“What you trying to say?” I sipped my drink. I was curious because he sounded like he knew something I didn’t. When he blew out a deep breath, I knew the shit was about to hit the fan.
“Simone called off y’all engagement ’cause she ain’t wanna own what she did. Me and Simone slept together.Once.Before I knew she was your girl,” he said, and the entire bar went on mute in my head.
“Hold up. Hold up,” I said. “Run that back.”
“It was before I ever met her as your girl,” he said. “Like a month before you told me you were in love and brought her over to Mom’s crib for Sunday dinner. We met at a bar. She told me she had a man, but I ain’t know it was you. I didn’t get her real name. We vibed, went back to a hotel, and fucked. It was a one-night stand thing. Then you brought her to the house a few weeks later, introducing her as your girl.”
My ears had to be deceiving me because there was no way Marcus was telling me that Simone had cheated on me with him. Me and Simone had been official for about six months before I’d brought her around to meet my people. Everybody had heard about her and knew I was with somebody, but nobody had seenher. It was just how I moved. I liked keeping my relationships private. I wasn’t on socials or nothing. If Marcus had met her out in a bar, neither of them would have known who the other one was.
“So when you saw her with me, you didn’t think to say nothing? Did you recognize her?” I asked, because now I had questions.
“Soon as I saw her,” he said. “I pulled her to the side and told her she had to tell you. Gave her a deadline. She dragged her feet. Next thing I know, she breaking up with you. When you told me she blamed your closeness to Harlowe, I was shocked. I wanted to tell you the truth, but you was already hurt, Bro. I ain’t want to add to the shit.”
I stared straight ahead at the ocean, my jaw locked so tight it damn near hurt.
“So all that time,” I said quietly. “She had me and Harlowe feeling like we were the problem… when she was foul.”
“Yeah,” he said. “That’s on me too for not saying shit. But since we coming at each other like men today, I don’t want nothing holding you and Harlowe back from happiness, Bro. Y’all deserve that.” I could feel him shrug through the phone.
“You should’ve told me this shit months ago,” I said. “Hell, the day I walked her ass in there to meet Ma and you knew you’d smashed.”
“I know. I know,” he said. “And you got every right to feel some type of way. But I’m telling you now.”
I was too pissed to speak. All I saw was Simone standing in our living room talking about how Harlowe was making her uncomfortable, talking about how she didn’t like how Harlowe was always around, how she’d thrown her ring at me and moved all her shit out our place a week later, and how she’d cut off her friendship with Harlowe and blocked her on everything. She made all this shit up to cover her own ass.
“You good?” Marcus asked. I must have gotten too quiet.
“Nah,” I said honestly. “But I will be.” I tossed some bills on the bar and stood up.
“Don’t do no wild shit, Bro,” he warned. “Simone ain’t even worth it.”
“I’m not,” I said, already heading toward the lobby. “But Simone got some apologizing and explaining to do. I’ma hit you later.” I hung up. My hand tightened around my phone as I stepped onto the stone path that led to the villas. Simone wanted to play with fire, and it was time for her ass to feel the heat.
Simone’s room was a couple of villas down from ours. I’d watched her slip in and out enough times over the past few days to know exactly where to go. The information that Marcus had just given me was wild on so many levels, and it had me seeing red, not just because Simone was a cheater, but she had dragged Harlowe into her shit. I had watched Harlowe grieve for their friendship and hold loyalty for Simone when she didn’t deserve it.
I stopped outside her door and knocked hard once.
“It’s open!” she called from the other side. She must’ve been waiting for room service or something. I pushed the door in and stepped inside. The heavy smell of vanilla and something floral greeted me. I glanced around, shaking my head. Candles were lit on every flat surface and low R&B music played. It looked like I was interrupting something.
“You can leave the food—” She turned the corner, wrapped tight in a silk robe.
“Hasheem?” Her smile dropped. “What are you?—”
“You fucked my brother.” The words came out before the door even clicked shut behind me.
Her face went blank. “What?”
“You heard me.” I stepped all the way in. I ain’t need none of these nosy people in my business. “You fucked my brother. Then you called off our engagement and blamed that shit on me and Harlowe like we did something to you.”
The color drained from her cheeks. “That’s not?—”
“You called off our wedding,” I snapped, heat rising in my chest. “Had me thinking I was outta line for how I loved my best friend, had her believing she was asking for too much. Whole time, you the one who couldn’t keep it solid.”
“Hasheem, can you please just?—”
“Nah.” I cut her off with a shake of my head. “You had a whole year to say what you was gonna say.”
She clutched the robe tighter at her waist, backing up a step.
