Her face immediately reflected an attitude while Rome looked away first, like whatever had just happened wasn't worth acknowledging. My damn stomach twisted in knots because this was so disrespectful… the entire situation was.
"You know her?" I casually asked keeping my eyes forward like I wasn't paying attention.
He didn't even hesitate when he asked, "Who?"
I started to say the damn owl, but instead of getting slick I tilted my head toward the children's store. "The pregnant girl," I said.
He looked over again, this time making a whole show of it before shaking his head. "Nah."
"You sure?"
He laughed. "Nay... I don't know every pregnant female in Miami. Don’t start that shit."
"I never said you did."
"Then why you asking?"
I smiled, but something in my gut told me that I was right. "I just noticed she was staring."
"So maybe she know you then," He shrugged.
I chuckled. "I doubt that."
"Well..." He started as he was already guiding me toward Louis Vuitton. "People be weird."
I let him lead me away, but before we disappeared into the store, I looked back one last time seeing she was still standing there. Only this time, she wasn't watching me anymore. She was watching Rome walk away and the look on her face told me that she was sick of his ass.
The sales associate had barely unlocked the glass case before I heard the little girl behind us. She wasn’t loud enough for anybody else to pay attention, but something made me turn anyway. She walked straight toward us with that little girl still holding onto her hand. The baby bump was a little more noticeable up close, and I sneered. She never once looked at me this time and every bit of her attention stayed on Rome, and the closer she got, the tighter his hand became around mine. I think he felt her before he saw her.
"What the fuck you doing?" he muttered under his breath with his smile disappearing the second he turned around. I could tell he didn’t want to cause a scene. Behind closed doors and inthe streets he may have been a different kind of animal, but in Aventura, he knew the police were always ready to lock someone up.
She stopped right in front of him. "I've been calling you."
"So?"
"So?" she repeated, looking at him like he’d lost his damn mind. "Nigga, that's all you got?"
Rome glanced toward me for half a second before stepping in front of her lowering his voice. "Ashley, this ain't the place."
"I don't give a fuck where we at."
"You need to."
"No..." She shook her head. "You need to answer your damn phone."
Rome looked over his shoulder to make sure that nobody was paying attention before looking back at her. I knew that look all too well. Had we not been in this store, he would’ve been trying to kick her ass like he did me. "I'll call you,” he told her through gritted teeth trying to keep his cool.
She placed one hand on her hip and shook her head. "You said that three days ago."
"I said I'll call you,” He repeated.
"And I said?—"
"Ashley." His voice dropped again. "Aye, just stop."
She looked him dead in his face. "You really standing here acting like I don't exist?"
People had started slowing down now. Nobody was standing there outright watching, but you could feel it. The sales associate looked between all three of us before quietly taking a step backward like she wanted no parts of whatever this was turning into. Meanwhile, I stood there without saying a word. Ashley let go of the little girl's hand long enough to dig inside her purse all frustrated. She finally pulled her phone out and held it up in front of his face.
