“I’m good, auntie. I just have a lot on my mind,” he mumbled.
“I understand.”
Block’s phone call ended, and the conversation ranged from Lethal’s next match, Brazil’s next game, to planning for the holidays. When they were done eating, Symphony helped Ms. Henley clean the kitchen despite her telling Symphony that she didn’t have to. In the car, Block glanced over at her.
“Did my people scare you off?”
“No,” she giggled. “I really like them. They’re nice.”
Block’s response was a grunt.
“Today was a great day. Thank you for the invite. Don’t expect to meet my family anytime soon. My father is dead, and my mother and sister aren’t speaking to me.”
“They’ll come around. We’re all out here fighting our own demons and shit. Sometimes things seem personal when they really aren’t. Just give it some time.”
Symphony nodded. That was all she could do. Give her mother and sister time. She just hoped they knew she loved them and her not giving them money didn’t mean that she didn’t care about them. When Block pulled up in her driveway, Symphony leaned over the arm rest.
“What are you about to do for the rest of the day?”
Block leaned in, so their noses were almost touching. “About to go make some money. What you about to do?”
“Take a shower and get my full ass in the bed for a mean nap.”
“Can I come lay with you?” he nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck.
“I thought you were about to go make money.”
“I am. Can I come back?” he dragged his mouth across her cheek and placed a sensual kiss on her lips.
“Of course you can.”
“Bet. I’ll call you when I’m on the way.”
Symphony eased out of the car happy that her back was to him. The way Block made her smile from ear to ear was utterly ridiculous, but she loved every moment of it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The next day,Symphony walked out of her bathroom and simpered at the sight of Block laid out across her bed snoring lightly. His schedule was all over the place and when he was finally able to get some rest, he was out for the count. Snoring, drooling, the whole nine. She didn’t want to wake him, so she was going to let him sleep. Symphony had just showered and was getting ready to go to an NBA game with her best friend, Capricorn.
The plan was to be comfortable but cute, so she dressed in tight denim jeans, added a Gucci belt to accessorize, her top was made of black lace and see through. On her feet were thigh high, black, leather boots with a flat heel, and she had her hair pulled back into a long weave ponytail. All she needed to do was beat her face, and Symphony would be ready to go. Truthfully, she would have rather curled up in bed and cuddled with Block, but she didn’t want to be that girl. The one that always had to be up under a man. She didn’t go out much due to work, so when her friends wanted to link, she didn’t feel it was right to flake on them for a man.
It took her fifteen minutes to do her makeup, and Block hadn’t stirred. When she was done, Symphony picked his shirtand jeans up off the floor to place on the bench located by her window. Something fell from his pants’ pocket onto the fluffy carpet. Narrowing her eyes to find whatever had fallen, she almost missed it but after leaning closer, two small pills caught her eye. The saliva in her mouth dried up as she scooped the pills off the plush carpet and studied them. Symphony was a doctor not a pharmacist, but she knew Roxi’s when she saw them. Block had two single pain pills in his pocket. She doubted that was the way he sold his drugs. More than likely, they were for personal use.
Clicking her tongue, she scoffed as she laid his clothes on the bench. With the pills cuffed in her hand, she walked into the bathroom and rolled off some tissue. After wrapping the pills up, she tossed them in the trash. Symphony heard her phone vibrating from the bedroom, and she went back into the room to answer the call.
“I’m five minutes away from your house. Go ahead and request the rideshare.”
“Okay.”
Capricorn was going to park her car at Symphony’s house, and they were being driven to the game. The traffic wasn’t something either one of them wanted to maneuver through. Traffic on a regular day could be hell depending on the time of day it was. Game days or days when there were concerts, comedy shows, or any kind of event with a lot of people, the traffic would make a person lose their shit.
Symphony walked downstairs and requested a ride. Just that fast, her mood had been ruined, and she hated it. Jumping to conclusions was the quickest way to put herself in a bad mood, but it was hard not to think the worst. Block didn’t give addict. She hadn’t even seen him smoking weed since they’d been dating. Even if he wasn’t addicted to pain medication, if he kept up the recreational use, he would be. Why was it so easy forthose around her to have vices that weren’t good for them? Was she the odd one because the only thing she was really addicted to was coffee?
She confided in him more than once about her sister, and he was doing the same thing. Maybe. Symphony didn’t even want to talk to him about it because she was afraid of what he may say. Capricorn arrived one minute before the Uber was set to arrive, so Symphony walked outside and locked the door behind her.
“Heyyy, Bookie Butt,” Capricorn sang after exiting her AMG Benz. Capricorn was a phlebotomy teacher, and her husband was a radiologist. He was a season ticket holder for the Diamond Cove Cougars, and when he couldn’t make a game, he gave Capricorn the tickets.
“Hey, boo,” the women hugged as Symphony faked a smile. She didn’t want to bring the vibe down with her drama.
