every time,” Tonya said.

“And you eat it every time,” Samuel teased.

“That's beside the point,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

His phone rang.

Tonya looked at him.

Samuel looked at the screen and declined the call.

“Your cousin again?” Tonya asked.

“Yep,” Samuel replied casually.

“Damn. Your cousin calls more than I do.”

“He got some stuff going on,” Samuel explained.

“What kind of stuff?” Tonya asked.

Samuel's smile faded slightly.

“Personal stuff.”

Tonya stared at him.

“Samuel.”

“What?” he replied.

“You've been saying that.”

“Saying what?” Samuel asked.

“That it's your cousin.”

“Because it is,” he replied.

“From all these different numbers?” Tonya questioned.

Samuel sighed.

“He uses burner phones sometimes.”

Tonya blinked.

“Burner phones?”

“Yeah,” Samuel replied.

“What is your cousin, a drug dealer?” she asked sarcastically.

Samuel laughed.

“Girl, no.”

“Then why the hell does he need burner phones?”

“It's complicated,” Samuel answered.

Tonya sat back against the couch.

There was that phrase again.

It's complicated.

Samuel reached for her hand.

“Why you worried about my cousin anyway?” he asked.

“I'm not worried about your cousin,” Tonya replied. “I'm wondering why somebody keeps blowing your phone up from numbers you don't have saved.”

“I told you who it is,” Samuel said.

“And I'm supposed to just believe that?” Tonya asked.

Samuel released her hand.

The energy shifted.

“You don't trust me?” he asked.

Tonya hated that question.

Not because she didn't have an answer.

Because somehow whenever a man asked it, the conversation stopped being about what he was doing and became about what she was feeling.

“I didn't say that,” Tonya replied.

“You didn't have to,” Samuel said.

“Samuel, don't do that.”

“Do what?” he asked.

“Turn this around on me,” Tonya snapped.

“I'm not turning anything around,” Samuel replied.

“Yes, you are.”

His phone rang again.

They both looked at it.

This time, a number appeared.

Samuel quickly grabbed the phone.

Tonya caught only the last four digits.

7814.

He declined it and placed the phone facedown.

“Your cousin?” Tonya asked.

“Tonya...” Samuel warned.

“I'm asking.”

“And I answered you already,” he replied.

Tonya stared at him for a few seconds before standing.

“I'm ordering Chinese.”

Samuel laughed.

“I knew you wanted Chinese.”

“Shut up,” Tonya replied, trying not to smile.

The tension broke.

At least for Samuel.

Tonya laughed too, but something stayed with her.

7814.

She didn't know why she remembered it.

She just did.

Over the next few weeks, things changed.

Not enough for Tonya to accuse Samuel of anything.

Just enough for her to notice.

The spontaneous dates slowed down.

“Maybe next weekend,” Samuel would say.

Dinner plans became..

“I gotta handle something.”

And the man who used to call just to hear her voice started sending texts instead.

Busy. Call you later.

Later sometimes came.

Sometimes it didn't.

Tonya tried not to make a big deal out of it.

People had lives.

People got busy.

Relationships settled.

Everything couldn't stay like the beginning forever.

That's what she told herself.

Until Thursday.

Tonya called Samuel after work.

Straight to voicemail.

She waited twenty minutes and called again.

Voicemail.

An hour later, she tried one more time.

Voicemail.

She finally texted him.

You good?

Nothing.

Two hours passed.

Then three.

Tonya tossed her phone onto the bed.

“Whatever,” she mumbled to herself.

She went to shower.

When she came back, her phone was ringing.

It was Samuel.

She stared at his name.

Part of her wanted to let it ring.

The other part wanted answers.

She answered.

“Hello?”

“What's wrong with you?” Samuel asked.

Tonya frowned.

“What do you mean, what's wrong with me?”

“You sound mad,” Samuel replied.

“I called you three times,” Tonya said.

“I was busy.”

“Doing what?” she asked.

Silence.

Not long.

Maybe two seconds.

But long enough.

“My cousin needed me,” Samuel answered.

Tonya closed her eyes.

Of course.

“Your cousin,” she repeated.

“Yeah,” Samuel replied.

“The burner-phone cousin?” Tonya asked sarcastically.

Samuel sighed.

“Why you gotta say it like that?”

“Because that's what you told me,” Tonya replied.

“He's going through something right now.”

“So every time you disappear, it's because of him?” she questioned.

“I don't disappear,” Samuel said defensively.

Tonya laughed.

“Okay.”

“Tonya…”

“I'm tired, Samuel.”

“Baby, don't do that,” he pleaded.

“Do what?” 

“Make something out of nothing.”

Tonya went quiet.

Maybe he was right.

Maybe she was making something out of nothing.

Maybe old wounds were making her suspicious.

Maybe she was waiting for Samuel to become every man who had disappointed her before him.

And that wasn't fair.

Was it?

“I'll call you tomorrow,” Tonya said.

“Tonya,” Samuel replied.

“Goodnight, Samuel.”

She hung up.

Tonya placed the phone beside her.

Less than a minute later..

Bzzzz.

A text.

She assumed it was Samuel.

It wasn't.

UNKNOWN NUMBER

Tonya sat up.

The message contained only four words.

Do you know Samuel?

Her stomach tightened.

She stared at the screen.

Another message appeared.

Hello?

Tonya's fingers hovered over the keyboard.

She started typing.

Who is this?

Then stopped.

Deleted it.

Her phone buzzed again.

Never mind. Wrong number.

Tonya stared at the message.

Something didn't feel right.

She tapped the number at the top of the screen.

Her heart dropped.

The last four digits were familiar.

7814.

The same number that had called Samuel.

Tonya immediately called him.

Straight to voicemail.

She called again.

Voicemail.

“Samuel, what the hell...” Tonya whispered.

Her phone buzzed one final time.

Another message from 7814.

Forget I contacted you.

Tonya read it twice.

Then a third time.

Enough was enough.

She called the number.

It rang once.

Twice.

Three times.

Someone answered.

Tonya sat completely still.

“Hello?” she asked.

Nothing.

But she could hear breathing.

“Hello? Who is this?” Tonya demanded.

Silence.

Tonya's patience disappeared.

“Look, you contacted me. So if you got something to say, say it.”

A few seconds passed.

Then a woman's voice finally whispered..

“You really don't know, do you?”

Tonya froze.

“Know what?” she asked.

Click.

The call ended.

“Hello?”

Tonya pulled the phone away from her ear.

“Hello?!”

The call was gone.

She immediately tried calling back.

Straight to voicemail.

Tonya slowly lowered the phone.

Her heart was beating faster now.

She looked at Samuel's name in her recent calls.

Then back at 7814.

Something was going on.

And whatever it was...

Samuel knew more than he was telling her.

Tonya opened their text thread.

Her fingers moved quickly across the screen.

We need to talk.

She hit send.

Then stared at the message.

Delivered.

No response.

Tonya tossed the phone onto the bed.

“Okay, Samuel,” she whispered.

“If that's how you want to play it.”

For weeks, Tonya had ignored the feeling in her stomach.

She had questioned herself.

Made excuses for him.

Tried not to bring baggage from old relationships into this one.

But now?

A woman had called her.

A woman who clearly knew Samuel.

And apparently...

knew something about Tonya too.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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