“What you gonna do about it, nigga? This my bitch.”
Before he could get the words out of his mouth, I had a handful of his collar, pulling him half over the railing.
“Say bitch again, and I’ma remodel yo’ fucking face. That fine ass woman over there doesn’t belong to you or anybody. But if she did, it sure as hell wouldn’t be you.” I released his shirt and shoved him back. “Take yo’ L, bro. Stop popping up over here. I’m the one that has to kiss it better when you piss her off.”
He stood there for a moment, trying to catch his balance. His ego was bruised, but he wasn’t stupid enough to do something about it.
“This what it is, Noa? You choosing this nigga over me? Like I ain’t been there for yo’ crippled ass through everything!”
“Shawn, just go. This, whatever we had, has run its course.” Noa’s voice cracked a little, and her eyes shot to me like she hated that I was witnessing this.
“Run its course?” He took a step toward her. I hopped the ramp rail without thinking, landing hard between Noa and him.
“I wouldn’t do that, bro.” My fists clenched at my sides. If he wanted to get his ass whupped tonight, I’d happily oblige.
“Noa, tell your little boyfriend to chill?—”
“Shawn, stop!” she cut him off, voice sharp and shaking. “Just go. Please.”
He froze, staring at her like he didn’t recognize the woman in front of him, like the reality finally hit that she was done.
“Bet,” he muttered, then he hurled a takeout bag at the railing. It smacked the wood and burst open, food splattering all over the ramp. “Don’t call me when he realizes yo’ ass is damaged fucking goods.”
I took a step forward, slow and deliberate. That was all it took. He backed up, like he knew I wouldn’t hesitate to put his skull into the concrete, and turned for his car. He hurried inside and peeled off, tires screaming like the bitch he was. I waited until his taillights disappeared, then turned back to her, making my way up the ramp.
“You good?”
“Yeah.”
I turned to Noa. Her hands were trembling against her lap tray, her face turned away like she didn’t want me to see.
“That happen a lot?” I asked softly. “Him poppin’ up like that? This the second time.”
“No,” she said quickly, then dropped her head. “Yes. Usually, I have an idea when he’s stopping by. This… this was outta character.”
“Let’s get you in the house.”
“Can you walk me in?” she asked, and I didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah, I got you.”
“Thank you.”
And just like that, I followed her up the ramp and into the house.
The door clicked behind us,and I exhaled a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. I couldn’t believe Shawn had popped up over my house and pulled this mess. He’d been calling me like crazy since the day I’d asked him to leave my house when I was painting. I had a feeling I’d be seeing him again, but I never thought he’d throw a bag of food at me. Even raising his voice at me in public was out of character. He’d never gotten that aggressive with me before.
“That was a lot.” I sighed. My hands were shaking, not from fear, but from the adrenaline of the moment.
“You good?” Quade asked again. He lingered near the door like he wasn’t sure if I wanted him to leave or lock it. Hell, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted him to do.
“I’m fine.” That was a lie. My heart was pounding, and I could feel a small tinge of pain creeping up in my joints. His eyes dropped to the flowers still clutched in my lap.
“Let me put those in some water for you.” He stepped into the hallway, grabbed the bouquet off my lap, and carried it into the kitchen.
“There’s a vase in the third cabinet to the left,” I instructed him, and he retrieved it. He filled the vase with the flowers and water and set it on my table.
“Thank you.”
