Page 34 of Juice

“Julius, please.” She begged. I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn’t tryna hear shit I had to say. Nariah wore that look of defeat like she did the first time I got caught slipping, almost like she was getting ready to give me my walking papers and we know that shit wasn’t happening.

Taking a step back I spread my legs and folded my arms across my chest. “What I gotta do to prove this shit to you huh Nari? What you want me to do baby? Tell me and I’ll make it happen.”

Nari glared at me before swiping her hand across her wet eyes. “I want you to get out of my way.”

“Nawl.” I protested. “Anything but that.”

“Juli—”

“Pick something else Nariah.” I based. “Cause we not leaving up out this bitch until you talk to me.”

“I don’t want to talk. I wanna go to sleep.”

I tilted my head in the direction of our bedroom. “Go.”

“At my mama house.” She clarified.

“Well then we gon’ go pack us a bag so we can go stay over there.” I shared, letting her know she could do whatever she wanted as long as it was understood that I was gon’ be right there with her.

“Youmight wanna go check on your eye. It’s starting to swell.” She smirked.

“You think that shit funny.” Running my fingers over my face I shook my head. I definitely had a welt under my eye where her ass hit me at. “On the real Nariah a nigga wasn’t doing shit. I was at the studio and we ain’t have service.”

Chucking smugly, she retorted, “I hear you talking.”

“Believe me then nigga. I love you too much to be out here doing you dirty. Tito knew to call the studio, that’s how I foundout you was looking for me. I figured I could get some work done while you were sleep, I ain’t plan on being there long baby.”

I wanted to think that she believed me. Her eyes had kind of softened up while she stood there listening to me explain myself, so I continued. “I left as soon as he said you had called and couldn’t get through. Had yo ass stayed put you would of found this out that same day. But no, Nariah blocked everybody and refused to listen.”

“Cause I told you to stop fucking playing with me.” She bellowed.

“Ain’t nobody playing with you girl.” Laying my head in the crook of her neck I kissed her collarbone. “I love yo ass too much to be out here like that, Nariah.”

“Okay Julius.” She sighed. “Maybe I overreacted.”

Bingo.“Nawl, you didn’t. You ain’t know what to think and ‘cause I fucked up in the past you took it to the extreme. I get it and I ain’t mad at you for that. But Nari, next time give yo nigga the benefit of the doubt.”

“Okay.” She murmured.

Rearing my head back I searched her eyes. They looked uneasy, almost like she wanted to believe the shit I was spitting but she knew I was lying. I was gaslighting the fuck out of Nariah and I knew it. But shit. What other choice did I have?

“You not gone leave me are you?”

Turning her head to the side Nariah tongued her cheek. “I’on know Julius ‘cause I feel like you playing games with me.”

“I’m not though baby.”

“That’s what you saying.” Pushing me off of her Nariah smoothed her ponytail out. “I’mma give you that one ‘cause I ain’t got no solid proof. But Julius you seriously skating on thin ice. If a bitch even insinuate that she was with you, I’m packing me and my baby shit up and leaving yo ass. And it ain’t a bag or car you can buy that’ll make me change my mind.”

Looking me up and down one last time Nariah marched up the steps to our bedroom. The way she slammed the door behind her let me know not to even bring my ass up there. I wanted to think I was off the hook but the way Nariah had just beat my assandthreatened to leave I knew I wasn’t. Like she said it was gone take more than some bags for me to get back on her good side.

The first thing I was gone do was hit Tamia up and let her know it was a wrap. I couldn’t risk losing my family behind a piece of ass. Hopefully she ain’t get in her feelings ‘bout the shit. And more importantly IprayedNariah never found out that we were fucking around. She for sure wouldn’t forgive my ass.

nariah

. . .

Bendingover in front of Shunta I popped my ass to the beat of the song, while everybody in the section hyped me up. Dropping down into a squat I twerked one cheek at a time before rolling my hips. The DJ was playing “Wanna Be” by Glo and Meg and that was my shit.

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