“What?” I grimaced, as my eyes traveled down to her protruding stomach. “Mannn,” I drawled. “You be tripping with yourself. Where is ya baby’s daddy?”
She rolled her eyes. “I keep telling you, I can’t be with Khalil. We can never see eye to eye, for real.”
“Then what made you keep the baby?” I hooded my eyes.
She shrugged. “I don’t believe in abortions.”
“Alright, Lissa.” I turned to leave.
“Wait—” She grabbed my arm. “I’m not done.”
Quickly becoming irritated, I turned around. “So, what’s up, man?”
She took a deep breath. “What did I do to you that was so fucked up, huh? I remember how your face used to light up when you lay eyes on me. And now…it’s almost like you hate me. I don’t get it.”
“Man…come on. You know that Ion hate you.”
“Okay, then what is it? And please don’t tell me that it’s because you got a gal, cause I know you, nigga. These hoes are never gonna be quiet. So, I know that you still fuck around.”
I kissed my teeth, before quickly glancing back again. “Look.” I refocused on her. “It’s just me and you standing here…so, I’ma keep it real.”
She sassily swerved her neck. “Yeah, please do.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “I never claimed to be a saint. I do what I do. But with you…shit gets too complicated. I acknowledge that you was pretty much my first serious relationship. And that lasted for years. So, maybe you got it stuck in your head that we was supposed to be together—”
“No, let’s keep it real,” she interjected. “You want me to pretend like you didn’t do me dirty. We was good, then summer came around, and you completely switched up on me. Then you just wanted me to stay quiet and accept that.”
“Okay. So, tell me what you wanted to happen,” I urged.
Her lashes fluttered. “For one, I wanted younotto forget what we had. And I know that she got pregnant. You have to take care of your responsibilities. I get that. But we could’ve still worked everything out. I told you that I was willing to forgive that and move on.”
“See, that’s where you be losing me. Whether you forgave me or not, why do you keep saying that we could’ve worked things out?”
“Because we could’ve. Girls, get pregnant every day, Jahrein.”
I nodded. “Like you, right?”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I’m trying to say.”
“Nah, it seems like you wanna destiny swap or some shit.”
“What?” She frowned in confusion. “The fuck is that?”
I smirked, realizing that I’d learned so much since I’d been with Raven. She loved to read about astrology, and different African rituals and religions. She’d talk my ear off about it, and I was so used to it, that I’d forget sometimes that not every girl operated on the same wavelength. Raven was literally universes ahead of the broads from around the way.
“I’m saying.” I licked my lips. “Here you are, pregnant, and single as fuck. So, you trying to convince me that this is some normal shit. That it’s okay to jump ship, be with you, raise another man’s baby, while leaving my own high and dry. Basically, you want to walk in Raven’s shoes, while she’s left out in the cold.”
“No,” she immediately denied with a frown. “I’m just saying that this is a new age. Babies don’t mean that you have to stay with somebody.”
“I never said that was the case,” I let her know. “And maybe this is a conversation that we should’ve had out the gate, but I been tiptoeing around your feelings.”
She twisted her lips. “I’m listening.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “When…when have me and you ever had unprotected sex, Lissa?”
“Never.”
“Right. Then there’s me and Raven. I aintneverwore a condom with her. Not once, but you talk about my son like he’s something that just happened—”
