Chapter 14 Quade #2
“Eat up.” I smiled. “Gotta get you home at a decent hour. I don’t want you bad mouthing me to Teagan,” I joked. She laughed and then bit into her burger, still smiling. I sat in my seat, staring at her like I was hearing the hook of a song I didn’t know I needed but was about to play it on repeat.
“You didn’t have to walk me to the door,” Noa teased as we made it up her dimly lit walkway.
She was holding the flowers I’d given her earlier in her lap and sporting a smile I couldn’t get enough of.
It was the perfect ending to our unexpected first date, and she had me simping the fuck out.
The old Quade would have never walked a girl to her front door, but then again, I would have never taken her on a date either.
“I mean,… it is our first date. I gotta show you I’m a gentleman.
” I smirked, slowing my steps just enough to match the pace of her wheels.
I wanted so badly to hold her hand, but she was maneuvering her wheels.
I thought about placing my hands on her shoulder, but I didn’t want to make it awkward.
Just get her inside, Quade. Chill out. Don’t touch her.
Don’t even think about kissing her. Be a gentleman.
That was easy to think, but every time she looked up at me like she saw something different, I wanted to feel her touch, see if she felt as soft as she smelled.
“What’s next? You give me a long, lingering first kiss at my front door?”
“Shit,” I whispered under my breath. She was making it hard for me to practice self-control. “That depends on two things,” I said as we rolled up the ramp.
“What’s that?”
“Do you like PDA, and will you still think I’m a gentleman?”
She laughed so loud she let out the cutest snort.
“Noa!”
We both turned at the sound of her name being called.
The moment I saw her punk ass ex leaning on the open door of a black Altima, my jaw flinched.
I didn’t even notice the car parked across the street when we pulled up.
From the looks of how it was parked on the darkest part of the street, he’d been sitting there for a minute.
I took a deep breath, trying to use my calming strategies and shit, but I knew he was about to be on some bullshit.
The type of bullshit that was going to have my ass looking at my old CO from behind some iron bars.
“Shawn?” Noa said, more like a question than anything, confusion and embarrassment plastered on her face.
“Where have you been?” he asked, his voice louder than I deemed okay. “I know you ain’t been out here parlaying with this construction nigga?”
Noa stiffened beside me, the wheels on her chair locking in place. I moved almost instinctively in front of her, letting him know not to get too close. I hadn’t knocked a nigga out since I was behind bars, but I didn’t mind shit getting out of hand.
“Don’t start, Shawn,” she said quickly. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you.” Shawn started across the sidewalk, his eyes cut hard at me.
“You ain’t been answering my calls, but you got this nigga over here?
” He kept walking. With each step, his voice got louder, and his words became more and more slurred.
If you asked me, he was high, and the look on his face said his drug of choice was more than just weed.
“Aye, chill out, my guy,” I said. It was a warning, one that made him look me up and down as he approached the side of the ramp.
“Mind yo’ business, nigga.” He waved me off and continued walking, getting closer to the railing, like that little two-foot gap and wood was going to protect him.
“This is my business now.” I stepped up a few more inches, blocking more of Noa. This nigga had the nerve to laugh as he stepped a little to the right, so Noa was still in his view.
“So that’s what it is now, Noa?” he spat at her. “This nigga buying you flowers and shit? You fuckin’ him now?”
“I might be. You and me are not together, Shawn,” she snapped. “It’s really none of yo’ business.”
“Title or not, you’re still mine. If you wanted a title, all you had to do was ask, baby.” He smirked, still inching his dumb ass forward. The distance between us was now down to just a few inches. Only the railing and his poor judgment were separating us.
“Aye.” I chuckled lowly and shook my head. Dude was funny to me. Niggas always fumbled and then tried to dictate when the girl they fumbled could move on. I hadn’t touched her yet, but Noa was mine, so she was as good as gone. “You need to take that energy somewhere else, bro.”
“What you gonna do about it, nigga? This my bitch.”
Before he could get the words out of his mouth, I had a handful of his collar, pulling him half over the railing.
“Say bitch again, and I’ma remodel yo’ fucking face.
That fine ass woman over there doesn’t belong to you or anybody.
But if she did, it sure as hell wouldn’t be you.
” I released his shirt and shoved him back.
“Take yo’ L, bro. Stop popping up over here.
I’m the one that has to kiss it better when you piss her off. ”
He stood there for a moment, trying to catch his balance. His ego was bruised, but he wasn’t stupid enough to do something about it.
“This what it is, Noa? You choosing this nigga over me? Like I ain’t been there for yo’ crippled ass through everything!”
“Shawn, just go. This, whatever we had, has run its course.” Noa’s voice cracked a little, and her eyes shot to me like she hated that I was witnessing this.
“Run its course?” He took a step toward her. I hopped the ramp rail without thinking, landing hard between Noa and him.
“I wouldn’t do that, bro.” My fists clenched at my sides. If he wanted to get his ass whupped tonight, I’d happily oblige.
“Noa, tell your little boyfriend to chill—”
“Shawn, stop!” she cut him off, voice sharp and shaking. “Just go. Please.”
He froze, staring at her like he didn’t recognize the woman in front of him, like the reality finally hit that she was done.
“Bet,” he muttered, then he hurled a takeout bag at the railing. It smacked the wood and burst open, food splattering all over the ramp. “Don’t call me when he realizes yo’ ass is damaged fucking goods.”
I took a step forward, slow and deliberate.
That was all it took. He backed up, like he knew I wouldn’t hesitate to put his skull into the concrete, and turned for his car.
He hurried inside and peeled off, tires screaming like the bitch he was.
I waited until his taillights disappeared, then turned back to her, making my way up the ramp.
“You good?”
“Yeah.”
I turned to Noa. Her hands were trembling against her lap tray, her face turned away like she didn’t want me to see.
“That happen a lot?” I asked softly. “Him poppin’ up like that? This the second time.”
“No,” she said quickly, then dropped her head. “Yes. Usually, I have an idea when he’s stopping by. This… this was outta character.”
“Let’s get you in the house.”
“Can you walk me in?” she asked, and I didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah, I got you.”
“Thank you.”
And just like that, I followed her up the ramp and into the house.