Tarnished

ROBYN

It’s amazing what good sex can do. When we left the mall, Rocky took me to his duck off spot at Manhattan beach, where we set some rules to our situation. No questions, no venting, and no expectations. We promised to keep emotions out and orgasms in. If either of us broke any of the agreements, that would be the end of our rendezvous.

After we both had a clear understanding, he got to work like his life depended on it. He took me to heights I’ve been desperately needing right there on the sand and in the back of his car. I rode him so good, I woke up the next morning sore as hell with a little pep in my step. 

What I didn’t expect, was Dre’s face to be the first one I saw when I arrived at the boutique. There was an all black Chevy Impala parked in the very last space, with some guy watching him. Guess he found a new driver. He kept glancing in all directions as if he was Dre’s bodyguard. All I could do was roll my eyes when I noticed Dre. He was holding a box of muffins and some flowers looking like somebody killed his dog.

I took my time getting out the cab, then slowly approached him with no-nonsense on my face. There wasn’t enough orgasms in the world to make me forget about him calling me an addict. When I got in front of him, I paused, waiting for him to speak first.

“I hate when you’re mad at me” he admitted, holding out the gifts.

“Is that what you think of me? An addict?” I quizzed, ignoring his offerings. 

“See, I knew you took what I was saying the wrong way. You know I don’t think you’re an addict, but you do need help. Which is why this is the last time I’m giving you these” he stated, pulling a pill bottle out of his pocket. It must’ve been evident that I didn’t want to take them from him, because he urged, holding them out for me to grab.

“I don’t want anything from you. Matter of fact, forget I even exist” I frowned, turning my back on him to unlock the door. I was early this morning for a reason and he was cutting into my time.

“Anna you gotta stop pushing the people who care about you away. I talked to John this morning and he told me-”

“Oh please, because YOU care about me right? Go care about those stupid tramps you got prancing around in them tight ass clothes at your clinic.” I bumped him out of my way, knocking the pill bottle from his hand as I entered the building.

I locked the door and peeped out the window as he scrambled to find the bottle without dropping everything else he was holding. The scowl on his face as he mumbled to himself when he picked it up, showed he was done trying. 

I hadn’t noticed before, but John was parked across the street waiting for him. He jogged over to the car without looking back, clearly cursing my name. 

“Bet his ass won’t come back now” I shook my head, thinking out loud.

“Damn it’s been forever since I’ve seen you!” Meagan’s animated voice scared the crap out of me.

“SHIT” I yelled, clutching my chest.

“Sorry, I ain’t mean to scare you” she giggled, coming from around the front counter. 

“What you doing here so early? I didn’t see your car out there.” I snapped, glancing around the store. 

“Oh, my mom needed to borrow my car, so I got dropped off today.” she explained as if this was the norm. Jenn, Frankie, and I were gonna have to have a talk. I gave them a key, so how did Meagan end up with a copy?

“So who’s that guy waiting out front?”

“What guy?”

“There was some guy” I explained, as I went to see if he was still there. He was gone and now I was starting to wonder if I was just overthinking. “Nevermind....you know we don’t open for another hour and a half right?”

“Yeah, I know. It was either be early or be late. So, here I am” she shrugged, walking over to the window to see what I was looking at. “Is that Dre”?

“I’ll be in my office if you need me” I yawned, ignoring her question as I jogged up the stairs.

It felt good being back in my workspace. I didn’t realize how much I missed being here. I started to notice that every time I’m in a low place, I avoid the things that really make me happy. Just then, an idea came to mind. It had been awhile since I’ve been inspired, so I wasted no time pulling out my pad letting my hand flow as I began to sketch. 

When I finished a couple of designs and going over the numbers for the past few weeks, I smoked a blunt, made some coffee, and promised myself today would be great before I went downstairs to join my crew. 

“Bitch, you don’t need no more vacations!” Frankie exclaimed, as Jenn finished counting the day’s deposit. While she did that, Frankie and I were reviewing the reports for the past quarter. For some reason, every time I was here in the shop compared to my vacation days, sales were up by thirty percent. I wasn’t complaining, but it did seem strange. 

“It makes sense if you ask me.” Meagan piped in. “Customer’s appreciate when you actually show up for them”

“Girl you still here?” I quizzed sarcastically. She was sticking her nose in places she had no business and it was starting to piss me off. “I appreciate your hard work. Enjoy the rest of your night and go get some rest. You’re off tomorrow so I’ll see you Thursday!”

“She’s off Thursday too!” Frankie corrected with a nod.

“Oh, well see you Friday” I grinned with a wave. She stood there lost for a moment, then finally agreed that she was tired as she grabbed her things and headed towards the door.

“Which one of ya’ll gave that heffa a key to my shop?” I asked crossing my arms over my chest as I glared from Jenn to Frankie.

“Not me” Frankie threw his hands up in defense. 

“What makes you think she has a key?” Jenn quizzed, unamused.

“She was the first one here today. I don’t trust her and I don’t appreciate my key being copied. I’m changing the locks.”

“I think your exaggerating” Jenn shook her head in disbelief.

“Well I think I’ll be the only one with a key since nobody knows how a copy just magically appeared.” I shrugged, leaving it at that. We finished closing the store in silence, but I could still feel Jenn’s attitude. I didn’t let it get to me though. I just rolled me another blunt and smoked until my cab showed up.

Minus the stench on his breath, the driver was a nice guy. He was a college kid trying to scrape up every dollar he could with every minute he had. I remembered those days. I invited him to have dinner with me when we pulled up to Gorgio Baldi, but he declined, which meant I’d be dining alone. Usually, I wouldn’t mind, but the last time I was here was with Chris. I hate that I let him meet me here, because now it will never be the same.

The same place that usually felt warm and cozy, was now big and cold. As I waited for my food, I had an eerie feeling that I was being watched. I looked around the room and noticed how busy it was. There were a few couples, a couple of families, and a group of girlfriends having dinner together. I wasn’t the only loner though. There was a guy, a couple of tables away, with his face in a book while he waited on his food. He was comfortable in his lonesome, but I was not. I couldn’t shake the feeling of embarrassment as the memories of the last time I was here, flooded my mind. 

When the waiter came back with my food, I took it to go. I decided if I wanted to enjoy my food in peace, I’d better stop and get Ollie and Pepe’s food as well. When I entered the grocery store, I was immediately irritated by how long all the checkout lines were. I wanted nothing to do with the chaos going on, so I grabbed some dog food and called it a day. 

As I weaved through the crowds, towards one of the long ass check out lines, I noticed a cashier opening a new lane, so I quickened my pace. I was almost there when, out of nowhere, a guy walked right in my path, causing me to smash my cart into his side.

“Fuck!” he yelled out in pain, scaring me half to death.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you! Are you okay?” I panicked, rushing around the basket to pick up one of the 2-liter cokes he’d dropped.

“I’m good” he winced, massaging his hip.

“You may wan grab another” I suggested, handing it back to him.

“You may wan watch where you’re going, you could’ve fucked my shit up.” he mimicked disrespectfully.

“Scuse me?” I paused, stepping back with a scowl. Who was he coming at sideways when he’s the one that ran into my basket? I fixed my lips to tear him down, but my voice caught in my throat.

“Oh shit! I was hoping I’d run into you again, just not literally, we forgot to exchange numbers.” Rocky lightened up, after recognizing me. I went from wanting to slap him, to wanting to jump his bones, and back to that strange feeling in the back of my gut. How the hell do I keep running into him?

“You following me?” I stared him down, trying to read him. I had to know, this was one too many coincidences. 

“How can I be following you when I’m on my way out?” He asked, waving his receipt.  “I was just picking up a few things for my little sister’s party ”

“Well, uh have fun.” I stammered, before rushing towards the checkout lane. Something about running into him two days in a row made me feel a little uneasy. He knows where I live, which means it’s possible he followed me. 

I didn’t see him or his car in the parking lot when I left the store, but I was more alert the entire ride home. By the time I made it home I convinced myself he lived nearby. That’s the only thing that made sense, so I said a quick prayer and brushed it off.

The next few days, I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder. I even went as far as having cameras installed at home. When you live alone, there’s no such thing as being too careful, so I updated my security system too. When everything was finished, I was impressed to say the least. I had everything connected to my phone, plus a couple of panic buttons around the house, in case I ever get caught slipping.

“This shit is dope” Mel exclaimed, as I explained the new system to her. “I just got one question. What’s going on?”

“What you mean?”

“Why did you get all this? Has Chris been threatening you?”

“What? Please! Not everything is about him. I just want to feel safe, that is all”

“You sure you’re not keeping anything from me?”

“I’m sure bitch! Now hurry up and roll up so we can get this movie started” I demanded, changing the subject. 

“Movie? Un-un! You still gotta pack your shit, we leave for Bim tomorrow.”

“Our flight ain’t til 11! I was gonna do it in the morning, you wanna help me?”

“Hell naw! You know how your ass is! It’s gon’ take you forever to pick out 3 days worth of clothes and I’m starving. I’m finna raid your fridge.” 

“Well, how ‘bout you pick my clothes and I fix dinner.” I bargained with a brow raise. 

“Ooooh, deal. I’ll take jerk chicken.” she jumped up a little too happily. “Besides, It’s been a minute since I raided your closet!”

“I betta not find nothing missing!” I called over my shoulder on my way to the kitchen.

CHRIS

"You can’t hold me!" Trey taunted, with his usual trash talk as the shot clock reached zero. We were at his crib playing 2K while Lala and Danni were cooking food, preparing for tomorrow. They were hosting Thanksgiving this year, so the house was smelling marvelous.

“Shut up man! You definitely got lucky” I shook my head in shame.

“Yeah okay, I beat yo ass bro. You just gon’ take that L?” he teased, challenging me to another round.

“Imma have to, I gotta get up outta here. I gotta be at the airport by 7am.” I explained, glancing at my watch. As much as I loved this game, I had other shit on my mind. I needed to figure out how to get Tae to hear me out, and what better way then through her best friend?

“Oh, you gotta get to Mama huh? Can’t miss out on that Thanksgiving dinner!”

“Nah, I’m actually gonna pop up on Tae. Maybe meet the fam and all that”

“Oh yeah? Can she cook?”

“You know what, now that you mention it,” I paused in deep thought. I don’t know. I’ve never had her cooking” 

“Well shit, I guess you about to find out! Good luck!” he laughed, cracking himself up. “But in all seriousness, how’s that going?”

“It’s cool” I lied with a shrug. “How’s the married life?”

“Man, if I knew marriage was the key to turn up the freak in Lala,  I would’ve did this shit a long time ago!” he exclaimed, grinning hard as hell.

“Guess that means it’s going good?”

“Nah, this shit is great. With the way we be going at it, she’s definitely gonna be pregnant any day. That’s if she ain’t already!”

“You fucking stupid” I laughed out loud and damn near choked when Lala came from the kitchen, holding a spatula covered in chocolate.

“Taste this” she demanded, as she strutted towards Trey. She had definitely put on a few pounds since I last saw her. Hopefully he was right and they were expecting. Everybody knew how much they wanted kids.

“Ugh, ain’t that cross contamination?” I frowned, shaking my head.

“Shut up, I’m still mad at you for what you did to my friend” Lala glared in my direction. 

“What you do?” Trey quizzed, looking confused. “You just said everything was cool”

“It was just a big misunderstanding” I sighed as I proceeded to explain the situation. 

“So you’re telling me you passed out next to yo horny ex-fuck buddy and ain’t hit?”

“I swear to God bro”

“No wonder she’s pissed. That just sounds like bullshit” Lala frowned, shaking her head. 

“It ain’t bullshit. Yeah, it looked bad, but I promise ya’ll I ain’t stupid enough to go down that road. I gave her some time to cool off, now I gotta go get my girl back”

“You really love her?” she wondered aloud as she cut her eyes at me.

“I do and I miss the shit outta her. Now what do I gotta do to at least get her to hear me out?”

“Chris, if I help you and you hurt my friend, I will personally help her fuck yo life up.”

“You ain’t gotta worry about that” 

“Okay, you got one shot. The only reason I’m even agreeing to help is because I know how she feels about you. She deserves to be happy. So if you ain’t 1000% sure about her then you should just leave things where they are. ”

“Damn he said he ain’t cheat! If my boy can survive that kind of temptation, then he know what he want. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience. ” Trey exclaimed on my behalf.

“He got a point. Now can you call her for me?

“Why you can’t call her?”

“You know she blocked me” I shook my head as she pulled her phone out.

“You wanna talk to her”

“Nah, I just need you to figure out what she got going on tomorrow so I can pop up on her. I know that seeing me face to face will show her how serious I am.”

“Okay, I can do that.” she smiled, as she dialed Tae’s number. She answered on the second ring and they caught up before she got the information I needed. Tae didn’t even think twice as she ran down her plans for tomorrow. I made Lala promise not to give her a heads up so she could be genuinely surprised. Now all I had to do was show up and speak my truth. How hard could that be?

ROBYN

“If the dog don’t trust it, you know something’s up” Mel blurted to the TV.  We were bundled up together on my love seat because my grown ass wanted to cuddle.

“I never understood why people don’t listen to they dogs!” I agreed, as we cracked our beers and clinked them. We were watching the Conjuring, knowing damn well we were gonna have nightmares from it. I didn’t care, I just needed a distraction.

Ever since the beach sex I had with Rocky, my hormones have been raging. That man had a magical tongue and the fact that he could hang for so long was impressive. I had more than a few orgasms when he’d finally gotten his, and I definitely didn’t expect that from a stranger. I didn’t know if he was really that good or if my drought intensified our encounter. Either way, I was still riding the high.

“You gonna answer that?” I asked, shaking Mel’s shoulder when her loud ass ringtone woke up my babies. Evidently, she was exhausted because she didn’t even make it halfway through the movie.

“Mellie” I called out again, but all she did was roll over and snore louder. I figured it was J when the text notification went off, so I grabbed her phone to let him know she had passed out.

I need another round, last night was incredible. 

What are you doing tonight?

Seeing Michael’s new text along  with no previous messages had my mind going straight to the gutter. I just knew this hoe wasn’t cheating on J. I wanted to wake her ass up, but decided against it. There had to be more to the story. I really hoped so.

My nosy ass could’t help it. I had to get more information. I went through her call history and didn’t notice his name once. I was about to dig even deeper when my phone lit up with an alarm notification. I received a text when my alarm noticed movement within 15 feet of my house. The last couple of times it was a squirrel but this time I was glad I checked it anyway. Apparently I had company.

I wasn’t sure how to feel about this unannounced visit, but smiled when a familiar face paused and took a deep breath before knocking at my door. 

“Sorry for popping up on you” Rocky grinned, when I opened the door.

“So you remembered where I live?”

“I couldn’t forget if I wanted to. My sister lives right across the street” he pointed behind him at the party that was going on. "She throws a mean Thanksgiving eve party if you don’t have anything going on.”

“Oh, um”

“I would’ve invited you the other day but you left so quickly I didn’t get your number” he hinted.

“My bad, I was in a hurry. I would go, but my sis is staying with me tonight.”

“The more the merrier. I bet she’d have a good time too”

“We actually have a flight in the morning, so we’re about to call it a night.” 

ROBYN

I called Mel to blow off some steam, but her phone was going straight to voicemail. To say I was boiling was an understatement. Half an hour later, I found myself asking for a shot of whiskey at the nearest bar. Some place that probably hadn’t had a new customer in weeks. 

“I’ll take a water with lemon” John stated, his eyes roaming the dark room. The place was small, yet cold and unfamiliar. There wasn’t many people here, but you could tell the few present were regulars.  

“Thanks for coming in with me, I know this ain’t in ya job description” I sighed, trying my hardest not to dump all my problems on him.

“I’m just glad you got up out the house. I was beginning to think you replaced me” 

“You know better than that! You ain’t getting rid of me that easy” I chuckled in surprise. I tossed back my shot and motioned for the bartender to refill me, wasting no time to toss that one back too.

“This whiskey’s not gonna have you trying to throw bottles upside my head again is it?”

“I promise I’ll behave myself” I crossed my heart with my right hand. “Sometimes, I get so worked up and I just need to take the edge off. Whiskey helps.”

“Don’t let this shit be your go to” he advised, glancing over his shoulder to see who walked in when the door opened.

“Shopping is my go to, Mary Jane is definitely the runner up, but this shit easily takes third place.” I admitted, nonchalantly. “Everybody needs an outlet”  

“You gonna have to find some better outlets. I know it’s hard, but I’ve been where you are before and it ain’t a pretty place. I’m not going to sit back and watch you spiral downhill.”

“Eh, to each their own. I’m sure you got your outlets.” I shrugged, before requesting another refill and quickly gulping it down. John just shook his head and looked back at the door as a couple of people walked out. I loved how alert he always was, it made me feel safe. Safe enough, to order another shot.

“Can you at least slow down?” he demanded rather than asked. “Ain’t no way yo tolerance that high.”

“Boy please! I am Bajan, we can hold our liquor.” I teased, starting to feel myself. The whiskey had my temperature rising, so I slid my jacket down on to the stool. The bartender placed my refill in front of me, this time flashing his dingy smile while his eyes burned a hole in my chest. 

“Thanks, we’ll let you know if we need anything else” John practically yelled to snap him from his daze.

“Sorry man. We don’t get models in here often” he apologized before tending to the other couple at the bar.

“Bullshit” I blurted before falling into giggles. “I know I look like shit today, but that was a good save”

“You ready? Cause I’m ready to get up outta here.” John stood, with his mind made up. He’s never bossed me around before and oddly enough, it was turning me on.

“Wait, just let me get-”

“You’ve had enough, let’s go.” he ordered, looking down at me. I was beginning to imagine his dark skin on mine and realized he was right. It had to be the liquor taking over, so I shook the thought away and stood like he requested. 

 "Yeah, you’re right, I uh, need to do some shopping anyway.” I stammered, leaving a few twenty's on the counter before leading the way out. 

The ride to the mall was awkward. I rolled and smoked an entire blunt to myself on the way. I could tell John was pissed, but I didn’t understand why or even cared to ask. I’m sick of people trying to give me advice I didn’t ask for. I’m grown as hell and if I want to get fucked up in the middle of the day on a Monday, then that’s what I’ll do. 

“I know how long these trips can be and I don’t want you to feel rushed, just give me a call when you’re ready” he stated, once we reached the mall entrance.

“Don’t even worry about it. Thanks for the ride, enjoy the rest of your day” I added, jumping out the back seat before he’d even come to a complete stop. I didn’t want to be around his bad energy, that shit was contagious. I’ll just have to take a cab home. I’d much rather ride with a stranger than be judged.

Turns out John was right. I spent much more time shopping than I expected. There wasn’t much traffic and I enjoyed not having to wait in lines.  I treated myself to new clothes, shoes, earrings, and a new purse. Everything I wanted was in stock and I had many of the stores to myself. Apparently I picked a good day to splurge because I spent well over forty grand.

After shopping, I ordered some Chinese food and found a little corner to myself in the food court. I was so happy about the leopard print Louboutin booties I found, I had to put them on before I even touched my food. Something about leopard print made me feel sexy and I needed that feeling now.

I slipped my flats off and smiled as the softness of the booties welcomed my feet. They made me feel so good, I forgot about my bad day. I started to devour my food as if all the appetite I was missing all week suddenly appeared from nowhere. When I was done, I wasted no time getting in line at the ice cream shoppe. 

I sat down again, taking my time and enjoying my chocolate chip, double dip cone a little too much. I was in heaven, oblivious to my surroundings. A weird feeling crept over me and I felt like I was being watched. My eyes shot up for a quick scan and immediately locked on the culprit. Christopher fucking Brown.

I stared back for what seemed like forever, but he wasn’t letting up so I decided to show out. If he thought he couldn’t stop looking before, he wouldn’t know what to do when I made him wish he were the ice cream. 

“I knew my eyes weren’t deceiving me” a smooth baritone caught me off guard in the middle of my act. I sighed deeply before locking eyes with the one night stand I was supposed to never see again. 

“Today has got to be my lucky day” he grinned.

“Hey Stranger” I smirked, swallowing the big ass frog in my throat. I should’ve put my ice cream down, but I couldn’t. I just took bites instead of licks while he eyeballed my lips.

“Nah, call me Rocky” he pleaded, his eyes roaming with no shame. Fuck I thought to myself, realizing I left my favorite black leather jacket at the bar. My nipples were at full attention and an apparent distraction, so I crossed my arms. 

“I thought we agree-”

“You really want me to treat you like a stranger after the way I had your body feeling the last time you saw me?” he asked, inviting himself to sit in front of me. 

“We agreed to no names”

“Who are you shopping with, if you don’t mind me asking?” he quizzed, checking out my table full of bags.

“Damn you nosy” I frowned, shaking my head. “Who you here with?”

“Shit, I’m here with you. I just wanna know who about to be pissed when your plans change up.”

“How my plans change up?” I giggled, loving his persistence.

“I got somewhere I wanna take you”

“Boy you don’t even know me”

“I know what you taste like. You gonna let me taste you again?” he asked wetting his lips before biting the bottom one and slowly letting it out. Flashbacks of his lips on my body sent shivers down my spine. Before I could even respond, I could see Chris approaching at record speed with Nicki on his tail. 

CHRIS

“Thank you for getting me out the house today” Nicki smiled, taking a bite from her huge, soft pretzel. “This is exactly what I needed!”

“Me too” I mumbled between bites of my pretzel dog. I was glad I was feeling better than I had the day before, but I still felt crappy. Yesterday I laid around with a hang over from hell, but when Nicki called today I had to pull my shit together. 

“I’m so glad Sam will be home for good today. All I can ever think about is what if he misses our baby’s birth”

“Aren’t you due next month?”

“Yeah, but look how fat I am! There’s no way I can hold this baby for another month!” she stood up and turned sideways for me to see her silhouette. 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be back to yourself in no time. You’re having a healthy baby. That’s the important part.” I stressed and her face immediately dropped in shame.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“Sorry for what?”

“Complaining. I’m grateful for this entire experience. I just wish Sam could’ve found a closer job sooner, but it’s done now and I’m soooo grateful” she beamed as her phone vibrated on the table. “Speak of the devil.”

“Tell him I said what up” I laughed at her girlish demeanor while she spoke with her husband. Somehow they pulled through their long distance relationship, even with the hormone roller coaster. I was happy for them.

“So are you spending Thanksgiving in Texas with Tae now that Mama got her own thing going on?” Nicki quizzed after hanging up with Sam. I hadn’t told her it was over with me and Tae yet, I was hoping to avoid this conversation altogether.

“Nah. You know me, I like to make my rounds. Are you cooking? I’m tryna come get one of your plates!”

“Noooo Chris! Holidays show a girl how serious you are about her. You gotta at least try to go see her, it’s important!”

“Well, sh-”

“Robyn”

“No, it’s not about Rob-”

“No, I was saying, is that Robyn?” she nodded across the food court towards the ice cream shoppe. Sure enough, Robyn was standing in line with three bags on one arm and her wallet in hand as she waited to order.

“Damn, she looks good” I blurted under my breath. I didn’t know where we stood since the last time we spoke, so I definitely wasn’t going over there.

“That hair looks so good on her. When’s the last time ya’ll talked?” 

“Not long ago, and it wasn’t pleasant” I answered honestly, unable to take my eyes from her as she paid and grabbed her ice cream from the cashier. She quickly found an empty table, set her things down, and began to devour her ice cream in the most seductive way. On top of that, the dress she wore revealed every curve and way too much skin. 

When she sat down, her eyes met mine. She refused to break eye contact and began to lick her ice cream with a flat tongue, curving it around the top. She winked at me, then opened her mouth wide before sucking her ice cream from the top, clearly giving me a show.

“So ya’ll cool or not?” Nicki’s voice snatched me back to attention. My head snapped in her direction to see if she was seeing what I was but she was preoccupied with her phone. When I looked back at Robyn, there was someone else sitting in front of her, blocking my view. 

This guy must’ve been enjoying the same show I was, too bad he didn’t stand a chance. Rob’s the kind of girl that doesn’t even give a guy two seconds if he’s not worth it, which made me wonder why this guy was still sitting there. 

“I don’t know. Let’s go say wassup” I suggested as Nicki tossed the last of her food in her mouth, then followed me towards Robyn.

As we approached her, a huge smile spread across her face and she waved in our direction. I wasn’t sure what to expect but my nerves relaxed a bit. 

“Oh my God! Look at you!” Robyn shrieked, jumping up to hug Nicki.

“No bitch, look at you! I was just telling Chris how bomb this haircut is on you!” Nicki returned the love. I tried to get a word in, but Robyn turned her back to me and proceeded to talk to Nic like I wasn’t even there.

“I can’t believe you almost done cooking the munchkin already!” She squealed, rubbing Nicki’s belly. 

“Yes girl, exactly 28 more days!”

“Boy or girl?”

“We don’t know yet, we wanted a surprise”. They went back and forth for what seemed like forever, paying me no mind. I waited patiently until Robyn attempted to leave with the random guy without speaking to me. She tried to walk by me so I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me, catching her off guard.

“So you just gonna ignore me?” I asked, glaring into her shocked expression. It took a second of thought but to my surprise, she shook her head no, so I wasted no time leading the way to an empty table for a little privacy.

“How you been?” I began, instantly pissing her off.

“What you mean How I been?” she mimicked rolling her eyes. “What do you want Christopher?”

“I ran into Rayven last night..you wanna tell me what’s going on?”

"Wow, you pulled me to the side to ask about Rayven?” she asked, with slanted eyes. 

“No, that’s not wh-”

“Fuck you Christopher. I should beat your ass like I did her” she frowned, attempting to walk off. I grabbed her hand and pulled her back to me again, with a little more force this time.

“Have you been drinking?” I asked, trying to smell it on her breath but only smelling the ice cream. “Who’s this guy your with? Do you know him?”

“Mind the business you chose over me. I ain’t yo woman.” she spat, before returning to the lucky punk waiting for her. Those words hurt like daggers but I was more embarrassed than anything.  

“I guess it’s safe to say ya’ll not cool” Nicki spoke, breaking the silence on the ride home.

“I don’t know Nic, I think I really messed up this time”

“Ah hell, what you do now?” she shook her head in frustration as I caught her up on my cursed love life. 

“Can I be brutally honest with you?” she asked, raising her brow as she stared me in the face.

“That’s all I’m asking”

“You sound confused as fuck! At the end of the day, who do you love?

“I can’t even lie. I love them both”

“Who do you want to be with....like forever”

“I don’t know”

“Well that’s your problem. You gotta figure out what you want” she shook her head in disbelief.

“It’s not that easy. See with Tae I have this clean slate, well almost clean. Distance is the only problem. “

“Which is a pretty big problem” she pointed out. 

“But with Rob there’s so much chemistry, history, love... it would be hard to come back from what we been through”

“Well if you put it like that, do you want hard as shit or hard as fuck?” she teased, cracking herself up. 

“Thanks for the lovely advice”

“I can’t help you bro, you on your own!”

“I can see that!”

“Nah, but for real, every time I’ve seen you and Tae together you seem happy as hell. I mean head over heels, you stay cheesing like a damn girl, and treating her like a princess. But when you talk about Robyn you seem unsure and even kind of depressed. I’m sure it’s because of the accident, and everything else that happened but aren’t you ready to put all of that behind you?”

“Put Robyn behind me? “I sighed, giving it deep thought. It wasn’t like she was fucking with me anyhow. After seeing her today I was even more confused than before. 

“That situation is out of your hands at this point. I’m sorry, but it’s clear to me that Rob ain’t fucking with you bro. I can tell you’re not really taking Tae serious because you’re hoping Rob comes around. That’s bullshit and you definitely owe Tae an apology. Start there and just see where everything else goes.” she suggested, as she kicked her shoes off and kicked her feet up on the dash.

“That girl don’t want to talk to me”

“Of course not, you gotta go bigger than a phone call”

“Like what?”

“Like go see her. Go spend Thanksgiving with her! Have you ever been to her place? She’s been to your crib, your galleries, and met all your people. Ya’ll been together long enough, it’s time for you to meet the family. Matter of fact, you should pop up on her!”

“That’s actually not a bad idea.” I grinned, realizing how right she was. It was obvious I hadn’t been putting in much effort and that’s probably why she keeps one foot in the door and the other out. She just needs a grand gesture to know how important she is to me.

ROBYN

Covering my tattoo didn't feel as liberating as I expected it to. The next few days, I used my sore hand as an excuse to skip work. I didn't do anything but lay on my living room sofa and get high all day. I skipped showers and barely ate. I couldn't even find the energy to talk to Mel or whoever else was blowing up my phone. All I wanted was to be alone. Even when Dre came knocking at my door for the fourth day in a row, I prepared to leave him standing there again. Then he threatened to file a missing persons report.

"I swear to God Anna, you in a bougie ass neighborhood. It won't take long for the police to get here." He shouted, as he peered through my living room window.

"I'm fine! Now go away!" I yelled, barely moving a muscle.

"I wish you would stop acting like a kid! I just want to talk for a minute." The sincerity in his voice made me give in, but I took my sweet time getting to the door. When I cracked it, he still offered a soft smile.

"Can you let me in?" he pleaded, hearing Ollie and Pepe jumping to greet him as well. I sighed, took off the latch, and opened the door to let him in. Once he was in the threshold, they attacked his ankles with love until he bent down to rub their bellies.

“I know you haven’t been to work in a few days. I been calling and stopping by everyday. You got me worried as fuck, what’s going on with you?!” he quizzed, staring me over.

“Damn, a bitch can’t take a vacation? I mean, I am the boss.” I forced a laugh as I pulled out my rolling tray. I could tell I was gonna need to be high for this.

“Who you trying to fool? You don’t look good.” he frowned, shaking his head.

“I’m not trying to look good. I’m tryna get high...you wanna smoke?” I offered, holding it out to him.

“I’m serious. I know you an-”

“I mean, does anyone really know anyone” I side-eyed, cutting him off with a smirk.

“Stop that shit! I’m not joking around. Have you seen your doctor yet?” he snapped, getting to the reason behind his calls and visits. The doctor in him  had to make sure I was good.

“I made an appointment for his next available opening which is two weeks out, is that okay Dr. Dre?”

“I hate when you do that. Stop making it seem like I’m overreacting.”

“You are, like you always do.”

“Alright, if I’m overreacting, show me how many doses you have left of the meds I gave you last week?” he demanded. I started to blow him off, but realized he was right. I had taken them all.

“I was having some stomach pain and headaches. They were the only thing that stopped it.” I explained, as I lit the blunt I finished rolling.

“That’s what I’m trying to get you to understand. You need them, go get a prescription cause I feel like you need something stronger than what I gave you.”

“Do you think you could hook me up with a few more, since I have to wait two more weeks?”

“Hell nah. I can’t hook you up with shit, but if you come to the office I can get you on the books.”

“Damn, I forget you a man who goes by the books.” I blew a few rings of smoke in his direction.

“Do you have to smoke so much?”

“Do you have to be in my fuckin business so much?”

“Wow. Really?”

“You heard me. You stay acting like you care so much. Why is that? Huh? You want some pussy? If that’s all you want just say that, I mean, I could use some dick too”.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? You know what, I don’t know what you’re on right now, but I’m out. Call me when you’re sober” he stormed out, slamming my front door.

The noise from the slam created a tingling ache in my stomach that traveled up to my chest. Suddenly the room felt too small and I couldn't catch my breath. I squeezed my eyes as tight as I could and wrapped my hands around my elbows, as I rocked back and forth. I don't know how long it took for it to subside, but when it did, I realized I'd pissed on myself. I guess Dre was right after all, this was getting out of control.

I got up and ran myself a bubble bath. When I got out, I looked myself over in the mirror and was disgusted with my reflection. My skin was a mess, I was in need of a brow wax, and worse of all, I had a huge cluster of pimples on my chin. On top of looking like shit, I still felt like shit. I knew this couldn’t go on, so I called John to let him know I needed him tomorrow for the entire day. It was time for some much needed self love.

CHRIS

“I’m cool on relationships. I'm mad I even wasted time on that shit” I spat, tossing back a shot of Henny.

“Don’t beat yourself up bro, I told you about that long distance shit. She was probably fucking somebody else too”

“She was celibate T” I repeated for the umpteenth time, shaking my head with irritation.

“Whatever you say” he chuckled, sticking to his cheating theory.

“You know what, this is pretty much your fault now that I think about it”

“How you figure that?”

“You’re the reason I went on that double date, and you’re the reason I was stuck with Ryan’s drunk, freaky ass” I exclaimed, almost knocking over my chaser. I hadn't been this faded since Trey's bachelor party.

“Well damn, sounds like you need to be thanking me.”

“I lost my girl because of you”

“No, you lost a dead end relationship. Nobody wants to be stuck in that long distance shit, and she wasn’t giving up the goods either! That ain’t no way to live”

“Fuck you T. Everything is a joke to you huh?

“I’m sorry bro. For real tho, if you can say you were happy, or that she was your soulmate or some shit...then I’ll apologize” he stated before a long pause. “Exactly”

“Yeah, you might be on to something, but I guess now we'll never know”

“No, I am right and you know it. You need to get ya manhood back. This is the best the west coast has to offer, and you get the pick of the litter.” he slurred, as he waved some chicks in our direction. Before I could protest, two dancers approached us. They were both rocking dazzled lingerie and matching masks on their faces. The shorter one straddled T’s lap and immediately began gyrating on him.

“Hey baby, it’s been too long. I thought you wasn’t fucking with me anymore, but I see you brought a friend.” she smiled, placing his hands on her ass.

“Yeah, this my brother. He just got dumped and needs to be welcomed to the single life”

“Well he came to the right place. This my girl Goldilocks. It’s her first night, so don’t worry, she’ll be gentle.” she smirked, making eye contact with her as she nodded in my direction.

On cue, Goldilocks sat on my lap and started to whine her hips to Juvenile's slow motion. I couldn’t front, it had been so long since I had some ass, it didn’t take long for me to stand at attention.

“Follow me” she ordered, leading me towards the back of the club. She found the last empty room and lead the way inside.

“Sit there” she motioned towards the sofa as she seductively removed her bra and tossed it at me.

“MMMMM” she moaned, placing my hands on her breasts. I squeezed and rubbed her nipples while she grinded on me in her panties. She leaned into me and began to suck softly on my neck. Her scent filled my nostrils, and that’s when Robyn invaded my mind. Goldilocks was wearing Dolce and Gabana, her favorite perfume.

“Don’t stop touching me” she groaned, grabbing my manhood and squeezing as tight as she could. Her touch was electrifying, sending shocks throughout my body. After a few moments of her skin up against mine, I was ready to take her right there on the couch.

As if she was reading my mind, she stood, stepped back, and began peeling away her stockings. Just when I thought there was no way I could get any stiffer, I noticed a tattoo going down her side. It was just like the one Robyn had. I knew must’ve been tripping, but I had to know if it was her. As quick as I could, I hopped off the couch I was glued to and snatched the mask from Goldilock’s face.

“What the fuck!” I yelled as she jumped back and readjusted it.

“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s okay” Rayven sighed trying to calm me down.

“This is not okay!”

“Chill, ya’ll not even together anymore. I know how to keep my mouth shut. Besides, she’s not my cousin anymore. I don’t claim her ass.”

“Do you hear yourself right now?”

“Look, the bitch is crazy and I don’t fuck with her. You obviously don’t either, after the way she beat my ass over your rejection the other day.”

“What? I’m confused. Ya’ll fought?”

“Chris please, stop playing dumb. We fought over you plenty of times! But fuck all of that. Run me my money.?” she ordered, holding her hand out.

“Chill with that, I  ain’t paying you for shit” I pushed past her, grabbed my jacket, and left the room.

ROBYN 

After the way I acted before my panic attack yesterday, I knew I had hella ass kissing to do. I don’t know what I was thinking when I pissed Dre off. He’s the only reason I haven’t gone off the deep end already, so I knew I had to make things right with him. 

I got up super early even though I barely had any sleep. Regardless of how I felt, I was going to make the most of today. I found a full service spa and got the luxury package. It included a full body massage, pedi, mani, and even a wax. I was there for a total of three hours, and by the time I left, I felt like I could conquer the world. 

“Where to boss lady?” John asked, making eye contact through the rear view mirror as I slid in the backseat.

“I need to see Aundre. Would you happen to know where he is right now?” 

“I do, but imma be honest with you. I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Why not? Did he say something to you?”

“I witnessed the aftermath last night. I’m not picking sides, hell I don’t even know what it was about, but I do know a hurt ego when I see one. Maybe it’ll be best to give him a little space.”

“I’ve known Dre for a long time now. Thanks for the advice, but I got this” I reassured him as he nodded his understanding. “Matter of fact. I have a couple of stops before his office if you don’t mind.”

Almost an hour later, I entered Dre’s office with steak and potatoes from his favorite steakhouse in LA and a bottle of Cabernet in tow. It was a few minutes before noon, so I figured I would surprise him with his favorite. No one can resist their favorite meal, even if they are  pissed.

The first face I saw when I approached the receptionist’s window angered me to the core. I wanted to know what he was smoking on to have this woman in his presence, let alone his business. After everything she did to him, he still gave her what she wanted when she showed up with an open hand, and that had my blood boiling.

“Hi, do you have an appointment?” Teyana asked, without even looking in my direction as she took a seat at her computer.

“Wait...you work here?” I stammered, trying to gather my words.

“No, I just like the uniform” she smirked, rolling her eyes. A million questions ran through my mind and I couldn’t help but want to slap the smirk off her face. They had to be fucking again.

“Can you let Dre know I’m here. I just need a minute of his time.”

“He’s busy with right now, but I can let him know you stopped by.”

“I’ll wait. I just need a minute, this is import-"

"-I'm sorry Robyn, but he's with a patient. He asked me not to interrupt his patients unless it's for his mother. Now I can take your number and have him call you when he gets a chance."

“Are you kidding? You know he would drop whatever he’s doing to see me right?” I snapped in frustration. I was trying to keep the peace, but she was intentionally pushing my buttons. 

“Tuh, girl please” she chuckled, getting a kick out of my attitude. I don’t know who she thought she was playing with, but I wasn’t the one. I took it upon myself to go through the doors that led to the back and found Dre’s office. Which wasn’t very difficult, his door was open and I had a clear shot of him sitting at his desk. 

I walked right past Teyana with a smirk of my own this time. By the time I reached Dre, that smirk was gone. There was some other chick in his office comparing notes with him, which wasn’t the problem. She was practically in his lap with the way she leaned into him, she was so close that one of her big ass breasts was resting on his arm. 

"Excuse me Dr. Dre” I cleared my throat and the girl jumped back. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked in complete surprise. 

“I brought you some lunch, but I guess your still working.” I paused glancing at the now irritated co worker. It was obvious Dre was hiring nothing but eye candy around here. He always had a thing for double d’s.

“Naw, Ms. Westwood and I were just finishing up. Give her these instructions and have her come back in a week” he stated, turning to face her. She grabbed her files and quickly left his office, making sure to look me up and down as she tossed her hair over her shoulder on the way out. Not this bitch too. I was gonna have to have a little talk with Dre about his choice of employees.

“So what is this supposed to be, an apology lunch?” he asked, closing the door to his office. The tone of his voice made it obvious he wasn’t gonna make this easy for me.

“Sorta. I needed to apologize but I wanted to surprise you with your favorite. Besides, this is my first time getting to see this place in person. It’s dope!” I forced a smile, taking a seat in the chair across from his desk. His piercing eyes stayed on mine making him hard to read, so I began to set his food up.

“You don’t have to do that. I don’t have an appetite right now, so I’ll just put that in the fridge until later.”

“Wow. Okay, you’re really upset with me huh?”

“Robyn, I don’t know what fucking planet you living on, but you don’t treat people the way you do and still expect everything to be cool.”

“I said I’m sorry. What more do you want? I don’t know why I say fucked up shit sometimes, but I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.”

“Well sorry don’t cut it. Shits gotta change.” he shook his head, making me feel shitty.

“That’s why I’m here. I don’t like whatever this is either. I need some help getting it together. Can you help me get through these next couple of weeks?” I sighed as his demeanor instantly hardened.

“And there it is”

“What?”

“The reason you’re here. You’re abusing these drugs and I’m the one supplying you. I’m beginning to notice a pattern, but I don’t want to believe you only come around when you need something from me” he nodded, as if he’d really solved a mystery.

“How dare you?! That’s not fair. You know how hard shit has been for me! You surrounded by all these bitches that’s taking advantage of yo stupid ass, they got you questioning my intentions!” I erupted like a fish out of water. “Everyday is a struggle to get out of bed. How the fuck can I show up for anyone else when I can barely show up for myself?! You know what, nevermind. Fuck it, I don’t need anything from you!”

“Wait! I wasn’t trying to argue and fight but why do you make shit so hard?” he yelled, blocking the exit so I couldn’t storm out. 

“Excuse me. You better get out of my way!”

“Chill Anna. Let’s just go back and have a se-”

CHRIS

A couple of weeks had gone by since I promised myself I’d give Tae some space. It was disappointing that she’d only hit me up once since then, especially after I revealed so much to her the last time she was here. I really opened up to her in hopes of gaining her trust, maybe that’s why I’ve been buggin. Without her conversation, it’s hard to keep my mind off of Robyn. The last time I saw Robyn, she not only looked like a stranger, but she treated me like one too. Between her and Tae, my heart was torn and it was all too much to deal with. 

Every time I felt myself getting in my feelings, I’d hit the studio, blast some music, and paint. It was like having a therapy session, which is how I was spending my Friday afternoon. I was in my zone, finishing up my third project this week when Taylor called, inviting me to go riding with him.

“Hell yeah! I had fun last time, but I wanna take it out where I can really put some gas to it.” I suggested, jumping at the chance to borrow his motorcycle again.

“Alright, I got you. I know just the place.” he promised, before we hung up. I finished the painting I was working on and stepped back to look at the finished product. 

Diamond always gave the cutest pouty face when I wasn’t moving fast enough for her. I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I put it in paint. I snapped a picture of it and sent it to Tae before leaving, hoping that would put me on her mind.

“This chick wants me to meet her at the A for some drinks” Taylor announced when I got to his place.

“When ya’ll planning on doing that?”

“Right now, I told her 8. ″

“Then why you ask me to ride with you?” I asked, noticing it was fifteen til. “I’m not trying to be the third wheel”

“You won’t be. She’s bringing her roommate, so I told her I’d bring my brother” he added, with a smirk.

“I’m not going on a double date with you man, you know I got a girl.”

“It ain’t a date, unless you want it to be. I know that long distance shit ain’t gonna last too long.”

“Shut up fool. As long as you don’t get me in no shit, it’ll last as long as I want it to.”

“We’re just gonna hang for a bit, then take em on a ride. The ladies love that shit and I’m tryna get some ass tonight.”

“Well I’m not-”

“-Stop being a tight fuck. It ain’t all about them, come chill with ya bro.”

“Alright man, but don’t be mad if they both feeling me and you end up coming home empty handed” I teased as he tossed me the keys to his Harley.

We arrived twenty minutes later than expected due to traffic, but the girls still hadn’t made it. We found a spot at the bar, ordered a couple of beers, and watched the Saints play the Falcons while we waited.

“It’s looking like you got stood up lil bro” I stated when I noticed it was nine and still no sign of the chick he described.

“There she goes” he nodded towards the door when a familiar, dark skinned woman walked in. “She bad ain’t she?”

“Oh, hell naw. I heard this bitch was fuckin with Anthony a couple of weeks ago. You need to be caref-”

“Fuck Anthony. That’s yo homeboy. Besides, I’m always careful.” he stated, gulping down the rest of his beer before standing to greet Kiki.

“Small world. I would’ve never guessed y'all were brothers. Ryan gonna be shocked as fuck.” she cackled, getting comfortable next to Taylor as Ryan walked in. She was on the phone, eyes fixated on Kiki as she strutted past a couple of guys checking her out. She didn’t even notice me until she ended her call, a couple feet in front of me.

“Hey” she smiled, surprised to see me. “When Kiki told me she set me up on a blind date I was nervous as hell”

“Oh, this ain’t that.” I explained, tossing back the rest of my beer. She rolled her eyes at my bluntness and sat on the stool in between me and Kiki.

“Obviously, you shut that shit down already. I’m just glad you’re not some fucking weirdo.” she admitted and I couldn’t help but burst out in laughter.

“I see ya’ll are on good terms again” I nodded towards Kiki, who was cheesing like a schoolgirl while Taylor whispered in her ear. “I’m glad I didn’t get involved in that”

“Yeah, it didn’t take long for Anthony to hop on the next bitch” she shrugged nonchalantly. “How do you even know him? He doesn’t seem like someone you would associate with.”

“Shit, we go way back.  He’s changed for the worse, that’s for damn sure. ”

“Well, at least one good thing came from him”

“What’s that?”

“He’s got some good connects. He introduced me to a DJ who’s been working with me on a couple of songs, even helped me land a couple of gigs when we were on good terms.”

“Good. Sounds like things are looking up for you.”

“You have no idea. I’ve been crazy busy. Matter of fact, I’m performing for this charity event in a few weeks, you should come.”

“Oh yeah? Send me the info. This is a crazy time for me too, but I should be able to work it in”

“Alright, but let me know either way. Don’t just leave me hanging.” she replied, before getting the bartender’s attention. They ordered margaritas and we settled on one more beer while we watched a little more of the football game. I wasn’t interested in the game, or getting drunk. I was ready for the adrenaline rush from flying through traffic, so after the ladies finished their drinks, we hit the road.

It didn’t take long for me to regret agreeing to do this with the girls. I’ve been abstinent for a solid five months now, and I haven’t seen Tae in over a month. Having Ryan’s double D’s on my back and arms wrapped around my waist had my man standing tall. I did my best to keep it to myself, but she got a couple of feels in. 

Nevertheless, we rode across the Pacific Coast Highway to the infamous Neptune’s net, where we hung out for a little while, had dinner, and smoked a blunt by the beach, before heading back to the city. That’s when I realized those couple of feels weren’t an accident, they were intentional. I don’t know if it was because she was tipsy, but Ryan couldn’t keep her hands to herself. I was cool about it the first time, but then she slipped her hands in my pants while I was driving, and I damn near wrecked trying to pull over.

"If you want to make it home without having to find another way, you gonna have to keep your hands above my waist” 

“Were you feeling violated? Because it looks like you were enjoying it.”

“Fuck that. I’m tryna keep shit platonic between us, but if you can’t handle that we can’t do this anymore. I’ll find you a ride, but I’m not doing this with you”

“Fine. I’ll stop.” she stated, throwing her hands up in defeat. She behaved the rest of the ride, but when we made it to her place, she invited me in and was offended when I quickly declined.

“Well, you know where I am if you wanna talk or whatever” she stated before sashaying towards her front door. The deep ass swing in her hips made it evident she wanted more than a conversation.

I waited as she dug in her purse, searching for her keys until she gave up and made a call. By the look on her face as she walked towards me, I knew bad news was coming. 

“Kiki has my house key and she’s not answering. Is it cool if I stay at your place tonight?”

“You gotta be kidding” I sighed in disbelief. “Ya’ll set this shit up huh?”

“Really? Don’t flatter yourself. A simple yea or no will do” she sassed, almost tripping over her own foot. 

“What other choice do we have? Let’s go” I shrugged, handing her the helmet back. She was fucked up and I didn’t want to be here all night waiting for a damn key, so I decided we’d deal with it tomorrow. 

ROBYN

“I can’t believe I’m doing this”

“It looks great and it’s almost done, no need to fuss now” I reassured Mel as I wrapped my arms around her for comfort.

Today I finally went through with covering the matching tattoo Chris and I’d gotten a couple of years ago on some drunk on love shit. Halfway through, I almost chickened out, so Mel made me a deal. She said she was done with tattoos before, but if I went through with this one, she’d get one of my choice blindfolded. So here we were, both with swollen hands, only mine was three times the size of hers.

“Alright, ya’ll know the drill. Keep it clean and dry.” BB, my tattoo artist, stated once he finished her design. “and you really need to baby yours Robyn, here’s some extra ointment. It should help with the pain too.”

“Awww shit! This is dope!” Mel grinned after uncovering her eyes. Capturing moments was inked flawlessly in script on the side of her left hand.The moment we were settled in the back seat of John’s ride, she snapped a pic and sent it to J.  

“I’m obsessed! Girl, fucking with you, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it’s perfect. You did good”

“Give jack he jacket!  You know I don’t do you dirty!” I teased, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Yeah, but you been wilding ever since that shit with Chris and Dre.”

“Bitch, you not even supposed to be saying the C word” I snapped, narrowing my eyes at her.

“Speaking of Chr- I mean C. Has he reached out to you since?” she continued, ignoring my annoyance.

“No. I guess I scared the shit outta him when I mentioned the police, but Aundre’s ass won’t stop calling”

“So you’re not talking to him either?”

“Nope. I’m taking your advice and leaving both of they asses alone.“

“We’ll see how long that lasts” she snickered, rolling her eyes, as if she knew I was to weak to go through with it. I hated when she did that.

“Don’t do that.’

"What”

“Don’t play dumb. I’m sick of that shit.”

“Chill out, it ain’t that serious”

“I am serious Mel. Don’t shoot me down like that. Not everybody got they life figured out by 24.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She quizzed, shaking her head. “I’m still figuring this shit out too. Everything ain’t smooth sailing over here either.”

“I find that hard to believe.” I scoffed, crossing my arms and wincing from the pain of brushing my freshly tatted hand against my clothes.

“I don’t complain all the time and I don’t wear that shit on my sleeve, but yeah Rob, I be going through some shit too.”

“Like?”

“Like my husband working seventy hour weeks and my married boss flirting and making passes at me all the fucking time”

“Michael?”

“Yeah, anytime we’re alone together he gets a little too close and happens to accidentally brush up against me the wrong way or says something sexually cryptic ”

“You lying! He’s fine as hell, but don’t fuck around with a married man. Matter of fact, you should just leave that job. These things always end up ugly”

“I’m not stupid, but I’m not leaving my job either.”

“Why not?”

“The amount of money I’m making with him is crazy, I ain’t gonna get that anywhere else.”

“Girl please, you have J. Who cares about the money? It ain’t worth the money, you need to quit”

“Easy for you to say. I’'m finally making good money and I’m not ready to let it go. Over a couple of ass grabs? Naw, imma milk this cow. Maybe I’ll be able to open my own shit one day.”

“Well all I gotta say is don’t slip up and lose ya husband over nothing stupid.”

“I would never jeopardize my marriage. J has made me a better person in so many ways, I’d be stupid to fuck up something this good. ”

“Fi true” I agreed, before John Legend’s All of Me started blaring from her phone.

“This my baby calling now” she gasped, a smile creeping across her face as she answered in her sexy voice. I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous as they flirted back and forth. I had to turn my attention to the starry sky in order to successfully tune her out. Instead of obsessing over my own sad love life, I  looked for constellations while reminding myself of all the frogs she had to kiss in order to find her prince. 

CHRIS

“CHRIS WHAT THE FUCK!” Tae’s unmistakable voice pierced my ears, snatching me from dreamland. It took a minute for it to register that she was standing right in front of me. Then I realized why she was screaming.

“Get up Ry-” I attempted to wake Ryan’s drunk ass up, but she was out cold. We passed out sitting up on the sofa watching Rush Hour, I don’t know how her head ended up on my lap. It may have looked a little bad, but Tae was definitely exaggerating.

“SO THIS IS WHAT YOU REALLY DO WHEN YOUR BY YOURSELF! I KNEW  IT. YOU’RE A LIAR! ”

“BABE!” I yelled over her to get her attention. “You buggin. We’re fully clothed. Nothing happened.”

“And that makes this okay? Your fucking ex is laying in your lap!” Lose my number!” she screamed throwing my key at me and running out the house.