Chapter 4: What If?

Felicia and Dave kept their eyes on each other as Dwayne watched them both. He had hoped that when he went to the show that he would see Dave, but Dave obviously had no clue that he was going to lay eyes back on Felicia. Dave hugged Dwayne and went back to the backstage area while all the fans continued to scream for him. Felicia sat down as if she was in a trance. Dwayne noticed her demeanor.

"Lish, you okay?"

Felicia continued to look out at the ring and nodded her head in response.

"Well the show is over, do you want to go back and say goodbye to him?"

Felicia shot her brother a look. "No, I don't, thank you."

"Well, I thought I would ask, smart ass." Dwayne paused. "I mean, it looked to me that you couldn't take your eyes off him."

Felicia rolled her eyes at him. "That's not true."

"Felicia Antoinette, yes you were staring at him." Dwayne giggled slightly. "You stared at him the very same way you did when you first met him."

Felicia stopped looking at the ring and looked back at her brother. Without really knowing - she knew he was right. She ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. "Was I really?"

Dwayne looked at his little sister. "Yes you were."

While she loved her husband with all her heart and soul, she still wondered what her life would have been like if she had stayed in Washington with Dave. They both knew that their aspiring careers were worth alot, but could they have also stayed together?

That was a question that Felicia had long put of her mind - until now. She looked out at the top of the ramp as she and Dwayne walked to the backstage area with security not far behind. She stopped abruptly when she saw his dressing room door opened. She grabbed Dwayne's arm and tugged hard on it. But it was too late. Dave had called out to them.

Dwayne looked at Felicia and wiggled his eyebrows at her as she shot him a look. "I'm not going in there."

Dwayne stared at her, took her hand and pulled in the room with him. "Hello, Dave."

Dave looked at the both of them and shot them a look. "What's wrong with you guys?"

Dwayne smiled brightly as he pulled Felicia down beside him on the couch. "Nothing."

"Are you sure?" Dave started. "Because you look like you are mad about something."

"No, Dave, she is not mad." Dwayne said as he looked at Felicia. "She is anything but mad."

Dave and Dwayne conversed for a couple of hours while Felicia listened. Anytime Dave would ask her something she would just answer by nodding or shaking her head. She was afraid that she would say too much. Maybe something she would regret. Like that she still would sometimes wonder about him. But she couldn't do that. And she knew she couldn't. Don was part of her life now. A big part.

As Dwayne said his goodbyes to Dave, Felicia began heading toward the door. Dave noticed. "What's your hurry, Felicia?"

Felicia turned around to face him and Dwayne. "I'm going out here in the hallway to make a phone call to my husband, if you don't mind?"

Dave shot her look and sat down. "Ah, yes, what's his name?"

"His name is Don."

"Don, huh?"

"Yes, Don." Felicia had her hand on the doorknob as Dave approached her. "Do you have a problem with his name, David?"

"No, not at all." Dave said. "I mean, he is, after all, your husband."

"That's right, he is my husband."

Dave smiled at her as she turned the doorknob and walked out the door to call Don. He looked over at Dwayne. "That's your sister, man."

"I know."

"When did she marry him?" Dave asked.

"Man you know when she married him, I told you."

"I know, but I still can't believe it."

"Well, believe it partner, because she married him."

Dave looked down at the floor with alot of questions floating around in his head. But one question bugged him the most. "Does she love him?"

"It seems to me that she does." Dwayne paused and looked over at Dave. "When she went out to L.A. to record the album, she called mom and said that she had found someone that she really cared for. And a few months later, she called saying that she was getting married. And not much later, did the album take off and she became the princess of R&B."

"And she forgot about me." Dave said taking in a deep breath.

Dwayne went and sat down beside Dave on the couch. "No she didn't. She will never forget about you, Dave."

Dave looked at Dwayne. "She married him didn't she? That's proof enough."

"Man, don't look at it like that."

Dave continued looking at Dwayne. "How else am I to look at it, D?"

Dwayne sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't know, Dave. I really don't know."

Dave stood up and looked down at Dwayne as Dwayne looked back up at him. Running his hand through his short dark hair, Dave placed his hands on hips and stared down at the floor. He shook his head from side to side. In his heart, he knew that he missed her and no doubt loved her. But he also knew that she was now married to another man. A man that was not him. And Dave didn't like that at all. But how could he not like someone he didn't even know? His thoughts were interrupted as Felicia walked back into the room. She was smiling as she continued to talk on the phone. Dave watched her intently. As he listened to her talk and giggle, he became more and more intrigued with who her new husband was and what she saw in him.