“You gave me roses too,” Felicia added, her voice dropping into a honey-sweet register. She was taunting him.
“That don’t mean nothing.”
“You wrote a sweet note.”
“Don’t mean nothing either! You’re one of my oldest friends, Fee. Don't make the shit weird.”
I felt Sky’s elbow nudge my side. I looked down, and she was watching them like she was witnessing a train wreck in slow motion. I lowered my voice, leaning into her space so only she could hear.
“He is in love with her,” I whispered. I could understand why he was. She was a teacher and was filled with this peaceful energy, petite but curvy, dark-skinned, with a pixie cut that framed her pretty face just right. She had one of those smiles that made you feel like everything was gonna be okay.
Sky’s brows shot up. “Oh?”
“He pretends he doesn’t,” I added, watching Brent nearly trip over a decorative pillow. “Because he’s scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“He’s like you,” I said, meeting her eyes. “Running from commitment for no reason.”
Across the room, Brent was still performing, acting like he wasn’t already gone over Fee. “It’s fake pressure! You’re supposed to outdo the next man because it’s February fourteenth? Flowers cost triple. Restaurants are packed with couples who haven't spoken nice to each other in months. Everybody posting captions they don’t even mean.”
“You sound like Sky,” I interrupted, raising my voice to cut through his rant. “She doesn’t believe in Valentine’s Day either.”
“As she should! I believe in consistency,” Brent replied, pointing a finger at me. “If I rock with you, I rock with you. I don’t need a specific Tuesday or a red heart emoji to validate my presence in your life.”
Felicia leaned back against the arm of the couch, her gaze steady. “But you still bought roses on the thirteenth. That’s a Valentine’s thing, Brent.”
“Because I felt like it,” he countered, his voice rising an octave. “Had nothing to do with the date. Total coincidence.”
Sky let out a short laugh before she could stop herself, but she stepped in to give Brent an out. “I mean, it does feel performative,” she offered.
Brent clapped once, loudly. “Exactly!”
I shook my head, shifting my weight. “Both of y’all are just too histrionic.”
Sky turned to me. “You’re the one who made a reservation and bought a dress and shoes, acting like it’s more than just another day. It’s not even like an anniversary or something. If we're talking about drama…”
“He bought you a dress and shoes, sis?” Felicia asked, her grin widening.
Brent whistled low, shaking his head. “My boy is in deep. Submerged. Can’t even see the surface deep.”
Sky’s face flushed. “I told him it was unnecessary.”
Brent opened his mouth to say something stupid, but I stepped forward, cutting him off before he could get a word out.
“It wasn’t unnecessary,” I said. “It’s intentional.”
The word hung in the air. Felicia turned to Brent, her eyes narrowed. “So, why did you buy me and Zio gifts, but only mine the day before Valentine’s? What’s the intention behind that?”
“Because that’s my nigga and I just happened to see him earlier than you,” Brent said, gesturing to me.
“And I’m what?” Felicia asked. She was pushing him now, forcing him to say the quiet part out loud.
Brent hesitated. The bravado wore on his sleeve wasn’t helping him right now. For a split second, I saw the sweat on his brow as he stared into the abyss of his own feelings. He looked like he was about to run.
Sky clocked it immediately. On some commitment-phobe camaraderie type shit, she stepped in to save him from the ledge.
“Do y’all want to play karaoke?” she asked.
