Page 6 of Raising Love
“You mean the time you told me would be the best, even though I said it wasn’t? The time I didn’t really want to go with in the first place, but gave in to avoid going back and forth with you? That time, Leo?”
I snickered while shaking my head.
Vanessa cleared her throat behind me.
When I turned to look her way, she rolled her eyes and snapped her neck. “Were you not doing something?”
“Aight, cool,” I said into the phone, eyes still on Vanessa. “I’ll be there in an hour.”
Vanessa sucked her teeth so loud.
“Be here in half an hour,” Ivy said back.
Ivy. Always so damn extra.
After a really bad first date and double date we’d gone on with our friends, Ivy and I decided we’d do better as friends—and we did. We had a lot in common. Both lovers of sports, we connected over shit-talking and placing bets on games.
And while we had a friendly rivalry, Ivy was one of the most supportive people in my life. She’d been at every home game of my career, from college to now. These days, she’d often shout at refs from the sideline, completely forgetting she was working.
I loved that the most about my little homie.
“Half an hour?” I laughed. “Didn’t I just say I just got up?”
“Not my problem,” she sang into the phone. I just knew she was wearing one of her little smirks. “See you in half an hour.”
“Ivy—”
Before I could protest anything else, she hung up the phone.
I laughed to myself while removing the phone from my ear. “This woman is a trip.”
I turned to see Vanessa staring me down from her spot on my bed. For a split second, I had honestly forgotten she was still here.
“Welcome back, after your visit to cloud nine,” she said, balling her lips right after her words left her mouth.
“Vanessa, chill.”
“Chill?!” She kicked her legs off the bed. The moment she was on her feet, she walked my way. “I just watched my boyfriend light up while talking to another woman.”
“Whoa.” I held a hand up in front of me. “I am not your boyfriend.”
“Why is that, Leo? Hmmm?” Vanessa folded her arms over her chest. “We have been dating each other for two years now.”
I shook my head. “We have not been dating.”
She scoffed.
“Look, Vanessa,” I started. “You can say what you want about me, but you can’t say I’ve been leading you on. I’ve told you from the start, relationships are not my thing, baby. My career is. So…”
She kissed her teeth.
“While I respect your feelings, let’s maintain an air of honesty about what we’ve got going on, aight?”
“Which is?”
I glanced over at her.
“What are we, Leo?” she quizzed. “Because I swear I see you show more affection to your friend than you actually do the girl you’re fucking. Unless you’re fucking Ivy too.”
