“The kind that respects women until they give me a reason not to.” Taking a sip of my drink, I noticed her eyebrow raise.
“Oh. So you’re… thoughtful?”
I leaned back in the chair. “Ain’t never said I was heartless. I’m just not a soft ass nigga.”
She nodded like she was processing that. “You got kids?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
I smirked. “Because I don’t trust most people enough to bring life into this world with ’em.”
She went quiet for a second, then asked, “You got family?”
“Don’t most people?”
She nodded again. “Is it just your grandmother? You take care of her, right?”
I raised my brow this time and paused for a moment before digging back into my food. I washed it down with a few sips of my drink and asked, “You analyzing me now?”
Princess shrugged. “Just trying to figure out who the hell Nyce is.”
“And what’s your read so far?”
She looked me straight in the eye. “You’re dangerous, but you’re not careless. You’re thoughtful, but you also don’t give a fuck. You treat people like they're disposable, maybe because you don’t really value those around you. And there’s a big reason for that.”
That made me pause for a few moments as I drank, watching her watch me. “And what about you, Princess Montgomery?” I watched her take another bite, chewing slowly like she didn’t want to give me too much. She was engaged, though.
“What about me?”
I sat back, my hand resting on the chair's back. “You love hard or logical?”
Her brows lifted slightly. “Excuse me?”
“It’s a simple question,” I said. “When you fall… you fall off emotion, or off what makes sense on paper?”
She didn’t answer right away. She just stared, like she was trying to decide if I was asking to use it against her later. She finally set her fork down. “I think I used to lead with emotion,” she said slowly. “Now? I lead with what protects me.”
I nodded. “So you guard your peace?”
“Every day I try to.”
I leaned forward slightly. “That means it got violated before. Who broke it? A fuck nigga?”
She hesitated. “You’re asking me about exes now?”
“I’m asking about origin stories. The shit that makes you who you are.”
She exhaled through her nose. “A little of everything. Family. Men. Myself, too.”
I watched her closely. “You take accountability.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“That’s rare.”
She tilted her head. “Are you profiling me?”
