Page 78 of I Don't Want You Back

“I’m so sorry Landon, but I can explain,” Faryn sniffled.

“I saw the change in your attitude the minute he walked through the door. How do you know that nigga?” Landon asked as he wiped the tears from Faryn’s eyes.

“That’s Redd from JB’s, but I swear I didn’t know that he was married to your auntie. I didn’t know anything about him,” she replied.

“That’s Redd? The nigga from the strip club that you told me about?”

“Yeah,” Faryn admitted.

“Who the fuck calls him Redd?” Landon questioned.

“The men that he was with the night we met kept calling him Alpha Redd or something like that,” Faryn noted.

“That must be some fraternity shit.” Landon shrugged.

“Can we leave through the back door? I don’t want to go back out there Landon. This is so embarrassing,” Faryn said shamefully.

“Fuck what anybody says or thinks Faryn. I didn’t come into this relationship blind. I knew what it was from day one. My opinion is the only one that counts and I’m good,” Landon assured her with a kiss.

He got a message on his phone soon after with Clarence saying that he was on his way. Landon sat in one of the spare bedrooms and talked with Faryn for a while to ease her mind. She was worried about what everyone was going to think of her, but she felt better knowing that he wasn’t upset. Most of the guests had gone home and Faryn was ready to go too. She made another trip to the bathroom before saying her goodbyes to everyone. As soon as she and Landon got outside, a black Benz with dark tints pulled up and parked in front of the house.

“That’s Clarence. Let me tell him that we’re leaving,” Landon said as he walked over to the car.

The passenger’s side door opened, and Clarence’s girlfriend got out and rushed right pass him. Landon wondered where she was going until he saw her stop in front of Faryn.

“Akira?” Faryn questioned when the woman walked up to her.

“Faryn!” Akira yelled as she pulled her into a hug and fell to the ground.

“The fuck!” Landon yelled as he rushed over and tried to help Faryn up.

She was pregnant and had no business doing so damn much. He felt like Mister in The Color Purple as he tried to pry the two crying women apart. They were locked in a tight embrace that they refused to break free of. It took a few minutes, but they eventually got up. They were a ball of tears as they continued to hug each other and smile.

“What did we miss?” Clarence asked.

“This is my baby sister,” Akira said as she lovingly kissed Faryn’s cheek.

“Seriously?” Landon questioned skeptically. He didn’t see the family resemblance, but that didn’t mean anything.

“Oh, my God, Akira. I missed you so much,” Faryn said, looking happier than Landon had ever seen.

“I missed you too, baby sister. I can’t believe this. God answered my prayers and I’m so grateful,” Akira cried as she squeezed Faryn tight.

“Look, we were just about to go home. Y’all follow us there, so y’all can talk and catch up,” Landon suggested.

“Okay, let me give Ella this card I got her and I’ll be right behind you,” Clarence said as he walked away.

Akira finally let Faryn go and got back into Clarence’s car, as Landon and Faryn got into his.

“Anything else I need to know? I mean, damn, you’ve been full of surprises tonight,” Landon joked.

“I had no idea that Clarence’s younger girlfriend was my sister. You told me that her name was Ashley,” Faryn laughed.

“Hell, I know it started with an A. But you did say that your sister liked older men. You weren’t lying about that,” Landon replied.

“This is so unbelievable,” Faryn replied with a bright smile covering her face.

“This entire night was unbelievable, if you ask me,” Landon replied.

He and Faryn went home and waited for Clarence and her sister. The two men sat in the house while Faryn and Akira sat outside by the pool for hours and talked, exchanging their stories since they hadn’t seen each other in years. Akira had lived with another older man in Baton Rouge for a few years until he had a stroke. One of his daughters took him to live with her, but Akira couldn’t go. She got a job and stayed out there for two more years, until she met Clarence at the gas station where she worked. He was out there closing the deal on a piece of property that he had just sold.

Even after they’d talked for months, Akira still stayed in Baton Rouge. Clarence would drive down to visit her, but that was as far as it went. He felt like Akira was too old not to have anything going for herself and he didn’t take her seriously at first. She wanted more than just sex and an occasional visit, but he wasn’t interested. That was, until she started to take his advice and went back to school. Once she got her GED and enrolled in college, Clarence started letting her come to his house. She left her job in Baton Rouge and eventually found one in New Orleans. They made their relationship official soon after and now lived together.

Faryn told her sister all about herself and how she’d put herself through college. She told Akira about Harley and how she met Landon and his family. Faryn was so happy when she went to bed that night. The events that happened at Ella’s house were a thing of the past once she laid eyes on her sister. They exchanged numbers and promised to hook up for lunch the following day. Akira vowed to keep in contact with her, and Faryn wouldn’t have it any other way. Landon was happy as long as she was and happy was the only emotion that Faryn was feeling.

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