The situationship, p.1
The Situationship, page 1
About the Author
Taylor-Dior Rumble is a writer and actor, born and raised in South-East London. Writing is the only thing she’s ever really loved since she was a child, expressing her passion as a fashion blogger during her schooldays.
Taylor-Dior started her journalism career at BBC News, producing and writing stories ranging from the politics of Black hair to colourism in Hollywood and the Oscars, until she realised she didn’t just want to write about other people doing cool and creative things – she wanted to do something cool and creative as well.
Taylor-Dior Rumble
* * *
THE SITUATIONSHIP
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Acknowledgements
For my dad, Martin Antonio Rumble.
My most favourite storyteller in the world.
I love you and miss you always.
1
Tia had been to the toilet three-and-a-half times since she’d rushed home from work. The first time was as soon as she walked through the door and begged her sister to hurry up and get out of the bathroom. The second time was after she had got out the shower, the third was while her concealer was drying, and the half was when she thought she had to go, in the middle of drying her hair. She spritzed her round face with a finishing spray and swiped layers of brown gloss onto her plump lips, and Tia was finally ready for the night ahead. She took a deep breath while smoothing down the sides of her knitted dress that held on to her hips, disguising her bumps and hugging her curves in all the right places, admiring her reflection and the slit that drew attention to her left thigh. She gave herself an approving nod while fluffing out her curls once more – she had to look flawless. Her primping was disturbed by a text from her best friend Hannah, asking for the reservation time again despite Tia having sent it to the group chat that morning. She rolled her eyes and replied, reminding the squad not to be even a second late: everything had to be perfect tonight.
After months of texting, countless voice notes, and many hours spent overanalysing everything he posted on his Instagram Stories, Tia couldn’t wait to welcome Aaron back home with wide-open arms, and wide-open legs if he wasn’t too tired from his flight. But even if he was, anything remotely close to the kiss they’d shared the night before he left would be all that Tia could possibly want after eight months of being apart. It had been the longest the two had ever gone without seeing each other, but since he was now back at his parents’ house, just a couple of roads away from Tia’s, they could slip right back into their old routine. In fact, she had already planned to try and synchronise their journeys home after work, maybe grabbing a drink at her favourite bar or showing him the best places to eat near his new office. She couldn’t wait, she thought to herself while adding the final touch: a pair of gold hoop earrings.
The restaurant she’d chosen sat on the corner of a bustling high street by Deptford Market, humble and unassuming in its location, but chic and cosy on the inside. Bare walls, dark wooden floors, and dim string lights that hung above candlelit marble tables. Tia gazed around the space with a grin, pleased that it looked just as romantic as it did online – she’d spent days searching for the perfect location. She was even happier to spot her best friend Luca, already sat at their table with a half-empty drink, still in his suit from another day at the law firm that worked him too hard. He looked around the restaurant and slicked his dark gel-covered hair back, until he saw Tia being escorted to their table and looked her up and down.
‘Oh my God.’
Tia body-rolled and giggled before leaning over to hug him. ‘You like?’
‘I love,’ he said, giving a little round of applause. ‘Now, here’s the drinks menu.’
‘I love the way you think.’
‘Figured you’d need one before your boyfriend gets here,’ sighed Luca, returning to his phone.
‘He’s not my boyfriend!’
‘The slit on that dress says otherwise,’ he said, tickling her thigh. ‘Hannah’s gonna be so proud to see you in something other than a Tupac shirt.’
‘Fuck you!’ she laughed. ‘Speaking of, where she at?’
‘Probably running late cos of Sean.’
‘Sean? But the table’s only booked for four.’
Before Tia could complain, she saw Hannah at the door and her disinterested-looking boyfriend walking in behind her.
‘Guess she couldn’t leave the ball-and-chain at home,’ whispered Tia.
‘More like he couldn’t stand the fact she has a life outside their relationship,’ said Luca through gritted teeth.
Hannah looked every bit the effortlessly cool fashion intern. Her long legs were encased in a pair of flared jeans, and she wore a fitted white T-shirt she had no doubt cut and cropped herself, accessorised with a pair of ankle boots, chunky hoop earrings, and Ruby Woo, which drew even more attention to her full lips. Her bum-length braids swayed as she sashayed between the tables.
‘You look insane!’ she said, planting air kisses to the sides of Tia’s cheeks.
‘Just tryna be like you, sis.’
‘Oh, please! I would’ve made more of an effort if someone wasn’t rushing me.’
‘Tia would’ve had our heads for dinner if we got here late!’ Sean said while shaking Luca’s limp hand.
‘Not gonna lie, he’s right, still,’ Tia said, forcing out a laugh while glaring at Hannah for bringing a plus-one the group could’ve done without.
After ordering a round of drinks and browsing the menu, Tia adjusted the extra chair that had been brought over to their table, then drained her Mai Tai as soon as it arrived. Every time the sounds from the high street got louder, she turned around to see if it was Aaron walking through the door. She checked her phone and held it up in the air several times just to check whether she had bad signal – he’d usually text if he was running late. Hannah rested her hand on Tia’s shaking leg under the table before leaning into her ear, covering their faces with the menu.
‘Will you relax? You look amazing and happy hour doesn’t end for another hour – he’s gonna be haps.’
‘Haps about me? Or the two-for-one cocktails?’
‘Both.’
‘No, but seriously, it’s just Aaron,’ said Luca, reaching over the table and grabbing the menu. ‘You’re acting like you haven’t known him for a million years.’
‘I know but I can’t help it! I’ve missed him so much.’
‘Bitch, please, you missed those lips!’ Luca hissed before taking a sip of his drink. ‘A sesh ending with that many love bites has gotta be unforgettable.’
Tia shook her head into her hands. ‘Oh my days, allow me, please!’ she begged.
‘Nope, you’re never living that down!’ cackled Hannah. ‘Legit thought we were back in colly the way you searched for hickey cover-up tutorials.’
‘Not my finest moment.’
‘But I’m sure there’ll be plenty more after tonight,’ huffed Luca, before waving his hand at a waiter to order another round.
Tia could feel the second Mai Tai take the edge off her nerves. She looked at her friends around the table, grateful that their bickering was putting her at ease. The only thing that was missing was Aaron, she thought. She smiled at the blissful thought of him sitting beside her, their arms interlinked, laughing at Hannah and Luca arguing over something dumb like they had always done for so many years. She couldn’t wait to get back on track.
As she took another sip of her drink, she caught a glimpse of a dazzling smile nestled in a dark, thick beard. She put down her glass and strained her neck to look past the group of people in front of this person, and gasped when she realised it was Aaron. His deep brown skin glowed beneath the string lights, and she could just about make out his razor-sharp shape-up, smiling at the trouble he must’ve gone to trying to get a haircut as soon as he landed in London. He was already laughing with the maître d’ who was escorting him through the crowd, which was just so typical of Aaron, Tia thought to herself. Just like his classically handsome looks, his boyish charm was irresistible. Her heartbeat accelerated as he walked closer, revealing the rest of his outfit, which Tia mentally approved of. His broad shoulders were draped in a camel coat, and beneath it he wore a grey sweatshirt and blue denim jeans. She smiled at his Jordans, which he had no doubt bought for a ridiculous amount from a reseller.
Before anyone else on the table noticed what she was looking at, Tia leaped up from her seat and launched herself into Aaron’s chest, wrapping her arms around his neck and taking in the scent of his spicy bergamot cologne.
‘You’re here!’ she squealed into his ear as he began to laugh.
She felt a single arm around her waist and held on to him even tighter, rocking his
‘Tia, right?’ the woman asked. ‘Aaron’s told me so much about you!’
She reached out for a hug, enveloping Tia in the patchouli musk of her perfume.
‘Oh, you’re a hugger!’
‘I am I’m afraid!’ she laughed before letting go. ‘It’s so great to finally meet the famous Tia!’
Her voice was chirpy and bright in a way that drew even more attention to her American accent. Her sleek, dark hair was parted in the middle and slicked down into the kind of bun Kendall Jenner would wear. The girl was wrapped in an expensive-looking floor-length cardigan, which elevated the skinny jeans and T-shirt she wore underneath. Her thick black glasses and minimal jewellery made her look even more polished and put together.
‘Don’t know about famous,’ Tia laughed. ‘I’m sorry but I didn’t get your n—’
‘This is Olivia,’ announced Aaron. He looked at her with a warm smile before turning to everyone else. ‘My girlfriend.’
2
Girlfriend?!
The word echoed over and over again in Tia’s mind until she registered the fact that Aaron really was referring to someone that wasn’t her, that this was actually happening.
She froze for what felt like an hour, until she realised she was blocking the couple’s way and moved to one side so that everyone could greet them properly. Tia wrapped her arms around her stomach, feeling as if the words had left Aaron’s mouth and punched her straight in the gut. She could feel the concerned stares of her best friends burning a hole into her head and looked at the floor, feeling every gland in her eyelids swell, knowing she’d most definitely burst into tears if she made any eye contact with them. She gripped the backrest of one of the chairs until her nails left marks in the leather, as Aaron continued making his way around the table before realising there weren’t enough seats for everyone. Her stomach lurched at the thought of giving up her own chair up for this random girl so she waved down a nearby waiter, asking if it was possible to get another. He sighed and gave Tia a look that screamed ‘Fuck off’, before going over to the maître d’, who also looked visibly annoyed but did a better job at disguising it.
‘I’m so sorry but we’re at full capacity,’ he said gesturing to the packed restaurant. ‘But you could always have your guests wait by the bar until another booking frees up a seat?’
Just as Olivia looked as though she was going to volunteer as tribute, Tia took her arm and insisted she sit. There’s no way you get to be a fucking saint tonight, she thought to herself, grabbing her clutch bag and her coat, which was hanging from the backrest. Olivia, Aaron and the rest of the table began to protest until Tia waved her hand in the air.
‘Guys, it’s fine! Honestly. Aaron, sit down!’ she said. ‘You guys must be so knackered from the journey.’
‘But what about you though?’ he asked. He looked around the restaurant as if a chair would magically appear. ‘Let’s just go somewhere el—’
‘Oh my days, don’t be silly!’ She cleared her throat and chugged the rest of the watery Mai Tai. ‘Look! I need another drink anyway. Don’t worry.’
She reassured everyone with a smile and scurried off to the bar as fast as her legs could take her, plopping herself onto the spindly stool, inhaling and exhaling until she was ready to string together an actual sentence that didn’t consist of ‘What the fuck?!’ She desperately waved her arm at the bartender who had already ignored her twice.
‘Erm, hi, can I get, uh—’
‘Two Mai Tais and two tequila shots, please.’
Luca slapped his debit card on the bar and slid it towards the bartender. He put his arm around Tia’s sunken shoulders.
‘What are you doing? Go sit down, I’ll be there soon,’ she said in a shaky voice. She struggled to lift her gaze from the napkins and straws in front of her.
‘And fifth-wheel Sean and that fake-ass Huda? I’m good.’
In any normal case, Tia would’ve probably laughed at Luca’s shade but she was too busy trying to remember how to breathe. She held her hands together and exhaled, debating if it was too extreme to ask God to strike her down and put her out of her misery.
‘No, but what the actual fuck? Like, is this actually happening?’
‘Breathe. Your eyelashes look way too good to ruin right now.’
Tia looked up at the ceiling, hoping her teary eyes wouldn’t loosen the glue she’d painstakingly applied to her strip lashes with the help of a TikTok tutorial she’d barely understood.
‘He never mentioned her once,’ she sniffed.
‘Yeah, fuckboys tend to leave out important details like that,’ said Luca, glaring at Aaron across the restaurant.
‘He’s not a fuckboy though. He’s Aaron.’
‘Stringing someone along for months just to come back with a girlfriend is Fuckboy 101, babes, history or not.’
‘So that kiss the night before he left … it meant nothing to him?’ Tia could feel her throat closing up and exhaled again. ‘Like, nothing at all?’
Several Spanish swear words left Luca’s mouth as he peered down the bar to see what was taking their drinks order so long.
‘All those FaceTime movie nights, the daily “good morning” texts, the random selfies throughout the day … What, was I just practice until he found someone else?’
Before Luca could swear again, the barman placed their drinks in front of them. Tia’s voice began to crack.
‘I feel so stupid. After all those years of back and forth, I thought we’d finally got to something real. I can’t believe this is happening.’
‘No, no! Come on!’ Luca grabbed hold of Tia’s hands before forcing a tequila shot into one of them. ‘Crying over wastemen is not our brand: drink.’
She looked at the serious expression on his face and nodded, before clinking her glass to his and swallowing every drop of the shot. Tia shuddered as the alcohol hit her empty stomach.
‘There,’ said Luca, popping a lime wedge into Tia’s mouth. ‘Now doesn’t that feel better?’
Tia shook her head then felt someone’s arms wrap round her shoulders from behind.
‘Hey, sis,’ said Hannah. ‘They’ve brought another chair now, you ready to come over?’
Tia shook her head again, spat out the lime (much to the bartender’s disgust), and reached for the Mai Tai melting in front of her, while Luca reached for her phone. He unlocked it and began to furiously tap away until she finally looked up from her half-empty glass and glanced over at him.
‘Wait, what are you doing?’ she asked tentatively.
‘The cure to getting over someone,’ he said, showing the girls the screen, ‘is getting under someone else.’
Hannah laughed while Tia sank into her arms even more, groaning at the dating app profile Luca was currently filling out.
‘You can’t be serious,’ she said.
‘I’m deadly serious.’
‘Shouldn’t she process this first?’ asked Hannah, rubbing Tia’s back. ‘It’s too soon to get thrown into the jungle. She’s never even used Hinge before!’
‘Hannah!’ Luca slapped her shoulder. ‘How long have we been trying to get this nun to join the rest of this generation? There has never been a better time than now!’
Tia kissed her teeth. ‘Nun, you know.’
‘And you ain’t had none since you’ve been waiting for that prick like a fucking military wife or some shit,’ he hissed, pointing his sharp chin towards the table. ‘He’s taking the piss.’
Hannah shrieked into the air while Tia tried her best to hold back her laugh but cracked a smile anyway. The alcohol was finally hitting.
