“Wow, that is really traumatic. So, the thing about grief is that it never goes away, Noble. It’s a constant battle every day to keep one’s sanity. A smell or a song can trigger a crying spell at a moment’s notice. The best thing you can do is just be supportive.”
“I have.” He was frustrated. “I hate seeing her down. You know how I am, Nira. I like to take all of my people’s problems away. It’s fucking me up that I can’t take hers. She tries to be good but I see through it. It’s eating her up on the inside.”
Danira went to sit next to him. “Noble, you can’t solve every problem. Some things have to play out on their own.”
That was easier for Danira to say but she hadn’t witnessed how somber Irish had been. A woman, who was once filled with so much peace and joy, held permanent gloom in her eyes. Plus, she was carrying their child, and he was certain the baby was affected by her mourning.
“I’m trying but it’s hard to watch.” He turned to her. “You know what I mean?”
Danira bobbed her head, eyeing his lips. “So, you're really serious about this girl, huh?”
Noble’s brows dipped, wrinkling the space between them. “I thought I made that clear when I first came to talk to you.”
“Yeah, but what’s so different about her? You’ve had many women in your life, including me that were great candidates, so what makes her so special?”
Noble looked at the burning fireplace. Honestly, he couldn’t put into words how much she meant to him.
“She’s just different.” He shrugged.
Danira playfully poked his arm. “I get that, but in what way?”
“Shit, in every way.” Noble traveled into his thoughts. “She’s a light to everybody in her life, and she’s loyal. She’s got a good heart, and she’s selfless. But to me I just… I don't know, Nira. It’s hard to describe this feeling because I’ve never felt it for any other woman in my life. She’s one of my top priorities. Making her happy is the main objective when I wake up. I wanna take care of her every need because she deserves it. I just love everything about her. She’s one of a kind.”
He looked at Danira whose eyes were clouded with water.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don't know.” She reached for a tissue on the table. “I wish that was me instead of her.”
Noble groaned, immediately regretting coming to talk to her. “We talked about this shit already.”
“Yes, but did we really give our relationship our all before we walked away?”
“You walked away!” he bellowed, startling her. “I didn’t do shit.”
“But you didn’t fight.”
“I don't fight nobody to stay in my life,” he countered, growing irate. “You wanted to leave, and I respected that. I even gave you my blessing to move on. Danira, you wanted to end the relationship, not me.”
“And what about now?”
“What about it?”
“Can you see us getting back together? We’re both adults now. We’re able to think without those hormonal teenage emotions. Things could be perfect between us now.”
Right away, Noble shook his head. “No, they wouldn’t.”
“Noble, just think about it,” she whispered, climbing on top of him. “Think about our bond.” She went in for a kiss but he turned his head.
“Aye, watch out.” He moved her off his lap and stood. “I thought you accepted that our time was in the past and should be left there. Why the fuck you doing all this extra shit?”
“Because I miss you, and I think we were meant to be. It’s taken years for me to figure it out, but I have, and I want us to work it out.”
“So, you want me to cheat on my pregnant girlfriend with you?”
Danira eyes expanded. “Pregnant? She’s pregnant?”
Noble and Irish hadn’t told anyone close to them about their new arrival. In spite of this, he needed to paint a clear picture to Danira that what they had was dead.
