Page 94 of Just Listen
I was smiling, until I realized that my brother hadn’t come in alone.
“Hey, y’all,” Paisley cheerfully greeted, as she sauntered into the living room area.
“Hey,” everybody else apprehensively spoke, while I said nothing.
“Wait.” Paisley paused. “Jaylah, girl, what are you doing here?”
“I um,” Jaylah uncomfortably cleared her throat. “I came with Khamere—”
“Nah. Hell, nawl.” Paisley angrily shook her head. “Tell me that you aint here with my muthafuckin’ man!”
Without thinking twice, I sprung to my feet, and stood in front of her. “Look, I know that this gotta look crazy—”
“No, fuck that!” She lashed. “What the fuck is she doing here?” Her eyes traveled to my mama, who was holding Khari. “Is…is this your baby?” She pointed.
Gradually, I nodded.
“Okay,” she anxiously licked her lips. “So, again, what the fuck is Jaylah doing here?”
“She’s the baby’s mama, Paisley.”
After a brief, uncomfortable pause, she cynically laughed. “You gotta be fucking playing.”
I shook my head. “I’m not.”
She stepped around me, and glared at Jaylah. “So, you really played in my fucking face?”
Jaylah shook her head. “It’s not like that. I met him, before I met you. Then the whole time you were calling me, I didn’t know that you were talking about the same guy I’d had dealings with. It wasn’t until you posted him in your story. That’s when I cut off contact, not wanting to be weird.”
“Girl, bye.” Paisley waved off. “Even if that’s true, you still allowed him into your bed, once you knew that he was with me.”
“I never dealt with him, while he was with you,” Jaylah argued.
“So, you didn’t fuck him, after he left our house?”
“I did, but—”
Jaylah didn’t finish her statement, before Paisley lunged at her. Thankfully, my reflexes were on point, and I caught her, before they could clash.
“Chill!” I barked, while lifting her off her feet.
“Let me go!” She screamed, while wildly kicking her feet. “I can’t fucking believe you! I trusted that bitch! Confided in her! And that’s how y’all do me?!”
“How it looks aint what it is,” I spoke into her ear, as I carried her to the door.
“You a muthafuckin’ lie! How could you do this to meeeee!” She sobbed, while I placed her back on her feet.
Feeling bad for the way I was making her feel, I hugged her. “I apologize,” I spoke in her ear. “It was never my intentions to hurt you.”
She sniveled. “And what am I supposed to do with that?” She gripped my shirt. “And you think that she’s gonna love you the way that I fucking do?”
“Go home, Paisley.”
“No,” she whimpered. “Unless you can come with me.”
I shook my head. “I can’t do that.”
“And why not?”
