“I don't know, Rozalin.”
A sharp breath fell from her lips as her nostrils flared. She was a raging bull, seeing red and coming straight at him.
“DuRio, what’s going on because you’ve been throwing me so much shade since the fight at the beach.”
Rio could’ve copped out and assured her that they were fine. He could’ve fed her a fallacy about them arriving at a pit stop in their relationship and assuring they would get back on the right track. Yet, Rio didn’t want to operate like that with her. He was a man that had to be honest with a woman who had gotten deeper than he had.
“Look, right now, it’s just been a bad time for me.” He dragged his hand down his face. “It’s a lot of shit going on. I ain’t been trying to shit on you but I am distracted.”
Her gaze drifted toward her half-eaten plate. “Is it because of Cali?”
“Why do you keep bringing her up?” he retorted.
“Because it’s no coincidence that as soon as she finds out about us, you stop hittin’ me up. My texts go unanswered for hours. I haven’t gotten flowers from you in weeks and let’s not talk about the lack of sex. I can’t even remember the last time we fucked. Just be real with me.”
Rio wanted to spare her feelings since he knew she’d developed real emotions for him. “I’m trying to be real, Rozalin,”he grumbled, rubbing his eyes before his gaze centered on her. “What you want me to say?”
“That you're still in love with Cali.”
His gaze deepened, pushing him to ruminate on that theory. Truthfully, his love for Cali hadn’t wavered. Instead of letting her go, Rio’s yearning intensified. It started as a slow crawl but then it developed legs. It grew exponentially while he cursed himself for allowing it to happen. He’d never gotten rid of his love for her. In the past, Rio was able to push it down his mind like dirty clothes in a hamper but now it was overflowing.
Why couldn’t he let go of the girl who’d hurt him in such a horrific way? Maybe it was the look on her face when she realized he had been with Rozalin. Or maybe it was the agony in her tone when she revealed he had been a neglectful husband. Rio felt insane. Evicting Cali out of his mind was next to impossible. She squatted inside his heart, refusing to leave.
Leaning forward, he placed his forearms on the table. His lips parted, ready to release what was on his heart but he stalled.
“What is it?” she asked, impatiently.
He sighed. “Look, I’m not over her. I haven’t been over her, but I was fighting against it. I shouldn’t have engaged in a situationship with you. I should've taken time after my divorce to be by myself and get her ass outta my system. It was fucked up of me to even get involved with you, considering you were her hair stylist.”
“Stop bringing that shit up,” she hissed.
“It’s the truth.”
“You don't owe her ass anything, especially when she was cheating on you. Imagine you being married to her and she was going to fuck another man.”
Rio pounded the table, rattling the silverware and bringing attention toward them. Rozalin jumped and immediately looked around at all the patrons staring at them.
“If you ever bring that shit up again, I’ma show the side of me that I’ve been hiding,” he warned. His tone was sinister, causing her to swallow hard while peering at him with expanded eyes.
“I’m… just saying,” she muttered. “Why won’t you get over someone who betrayed you?”
“Because love don't work like that. You think I wanna be stuck on her ass? Do you think I like having these feelings for Cali? Well, I don't and I should be allowed some fucking grace since I was married to her ass for over five years.”
Quickly, Rozalin burst into tears. She covered her face, bawling like she had gotten some bad news. Maybe this was terrible news for her. Did she think they would be together forever? Rio chuckled at that reality. Sometimes, while fucking Rozalin, he pictured Cali being the girl riding his dick. Secretly, he’d compared Rozalin, wondering why she didn’t do certain things like Cali. It was exhausting trying to force himself to replace Cali when her spot had never been vacant.
“You know what? Fuck this and fuck you!”
Rozalin hopped from her seat and threw a napkin on the table. Rio watched as she stormed out of the restaurant. Her heels stomped against the tile as he dug inside his pocket. Placing two-hundred-dollar bills on the table, he quickly left the restaurant and caught up to her in the parking lot.
“Rozalin, hold on! Why you doing all this extra shit?”
She turned around, her red-rimmed gaze seared into Rio with her finger pointed at him. “You're a fucking user.”
Rio’s snorted a chuckle, appalled by her accusation. “A user?”
“Yes, a fucking user! You used me to get back at Cali! I’m not no fucking pawn in your game, DuRio. I’m a woman who deserves way more respect than what you're giving me.”
“Man get the fuck outta here,” he snarled, glowering at her. “Like you didn’t have a fucking agenda of your own. You wanted me, so you got me. You knew I had just gotten out of a marriage. You knew I wasn’t ready to be in anything serious, but you thought you were special. You tried to compete with Cali, and now you salty. It’s women like you that think you the exception, like shit ain't gon’ happen to you. Now you wanna act like you innocent. We both got something out of this shit, so miss me with this woe-is-me act.”
