Page 48 of Love's Most Wanted

“Kab—”

“I need you to tell your women that I’m not in your life in that way. I just dealt with a situation like this and don’t want to do the shit again. But at least that time, I was unaware of what AJ had going on.”

“I did tell her. I explained we was cool and that I fucked with you because there wasn’t shit between us,” he said. Why did that bother me? “But I apologize for that shit. Regardless, that shouldn’t have happened, and she shouldn’t have been messing with yo’ business in that way.”

I should’ve been happy to hear him say that, but to know he felt nothing, as he should, had me losing a little bit of confidence in myself.

“Right. So make it clear we are not even friends, just acquaintances.”

“Damn, just acquaintances?” I could hear him frowning.

“Exactly. As much as I’d like to be friends, Unique, that’s not possible nor is it appropriate when you’re in a relationship. We can be cordial with one another, but nothing else. I have enough drama in my life and don’t want to add more for a nigga I’m not even fucking.”

“So you don’t wanna talk no more or do nothing with a nigga, huh?” His gravelly voice sounded disappointed, but I couldn’t care about that.

“Nope. I think it’s best we only talk when Mack has something for us. I appreciate all you’ve helped me with, I do. But this is too much and too soon. If you’d like, I can pay you back for it all once I get things moving. I have no issue with that and will even sign a contract saying so.”

He laughed.

“Any nigga pressed over a few hundred dollars didn’t have it to begin with, love. So you good. I ain’t give you that with the intention of getting the shit back. I was raised to never loan money you would be fucked without getting back.”

I nodded as if he could see me, agreeing that that was a good rule of thumb.

“Okay, cool. Speaking of Mack, has he said anything? It’s been a while.”

He hesitated for a quick second then replied, “Nah. I just talked to him and asked the same shit. He said it can take a while but give him a few weeks.”

“Damn, okay. But, like you always say, we got four years to figure it out.” I tried to chuckle.

I’d been doing my own research, though, and read a few threads where people said the longer you took, the less likely your case would be accepted. But I trusted Unique in this aspect and was sure he wanted an annulment just as much as I did. I mean, he said himself there was nothing between us. And as much as that was a slap to my pride and self-esteem, it was for the best.

“Exactly.” He chuckled a bit in that deep voice of his.

“Good night, Unique.” I hung up quickly.

I didn’t know why I felt weird cutting him off and ceasing casual contact, but I would just deal and get over it like I did with every fucking thing else in my life.

THE NEXT AFTERNOON…

“You want a middle or side part?”

“Middle, please.” I offered up the biggest smile that I could afford to make.

I relaxed back in the salon chair as my stylist, Chloe, began to put wand curls in my silk press. I needed something to make myself feel good because, lately, I’d been going through it, and it was all because of Unique.

I’d met him about a year ago at one of theDough Boyzwrap parties—couldn’t remember which season—but I do remember being immediately smitten with him as soon as he approached me.

I’d seen the show several times, and Unique’s character Denim was pretty stoic, emotionless, ruthless, and kind of scary, so for some reason, I expected him to be that way in real life too. I was amazed, however, that he was easy going, funny, and even sexier and taller than he appeared on television.

I just knew he was planning to woo me, sleep with me, and never talk to me again, but I was pleasantly surprised, yet again, when he actually called me a few days after we’d slept together the night of the party.

From there, he actually courted me, taking me on dates when he was available, sometimes even flying me out. Then, when he took me around his brothers, I just knew I’d made it with him. But I soon learned that coming around the family didn’t mean anything to Unique and his brothers who, in the past I’d learned, had brought several side chicks and meaningless flings to the family functions. Bashar being the only exception due to having had a crazy longtime ex or something like that.

I wasn’t worried, though, because I felt like Unique and I truly had something. That was until he came to me and mentioned Daisy.

At first, I thought he was telling me to take my ass on somewhere, but he wasn’t. He kept it honest, stating that while he still liked me a lot, he liked her, too, and wanted to see where it went. Initially, I was pissed off, telling him he needed to choose, but he said he couldn’t and that if I wasn’t gon’ be cool with him talking to us both, I could exit his life with no hard feelings.

Like the weak for Unique ass bitch that I was, I told him it was fine, believing I would surely beat this ho out for him. I became even more confident once I found her social media and saw what type of woman she was—aka ghetto, known for fighting, and classless. I knew then Unique would drop her ass soon enough, but I was wrong.