“No,” he replied slowly, “but what would it mean if I was?”
“I’m just saying. We’re not complete strangers. We’re adults, and I’m attracted to you. I’m also not drunk this time, and I’m of sound mind. Yet, you act like you don’t want to take it there with me.”
Brazil hated lying to anyone especially a woman that he wasn’t serious with. Sometimes, brutal honesty seemed harsh, but it was necessary so lines didn’t get blurred. “I need to go check on my daughter’s cousin. The one that helps me with her. She’s sick, and I want to make sure she’s good then go get my daughter. When I have more time, I’m not opposed to going to your crib. That’s just not at the front of my mind. I’m not a pussy hound.”
“Oh okay.” She appeared unsure. “I hope everything is good. Call me later.”
“Will do. Drive safe.” After giving her a one-arm hug, Brazil walked to his car.
Something stopped him from calling Giavanna to ask if it was cool if he stopped by. He had to ask himself what he was doing. Itwas cool to be concerned, but were his actions teetering on more than just friendly concern? He had never disrespected Kera to her face or to anyone else. But he was never in love with her just like she wasn’t in love with him. He wouldn’t necessarily feel guilty about pursuing Giavanna, but she seemed like the type to care what people thought about her. At the end of the day, Kera was her cousin, and people would give them the side eye if they took it there.
At Giavanna’s house, Brazil rang the bell and patiently waited for her to come to the door. When she opened the door, he immediately noticed that something about her looked different. It didn’t take him long to realize that she had on glasses, and her thick, bushy eyebrows were gone. It made her look different, but she was still gorgeous.
“I popped up on you again. Don’t curse me out this time? Is it a bad time?”
Giavanna had on a thick, pink robe. There was black scarf tied around her head. “No, it’s not a bad time. I was just about to eat some soup. Come in.”
As he walked into the living room, Brazil eyed a large vase of roses. His jaw twitched while wondering if the flowers came from a man. Yeah, he was doing too much. She deserved flowers. She deserved to feel special and thought of.
“I’m sorry if you get tired of this question, but how are you feeling?”
Sitting Indian style on the couch, Giavanna sat up straight and chuckled. “I don’t get tired of the question. I’m grateful that people care enough to ask. I’m feeling better. It actually amazes me how much I’ve been sleeping, but I guess my body needs it, so I’m not going to fight it.”
“That’s good to hear.” Brazil looked around the room and spotted a cup of soup on the coffee table. That soup enough? You got something for later on?”
“Yes. My friend’s parents own a soul food restaurant, and he’s going to bring me a plate.”
There it was again. That surge of jealousy. Rather than speaking on it, he simply nodded. Giavanna cleared her throat and rocked lightly from side to side. “Can I ask you a question? And please be honest.”
“Shoot.”
Giavanna pushed out a deep sigh. “If you ask a woman for her number and after one or two conversations, she tells you she has cancer, would you keep talking to her?”
“Yeah,” he answered without hesitation. “Why not?”
Giavanna’s head angled slightly to the left, and she studied him as if she was trying to decipher bullshit. “Because that’s a lot. Like dating someone that may have more days where they feel bad than days where they feel good. Dealing with their up and down emotions. Getting attached to them knowing they might die. I just think walking away is easier.”
“Hell nah. I already told you that anybody can die any day. None of us are guaranteed to grow old, so stop thinking about death. I don’t want to lose anyone that I love or care about, but if I know someone for six months, and that six months was a great six months, I’d never regret staying if they passed. And as far as them being sick, a real one will do whatever it took to make their days a little brighter.”
Giavanna’s throat bounced as she swallowed hard. His answer was so perfect. She wasn’t sure if Tremaine would last, but when she told him about her diagnosis, he didn’t run away. In fact, he offered words of encouragement and sent her flowers the next day.
“Thank you for that.” She smiled. “How was your day? You look nice. And how is my baby?”
“Your baby is teething and bad as fuck. My day was pretty good. I just got done with an early dinner.”
“A date?” she asked before she could catch herself.
“Yeah. Catching up with an old friend.”
“That’s nice.” She hoped her smile didn’t appear forced or fake because it was both.
Imagining him out on a date with another woman made her gut churn, and she didn’t like it. Brazil wasn’t hers, and he could never be. Being jealous of him going on a date was absurd. Maybe her reconnecting with Tremaine was a good thing. Even if it wasn’t some intense, kismet soul tie, hopefully it would be enough to smolder any inappropriate feelings she had about Brazil. The lines were getting blurred but crossing them wasn’t an option.
CHAPTER 14
Khrome bither bottom lip and concentrated as she took pictures of Lethal sparring with his coach. Her job had started, and she was there taking pictures and getting content for his social media pages. Her job was super easy, and she could tell that he passed simple tasks that he used to handle on to her just to have a reason to pay her, and she appreciated it. Khrome’s first job was being a bartender. Other than that, she’d never worked. She enjoyed what she was doing for Lethal and had done research on how to become a brand manager. Maybe she could even do PR.
Working for her money rather than just having it given to her was something that she wanted. Everything she planned on posting was to build anticipation for the upcoming fight. The night she met Lethal, Khrome didn’t even know who he was. She was drunk, high, and just kept thinking he was fine as hell. She peeped the chain around his neck and knew he had to have money, but she didn’t think too much into it.
