He looked over at me and then put the car into gear and pulled off.
I couldn’t believe the shit that was coming out of his mouth. I wanted to reach over and slap that smug look off his face. I turned away from him and looked out the window. I was the dumb one. I was the one guilty of sticking around and taking all of his bullshit.
We drove in silence all the way until we stopped at a light on Manhattan’s Eighth Avenue. A white guy on a bike next to us hawked and spit, and the wind blew it onto the hood of Kyron’s car. The next thing I knew, he was out of the car, running and grabbing the back of the guy’s bike. He pushed him over and went to stomping him. I couldn’t believe it. “Kyron! The bigger picture! The bigger picture!” I heard myself screaming. I jumped out of the car and grabbed his arm in an attempt to end the situation before it got worse.
“Get the fuck off me!” he barked, no longer whispering and he snatched away from me. He was in a fitful rage.
I was furious as I stepped back and looked at him. I had to ask myself, was it worth it? Why the fuck was I so obsessed with him? And if he didn’t give a fuck about his future, why should I? Just like I guided him to this point, I could just as easily guide the next man, and it probably wouldn’t take half the time.
“You know what? I’m out of here.” I left him there stomping the daylights out of a total stranger on a bike. “Taxi! Taxi!” I jumped into the first one that stopped. I was convinced that Kyron had lost his mind.
6
TASHA
I was glad that I had Kyra all to myself first. We cried, hugged, and caught up to what had been going on during our time apart. Now it was Angel’s and Jaz’s turn. They had finally made it to sunny California. I stood in the doorway and watched the three of them cry, laugh, cry, and laugh some more, just like I did. The reunion was bittersweet.
Not only did Kyra look different, but she seemed different. For one, it was surprising to see her reading the Bible and down on her knees praying. One minute she would appear all holier-than-thou, and the next minute she would be the old, talking-smack, neck-twisting, from-the-hood Kyra. The Kyra I was used to.
“Ooh! Why are you sneaking up on me like that?” Trae had eased up behind me and was brushing his lips against my neck.
“Because I want to steal you away from your girls for a few minutes.”
“A few minutes? Yeah, right. That’s what you said the last time.” He began easing me away from the door. “Trae, stop. We are getting ready to go get something to eat.”
He stopped and peeked in at the girls. “They ain’t trying to go nowhere no time soon. I just need a few minutes. They won’t even know you’re gone.” He pulled me away from my girls and eased me into the hall bathroom and shut the door.
“You ain’t right,” I said, smiling at him.
“You ain’t right! Stilettos on, ass cheeks hanging out the dress. What kind of restaurant are y’all going to?” He backed up against the door, and with both hands on my ass, he pulled me close to him.
“Stop exaggerating! My ass cheeks are not hanging out.”
“Bullshit. You ain’t going to no restaurant wearing a club dress.”
I sucked my teeth. “Since when did you start having problems with me wearing short dresses?”
“Since I’m not going with you. That’s when. You know my rules.”
He was trippin’, and I wasn’t liking it. I damn sure wasn’t about to take the dress off. Hell, we were only going out to eat. We stood there staring into each other’s eyes as he continued to caress my ass. Just as it started to feel good, he abruptly turned me around and guided me toward the sink. I felt his hand ease up my back, and he pushed me forward. I grabbed onto the edges of the sink.
I looked back at him. “What do you mean, I know your rules?”
“Assume the position, and shut up.”
“Shut who? Assume what?” I went to stand up, but he was holding me down with one hand and holding that steel with the other.
“You heard me.” He used his knee to force my legs apart.
I