“You two were rough,” Chris said.
“I don’t know what you talkin’ about. You done your share of settin’ out,” Tavarus said.
“I never set anybody out,” I said quickly.
“What about Tanesha?” Chris asked, and everybody got quiet. “What?”
“Let that shit go, Chris,” Tavarus said and nudged him.
“What? I say something wrong?” Chris asked.
“I didn’t set her out,” I said and looked at Chris. “You just fucked her,” I said and held out my hand. Chris grabbed it. There was silence for what seemed like a long time, but it wasn’t.
“She came in my room, got in bed with me, and started playin’ with my dick,” Chris said, shaking my hand. “What was I supposed to do? Tell her to stop and tell her to get out?”
“No,” I said. The shit pissed me off at the time, but I quickly came to realize he did exactly what I would have done. “You did exactly what you were supposed to do. ’Cause if it was me in that same situation, I woulda done the same thing. And besides, Tanesha was nobody I gave a fuck about anyway.”
“See, that’s what I’m talkin’ about,” Tavarus said. “Can’t no women come between real friends.”
“What if Tee fucked Angelique, Zack?” Chris asked.
“Under those same circumstances”—I looked at Tee for a while—“I think we would get through that. Because if Angelique was like that . . .”
“Which she’s not, and I wouldn’t do that,” Tavarus said quickly.
“I’d want to know that she wasn’t what I thought she was. And I’d rather hear it from Tee.”
“That’s bullshit, Zack. If Tee fucked Angelique you’d wanna kick his ass,” Chris said.
“At first, yeah, that shit would hurt for a long time, but I’d eventually come to the same conclusion. ’Cause if it was me in that same situation and I fucked Carmen, I know Tee would want me to tell him.”
“Zack said you and Carmen are having problems.”
“We’re just taking a break from each other until I decide what I want.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Chris asked.
“That we agreed to see other people for a while,” Tavarus said.
“How’s that going?” I asked.
“I met a little something, might turn out to be something,” Tavarus answered, and we both laughed.
“That’s what you always think and they never last,” Chris said.
“This one will come and go just like the rest of them.”
“Maybe,” Tavarus said, and dealt the next hand. “But one good thing has already come from it.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“She convinced me to pick up my horn.”
“Say it ain’t so,” Ch
ris said and picked up his cards. “You haven’t touched that horn in years.”
“I’m a little rusty, but in time it will come back to me.”