Page 20 of I Don't Want You Back

Chapter 6

“I hope you’re not allergic to seafood.” Faryn said as she and Landon made their way back up to her apartment on the elevator.

When she agreed to an impromptu date, Landon didn’t know what she had in mind. He had no idea that Faryn was going to invite him up to her apartment to cook for him. He didn’t know too much about her, so he didn’t know if she even knew how to cook.

“No, I’m not allergic to anything,” Landon said as they walked up to her door.

When Faryn ushered him inside, he was impressed. Her entire living room was decorated in pink, black, and white, the same as her office. She had a Paris theme and it was very feminine. Just like her office, her apartment smelled like tropical fruit. Landon could tell that she was a good housekeeper because everything was neat and in its place.

“Nice apartment,” Landon complimented.

“Thanks. You can have a seat. I just need to change right quick,” Faryn said as she disappeared down the hall.

She was a nervous wreck. Aside from Harley’s husband, Kyron, Landon was the only man who had ever been in her apartment. Redd had been begging for over a year, but Faryn was done with him. He’d been calling her from another number apologizing since she still had him blocked. Faryn was cordial with him, but her mind was still made up. She was sure he’d found another favorite at the club by now, so he could leave her alone.

After throwing on a pair of yoga pants and a tank, Faryn slipped her feet in a pair of fuzzy slippers and pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail. She took a few deep breaths to contain her nervousness before she headed back to the living room where Landon waited.

“Here’s the remote. You can watch whatever you want while I fix our food,” Faryn said when she walked over to him.

“I’d rather watch you cook,” Landon replied, making her blush.

“Um, okay, I have two bar stools at the kitchen counter,” she replied as he followed behind her.

Faryn turned on her radio that was built in under the counter, so they could listen to some music.

“You need some help?” Landon asked while she washed her hands.

“Nice try, but Lance already told me that you can’t cook. He’s very thankful for his GG and your sister cooking for y’all,” Faryn laughed.

“That nigga be telling all my business,” Landon said, laughing with her.

“He never has anything bad to say though. Not about you anyway,” Faryn noted.

“Yeah, I’m sure the same can’t be said about his mama,” Landon said, shaking his head.

“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking,” Faryn said as she started cooking.

She had already prepped her Sunday meal and she was happy for that. She planned to have homemade shrimp alfredo with salad and garlic bread. She was happy that she didn’t have to eat it alone or with Harley and Kyron like she usually did.

“No, I don’t mind. I honestly don’t know what happened. I mean, I thought I was doing everything right. I married and started a family with my high school sweetheart. I went to college and got my degree. I got a good paying job and made sure that my family was well taken care of. We always talked about investing to increase our income, so I did that too with the help of my stepfather. When she couldn’t find a house that she wanted, I decided to get her one built from the ground up. We were a few weeks away from them breaking ground on our new home when she hit me with the divorce papers,” Landon explained.

“Oh, my God. Why would she do that?” Faryn asked with a puzzled look on her face.

“She started out with some bullshit excuse about not having a life outside of me and the kids. Once she left, she tried to make it seem like it was my fault. I did make a lot of promises in the beginning, but I was too busy building for our future. I guess the long hours away from home started to be too much for her. I promised her vacations and a lot of other stuff, but it takes money to do anything. I was ready to make good on my word, but she was already done with the marriage by then.” Landon shrugged.

Faryn could tell that he was over the situation now because he was almost emotionless when he talked about it. She knew it had to be hard on him because it was definitely hard on Lance.

“It had to be more to it than that. I would have been happy if a man had done half of what you did for her. You think she had another man or something?” Faryn asked as she stirred her pot.

“She moved in with him the same day she left and they’re still together,” Landon replied, making her mouth hang open in shock.

“Now, I see why you kept your sons. She just up and moved in with another man,” Faryn said, shaking her head.

“That was her choice too. She said that they were boys and they needed their father to teach them how to be men. I didn’t want them there to see her leave, so I asked her to go while they were at school. They came home looking for her and I had to break the news to them. Lance has been fucked up ever since.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Faryn said solemnly.

“It’s all good. My sons are my only concern. Lennox was a mama’s boy, so he still likes to be around her. Lance is doing better since he’s been seeing you, but his feelings towards her are the same. I’m just happy that he’s talking more and not acting out as much.”

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