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“I’ve got plenty of business,” Nya snapped. “When I finish up my client, I may go down to the tattoo shop to see about some new ink. I’ve gotta find a new artist.”

Andrea picked up her dryer, but didn’t turn it on yet. “Why do you need a new artist? Tristan finally get sick of your ass?”

“Tristan could never get sick ofthisass,” she giggled. “His new bitch didn’t want him around me. That’s so sad. To not be enough to keep a man, so you’ve gotta worry about him with other women.”

Andrea had flipped the dryer on while Nya was talking, but switched it back off to laugh. “Um… obviously if he has a “new bitch” you couldn’tkeephim either, so…”

“Nah I’ve moved on,” Nya stammered. “We were just friends… with benefits, of course. But that girl issocrazy insecure, and jealous of me.”

Okay.

Nowthatwas my last fucking straw.

“Girl jealous ofwhat,exactly?” I snapped, and Andrea’s mouth dropped open as I turned to face Nya in the chair. “There is not shit about you or your sad ass existence to envy, and I really wish you’d stop it.”

Nya smirked, but had enough good sense to ease back. “You’re talking shit like I didn’t have you shook about your man.”

“Youdidn’t have me “shook” about a thing where Tristan is concerned. I took my issue with himtohim. And I took my issue with you,to you. Do I need to remind you what my hands feel like around your neck, bitch?”

“I’d rather remember Tristan’s.”

“And that’s all it’ll ever be for you – a memory,” I shot back.

“If you were so sure of that, you wouldn’t have been bothered by us being friends. Like I said –insecure.”

I shrugged. “You call it insecurity, I call it a demand that the boundaries of our relationship are well-defined and respected. Either way,you’relooking like a fucking fool, arguing with a woman who cares nothing about you over a man who doesn’t want you. Only one of us is going out sad in this situation, dear,” I smiled, then turned back to Andrea. “Can we…?”

“Of course,” Andrea chirped, beaming. “Let’s get you together with a fresh style foryourman to fuck up.”

If Nya had anything else to say, I didn’t hear it.

Really.

I tuned her completely out, losing myself in the hum of the dryer and my own thoughts – beating myself up for responding to her bullshit at all.

It was another thing I was losing – the discipline.

Getting provoked bywords?

Never.

Not before.

Between everything – good and bad – with Tristan, these interactions with Kiara and other people in the neighborhood, this thing with Nya… shit.

I’dneverbeen so reactionary and emotional and…human.

I stopped beating myself up over it when I thought about it like that.

For better or worse, this was what I’d wanted.

And really… it wasn’t so bad.

I scheduled a follow-up with Andrea in two weeks and then went on my way, stopping by Urban Grind for my brown sugar cinnamon iced latte first. I’d given myself the lofty goal of opening the shop in the next few weeks, so I had candles and labels to make.

As I was standing in line for my drink, I glanced out the window to look across the street. To my surprise, there was a woman standing there, peering up at theWax Poeticlogo, and then into the store. It didn’t seem like a big deal, so I went about my business, but once I’d gotten my drink and was headed out, the woman was still there.

Thatwas a little strange.

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