Page 38 of Obsessive Love

“The disrespectful one is Starburst,” I answered with a laugh. “Watermelon is the calm one. She lets him show out and watches. I’m pretty sure she questions life at least twice daily.”

“Who taught him to call folks bitch niggas?”

“Me, but it was by accident,” I said, and he kissed his teeth.

“I doubt that shit was an accident,” he chuckled. “You got a disrespectful ass mouth at times.”

“True, but I didn’t mean to teach him to say it. If you want to be honest, he only says it to you because he likes you.”

“Man, what?” he questioned. “That nigga mean to me because he likes me?”

“Yep.” I nodded. “If Starburst doesn’t like you, he steers clear; if he does, he annoys you. Watermelon is the complete opposite.” I pushed the covers back and tried to climb out of the bed, but Pyrite locked his arms around me tighter. “I have to pee.” He hesitated for a second, then released me. I wanted it back the second his arm was no longer around me. Instead of thinking too hard, I climbed out of bed and went to the ensuite. After using the bathroom and taking care of my hygiene, including brushing my teeth, I returned to the room.

I stopped when I noticed the bed was empty and Pyrite was gone. I grabbed one of my notebooks from the dresser and the colored pencils and climbed back into bed. I wanted to jot down a few more recipe ideas. I knew enough about each sport that Pyrite owned to know that I would need a lot of options. I was so lost in my own little world that I hadn’t realized how much timehad passed until the room door opened, and Pyrite walked in carrying two bowls.

“You hungry?” he asked, then pushed the door closed. My stomach growled, and he smirked. “I’m going to take that as a yes.”

“I am,” I nodded. “What did you make?”

“Just something simple, a grilled chicken Caesar salad.” He handed me a bowl, and instantly, my mouth watered at the sight and smell. He climbed back into the bed and leaned against the headboard. “Alright, so where were we?”

“Talking about Starburst and Watermelon,” I said after I did a quick prayer. I mixed up my salad, ensuring the chicken was evenly spread around the bowl.

“Yeah, bitch ass nigga,” he said, nodding. “Watermelon doesn’t bother me. She’s cool.”

“She’s always been mean compared to Starburst.” I took a bite of my salad and moaned softly. It was good. “I’m surprised she let you leave the house with her.”

“She was cool,” he laughed. “I think she only bit my driver twice.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I covered my mouth with my hand so he couldn’t see the food in my mouth. “Was he hurt?”

“Nah, just pissed,” he answered with a shrug. “He swore that she was defending Starburst because I had his ass balled up.”

I pointed my fork at him and narrowed my eyes. “How the fuck did you ball up my bird?”

“Got some twine and wrapped his ass up,” he said with a shrug.

“Don’t do it again.”

“Can’t promise you shit like that,” he replied, then went back to eating. “So, what’s your game plan for today?”

“Really, Pyrite?” I sighed and rolled my eyes. “You’re asking me this like I’m not locked in this damn house.”

“Where do you want to go, Fable?” he chuckled as he ate. He shook his head before I could respond. “And before you ask, don’t say back to Texas because that’s not happening.”

“I need to look at the space at the arena,” I replied, and he nodded. “I know you insist on renovating the front, but I still need to see the space to know exactly what kind of appliances I need to order.”

“Just make me a list after you see the space,” he dismissively said. “All that other shit you are talking about ain’t worth repeating.”

“Pyrite,” I sighed and shook my head.

“Fable,” he mimicked. “Just do what I’m asking.”

“What time can we leave?” I asked instead of going back and forth with him. I wasn’t about to allow myself to be in the same predicament as Javien Sr. and Jr. and owe him money. To get out of this situation with my life, I needed to be mindful of everything he bought. I’d go into debt with the bank before I allowed myself to owe him a dime.

He looked at his watch and then up at me. “After we eat.”

I nodded, then went back to eating. A plan was already formulated in my mind.

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