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“Do you think this is a good idea, pooh? I mean… You and Nova were once best friends. Should we be considering a relationship in the future?”
“Nova lost you because he didn’t value what he had with you enough to put in the work. And because of what he did to you, he lost me too. If I have to choose between being his friend or your man, he’ll lose… every time.”
He was always doing that—saying the right thing. And it was always… so sincere. My hands slid down his chest as I mustered up the courage to do what we’d come here to do—talk about him and I becoming we.
As we headed toward our now clear table, my eyes landed on Tiffany, and they rolled. She was never hard to spot. Her favorite color to wear was green, and she had it on at least four days out of the week. Long forty-inch weave, bone straight, was her signature. And her nails were always painted white.
Though I desired to simply pass them and pretend they weren’t even here, I knew that wouldn’t be possible when Nova grabbed my wrist and stood. He held one hand while Jerry held the other. Unintentionally, it became a physical representation of the way my heart felt—caught between the two, risking being ripped in half. Jeremiah turned, with a scowl.
“Y’all really doing this?” Nova asked, releasing my wrist.
I was surprised Tiffany hadn’t spoken up yet. She watched on with a smug grin, gaining pleasure at the spectacle of our unintentional love triangle.
“Doing what?” was what I asked while Jeremiah said…
“What we do is none of your concern.”
Nova’s expression was stony as he placed a hand on his abdomen. “How long are you going to punish me, bruh? I lost her. You think I haven’t suffered enough? You want me to lose you too?”
His declaration looked to have hit Jeremiah in a place he wasn’t prepared to handle. Ignoring Nova’s question, he continued to our table.
“I’ll um… I’ll talk to him, okay?” I offered, giving Nova’s arm a soft squeeze.
“Aye,” Nova called out to me. I didn’t want to look back, but I stopped. “That’s ya man now?”
Slowly, I turned to face him. “No, he’s not.”Notyet.
“Then who is he to you?”
“What he’s always been, Nova. He’s my lover. In every way. Jerry has always been love to me and for me, and it’s just… starting to feel different now.” Pausing, I took a step in his direction. “Would that be okay with you?”
“I don’t really have room to object do I?” With a huff, he looked down at Tiffany.
“Still. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. If you wouldn’t be okay with us dating…” His eyes closed and head shook. “We’re not dating now. I’m not ready yet. But… for future reference.”
When he opened his eyes, Nova released a hard breath and licked the corner of his mouth.
“I want you to be loved the way you deserve. If Jeremiah can do that… I’m not going to stop it.”
Unable to resist, I stepped closer and hugged him. “Thank you,” I whispered before releasing him.
I don’t know how I would have reacted if he said he didn’t want us to date, but I’m glad that wasn’t the case. Having Nova’s permission made this a little easier, but my concerns were still at the forefront of my mind and heart. I didn’t want to lose my Jerry. He was my haven against the troubles of this world. Nothing wouldeverchange that.
21
AFew Hours Later
All the ladiesthat were around me screamed just as loud as I did while recording. Jeremiah and his cousin Brady had led a few other men in a zydeco stomp, and they were having the time of their lives. With a jar of moonshine in his hand and a blunt between his lips, Jeremiah’s feet had dirt and dust swirling all around them.
An incoming call prematurely ended my recording but when I saw who it was, I didn’t mind. I’d told both Allegra and Nova where we were going after dinner in case they wanted to come. After what happened at The View, I felt getting Jeremiah and Nova in the same space was the right thing to do. I could tell Nova missed his best friend and Jeremiah was holding his father’s actions against his best friend. I wanted them to be able to work out their issues, no matter what happened between us as a crew.
“Hello?”
“Where you at?”
“Follow the dust. I’m in the front.”
“Okay!” she agreed happily before disconnecting the call.
