He wouldn’t.
A war of Good Asa versus Evil Asa was waging in my head, and I needed that shit to stop. Now.
My phone rang again.
Zara.
Not Asa. Ignoring the disappointment I felt, I answered the phone. “Hey.”
“Mom called and told me you forgot to pick her up,” she said.
“I know.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I snapped. “Just overslept.”
“Sissy, it’s after noon. What were you doing last night?”
Nothing. Not watching TV. Not working. Not fucking. I stopped checking my phone for a text from Asa around nine, right before I turned on reruns ofThe Real Housewives of Atlanta.
“Hello?” my sister called out.
“What, Sissy?”
“I’m worried about you.”
“Don’t.” I whipped the wheel, veering into the fast lane. “I’m fine.”
Zara droned on about the kids, travel plans for her and X, and the new employee she’d just onboarded to her team. And my thoughts drifted back to him.
Despite my silent show of “you ain’t shit nigga,” I still couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Until yesterday, he was mylil’ light thang. It was never supposed to be a formal relationship. It was always supposed to be light, easy. Unfortunately, the more my feelings changed, the more our connection deepened, the harder it became.
It was still hard because I knew there was more to the story. Yet, my heart couldn’t separate the hard facts from the story I made up in my mind. I could’ve been jumping to the wrong conclusion, but could there even be a suitable explanation?
“Sissy?” Zara called. “Did you hear me?”
I exited the freeway at LAX. “No. I’m just distracted.”
“Do I have to get on a flight today?”
“No,” I assured her. “I’ll see you tomorrow night when you get here.”
Tyn called me yesterday to tell me about the arrangements. While Gemma had made it clear that she didn’t want a funeral, Ana wanted to do something to celebrate her life. So they’d decided to throw a big barbecue. Duke agreed to cater. The rest of their family would arrive today and tomorrow.
“Skye should be there in a couple hours,” she announced.
“I thought she was coming in with you and X?”
“One of her clients had a crisis. She’s in PR mode.”
My friend was one of the best public relations experts in the entertainment field. She provided top notch service to several celebrities, business owners, social media influencers, and even politicians.
“Okay. I’m sure she’ll call when she lands.” I turned on the blinker and sped toward my destination. “Can you text Mom and tell her I’m almost there?”
Silence, then, “Done.”
