Page 110 of Quasim III: King Inferno

“Yes. I know he’s been on his bullshit before, but you look different. Are you alright?”

I held up my hand and gave her a weak smile. “I left Quasim.”

She held her hand to her mouth and looked at me. “No, you both are just in a rough patch in your marriage… we all have those.”

“You and Meer never had them.”

She sighed. “The fact that you believe that is crazy. We have rough patches, but they never last long because we were friends first. We attack the problem on the same time, not as competing opponents.”

“His fucking brother doesn’t want to talk. He wants to hold everything in and then explode when he can’t hold it anymore. I’ve been asking him to let me in since we met, and every time I think we’re good… then we’re knocked back ten steps. I don’t ever doubt that he loves me, but fuck!”

The people in the coffee shop looked at me, and I smiled a bit and mouthedsorry. “Can I say something, and you won’t get mad?”

“What?”

“I’m glad that you left him… men often become too comfortable with us and think we’ll never say bye and leave. Naheim got so comfortable with that, and I never proved him wrong until it was too late, and I started to hate him. Let Quasim chase you, and fucking grovel… you’ve been there, consistent, and he needs to learn that you are his wife. He doesn’t have to do this alone anymore, and he needs to let you in. Meer was the same way, believe it or not.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes… he never told me anything and kept me in the dark. The man knew my life story and all I knew was the basic shit. Guess who now runs to me to let me know when his poop looks off.”

“Capri, please!” I snorted, as I laughed.

“I’m being serious… they were raised by Papa, and I don’t know if you ever noticed, that man is a vault. He doesn’t show his emotions, and he doesn’t give too much. Mina is almost the same way… I mean, she shows emotions, but she doesn’t reveal much when she’s feeling something. I come from a family that says I love you and kisses and loves on each other. This is new for them, and while we are patient, we’re not fucking saints. Let that nigga’s chest hurt.”

“I mentioned Zay, maybe I should hit him up,” I joked with her, not thinking about any other man but the one I married.

“Girl, I said make him grovel, not make him kill.”

I laughed, knowing that my husband saw red whenever a nigga even looked my way. “We don’t have sex anymore, Pri.” I sulked, missing the connection.

She set her drink down and leaned back in her office chair.

“He’s an alpha… the kind of man that holds his own no matter the situation. Doesn’t stay down for long, keeps everything bottled up. Meer said he’s always been like that.Right now? His body is betraying him, and he’s struggling to make peace with that.”

She paused, messing with her chain that had Ryder and Rayce’s initials on it, giving me the second to let her words settle in.

“Blair, I’m not asking you to be endlessly patient. Especially when he hasn’t been open with communication. There’s a storm brewing inside of him. Frustration and a deep sense of failure.”

She looked at me. “Yeah.”

“Meer went through the same thing while recovering. Getting back on that bike nearly broke him… it’s like their mind tells them they’re ready and can handle it, but their body won’t cooperate. It’s a disconnect, and it fucks with their pride.”

I wiped the tears that finally decided to fall and sniffled.

“I didn’t ask for this shit… I didn’t ask for this marriage to be hard.” My voice cracked and I didn’t care who was looking at me. “I wanted to be loved and to love. That is all… not all this silence and guessing, not feeling like I’m on the outside of something I’m supposed to be a part of.”

“I know he wants his wife. He wants that connection with you. But right now, he’s at war… with himself.”

“I’m tired of trying to decode a man who won’t even hand me the key, Pri… sick and tired. If he wants this, then I need him to fucking show me, because I’m done giving it energy.”

She sighed. “I know… I have some news that is going to cheer you up.”

“You found me some white chocolate pretzels?”

Capri paused. “Bitch, when did that become a new craving?”

“Right now… I need to find some in the grocery store.”

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