The problem is whenever someone enters our bubble. You can be rude, disrespectful, and inconsiderate. That type of behavior is uncalled for. Now, if that person was messing with us or one of us, it would be warranted. The way you spoke to my brother . . . There was a better way to handle that. The way you ejaculated on my floor the other night was hurtful.
I wanted to be with you. I wanted you to tell me that you would at least try to work on those things. To me, your behavior is a red flag. I try to live a peaceful life. Somehow, I thought I could have that with you. The other night provedthat you’re spoiled, selfish, and an all-around jackass when you can’t get your way.
Seven . . . God this is hard. I don’t want to feel like I wasted two years of my life fooling around with you, but that’s exactly what it feels like. I fell in love with you too . . . the amazing parts of you and even your petty. So, I’m heartbroken, baby. You broke my heart. Still . . . I want you to be great and be all that God has called you to be. Like you said, see you around.
I read over what I’d typed, then hesitantly hit send. I closed my eyes and visualized his face when he saw my name on his screen, then when he saw how long the message was.
My phone vibrated, indicating he’d already responded.
I’m in a meeting. I’ll read your four-page letter when it’s over.
This nigga . . .
I huffed loudly like he could hear me, then left the parking lot. While I knew I needed to go and work, my body wanted to sleep, and I wasn’t about to argue with it.
“Hey! I was just checking on you. I know you and Seven aren’t together anymore, but I would still like to think that has no weight on our friendship.”
I was somewhat surprised to hear from Maui. What I gathered from being around the Hendersons was that they rode hard for each other, whether right or wrong. I should have known better when it came to Maui, though, especially after the whole Mythic debacle.
“Hey, Maui! I’m good. How are you?”
“I’m okay. This pregnancy is trying to take over my life.” She giggled. “You sure, Iesha? I know my brother can be a jackasssometimes . . . hell, most times. If you ever need to vent or talk, just call me.”
“Thank you, Maui. That means a lot to me. I lost the email with the date of the meeting. Can you tell me when it is?”
“Yeah, it’s Tuesday, next week at ten a.m. I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with!” she said excitedly.
Shiiiidd, me either.I hadn’t begun to think about that shit right now. I could design flyers quickly, so I sometimes procrastinated when I knew the project wouldn’t take long. I took a deep breath, and said, “Maui, how is Seven?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. Something is going on. He’s extremely quiet and tight-lipped about whatever it is. Mythic knows since he’s been working for Watchful Eyes, but he refuses to tell me anything. I think my parents know also. Bali and Noni have been having an attitude since they realized something was going on and nobody will tell them anything about it.” She giggled again. “I can tell he’s heartbroken too.”
I nodded like she could see me. “He told me that he wishes he wouldn’t have fell in love with me.”
“Iesha, you have to do what’s best for you. Don’t let nobody guilt trip you into their way. Seven is good at that.”
“Yeah, butIdon’t even know what’s best for me anymore. We just can’t seem to get it together. Seven does whatever the fuck he wants and refuses to consider anyone outside of himself. I love him, but he truly chaps my hide.”
She chuckled. “We all share your sentiments, sis. That nigga gets on our last nerve, but love overpowers it. We love him, so we deal with it. I’m not saying for you to do that. He’s our brother. Had Mythic been that way, we wouldn’t be together. He’s aggressive as hell, but he found the happy medium with me.”
“I wish Seven could do that. He’s so mean to people, but I’ve seen his sweet side. When we went to the Galleria, he was theperfect gentleman and beyond sweet. I don’t know if he was still trying to impress me or what. But anyway, I’ll have this flyer done today, boo.”
“Boo? I’m still your sis. Fuck SS.”
My eyebrows lifted, and I laughed. Maui rarely cursed, so it caught me off guard. “Girl, don’t let him hear you say that. His mouth will never stop.”
“Tell me about it,” she said, then laughed.
“Okay. I’ll talk to you soon and see you next week.”
“Okay. Don’t be a stranger.”
I smiled as I ended the call. Knowing that I could still talk to Maui felt good. She was the closest to my personality out of all of them. I got out of bed to see I had slept for almost two hours. I was drained, but I knew that was all mental. When I was mentally drained, it made me physically drained. I walked over to my computer and before I could sit to start on the flyer, my phone started ringing again.
When I saw Seven’s number, I ignored it. I couldn’t talk to him right now. I was feeling too sensitive and vulnerable. That was, basically, my goodbye letter. It wasn’t supposed to be, but after the other night, that was what it turned into. When it stopped ringing, I picked it up to see he was leaving a voice message. That was different. Usually, if I didn’t answer, he would text.
When it alerted me of the message, I hit play to listen to it.
“I didn’t feel like texting everything I wanted to say in response to your message. I’m tired, and the meeting took what little energy I had left. Thank you for the compliments. You didn’t have to state the positive things before going negative. I get it. I know that I’m all those things.”
