Page 119 of Certified To Handle You 2

The night air cooled me off a lil’, but it ain’t clear my head the way I thought it would.

Soon as I climbed behind the wheel and pulled away from the club, the silence inside my truck made my thoughts louder than the music ever was.

I drove a few miles before my hand reached for my phone before I could talk myself out of it. I unlocked the screen, found Sha’Nelle’s name and hit call while I kept one hand on the wheel.

The phone started ringin’, and I found myself starin’ through the windshield, waitin’ on her to pick up. It rang again, then one more time before her voicemail finally answered. I tightened my grip on the wheel and let out a breath through my nose.

“So that’s how we doin’ it now,” I muttered to myself while the voicemail started playin’ in my ear.

I should’ve left the shit alone. Hell, I should’ve let this shit go the second I heard her voicemail pick up, but my thumb had already moved before my pride could stop it. Soon as the call ended, I hit her name again and held the phone to my ear one more time, hopin’ this time she was gon’ answer.

This time I let the voicemail pick up before I started talkin’.

“Baby… I don’t even know why I’m callin’. I guess ’cause I miss you.”

I laughed to myself, but it wasn’t nothin’ funny about the shit.

“I been tryna leave you alone. I really have. I figured maybe if I gave you some space, you would come around whenever you was ready.”

I rubbed my hand across my beard while the road stretched out in front of me.

“I just don’t get it, woman. I love you. I treated you good. I know I fucked you good. I would’ve took care of you. I will still take care of you.”

I shook my head. “Damn… if you don’t wanna talk to me, put Phat Mama on the phone? How she doin’? I know she miss me.”

I sighed and shook my head again. “I don’t understand why it’s so hard for you to come be with me.”

The words kept comin’ easier than they should’ve.

“I ain’t even gon’ lie to you. This shit been fuckin’ with me.”

I talked on the voicemail until that bitch hung up. I dropped my phone in my lap, but kept glancin’ at the bitch every few seconds, hopin’ I was gon’ see Sha’Nelle’s name light up, but it never did.

The longer I drove, the more I realized that call probably wasn’t comin’ tonight. I tried to let the shit go, but my mind kept driftin’ right back to her anyway.

A few minutes later, my phone started ringin’.

For a split second I thought it was Sha’Nelle callin’ me back. Soon as I picked the phone up and looked at the screen, I saw Reni’s name instead. I stared at it for a second before answerin’.

“Wassup?” I asked while keepin’ one hand on the wheel.

Music blasted through the speaker before Reni finally answered.

“Renza…”

Soon as she said my name, I could hear it in her voice. She was drunk.

“Wussup?”

She was quiet for a second before she finally spoke.

“You think you can come get me? I drove my car but I been drinkin’ and don’t wanna drive.”

I glanced out the windshield while thinkin’ about it.

I rubbed my beard before lettin’ out a low breath.

“What club you at?” I asked.