Page 49 of Loving a Libra
“That ain’t the fucking point. She was on my ass about getting married, and she had a side nigga the whole time? I swear, if I ever see her ass, I’m choking her the fuck out.”
“I doubt that.”
“What did you say?”
“I said, I doubt that. If you put your hands on her, it’ll be the last fucking thing you do.”
I would give anything to see Maurice’s face as his wheels turned, trying to figure out Tariq’s angle. It was baffling to me that Maurice hadn’t yet put two and two together. Tariq hadn’t come right out and told him about us, but he’d definitely left a few clues. Maybe he was finally piecing it all together.
“You think I ain’t notice the soft spot you’ve always had for my girl? I noticed it, but it didn’t bother me because I knew you ain’t have the nuts to make a move on her. Even if you did, you ain’t even Devyn’s type. Ain’t no way she would fuck with a nigga like me, then settle for a nigga like you.”
Tariq nodded his head as he bit his bottom lip. Ginae and I looked at each other for a brief moment, and I was sure her expression of surprise and worry matched mine. When my eyes returned to the phone, Tariq was on his feet.
“Oh shit,” I whispered.
“You right, bruh. I’m not Devyn’s type, and she wouldn’t settle for somebody like me.”
“You should be used to it. Bitches always choose me over you. Do I need to remind you?”
Tariq shook his head. “Nah, I remember well. You got it, bruh. I still stand on what the fuck I said, though. I don’t tolerate violence against women in any way, for any reason. Devyn had every right to leave you. Let her move on with her life, and you move on with yours. The baby she’s carrying ain’t your concern.”
“I know you know something about where she is and who she’s with, but I ain’t gon’ press you. It’ll all come to light soon enough.”
Seconds later, the door closed, and Tariq put his phone down and disappeared from our view. When he returned, his eyes were filled with anger.
“Baby—” I began, but he interrupted me.
“You and my son are the only reason that nigga is still breathing. I gotta go.”
He ended the call before I could respond, and when I went to call him back, Ginae took my phone.
“Give him a minute, sis. He needs to calm down.”
“What if he goes and does something to Maurice that lands him in jail?”
“We got bail money, but he won’t. Besides, you wouldn’t be able to stop him either way. Give him time to calm down. When he’s ready to talk again, he’ll call you or come home.”
I hated waiting, but Ginae was absolutely right. However, after she left, I waited hours to hear from Tariq. When I couldn’t take it any longer, I called him, but he sent me straight to voicemail, and my texts were left on read. I was so worried, I didn’t go to work. At about midnight, he finally called me.
“Where are you?” I asked without greeting him.
“Why aren’t you at work?”
“Because I was too worried about you. Why didn’t you call or text me?”
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m leaving your job. We’ll talk when I get home. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
When he arrived home, fifteen minutes later, I was sitting in the living room. He slipped off his shoes and sat next to me on the couch. Now that I knew he was okay, I was no longer worried, but I was pissed that he made me worry.
“I’m sorry,” he said, taking my hand in his.
I snatched it away. “I’m pissed. Why would you let me worry like that?”
“I needed a minute to calm down.”
“Apparently, you needed several hours to calm down.”
