“I’m not here to nag you or stress you. I want to go on some romantic dates, see some dope tourists’ spots, and have lots of amazing sex.”
“What you said when I first called you. How you ended the call. All that changed?” he inquired as he peered into her eyes.
Her first reaction when shit got thick was to leave him, and he didn’t like that. Now, that she knew that Brandon wasn’t dead, she was somewhat hopeful. Naasson knew if he got sentenced to some time, Disha wouldn’t be a prison wife. But he wouldn’t want her to be either. He wouldn’t want any woman to stop her life and wait for him, but shorty didn’t even pretend like that was an option for her. She was too busy being angry to be too much worried about what he was going through, and Naasson couldn’t forget that.
Disha’s lips formed a slightOshape. It was clear that the question caught her off guard, and she hadn’t come on this trip expecting to talk about anything heavy. “Um, when I called you I let you know that I was selfish, and I apologized. I feel like you may be able to beat the case because there was a gun on the scene. But even if you don’t, I’ll be here for you.” Disha spoke the last part in a low tone without much confidence behind it.
Naasson gave a slight nod. “That’s what’s up. Like I said, I’ll think about it. As far as turning myself in. But this with us, I mean…” his voice trailed off as he tried to find the right words to say. “Look, I don’t want to ruin your trip. London isn’t somewhere you come every day. I just think as far as a relationship for the moment, we put a pause on that.” He didn’t want her thinking just because she flew to London, gave him some pussy, and kicked some fly shit in his ear that all was forgiven and they were back on as boyfriend and girlfriend. Naasson had been enjoying his freedom.
Disha’s face fell. “Oh, um, okay. I guess. If that’s what you want.” She stared at Naasson, and her lips formed in a thin line.
“Like I said. I don’t want to ruin your trip. I’m not even sure about my own future at the moment. You are about to start an exciting time in your life, and you have a lot of goals to continue to focus on and accomplish. With what I have going on, a nigga like me and someone like you, our lives are way too different at the moment to be thinking about six months from now.” He tried to soften the blow.
“I get that.” It was what Disha had concluded a long time ago, but she kept hanging on because she loved him. Her aunt was a pediatrician and at one point in her life even though she hid it from the family, she’d dealt with a man with a criminal history. It didn’t come to the light until he got arrested driving her Maybach. The entire family whispered about that scandal for months. Disha always knew in her heart of hearts that her family would never accept Naasson no matter how handsome he was, how well he painted, or how much she loved him.
“You hungry?” Naasson decided to change the subject. “They have some good spots out here. We can try to hit them all before you leave.”
A smile formed on Disha’s face. “I’m starving.”
It had been two hours since A’ja spoke to Naasson, and she was kicking herself. She should have never reached out to him. He did go to the movie set some days, but he’d told her himself that he didn’t have an active role to play on set. He just sat and watched. A’ja couldn’t think of anything that he could be doing that it was taking him so long to call her back. But she was even more irritated that she cared. She refused to sit in the house and keep sulking over Kenyatta and Naasson. Celine was with her husband and her son, so A’ja decided to go out alone to get some food and drinks. Alone. She may as well get used to being alone anyway.
She had friends and family, but they had their own lives, and they wouldn’t be with A’ja every waking moment. She would live alone, and she would have to spend a lot of her free time alone. It was a sad reality that she was trying her best to learn to be okay with. A’ja never wanted to be so pathetic that the only time she was happy was when she had a man. Those kinds of women irritated her soul. She had a cousin that couldn’t be single for more than three months, and A’ja was sure that it had to be some kind of mental illness.
After putting on some denim shorts and a matching denim halter top with orange Hermes sandals, A’ja was ready to go. She pondered for a few moments before she decided on which restaurant she wanted to go to. It didn’t take her long to decide because she was in the mood for pasta and red wine. At the restaurant, A’ja pulled the door open, and she got the shock of her life to see Naasson standing in the waiting area with a pretty woman standing so close to him that they had to be together. A’ja refused to stare, so the very moment they locked eyes, shelooked away. Her orbs hadn’t lingered on his face long enough for her to even be able to read the expression on his face.
“Hi,” the hostess smiled at her, and A’ja stepped forward as her heart slammed into her ribcage.
“Hi. How long is the wait for one?”
“Just a few moments.”
A’ja nodded. “Thank you.”
She stepped back, and another hostess came and told Naasson and his companion to follow her. She got her answer. That was why he hadn’t called her back. A’ja chuckled inwardly. Men would be men, and she’d be a fool to care about it. No one told her not to date multiple men. No one told her not to take the time to heal before truly trying to jump back out there. Naasson had been some unexpected spur of the moment type shit, but the plan had been to be alone and heal. That was her choice, and she couldn’t be mad at him for doing what single people do. Maybe one day, she’d dive back into the dating world and have a few men on her roster taking her out on dates and vacations. Until then, A’ja knew that she was going to close her heart, her life, and her vagina off to men for a while. Just until she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was ready.
A hostess led A’ja to her seat, and she wasted no time looking over the menu. She was afraid to even scan her surroundings because it would be just her luck that she was sitting close enough to Naasson and his date to see them. A’ja tried not to feel lame as she sat in the restaurant alone and ate. Everyone else was in small groups or there were at least pairs. A’ja almost kicked herself for not getting her food to go, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind. A’ja checked herself internally because she was doing too damn much acting like she always had to have someone by her side to enjoy life.
Her food was delicious, and the expensive red wine had her feeling good. By the time she paid the check and left a tip, therewas even a small smile on her face. She was happy that she got out of the house and got some air. A’ja left the restaurant with her head held high. Once she arrived back at home, she put on some pajamas and got comfortable in bed. Her body was sore, and she’d been more tired than usual. A’ja told herself that she was going to lay off of alcohol for a bit. Despite being well hydrated, in great physical shape, eating healthy, and taking vitamins, fatigue had been getting the best of her the past few days. A’ja wanted to stick to the promise that she made herself to play the best that she ever played. If that meant letting go of alcohol for a bit and getting to bed earlier, then she would do it.
The praise from her coach and sports commentators was all that A’ja needed to continue playing her best. She could let her heartbreak make or break her, and she was determined for it to make her. If she couldn’t have the life that she had dreamed of for years, she would have an enormous bank account. They say money can’t buy happiness, but A’ja was willing to test the theory out. One day, she would look back on her break-up with Kenyatta, and she would label it as the best thing that ever happened to her. A’ja had just closed her eyes when she got a text message. She opened her eyes, unlocked her phone, and scanned the message from Naasson.
My ex came into town, and we came to get food. That’s why I didn’t return your call, but I do want to continue the conversation.
All A’ja could do was chuckle as she put her phone on the nightstand without replying to the message. It must have been return of the exes. A’ja found it extremely comical that Naasson got in his feelings about Kenyatta coming to town and now all of a sudden, his ex was in town. A’ja really didn’t give a damn.She drifted off to sleep thinking about her upcoming away game because that was all that mattered.
chapter
nine
It wasDisha’s last night in London. She sat on the edge of the couch staring at Naasson with a forlorn look on her face. “Have you met someone since you’ve been here?”
Naasson’s brows hiked up. “Why you ask me that?” He knew women had intuition and all that, but he still found it odd that Disha would know that he’d been with another woman while in London.
“Because it’s not the same. I know I may have killed things when I acted the way I did when you first got in trouble, but that can’t be the reason for the change. Nothing is the same. You act as if your attention is elsewhere. This visit has been okay, but it hasn’t been wonderful. The sex doesn’t even hit the way it used to. So, either you’re really stressed about the charges you have back in the states, or you’re into someone else.”
Disha’s heart broke as she spoke. She really hoped that Naasson was just stressed about shooting Brandon. Even if they could never really be, Disha’s heart and her pride couldn’t take Naa being the one to walk away from her. It was going to be a transition that she had to ease out of, but it seemed as if he was already out of it. Naasson sat perplexed. Should he lie?They weren’t together, but he knew admitting the shit would be drama.
“Disha, I encouraged you to go on with your life, remember? And you pretty much agreed. I wasn’t nor am I mad at you. We both knew a minute ago that we come from two completely different worlds. You busted your ass to complete law school. You don’t need being associated with someone like me to tarnish your character.”
