“Right now, I want to focus on telling the agent that I think this is the one.”
“Really?” Ivory gushed.
Irish was grateful for the distraction.
“Yes, I can see us here, living it up, and moving into the next phase of our lives.”
Ivory ran to her and wrapped her arms around her neck. “You are like the best sister ever. In the next lifetime, I wanna come back as your sister.”
Irish laughed, embracing her in her arms. “I appreciate that.”
Ivory pulled back. “Let’s go tell her.”
“Let’s.”
Darkness surrounded Rio as he laid in his bed. His phone was propped in his hands as he scrolled through different apps. Sleep had evaded him on this particular night. Ever since the accident, Rio had trouble sleeping. He’d fall asleep only to be awakened a few hours later. For the last hour, he had been submerged into the Tuck exposure. He couldn’t believe a man he considered a friend was out in the streets fucking men. Being gay was something he never expected from Tuck. Rio didn’t have any issue with gay people, but he hated the down low ones. The ones that portrayed themselves as straight, deceiving everyone in their lives. Despite his disdain, Rio felt bad for Tuck. The St. Parklynn streets had been buzzing for the last two days about his sexual trysts. With Tuck being in jail, it had to be sickening knowing he had been exposed and couldn’t do much about it.
Rio went on Instagram and scrolled. He wasn’t a person that used the app often but would post a quote in his story here and there. Scrolling, he stopped at a post that literally provoked his heart to race. He recognized the dainty fingers that were painted a deep plum shade. Cali had the most beautiful hands ever with her smooth cacao skin. The caption readNew paint!
“The fuck,” he whispered, wearing the perplexity on his face.
Rio zoomed in on her left hand and noticed an R on her ring finger.
When the fuck did she get this?
Rio was stumped and shouldn’t have cared, but his interest was piqued. Sending the picture to her inbox, he sent her a message.When did you get that?
Rio went back to scrolling until he received a notification in his direct message. Not thinking she would reply at three o’clock in the morning, he was stunned to see her response. Rio hadn’t spoken to Cali since their divorce meeting. He’d written her off and sworn not to converse with her ever again. Yet here he was, dead in the middle of the night, reading a message from her.
Not too long ago.
Rio read her message, trying to decipher when she could have gotten a tattoo with his initial on her finger. Looking to his right, Rozalin was still fast asleep as he rose from the bed. His bare feet padded the chilled tile as he walked into the living room. The city lights illuminated his dark condo as he took a seat on the couch. Rio couldn’t understand why he was so invested in this. Or why he tapped the phone icon up top and placed it to his ear.
“Hello?” Cali answered on the first ring.
Immediately, Rio’s eyes closed. Pain and yearning clashed inside his heart. One battling the other. Why was he so conflicted? This was his biggest opp. The girl who used to have his heart in her palm but decided to step on it rather than cherish it.
“Why you getting tattoos of my initial, Calia?”
His voice was void of love; only resentment resided there now.
For a while she was silent, until her tone broke through. “I just… I wanted it.”
“Why?”
That question was loaded. It wasn’t just a why did she get that tattoo, but why did she ruin them? Why did she cheat on him? Why did she choose a nigga that wasn’t a fourth of the manRio was? He’d never asked why because truthfully, Rio didn’t think he would be able to stomach her answer.
“It’s a reminder of the love I lost. I’ve been depressed and needed to feel you, but I know I can’t. So, it was a night where I couldn’t sleep because you were on my mind. I got up and went to get it. I don't know why but I just needed to do it.”
Rio scoffed, unmoved by her story. If only she had been that adamant about keeping her legs closed.
“That shit ain't gon’ change nothing. It’s still fuck you.”
Rio loathed being mean to Cali, but he had to make that clear. They would never share the passion and love they once possessed. Even though he wanted nothing more than to envelope her body into his embrace and kiss her pain away. He couldn’t do that because she was the source of his agony.
“I know,” she muttered.
For a while neither of them said anything. They just held the phone while the pain of what used to be lingered between the two.
