Page 22 of Loving a Libra
My parents exchanged another knowing glance.
“I’ll be booking that cruise tomorrow, Mr. Thompson.”
My father tossed the book he was pretending to read onto the floor.
“Damn it, Kia. Have you seen all the crazy shit happening on these cruises? Why do you insist on going on one?”
“Cruises look like so much fun, and those crazy things are rare. You said if I was right about Riq and Maurice, we could go on a cruise.”
“He didn’t say why they aren’t friends. Son, what happened that changed your friendship with Maurice? At one point, you were like brothers.”
“Remember the girl I was dating in college, Tamira?”
“I knew it! I knew it! I knew it.Fun Time Cruises, here we come!”
My mother stood and did a little dance while my father frowned.
“He’s not done, woman. Finish your story, Son,” Pops encouraged.
“Tamira played the innocent role well, but she was cheating on me with multiple guys. Maurice was one of them. He claims he didn’t know I liked her like that, but that wasn’t the point. Ilet him slide because I refused to let a ho—I mean, a woman like that mess up our brotherhood, but it kept happening. If he knew I was interested in a woman, he’d go behind my back and hook up with her before anything popped off between us. His excuse would be that if she hooked up with him, she wasn’t worth my time anyway.”
“He’s not wrong, but he’s not right either.”
“Damn, Son. He’s been stabbing you in the back for years. How could you trust him as your business partner?” Pops asked.
“That’s why I handle all the paperwork.ERLis very lucrative, so I don’t regret going into business with him, but I wouldn’t call him a friend.”
“Are you sure this thing with Devyn isn’t your payback?”
“Ma, y’all didn’t raise me to be that kinda man. I would never put her in the middle of our shit or use her like that.”
“Are you sure she’s not using you to get him back?”
“Her feelings for me are genuine, and she’s not using me to get revenge, but we’re both aware that this is the ultimate revenge.”
“Bring her over for Sunday dinner. I want to hear her side of the story,” Ma requested.
The following afternoon, I was in my office, preparing for a visit from our accountant. I rarely went into the office this early, but I wanted to ensure we were prepared.
“Devyn’s been acting funny,” Maurice said as soon as he stepped into my office, closing the door behind him.
I continued reading over the document on my computer screen, as he sat in front of my desk, not responding.
“Do you think she knows something?” he asked.
Annoyed by his presence, I sighed and gave him my attention.
“Knows something like what?”
“About the other women.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, but if she does, it’s about time.”
He pulled his head back and frowned. “Fuck you mean, bruh?”
“I mean, you’ve been fucking around on her since day one. If she knows something, it’s about time.”
Even with all the shit he’d done to me, it was hard as hell to sit in his face and pretend like I wasn’t in love with a woman he claimed as his. However, every time he opened his mouth, it became easier.
