This nigga ain’t the protector of shit,I thought.
“Look,” he started, “I don’t…”
I shook my head no. “I let y’all get y’all shit off at the restaurant, remember?”
He shot Kennedy a quick glance, but her eyes stayed on me and the Glock I’d pulled as I stood up from the couch.
“Okay, cool. I’ma make this real short, so I can get out y’all hair. I just wanted you to see how easy it is to reach out and touch you should I ever feel the need to. Now, I’m gonna make this very clear so that there’s no confusion on where I stand when it comes tomyson. You,” I pointed to Kennedy, “you’re gonna go back to pretending as if he doesn’t exist. You had plenty of chances to make shit right, and you didn’t. I don’t trust you. I don’t fuck witchu. And anything I don’t trust or fuck wit’ won’t be around my seed.” I took a step forward so that I was merely a foot away from the couple. “Y’all got a kid of y’all own now. Make that shit work and don’t let your guilt be the reason that y’all end up a figment of your child’s imagination. You would do well to remember my last name, Kennedy. This shit can and will get ugly if you push the issue.”
I sidestepped them, her husband pulling her behind like he was willing to take a bullet for her. I proceeded to the door then stopped. Thinking about the way he approached me at the restaurant, I turned and brought the Glock down over his face.
“Enzo!” Kennedy shrieked as he fell into her.
“Just thought I’d remind you.”
CHAPTER 7
Holding Back
DANAE
For the first time in the two years I’d been working at Sullivan’s, I was running late. Me – Danae Ariel Anderson – late for work. The statement was unheard of. I’d barely slept the night before. And it wasn’t for reasons that made sense like still being pissed at Aura for trying to have my car towed or irritated that I’d wasted a good outfit on a nigga who couldn’t hold a decent conversation to save his goddamn life. No, my tossing and turning was due to my stomach rumbling half the night.
I was convinced that Aura was trying to get me sick just to keep me in the house. The food he had delivered messed my stomach up so bad that by the third run to the bathroom, I just laid on the cold tile for relief. I knew I’d eaten a bad batch of sushi. And that sucked because I loved the little Japanese spot by my place. So much for being a return customer after the night I had.
When my alarm went off this morning, my body was too sluggish and my head too heavy to get up right away. After laying in the bed an extra thirty minutes, I pushed myself up and into the kitchen for a cup of ginger tea. By the time I got my stomach to stop rumbling and got dressed for the day, I was twenty minutes past the time I was supposed to leave the house.Frustrated to no end, I couldn’t even bring myself to call Amil. Opting to text instead, I apologized for my tardiness and let her know I was on my way.
As the manager of Sullivan’s Diner, I prided myself on showing up before the employees and leading by example. This was the first time I’d fallen short, and I didn’t like the way it made me feel. I knew I had to shake the negativity before I arrived though. I had to remind myself that I set the tone. Rushing out of the house, I hit the elevator button a few times as if it would somehow become considerate of my need to hurry and come faster.
“Girl, slow down. You act like you gon’ get fired or somethin’,” I said out loud to myself.
Taking in a deep breath, I let it out slowly to calm my nervous system. The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside, hitting the G button for the garage. I knew I had to trick my nervous system in order to reclaim my day. There were still things I had to do once I made it to the diner, and I needed to be focused to do it. I couldn’t function in chaos, especially chaos that I created in my own head.
When the doors slid open, I walked off the elevator with my face in my phone. Hitting the remote start on my car key, I frowned when I didn’t hear the car respond to my command. My eyes scanned the row of parked cars, and my heart dropped once I got to my spot. The space was empty. Panic consumed my body. I lived in a nice area, but even I knew there was no place exempt from crime in New York City.
With shaky hands and a scream caught in my throat, I started to call 911. Before I could get to the dial pad, I saw headlights. The car pulled into the garage slowly, the lights illuminating the concrete as it got closer. I squinted, and then the realization hit me fast. It was my damn car.
Anger overrode my logic as I stepped out in front of the car like my body was a human stop sign. It stopped just a few inches away to avoid hitting me. I watched as the driver side window rolled down with deliberate slowness and knew immediately who was behind the wheel.
“Bae,” Aura spoke calmly out the window, not knowing I was two seconds away from wringing his neck. “Move out the way. You already late for work.”
“Muthafu…”
“Danae,” he cut in. “Remember who you’re talking to.”
My jaw tightened as I stared at him. “Why do you have my car, Aura?”
He cracked a smile like he’d been waiting for me to ask. “You never texted me back last night, so I had Taylin drop me off this morning after I handled business. Your car was due for an oil change, so I went to get it serviced. Why you riding around with your tank almost on E?”
I cocked my head to the side, not believing how casually he spoke, like this was how normal people behaved. “Are you serious? How did you even get a key to my car, Aura?”
“I used my emergency spare that I told you I had when I bought the car. Get in before you’re later than what you already are. Then, you go in there, and people gotta deal with a pretty face and a nasty attitude. Don’t nobody want that over they grits and eggs.”
I huffed and stomped over to the passenger side. “You’re ridiculous. I didn’t know the gift came with built in security that I didn’t ask for,” I said, referring to the car he’d surprised me with last year on my birthday.
“You also didn’t ask for the gift. But Dada didn’t want you ridin’ around in that Acura, so I had to get my baby right.” He reached for the coffee cup that sat in the cupholder and handed it to me. “Peppermint tea. And you said considerate wrong. I’mnot ridiculous. I’m considerate. There’s a toasted egg and cheese croissant in that bag in the backseat if you wanna put something on your stomach. I told them to hold the bacon. I know you don’t like that pork on your stomach early in the morning.”
I didn’t respond as he backed out of the garage, not because I was trying to be rude but because he remembered things that I’d told him during brief conversations. Aura paid attention and held onto every word I said. He even remembered things I didn’t realize I shared. It bothered me sometimes, but it also made me feel seen. He wasn’t my man. He didn’t care that I mentioned that to him every chance I got. Still, it didn’t stop him from moving as such.
