Page 47 of Love's Free Will

Just then, a knock at the door made me jump.

“Girl, what the fuck is wrong with you jumpin and shit? Is somebody after you?” Egypt was dying laugh on the phone.

“Fuck you bitch.” I rolled my eyes before getting off the floor and going to the door. I opened it to find Royal, standing there with an overnight bag and a smirk like he ain’t live two damn floors above me.

“What’s up Baby?”

“Is that Royal? Tell my new brother I said hey.”

“Brother is crazy.”

“She said what she said, fuck you mean?” Royal laughed. “What up Sis?”

“Bye, Egypt.” I hung up on her before they could continue their little banter that they had developed since California. I swear, her, Serenity and Arielle were going to betray me about how much I liked Royal. Every time I was on the phone with one of them, they were always doing the most.

Royal leaned against my doorframe. “Damn, you ain’t gon’ invite me in?”

“You ain’t got your own place?” I teased.

“I like your view better.” He leaned in and kissed me slow, like he had all day to waste. “You been drinkin’ without me?”

I stepped aside. “Come in. And yes. I’ve had a day.”

He followed me inside, dropping his bag by the couch. “That mean you don’t wanna see me, or I’m here at the right time?”

I gave him a look. “Stop talkin’ in riddles.” He laughed and headed to the kitchen to grab a glass. I poured him some wine and we plopped onto the couch. He took a sip of his wine before placing his glass down on the table then gently taking the blunt and lighter from my hands lighting the blunt.

“So… time with my mama and Princess go alright?” he asked, placing the blunt in his mouth and pulling from it a few times before handing it back to me.

“Yeah, it was cool. Princess didn’t interrogate me this time so that’s progress.”

He nodded. “You still seem tense.”

I hesitated contemplating on whether I was going to tell him about the dinner invite or leave it alone. I pulled from the blunt, before blowing the smoke out slowly.

“My mom wants us to come to dinner, tomorrow night.”

Royal paused mid-sip of his wine. “Us?”

“Yeah, us Royal.”

“She askin’ to be nice?”

“She demanded it.”

He shrugged like it was nothing. “A’ight. Let’s go.”

I blinked. “That’s it? No hesitation? No ‘fuck her and that crusty ass salmon she gon’ try to serve us’?”

He chuckled. “I mean, probably not the salmon part, but… yeah. We’ll go.”

“Royal—”

He sat up, setting his glass down. “Ave, I don’t give a damn what they say. Yo mama, yo daddy, Twitter, the blogs—none of ‘em matter. I know what we got. I’m not gon’ run because she got a stick up her ass.”

I looked at him, my heart softening. “You sure?”

He pulled me into his lap taking the blunt back and pulling from it. “I’m sure.”

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