Page 38 of Differences

“You always had a nigga on the side? I knew it! Look at all of them fucking hickeys on your neck!”

I scoffed, then laughed. “Whatever, Jay. Get the fuck out. I don’t want to see your ass no more.”

He moved closer to me. I could see the rage on his face. Jay didn’t scare me, so I was ready to fight if he tried anything stupid.

“All those long nights, you said you were working, but you were fucking another nigga,” he accused.

I rolled my eyes. “Jay, get the fuck out of my face. I should’ve, but no, I was too committed to your sorry ass. Is that what you wanna hear?” I shouted.

“Bitc—” Jay stepped forward but stopped when he heard a voice behind him.

“That’s what I want you to do, motherfucker.” Weston stood at the entrance of my bedroom door. His jaw was tight, and his brows were pinched together.

“What the fuck is this nigga doing here?” Jay asked, pointing at Weston.

“Because I’m her new nigga. The nigga that ain’t got to DoorDash to make ends meet. The nigga that knows when he got something good in front of him, he ain’t doing shit to jeopardize it. That nigga.”

I tried my best to hide my smile, but hearing Weston talk his talk sent butterflies to my stomach and tingles to my sweet spot. Weston was claiming me, and he wasn’t even waiting for my approval.

“Nigga, I’ll—” Jay moved closer to Weston but stopped when Weston flashed his gun.

My eyes bulged out of my head at seeing the black pistol sitting in Weston’s pants. Never would’ve thought Weston knew how to handle a gun, let alone own one. Jay put his hand up in surrender. He stepped back and turned to look at me. His eyes were wet. I wasn’t sure if that was for Weston flashing his gun or if he knew this was it.

“Just like that? Huh, Ta?”

“Just the fuck like that.”

I zipped my bag and made my way over to Weston. He placed a kiss on my forehead and took the bag from my hand.

“You good?”

I nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.” I turned around and looked at Jay one more time. He was defeated, but he was no longer my problem. “Get your shit and get the fuck out. This is my last warning.”

We headed out of the apartment, down the steps, and back to the car. I got in and let out a deep breath. As soon as Weston got in the car, I hugged him.

“Thank you. You really didn’t have to do all that.”

“When you didn’t come back in five minutes, I knew something was off. Don’t thank me. You never have to thank me. I owe you more than you know.” He placed the car in reverse and backed out of my apartment.

I knew Weston was referring to me being here because of everything that was happening to his mother. Everything was a ticking time bomb for him. We rode back to his house in silence, not knowing what else could become of the day.

* * *

“All right,I will have all of this wrapped up by the end of the week and post. Also, I will share the highlights twice a day since the gala is less than a month away. We want as many donors as possible, and we want this to be a good night. A fun night for everybody.” I smiled, talking to the leadership team via web camera.

They all agreed, and the CEO ended the meeting. I closed my computer and sighed in relief. When we made it back to Weston’s condo, I locked myself away in Weston’s office and played catch up on my work. Weston stated he was headed to the gym to let out his frustrations. I wasn’t sure if he returned or not because he never stopped by the office to let me know if he was back. I stepped out of the room. I could hear the TV as I walked down the hall. Three pizza boxes sat on the kitchen counter, along with a couple of two-liter sodas. I walked around toward the living room and saw Weston laid out on the couch, sleeping. He looked so peaceful. The most peaceful I had seen him all day. Instead of waking him, I made my way back into the kitchen to fix myself a slice or two of pizza.

I sat at the kitchen table, scarfing down the slices of pizza. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I realized how quickly I devoured the two slices. My stomach growled, so I made my way to the kitchen. I prepared myself another slice before my phone rang. As soon as I saw Rae’s name pop up on the phone, my heart fell to my toes. I glanced over and saw that Weston was still sleeping. I tiptoed outside to the balcony and quickly answered the phone.

“Hi, Rae,” I greeted, feeling my eyes water instantly.

“Taja, it’s Keezy. Um...” Keezy paused on the other end of the phone.

I knew what was coming as I held my breath, waiting on the blow.

“She passed away a couple of minutes ago. Can you let Wes know?”

The tears were rolling down my face. “Yeah, I can do that. How is Rae?”

---