Page 42 of When I Thug You Like That

“Well, shoutout to my girl @lookbackatitboo2034. Her and them burnt pots for the win.”

We clinked glasses again and shared a laugh, and for the rest of the morning, I remained peaceful, and she remained kid-free. Time we both valued.

I left Taina’s house around three with the leftover shrimp and grits and plans already locked in for our next trip to Sullivan Distillery.

The drive home was peaceful. Me, my thoughts, and Kehlani playing as loud as I could stand it. With nothing on my agenda for the rest of the day and nothing that required my immediate attention, I took the long way home. I’d already decided that I’d be lounging around my house, catching up on Love Island and sleeping. My lesson plans had been completed a week ahead, and laundry was a Sunday duty, along with deep cleaning. I owed myself a day of doing absolutely nothing. After my long week, it was a reward.

Turning onto my block, I glanced over in the passenger seat at the perfectly packed leftovers and decided that the shrimp and grits would be making another appearance some time tonight because I wasn’t cooking either. As I drove closer to the building, my eyes naturally scanned the block. When they fell on a familiar car parked across the street, my face screwed up.

“I know this fuckin’ girl is not sitting outside my house,” I said out loud.

I knew the black Jeep Wrangler that I’d spent many days and nights hopping in and out of like the back of my hand. I’d even had my pussy eaten in the backseat of it a few times. It was Morgan. Three months ago, the pop up would’ve made me blush. Today, it pissed me off. Not only was Morgan invading my space, but now, she was trying to force herself on me, and I didn’t like that shit at all.

The universe clearly wanted to make sure I had no excuse to avoid checking her ass because the car parked right behind hers pulled out of its spot, allowing me to pull right in. As if she’d sensed my presence, her head lifted in her rearview mirror, and our eyes locked through the glass. She didn’t look the least bit concerned about being at my residence uninvited. In fact, the corner of her mouth lifted, and she nodded.

Cocky, handsome ass bitch.

Grabbing my purse and food, I pushed my door open, and Morgan’s opened at the exact same time. She stepped out first, and I had to admit that she looked good as fuck. Her shoulder-length locs were pulled away from her face in a low ponytail featuring a fresh lineup. Copper skin looked smooth as ever. Seeing her in an oversized Chrome Heart hoodie, my mind instantly went to Jay. He’d been rocking the same exact one last night. The thought caused an involuntary smile to form on my face as I got out of my car.

“See, I knew you missed me too,” Morgan said as she walked toward me.

My lips formed a straight line.

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

Her smile only widened once she was closer to me. “I already peeped the smile.”

“And somehow you concluded that was about you?”

She glanced behind her. “Seeing as I’m the only one out here, looking like this,” she gestured to herself, “yeah.”

I hit the lock on my key fob and shook my head. “Morgan, what part of blocked and I don’t have anything else to say to you do you not understand?”

“Neither. Especially when I feel like you ain’t even give me a chance to make it right.”

I scoffed. “Because there’s nothing to make right. You cheated, got caught, I’m good. The end.”

She ran her hand down her face. “I fucked up.”

“You cheated.”

“I made a mistake.”

“You cheated,” I repeated slowly because clearly, the words weren’t sinking in.

She threw her hands up. “That’s what I’m sayin’, Jai’ana.”

“No. You’re sayin’ everything but that. And that’s also the problem. You want me to treat this shit like some one-off situation when it’s not. You cheated with someone you had history with, omitted said history, had me in her face lookin’ dumb, and now you want me to sweep it under the rug because what? You love me? I can’t do shit wit’ your love if I can’t trust you.”

“I’m sayin’ though. I wanna rebuild that trust. Come on, Jai.” She walked closer to me, placing her hand on my arm. “I made a mistake. Let me make it right.”

I stared at her pretty, handsome ass face and shook my head. “No, Morgan, you made a decision and so did I.”

Closing her eyes, she exhaled then opened them. “Look, I fucked Arian. I shouldn’t have, but I did. I was drunk as fuck, shit happened, and if I could take it back, I would. I’m apologizing for it. What else you want me to say? What else can I do?”

I stepped back, letting her arm drop from mine. “That’s the thing. You did your apologizing three months ago, remember? I didn’t accept, told you I was cool on you, and to go to hell. What else you want me to say?”

She paused, like she was processing a foreign concept. Morgan was used to having shit her way. She’d made that clear when we talked about our past dating experiences. But I ran shit the way I saw fit round here, and cheating would never be tolerated from a male or a female.