Reni ain’t snap about it. She answered, adjusted and kept playin’. But I started to notice some shit.
It was the way she paused a lil’ longer before writin’, how her eyes flicked up every time Pluto spoke and the way she would respond. It was small, but it kept happenin’, and after a minute, I felt it sittin’ right next to me.
When I rested my hand on her thigh, she ain’t lean into me the way she had earlier. She stayed where she was, not pullin’ away, but not meetin’ me either.
I glanced at her for a second, then back at the game, lettin’ it ride.
After a while, the game started dyin’ down on its own, nobody really callin’ it, but you could feel it. Boards got set down, cards got pushed to the side and niggas started stretchin’ and movin’ around.
Kay’Lo stood first, reachin’ for Toni’s hand and pullin’ her up with him while she laughed at somethin’ he said under his breath. Pressure followed not too long after, helpin’ Pluto up carefully.
I pushed up from my seat and reached for Reni’s hand, pullin’ her up with me.
I pulled Toni in for a quick hug, then dapped Kay’Lo up right after, sayin’ somethin’ low to him that had him smirkin’. Pressure stepped in next, and we clasped hands before pullin’ into a quick hug.
“Y’all good?” he asked, glancin’ between me and Reni.
“Yeah,” I said, not thinkin’ too much on it.
He nodded once, then turned back toward Pluto.
I leaned down and gave Pluto a quick hug too, careful with her stomach and she smiled up at me like everything was still light.
Reni did her part too, givin’ quick hugs, and smiles, but I could feel the difference now that I was payin’ attention.
After that, everybody started movin’ they own way.
I kept her hand in mine as we walked off together, headin’ down the hall toward our room, but this time she wasn’t squeezin’ back like she usually did.
Soon as we got in the room, I tried to pull her in, kissin’ her neck, her cheek and lips. But she ain’t give a nigga shit back.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothin’,” she said, dry.
I looked at her. “Then why you actin’ like that?”
She shrugged, playin’ dumb. I watched her for a second, then thought about it.
“You good? Did somethin’ rub you wrong?”
She ain’t say nothin’, but the look she gave me told me enough.
I sighed. “This ’bout Pluto?”
She shifted. “It’s not that I feel some type of way… it’s just how she was so quick to jump in every time I got somethin’ wrong pertainin’ to you.”
I ran my hands down my face. “She did that with everybody.”
“That’s not the point,” she said.
“It’s not that deep, Reni,” I replied. “And I’m tired of goin’ back and forth about Pluto every time we all together.”
Her face changed soon as I said that, and I could tell I hit somethin’, the way she looked at me like she ain’t like what I just said but wasn’t sure how she wanted to respond to it yet.
“So now I’m pressed?” she asked, her tone already different.
“That’s what it’s startin’ to feel like,” I told her, not even raisin’ my voice, but just sayin’ it how it came out.
