“Enjoying my last couple days in the city before I head back to Houston. I decided to treat myself to a pool day.”
I nodded. “That’s what’s up. How apartment hunting going for you?”
She waved the bartender down and placed an order for a watermelon daiquiri. I told him it was cool to place her drink on my tab, which she thanked me for. “It has been so stressful. I tried getting into Diamond’s building, but they have no available units. Everywhere else is too small and too damn expensive.”
“You making a name for yourself out there in H-town. You got the money, Mina,” I chuckled.
“Yeah, and I wanna keep it, or if I do spend it, I want it to be worth it. I’m not paying three-stacks to rent a fucking shoebox.”
“Welcome back to the city, ma. Ain’t shit changed.”
A heavy groan aired out of her. “Your building was nice when I visited.”
I shot her a crazed look, cutting the thought off before she could spend too much fucking time on it. “Yeah, I don’t think my wife would like to run into you when she’s coming and going. You gone have to find somewhere else.”
“Well, I guess that just confirmed my suspicions.”
“About what?”
“She hates me.”
I chuckled. Amina didn’t know how lucky she was. Jazzlyn was actually sparing her. “Nah. It takes too much energy to hate somebody. She just doesn’t fuck with you,” I corrected her.
“I tried being friendly and nice.”
“My wife ain’t the friendly or nice type. She knew who you were before you even stepped foot in our penthouse, and she knew who we were to each other.”
“You gave her the rundown? You really do love her. More than you ever gave me.”
“I do.” I nodded. “But I ain’t have to give her a rundown. If my wife wants to know something, she’ll figure it out. By the time she brings it to my attention, she already has the shit pieced together. Can’t put shit pass her.” I wasn’t complaining because that was just who my wife was. She wasn’t the type to just sit around and be lost. She got to the bottom of shit no matter what.
I got myself another whiskey.
“Where’d you two meet?”
Another chuckle sourced out of me. “At a storage unit. Shit wasn’t romantic, but the second I bumped into her, I knew I hadto have her. Did I see myself married five years later? Nah, but I can’t say I mind. She’s the one.”
Despite us having a rough patch, I very much still loved my wife. Yes, she betrayed me, but it couldn’t erase the years of love we shared together. I just needed to figure out how the fuck we were gonna navigate this shit.
I gazed down at the portrait of her on my arm. I had been looking at it since I left the penthouse. As angry as I was, each day, I was slowly breaking down, and I knew eventually I would be back in my wife’s arms. I just needed to get my mind right.
“You two look good together.”
“‘Preciate it. What about you, though? What got you running back to the city? You were doing so good out there in Houston.”
“Career wise, yes. Personally? Fuck no. I got into a bad relationship, and he’s been hell ever since I called it off.” She rolled her eyes.
“Damn. You know all you gotta do is give Diamond the word, and she’ll catch a flight.”
Amina giggled. “We both know what Diamond would want to do. I’ll let the nigga live. I’ll just subtract myself from the equation and move back home.”
“I feel that. Sometimes you just need space to get your mind right.”
She ordered herself another drink. This time, a double shot of tequila.
“Looks like you’re doing the same thing. The classic hotel bar, alone, getting hammered. Must’ve pissed wifey off.”
I laughed because I was being real fucking cliché. “Something like that. Trying to get drunk enough to call her and smooth shit out.”
