“Now babe, you know that nigga is gay as fuck.”
Nina’s jaw hit the floor. She didn’t believe him.
“Are you being for real right now?”
“You knew that already. Why are you being dramatic?” He didn’t understand.
“I DID NOT! WE TALK ABOUT WOMEN ALL THE TIME!”
“Me and him do too, but that don’t mean he not gay.”
She shook her head. “You cannot say that.”
“But it’s true. You think I would let y’all go to plays and shit together and he wasn’t gay?” What type of nigga did she thinkshe was fuckin’ with? Jio had never been cool or friendly enough to go for none of that.
“I knew him before I met you and he’s my best friend. Gay or not.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I hear ya baby, but I don’t believe in platonic friendships.”
Jio sounded crazy but what was new? “You and Peaches are friends, Jio,” she reminded him.
“Peaches is like a sister to me. Shit, I talk to her more than I do my own blood,” he corrected her.
“Same with Ephrem!”
She could say whatever she wanted to. He didn’t care and his rules weren’t changing.
“Get back to whatever you was about to tell me cus you didn’t bring it up for nothing,” he patted her leg.
“I stopped by the bookstore before we left and Cairo was there.”
Jio looked at her. “Okay, and what else?”
“They were acting... weird.”
“Weird how?”
“I don’t know…it’s like they were trying too hard to act normal.” She couldn’t explain it fully, but she knew that her eyes hadn’t played tricks on her.
“Oh, so you think they messing around?”
Nina didn’t know what to believe; that was the problem. “I’m not sure. I want to ask him though.”
“Well, it makes sense.”
“What does?”
He stared at her like she had completely missed the obvious.
“Cairo being gay too.” He shrugged.
Nina gaped at him. “You think-”
“I don’t know. Ask Ephrem,” he said dismissively.
“You know something… I can tell.” Nina stared at him and he leaned over and kissed her forehead.
Jio headed for the door. “I know people.”
