Page 6

“Like these eights can fit in those sixes. Thanks for this food,” I tell her as I walk the bags and drinks to the kitchen.

“Girl, I was hungry too. I had two first appearances and three bail hearings today. I didn’t eat shit. My diet was three lattes today and I swear my damn stomach is eating itself.”

“Y’all really need more public defenders in that office.”

“We really do, but what is a state employee if they are not overworked? This is my last year though. I’ve put in my time and I’m done. I’m really going to start my own practice.”

“About time,” I say, truly proud of her.

“Put a pin in that. I need to take this off and shower. You can eat though. Do not wait on me.”

“Put a pin in what?”

“After my shower,” she says before rushing to her bedroom. She has a full ensuite bath and there’s a half bath out here. I had to shower in her room but my things are in her guest room that doubles as a bedroom and office.

Normally I would wait for her to eat, but I’m starving and the smells coming from this kitchen have my stomach growling. I find the straw first and take a ridiculously long sip from my good but sweet as hell drink. Then I grab an egg roll from the small bag of three and dip it in the sweet and sour sauce. As I enjoy it, I pull the sweet and sour shrimp and rice container from the bag. The food is so hot that the container has morphed a little from the steam. Mr. Chans cooks to order, making their food so damn good.

The portions are enormous, and although Shae only ordered two dinners, there’s enough food to feed a family of six. She has her usual General Tso’s chicken and pork fried rice, which I also love.

Because we normally share, I grab two paper plates from her pantry and fix myself some of everything on one. I kill two of the shrimp before I walk my plate and drink to the living room. I’m on the sectional with one of the sofa side tables positioned in front of me enjoying my food when she walks back into the living room. Once she has her food and is set up on the other end of the sofa, I think back to her words before her shower.

“Put a pin in what?” I ask.

“Your whole ‘about time’ comment.”

“It is about time. You are the best defense attorney in the PD’s office. You should have left for your own shit years ago.”

“And so should you.”

“What? Leave EDC and go where?”

“Not EDC. Langston. You are not happy, Enani,” she says and I place my spork back on my plate and sit back on the sofa. “You haven’t been in a minute.”

“I know.” I sigh.

“Then why won’t you leave his ass?” she asks.

A cocktail of emotions overwhelms me and hits me like a ton of bricks. Before any words flow out of my mouth, tears form in my eyes. My frustration of knowing she’s absolutely right and also knowing something in me practically forces me to stay manifests into tears that pour from my eyes. Concerned and surprised by my tears, she pushes her table away and scoots over to me.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” she utters as she drapes an arm around me.

Surprised and concerned myself, it takes me a moment to process and gather my words.

“I don’t know where that came from,” I finally admit before wiping my tears with the collar of my tee. After blowing out a frustrated breath, I continue. “When I left him a year ago, I should have stayed away then. Everything in me knew I should’ve. He was controlling and so damn selfish. You know that.”

“I do. You came here,” she says while nodding fast.

“And I should have stayed. Everything in me knew it then like I know it now. We are not good together and we definitely don’t belong together but here I am, stuck. I feel like I did that night I went back to him,” I say while shaking my head at the memory.

Langston and I were done. I had packed up all my shit and temporarily moved in here. I was done, free, and feeling like my old, uncomplicated, happy self. Every hour on the hour, Langston called and texted though. I ignored him for the first week, but after another week of excessive contact attempts and deliveries of apology flowers and fruit bouquets, I had enough. I answered, and against my gut feeling and Shae’s advice, I met him for dinner.

I walked into the Italian restaurant resolute that the dinner was simply a final goodbye. Under no circumstances was I getting back with Langston. We were done.

He tried to hug me; I stepped back. When we were seated at our table, he reached for my hands. I withdrew them and placed them on my lap under the table. He pleaded, begged, and damn near cried, asking me to come back, but I was adamant. Then the weirdest shit happened. After dinner, I walked out before him. While I waited for valet, he approached me from behind and tried to talk to me again. I shut him down immediately but then he whispered in my ear.

“But you’re not going to leave me though, right?” he said and I froze. I couldn’t move. I thought I was just stunned at the audacity of his words, but when my answer fell from my lips, I was shocked.

“No, I’m not.”