Page 19

Two Days Later

“I’ma gone get up out of here,” I said, dapping Tone up and gathering my stuff to leave.

“Aye, before you go, I got that information you asked for.” Tone handed me an envelope that held the key to severing the ties between Tash and I once and for all. “That nigga’s been avoiding his home, but he not as slick as he thought. It didn’t take long to catch up with him.”

“I appreciate it, man. It’s time I dead this whole situation.”

“I feel that. I also got word that Burner’s funeral went according to Sophia’s plan.”

Burner’s funeral was today, and although neither me nor Tash attended, I paid for everything and made sure Sophia got everything she wanted. I told her it would be best if she stayed with her sister out of town for a while because I still had things I needed to settle with Tyson. It would be done soon enough so she wouldn’t be away from home long.

“Cool. I got to go, but I’ll hit you later.”

I left before Tone could pull me into another conversation. I had something more important to take care of.

Tash and I had been doing everything we could to avoid each other since our last conversation. Brian was back standing guard outside the house since I had rarely been home, but even when I was there, she didn't come out of the room. Brian was making sure she ate, though, so I wasn’t too worried about that.

I wanted to say my feelings for her made no sense, but they did. I knew what it was. I was in love with her, but saying the words out loud meant being prepared for her to not feel the same way. I was used to being in control, but the love I had for Tash took that control completely out of my hands. I was at her mercy.

I didn’t know what I would say when I saw her, but I was over the silent treatment. I never realized how far some women would take that shit, but it was clear Tash was taking it to the ends of the earth. She made it her business to never be in the same room with me, and even if she was, she acted like I wasn’t even there.

I wasn’t a big nigga, but I was solid and hard to miss. Her deliberately looking past me as if I was see through bruised my ego a little bit. I knew how every inch of her body tasted, and yet she could be in the same house with me and act like that meant nothing.

I left Gods’ Alley and made my way to the car to start the hour drive back home. The drive felt like it took longer than it normally did, but I knew it was anticipation kicking my ass. I was trying to get to Tash as fast as I could. I needed to lay eyes on the beautiful woman that had not only taken over my house but also my heart.

I hadn’t seen her for more than a second over the last two days, and that was fucking with me. I was tired of trying to steal quick glances or catch sight of her while she walked down the hallway, into the kitchen, or up the stairs. Quick glances would never be enough for me.

I wanted to see her clearly. I wanted to look in her eyes and have her look in mine. More than anything I wanted to touch her.

Parking the car in the round driveway out front, I dapped Brian up and told him he could go home. After Brian left, I made my way through the house in search of who I wanted to see. It was late, so I figured I would find her somewhere in the bed. If she wasn’t already sleep, she would be soon.

Just as I thought, Tash was already curled up in the fetal position sleeping. When I went in her room, I shook her awake.

“Let me talk to you for a minute,” I said barely letting her wake all the way up.

I wanted to get all this over with, so hopefully, I could find my way back inside of her.

“What makes you think I wanna talk to you? I see Brian's back outside. I guess I'm your prisoner again, huh? Maybe I always was. I was just too blind to see it,” she said, turning back over and giving me her back.

“You're not a damn prisoner.”

“Well, what am I then?” She turned back over and sat up with her back against the headboard. “If I’m not a prisoner or a girlfriend with a white picket fence and a barking ass dog, then what am I?

“You mi—” I wanted to tell her she was mine and that I loved her, but the words wouldn’t come out.

I could tell my refusal to say it pissed her off even more. She tried to push me from where I sat on the bed, but her soft shoves didn’t do nothing to move me. When she realized she wasn’t getting her way, she started hitting me, which should have pissed me off, but it had my dick bricking in my pants instead.