Page 24 of He Thugged Me First

GAYZE

M y sleep these last few weeks has been phenomenal.

Though I had still been working long hours, I didn’t often lay awake in the wee hours of the night.

Instead, sleep came easy because I was exhausted from everything and some.

Some was him. I didn’t know why I felt like I should’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I couldn’t.

I was enjoying all the time I was spending with Mazz and ignoring Chase the rest of it.

He still had yet to come get his stuff, and he had ample time.

I had packed up his stuff and changed my home around.

I had even bought a new bed because I didn’t feel right having Mazz in the bed that I’d shared with another man.

“Why the fuck I’m putting this bed together when yeen never gonna be in it?”

I smirked and looked over at him. “How do you know that?”

“Because my word is law.” He looked up from the space where he was. I had begged him to put my bed together because I didn’t have the time for the people to do it when they brought the bed days ago.

I tipped over the railing and sat right in the middle of the floor and just looked at him drill the screws in while I ate my ice cream. “What does that mean?”

He turned and glanced at me before shaking his head. He knew I wasn’t gonna help him. “Dr. Fields, I thought you were gonna help me.”

“Nah. I’m good.” I stuffed a spoon of ice cream with a piece of brownie into my mouth.

“Damn, then you over there eating and ain’t offered me none. That’s fucked up, G.” He mugged me before turning back around to put my bed together.

“I could’ve sworn you were lactose intolerant, Mr. Carson.”

He laughed. “So? Real niggas drink milk.”

I couldn’t hold back the giggle that escaped my lips. He was serious. “At the expense of your small intestines and plumbing in your home? Why not try Almond milk?

He turned around and looked at me with his face screwed up like I had said something crazy.

“It’s better for you, and it tastes delicious.” I smiled.

“Nah. I’m straight.” He stood up and held his hand out to help me up. I guess he was done putting my bed posts together.

Once he had my bed put all the way together, he put my mattress and everything down before taking a seat on my sofa and checking his phone.

“Have you ever had a threesome?” I asked out of nowhere while I made my bed. When he didn’t answer, I looked up at him. He had put his phone down, and he was looking at me in deep thought.

“Not with you. Wanna have one? Nah, fuck that. I ain’t tryna have nobody between those browns, not even a bitch.” He shook his head as if he had a whole conversation with himself.

“I was truly just curious, and no. I didn’t want to have one.”

“Good because you weren’t getting one.” He shook his head before he stood and walked to the opposite side of my bed.

He started to make that side up so I wouldn’t have to keep going from side to side.

It would definitely make the process much easier and quicker.

Once we were finished, I fell back against the bed, looking at the ceiling.

“You wanna slide through Canez with me, or are you in for the night?” He walked around and stood over me.

“I have plans with Autumn. After dinner, she wants me to go to some art exhibition with her. It’s for a client,” I explained.

“Bet. Then I’ll see you after?” He placed his hand on my thighs and pulled me down to him.

“If you’re not too busy, or I’m not sleepy.” I pursed my lips, gazing into his eyes. This was too perfect. He was too perfect, and I was way too damn comfortable.

“Yeen gonna sleep. You’ll be up waiting on a nigga, right?” He leaned down and pecked my lips before looking at me for an answer.

“Hmm, I don’t know about all that. You’ll probably be there late, and I do have to work tomorrow,” I reminded him.

“I’m just sliding through to make sure shit is good. You know when people think you’re not paying attention to your money, then they try sneaky shit. I’on want none of that. I gotta manage my shit accordingly.”

I nodded because I understood him, but that didn’t mean I was staying up for him.

I was the type who loved my sleep whenever I could get it.

Then it took a lot of begging and convincing for me to even consider going with Autumn.

I was her backup for my sister, who last minute ended up taking my nephews and niece to Disney World.

“So you gonna stay up, probably even meet me at my crib?” he asked with that charming smile.

“That drive is?—”

“I ain’t worth it?” he asked, now giving me the puppy face.

“Fine. What’s the point, though? It’ll be late and I’ll?—”

“I like waking up to you, G. It gives me peace of mind and feels good.” He looked at me, and I could see the sincerity in his eyes.

He meant all that he was saying, and I melted into his words.

I didn’t even understand why, but I easily hung on every word he spoke and believed him through every touch.

“I’m shocked I was able to pry you away from him.” Autumn sipped from her red wine and smiled at me with her eyes.

“It’s weird, but it feels so right. I’m always trying to pace myself, but I?—”

“You can’t.” She smiled.

I shook my head no. Lately, if I wasn’t at work or meeting with my therapist, he and I were together. It was like we were damn near attached, and that brought a warmth like no other over me. “Do you think I’m rushing into something when I just got out of something?”

“Honestly, no. I feel like we gotta feel around to see what fits us, and he fits you. He has you just glowing and shit.” She smiled. “The thing is, the nosy friend in me wants to make sure you’re secure with him and he’s not like old boy and wasting your time.”

I nodded because she was absolutely right. Before I could respond, her phone started ringing, and she excused herself from the table to take her call.

I sat there for a moment, just thinking.

The one thing I was afraid of was getting too damn comfortable, only to be wasting my time.

That was the last thing I needed when I could be working on myself.

My entire life, I had put everything into my career and making sure I landed here, and now that I was here, I realized that I had wasted the time I had left over with Chase.

It shouldn’t have taken me to run into Mazzier for me to see the problematic aspects in what Chase and I had.

He shouldn’t have had to find a different woman and hide her.

We should’ve had this talk ages ago and let one another out of our situation.

What I didn’t get was why I was still receiving calls and texts from him regarding our relationship.

Feeling my purse vibrate, I reached into it and pulled my phone out.

Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I shook my head.

I had definitely conjured this fool up. I wondered if he felt me thinking about him and decided to call me.

Instead of sending the call to voicemail like I always did, I answered.

“I love you, Gayze, and I messed up. Let me make this right.” He started the call off begging.

“C’mon, Chase. You gotta give this a rest. We’re done. There’s nothing we can?—”

“Why? Because of the guy in your office? He isn’t for you, Gayze. I could see it in his demeanor.”

I shook my head and didn’t respond. Instead, I hung the phone up and set it on the table. He still wasn’t at the point where he’d get the hint, and I knew for sure I didn’t have enough breath in my body to convince him.

“Sorry I took so long. That was Miles. So the gallery canceled the exhibition. Turns out, the artist has some type of bug, and he’s recently traveled. They don’t know what it is. Dude is like really sick.” She shrugged.

I shook my head. I didn’t let her know it, but this meant I’d be home in front of a TV in no time.

“Do you love him?” she asked out of nowhere.

When I looked up from the table at her, I could see in her eyes that she was waiting on an answer. Unfortunately, I didn’t have one for her.

“I don’t know. He makes me feel things I haven’t felt in years, but?—”

“No buts. Feel how you feel and bask in it. Where are you going after this? I bet to see him.” She had this cheesy smile on her face.

“Nah. He’s at Canez, and I really don’t?—”

“Girl, bye! Those reruns of Supernatural can wait. Pull up on that nigga and take him home.” She winked her eye at me.

I think it’s safe to say that I didn’t go straight home after dinner with Autumn.

I ended up taking my ass to Canez to pop up on Mazz.

It didn’t take me long to get there, but it took me longer to get out of the car.

I definitely wasn’t a people person, and crowded spaces just weren’t my thing.

After a while, I ended up getting out of the car and going in.

Once I was in, I looked to my left where he said his office was and walked toward the stairs.

He claimed he didn’t frequent the floor or in the sections much, that he spent most of his time in his office overlooking the spot.

The closer I got to his office the wider my smile got.

For some odd reason, I couldn’t wait to see this man, like I hadn’t just seen him ours earlier.

When I got close to the door, I heard a female voice.

“C’mon, Mazz. You weren’t claiming you had a girl when ya dick was in my guts or my mouth. I mean, really, what is this?”

The moment I heard her statement, the butterflies in my belly died, and it dropped. My ears were telling me one thing, but my eyes needed to see this. I was a visual learner, so I needed to see this. Quickly, I pushed the door open just as I heard his voice.

“Fuck outta here, Honey. You knew what it wa?—”

When the door opened, all I could do was shake my head. This nigga was in his briefs and she was shirtless. She was the first to look at me, then he looked up from his phone, and his eyes read exactly what my lips uttered.