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We both held the phone in silence.
“We promised no more running,” Nesha spoke after a brief silence.
“I know but—"
“No buts. We are going to talk later. I’m coming over tonight,” Nesha whispered, and seconds later, I understood exactly why.
“Who you on the phone with? Why you always on some sneaky shit?” Chaz spat.
“Boy, shut the fuck up! This is my damn sister.”
The phone disconnected, and seconds later, it rang again. Prince was being persistent. I don’t remember ever being this nervous regarding communication with a man. I liked Prince. What was not to like? He was fine, thoughtful, and from what I could tell about to take off. My hesitancy was based on the things I’d been through. I was trying to let go and get over them, but I couldn’t see the world through rose glasses. My past would always haunt me, and for the first time since I had been around the opposite sex, I saw that I was inadequate in ways I hadn’t admitted. I had trust issues on top of everything else, and no one deserved to deal with my shit. Especially someone recovering from the things Prince was.
I stepped in the shower to start my day. I placed a shower bomb inside and washed my body. I draped my towel around myself, dried off, and oiled my body down, thinking of what to wear today. The first item on my list was to look for a job. My community service had just been completed, and my resume was a skeleton. My past interview didn’t go well and I didn’t have prospects. It's not like I could put stripping as a skill to draw employers. That was the thing people don’t tell you about. Dancing was good, but I didn’t develop an exit plan. Now I was looking at starting at ground zero.
Knock. Knock.
My body tensed. No one came here. I grabbed my robe and tucked my pistol behind my back as I crept to the door slowly. I looked out the peephole and saw Prince standing on my porch, back to my door. I looked down at my gun and shook my head. I pressed my back against the door.This man does not deserve to be in my shit.I couldn’t even answer the door without freaking out. I was so damn damaged. I pushed my body up and ensured my gun was back on safety. I walked it to my end table, opened the drawer, and tucked it there. Even in my robe, I did a once-over by my full-length mirror, fluffing my hair before opening the door.
“You didn’t answer your phone, so I guess you want to see my face.” Prince turned and took one step into the open door.
“I don't think that I said come in.”
“You invited me inside last night. Are you revoking that invitation?”
“I actually texted you that I was busy,” I corrected him.
“I am too, so let's be busy together.”
I closed my door as he walked further into my living room. The smell of his cologne wafted through my space. I knew it would be lingering there long after he left, torturing me.
“What you got going on today?”
“Noth- Just a few errands,” I shook my head and corrected myself, thankful he didn’t see me. See, this nigga needed to get his big fine ass out of my space. He already had things moving and reacting. I had just showered. He had on a pair of jeans that weren’t quite sagging, but they set low on his hips. The beater-like tank top showed his ripped arms, and he looked fresh off a workout. I looked down at his steel-toe boots and cringed. He must have been working because his shoes were dirty as can be.
“You need to take your shoes off.”
He walked back to the door and slipped out of his boots. He repeated the motion a few times when he walked down the one step from my entryway to my living room.
“Prince, now what the hell are you doing? You came over here just to be weird and not say anything.”
“I came over to fix whatever I found that may be broken.”
“What?”
That made him crack that smile I was getting so used to.
“You have a loose floorboard here. I’ll fix that for you.”
“I never noticed.”
He walked closer.
“I came over because I wanted to be in your presence, so instead of going back and forth with you on the phone, I came over here to speed up our interaction. It doesn’t hurt I get to look in your pretty ass face while I do so.”
I rolled my eyes and blushed at the same time.
“Let me feed you, and we can do whatever you need to do while we are out, but I have to make an important decision today. I would love your input on it.”
