Page 115 of Own It

“Damn. Did she at least say why?” I frowned.

“Told me she just wasn’t ready to move on.”

Damn.

“I know you wish she’d figured that out before tonight.”

“Or more like four months ago when we started talking. I think I have bad luck because the last few women I’ve dated have all gone back to their exes.”

“Maybe you were born to be like a really good rebound,” I cracked, causing us to snicker in the quiet restaurant.

“I must be, but I do want my own thing. People don’t consider the rebound’s feelings enough.” He peered down into the liquor swimming in his glass.

“That’s true.” I kind of felt bad for him.

“Do you have an ex you hung up on?” He squinted his eyes to give me a cynical look, and I chuckled.

“No, no I don’t,” I half lied.

I was over Josias at this point. I think I would always love him because he was the first man to really open me up to being in a serious relationship, but that was it. I wanted a man who was all about me and wasn’t in some toxic tango with his ex. Josias was fine as fuck, had amazing dick, fat pockets, and was six feet, three inches—he would always be an issue for me because bitches always wanted him, and he always seemed to oblige.

Not to mention he wore gold locs, and locs weren’t a typical style niggas born and raised in LA wore, so he stuck out even more. You’d catch a street nigga with a silk press before you would see one with locs out here. So when a man had some, the girls could pick him out of a thousand-person crowd.

So yeah, not only was the nigga fucking his baby mama while with me, he was fucking other girls, too, which I only knew because Tarin took it upon herself to let me know anytime she felt Josias and I were getting close again.

Unlike her, I had a career and other shit going on outside of Josias, so I didn’t have time to scour social media and play detective over my baby daddy’s love life like Tarin did.

“Then can I get your number?” Darron smiled brightly.

I almost said no but had to remember I needed to get out there. Josias had ruined the last thing I tried to start up, but I wouldn’t allow that shit again.

If I kept to myself, I would keep falling for Josias’s bullshit, especially if he came over on a night I was horny; he always got me then. I hated myself every time I let him fuck this past year, knowing we weren’t together and he was still up to no good.

“Sure.” I waited while he fetched his iPhone from his jean’s pocket.

I read it off, and then he let me know he sent a text to my phone to which I then revealed that it was still in my office at the moment.

“Maybe we can go on a date or something within the next week. When are you off?” he queried.

“Sure. I have to look at my schedule and see,” I lied. I didn’t have a variable schedule, but he was moving too fast for me, asking for a date on the spot.

“Perfect.” He threw back the remaining liquor in his glass as he rose up off the stool, showing me this full height which was comparable to my baby daddy’s. Nice. I snapped out of it and closed his tab before handing his card back. “Talk to you soon.” He winked, putting down a fifty-dollar bill for my tip and walking off.

“I’m back!” Heidi beamed, smelling like her body spray, so I knew she’d smoked her usual cigarette. She never smelled of smoke, though, so I never had to say anything to her about it. I just knew when she had smoked because her perfume or body spray would be a little more prevalent than usual.

Patting her shoulder, I left back to my office, hating that I always felt so weird about possibly going out with another man when I should’ve felt exhilarated.

SOME HOURS LATER . . .

On my way home, I dialed Daylin, praying I wasn’t interrupting her time in Vegas with her man. I didn’t really have friends, because the ones I did make in school fell off, and when I got with Josias, I stupidly spent all my time with him and put no effort into the friendships I’d procured in adulthood if it would take me away from him. Now, I would never in life cancel plans with a friend because Josias was stopping by to see me for twenty minutes.

“Hey!” Daylin answered, sounding happy and a wee bit soused.

“Hey!” I mimicked her. “You sound like you’re feeling good. No wonder my phone case order hasn’t shipped.”

We chortled.

“I am feeling good—had a few cosmopolitans—and my staff is still hard at work, but let me know if something is amiss.”