Page 22 of Loyalty, Lust, Love
“Hey, I was wondering where you went. Do you want me to make you a plate?” Shyla asked as she gave Lynx the death stare.
“Nah, I’m good,” Lynx responded.
“Oh, Fatima?—”
“It’s Fateema, with two e’s.”
“My bad. Cornell’s waiting for you, but he didn’t want to be rude and wander around a stranger’s house,” Shyla continued.
“You could learn a thing or two from him,” Fateema said, brushing Shyla’s shoulder as she exited the hallway.
A few minutes later, everyone, including Octavia’s boyfriend, Ryan, was in the family room. Besides the funeral, it was the first time the six of them were all together since Lynx had been home.He’d ordered pizzas, breadsticks, wings, mozzarella sticks, and fries for them to graze on throughout the day while catching up.
“What are you planning to do with the house?” Adam asked Lynx.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Why don’t you keep it so you’ll have somewhere to stay when you come home?” Joaquin suggested.
“I don’t come home often, and when I do, I usually crash with Bunny.”
“Fateema only has one bedroom. Coming here has got to be better than sleeping on her couch,” Cornell said.
Lynx may have taken a few naps on Fateema’s couch, but when it was time for bed, he and Fateema were in her bed, wrapped in each other’s arms. If Cornell were more observant, he would’ve noticed the looks that were exchanged between the six friends. He was oblivious, but Shyla noticed and knew exactly what they meant.
“Where did the nickname Bunny come from?” Ryan asked, not realizing how he’d saved Cornell from getting his feelings hurt. “I notice you’re the only one who calls her that.”
“Actually, her father called her Bunny first.”
“Is that who you picked it up from?” Ryan continued.
“No, but when we met, I thought she looked like a bunny rabbit, and the rest is history.”
“I’ve always thought pet names were kind of childish,” Shyla commented.
“Are you serious?” Octavia questioned, and Shyla nodded. “Tuh, if Ryan calls me by my first name, I’ll assume we broke up, right, baby?”
“Yeah. She gets all in her feelings when all I’m doing is calling her by the name her parents gave her,” Ryan teased.
“Octavia doesn’t even sound right coming out of your mouth anymore, and I don’t like it,” she told him.
Everyone laughed except for Shyla. “But Lynx isn’t her boyfriend. Cornell, you don’t mind another man calling your girlfriend by a pet name?”
“First of all, mind your business,” Fateema interjected. “Secondly, it’s a nickname, not a pet name. Thirdly, what’s childish is flying halfway across the country uninvited under the premise of support, thinking you’ll be bumped up to?—”
“Bunny, chill,” Lynx urged before addressing Shyla, reminding her of his warning. “I gave you two options.”
“To answer your question, Shyla, no, it doesn’t bother me because Fateema and Lynx are like siblings and have known each other since they were children.”
Fateema and Lynx may have started off like siblings, but it had been years since their relationship crossed that line.
“You forgot to mention that I’m not your girlfriend,” Fateema added.
“Not technically.”
“Not generally either. We’re just friends.”
“For now, but that might change sooner than you think.” He winked and kissed her temple, and Lynx had to stop himself from leaping across the room to move him away from Fateema. “So, how did you all become friends?” Cornell continued.
