Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
Carson
I was the kind of person who found any reason to celebrate or socialize, so when Taj said yes to Tristan’s proposal a week ago, that was my excuse to get the crew together this weekend to celebrate.
We were in a private suite at Puff Cigar Lounge, which had recently undergone renovations that made the already luxe lounge even more exclusive.
Life had changed drastically for Kaos (Chaos) and Tristan, and they deserved the love and happiness their women had brought into their lives.
It didn’t surprise me that of the four of us, Kaos was the first to get married.
And this year, his first child would enter the world.
I wasn’t in a rush for my forever, because I’d learned through heartache and disappointment the lesson that came from waking up love before its appointed time.
More than anything, I enjoyed spoiling women and the experience that came from unraveling them.
I took pride in connecting with an independent woman who could do everything for herself and watching her soften the more I took things off her plate.
The more I spoiled her and treated her well.
The more I allowed my masculinity to provide a safe space for her to rest in her femininity.
My parents taught me and my brother, Creole, at a young age the power of providing the right environment for a woman to flourish.
The more we provided a safe space for her to thrive instead of surviving, the more she’d care for us.
I’d learned the hard way that not every woman appreciated or deserved that kind of treatment, but when she did, I loved providing it.
“Aight, man. I’m about to get up outta here,” Zander announced, extending his hand for me to shake. I did, and it turned into a quick, brotherly hug.
The syrupy grin on his face told me all I needed to know, but I still couldn’t help but say, “Be safe, Z. Make sure whoever wife you’re about to go lay up with ain’t got a husband clocking her every move.”
Zander’s grin turned into a chuckle before he licked his lips and bobbed his head. “She ain’t married, but she does have an ex that we’ve been ducking, so I’m meeting her at the hotel up the street.”
All I could do was shake my head at his shenanigans.
I prayed every day that his lifestyle didn’t get him caught up in a position he wouldn’t be able to talk himself out of.
It was one thing for a man like Zander to not want to commit, but he took that shit to a whole other level.
He didn’t just avoid commitment—he dealt with women who were already committed.
Regardless of how many times he tried to justify it by saying those women never required much of him, it was never worth that to me.
As long as we’d known each other, Zander had never allowed any of us to get into his head and heart to figure out why he did the dumb shit he did, and I honestly didn’t know if he ever would. Since Kaos and Tristan had already left to be with their women, I decided to call it a night as well.
“Aight, brotha. Let me know you’re safe in the morning,” I demanded.
“Always. Have a good night.”
I bobbed my head as he headed out of the suite.
Once I’d put enough money on the table to cover our tab, I pulled my phone out to see if Asia had responded to my text.
She’d been acting weird all weekend, and I wasn’t sure why.
We’d been messing off since October of last year, and a part of me wondered if it was because we were shifting out of the honeymoon phase of our unofficial relationship.
I was a true lover boy, so if that was the case, it wouldn’t be long before we stopped dealing with each other.
Unlike Zander, I wasn’t afraid of commitment.
I just didn’t like committing to the wrong woman.
Regardless of how often I wined and dined women, if I didn’t see forever with her, we wouldn’t get into a committed relationship.
Asia said she was cool with that and wasn’t looking for anything serious, but we’d see how long that lasted.
Asia: Hey baby. Yes I’m still up. You can come over whenever you leave. If I’m sleep just put in the code.
Me: On the way. Do you need anything?
I took my phone off Do Not Disturb in case she texted back while I was on the way to her.
After checking the group chat and seeing that both Kaos and Tristan had made it to their destinations safely, I put my phone back in my pocket and headed out to my Mustang.
Between it and my BMW, I usually drove the Mustang on the weekends.
There was something about riding through the mountains toward Massie Manor and cruising toward the beach sitting low on the concrete with the roar of my engine that soothed me.
Inside the car, I wasted no time starting my ’70s playlist before heading in the direction of Asia’s apartment.
As I suspected, she’d texted me and asked me for food during the drive, so I stopped by one of the few places that was still open this close to midnight.
The hot wings and fries were piping hot, and the longer the smell permeated my car, the more I regretted not getting an order of the honey gold wings for myself.
When I arrived, I entered the code and made my way straight down the hall since the door would automatically lock behind me.
As soon as I stepped into her room and saw her pouting while she looked at something on her phone, I sighed.
The more her mood changed without explanation the more it irritated me.
I was a problem solver and loved to help, so not knowing what was going on with her made me feel helpless.
It would have been different if she was going through something personal and told me she didn’t want to talk about it. That, I could respect.
Her sad eyes lifted in my direction as she sat up in bed.
“Hey, baby,” she greeted me softly. “How was the party?”
Chuckling, I set the bag on her nightstand and began to open it. “It wasn’t really a party, but it was cool. How you feeling?”
Asia shrugged. “I’m feeling alright. How are you?”
After I had the bag open, I cut the lamp on and looked her face over.
Her puffy eyes let me know she had been crying.
When she looked away, I didn’t bother calling her out on it.
She’d lie again and say nothing was wrong which would piss me off and make me want to leave.
Instead, I set the to-go plate on her lap then went to the kitchen to get her a bottle of water and some extra napkins.
While she ate, I showered and tried to relax my mind.
I had a long day ahead of me and needed to get some good sleep.
Sundays had always been reserved for church and family dinner, so I’d need to make the most of my brief time with Asia, because I likely wouldn’t see her again until Tuesday or Wednesday.
That was another reason I hated the fact that she didn’t communicate what was bothering her.
Because it affected her mood, it affected the brief moments we had together.
I wouldn’t be an asshole and avoid her while she was going through some shit, but I honestly didn’t know how much more of this I could take.