Page 69 of Desire

“Just because you’re not speaking to me doesn’t mean you open doors in my presence,” he said.

“My bad, it slipped my mind.”

“Nah, you’re being stubborn. We should talk.”

“You sure about that? You're refusing to discuss the only thing I want to talk about.”

“I’m sorry, baby.”

“Are you?”

“I am, and I shouldn’t have talked to you like I did last night. There are some things about my situation with Iris that I didn’t share with you. Your thoughts and feelings are based on the information you know, which isn’t complete.”

“Instead of dismissing me, why didn’t you tell me what I need to know so I can have an informed opinion?”

“Because I wanted you to take my word for it. If I’m telling you everything ain’t what it seems, I shouldn’t have to prove it to you.”

“I can’t ask questions? You expect me to blindly believe you, no questions asked?”

“About some things, yes.”

I pondered his words, but they didn’t sit right in my spirit.

“Will me knowing the whole truth change my opinion of you?”

It took him five minutes to answer. While I waited and he contemplated, we watched Azaria play in the sand with two other little girls. She laughed and played without a care while her parents sat a few feet away arguing. I began to think he wouldn’t answer, but eventually he did.

“It may.”

“Negatively?”

“Yeah.”

I sighed. Did I want to know if it would negatively change my opinion of the man I’d fallen so deeply in love with? If I truly loved him as much as my heart led me to believe, could my opinion of him waiver?

“Enough to make me want to leave you?”

“Hopefully not,” he replied with a shrug as his phone rang. When he looked at the screen, he didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Wassup? At the park with my family. Give me ten minutes.” He ended the call. “That was Quinton. He has the info of the person who sent the last message. He’s gonna meet us at the house.”

Azaria wasn’t happy about leaving the park so soon and cried herself to sleep on the way home. When we arrived, Quinton had beat us there. Once inside, Aziel laid Azaria on the couch in the family room while Quinton and I waited in the kitchen.

“Are you hungry, Quinton? I have some leftover pot roast, mac?—”

“Say no more, beautiful. I’d love a plate if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Of course not.”

Aziel entered the kitchen as I was getting a plate from the cabinet.

“Aw, hell the fuck nah. You’re not about to feed this nigga until he tells us what we need to know.”

He took the plate from my hand, placed it on the counter, and ushered me to the table.

“I guess that’s a good compromise,” Quinton said, joining us at the table.

Like before, he took some papers from an envelope and gave them to Aziel.

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