“Not particularly. But I did speak with Jay about it.”
“You did?” I’d never known that.
“Yeah. That’s my man. And I was serious about finding out whatever this was between you and me, so out of respect for his and my friendship, I told him what was up.”
“Notallof it, I hope,” I mumbled, causing Xavier to chuckle again.
“Definitely not everything. That’s between you and me.”
The silence between us stretched out as the music played in the background. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, however. We didn’t need to fill the space between us with words. But I did begin to wonder…
“How come you never told Jason about your aunt?”
His eyes rose to meet mine. I wanted to know more about his aunt. I could tell by the anguish in his voice when he talked about her how much he loved her and how close they were.
“I never told anyone, outside of the school counselors my mom made me see for a short time.”
“Why?”
“Maybe the same reason you never told anyone about your ex.”
I frowned in confusion. “Shame? Why would you be ashamed?”
He sighed and grabbed my other hand, placing it on his chest, right over his heart.
“It’s who I am. I’ve always looked out for the people I care about. Logically, I know I was just a teenager when it happened, but it still kills me that I couldn’t be there for her, to protect her. I hated that feeling of helplessness I still feel. Just thinking about what he did to her those months before he murdered her… I wonder, how many times did he hit her? How many lies did he tell her to convince her to stay?
“She never once called the police on him. I always believed that if she had just reached out for help, she’d still be alive today. Shit, I might’ve killed him myself if I could’ve. I tried to when I got to the police station that night. My mother and grandmother had to hold me back as the police walked him through to the processing department.”
“Where is he now?”
“Dead,” Xavier stated through gritted teeth. “He was sentenced to twenty years to life, but ten years later, he died of a massive stroke in jail.”
I could hear the anger and regret in his voice. His level of hatred for the man who took his aunt from him was still there.
“She was your father’s sister?”
He nodded.
“I thought you didn’t speak to that side of your family.” He’d never mentioned his father, except to say that the man had wanted nothing to do with him since he was born.
“I don’t, for the most part. My Aunt Lisa was one of the only ones who took an interest in me and tried to hold my father accountable. My grandmother did somewhat, but she was the type to coddle her only son. My grandmother loved me and was there for me as a kid, but Aunt Lisa and I were especially close. She came to my mother a few months after I was born and the DNA test had proved I was my father’s. My grandmother was the only link to that side of my family after Aunt Lisa died. Since my grandmother passed a few years ago, I haven’t spoken to anyone.”
“Not even your father?”
He snorted. “Especially not him. He never wanted anything to do with me.”
I paused, hearing the anger in his voice when he spoke of his father.
“Have you considered going back to see a counselor?”
He raised a curious eyebrow at me. “For what?”
“For what? For everything you’ve just told me. Losing someone you’re close to in a violent way like that is rough, especially in your formative years. And your father…”
“I’m fine with it.”
“Are you?”
