Page 9 of Buy Back My Love

“Start anywhere.”

My eyes drifted around the restaurant until they landed on a woman carrying a toddler on her hip. The little girl had two puff balls tied with pink bows, one sock, and one shoe missing. She laughed as her mama bounced her higher and that familiar ache hit me before I could stop it.

I looked away.

JB followed my gaze but had enough sense not to ask what I was thinking so I changed the subject.

“What happened to your car?”

He blinked. “My Charger?”

“Yeah.”

A grin spread across his face. “That thing been gone.”

“You loved that car.”

JB shrugged. “I loved you more.”

I rolled my eyes, fighting a smile. His grin widened like that was exactly the reaction he’d been waiting for.

Before I could come up with something slick to say, the waitress returned with our drinks. She set my water in front of me and JB’s sweet tea beside him. He waited until she walked away before speaking again.

“I know this ain’t gone be easy,” he said.

I stared at the ice floating in my water. “I don’t want you treating me like I’m broken.”

“I ain’t trying to.”

“You keep watching me.” I tapped one finger against the side of my glass.

JB rested his forearms on the table. “I ain’t had you across from me without a guard breathing down our necks in five years. Let me look.”

That shut me up for a second. I lifted my water and took a sip, mostly so I didn’t have to answer him.

The food came out not long after and the smell of bacon damn near made me emotional. I picked up a strip and bit into it. It was salty, greasy, and actually crunched the way bacon was supposed to.

JB laughed under his breath. “That good?”

I pointed the bacon at him. “Don’t say nothing to me.”

“Damn.” He leaned back against the booth. “That serious?”

I took another bite instead of answering him. Five years and I’d forgotten bacon was supposed to taste that damn good.

After that, I slowed down and made myself enjoy everything on the plate. I mixed my eggs into the cheese grits, tore off another piece of bacon, and let the syrup soak into my pancakes until they were almost falling apart beneath my fork. Even eating with real silverware instead of plastic felt different.

When I finally looked up, JB still hadn’t touched his food. He was sitting there watching me again.

I set my fork down. “You gone have to quit doing that.”

“Man, I can’t look at you?”

“It’s weird as fuck to just sit there and watch me eat.”

JB finally reached for his fork. “Man, I’m just happy you sitting across from me. Five years is a long damn time.”

“And I wouldn’t have lost five years if it wasn’t for you!” My voice carried before I realized how loud I’d gotten.