Page 25 of Emani's Way

“Emani, I thought we had something special. How could you cheat on me? If you leave thatwhiteman alone, I’ll be happy to take you back. We will be great together, especially when I start my church. We’re the perfect couple.”

The more he rambles on, the more confused I get. I notice almost every time we talk, which isn’t that often, thank God, he mentions becoming a preacher. Now, he wants me to be his first lady. I think the hell not. This man is obviously delusional.

“Darrius.” I put my hand up to stop the foolishness from spilling from his lips. “I am not breaking up with Maddox. And I didn’t cheat on you, by the way. You and I went on one date. We are not a couple. We werenevera couple. You need to let it go.” My voice is calm, but I want so badly to yell.

“Emani, that man only wants one thing. I’m sure you gave it to him already, so it’s only a matter of time before he dumps you anyway. Just save yourself the trouble and come back to me now while I’ll have you,” Darrius sighs as if he’s talking to a child.

It takes a second before his words sink in, but once they do, it takes everything in me not to slap his smug face.

“Yeah, no. Have a good night.” I start to walk away, but Darrius grips my arm and snatches me back.

“Hey!” I yell.

“Listen. It will be a lot easier for you to go along with everything like you usually do. Think about what we can be.” Darrius is smiling, but his delusion dances in his eyes.

“Let me go!” I yell and snatch my arm away.

What the hell is wrong with this idiot! I walk back into the bar without looking back.What an ass!

Chapter11

MADDOX

Things between Emani and I have been going so much better than I ever could’ve expected. She’s such an amazing woman, and I’m so glad that we got a second chance. We’ve been spending more and more time together, and I’m loving getting to know her. I can’t wait until our date tonight. I wanted to scoop her up last night but she was hanging with her friends.

I’m doing my best not to become a stalker, but at this point, my obsession with this woman is out of my control.

One of my mediation meetings was shorter than expected, so when Jasper called and said he was back in town and wanted to meet up for a drink, I told him yes. Besides, I knew he would hound the shit out of me until I gave in, so I decided to meet him for a quick drink around the corner from the firm.

“I’m surprised you had time for me,” Jasper replies, staring at me with mirth dancing in his green eyes.

“Shut the fuck up. You’ve been MIA since I sawyoulast.”

Jasper just chuckles, “So, what’s been going on with you?”

“Same ol’ shit. You know how it is.” I take a sip of my drink and shrug.

“Yeah, I do know. How’s the family? I saw your brother and his wife the other day. Damn! How’d an ugly motherfucker like him get somebody as gorgeous as Tae?” Jasper laughs loudly, thinking he’s funny.

“Please. My brother might be a lot of things, but you and I both know he’s a handsome asshole.” I smirk.

Jasper laughs and shakes his head, “So, you finally found Emani. I never thought you’d become a stalker. Hell, I never thought you’d find someone to put up with your stodgy ass.” The prick laughs like he’s doing a set at the comedy store.

“First off, asshole, I have never been dull. Second, stop discussing my business with my know-it-all brother.”

“I haven’t…” Jasper cuts off his sentence when his phone rings. He looks down at the screen, and his face breaks into a humongous smile. “I need to take this. I’ll be right back.”

I’ve seen that look on my friend’s face too many times to count. He won’t be back anytime soon. I decide to text Emani even though I’ll see her in a couple of hours.

Me: Hey Sugar. Can’t wait to see you tonight.

Sugar: Hey sweetie. Me either. Where are we going?

Me: Somewhere special.

Sugar: How special? How do I need to dress?????

I laugh at all of her question marks. Emani could show up in a paper bag and still look fucking spectacular. But I get most women don’t want to be overdressed, or hell underdressed either.