We exchanged looks. She sighed and picked her drink up. I could see her wanting to mention the elephant in the room. When she went to talk, I cut her off.
“I just want to enjoy my night, Si. That’s it. Can a bitch do that?”
She didn’t say anything. We gave each other another knowing look. If it weren’t for Hazel being so into her phone she would have asked what was going on. I didn’t want that question to come up. Didn’t want Sienna to reach her wits end neither and spill the beans.
“I gotta use the bathroom,” I mumbled, before grabbing my bag and getting up.
“I’m going with?—”
“No, you’re not,” I interrupted. “I’m fine, Sienna. Okay? Just fine.”
The restroom was the last place I wanted to be with her. I understood why she wanted to talk. Understood why she was concerned but I really just wanted to leave that conversation alone. I wasn’t ready to have it. Didn’t know when I would be ready.
On my way to the restroom, I felt his eyes on me. It was almost as if they stayed on me. Because I felt him watching, I added a little twist to my hips. Walked with the confidence of a bad bitch because I was that. Despite what I’d gone through. Despite what I felt. Duke might’ve cheated… might’ve had a baby on me… but one thing I could say was that he’d never taken my confidence from me. What he did never made me feelugly. Maybe lesser than. Maybe not good enough. But never unattractive.
When I got to the restroom, I used it, washed my hands and fixed my lip combo. Walking out, I bumped right into Crescent. Was I surprised? Hell no. I was expecting it. I knew he would follow. Not because I’d added a little umph to my stride but because he wanted to talk to me. I knew because I wanted to talk to him too.
“You still mad at me?” He asked, looking down at me.
I rolled my eyes. “If I was mad I wouldn’t have spoken to you.”
“Yes you would’ve. Because you did.”
I sighed. “Ain’t nobody mad at yo ass, Crescent. You just…”
He stepped forward, practically pinning me up against the wall by putting his arm on the wall behind me. “I just what? Don’t want to conduct business over a computer screen.”
“You have virtual meetings.”
“Not with you I don’t,” he paused and licked his lips. “We’re not at work right now. I don’t want to talk about that shit.”
“You asked if I was mad at you. You did want to talk about it,” I shot back, locking eyes with him.
“You been throwing them back; you smooth?” He asked, changing the subject.
I wanted to throw something else back.
“How you know? You in my business, Mr. Carter?”
He lightly laughed and pulled his bottom lip into his mouth. “You drove?”
“No. You worried about me getting home safely?”
With raised brows, he said, “Actually, I am.”
“My sister drove. I’m fine.”
“Hell yeah you fine,” he complimented, sweeping his browns over my body.
I blushed, looked away, ran a hand over the back of my neck and giggled.Giggled. Like a little ass girl who’d never heard she was pretty.
“Thank you, Crescent.”
He stepped forward, closing the space between us. “You got room for one more? Remember... you owe me a drink."
I drew back. “I owe you a drink? You owe me an email.”
“Didn’t I just tell you I didn’t want to talk about work? And yea you owe me a drink. First meeting… I invited you out for a drink. You declined. You still owe me. And look… we end up at the same bar. Funny how life works, ain’t it?”
