Page 5 of Tempted By the Taurus
I turned my attention to him and narrowed my eyes. "I didn't do a damn thing to her."
Malachi and Nya were cousins, and I actually met her through him. Every time Nya and I would get into an argument, she'd bring him into it. I had told Malachi plenty of times that what his cousin and I had going on had nothing to do with him. He also knew if he were to get in between his cousin and my problems, that would be the end of our friendship.
"Y'all stay fussing and fighting. Y'all might as well get back together," BJ joked with a chuckle.
"When hell freezes over." I reached for my beer bottle and took a swig. "I don't understand her." I sighed in frustration, needing to get this off my chest. "Nya picks fights with me for what? She was the one who left me when all I was trying to do was work to take care of her and our child. When I met her, I was working my ass off. Then she acted as if it were a problem. Even when I was off work, I cooked for her ass since she couldn't cook worth a damn. I made sure she was good, but it wasn't enough. Now I'm the problem? She's got me fucked up with that one."
I hated ranting about my business, but Nya pushed me too far. If I went to her about it, she'd cryabout how I treated her wrong. The only thing I tried to do was have a good friendship with her since she was the mother of my child. That was the type of thing that made me want to avoid her altogether.
Even after she broke up with me, I tried to get back with her. Hell, I tried for months. I didn't want to lose what we had, but she didn't budge, so I stopped trying. What else was I supposed to do? What we had was dead. I'd be her friend for my child's sake, but other than that, hell no. She was a damn menace in her own way. I hated it when someone brought her up when there wasn't anything good to say.
BJ shook his head in disbelief. "Damn, man. It's been over two years since y'all broke up, and she's not over it yet?"
"Nah, she wants to think she got one up on me, and that's not the case at all. She's making herself look stupid. Let's change the subject. I'd rather not discuss her anymore. She's in my past and should stay there," I huffed, ending the conversation. I didn't want to chill just to talk about Nya. "What the hell y'all got going on?"
Malachi shrugged. "Ain't a damn thing going on with me. Just working to stack my paper."
BJ finished his beer and wiped his mouth. "Same ol' same ol' for me. Tia's getting on my nerves with craving every damn thing in the book. I didn't even know some things were food."
Malachi and I erupted in laughter. Out of the three of us, BJ was the only one who was married and was happily in love with his wife. They were high school sweethearts who had beaten the odds. Some of our classmates in the past tried breaking them up, but the love they had for each other was too strong. The many makeups and breakups they had, we all thought they wouldn't have made it, but they did.
"Man, this is her first pregnancy. Cut her some slack," Malachi stated.
BJ tilted his head and glared at him. "Nah, that's not something I can do. Who the hell is about to feed their wife octopus? Of all things, that's what she craves."
I grimaced and screwed up my face. "That's not normal."
I eyed the basket of wings, not really as hungry as I thought I was. Malachi and BJ ate some of them, but I barely touched them.
"Man, who you telling? Since I got her pregnant, nothing has been normal. I'm surprised she hasn't called yet." BJ took his phone out of his pocket and threw his head back. "Never mind, she sent a text."
I shook my head, knowing that was coming. He'd be leaving soon. One thing I could say about my friends is that they gave it their all when they were in a relationship. Like me, Malachi was single, but I didn't know if he was looking for love or not.
The three of us had grown up together since we were in the third grade. We had our ups and downs, but we were always able to fix our friendship. They were the only two people I told my secrets to... if I had any. I knew it wouldn't get back to anyone else.
BJ stood up, took his wallet out of his back pocket, and dropped a five-dollar bill on the table. "I'm going to head on out." He dapped us up and left out for the night.
Malachi chuckled. "He's whipped."
I snickered and rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the tension. I guess talking about Nya did a number on me. "There was a time when all of us were like that. For me, it's been over two years and you?—"
"Nah, don't even bring that bitch up to me. Leave her where she's at, and that's far away from me and my mind," he growled, gritting his teeth.
I threw my hands up, forgetting about how he felt about his ex. There was bad blood between them since she'd smashed his car windows and flattened all his tires. That night was hell. That had happened nearly five years ago, and since then, Malachi had been ducking women because of his ex. He was afraid of getting his heart shattered again, which was something I could relate to.
He stood up and took out a five-dollar bill. "I'm going to head out. You done pissed me off," he angrily huffed, throwing the money on the table.
I threw my head back and laughed loudly. "Man, I didn't do anything to you."
"Man, whatever." He walked away with a chip on his shoulder. That was nothing new with him. Malachi had always been a grumpy person.
When he left, I stayed and finished the rest of the beer. It would for sure make me sleep better tonight. Once done, I took out a five-dollar bill and left the table. It was always known when the fellas and I went out to eat or for a drink, if we had a server, we'd put down a tip for them. Each of us gave them five dollars.
Later that night, while Tupac played in the background, I put a bookcase together for my mother. I didn't know why she didn't ask my father to do it for her. She always said she hated bothering my father. Why get him to do it when she had two sons who could do things for them? It was her way of saying they had taken care of us, so now it was time we took care of them.
Our upbringing was a testament to the dedication of our parents, who ensured that my brother and I never went without.They always said it was better to provide for us themselves than risk us seeking things elsewhere. Still, that was never a concern. Both my brother and I have always worked for everything we wanted or needed in life. That work ethic became part of who we are. One of my proudest memories was being present when my mother gave birth to my brother. I was only five years old, but that moment is etched in my mind as one of the happiest of my life. Since that day, I've always strived to support my baby brother in everything he set out to do. Watching him grow into the person he is now fills me with nothing but pride. My parents raised both of us to be strong individuals, and we made sure to make them proud.
Once I was done putting the bookcase together, I took a shower and got ready for bed.
