“How long Shya been asleep? I thought I was gonna catch her before she went down.”
Bahati swirled the mahogany-colored liquid in the glass. I’d given her free rein of my home, so I expected her to enjoy the wine cabinet. What I didn’t expect her to do was open a three-thousand-dollar bottle as if we were celebrating. Little did she know, we had nothing to celebrate after the call I’d just gotten.
“About an hour. Since you’ve been spending mornings with her, she’s been less fussy. Thank you.”
“She’d be a whole lot less fussy if she got outta this fuckin’ house, Bahati.”
“Shio.”
“Bahati,” I replied as I swallowed down the chewed-up apple.
“I don’t know this city. My arm is broken so dealing with her in public will be a hassle. You see how she acts around people… How spoiled she is. And…” She looked off. “I know you said we are safe, but I don’t know, Shio. I don’t feel safe.”
Her East African accent intensified the more she spoke. It did the same thing when she was aroused. It was even deeper than normal because not only was she aroused, but she was tipsy too.
“You’re safe. Both of you are. You can roam this fuckin’ city as much as you want, Bahati. Ion know how many more ways I can assure you that ain’t nobody gone fuck with you.”
I knew Bahati had her reservations, but I was feeling like a fucking broken record. Every day, I was declaring that she could get out and enjoy the city. She had a limitless card and a brand-new Range Rover to go do whatever the fuck she wanted. But I was starting to get the feeling Bahati preferred something else, and her next statement confirmed my internal thoughts.
“I’d rather us go out together, Shio. I’ll feel much better if you’re with us.”
The second bite I took was louder and nearly cleared half the apple. Bahati ran her hand down the length of her braids and clutched her glass tighter as she waited for me to respond.
“If you need some assistance to go out, I can arrange that.”
“Someone from your family?” She perked up.
“Nah.”
“They won’t meet Shya?”
“They will.”
“When?” She sighed as if this conversation was not going the way she wanted.
I shrugged. “When I allow it.”
“Shio…”
“Bahati.”
She sipped her wine, which was a good idea because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings if she got out of pocket. “Are we a secret?”
“Yeah.”
“Wait, what?” She choked on her words and the wine.
“You been a fuckin’ secret for all this time. So, yeah, you a secret.”
“You know why I did that, Shio.”
“I really don’t.” I took another bite of the apple. “I get it, but then I don’t, Bahati, because I know you.”
“Are you mentally well? I thought we had an understanding. I answered all of your questions. I was living my life! I didn’t bother you after you tried to kill me.”
“I’m very mentally stable. But the libra in me… Ion know. Sometimes, while seeking balance, I become imbalanced. I have too many muthafuckas randomly poppin’ up in my life, and miraculously, everybody is connected to the same muthafucka in some way. That tips the scale.”
“I’m not setting you up!” Bahati clenched her jaw as her chest heaved under the robe.
