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He shook his head, laughing, while I took another look around the restaurant. I had to admit, he picked a nice spot. Between the view from the rooftop, the music playing in the background, and the way everything was set up, I could see why people came here. I just wasn't about to make a habit out of spending this kind of money on dinner.

After a while, our food arrived, and I couldn't help looking at everything the waitress was putting on the table. It looked good as hell, but I was still wondering whether it was going to taste as good as it looked.

Once she finished setting everything down and walked away, Cassian and I said our grace before digging in. I cut into my steak, took a bite, and had to give it to them. That shit was good.

“Okay, I see why they charging all that money,” I admitted.

Cassian laughed. “See, I told yo' ass.”

“Don't start. It's good, but it's still high.”

“Aight, ma. Whatever you say.”

We continued eating, talking about little things here and there, until Cassian looked over at me.

“So, ma, let me ask you something.”

“What's up?” I asked, cutting another piece of my steak.

“What are some of your pet peeves?”

“Liars, for one. I can't stand somebody who lies for no damn reason. And people who don't know what they want out of life.”

He nodded as he listened.

“Like, I understand everybody ain't gonna have their whole life figured out, but at least have some kind of direction. Don't just be sitting around expecting everything to fall in your lap.”

“I feel you on that.”

“What about you? What's some of yours?”

“People who don't have no goals or ambition. I can't be around somebody who ain't trying to do nothing with themselves. I don't care what you do for a living, but you gotta want something out of life.”

“I agree with that.”

For once, I wasn’t waiting for him to say some shit that would make me want to go off on his ass.

“Let me ask you something else,” he said, reaching for his glass. “You ever been in a relationship?”

“Yeah.”

“How that work out?”

I shook my head, thinking about my ex. “That nigga acted like he had a problem with my weight.”

Cassian frowned. “What the fuck is wrong with your weight?”

“Nothing, but apparently he thought it was. When we were out in public, he would act different toward me. But when we were at home, he couldn't keep his damn hands off me.”

“So he wanted to fuck with you behind closed doors, but couldn't act right when y'all went somewhere?”

“Pretty much.”

“That nigga a dumbass.” He shook his head. “Baby mama, you bad as fuck. Ain't a damn thing wrong with your body, and any nigga dealing with you should be proud to have you on his arm.”

I smiled a little because, despite everything, I appreciated him saying that. But there he was with that baby mama shit again.

“Thank you, but what did I tell you about calling me baby mama?”