Page 73 of Love's Most Wanted

Knocking lightly on Aurora’s cracked door, in case she was filming a video, I peeked in. “You busy?”

“No.” She turned away from her computer that held footage from whatever video she had filmed. “Never too busy for you.”

As I went to take a seat on her chaise, I already felt bad as fuck. I felt like I’d wasted her time, promised her shit I hadn’t made good on, and was now about to pull the fucking rug from under her. Essentially, the same shit I once feared I would do to Kabrina.

“I wanna be honest with you, love. I know I haven’t been doing the best job at that shit as of late, and I guess it was because a nigga was struggling with figuring out what I was feeling. But regardless, the relationship between us ain’t gon’ work.”

I watched the shock register on her face as she studied me like she was waiting for me to crack a fucking joke.

“Why? Is it because of Daisy? We can find another girl. Did you ask Kabrina?—”

“It’s not that.” I shook my head, glancing down for a bit. I felt like I’d ruined this girl. “Got nothing to do with Daisy. Before all that shit even went down, I was planning to sit with y’all individually and say this exact same thing. She just caused shit to go a different way.” Exhaling, I continued. “This situation just ain’t what I need right now. But it’s not even just about me, it’s about you too. When I explained this situation to you, it was because I wanted to be real, keep shit honest, and live an alternative lifestyle, but that shit has changed.

“I’m seeing the value in being with one woman. I got a lot of shit going on right now, and my focus needs to be on my career and one person, not multiple. I can’t really connect when it’s multiple women.”

“So then it can just be us.” She reached for my hands, and I let her, not wanting to be standoffish with her in this moment.

“It can’t, because I got feelings for somebody else.”

“Daisy?”

“Hell nah.” I frowned, removing my hands from hers. “She and I will never happen again. Ever. Certain shit you can never come back from, and trying to not only fuck my brother but during the celebration of his birthday and his son being born is some wild shit.”

“I agree.” Aurora nodded, then shook her head at the thought of Daisy I assumed.

“I been dodging real relationships and being in love for a long ass time,” I admitted. “Love makes you vulnerable to another person, and that don’t sound appealing to me at all.” I let out a half-hearted laugh as she smirked sullenly. “But I guess love got tired of me dodging that shit, and it caught up with a nigga.”

“You didn’t even give us a real chance, Unique. It’s been the three of us longer than it was ever just us two. Of course, this other girl seems like the right one because you got alone time.”

“I had just as much alone time with her as I did with you pre-Daisy, love. I don’t need years or even months to know what’s for me, as crazy as the shit sounds. My stepfather used to tell me that shit, and I never believed it, but it’s true. I knew the first time we kicked it you weren’t the one, and I knew the first time I kicked it with her she was.” I stared into Aurora’s eyes, hating that she was about to cry.

“But just maybe see if?—”

“No.” I shook my head. “And we got married—by accident, so don’t even go there—but I think I want shit to stay that way.” I stood up, taking advantage of her astonishment. “Since all this shit is last minute, you can stay here until you find you a spot, and I will go to a hotel.”

“How do you marry someone on fucking accident?” She looked up at me, tears on full display at this point.

“Got drunk and it just happened. I was intoxicated, so I can’t give you too many details, but we been trying to have it annulled and… it’s been difficult as fuck, but I think that’s just God.”

“How the fuck do you go from not wanting anything conventional and having two women to being married and wanting shit to stay that way?” Aurora shot up from her seat irate, and as she should be.

“Shit just happened.” I shrugged. That was the truth, and it was no other way to explain it. Leaning down to kiss her forehead as she stood there in shock, I said, “I’ll holla at you.”

“Unique!” she called to my back, but I didn’t turn around and just kept it pushing until I was in my car and speeding off.

* * *

DATE NIGHT…

Standing on the other side of Kabrina’s apartment door, I shook my fucking head at myself. I’d been over plenty of times and kicked it with her just as many, but tonight, I wasn’t gon’ lie; a nigga was nervous.

Nothing made me nervous, and I was one of those muthafuckas who was hard to embarrass—something my brothers hated because I could easily embarrass them but they couldn’t do the shit back. So the fact that I had to keep drying my fucking palms on my jeans because I was so anxious was mystifying.

Usually when I saw Kabrina, it was friendly, platonic, with the occasional flirting or deep conversations, but tonight was different. Tonight, I needed to impress her enough to not only want to keep fucking with me, but to want to stay married to my ass. I think the latter would be the most difficult though.

“Hi!” she answered, beaming with her pretty ass as she took in the roses I was holding onto for dear life. “Are you nervous, Unique?” She grinned, taking the roses from me.

“Hell nah.” I felt my forehead wrinkle as I took her in.