Page 59 of Save Room for Us

Shrugging, he responded, “If you say so, but I asked that nigga Asif if he was into you, and he told me no.”

Shock overtook me, but I tried not to let it show. Though he was close with Asif, I didn’t want to believe he’d told him that.

“Oh, probably when I first got here.”

“Nah, it was recent. I asked if I could shoot my shot and wanted to make sure he wasn’t feeling you. He told me he wasn’t at all.”

“Okay. Well, I need to start on some work, Grady, so thanks again.” I went for the door, opening it.

Grady snickered, running his finger across his chin again, clearly a habit, and then swaggered past me.

Standing in the doorway, he said, “I don’t mind working hard for what I want.”

Looking me up and down, he licked his lips before venturing out completely. I took no time in shutting that door.

“I actually gotsome good shit this time.” I walked into the medical room’s break room where Anastazia was, heating her lunch. She simply looked over her shoulder and gave me a soft ass smile. “My mama cooked, and I got leftovers, so don’t be hating and shit.” I came up behind her, inhaling the scent of her curly hair, the smell of her soft brown skin, and the way her body felt against me. I wasn’t a nigga who jacked off often, but I fell victim to the shit once I dropped her off the other day.

“I’m sure it’s good.” She moved from my grasp, and I’d been around enough women all my fucking life to know she was mad about some shit. I’d seen Lisara act this same way with pops, then my sisters-in-laws with my brothers. TheI ain’t gon’ say shit right now, but don’t touch mevibe.

Gripping her wrist before she could get away, I brought her back into me forcefully, crashing my lips against hers. Shetried to resist through giggles, but eventually fell into the shit, allowing me to grab on her ass.

“What a nigga do now?” I inquired when she turned her face from me, since she wasn’t strong enough to break free.

“Let me go first.” She smiled, turning to look up at me. “I’m not angry. I just need to ask you something.”

“Ask while we like this.”

“I can’t. I wanna make sure I’m not falling for your charm when you speak.”

Chuckling, I let her go, and we sat down at the table.

“Aight. What’s up?” I opened the container of lemon pepper buffalo wings Lisara made.

“Did you tell your boy that you weren’t interested in me? Like recently?” She forked some of her baked macaroni and cheese that looked good as fuck.

Frowning because I was confused, I said, “Hell nah. I would never say no shit like that, even when I had just met you.”

She smiled, saying, “Okay, I didn’t think so, which is why I wanted to ask you.”

“Let me guess… Grady told you that shit.” I sat back, irate.

“Yeah. He gave me flowers, and when I explained that I wasn’t into him and that it’s not proper for me to accept them, knowing I’m dealing with you or whatever this is, he told me that.” She ate some of her food. “Said I should give that loyalty to a man who deserves it.”

I snickered while nodding, trying to keep my composure. It was only so many times I was gon’ allow Anastazia to see me fly off the handle on a nigga. I didn’t want her linking me to her punk ass ex in any way. Once we got closer and she understood me—how I ran shit—better and had healed from the trauma that nigga brought about, I’d feel freer to let loose.

“He was lying, well, embellishing. I told his ass not to make passes at you or attempt to get at you and that I wouldn’teither. I only said that shit ’cause I wanted to make sure he and everybody else around this muthafucka respected you. But I never said I ain’t like you or I wasn’t interested. He could’ve asked me that shit the day I seen you in Bashar’s office, and I wouldn’t have said that shit.”

“You were interested off rip, huh?” She beamed with her pretty ass.

She smelled like sunshine or a fucking vacation, and I didn’t know if I was tripping or if that was the actual perfume’s purpose. I loved it though. Seeing and smelling her put me in a good ass mood automatically, and no woman, not since my fine ass sixth grade teacher, had been able to do that shit.

Her dark curly hair was piled on top of her head, like always, and the yellow scrubs looked so fucking perfect against her brown skin. That was the perfect color for her ass too. She made this building seem much less sterile and cold than the shit was.

“I was. I thought it was cute as fuck how you tried to fix ya hair behind my back. You know you pretty as fuck when ya hair all over ya head and a nigga is still into you.”

Her jaw dropped, and I could tell by the slight redness to her cheeks that she was abashed.

“I cannot believe you noticed that.” She covered her face for a beat.

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