Page 31

Surprisingly, it was painful. That was more alarming than any potential destruction.

Out of his hold, Eden quietly grabbed her things, grabbed her phone, and shoes, and tip toed out of the living room. When she got closer to the door, she confirmed her JoyRide from earlier and slid out into the night.

"Good morning!” Staysha sang as Eden strolled into her apartment, headphone-covered ears and sprinkles of sweat over her exposed skin.

It’d been two days since she left Maximus like a thief in the night. He’d called, he’d texted, and she couldn’t bring herself to answer. He was doing something to her, and it wasn’t fair. It was nerve-wrecking.

Eden squinted as if she were seeing people, removing the headphones and quipped, “look who got off dick long enough to come see me.”

“Oh, don’t do that. I called you and you didn’t answer, I texted you and you didn’t answer. Who would you rather have sitting here? Me or MB.”

Eden’s eyes darted around the space.

“Relax, he’s not here. He’s in meetings all day. But you should be ashamed, that man is borderline in love with you.”

Eden twisted up her face as if it weren’t true, as if she didn’t see herself rolling right off the deep end because being around him felt like all the things she’d never had. She stopped the thought – attempted to cut it off at the knees every time it popped into her mind.

“I think you’re looking too deep into this,” Eden prompted.

“I figured you’d say some bullshit like that. I figured. Check your phone.”

Eden rolled her eyes and pulled her phone out of the workout shorts she wore.

Tapping the attachments from Staysha, her eyes trailed over the photos of them courtside, the walk before his performance, the pinky promise, and the looks they shared.

There was a spark the night they officially met, and the spark was now a small flame for Eden because she needed to control it.

What was coming for her was a wildfire she wouldn’t be able to control, nor how earth-shattering it would feel. Once the embers settled, she’d know that right by his side was where she was made to be.

Her stomach fluttered with the butterflies that he placed there as she swiped through the photos, and then there was that pain. The same pain she felt ungluing herself from his arms in the dead of the night and leaving him there.

“Why are you showing me these?” Eden huffed, locking her phone as his name popped up, indicating another text message.

“Because, sister, you are out of your mind. You went from living in Natavia’s shadow to lying in bed for days, feeling like you weren’t worthy.

Coming alive on set and spending time with MB, so much time that the internet literally thinks you two are a thing.

And just... let’s be so fucking for real, did you not see that man pop up and stand in front of you at that game? ”

Eden closed her eyes and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “Which I feel guilty as fuck for because that was his night, it shouldn’t have ever been made about me.”

“But yet he did. Do you get that? That he thinks that highly of you to stand in front of you to a nigga he could probably stomp out and find joy in it.”

Eden hummed and shrugged, not finding a lie in that statement at all. “Excuse me, while you’re beating down my door, don’t you have a man or something?”

Staysha flipped her the bird. “You’re deflecting.”

Her phone buzzed with another text. She groaned.

“That’s him again?”

Eden winced.

“Keep fuckin’ around, he’s going to be doing two things – kicking in that door or moving on. He’s lost years of his life, don’t waste anymore of his time because you’re scared.”

“Is that why you’re here for real? To make me run back to that man and jump his bones, get folded up like a chair, be jumping out of his bushes, and everything else?

Is that what you want? Because that’s where this is headed if I answer a text or pick up the phone.

I can’t survive that, Staysha. I have no idea how not to survive, and I'm trying to survive.”

Staysha stood and approached her sister.

“I’ve been watching you survive for a very long time.

You need to trust yourself enough to live.

Experience letting a real man care for you the way you care for everyone and everything else.

But no, that’s not why I popped up on your dramatic ass.

I actually got you a modeling job. They wanted a female lead from Trae Way to fit the aesthetic. ”

“Who is it with? And when is it?” Eden asked, silencing her phone and moving around the counter into her kitchen to grab a smoothie. “And don’t say it’s an undisclosed person.”

“Then I won’t because that wouldn’t be the truth. It’s just you. And it’s tomorrow.”

Eden squinted. “I don’t believe you.”

“You should because I love you. So much that I'm taking you to lunch. Put the smoothie down, go pull yourself together, and let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“Meeting Fatima at Midtown. Be cute.”

Almost thirty minutes later, Eden reappeared, her reverted coils loose and wild, adding depth to the denim shorts, white tee, and sneaker fit she had on. Simple yet cute.

“We walking?” Staysha asked, with her face scrunched. “You’re not getting dick, and it shows. You want to walk, and I barely made it up here.”

“Spare me the details of Keon rearranging your insides,” Eden huffed, walking toward her door.

“What’s the deal with that anyway? Eden questioned. “Y’all something or y’all just workplace fuck buddies?”

“You know that saying, get over one by getting under another. I’m not always going to be able to fuck who I want when I want so I figure I’ll do it now,” Staysha shared her rationale.

Eden’s lip curled. “You playing games still, Stay. Keon ain’t that type to accept that, and I know that because...”

“Say it,” Staysha urged, as the pair headed to the elevator. “I dare you to say his name and prove yourself wrong.”

“I proved myself wrong when I unraveled out of the web he had me in,” Eden softly admitted. “This pain in my gut, Stay. It almost mirrors the same pain I had after Daddy died.”

“That’s called feelings, Eden. You feel and you want to shut those down, and you can’t. Why not text him back?”

“Because...that is as sobering as it is nerve-wracking. It means this could be more than kickin’ it.”

Out of the building, the sisters walked down the street. Staysha bumped Eden with her hip. “Remember that night we moved into the first apartment?”

“We were so happy to be out of the hood and have a place where we weren’t reminded of pain.”

“Pain sometimes isn’t meant to remind you of what it was that hurt you. Pain could be a reminder to live. We’re going to live, happy, in love, in wealth and health. We’re Poppi’s girls.”

Eden smiled. “Poppi’s girls. We are.”

“So, when you see that man, put an end to this shit. Please.”

Walking into the restaurant, Staysha found Fatima and waved once Fatima spotted them.

“I thought I was going to have to come and get y’all myself,” Fatima shared, greeting them both. “Y’all are cute.”

“Thanks,” Eden buzzed. “So are you.”

“You good after that rumble the other night?”

Eden nodded. “I am. I’m sorry that it even went down like that.”

“Girl, please. Rico and his girlfriend are a joke. He bops around that arena like he’s the king of the world. I was hoping your man would’ve slapped the taste out of his mouth.”

“It ain’t too late for it to happen,” Staysha spoke.

“How about we enjoy lunch without all that man talk,” Eden mumbled.

Fatima nodded with a smile. “Okay, we can get to the tea right after you and MB agree to attend at least two more home games. Y’all were the most viewed part of the game. And you got to admit, you two are the IT factor right now.”