Page 25 of Her Pisces Allure
Holding my breath, I wait to see if Quintyn will respond to my message. My heart beats wildly and I’m frozen while staring at my screen.
Mr. Lays Pipe:
*read*
My eyes begin to burn the longer I stare at the screen after seeing that Quintyn has read my text. One minute passes… two minutes... three minutes. Tears cloud my vision when five minutes pass, and Quintyn doesn’t respond. Exiting my message app, I drop my phone inside my purse, sigh, and shake myself loose before returning to work. Rejection mingles with dejection, and I swallow the cry bubbling in my belly. I have patients to see and a clinic to run, so falling apart can’t happen… at least until I’m in the comforts of my home this evening.
While it’s takenFayth five weeks to reach out to me, I’ve been working on a plan that’ll allow us both to get what we want. My feelings for Fayth are unwavering, and thoughts of throwing in the towel by letting Roman win aren’t in my wheelhouse. This present situation is why I advised Fayth that time was necessary because while she has blinders on where Roman is concerned, I don’t. The problem for me is that Roman didn’t consider what could happen when fate gets involved, forcing boundaries to sit down and shut up. Although I’m set in my thoughts about Roman going to the nearest part of hell and building a campfire, I know that my future with Fayth can only get better if I put my feelings aside for the greater good.
“Look, I ain’t been to the gym in a while, so keep that shit in mind when this nigga gets here,” Sharif tells me, causing a low chuckle to escape my mouth.
After what went down between Roman and me in his mother’s backyard, I asked Sharif to play mediator, bouncer, referee, or whatever depending on how this goes. I also had Sharif set up this outing and lie to Roman that I would be working so he didn’t have to worry about me showing up. Thanks to Sharif being the cousin of the owner of Ty-Walt’s Clouds of Rhapsody, we’re in a private room in the back of the cigar lounge.
“Maybe you should go hide or something until I get at least one drink in this hostile mothafucka,” Sharif grumbles.
Before I can respond, the door opens, and Roman’s face becomes a mask of anger as his eyes flash with fire.
“What the fuck is this shit?”
“A come to Jesus meeting now bring your ass over here and sit down. I ain’t about to let you niggas run my pressure up with your bullshit,” Sharif rants.
A smirk upturns my lips at Sharif’s fake mad ass before my eyes shift to Roman, and I attempt an olive branch.
“Come holla at me. I ain’t trying to fight or argue with you, but a conversation has to be had.”
“The time for talking?—”
“Man, come sit down and keep your hands to yourself. Tyrin already let me know that he’ll shoot both of y’all if a chair is moved out of place in his establishment,” Sharif interjects, causing the tightness around Roman’s eyes to release when he laughs.
“Tyrin ain’t the only nigga who can bust their gun, but I hear you,” Roman replies, walking over and sitting in the seat adjacent to me.
The only thing that can be heard for a few minutes is the low bass from whatever song is playing in the main lounge. Sharif looks back and forth between Roman and me, watching us closely to see who will speak first.
“Why Sunshine? Ribax has plenty of available women. Hell, you spent two years galivanting from state to state, so you could have easily found a woman to be with while traveling. She’s my sis?—”
“Contrary to what you believe, Fayth doesn’t need you to micromanage her life or who she dates. My question is why place a stipulation like that on your friends yet be careless with how you handle the men without close connection to you who’ve broken her heart?”
Roman’s request was wild when I know about ten women he’s messed with who have been friends with Fayth. Hell, he and I had a threesome with one of the women behind the football field.
“I didn’t know those niggas, though. I know you, and we’ve done dirt together. How can I be sure that you’ve changed? My sister ain’t a notch on your belt. I want a man who will give Sunshine the brightness she deserves. She needs a man who?—”
“None of what you’re saying has merit when you know the character of the man I am. If sex is all I wanted from Fayth, I would already be gone, and you would be none the wiser.” My jaw clenches, and I rub my hands down my pants to keep from balling them into fists.
“If you’re so in love with Sunshine, why the secret relationship? Why not man up and talk to me?”
“I hate to interrupt, but from hearing how you went ape, I believe you wouldn’t have handled it like a grown man. You have to admit that your overbearing ways with Fayth played into them hiding things from you,” Sharif interjects.
When Roman glares at Sharif, he puts his hands up in a sign of surrender before turning an imaginary key on his lips and sitting back.
Sighing heavily, Roman sits back against his chair, looking like the weight of the world is on his shoulders.
“Man, I just want Sunshine to be happy. Our father used to say some fucked up shit to her and Ma. As a result, I felt it was my duty to prevent her from?—”
“What makes you think Fayth isn’t happy with me? The fact that you believe I’m capable of fucking her over like Scott did is blowing me. Nigga, you know me better than anyone. That shit is foul as fuck. Contrary to what you believe, I ain’t ever been a fuck boy.” Standing, I begin pacing to contain the fury within me.
“It really ain’t about you. It’s about?—”
“Control. If we’re keeping it a buck, you’ve been acting no different than the flawed nigga you’re pretending to protect Fayth from encountering. I get that Scott said some shit no father should say to his daughter. However, I’m the person who held Fayth in his arms the first time she let someone in on the pain it caused. Why do you think I’ve always checked up on her? Why do you think I jumped when you called after being out of reach? I love Fayth with everything in me.” I stop talking when my emotions get the best of me because this nigga and his flawed beliefs don’t get to see me break.
