Rivera chuckles, “That’s his college girlfriend, Nalani.”
I look at him, shocked, then I hear the blonde. “Is she being bitchy, or am I?—”
“Ding, ding, ding,” Nalani says. “Now go find another stick to hump. I need a minute.”
“Ohmygod, what a bitch.”
“Hey, sweetheart, why don’t you come with me for a second?” another dark-haired girl, who came with Nalani says, and rubs her teeth. “You’ve got a little …”
Blondie quickly slaps a hand over her mouth, like she knows she’s either got coke or lipstick stains. “I am coming back,mean girl.”
“You do that,” Nalani says, stretching her fucking legs across his lap. “You might want to bring a chair with you.”
“Is she from LA?” Blondie huffs as she walks away.
Nalani immediately starts, “Okay, I can’t stay long, and I’ve had a few glasses, maybe more than a few, of champagne at the game tonight. You know what they say about drunks,”— she pauses and shakes her head—“speaking their mind or something like that. Regardless, I want to talk to you. I want you and me to sit down and have a conversation.”
He says nothing, hell, he doesn’t even look at her.
“Fucking cold,” I chuckle.
She grabs his chin and turns him to face her. “Hey.”
He looks at her, “You need to wash that shit off your face.”
“I was nervous primping. I went a little overboard. The bitch in me would like to point out something that you need to change, but I don’t see one thing, not one. You’re still you—you with a few extra pounds of muscle.”
“I need you to do something for me,” He says.
“Anything.”
“I need you to get off my lap.”
“Ouch,” Rivera chuckles.
“Oh, right. Okay.” She doesn’t move; she just stares at him. “You know what? No, now I’m gonna sit right here until you tell me that you’re going to give me some of your time, because there are things I need to tell you.”
“Nalani, like it or not, I am not the same guy I was back then. I’ve changed. You’ve changed.” He chuckles. “You’ve changed a lot.”
“Actually, not so much. But I can explain all of that, after you promise to give me some time.”
He lifts her up and sets her in the empty chair beside him. “I don’t fuck with what’s not mine.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not fucking with you. I wanna say I’m sorry. I’m gonna tell you some things that happened that I should have told you back then. I just didn’t know how or even why things got so messed up. But I want to tell you that I miss you,”—she holds her hand to her heart—“like, really bad miss you.”
He stands from his chair. “Not happening.”
“Jesus, this is like watching those daytime shows with my mother,” I say, turning away and looking at Rivera. “I can’t walk away, but I sure as fuck don’t have to watch this shit.”
“Fucked him up for a long time.” Rivera shakes his head.
“You two were college roommates, right?” I ask.
“Sterling, too,” He nods toward them. “Back then, it didn't fuck with his game, but I think we need to get him out of here.”
“Oh, hell no,” his wife appears from nowhere.
“Riley,” Theo shakes his head. “You?—”
