Page 55 of I Don't Want You Back

“You want me to get the bags from the trunk?” Malia offered.

“No,” Roman snapped in aggravation.

“What about the tv? I know you’re not gonna ride around with a big ass tv on your back seat,” Malia replied.

“I’ll help him bring it in the house. He’s good,” Chad laughed, making Roman laugh with him.

“Whatever,” Malia said, obviously not getting the joke.

She took her food that she had left over from the restaurant and made her way inside. The door was unlocked, so she didn’t have to use her key. Malia stopped in her tracks as soon as she entered the apartment and looked around in shock.

“What the fuck!” Malia gasped as she looked around the bare living room that once was full of furniture.

She searched the spare bedroom and bathroom as well as the kitchen and got the same results. It wasn’t until she got to her own bedroom that she could breathe a little easier. The bedroom was still the way she left it earlier and all the furniture wall still there. It wasn’t until she opened the closet that she started to panic again. Roman’s clothes and shoes weren’t where he usually kept them and his drawers where he kept his underclothes was empty. Malia felt like she was getting lightheaded as she grabbed her phone and sat down on the bed. She dialed Roman’s number and hoped he had enough sense to pick up.

“Yeah,” he drawled into the phone.

“What the hell is going on Roman? Where is all of our furniture?” Malia yelled.

“My furniture is in my new apartment,” he replied, as Chad laughed hysterically in the background.

“What new apartment?” Malia asked.

“Man, you dumb, but you ain’t that damn dumb. The fuck you thought Malia? You got me and my brother locked up and you thought I was gon’ stay with your disgusting ass. If we’re keeping it real, I was done with you way before then,” Roman answered.

“After everything that I’ve done for you, Roman? This is how you treat me?” Malia sobbed.

“I appreciate you making moves to get me out of jail, but it was your fault that I got locked up in the first place. Be happy that I made it possible for your ass to have somewhere to stay,” Roman replied.

He was heated when he first got locked up and he vowed that he was done with Malia. He planned to kick her out of the apartment and make her fend for herself. His heart softened a bit when she did what she did to get him out. His mind was still made up about being done with her, but he took a different approach. He gave Malia the opportunity to put the apartment in her name and he left everything in the bedroom, so she’d have somewhere to sleep. He even purchased himself another tv and let her keep the one that was there. He let her keep all the toiletries and went to Walmart to purchase his own. When Chad told him that one of his girls agreed to get them a place in her name, that was music to Roman’s ears.

“What am I supposed to do Roman? You know I don’t have a job. I can’t afford to pay this rent,” Malia cried.

“You got two months to figure it out. That’s how long it’s paid up for.”

“What did I ever do to you, Roman? I loved you unconditionally, even though you treated me like shit most of the time. I stayed with you through all the different hoes calling and the sleeping out all the time. I tolerated your brothers disrespect, even when you never stood up for me. When you said that you wanted to be with me but you weren’t ready to be a stepfather, I made that possible too,” Malia rambled through her tears and runny nose.

“But who asked you to Malia? I specifically remember telling you not to leave your family because I wasn’t ready for what you wanted. Even after you did the shit anyway, I still stepped up and did the right thing and moved you in with me,” he acknowledged.

“But, we still made it work for over a year Roman.”

“And that was the most miserable year of my life. All you do is bitch and complain about everything. We don’t run in the same circles and we don’t have shit in common. Hell, we don’t even fuck the same way. Nigga don’t have time to be all soft and gentle with your fragile ass!” Roman barked, making Chad laugh even harder.

“Tell his stupid ass to shut the fuck up!” Malia yelled angrily.

“Man, bye Malia,” Roman replied.

“Ro, wait! Please! Can we just talk about this? I know that I have to make some changes, but you have to give it some time. Nothing is going to happen overnight like you want it to.”

“Nah, Malia. You need to go back home to your family or get a job and take care of yourself. I keep telling you that I’m not the man for you. Stop trying to force shit that don’t fit. I’m not a family man and that seems to be what want. I hope you find what you’re looking for, but I’m not that nigga,” Roman replied right before hanging up the phone in her face.

“Roman! Roman!” Malia yelled as she dropped down to the floor and started crying.

She couldn’t believe how her life was turning out, but she had no one to blame but herself. She knew from the start that she and Roman were from two different walks of life, but the thrill of being with a bad boy overshadowed her common sense. She went from almost having her dream home built from the ground up to living in an almost empty apartment. She and Landon had three bank accounts with money pouring into all of them every month. Now, she had a little over three thousand dollars to her name. She was screwed, and she didn’t know how she was going to get herself out of the mess that she had created. She couldn’t even call Landon for help because he too had moved on and found someone else. Malia still wasn’t giving up on her marriage though. Landon still loved her and that much she was sure of. She just had to find a way to make him see it.

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