Page 11 of On Everything 2

Ciara

The streets were busy at this time of day because some people were getting off work, while others were starting their night shifts or simply preparing to terrorize the city. I had been strolling the sidewalks for about an hour after getting dropped off, avoiding my place because Kairo was there.

While I was with Hov, I wanted so bad to tell him that Kairo was out of jail and that he had threatened me, but Hov is dangerous, and I would never forgive myself for having Kairo's blood on my hands.

Yes, I hate his ass, I truly do, but I still can't be the reason he loses his life.

If something happens to him, I want it to be because of a woman named Karma, and not me.

"Hey friend."

Pernelle approached me from behind as I sat on the bench outside her building.

"Sorry, it took me a minute. I had to satisfy Emoney before I left."

Pernelle sat down on the bench, exhaling before closing the top on her Sprite bottle.

"How about you start off by telling me what went down between you and Crew?"

"Not before you tell me how good Hov's dick is. On a scale from good to phenomenal, how was it?"

"I can't tell you that because I don't know."

"How, when you were laying up in bed with him. Trick, I saw your hair."

"It was messed up because I was sleep. He and I cuddled, we kissed a few times, but he was tired, and he said he just wanted to get a nap in with me."

Pernelle's eyes rolled, and she twisted her lips up to the side.

Any time my story didn't end with me busting my pussy open wide for someone, it was hard for her to believe.

I don't want to call my friend easy, but I will say she is like a Sunday morning.

Where we are completely opposite when it comes to sexual history, I don't judge her for what she does.

I just give her advice and pray that she will never end up like her mama.

"You promise you didn't fuck Hov? I'm not going to tell Emoney since she's acting like her and Kairo are homies right now. Whatever that's about."

"Look, I promise. I would never lie to you. Never have and I never will, you know that."

Pernelle was, in fact, the only person on earth who could say she knew everything about me. She knew my favorite color, my favorite food, my favorite song, and movie.

"Now that your question is out of the way, it's my turn. Fess up about what happened when you and Crew left the house."

"Well, we didn't actually touch each other, but he took me to a strip club and paid two fine ass strippers to eat my pussy."

"What!"

I screeched like a hawk.

"Shhhhh, girl."

"I'm sorry, but are you for real? That happened that fast."

"Yes, and he watched them do it. His dick is so fucking big it's long like a work week. It looks like it could belong to fucking Thanos or some shit. It's a hammer, sis."

"P! How the hell did that even happen? You two just met."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, it happened so fast that I can't even tell you.

I enjoyed it, though. Shit, I think too much.

I can't stop thinking about it." She was looking up towards the sky in a gaze that told me she was really in deep thought about that shit.

Hov and I had a romantic little bonding nap, and those two were out freaking with strippers.

"Damn. So, I guess it's simple to say that you and Emoney won't be tight like you are for long."

"Unt uh. Who said I'm leaving Emoney? My bitch is paid now. Her and I are supposed to go car shopping today and I'm not messing that up for Crew. He is a hoe, and I'm sure he does shit like that all the time. I'll be a dummy to fall for it."

"Well, I ain't mad at that friend. Ball out on that stolen money."

She nudged me with her elbow.

"Sorry, P, but don't you think we should be making it inside now?"

"Yeah. We need to go in before these Castle Hill gremlins come out tonight anyway. You want to come crash on me and Emoney's couch?"

"Nah, I'm going to go up to this apartment and hope that Kairo is gone to see big booty Jessica, who he was fucking. I'm just going to ignore his ass like I've been doing."

We stood up from the bench, but my head was still hanging to the pavement. I hate that I'm in a situation where I can't even go home comfortably because of him. God, please let his ass be gone or on his way out.

"Ci."

Pernelle called my name.

"Yes?"

"Is that nigga hitting on you again? Because if he is, we can go jump his punk ass right now?"

"No, he's not P. He's just being an ass hole because he found out about Ant and thinks he knows about Hov. I'm just so sick of him. I am truly over our relationship right now. I want no parts of his ass."

"And I think that's because you did a few days without worrying about him and saw how free you were.

You don't have to be with him anymore, Ciara.

Get a divorce and still leave his ass and make him leave, or get you a new spot.

No matter how shit goes with you and Hov, do what's best for you.

You deserve better, and there is better out there for you, friend.

And no matter what, I'll be there for you. I got you, and I love you, girl."

"I love you too. Thanks for always keeping it real, P."

Her and I hugged before separating to go into our buildings.

Once I walked into the building and went up the stairs, I walked up to my front door and put my key in, pushing my body against it, but it wouldn't open.

"What the fuck is wrong with this door?"

Boom, boom, boom.

"Kairo, open the door!"

"I'm coming, Ci, give me a second. It sounded as if he were scrambling around on the inside.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

"What is taking so long? Open the door!"

I knocked harder and louder because this nigga had me fucked up. I know I just left Hov's house, but at least I wasn't lying up fucking in here. He is such a fucking dog for this shit. This is exactly why he has to get the fuck out.

Once the door finally swung open, Kairo stepped back into the apartment with a broad smile on his face, with a backdrop of red roses, balloons, candles, and other décor behind him.

"Welcome home, baby, and happy belated birthday."

The apartment didn't even look the same anymore after he threw away decor, now it was flipped into a whole romantic scene.

Rose petals were scattered everywhere, resembling red confetti tossed across the worn-out flooring in the apartment.

Bright red happy birthday balloons were floating to the ceiling, and everywhere I turned, there was a picture of us taped to the wall.

The photos were some of our best moments and times when I didn't hate him.

There was the trip to the museum, the photos we had celebrating our one-year anniversary, and the photo we took the night we got married.

I was walking slowly through the apartment, staring at it all until the cake on the dining room table caught my attention.

I could tell from the box that it had come from Happy Cakes, a spot here in The Bronx that I'd dreamed of getting a cake from since I was a kid. Buying a whole cake instead of just a slice sounded like a dream to me, and the $100 he spent on it was something we never could have afford in the past.

I was completely outdone by the effort in front of me.

Not ever in our relationship had he gone all out like this.

He must be competing with who he knows has my interest. Where I thought I had seen it all, it was the plant sitting on the table behind the cake that got my attention and made me become verbal after otherwise being speechless.

"Wait, is that a real Variegated Monstera plant?"

"Touch it and see."

I could hear the joy in his voice when I walked over to the plant and gently caressed one of the leaves.

"Oh wow. This is, this is beautiful, Kairo." My voice was choked up, feeling the plant seem to hydrate my fingertips.

"Where did you get it?"

I turned around to face him, noticing he'd done all of this to the apartment and also given himself a fresh cut.

"I got the plant on Randell Ave at this flower shop. They had this one in the window, and I recognized it almost instantly because of all the pictures you have of it on your vision board. Now you can throw those away and take pictures of the real thing. No more clippings."

"But what is all of this for?"

"Did you not read the sign?" He pointed to the balloons.

"Yeah, I read it, but."

"But you're my wife, and I missed your birthday. This is the way I make things up to you."

"I figured you wouldn't want to celebrate me at all after what you found out about Hov and Anthony."

Kairo shrugged his shoulder and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, all that shit does hurt, but that won't make me stop loving you. Nothing can, and I only wish it were the same for you."

"Kairo, I do still love you. It's just that you have hurt me so much, it's hard to think past that right now."

Kairo came up in my personal space so close that I started to get timid. Was Hov's scent still on my skin? Had the cotton candy spray I got out of the store up the street worked?

He grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes in the same way he had in the past when he got caught.

Was it genuine? I don't know; either it was, or he was a damn good actor.

Something about the sadness in his eyes after he cheats, however, always makes me feel bad.

That's how you know he's a master manipulator.

Either that, or a dummy who makes dumb decisions with consequences he can never handle.

"Ciara, please give me another chance. What happened here with Jessica's dude was a wakeup call if nothing else.

Going to jail, thinking I would be gone forever, and hearing you out here with other dudes was all I needed to hear to want to turn my life around.

I swear I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry for cheating, I'm sorry for lying to you, and I'm sorry for threatening to blackmail you. "

"Thanks for that."