Page 48 of Loyalty, Lust, Love

“Not yet. Bunny still has it, but we had a disagreement a few days ago and haven’t spoken.”

“Bunny?”

“Fateema.”

“Really? What about, if you don’t mind sharing?”

He chuckled. “You might be too young for this kind of drama.”

“I’m a very mature eighteen-year-old. You’d be surprised at the kind of drama I’ve been in.”

“Hold on, now. We may have just met, but I’m your big brother. Whose ass do I need to beat?”

It was her turn to laugh. “Nobody’s. I know how to handle myself.”

“Yeah, okay. I might have to move back to Chicago just to keep an eye on you.”

“That would be a waste of time because I’m leaving for college in a few months.”

“What school?”

“Prairie View A&M.”

“No shit? That’s where Bunny went.”

“Really? I’ll have to talk to her and get the scoop. Why do you call her Bunny?”

“Because when we met in sixth grade, she reminded me of a bunny rabbit.”

“That’s cute. You two have been friends for a long time. The disagreement must have been pretty bad if you aren’t talking.”

“It wasn’t good. I’m just giving her some time to cool off before we talk.”

“Hmm, it must have been your fault.”

“Hey, you’remylittle sister. How you gon’ side with her and you don’t even know the details? You don’t even know her.”

“I don’t know you either, but that has nothing to do with it.” They shared a laugh. “However, I’m wise enough to know that eight out of ten times, it’s the man’s fault.”

“Dang, that’s cold, but you’re right this time. I messed up.”

“What did you do, and how can we fix it?”

He shared the situation with his sister, trying not to say too much but sharing more than he wanted in order to give her enough details to have an informed opinion.

“I knew you were more than best friends. I could tell by the way you looked at each other.”

“She has my heart, but the stars have not aligned for us to be together.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know… Life, I guess.”

“Nope! That’s a cop-out. Unless there is something you’re not telling me.”

“There’sa lotI’m not telling you, and most of it is probably the reason we aren’t married with a house full of children.”

“Well, all I can say is this. You only live once, and we don’t know when we’ll take our last breath. If you love her like you claim you do, you better make it official before another man comes along and steals her heart.”