“You should slow down on that wine,” he advised.
My response was to tilt the glass all the way up and guzzle what was left. I slammed it down on the table and wiped the corner of my lips. Scooping his napkin from the table, he used it to swipe his mouth. Greedy ass was probably full as fuck aftereverything he demolished. When he was done, he left a few bills on the table and rose.
“We can go.” He stepped past the table and left me sitting there.
I stomped after him so that we could step onto the dock and go back to the rental car we were in. The drive back to the hotel was quiet. I could tell his anger level was rising because of how he gripped the steering wheel. As soon as we parked in the lot, I reached for the door handle, ready to hop out. Frequency gripped my arm tight, keeping me in the seat.
“Kill that fucking attitude. A nigga ain’t did shit but be honest with you. So if you got a problem, then speak your fucking mind.”
“I don’t have a problem. This is… exactly what I get and what I should expect of my life at this point.” I shook my head, and he angled his in my direction so that we were facing one another. “What are you talking about?” Frequency pressed, face balled up in confusion.
“Nothing. You wouldn’t understand it,” I mumbled.
“Talk to me. Maybe I will,” he urged.
“My family wrote me off. They thought the worst of me when I was taken. Nobody really gives a fuck what happens to Harbor. I’m either an asset or a liability. My father sees my mother and everything she put him through when he looks at me. Nobody sees me or what I go through or how I feel. I’m used to it, so this… shouldn’t be different. You aren’t different. Since we’ve met, you’ve been using me for your own personal reasons. Why should fucking me be anything else?”
“That’s not what’s going on.”
“Spare me the bullshit. I may be young, but I’m not dumb. You’re so closed off that you won’t even allow anyone close to you, including your own daughter.” I struck a nerve, and his jaw tightened while a vein developed near his temple.
“You don’t know shit?—”
“I know that you keep her at arm’s length. She feels that. And all she wants is to spend time with you. She lost her mother and was brought here to live with a man that she doesn’t even feel close to. Who’s fault is that? You go around here?—”
“It’s best if you just stop… right now. You don’t know shit about me, Ivy, or her fucking mother! Don’t ever talk about her again!” he belted, making me jump in my seat from his aggressive tone. “You’re mad because I can’t give you what you want. What you want is for this to turn into something that it’s not! Something it won’t ever fucking be! The only woman I have ever loved is in the fucking ground! And no, I’m not looking for that shit again. So if you want to be immature and emotional about this, then you’re right. We need to nip this shit in the bud right now.”
“Fine,” I agreed, heart racing as my eyes watered and I glared out my window.
I was so upset I was trembling, and I rushed to get out of the car, leaving Frequency behind. He had hit more than a nerve. I was dangling on the edge and looking down into the abyss. Once we were inside the hotel, I decided to shower and pack since we would be leaving the following day. I was surprised when I came out to find the suite still empty. I wasn’t sure where he went, so I ordered dinner and ate alone. It was close to midnight, and he still hadn’t returned. I ended up falling asleep on the sofa waiting up for him.
The following morning the sun poked through the curtains of the suite when Frequency stepped inside. He was dressed in different attire, which alerted me. Pausing in the doorway, he stared at me while I sat up rubbing sleep from my eyes.
“Plane will be ready at eleven,” he told me, walking toward the bedroom.
That was it. We didn’t speak again. We loaded the plane, and I caught up on some sleep while we were in the air. We sat on opposite sides like we were facing off or something. The drive home was also awkward, and Deviance, the driver, kept peeking at us through the rearview mirror. He must’ve picked up on the tension between us as well. I bolted out of the car once we arrived at the house. Celine greeted us at the door. A warm smile fell on her lips but disappeared when she saw how unhappy we both seemed.
“Welcome back,” she greeted me.
“Thanks. I’ll be in my room unpacking.” I brushed right by her and up the stairs.
I wasn’t in the right headspace to be talking to anyone right now. Safely inside my room, I slammed my door shut and pounced on my bed. It would’ve been so easy to fall apart and cry right now, but I wasn’t built like that. I would have to turn part of me off and learn to deal with Frequency accordingly. If he wanted things to be a certain way between us, that was fine. I had faked enough through life. This would be nothing new.
Frequency
“What’s good, Celine?”I greeted her, exhausted.
“Um, well, about that…” She carried this tone, and her voice drifted off.
“Hello, son.” A strong, very familiar voice filled my ears, and I spun toward the doorway to the living room.
My adrenaline immediately pumped into overdrive, and I was sure my blood pressure had spiked on sight. Kutlass Roth, my father, stood before me. He looked older, his salt and pepper hair cut low, and his beard trimmed neatly. Suited in designerthreads, his sharp eyes focused on me. My face twisted up when I looked back at him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“We need to talk.” He cut to the chase, never a man to avoid what was on his mind as he took slow strides toward the living room. Glancing at Celine, who seemed nervous caught between the two of us, I shook my head and trailed him into the room.
“I’ve talked to Knowledge. I know what’s going on here. I’m here to weigh in,” Kut clarified.
