Chapter 34
“Domino”
Icouldn’t sleep at all that night. Every time I closed my eyes, the look on her face, the slap, the silence after all replayed in my mind.
Oh… and that fire in her eyes?I was the one who ignited it, and now I was left with the ashes.
“I didn’t take you to be a hoe,” I had blurted out, the words bitter on my tongue.
That line wouldn’t leave me alone like something trying to punish me.
“She ain’t no damn hoe,” I mumbled, pulling both hands down my face, facing the mirror, staring at my reflection like I didn’t even recognize the nigga looking back at me.
I began pacing.
I didn’t mean that… I didn’t meananyof it.I just couldn’t take the thought of her with somebody else… giving him that look… that attention… that energy she gave me without even trying. That didn’t sit right, didn’t feel right, and didn’tlookright in my head.
I stopped pacing and stared at the door. And just like that, I could hear my mama’s voice clear as day.
Boy, go fix what you broke. Don’t sit around acting like you don’t know better.
I exhaled, jaw tight. “I know,” I replied as if she could hear me. “I just… I just don’t know how.”
It was almost like we were actually talking, and I could hear her saying,Just talk to her. Apologize like a man.
Before I could overthink it, I was on my way to her room.
***
I knocked once and waited.
No answer.
I knocked again.
Still nothing.
My protective instinct kicked in, so I cracked open.
I eased in, slow and quiet, half-hoping she’d be asleep, half-hoping she wouldn’t.
I stepped further in. Her room smelled like coconut lotion and mango body wash. That’s when I noticed the steam curled from under the bathroom door, telling me exactly where she was.
My fists balled as I surveyed the room. A bra hung over a chair, panties lay scattered on the floor, and a robe was draped across the bed. Little signs of her were everywhere, and none of it helped me think straight.
I should’ve waited… maybe even turned around. Instead, I moved toward the bathroom like a man already in too deep. My hand found the handle, and before I knew it, I was inside.
The steam hit me first, then her silhouette behind the fogged glass. Ajori was facing away, rinsing her hair. And that ass? It was perfection. I stared too long. Seeing that caused my last shred of willpower to crumble. I dropped my sweats and steppedinto the steam-filled shower. She was oblivious of my presence… not even sensing me until my hands gripped her waist, pulling her back against me.
She gasped and twisted in my arms. “Domino, what the hell—”
Ajori’s mouth stopped moving, and her eyes dropped lower. And whatever sharp thing she was about to say died on her lips.
I was already hard, but more than anything… I was sorry. I didn’t speak at first; I just stood there, letting the water hit my back, watching her chest rise and fall in disbelief. Water ran down both of us while I stood there, close enough to touch, too wound up to lie.
“I came to say sorry. I didn’t mean what I said last night. I was mad… jealous and acting like somebody I don’t even respect.” My grip on her waist tightened just a little. “Truth is, I ain’t never wanted anybody the way I want you. And that got me out here saying dumb shit,” I admitted, eyes locked on hers. “That shit also scares the fuck outta me. You don’t owe me anything, but I couldn’t let another day go by without tellin’ you I was wrong.”
Ajori’s lips parted, but still, no words.
