“You must have cheated because I know damn well your ass has terrible coordination,” Keynauri jested.
“What kind of best friend are you? I can’t believe you would say something like that to me.” I clutched my invisible pearls, and he smirked. Of course, he could see right through my bullshit, and I loved that about him.
“Yeah, whatever. The truth hurts. We both know you’re a sore ass loser who doesn’t mind cheating to get your way. The only reason I let it slide is because you’re my best friend, but you can’t do that with every nigga.”
Keynauri took a seat on the couch, and I decided to join him. I tried to put some distance between us, but he gripped my arm, sliding my body closer to his.
“Don’t start actin’ brand new because you got a little boyfriend.” Keynauri huffed, leaning forward to grab his blunt from the coffee table.
“I’m trying to be respectful. I’m sure my man wouldn’t want me to be hugged up with you on my couch.” I reasoned.
“Cocoa Puffs, don’t make me fuck you up. I don’t give a fuck what that pussy ass nigga wants. You don’t belong to him. He might as well get used to the way things are around here, if he plans to stick around.”
“If I don’t belong to him, then who do I belong to?” I asked, trying my hardest to ignore the butterflies rumbling in my stomach.
“I can hear your heart thumpin’ from over here. You already know the answer.” Keynauri smirked as he put the blunt against his lips.
I stared at him as I tried to decide if I wanted to press him further. Keynauri loved to talk in riddles, but I wanted him to make things clear.
“You look like you’ve got something on your mind, Cocoa. Let me know what’s up.” His eyes were closed as he spoke, and I could tell the herbs were doing their job.
“How come you don’t have a girlfriend? You pass out dick like candy on Halloween. You mean to tell me none of those girls are girlfriend material?”
Keynauri’s eyes shot open as he broke out into a coughing fit. I hopped up from the couch to grab him a bottle of water before I reclaimed my seat. Once he calmed down, he glared at me.
“What? All I did was ask a question.” I held my hands as I declared my innocence.
“You got me fucked up, Cocoa. First off, I don’t even be fucking these bitches as much as you think I do. I told you before, I do what’s necessary to get what I need. There aren’t any feelings involved on my end, and I damn sure wouldn’t date any of those broads.”
“Sounds like a hoe to me. What about Tiana? You don’t think about getting back with her and trying to make your family work?”
Keynauri frowned, then focused his attention on his blunt.
“I see you want to get a rise out of me. You and I both know all of the answers to these dumb ass questions. Tiana and I will never be together. We aren’t compatible, and I’ll fuck around and end up in jail if I ever try to take it there with her. There is only one person who could get a relationship out of me, but I’m not sure if she’s ready for me. Truth be told, I’m not sure if I’m ready for her either. She’s special, and I don’t want her to ever feel like she’s settling with me.”
“Why do you think she would be settling by being with you?”
Keynauri sat up and placed the remainder of his blunt in my momma’s ashtray before turning to face me.
“I don’t want my darkness to overshadow her light. She’s the only good thing I have left in my life. If I lose her, I lose everything.”
“I think you’re underestimating how valuable you are. You’re the only reason I know there are good men in this world. Any woman lucky enough to receive your love is blessed, and don’t you ever forget that.”
Silence loomed over us
There were so many things I wanted to say, but fear held me back. I trust Keynauri with every part of me, but as he said earlier, I wasn’t sure if he was ready. He was young and living a lifestyle that led to destruction. I went upstairs to change so I could spend time with my best friend. A part of me wondered how our relationship would shift going forward. No one on the outside understood our relationship, and I never wanted to be put in the position of choosing, because it would always be him. I guess I would have to wait and see how things played out.
Three Weeks Later
“Isee your ass is still lovesick. I’ve been talking to you for the last ten minutes, and you haven’t heard a single word I said.” Logic’s voice interrupted my thoughts. Naiari was about to see another side of me that she wasn’t ready for. I texted her ass this morning to see what she had planned, but she never responded. Six hours had passed, and I still hadn’t heard anything from her. I had her location, and I was tempted to pull up on her since she thought it was cool to play with me.
“I ain’t lovesick. You talked to Nova today?” I probed, finally looking up from my phone. A smirk spread across Logic’s face, and I wasn’t in the mood for his childish ass.
“Yeah, I talked to her this morning. She told me her mom never came home last night, so she had to stay home with the kids. I thought my momma was triflin’, but Rasheeda is running a tight race. I didn’t even have the heart to tell Nova that one of my boys served her momma last night. Bitch was sucking dick in the back of the trap house.” My head dropped, hearing the news about Nova’s momma.
I had strict rules about serving people I was close to. It was bad enough that I was taking part in pushing drugs through my neighborhood. My conscience wouldn’t allow me to serve one of my friends’ parents.
“It’s a fucked-up situation, but I’m not surprised. When I saw her hanging out with Corrine and the rest of those bobble head bitches, it was only a matter of time.”
