"Do me a favor and create a note on your phone with all the things I need to look out for. Share it with me and update it regularly," I told him.
"No two women are the same, bro. River's experience will be different, but the beauty of it is that you'll know what's off about her because you pay attention to the woman she is. Just stay patient and chill with the glasses. If she wanna wear contacts, let her. Your job is to know and be the relief she needs before she realizes she needs it."
"I hear you." I nodded. "Not with the contacts shit but everything else… hurd you."
"This nigga," Wolfe scoffed. "But aye dead this shit with Honor. It hasn't fucked up business as of yet, but it can get there."
"How you figure it hasn't fucked up business when he put Rize in Ember Hills? That’s my shit. Honor overstepped by putting a nigga I brought in over there."
Before Wolfe could respond, heavy knocks hit the front door. I looked at Wolfe, then stood up to answer it.
"Sup," Honor greeted, his face sagging like he'd just lost his best friend.
"Fix your face, Mr. I Made You," I huffed.
"I'm not on that shit today. If you don't want me here, say that and I'll move around." The heaviness in his voice wasn't familiar to me.
"Nah, you can stay, but I told you the price of admission. Tell me a?—"
"Choyce kissed me," he cut in.
"Nigga, what?" Wolfe said, coming toward the door.
"Choyce—"
"Chill River's upstairs. Y'all know she's got super hearing 'cause her ass is blind as a bat."
Honor laughed, and for a split second, he let some of that humor reach his eyes.
"We can go to the basement," I offered, letting him inside the house.
"Cool. Wolfe, you got that on you?"
"Yeah. Just told Crown Chosyn cooked up some new shit. We can spark up and bare our souls."
"This nigga," I chucked my chin in Honor's direction, "baring his soul might freeze hell over."
"Fuck you." Honor chuckled.
It felt good to hear his brooding ass laugh. Shit, it felt even better to be around the nigga. After that shit with Lynx,brother hit different. I never expected my nigga to go out how he did, but that was the thing about putting expectations on niggas. Not everyone was gon' live up to them. Lynx falling short fucked me up, and because of that, it was hard for me to let go of this shit with Honor. I didn't need to know all his business, but what had to do with us and those we loved, I needed to know. Everything wasn't for Honor to carry. If he shared some of the load, the nigga might actually enjoy life instead of always trying to survive and protect it.
"You good?" Honor asked, eyes narrowed as if he were trying to pinpoint the issue.
"Yeah. Just thinking 'bout some shit. Make sure y'all grab your own snacks. I'm not sharing with you niggas when themmunchies hit," I told them as I walked into the kitchen to grab a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
"Ole stingy ass nigga," Wolfe huffed and grabbed a box of fruit snacks.
Looking toward Honor, I asked, "You not gon' grab nothing?"
"I'm good," he quietly stated.
I nodded but caught the heaviness in his tone. That nigga was hurting and wasn't shit I could do about it unless he let me in.
The three of us headed down to the basement and settled onto the sectional.
"Spark up," I told Wolfe, needing this new strand to kill the tension in the room.
The three of us being around each other never felt this fucking heavy before. It wasn't on some beef shit. It was more uncomfortable, like I was sharing my space with a stranger I used to love. Shit was weird, and if we didn't come to some kind of understanding today, I didn't see Honor and me ever getting back right.
