I looked back at him. “You heard her. We not in a relationship. That don’t mean you safe.”
His eyes hardened. “Man, what the fuck is your problem?”
“You,” I said. “You my problem.”
“Roman,” Royce warned.
“Don’t,” I told him without lookin’ back.
Sean shook his head. “I’ma be real, you wild disrespectful. Mel, you want me to go? ‘Cause I ain’t feel like dealin’ with?—”
“You stayin’ right here,” I said, steppin’ even closer. “Matter fact, say somethin’ else.”
His face twisted. “Nigga, I don’t even know you…”
That was it.
My fist moved before my brain caught up.
One clean hook to the jaw.
He went down hard, hit the floor with a loud thud.
“Roman!” Melissa screamed.
Niggas at nearby tables jumped up, eyes wide, some backin’ off, some leanin’ in like it was a show.
Sean groaned, tryin’ to push himself up.
I grabbed his shirt, yanked him halfway off the ground, and cracked him again.
“You think this a fuckin’ game?” I snarled, knuckles already throbbin’. “You don’t put your hands on shit tied to me. Ever.”
“Roman, chill the fuck out!” Royce snapped, gettin’ up, hand on my shoulder.
Truce was standin’ now too, ready to pull me off if he had to.
Melissa grabbed my arm, nails diggin’ into my skin. “Stop! You trippin’! You gon’ kill him!”
The nigga’s jaw was already swellin’, lip busted, eyes glassy.
I had enough sense left to know if I kept goin’, this was about to turn into somethin’ bigger than a lesson, so I dropped him, causing him, to hit the floor again, wheezin’.
I shook Royce’s hand off and stepped back, chest heavin’.
The whole spot was starin’ now.
“Man, fuck you,” Sean mumbled, holdin’ his face. “You crazy.”
“Yup,” I said, not denyin’ shit.
I turned to Melissa. “We goin’.”
She stared at me like I’d lost my entire mind. “I’m not goin’ nowhere with you.”
I locked eyes with her. “You come with me, or I finish what I started. Your choice.”
Her face went pale.
