1. Dynastie Love
Six Years Later
“How’s your food?” my boyfriend, Jordan, asked.
“It’s good. Are you enjoying yours?”
He nodded as he responded. “It’s straight.”
Jordan and I had been dating for almost two years. He was my realtor, and after he sold me my condo, we were friends for a couple of years before he asked me out. He was the first man I’d taken seriously since things with my first love faded into the background.
I’d dated when my schedule permitted, but my career as a journalist required me to travel quite a bit, so dating wasn’t a priority.
He happened to ask me out at the beginning of a much-needed month-long break from work.
Since I had more free time than usual, I was able to give him more attention than I typically gave men.
The real test came when I returned to my busy work schedule.
He officially asked me to be his girlfriend two months after our first date. I enjoyed our time together, and my work schedule didn’t seem to bother him. He was handsome, nice, successful, and we had good chemistry. I didn’t have a legitimate reason not to give him a chance.
“I’m glad you’re home. I want to talk to you about a few things,” he said.
I’d returned to town earlier that day after being in Brooklyn for a few days covering the professional basketball draft. While there, I conducted one-on-one interviews with the top three draft picks.
“Oh yeah. What’s up?”
“As you know, this is the longest relationship I’ve ever had.”
“We have that in common.”
“Right, and I think that means something. We’ll be celebrating our two-year anniversary soon, and I think it’s time for us to take things to the next level.”
“The next level as in . . .”
“Let’s move in together.”
I couldn’t express how relieved I was that Jordan didn’t say anything about marriage. While I liked him a lot, I wasn’t in love with him and would’ve had to turn down his proposal.
“Move in together?” I questioned.
“Yeah. I think it’s time. You travel often for work, but when you’re home, we spend most of our free time together.”
“That’s true, but living together is a big step.”
“It is, but I think it’s the next step before we get engaged and ultimately married.”
He was right about that. I’d never agree to marry a man without living with him first. Some people didn’t believe in shacking up, but I wasn’t one of those people.
“I guess you’re right. Can I have a few days to think about it?”
“Of course, baby. Also, think about whether you want to move in with me or buy something together.”
I frowned. “What about my condo?”
“Your condo isn’t big enough for both of us, so it wouldn’t make sense for me to move in with you. I’m cool with selling both our places and finding something we can agree on.”
“I see you’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“I have. I actually have a few places in mind already.”
Jordan was a real estate agent, so he spent his days looking at properties.
“Oh, umm. Okay. Let me think about it.”
For the remainder of dinner, my mind was preoccupied. I didn’t need a few days to think about moving in with Jordan, because I had no intention of doing so. My gut told me he’d take issue with that, but that wasn’t my problem.
When we left the restaurant, I was full as a tick and nodded off on the way to my place. As soon as we were inside my condo, Jordan pinned me against the wall and covered my mouth with his. His kiss was aggressive, and his erection pressed against my stomach.
Unfortunately for him, my cycle started before we left, and although I didn’t usually have cramps, my flow was on the heavier side for the first two days. I pulled my mouth away from his, and he looked at me with confusion in his eyes.
“What’s up, baby?”
“My period came today.”
He briefly closed his eyes as he exhaled. We’d been together long enough for him to know he wouldn’t get any pussy tonight.
“Damn. I’ve been dreaming about your pussy since you left.”
“Look on the bright side. At least we know I’m not pregnant.”
He chuckled. “You say that shit every month. Sometimes, I think you being pregnant wouldn’t be such a bad thing since you wouldn’t bleed for nine months.”
“It would definitely be a bad thing. I’m going to shower and get comfortable. You staying or going home?”
“Dynastie, I haven’t seen you for days. You know I’m not going anywhere.”
He kissed my forehead and stepped back to give me space to move. I headed to my bedroom, and he followed close behind me. While I prepared to shower, he sat on the bench in front of my bed and watched me.
“Why are you watching me like a hawk?” I asked.
“I can’t look at my woman?”
“Of course, you can. I hope you like what you see.”
His smile indicated that he did, indeed, like what he saw. He might have even loved what he saw, but after almost two years together, neither of us had exchanged those three words.
I was cool with that because if he said it, then I’d feel obligated to return the sentiment. I cared for Jordan deeply, meaning I didn’t want anything bad or harmful to happen to him, and I wished him all the success in the world, but did that equate to love?
Most women probably would’ve pressed him about not confessing his feelings, but it didn’t bother me in the least. He treated me well, was always respectful, and some would say his actions showed his love for me. I was cool with that.
“You know you’re my favorite thing to look at. Hurry up and shower so I can do the same. I’ll find a movie for us.”
About an hour later, we were hugged up on the sectional in my living room, watching something he’d found on Tubi. I was thoroughly entertained, but the busy days that led up to this moment caught up with me, and I dozed off before the movie ended.
The next morning, I woke up alone in bed. Jordan had spent the night but had an early meeting with a client. He didn’t have very many clothes here, so he was gone before seven because he had to go home and get dressed.
I wasn’t a morning person and moved ridiculously slow on mornings I had nothing on my schedule. Thankfully, today was one of those days. It took me thirty minutes to get out of bed, and when I finally made it to the shower, I stood under the stream of hot water for another thirty minutes.
At about noon, an hour and a half after getting out of bed, I entered my kitchen. The first order of business was to make myself a cup of coffee. As I moved around the space, preparing my coffee, my phone rang and vibrated on the counter.
I smiled when I saw that it was my older brother, Naseem. Although we texted daily, I hadn’t talked to him in about a week. I answered with a smile as his face appeared on my screen.
“Hey, bighead,” I greeted.
“Wassup, Dy? You good?”
“I am. I got home yesterday afternoon, and Jordan and I went to dinner.”
“Why didn’t you text me when you landed like I asked?”
“I texted the family chat.”
“You know I only check that chat once a week.”
“That’s not my fault. You should check it more often.”
“I doubt I will. All you and Ma do is send those dumb ass memes and videos. What’s been up with you? How’d everything play out for you at the draft?”
“First of all, those memes and videos are hilarious. Secondly, the interviews went well, and I’m excited to finish the articles. Aside from Jordan asking me to move in with him, nothing else is going on.”
“I hope you declined that nigga’s offer.”
Naseem wasn’t fond of Jordan and didn’t hide it.
“I told him I’d think about it.”
“Dy, if you move in with his ass—”
“I’m not, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so I told him I’d think about it.”
“Fuck his feelings. I keep telling you he ain’t it. I don’t know why you’re wasting his time.”
“Here you go again.”
“Hell yeah, here I go again. Something is weird about him, but I can’t put my finger on it.”
He’d been saying the same thing about Jordan since the moment they met and probably reminded me of his thoughts at least once a week.
“Well, when you figure out what’s weird about him, let me know. Until then, he’s my boyfriend.”
“You barely like his ass, but I won’t burst your bubble. I need to take this other call. Let me know if you decide to come home. If not, I’ll book a flight and come kick it with you.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you more.”
The call ended, and I resumed what I was doing. It was a slow, lazy day, and it was exactly what I needed.
A week later, I was at Jordan’s place after spending the night. I woke up to the smell of breakfast food, and after taking care of my basic morning hygiene, I followed the aroma to the kitchen.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
We exchanged a kiss before I responded.
“Hey. What’s all this?”
“After the performance you put on last night, I thought you deserved breakfast in bed.”
I raised my brow as I blushed. After my period, I was extra horny. We hadn’t had sex in several days because before my period came, and prior, I was out of town for a few days, but we made up for it last night.
“Let me go back to bed then,” I teased.
I pretended to walk away, but he gently grabbed my waist, pulling me toward him, my back against his chest. When he buried his face in my neck, I giggled because it tickled.
“Nah. We can eat at the table now that you’re up,” he said after planting a few kisses on my neck. “Have a seat, and I’ll bring your plate to you.”
“Thank you.”
A few minutes later, he joined me at the table. After he blessed the food, we ate in silence for a few minutes.
“So, have you given any thought to moving in with me?” he asked.
I’d been avoiding this conversation for a full week and would’ve continued to do so had he not brought it up.
“I have.”
“And?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I—”
“You don’t think it’s a good idea? Why the fuck not?” he questioned in an elevated voice that wasn’t quite shouting, but louder than necessary.
“I love my condo, and I like having my own space.”
“We can buy a house big enough for you to have your own space.”
“It’s not the same, Jordan. I’ve never lived with a man, and I’m not ready.”
“Dynastie, grow the fuck up. You’re thirty-two years old. Exactly when do you think you’ll be ready?”
“I don’t know, but I’m not ready now.”
He shook his head, and his face showed he was disappointed and disgusted.
“You know what? I’ve been patient as hell with your emotionally unavailable ass. I—”
“Emotionally unavailable? Are you serious right now?”
“As fuck! I thought I’d cracked the code, at least a little bit, but you fooled the fuck outta me.”
“Fooled you? What are you trying to say?”
“You don’t find it odd that, in two years, we’ve never confessed our love for each other? Most women would’ve been on my ass about it, but you couldn’t care less.”
“First of all, I’m not most women. You’re mad at me because you weren’t man enough to tell me you loved me, because I didn’t say it first. Nigga, you’re the one that needs to grow the fuck up.”
I shot out of my seat so aggressively that the chair fell backward.
“Where the fuck are you going?” Jordan shouted, following me.
“To get my shit so I can go home. Why would I stay here?”
“Hold up, Dynastie. You don’t have to leave.”
He grabbed my wrist to stop me from walking, and I snatched it away. I turned to face him, folding my arms across my chest and putting all my weight on one leg. I looked up at him, waiting for him to say what he needed to say, not that it mattered because I was still leaving.
“You got something else you want to say?” I asked, my voice laced with attitude.
“You don’t have to leave, baby. We can talk this through.”
“You told me I was childish and emotionally unavailable. Give me one reason why I should stay and entertain a conversation with you.”
He sighed. “I apologize for saying that shit, but I fully expected you to agree to move in with me, so I was caught off guard.”
“You being caught off guard doesn’t give you the right to say mean shit. You meant what you said, and there’s nothing you can say to convince me otherwise.”
I turned to walk away, but again, he grabbed my wrist.
“Can we sit down and talk like two civilized adults?”
“Yeah, we can, but not today. I think you need a minute to cool off. If we talk now, it won’t be productive.”
This time, when I walked away, he didn’t stop me.