That question hurt but he would never showcase it.
“I don't know. I’m not a man that likes to wait in the shadows. I was already compromising my integrity by being with her, but I can’t allow her to keep toying with me. So, I let her go.”
“And it hurts you, which is why you came to me, so I can soothe your broken heart.” She poked her bottom lip out, making him chuckle.
“I think you giving yourself too much credit, Danira.”
“Maybe I am.” She reached over and put her joint out in the ashtray. “Tell me something, how the hell did you get wrapped up with a married woman?”
He shrugged, thinking back to the first conversation he and Irish had. He wished he could go back and savor their moments.
“I don't know. All I can say is that I wanted her.”
She smirked. “And you fell in love.”
He bobbed his head.
“Do you love her more than you did Daysha?”
“For sure.”
“What about me? Do you love her more than you loved me?”
Danira always liked setting herself up for some reason. She was crowned Noble’s first love and wore that title with such pride. She never missed an opportunity to measure herself up with the women in his life.
“Let’s just say, I loved her enough to compromise my character. That’s a big fucking deal to me.”
“You didn’t answer my question, though.”
“And I won’t.”
Playfully, she rolled her eyes. “Typical Noble. You play your feelings close to your chest until your back is against the wall. Then when all the mess is created, you want to reveal how you truly feel.
“Take your therapist hat off, Nira.”
“But I can’t. It’s what I do. Analyze complex people and give my observation. Did you know you were my first patient?”
“Yeah, I’m aware,” he answered, looking at the painting above her mantle.
“You wanna know what’s crazy?”
Before he answered, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and instantly kissed his teeth.
Daysha: Why won’t you answer my calls? How long have you been fucking Irish’s married ass? Does her husband know?
“Who is that?”
“My entitled-ass ex-wife. And no, I’m not about to talk about her ass.”
“Good ‘cause I didn’t want to. I wanted to give you my analysis of you.”
Noble was humored so he said, “Go ‘head.”
“You're a hard book to read, Noble. You rarely allow people to get close to you. You're actually the perfect person for the position you play. You compartmentalize your life in such a way that they rarely overlap. Noble the good dad, Noble the disgruntled son, and Noble the boss who takes care of business without thinking twice. Now, the most complicated part of your life is Noble the lover boy. So, I’m a little stumped on how you managed to ignore your own rules for this married woman.”
People on the outside wouldn’t be able to fathom how he’d fallen in love with Irish. It was easy on his part. Being loyal and down to earth, she listened and didn’t hold back her real feelings. Irish was made up of all the things that made women magical. She was kindhearted but wounded. Yet that didn’t taint her or make her feel bitter.
“If you knew her like I do, you would know that it was easy.”
