Page 120 of Treason's Temptation
“How do you figure that?”
“You’re easy to read. So can we fix it?”
“We? Tre won’t like that.”
“If it gets you married, I think Tre will be okay.”
“Who said I want to get married?”
“Because you see me like I see you,” I admitted, forcing Ward to give me his attention.
“So you do wanna marry Tre?”
“I want someone to stay, and I think you do too. That’s hard to admit when you feel so broke. Harder for a black man, I imagine. So you pretend you’re happy because the idea of anything better feels impossible. Crying about shit never changed anything, so we push forward and make the best out of what we do have, but there’s always something missing. Or someone.”
“That’s why you’ve been cranky as fuck all day. My boy got you fucked up without him. You miss him, but you’re not used to missing anybody- except Rayven.”
“I told him I missed him tonight.”
Ward’s neck buckled in shock, “I know he ate that shit up.”
“Grinning hard as fuck, butmaybeyou were right. Tre’s not so bad.”
“Damn near killed you to admit that, didn’t it?”
“It wasn’t that bad, surprisingly. He’s been a lot less irritating since. Well, you know.”
“I’m proud of you.”
“Maybe you should tell Kelis you miss her.”
“It’s a lot more complicated than that.”
“Tre and I are the definition of complicated, and look at us.”
“Kelis was never really my girlfriend, but she always had my heart. When I got out of the army, we tried to pick up where we left off, but I wasn’t the same man anymore. I was drinking more than I ever had, and it made me darker, meaner. I was battling something I couldn’t name at the time. I didn’t want her to look at me differently, to see me as broken when I was already struggling to see myself as whole.”
“Sometimes telling the truth changes things for the better. It doesn’t always end badly. Think about it,bro.”
Ward nodded, enjoying his ice cream. The drive home wasn’t as quiet as I expected. Ward wasn’t a talker, but tonight he was babbling about nothing and everything. When we reached the penthouse, we went to our respective rooms.
Standing alone in Treason’s massive bathroom, I caught myself paying more attention to the doorway than my skincare routine. Usually, he leaned against it, wearing a goofy ass grin, watching me. Tonight, he would’ve strolled over, wedging me between his arms while asking me to wash his face next.
I snapped a quick picture before climbing into bed to text the man I couldn’t stop thinking about.
Me: Attachment.
Me: Hope these help you sleep .
Stink: You got a nigga ready to come home fr.
Me: Relax Cowboy I don’t do broke . They’ll be here when you get back.
Stink: Word?
Me: Word.
Shaking my head at him still being awake, I knew I’d have my work cut out for me when he got home, but I was looking forward to picking Stink up from the airport.
