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“I mean, when you put it like that, it sounds⁠—”

“Dumb as hell? Yeah, because it is. Honesty, why on earth would you purposely agree to get your feelings hurt? Make it make sense.”

Serenity has always been the blunt sister who tells it like it is, but her words stung a little deeper than I’m sure she intended them to.

“I was trying to help him. The label is pissed, and he could lose a lot of money if he doesn’t change his image in the public eye.” I tried to reason, but I sounded like a whiny teenager in the process.

“I think what Serenity is trying to say is that we’re concerned. We know Solo loves you and would never intentionally hurt you, but have you considered what will happen to your friendship once all this is over? What happens when your feelings grow stronger for him and he doesn’t return them back? Are you okay with that?” Charity inquired.

I bit my bottom lip, trying not to let my emotions get the best of me. It felt like they were judging me, but I reminded myself they were coming from a place of love.

“I honestly don’t think this will change our friendship. We both know what this is, so there shouldn’t be any issues with blurred lines. As you said, Solomon loves me, and he’s not using me or anything. I volunteered to do this.”

“I hear you, but I still don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into. You and Solomon have been playing this fake friends game for a long time, and I think the two of you are going to be in for a rude awakening,” Serenity argued.

“What do you mean by fake friends? Solly is literally my best friend.” I frowned, ready to defend our friendship to the very end.

“Relax your shoulders, lil’ mama. I don’t want any smoke with you. All I’m saying is you and Solomon have blurred the lines of your friendship for a very long time, and I don’t think this arrangement is gonna go the way you think it is. But I’ma mind my business and let you see for yourself.” Serenity raised her hands in mock surrender.

I wasn’t trying to hear what she was saying because she didn’t understand the bond between Solomon and me.

“I think you made her mad, Ren,” my second favorite cousin, Triniti, snickered. The only reason I decided to tell them was because we were all close and I trusted them.

“I’m not mad, I just don’t agree with her.”

“I don’t think Ren is trying to come from a judgmental place. We love Solomon, and we love you too. We just don’t want you to go into this without fully understanding what you’re getting yourself into,” Charity affirmed.

She was the nurturing sister of the two. Serenity was real but a little rough around the edges, while Charity cared about people’s feelings, so she tried to tell you the truth as gently as possible.

“Don’t tell her shit else. She knows best, and I can’t wait to say I told you so when it’s all said and done,” Serenity scoffed, pissing me off more than I wanted to let on, but I kept my feelings to myself.

“Anyways, what’s new with y’all? River, are you still talking to the Nigerian guy?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes, so I knew we were in for a good Storytime.

“Girl, I don’t even want to think about that man. When we first started talking, he had my head in the clouds. I started planning our wedding in my mind and everything. He took me to Bali, bought me a couple of Chanel bags, and was paying all of my bills. You couldn’t tell me we weren’t about to pop out with matching rings or whatever.” She sighed, leaving me on the edge of my seat waiting for the rest of the story.

“And then what happened, bitch. Don’t keep us in suspense. You know I have anxiety,” Serenity hissed.

“So, he told me he needed to go back to Nigeria for a couple of weeks to take care of some business out there. He told me he owned property and there was some kind of issue with one of the tenants. I didn’t think anything of it until he got out there and I didn’t hear from him.

“Y’all, I went to look on his IG page and realized I was blocked. I thought I was trippin’ until I logged in with my backup page and it popped right up. Y’all, why did I look on his page and see him standing next to this gorgeous girl with a caption that said, ‘Just Married’. Baby, I was so sick to my stomach, I couldn’t even eat for two days.”

“And what the hell did you say to him? Or did you just block him and move on?” Charity pressed.

“I waited until he came back home to address him. He came back a week later and came to my house like everything was okay, and I played my role. I acted as if everything was all good and then decided I needed to be compensated for my pain and suffering.

“I had him take me shopping, and I spent twenty bands in Saks. I parked my car at Triniti’s house the day before he came back home and told him it had to be towed after I got into an accident. He felt so bad; he paid for my fake repairs, and then I told him I was stressed about making my mortgage payments, and he gave me another twenty racks. Meanwhile, my brothers already paid off my house last year.

“I kept telling him how sad I was when I couldn’t get in touch with him, and every time I said it, he showed up with a new gift. Once I got my Van Cleef bracelet and those Louis Vuitton heels I had on my wishlist, I sent him a screenshot of the wedding photo and blocked his ass. He’s been emailing me and showing up to my house for weeks until I told him that I was going to tell his wife. I keep saying I’m done dating, but this has solidified things for me. These men are exhausting,” she huffed.

“I’m sorry, cousin, but I could have told you how things were gonna turn out as soon as you mentioned he was a Nigerian man who moved from Houston. Baby, that was a recipe for disaster,” Serenity told her.

“I know, I know. He was just so handsome, and the dick was downright addictive. He love-bombed me so good, I was having dreams about gender reveals and baby showers.”

“River, please. I didn’t even know you were so far gone. I keep telling you, these men are for everybody. You’ve got to play the game and get everything you can from them before they break your heart. If we didn’t learn anything else from daddy, we know a man is gonna always choose themselves every time,” Triniti added.

Their father passed away a few years ago, but he definitely taught us many lessons about how a man should act, both good and bad. Uncle Prosper was a ladies’ man until the day he died, and he had no shame about it. He was a good father, though, and he always made sure his children were cared for and loved. He reminded me a lot of my father, Knowledge, because, despite his mistakes, he loved his children. I missed both of them and wished they were here to give us advice and see us grow.