Page 7 of The Phyre that Burns
“That doesn’t answer my question, Ginae.”
“I can handle seeing him, Daddy. I’m a big girl now, and I’ve healed.”
“If you say so,” Ma said, but I could tell she didn’t believe me.
“I have a question,” TJ said, his mouth full of food. “In the past however many years it’s been, have you looked him up?”
“I haven’t, but a few years after everything happened, he found my Flikstagram page.”
“And?” the three of them chimed.
“He liked one of my pictures, and when I realized it was him, I created a whole new account. Back then, I was still running, and our breakup still felt fresh. I couldn’t handle being connected to him, and seeing him happy with someone else would’ve sent me over the edge.”
“You think you can handle that now?” Ma asked.
“I know I can,” I stated with confidence, although I wasn’t sure how true that statement was. “As I said before, I doubt if I’ll see him. Now, let’s get back to planning this family vacation.”
I left my parents’ house about an hour later, excited about our family trip and my assignment in Black Elm. I still thought of Phyre often, but I would never allow him to rule the decisionsI made in my life. It had been long enough for us both to have moved on. If I happened to see him, I’d take it in stride and keep moving.
“I can’t believeyou still have feelings for that woman. It’s been what . . . a decade?” my friend, Lennon, asked.
“Thirteen years, but it doesn’t matter. Real love never fades away. What would you do if you were forced to let Calinda go?”
“We’re not talking about me. It’s beenthirteenyears, bruh? If Calinda hadn’t agreed to my terms and ghosted me, she’d be a distant memory in a matter of months. You could’ve fallen in and out of love ten times since she went ghost on your ass.”
I shook my head. “Nah, that’s not how I roll. Besides, I was never looking to fall in love again. My heart belongs to Ginae Burns, forever and always.”
I opened the drawer on the side of my desk, pulled out a black ring box, and opened it.
“What the fuck is that?” he questioned, leaning forward in his seat.
“You know what this is, bruh.”
“Okay. Humor me and tell me what the fuck it is and what you plan to do with it.”
“It’s Ginae’s engagement ring.”
Lennon sat back and pulled at his chin hairs as he shook his head.
“This is some simp shit.”
“Fuck you, nigga. Just because you let your parents force you into a loveless marriage, don’t take that shit out on me.”
There were several wealthy Black families in our uppity, elite social circle calledThe Black Collective, and Lennon’s family was one of them. We’d been friends our whole lives, and both happened to be doctors. He was a pediatrician, and I was an ob-gyn. We owned the building where our practices were located. Unfortunately, Lennon got caught up in the system our parents had begun molding us for from the moment we were born.
“I love my wife,” Lennon defended.
“Yeah, but you’reinlove with Calinda. There’s a difference.”
He nodded in agreement. Calinda was his college sweetheart and the love of his life, but he wasn’t man enough to stand up to his parents when he was told he had to marry Sybil.
“True, but life is good.”
“Is it really, Len? You’re wearing yourself out running your practice and juggling two households.”
“It’s not as hard as you think, because Sybil and Calinda know about each other. If I were sneaking around, it would be another story.”
I wasn’t sure how he made it happen, but somehow, he convinced Sybil and Calinda to share him. While I admired his ability to manipulate his situation, I didn’t agree with that shit.
