“Rio, I’m sorry. I swear I am. I regret ever hurting you. You didn’t deserve it.”
This conversation required some emotional maturity and Rio didn’t have any. Instead of listening, he abruptly ended the call while cursing himself for even reaching out to Cali. Her sorry did nothing but refuel his bitterness. It reminded him of why he despised her in the first place.
“Fuck her,” he mumbled, rising from the couch. He stalked back to his bedroom and resumed his position in the bed.
Rozalin snuggled closer, casting her powdery scent over him. Rage visited Rio again, but he couldn’t blame anyoneexcept himself. He should've never reached out to Cali. Hearing her voice revived feelings he had deemed dead. Cali should've been a distant memory by now. Instead, she abided inside Rio’s being, encouraging him to walk away feeling hollow because his heart had been missing.
“Are you okay?” Rozalin asked.
Rio wanted to yell out, “Hell no!” He wanted to shove her away and run back to the girl he thought was his safe haven. Rozalin had been a great distraction, but she wasn’t Cali. She didn’t smell like her. She didn’t feel like her and she didn’t taste like her. However, she was still great. Rozalin was all woman. She didn’t parade herself as this loyal person because it was authentically her. Rozalin did what she said and had been honest so far. Rio didn’t necessarily possess warm and fuzzy feelings for her, but he fucked with her.
“Do you need me to put you back to sleep?”
She climbed on top of him, traveling down to his erection. They’d been fucking like hot-blooded teens, lately, exploring each other’s bodies like they had a personal manual. As much as Rio secretly yearned for Cali, he had to admit that Rozalin was a nice stand-in.
“Yeah, handle that.”
Noble hated awkwardness. Being the natural born leader he was, he always felt he had to navigate every situation he was in, except this dilemma had nothing to do with him. He was summoned to be a listening ear, but Tuck had been in silence ever since he sat down. Pain inhabited his eyes. He looked ill and rightfully so. His character had been stripped without his permission. That had to hurt.
“So, you called me here to be quiet?” Noble asked, tired of the silence.
Tuck leaned up, resting his arms on the table. His head hung a bit as he dodged eye contact with Noble.
“Cuz, I’m… I can’t believe this shit.” He shook his head.
There was so much defeat in Tuck’s tone. He was wounded emotionally. As a man, what was he to do? He’d been outed for the whole city to see. His once menacing reputation was ruined in a matter of posts and now, he couldn’t even fight the narrative because it was true.
“Who you think did it?”
Tuck finally gazed at him. His eyes were filled with rage that prompted them to appear red.
“It was that bitch-ass nigga, Jovanis.”
Noble’s eyes bucked in complete disbelief. “Get the fuck outta here. Jovanis did this shit?”
Somberly, Tuck nodded. “He was the nigga in the…” He cleared his throat. “In the video.”
Noble reclined in the chair, stunned that Jovanis had done something so low. How could someone, who had been hiding in the closet, out another man? How could he humiliate someone when he was sailing in the same boat?
“Why would he do this?”
“Because I didn’t wanna be with his bitch-ass,” Tuck griped, cracking his knuckles. “I told him I’m not gay and that I don't wanna be in no fucking relationship. He got mad and did this.” He shook his head for the umpteenth time.
“Why you think you not gay?”
Tuck cut his eyes at him. “What the fuck you mean? I’m not.”
“Cuz, if you needed someone to tell you, let me be the one. You gay, fam.”
“What?” Tuck’s head reared, offended by his words.
For years, Noble had avoided this conversation with Tuck. Mainly because one, he didn’t want to know about him being with men sexually, and two, it wasn’t none of Noble’s business. Evading the conversation had left too many narratives on the table and now was the time to set things straight.
“You fuck with men, right?”
“Man,” Tuck drawled, looking at the table next to them. “I don't be like… it’s not nothing like that… I mean I love women more.”
“Nigga, you can’t even explain it,” Noble pointed out. “As a matter of fact, you don't need to explain it. You like fucking with niggas. That makes you gay or I guess bisexual. Hell, I don't know but you one of those.”
