“Ay, what the fuck you want me to do, Orin? I told her I’m taking her.”
“Why, Trooper? What, are you guys serious now? You hate shit like this anyway. I have to beg you to go places with me, and it’s always in and out, but you’re takingher. So what, are you going to meet the family and have drinks with her dad while you discuss your future with his daughter? I bet that will go well, especially when he asks what you do for a living. William Prescott won’t appreciate his daughter dating someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” I laughed arrogantly and looked her right in her eyes.
“Yes, someone like you. William Prescott is not the type of man you want to rub the wrong way, Trooper.”
“Why the fuck you care so much? Is this about me or him? You sound like you on his dick, Orin. You think I give a fuck what her father thinks? I ain’t fucking him; I’m with his daughter. Her opinion is the only one that counts, baby girl.”
“Wow, is that where we are now? I guess she really changed things for you. Should I be expecting an invitation in the mail soon?”
I chuckled and pointed at her as she stood across the room peering at me. “You’re funny, Orin. Nah, no invitation, but I need you to know your place. Ain’t shit changed about that.”
“Does she know?”
“No, she doesn’t, and if she finds out from anyone other than me, we’ll have some problems. You don’t want that, so my advice to you is stay away from her. If you’re there Friday and see us together, smile and wave, but keep your fucking distance. You don’t want to try me on that.” My eyes met hers and she tensed.
“Fine, just don’t call me, Trooper. I don’t need this shit. You’re not going to be fucking me and her, but giving her all the privileges of being your girl. I’m worth more than that, even if you don’t think so.”
Orin glared at me for a minute with a mixture of sadness and hate in her eyes. That shit made me feel for her because true enough, she had rocked with me on some real shit, but things were different. I wasn’t trying to marry Sophie or anything like that, but I felt like I needed to at least stop fucking around since we were pretty steady.
Hell, I didn’t know what we were but knew for a fact I was the only man in her life. If I wasn’t, I would be fucking shit up on her end, so I could at least give her the same respect. That was new to me. Never in my life had I ever been with just one woman, and honestly, I didn’t know I could. That was part of the reason I still occasionally slept with Orin, but it was getting harder to look at Sophie knowing the dirt I did behind her back.
I cared about her and wanted her to be happy. It would fuck her up if she knew about Orin. I didn’t want that, so I was trying to do the right thing. That meant telling Orin I had to cool things with us for now.
I let my hand move down my face before I joined her in my bedroom. When I got there, she was snatching up her clothes, stomping around my room.
“Ay, I know you’re mad right now, but I can’t help how things worked out. It wasn’t like I was looking for this shit to happen, and it’s not like you didn’t know it was a possibility.”
“Possibility? I’ve known you for three years, Trooper. When have you ever been remotely interested in monogamy? Hell, I didn’t even think you knew what it was. Forgive me if I thought that if or when you ever decided to catch feelings for someone, it would be me.”
She stepped into her jeans then folded her arms across her chest, just staring at me.
“I’m not catching feelings, Orin. I’m just chilling right now. Sophie is different, she?—”
“She what? She deserves for you to respect her enough not to cheat?”
“Ay, calm your gotdamn tone. I know you’re upset, but what you’re not gonna do is talk to me like you’ve lost your fucking mind. When I met you I told you I wasn’t the type to be with just one woman. Do you remember what you told me?”
I waited while she just stared like a fucking mute. “Since you can’t open your mouth now, I’ll refresh your memory. You said you didn’t care about any of that as long as when I was with you I made you feel like you were the only one in my life. You remember that shit, Orin? ’Cause I damn sure do.”
“That was three years ago, Trooper. Why can’t things be different now?” She softened her tone a little.
“Because they can’t. I got love for you, Orin, I swear I do, but right now I’m chilling with Sophie. I’m not saying it will stay that way, because honestly I don’t really know, but it is what it is right now.”
She just looked at me for a minute, like she wanted to say something else, but eventually backed down and lifted her shirt from the bed.
I’m gonna go,” she said lowly as she buckled her jeans.
I watched her without saying a word. I felt bad, but knew I’d feel worse if Sophie found out I was still dealing with Orin over the past month we had been kicking it seriously.
After Orin was dressed and heading to my front door, she stopped and looked at me like her world had totally been messed up. “You wanna know the worst part about all this?” she asked. When I didn’t respond, she kept talking. “It hurts, it really hurts, Trooper, and even with all that, I still want you. Don’t worry about your precious Sophie. I won’t say anything to her. What’s the point, anyway? You made it real clear that I’ll never be that for you, whether she’s in your life or not.”
The look on her face gut punched me and I wanted to fix that for her, but I couldn’t give her what she wanted. She was right. I couldn’t be with Orin like that, even if I wasn’t with Sophie. Some things just are what they are and our beginning dictated our ending.
I stood at the door after she walked through it and watched her walking away. “Ay, you know I’m here if you need anything, baby girl. That won’t ever change.”
She didn’t bother responding, she simply rounded the corner heading to the elevators and I shut my door, praying she kept her promise. The last thing I needed was some spiteful type shit popping off while I was around Sophie’s family. I’d have to gamble on that one.
