Jio stepped closer, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“I can tell.”
Her smile softened.
God, she had missed this… and him… in this way.
“I love you so much,” she said with emphasis on every single word.
“Love you more sugar bear. Have fun tonight. Put my plate up. I’ll be home in the morning.”
The latter told her that he was going to be handling business and she didn’t have to stay up, which he knew she wasn’t doing that either.
The other day when she and Peaches were hanging out, she made a comment about how hard it was for her to sleep when whoever her new man wasn’t at her house. It made Nina look at her like she was crazy. Granted, she had deeper sleep when Jio was holding her, but whether he was there or not, she was going to sleep regardless.
An hour after Jio had left, dinner remained warm on the back burners. Nina stood in front of her mirror, adjusting an outfit that she didn’t have to wear to impress Talia. She could’ve stayed in her moo-moo and kitchen apron and Talia wouldn’t have cared. Nina wore her hair down for goodness sake because the little sister in her wanted Talia to be impressed that Nina was grown now and could do her own hair.
In spite of, Talia would always be her favorite sister even if she didn’t look up to her anymore.
Today felt like a reset. She wondered if she should have gotten her another gift to go along with the flowers and Bible, but Nina didn’t want to overwhelm her. The small tokens of acknowledgement were the right amount of“I’m sorry and I still care.”
She checked the time on herMarcelle.“She should be here soon.”
Nina went into the living room to re-fluff the couch, light a candle, and fold her favorite blanket.
Thirty minutes passed.
Then ten….and before she knew it, twenty more minutes flew by.
Her smile and joy were slowly beginning to fade.
After two more hours went by, she reached for her phone to call her sister since she already knew that she hadn’t sent a single text.
It went to voicemail without even ringing.
She frowned as she tried not to jump to any crazy conclusion.
Maybe she was running late or missed the subway… but then again, she knew Talia’s ass wasn’t hopping on the train.
“It’s still early… so all good,” she said convincingly. Nina wasn’t gonna sweat it. She went to crack open the very expensive bottle of champagne that she’d taken from the office for them to enjoy.
The dinner smelled heavenly and her stomach growled but she wouldn’t dive in without her.
Another hour passed by.
The flowers sat untouched across from her.
The Bible unopened.
The seat empty.
And just like that… a familiar feeling crept back in.
Disappointment.
And damn, was it heavy on her.
Nina wiped a lone tear from her face. She refused to cry so instead, she smoked a little of whatever Jio left behind for her. After getting a buzz, she nibbled on the dinner that she prepared. She couldn’t believe she had high hopes tonight.
