I stayed still, my fingers wrapped around my cup while I watched it without sayin’ nothin’, tellin’ myself it wasn’t nothin’, even though I could feel how natural this moment between them was.
Pressure didn’t even react to it. He just sat there with his arm around Pluto, his attention movin’ between the conversation and his drink like nothin’ about that exchange stood out to him. And that’s what made me pay closer attention, because from where I was sittin’, it stood out more than I wanted it to.
It wasn’t nothin’ loud or obvious, and it wasn’t the type of shit somebody could easily call out, but it was there in a way that felt a little too weird for me to ignore.
The way she sent him a text instead of just telling him outloud, the way he picked up his phone without even questionin’ it, and how quick they both slipped into they ownlittle moment like the rest of us wasn’t sittin’ right at the table… I don’t know…
I lowered my eyes to my cup for a second, tellin’ myself to chill out.
I lifted my head again, lettin’ my eyes move from Pluto to Pressure.
He was still touchin’ her, still close to her and lookin’ at her, and I didn’t see nothin’ in his face that said he felt a way about what I was seein’.
So, now I didn’t know if I was readin’ too much into it or if he just didn’t peep it at all, and that’s what had me sittin’ here a little straighter in my chair while I set my cup down softly and tried to get myself together.
I told myself to relax and not turn it into somethin’ it might not even be, because the last thing I needed was to sit here in this man’s space, around his people, and start buildin’ up somethin’ in my head that wasn’t even confirmed.
I wasn’t about to make a scene, and I wasn’t about to come out my face over somethin’ I couldn’t fully call yet. But I wasn’t about to ignore it either because I knew how low down women could be, especially when it came to another woman’s man.
In my eyes, you just could never be too sure.
I was curious about Pluto, so I looked over at her and spoke, keepin’ my tone even.
“How long y’all been together?”
Her attention shifted to me, and she leaned right into Pressure like it was natural, her hand comin’ up to rest against his chest again.
“In three months, it’ll make five years since we’ve been married.”
Pressure kissed her cheek soon as she said it like he was proud, and I could see the way she relaxed even deeper into him like she was used to that type of attention.
She looked back at me after that, clearin’ her throat just a little.
“How long you and Renza been together?”
Pressure’s brows lifted a little, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, his hand slid over her arm, pullin’ her in closer like he was tryin’ to keep things smooth without actually sayin’ it.
Renza answered before I could. “A year, eight months… and some change.”
I turned my head and looked at him for real this time, not just glancin’ or peepin’ him out the corner of my eye, but actually lookin’ at him. I could tell that wasn’t no guess or no random answer he threw out just to say somethin’.
That was exact, and the way he said it made it sit a little different with me because, for a second, everything else I had just been thinkin’ about slowed down just enough for me to feel that.
“Okay,” I said, noddin’ slow. “I see you.”
A wide smile spread across my face before I could stop it, and I let it sit there for a second, lettin’ that settle me.
Pluto nodded. “That’s good. I really do love that for y’all.”
I held her gaze for a second longer before I tilted my head just a little.
“Thank you. So, what you do?”
She looked at me with her brows pullin’ together slightly. “What you mean?”
I flashed a real friendly smile, and replied, “Career wise.”
“Oh,” she said, noddin’ like she understood now. “Gotcha.”
