Page 24 of Nothing Like Your Ex

For a moment, she couldn’t believe his response, and then she had to be honest with herself. Some people, especially men, weren’t comfortable seeing anyone else succeed, whether their own lives were in limbo or not. They couldn’t even support it. Their nasty hatred always shone through at some point.

Kwinn wasn’t about to be around anyone who clearly didn’t even like her. No matter how much she’d been there for him and undoubtedly supported him, Jabari hadn’t done the same. The loser didn’t even have the decency to say he appreciated everything she’d done. He went straight to using her love for him against her, unwilling to acknowledge that she’d rearranged her life for him more times than he realized. There wouldn’t be another time after today.

A bitter smile tugged at Kwinn’s lips as she nodded slowly. “Right. You didn’t ask for shit because you didn’t need to.”

“Kwinn… that’s not what I meant,” Jabari said, glancing her way.

“No, it is,” she replied coolly. “You meant everything that you said. That’s exactly why instead of trying to make this work, we should just go our separate ways.”

She wasn’t about to sit there and argue with him to understand why what he’d done was wrong. If he couldn’t see the problem without her spelling it out, she damn sure wasn’t about to keep wasting her breath or her time.

“Nah. How we go from talking about long distance to being completely done? You acting as if a nigga doesn’t care about you at all.”

“The problem is that you think caring about someone and actually showing up for them are the same thing. I was fine with trying a long-distance relationship. We could’ve figured that out. But for you to play with my business because you’re going through something is malicious as hell. I would’ve never done that to you, and that’s where we’re different.”

Her words shut him up, but only for some seconds.

“You’re right, and that was wrong of me, so I apologize. A nigga was moving selfishly. No need for us to break up, though. We’re just going through a rough patch. Shit’ll be all good once we get settled in New York. Just watch.”

Kwinn wasn’t sure if he’d become hard of hearing, but she was done explaining herself. There’d be no moving to New York for her. Annoyed, she looked out the window, trying to settle the emotions flowing through her. She’d spent so long convincing herself that what they were going through was temporary that she never stopped to consider what it would mean if it wasn’t.

She was getting a glimpse of what it looked like when a relationship ran its course. It wasn’t always about arguments or cheating. Sometimes it was just one person fed up with reaching while the other person never gave them their hand to grip. Kwinn was tired of pouring from her cup to give to an ungrateful mothafucka who couldn’t even refill hers without her asking.

In her mind, their relationship was over, and she was single. Jabari could think what he wanted, and he’d be a fool. The irony hit when SiriusXM suddenly switched songs, and the familiar sound of Melo’s voice flowed smoothly over the beat through the speakers.

Jabari reached over and turned up the volume, nodding his head as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Kwinn slowly looked over at him. Of all the songs that could’ve come on the radio, it had to be his.

Kwinn pressed her lips together, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. Jabari had no idea he was sitting there, vibing to the same man who’d occupied Kwinn’s thoughts for the past three days. The funniest part was that he still hadn’t accepted that she was no longer his.

CHAPTER 6

Despite dropping an album earlier in the year, Melo was still working. He had a few songs tucked away and was currently doing features for a few artists. Having his own studio location that folks could pull up to had its perks and downsides. He’d been there well past the time he’d planned to be, and no one seemed ready to leave.

Melo wasn’t complaining, though. Music had always been one of those things he could lose himself in. Being in his own space made it easier to create. He didn’t have to worry about studio hours or someone waiting for him to finish so they could get their session in. If he wanted to sit on a beat for two hours before laying down a verse, he could. If he wanted to scrap an entire song after recording it three different ways, that was his business.

Tonight, he’d been working on a feature with Laurent, an R&B artist from the city. The song they were laying down was perfect for the ladies first, and the fellas, but something was missing. The song sounded good, and the beat was tough, but Melo knew it could sound much better, and he wouldn’t be satisfied until it did. Thankfully, Laurent’s verse and the chorus were finished.

“You need a break?” his engineer asked.

Melo glanced through the glass and leaned back in his chair. “Probably.”

“Nigga, you do,” Roddy said, rolling a blunt on the couch. “Told you that shit was good twenty minutes ago.”

Ignoring his brother, Melo stood and stretched, rolling his shoulders before walking out of the booth. The room was full of people, but none of them were anyone Melo didn’t know. At this stage of the game, groupies and dick-riding niggas at his sessions weren’t happening. Roddy’s lil’ friend, whom he’d been seeing for some months, and her homegirl were chilling, along with their cousin, Devin.

“What’s up, cuz? You ain’t feeling it?” Devin questioned, passing him the blunt.

Shaking his head, Melo declined it and answered his question. “Nah. Something is missing.”

“What’s missing?”

Melo gave him a blank stare. “If I knew, I wouldn’t be out here talking to you niggas.”

The girls laughed, and Melo shook his head.

“Nigga mad at us like we’re the artist,” Roddy cracked. “I’m just here for moral support.”

“Exactly, cuz. That shit sounds playa to me,” Devin added, pouring another drink. “Might get you a few hoes when it drops.”