I shook my head as I ripped her eyes away from him and continued chopping the bell peppers. "I thought he was, but God had different plans. You know, most men carry a legacy of bullshit, and I truly believe cheating is hereditary. His great-grandparents raised a legacy of ain't-shit ass niggas," I spat.
"So, you're scorned?"
"Nope, I'm free," I retorted.
A wave of annoyance came over me, so I stopped chopping the onions and placed my knife on the counter, causing it to clank against the cutting board.
"Do you have some wine? I need wine. Do I have to go to the cellar and get it?"
"Did I upset you by mentioning something you fought hard to get over, Nyne?" he questioned boldly.
"I just don't like talking about a fuck nigga, if that's okay with you," I snapped.
"Then we ain't got to talk about a fuck nigga." He stopped chopping the onion and staggered around the kitchen, walking past me to head back to the wine cellar.
I don’t know why, but for some reason bringing up Malcolm annoyed me. I hated his existence. I’d already healed from that part of my life, but that didn't mean I wanted to keep mentioning him. It was bad enough I was always getting tagged in bullshit concerning him every other day, and that shit drove me to drink.
Syx returned and began pouring both of us glasses, but he filled hers to the rim, assuming I needed it, and his assumptions were right.
"By all means, I ain't mean to upset you, Nyne, but I can tell there are certain parts of your past that you haven't healed from." He said it and sent a kiss to the side of my jaw.
"Maybe not," I shrugged nonchalantly. "But that's not what I'm here for," I retorted as I gulped the wine, savoring the bitter taste, then popped my tongue.
Awkward silence filled the room between us. It was so heavy you couldn't slice it with a knife. We moved around the kitchen, brushing past each other, moving in sync, cooking dinner as if the day had exhausted us, until I spoke up with an apology.
"I'm sorry, Syx?—"
"You don't have to apologize, baby," he spoke gently. "I get it."
"I shouldn't have come off so mean," I reiterated. “You were only asking a question.”
"You weren't mean. It was me who probed around in your business. I shouldn't have done that. I was out of my league."
"But have you ever felt so in love with someone that your heart beats at the same time as theirs and you crave them, and when you're not with them, only for a minute, you feel the world shift?"
He shook his head. "I ain't never been in love, Nyne."
"Well I was, and it hurts. Love isn't supposed to feel like that." I frowned as I took another sip. My face was so scrunched up, I could feel my nerves shaking.
"That's why I ain't never been in love, because it makes you feel like that. I'll go crazy if a woman ever played with my feelings like that... fuck around and catch a murder charge."
"I should've." I muttered under my breath.
"Then you wouldn't be here," he mentioned. "Don't let that fuck nigga rob you of your happiness, Nyne."
It had been a while since the meatloaf went into the oven. I set the timer to prevent overcooking; subsequently, our only remaining task was preparing the side dishes. I was peeling potatoes to make them from scratch.
I scoffed and replied, "I won't."
The feel of his hands brushing up against my skin made all of my anger wilt away. Applying gentle force, he grabbed the cusp of my chin and forced me to look over at him because for the past fifteen minutes I hadn't. Now I was left with no choice but to do so. For a millisecond, his coffee brown eyes played ping pong with my tawny colored ones.
"Promise me," he commanded.
Parting my lips to speak, I muttered, "I promise."
"For the next two weeks, it's all about you... all about us. Bury that nigga in the ground, love. He ain't worth robbing you of your happiness no more." He frowned as if all of my pain had transformed from me to him.
After he spoke, he still gazed into my eyes with a serious expression etched on his handsome face, peering into my soul and examining my flaws on display like they were under a microscope. Slowly he began to caress my chin before pulling away.
