“You think? She wants your office and your man.” She brings the phone close to her face. “Watch your back with that bitch.”
Ciara’s ominous tone and her serious expression give me chills.
“I will.”
“I bet after having to deal with Maybellynn, you need a drink unless you retreat to your home to do your drinking.”
“I ––”
I’m just about to slip, when I catch myself.
I haven’t told her I lost my house.
She’s still in the dark about my financial ruination due to my poor judgement in trusting immoral assholes.
“You… what?”
“Drinking is never the answer, girlfriend,” I say.
“Sometimes it is.”
I laugh a little. “I have a much healthier way of decompressing.”
“Don’t tell me I’ve rubbed off on you and you joined a gym.”
“No.” I make a face. “The best way to disconnect with reality is to read.”
“Now you’re talking.”
“I…” How do I say this without revealing too much? I shift in my chair. “I discovered this cool new bookstore. It’s in Brooklyn, so super convenient after work.”
“I like the way you think.”
“The name of the bookstore is My Little Bookish Heart and their romance selection is a book girlie’s dream come true. They have a succulent section—not a floral section.Succulents. I love flowers, but succulents are a feast for the eyes. They have an incredible café you want to linger in for hours. Lazing outside at the curb in front of the shop, there’s always a menagerie of dogs quenching their thirst in the doggie water bowls.”
“I wish I could share that experience with you—” Her eyes lift over her screen and she smiles wide.
She’s as endearing as the heart eyes emoji.
The man who loves her and who would die for her just entered the living room.
A pang squeezes my chest.
“Harl, my baby daddy is calling it a day.”
“Go be with your husband.”
“Talk to you soon.” She blows me a flurry of kisses.
I blow them right back.
I drop my phone on the desk. Despondent, I interlace my fingers together.
I scored a fake relationship.
Ciarascored the ultimate happy ever after.
Minutes tick by, and I remain still as a statue.
