Page 28 of Perfect Rhythm
SHADE
I definitely had an agenda.
But for now, it was better if Nyx believed otherwise. I kept my eyes on her as she rested comfortably in my bed, a small blanket covering her. She’d talked herself right to sleep, and I wasn’t going to wake her. I wanted her here. I wanted to stare at her all night.
There was a gentle tap at the door before Trace peeked his head in. “You got a visitor.”
I frowned. “A visitor?”
“Yeah.” Trace glanced over at Nyx, then back at me. I could tell from his expression that he didn’t want to say whoever it was out loud. He lifted his cell, showing me live footage of who was waiting downstairs in the lobby.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” I groaned.
“I mean, I’m no rocket scientist, but from the looks of things, she’s here to see you.”
I tilted my head and stared at Trace like I was going to knock the shit out of him. If I felt like I could do it and get away with it, I definitely would’ve tried. But Trace had eyes in the back of his head. He would stop me before I even lifted my fist.
“Get rid of her.”
“Get rid of who?” Nyx sat up, her eyes looking between the two of us.
“Huh?”
“I said, get rid of who?”
“Nobody important.” I motioned my head toward the door, reminding Trace of what he needed to do.
“Nope, come back here,” Nyx demanded. Trace turned back around. “I want to see who you’re being told to get rid of.”
“Trust me, it’s no one you need to concern yourself with,” I said.
“Well, given how eager you are to get rid of them, it must be.”
I nodded, giving Trace the go ahead to show her.
Slowly, he walked over to Nyx and lowered the phone.
I swallowed hard, unsure of what to expect once she got a clear view of who it was.
She frowned, then looked back at me. “What the hell is Nimah Watts doing here?”
“It’s a long story.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “Clearly, I’ve got nothing but time. Explain.”
“I swear, I have no idea.”
“Are you fucking her too?”
“No! Well, not anymore.” I said with a slight lift of my shoulder.
“Wow, so y’all really out here screwing all the same bitches, huh?”
“Look, me and Nimah haven’t gotten down like that in a minute.”
“Are you sure about that? Because of all the places to go, why the fuck would she be here?” Nyx got in my face. “Is this some little game of yours? Are you the reason she was sleeping with my ex?”
“What? No. I didn’t have shit to do with that.”
She looked me over, her nostrils flaring.
I would never tell her this, but her being pissed off was sexy as hell.
Well, maybe I’ll tell her later, once all this shit blows over.
I placed my hand against her face. “Trust me, I want you bad. But I wouldn’t make that kind of move to get you.”
“Okay, fine. Prove it. Send her up.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“You heard what I said, send her up. I want to see why she’s so desperate to see you.”
“Nah, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Y’all not about to be fucking up my crib fighting and shit.”
“Oh, relax. My issue is with Eli, not her.”
As true as that was, I still felt uneasy about letting her come up.
When Nimah and I ended things, it wasn’t exactly on the best of terms. Granted, it wasn’t on no crazy shit either.
But I had a strict rule against fucking and catching feelings, and that’s where we’d landed.
On several occasions, she’d told me that she loved me.
The first two times she said it, I just assumed it was her letting me know how much she loved the dick.
But one night, she said it as she was leaving, and that was all it took for me to let her ass go.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had spoken those words to a woman, and given how we’d started things, I thought she was aware that I would never be saying them to her.
“Shade?”
I squeezed the back of my neck, searching for an escape plan. But there wasn’t one. Not if I wanted to win Nyx over. We were supposed to be on some friend shit, and that meant I had to prove to her that she could trust me.
Against my better judgment, I nodded toward Trace. “Go get her.”
“No, just send her up,” Nyx said with a snarky grin. “I don’t want you giving her a heads up on anything.”
Damn.
Trace looked back at me for confirmation, and I gave him the go ahead.
As soon as he stepped out of the room, I looked back at Nyx. “So, what exactly is about to happen here?”
“Nothing. You’re going to go talk to her while I stand back and listen.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am. You claim you didn’t have anything to do with her messing around with Eli. I want to be sure of it. I also want to be sure that you’re not still fucking her.”
I laughed. “Oh, I see. You’re jealous.”
“No. Why would I be jealous? We’re just friends, remember?”
“Yeah, okay.”
She waved me off. “Whatever. Just go see what she wants.”
“Alright, I’m going.” I lifted my hands. “Damn, you sure are bossy.”
“Mmhmm, stick around long enough and you’ll see just how bossy I can get.”
“Oh, trust me, I plan on it.”
She lifted her eyes to the ceiling, then pushed me forward. “Go.”
I did as I was told, waiting patiently for Nimah’s arrival.
Nyx walked out on the balcony, making sure to leave the door slightly open so she could hear.
As soon as Trace escorted Nimah inside, I stopped her. “What’s up? What are you doing here?”
“I just need someone to talk to,” she replied, her balance off and her words a little messy. “Figured you’d get it, considering what we’re both dealing with.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you drunk?”
“Nope. I just had a couple of drinks.” She flashed what was meant to be two fingers, but three wobbled in the air.
“It definitely looks like you’ve had more than a couple.”
Before I could say more, she collapsed into me, and I caught her just in time.
“My knight in shining armor,” she whispered, her eyes peering up at me. “You know, he promised he was going to take care of me.”
“Who?”
“Eli.” She sighed, and I looked back at the balcony. I knew how much of a blabbermouth Nimah could be when she had too much to drink. There was no telling what else she was about to say.
“You know what? How about?—”
“How long have you been fucking her?”
“What?”
“I said, how long have you been fucking Nyx? Because I know you have. I saw the video of y’all dry humping on the dance floor. Hell, after seeing that, I wouldn’t mind fucking her either.”
I closed my eyes, then helped her over to the couch. “I’m going to get my driver to take you home.”
“Fine, but you can still answer the question.”
“I’m not answering anything.”
“It’s fine. No answer is still an answer,” she said. “But anyway, after seeing that video, I just felt like you would be the right person to talk to about all of this. Or maybe you can explain some shit to me.”
“What do you need me to explain?”
“Why is it that men only want to sleep with me? What about me is so terrible that committing to me is impossible? I’m so tired of falling in love with men who don’t love me back.
I thought this time was different. I thought Eli loved me.
” Although she’d asked a question, it was obvious that she wasn’t looking for me to answer it.
“Not like you,” she continued. “It was obvious that you didn’t love me.
I still don’t know why I tricked myself into believing otherwise.
But anyway, Eli told me that he saw a future with me. He told me that?—”
“Hey, how about you chill for a bit?” I motioned for Trace to come over to the couch. “Did you have Antone pull the car around?”
“Yeah, he should be out front.”
“Okay, take her downstairs.”
“But wait, I’m not finished,” Nimah whined. “I didn’t tell you how he took me ring shopping, and?—”
“He did what?” Nyx asked, storming in from the balcony.
Nimah’s eyes widened. She looked at Nyx, then back at me. I couldn’t register her exact expression, but if I had to guess, it was a mix of fear and hurt. Here she was spilling her guts in what she believed to be a safe space, and now she’d learned otherwise.
“Come on,” Trace said as he helped her up from the couch. “Time to go.”
She didn’t say another word. Instead, she just lowered her head and allowed Trace to escort her out of the penthouse.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to Nyx.
She stood in front of me, her eyes saying a million things. But she didn’t speak, and I didn’t force her to.