“Whatever.”
I closed my eyes,feeling the weight of everything falling around me. Well, maybe not falling, but my feelings were. I stayed with my sister at the bar for a while. When she closed, she offered to stay a while, but I turned her down. I made her go home to her family because I didn’t need her babysitting me and my heartbreak. After she left, I moved toward the lobby then decided to take a seat on the sectional in the corner for a while. What I hadn’t expected to see when I got out there was the man from the bar. We locked eyes briefly before I looked away and took my seat a few feet from him. As soon as I was seated, my phone started ringing yet again, this time an unknown number, letting me know it was indeed Nathanial.
“Yes, Nathanial,” I answered finally.
“Yo, what the fuck is wrong with you? You screening my calls and moving suspect as fuck.”
“You are what’s wrong with me.”
“Yo, you on that crazy shit again, ain’t you?” he asked, anger evident in his tone. It didn’t matter though. His anger at this moment didn’t mean a damn thing to me.
“Crazy shit? Nope. For the first time in a while, I’m seeing things very clearly.”
He sighed into the phone. “What are you talking about, baby? Come home and let’s tal?—”
“Nah, I’m not coming anywhere. Who is Darla better known on Instagram ashecums4me?”
Silence filled the other side of the line. He didn’t know what to say. Rarely was Nathanial ever rendered speechless. He was always fucking talking.
“What, cat got your tongue? I said who the fuck is Darla?” My voice elevated as I momentarily forgot where the hell I was. I remembered immediately though, a quick glance around the room had me briefly embarrassed. The lobby of the hotel had three other humans in it besides me. One of those being the man from the restaurant. He was alone now. We briefly locked eyes before he stared at his phone. I didn’t know where I knew him from, but something about him was familiar.
“Nobody. She’s a fucking no?—”
“Nah, she’s somebody. She had a nice conversation with herself in my DMs. Not only that, she also sent pictures and I think two videos. I could be mistaken.”
“She didn’t mean shit, baby. It was one fucking time. One time that on my life I regre?—”
“Don’t you dare lie to me. I know about the abortions and New Year's. While I was sick at home, you were clubbing with your pregnant baby mama, right?”
“Selah. Listen to me plea?—”
“No. The time for me to listen has passed. Now I want you out of my life.” Those words flowed so easily from my lips.Did I really want that?
“You know I can’t do that.”
“You can and you will.” My voice elevated a little louder.
“I love you too fucking much to do that.”
“Oh well.” I pulled the phone from my ear and hung up. My heart hurt in a way it had never. I stared at the dimmed screen of my phone for a minute before it lit up again. He was calling back, but I had no intention of answering.
When I finally looked up from my lap and we locked eyes again. “I’m sorry for being so loud.” I didn’t know why I apologized.
He shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re apologizing for. It’s me in your business, sweetheart. Are you good?”
I held back a chuckle, taking him in. His face was so freaking familiar, but I still couldn’t place it. “I will be.”
“Good, ’cause you too beautiful to be letting some nigga throw you off.”
“What if I’m throwing him off?” I sassed, even though I didn’t need to.
He laughed. “I hope that’s not your definition, sweetheart.”
My mouth dropped open. His presence was so controlled, so serious, but he was outspoken. “W-what do you mean?”
“Ain’t none of my business, beautiful. You from around here?”
“Yes. Well no. Watertown. You?” I asked, not missing how dismissive he was.
