“No, this needs to happen. We need to talk.”
“We talk, we kiss, we fuck. I think that’s enough.”
“It’s not enough. Now, open the door so we don’t wake Jerome.”
He’s right. I know he is. But it still takes me a minute to open the door to let him in. When I do, he doesn’t try to push his way in. Instead, he stands there casually as if he doesn’t have a care in the world while he stares at me with those icy-blue eyes.
I’m not proud of the fact that I am my father’s daughter, but a little bit of me feels better knowing that my mother didn’t just abandon me. I always had this complex growing up that people just left. That it was a normal thing to do. So when it came time for me to walk away from my own son, I didn’t realize how much I would miss him. It wasn’t normal, and I get that now. I’ve done a lot of growing over the last few years, and Joey even had a part in that. He made me realize I am worth having someone fight for me because, despite all our back and forth, he stood by my side until he could no longer do so.
Even then, he had the choice to kill me, yet I still breathe when I know many others would not have for the same deception. Magina is proof of that. She didn’t even get to explain. That’s how it works in this world. But he let me explain when he should’ve shot me directly between the eyes. And I’m so thankful he allowed me to explain everything to him.
“Why are you here?” I ask on a sigh. “I told you to stop.”
“I want to go back with you.” His words confuse me, and he sees the puzzled look on my face. “I want to go back to Bora Bora with you.”
“Um… that’s weird. And no.”
He shakes his head. “You don’t get it. That’s where we bonded. Before that, it wasn’t the real you. You lied and hid things from me. I want to know the real you, and I want you to bring Jerome.”
“Most people ask for dates,” I tell him, my heart beating faster.
“We aren’t most people.”
“I don’t know if I can,” I say in a small voice. “I don’t want to be with someone who isn’t sure. I need reassurance in this life. I need dependability.”
“And I needyou.” His words, despite them not being exactly what I want to hear, still make my heart miss a beat.
“It’s not just me, Joey.”
“I get that, and I’m trying. I need to adjust. So let’s adjust together.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Troy comes up behind him, and Joey looks over his shoulder and gives him a nod before he turns and walks off without a goodbye.
“Um… did I interrupt?” Troy asks. I’ve hardly had time to catch up with my best friend, and I never wanted him to be brought into anything that has been happening. He was pissed—still is—but I convinced him to come over if I supplied the wine.
So here he is.
“No, he just asked me to go to Bora Bora with him and to bring Jerome.”
Troy’s eyes widen, and his hand goes to his forehand. “You must have some magical pussy because you have that man whipped.”
“I don’t, trust me,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Have him whipped, I mean. My pussy is top-notch, though.” I wink at him as I shut the door and go into the kitchen to open a bottle of wine. “Are you still mad?” I ask while pouring some wine.
“Yes. That’s not something you keep from your best friend.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I kept it from my husband as well.”
“Which one?” he throws back in my face.
“Touché,” I say, handing him the bottle.
“This place is cute. So, tell me, when did you fuck him last? Because that man needs to get laid, and he only has eyes for you.”
“He kissed me earlier,” I admit. “And that’s as far as I let it go.”
“He’s great in bed, though, right?”