“No,” she hissed, ready to give it to him straight. “Youwere a coward.Weweren’t complicated. You just didn’t have the balls to tell me the truth like a man.”
“What would telling you the truth have done? You still would’ve left me,” Bobby said, pathetically.
Of course, she would’ve. Being broken up with without an explanation, only to find out you were cheated on and the nigga had a baby on you was grounds for Orielle to leave. There was no way he thought she’d stick around because she loved him at one point. Love wasn’t enough... obviously. Staying would’ve meant she didn’t love herself.
“I wanted to reach out,” he added after a beat. “I thought about you every day.”
Orielle looked at him long and hard.
Then she laughed. For real this time.
That low, bitter kind of laugh that comes from a place of a weak ass man having you fucked up and from a place of herfinallybeing done. She wouldn’t call it being okay but seeing him today was the icing on the cake.
“Don’t flatter yourself, Bobby. You thought about the guilt. Not me.”
He stepped forward. “Ori, I just?—”
She held up her hand. “Don’t. You don’t get to spew some lame excuse to me. I don’t even want one. It’s clear that you weren’t the man for me, and I’ve come to terms with that. You’re lucky you even get to have a conversation with me. Cherish it, because it’ll be the last.”
His mouth opened again, but she was already walking away. He had dismissed her and her feelings like they meant nothing, so Orielle was returning the favor. She exited the room without giving him a second glance and silently applauded herself for holding it together. All the hurt and anger she felt was about to bleed through her pen and voice. In a sense, she finally felt free from what and who had been holding her back.
Months Later
This was the third and final destination of the night, whether her girls wanted it to be or not. Patio Restaurant & Loungehad the perfect music, crowd, and drinks to keep Orielle from checking out. Not to mention, the chef had done something special with the chicken he was frying in the back. Their entire table demolished their meals in no time.
She hadn’t really been in the mood to kick it, especially with the news she came across earlier, but her girls were insistent. After the second round of drinks at the second spot, Orielle had loosened up. It was a throwback night, and the DJ went all in asBlow Ya Back Outby The Joker floated through the speakers.
Cheyla, one of Orielle’s best friends, was mid-story about her latest entanglement with a man who didn’t own a headboard when Orielle let her head fall back and laughed.
“Why do you attract these types of dudes, sis?” Zoey, their other friend, asked, sipping on something dark with minimal ice as requested.
“It’s my big heart,” Cheyla said dramatically, tossing her hands in the air. “And maybe my big ass, too. Who knows?”
Orielle snorted. “Yeah. We’ll go with that. What happened to ol’ boy?”
“The one I never should’ve given my number to?” Cheyla asked.
Zoey and Orielle nodded. They heard the disgust in her voice one too many times about him. Instead of blocking him like she should’ve, Cheyla tried giving him the benefit of the doubt because he was a bit younger than her. That was the wrong move on her end. You let a man slide once and his ass turns into a professional figure skater.
“Ugh. I be so annoyed when his ass texts me and always asks what I’m doing,” Cheyla fussed, tossing her blonde bundles over her shoulder while downing the rest of her margarita.
“Why?” Zoey asked, amused.
“Because it’s the same question every single day. Then, he doesn’t even type it out all the way. Just some damn letters. Thenext time he asks, I’ma be like just finished sucking dick. Now we’re both annoyed.”
Orielle and Zoey cackled with laughter, falling into one another. Cheyla shrugged and sipped from her water as if she hadn’t just said the most outlandish thing ever.
“You’re so annoying. Please grow up,” Orielle said, her laugh simmering.
“Tell his ass that,” Cheyla countered.
The waiter came by and asked if they were good before letting them know their tab was on the house. Zoey’s older cousin owned the spot and wouldn’t dare make her pay, but they still tipped generously. Between the three friends, Cheyla was the more outgoing and adventurous, while Orielle was the chill, go-with-the-flow type. Zoey fell somewhere in between them and kept everyone level-headed but still knew how to have a good time.
With them all being in their late twenties at twenty-seven and twenty-eight, a night out to have some fun was just what they needed. Especially Orielle. She hardly logged into her personal social media accounts and today was a reminder of why. The top of her newsfeed on Facebook was one of Bobby’s sisters, whom she could have sworn she had removed as a friend, sharing an image of her newborn niece.
Bobby’s newborn daughter, swaddled in pink, looked just like him. Orielle was sure he had stressed his baby mama out during her entire pregnancy. Especially since he couldn’t stay off her line in the last few months after running into her. That was a fuckboy for you. Orielle had blocked so many numbers; the list was ridiculous.
The caption stated that the baby had been born six hours prior. Which meant he was playing in Orielle’s facehardwhen he tried to talk to her earlier that week.
