Page 43 of You Make Me Feel

I gave him a bright smile, then got in my car and watched him walk to his. The man exuded swag and BDE. I didn’t know how I hadn’t seen it before, but I was beyond grateful that I saw it now. Oliver Andrews didn’t miss. He was consistent, patient, gentle, and aggressive when he needed to be. I thought he would hem me up with that whole Mya incident. He was a blessing to me, and not just because of the baby situation. He made my life better. He mademebetter.

* * *

“See, now I have to stay longer since you brought all this food from Boil City. That’s my spot,” Braylon said.

I rolled my eyes. Ramsey didn’t tell me her nosy-ass brother would be here. Nigga was always in somebody’s business, especially mine. He’d informed Kiana about how I got down a few years ago. She knew I was promiscuous, but his ass had told her I was a dick hopper.Jackass.

“I’m sorry, Nisha. His ass was supposed to be gone by now.”

“I had to come check on her. You know she hasn’t been to work this week? Let me find Robert’s ass. She won’t have to worry about him tryna get back by the time I finish with him.”

I nodded in agreement. “We fucked him up a li’l bit in the club when he was there with another woman. She caught a li’l bit of that shit too. There was no telling the lies he was telling her, though. He’s just a trifling individual.” I turned to Ramsey and continued. “The best way to get over his ass is to get under another nigga. Fuck him. Get revenge on his ass.”

Braylon rolled his eyes.

“Kinisha, you know that ain’t my style,” she said.

“Yeah, but it’s healthier than the alternative: you sitting in here stressing and depressed. Get out there and try new things. Don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he broke you, sis. That gives him the upper hand.”

Braylon glanced over at me and looked away. I wasn’t sure what that look was about, but I was sure I would find out soon. In the meantime, I headed over to my food before it got cold. I could talk while I ate. Ramsey and Braylon traded stares. Then both looked at me. “What? Just say it.”

Braylon slid his hand down his face. “You was fucking with Jarod?”

I frowned hard as he held his hands up in surrender. “That nigga running his mouth, and I almost clocked him in it. Saying that you said you were pregnant and it was his baby, trying to trap him.”

Now, I was fucking fuming. My face had to be red. I would have spilled the beans first if I wanted anyone to know. I looked away as I tried to gather myself before I went off on people who didn’t deserve that shit. When I looked back at them, they were eating, but their eyes kept making their way to me.

“I’ll tell you the truth, but I prefer this to stay between us. I haven’t told anyone.”

They nodded in agreement, so I continued. “I fucked around with him. I only mess with one nigga at a time, so there is no mistaking who my baby is from. The condom broke, and his seed wasn’t in it. I positively know this is his baby. He wanted no part of it. Oliver came along, overheard an argument between him and me, and stepped in to save the day. He was trying to holla at me before this, but this situation actually made me pay attention to him. I didn’t want to tell my parents I was pregnant without a boyfriend or at least a man who would accept the responsibility of being a father.”

I swiped the tear that fell down my cheek. “Oliver stepped up to the plate and said I was his, and so was my baby. If I agreed, he would be the man I was missing. He would be everything I needed him to be. After mulling it over a bit, I accepted. Oliver is the best thing that has ever happened to me. While our relationship didn’t start with the best intentions on my end, the only thing I would change is not giving in to him sooner. Now, that’s the truth. Jarod is a fucking idiot and will say anything to make himself look good.”

“I thought you knew he was a fuckboy and that you wouldn’t go there with him?” Ramsey asked.

“I knew he was a fuckboy. I concluded that I was good with just having sex with him . . . the biggest mistake of my fucking life. I didn’t set out to get pregnant, just like he didn’t set out to impregnate me. I wasn’t ready to be a mother, but unlike him, I’m not going to turn my back on my baby that I willingly participated in creating.”

Braylon stood from his seat and pulled me from mine, hugging me tightly. The three of us had known one another for a long time, so his actions weren’t strange. We were close like siblings, and in this moment, I gladly accepted his comfort. It almost felt good to tell someone besides Oliver the truth. It felt freeing. I knew, eventually, I would have to come clean to my parents about it. I should have just told the truth to begin with.

However, I knew I probably wouldn’t be with Oliver if I didn’t feel some type of desperation. I wouldn’t have experienced just how amazing he was. When Bray released me, I went back to my seat. I looked over at Ramsey as she ate a shrimp. “Don’t be like me and give in to Robert’s punk ass. With this baby, I’ll be tied to Jarod’s bitch ass forever. God forbid if he decides he wants to be a father. I want to make him sign something saying that he’s relinquishing his rights.”

“Do it quickly then. When he sees that you ain’t fucking with him no more and that you’re with Oliver, I have a feeling he’s gonna try to give you a hard time. Has he seen you since the argument at church?”

“No. The other arguments were done by phone. He doesn’t have a clue about Oliver.”

“He’s a shady muthafucka. I know because we used to kick it sometimes. I fucked around, but I was never shady like his ass. I never could understand niggas like that. It’s like they can’t stand to see a woman move on from them, even when they created the distance. He thrives off making a woman fucking miserable or making her chase his ass.”

“He’s not going to get either from me. I know it doesn’t seem like Oliver is the type, but I truly believe he would kill Jarod without a second thought. That man is so possessive of me and my time, but I love every moment of that shit.”

“Yeah, he just seems like a computer geek,” Bray chuckled.

“Same thing I thought. When he drops that professional tone, Lord have mercy.”

“Man, change the subject. Ain’t nobody trying to see you on the road to ecstasy, eyes rolling and shit,” he complained.

Ramsey and I laughed. “Nisha, I hear you, but I can’t believe Robert would do this to me. We were planning on getting married. I hate that I didn’t see this side of him sooner. I feel like I’ve wasted so much time . . . time I could have used to love on myself instead of his selfish ass.”

“It’s okay, boo. It’s in the past now. All you can do is move forward. Don’t let him drag you backward. You deserve better. I hope you know that.”

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