Page 120 of The Last Man on Earth
I grin. “Oh you needed that?”
“Shut up.”
I take a deep breath. “Damn, Ari. Just touchin’ your pussy got me fucked up.”
She shrugs and grabs my wrist, pulling my hand out of her panties. She watches as I bring it to my mouth and suck her off my fingers.
“Still sweet,” I say. “Next time I want it straight from the tap.”
“Ifthere’s a next time.”
“Ari. My love. You was suckin' and fuckin' on me every fuckin’ day when we were on the island. Ain’t shit changed.”
“Everything’schanged.”
I see the pain on her face. I open my mouth to reassure her, but something stops me. Ari isn’t the kind of woman you make promises to. She’s the kind of woman you do shit for.
“Lemme walk you to the door.”
It’s chilly out. Air kinda crispy. I wrap an arm around her and lead her to the door, my other hand full of Benny’s food.
“Tell your mama ‘nem I said hey.”
“I will.”
I peck her lips one more time, hand her the bags, then crouch down to kiss my baby. She disappears into the house without another word, but that’s okay. I saw what I needed to see. Her shoulders were less tense. Her step was a little lighter.
Us being apart was the problem. We’re better together. Happier. I damn near skip to my car now that I’ve seen that woman.
I ain’t ashamed to say it: I need her and I love her. Fuck what anybody else thinks.
I just have to tell Shemari what’s up.
She won’t like it, but I can’t live a lie with her. I don’t love her, and that makes this all very simple.
It feels good to come to terms with that. I feel at peace with it. It’s up.
So it’s perfect fuckin’ timing that as soon as I pull up to my place, I see it—my clothes, shoes, and game consoles scattered all over my fucking lawn.
I step out, staring in disbelief.
Tyrell comes running out the house, his phone in his hand. “I was gon’ call you.”
“What the fuck happened?”
“Only reason I ain’t call you was cuz I knew you were with Ariana,” he explains breathlessly. “Bruh, Shemari’s pissed.”
“About what?”
“Somebody got a pic of you and Ariana leaving the doctor. It’s on all the blogs. Look.”
He shoves his phone in my face, and there it is.
I scrub a hand down my face. “Alright. Book me a room. Now. Then get all my shit off the lawn and pack it up.”
He nods, his face a mask of worry. I stare at the mess and shake my head.
But that’s Shemari. She does shit like this. Instead of opening her fuckin’ mouth, she acts out.
