“Yeah. I’ll be at your door when I’m ready.”
“Okay.”
She didn’t protest. She understood I didn’t give a fuck if she did. She’d made a mistake letting me know she’d rather be in my bed than her own most nights. Every chance I got, I was kidnapping her fine ass, dragging her back to bed. My bed. Our bed.
I moved closer, forking some eggs. Hyphen opened wide. Slowly, she chewed, trying her hardest to collect herself.
Days blurred so easily with her in my line of vision for prolonged hours. As I looked at her hair sprawled out on my pillow, I imagined the days I’d come home from the shop with her waiting for me at the door. My heart smiled at the thought.
I’ve got to get this bread together.
I was ready to turn a few new leaves. While Hyphen worked on her shit, I’d work on mine. By the time she was ready for what I had to offer, there would be much more to fall back on.
Stability.
Legal entities.
Ownership.
Employment.
The streets could kiss my ass.
“Whaaaaat? Why are you smiling?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you, crazy.”
I didn’t realize my smile had spread from my thoughts to my face.
“You look beautiful.”
“I don’t feel like it. Breath stinks. Head hurts. I’m probably a little musty, too.”
Laughing, I assured her, “You’re not musty.”
“Oh.”
I placed the turkey bacon near her lips. She took a bite.
“I might miss you a little while you’re gone,” I confessed.
“You’ll miss me a lot, Flocco. Because, you’re bored ass shit here without me.”
I nodded, still laughing. “It’s true.”
“I’ll be back. I just need to come up for air. I have put so many tasks off. I can’t put them off any longer. Besides, I’d hate for you to fall in love with me.”
I tossed my head back, finding her words to be hilarious. It was too late. There were so many things I loved about Hyphen, including her ability to center herself in her universe. It made me do the same.
Baby girl cared about nothing or no one but herself. Saga and her son were next up on her roster. Everything else came in last place, including me. I got most of her time, but I was in the same bracket as the rest of the niggas. For the first time, that shit didn’t bother me, because I knew who’d hold the keys to her heart in the end.
Trouble wasn’t male-centered. Honestly, I would bet my last dollar that she hated niggas. Hated how easy they were. Hated how gullible they were. Hated how they thought with their little heads and not the big ones. Hated how manipulative they were. Hated how dependent they were. The list could go on forever. Fortunately, I didn’t fit in the same category as most niggas. I was in a league of my own, much like Hyph.
“It’s inevitable, Trouble.”
She slid up the bed and took the plate. This time, she put a fork full of eggs to my mouth. I accepted.
