“You would still feel this way had he cheated with Trina from up the street. You’re mad at Shane for possibly working with a woman who didn’t even know you existed until she met you on that trip. I know how easy it is to be mad at the other woman, but she was playing a role in something she didn’t know about. No one owed you anything but Allen. That’s why I will never respect him. It was him who fumbled your heart, friend.”
I had no response for Jade. I heard everything she said and couldn’t argue because she was right. Deep down, I knew he wasn’t wrong either. Holding this against Shane was an easier way for me to protect my heart. I’d gone through so much with Allen that I was now hyper aware of everything Shane did. It wasn’t fair, but I was human.
“Love you, friend. I’ll text you tonight,” Jade said as she left.
Jade knew me better than I knew myself at times. She never tried to pry when I shut down. She knew I’d come around sooner or later. Right as I was saying goodbye, Shane’s truck pulled up.After one last smile in my direction, Jade left and walked to her car. The sound of a car door closing pulled my attention back to Shane. He looked fine as hell as he walked up to me with a fresh lining and the deepest mean mug. He looked so serious that I felt nervous the closer he got. Those dark brown eyes let me know he had some shit to get off his chest.
“I just so happened to be on my way to the shop and here you are. Why didn’t you tell me you had your keys?”
“I planned on calling you later.”
“Why the fuck wouldn’t you call me when it happened? Yo’ ass is being petty and it’s not cool. I haven’t done shit but show you that I’m here for you and you acting like this. Let me know what’s up, Celeste. Either you fuckin’ with me or you aren’t. I’m not about to play monkey in the middle with yo’ ass,” Shane stated sternly.
For a quick second, I entertained the idea of keeping my attitude. Ultimately, I chose to let it go before Shane let me go. Just like me, he’d be disappointed that we didn’t get further but he’d leave for the sake of having peace. From the moment I’d met this man, I knew he was a no-nonsense person. If I didn’t get my shit together, I was sure I’d see him in the future with another woman on his arm. Instead of speaking, I leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips.
“That’s what the fuck I thought,” he said as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him.
His wide hands were filled with my ass as he rubbed it slowly. Once I felt a tingle below, I tried to playfully push him off, but he only held me tighter.
“I must be wakin’ that pussy up,” Shane whispered into my ear, laughing.
“Stop playing and let me show you the store,” I said as I pulled away again.
“Oh, now you wanna show me the shop?”
“I was always gonna show you.”
Shane didn’t even attempt to wait for me to give him a tour as he walked around me and looked in every room himself.
“This is nice, Celeste. It reminds me of your downtown location with a different vibe. Like this is still Luxe Addiction, but more futuristic or some shit. Hell, I don’t know what I’m trying to say?—”
“I get what you mean. I felt the same way when I first saw it. I’d seen several other places, but this one gave me that gut feeling. I have a little while to think about how I want it set up, but it’s definitely gonna look a little different than the other location,” I admitted.
Shane and I spoke more about the ideas I had for the set up before he all but forced me to come to his condo. Before giving in, I checked on Erick to make sure he didn’t need my help at the store. After he informed me all was well, I let Shane know I’d follow him to his home. Thankfully, traffic was light and it took us no time to get to his place.
“You good, baby? You look like you can barely keep your eyes open,” Shane said as he opened my car door.
“I’ve been up since five. I had to stop by the nursing home then the whole closing process. Just a little tired is all,” I admitted as I stepped out.
When Shane didn’t respond to my last statement, my thoughts went back to my mess of a life. I was all over the place and couldn’t wait until I got back into a steady routine. I was grateful things were falling into place, but the process wasn’t smooth. Realizing Shane was unusually quiet, I looked at him as we rode the elevator to his floor. His expression was cool and he didn’t look bothered.
“Is something wrong?” I questioned.
“Nah… why you ask that?”
“I’m so used to you talking to me when we’re together. You’re never this quiet.”
“Damn, you tryna say a nigga talk too damn much?” he asked jokingly.
“No. I love talking to you. It just seems like you’ve gotten quiet all of a sudden.”
“I’m good, baby. I know you’re tired, so I don’t wanna annoy you with too much small talk.”
Just as I went to respond, the doors of the elevator opened. When we finally made it to his unit, I kicked my shoes off. The relief I felt when my heels were no longer on was something only people who wore heels understood. Anytime I came over to Shane’s place there was nothing out of place. Looking at the throw blanket hanging off the couch and half-drank bottle of water on the table let me know he truly lived here.
“Go to my room,” he said before I could sit on the couch.
Not thinking anything of it, I went to his room and sat on the bed. When I located the remote, I turned the TV on and flipped through the channels until I landed on a movie I’d seen a thousand times. My body relaxed and my eyelids became heavy. It wasn’t too late in the day to take a nap, but I was trying to stay awake for Shane. The feeling of warm lips pecking my cheek pulled me outta my slight sleep.
