But fate decided that wasn’t how it was going to go.
Now it probably looked to him like I was leaving him behind. But he had given me no choice. I didn’t walk away because I wanted to hurt him. I walked away because he refused to grow with me and then tried to control me when he realized he couldn’t.
My phone rang again.
I groaned and glanced at the screen, already assuming it was Kodi. But it was Sincere.
Relief hit me so fast my shoulders dropped.
I answered. “Hey.”
He was quiet for half a second. Then he said, “I’m not your friend.”
I blinked slowly, confused. “Huh?”
“I’m not your friend,” he repeated, but now his voice was so deeply sultry. “So, don’t greet me with that dry ‘hey’. I’m your man. Greet me properly.”
I paused. Then I smiled, even though I had just been stressed out. “Hey, baby.”
He chuckled, as if he were holding back a blush. “That’s better.”
I sat up a little straighter. “Wait a minute. So, I’m your girlfriend?”
“Yeah,” he said like it was obvious.
“Then ask me properly,” I teased.
He laughed again, deeper this time. “I will.”
I allowed the silence to go by for a second or two. Then I said, “I’m waiting.”
“I’ll do it on my own time, Woman,” he laughed. “You really trying to boss me?”
“Yes,” I said, smiling. “And I know you like it.”
He went quiet for a beat, then I heard him breathe out, amused. “I do.”
I had to pinch myself because it didn’t feel real that a man like Sincere just claimed me. Kodi’s claim over me came with control and ego, like ownership. Sincere saying it felt different. It felt chosen. It felt earned. It felt safe. Like he wasn’t claiming me to keep me small, but to stand beside me while I grew.
AVA REYNOLDS
I stepped out of my ensuite bathroom, tightening the towel around my chest. As I walked into my room, I yelped. Zahra was stretched across my bed, staring at my laptop, which I had left open. She didn’t even look up. She just kept scrolling like she was in her own world.
“Zahra!” I screeched, clutching my towel tighter. “What the hell? You could’ve announced yourself!”
She waved me off without lifting her eyes from the screen. “Girl, please. I knocked. You didn’t answer.”
“I was in the shower!”
“And I was bored,” she said, finally glancing up with a smirk. “Now why do you have all of these tabs open about traveling in Thailand?”
My stomach dropped. I turned my back to her fast and went to my dresser. I yanked open a drawer and pretending I was focused on finding something to put on. “Why are you all in my business?”
“You are my business. You’re looking at flights, hotels. ‘Best islands in Thailand.’ ‘What to pack for a long trip.’ ‘Extendedstays in Thailand”. Ava…” Then she looked up at me with a dramatically raised brow. “What’s going on?”
“I’m just looking,” I mumbled.
“Looking for what?”
