Chapter Twelve #4
Turning around, Logic headed to the back of the restaurant, where Tyler and her friends were quietly chatting with each other.
The owner of the restaurant had roped off their table for privacy, but it did nothing to stop the paparazzi from snapping pictures through the windows, or the crazed fans walking by trying to get pictures of the star who had hit rock bottom.
Logic stopped in front of Tyler’s table, causing the conversation to cease.
Shane and Aria looked up at him, but Tyler refused.
She looked a hot mess, and there he was standing at the end of her table looking all thuggish in his joggers, Nikes, and Detroit fitted cap.
His stance was cocky per usual, but Tyler expected nothing else.
“Can we help you?” Aria questioned, confused as to why he was standing there like he was waiting to be seated.
“Let me holler at your girl for a minute.” Logic nodded, licking his full lips.
“Aht aht. You cute and all, but I'm not about to let my food get cold so you can flirt with my friend.” Shane frowned.
“This will only take a minute,” he promised. “I’ll pay for yall food and get yall a to-go order. Just give us a minute.”
“Okkkkk,” Aria snapped her fingers. “Tell us you got a little money without telling us you got a little money.”
“You hear me.” Shane scooted out of the booth. “A bitch ain’t never turned down free food. Move.” He swatted Aria on the ass.
“Excuse me.” Tyler grabbed Shane’s arm. “I’m not trying to talk to this man.”
“Then listen. You know I'm a sucker for free food,” he hissed.
“You a sucker period,” Tyler gritted. “Aria, I’mma fire you.”
“Eh, well you kinda don’t have a job yet, sooooo I’mma head out. Plus, I need to call and check on my kids anyway. They froze Kevin’s girlfriend's makeup and he’s been threatening to put them in a home.”
“They need to go somewhere,” Shane snorted.
“Shut up,” Aria snickered, exiting the booth so Logic could sit across from Tyler, who didn’t look up from her plate.
Logic took the time to study her. He could tell she had lost weight, but she was still pretty as fuck.
Her face was bare with only a thin coat of lip gloss covering her lips.
She was sporting a dad cap, letting him know she didn’t bother to put on one of her many wigs.
Logic glanced at her dainty hands and manicured nails that were painted with a clear topcoat.
They were nothing like her normal, long, charm-covered nails.
They were simple and he appreciated them.
“Why you examining these people food like you're trying to find a roach?” Logic broke the silence.
Tyler glanced at him and then back down at her food.
“What do you want, Logic?” She rolled her eyes, pushing the grits around on her plate.
“You didn’t want to talk to me?” He cocked his head to the side.
“No, not really, plus your little girlfriend looked like she was about to have a stroke.”
“Let me find out you were watching me this whole time and didn’t come speak.”
“I was watching my surroundings.”
“Yea, ok.” Logic smirked. “How you been?”
“Living the dream.” Tyler plastered a fake smile on her face. “Living the fucking dream.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I. That’s what people wanna hear, right?”
“I wanna hear the truth.” Logic’s jaw clenched. “Don’t give me that fake shit, tell me what’s on your mind.”
Tyler shifted in her seat, finally giving him her full attention. She dropped the spoon, leaned forward, and laced her fingers.
“I’m broken.” Tyler's voice trembled. “Everything I own is gone and my reputation is in the toilet. I foolishly thought I was free,” she chuckled sadly. “Can you believe that?” Her teary eyes pulled at his heartstrings. “I thought I’d finally have a chance to do things my way, and now I’m seconds away from losing my shit.
I can’t sleep, I barely eat, and all I think about is revenge.
I’m upset that I put myself in this position, but mad that I didn’t get to stab my hoe ass cousin too.
” Tyler wiped the tears from her eyes. “And now that I have an open case, I can’t blow her shit out and I really want toooo,” Tyler cried.
Then laughed. Then cried again. “So as you can see, I'm a hot fucking mess. I bet you don’t wanna try to flirt with me now, huh?”
“Aye.” Logic reached across the table. “Don’t let these muthafuckas see you cry.” He wiped her tears. “They’ve seen enough.”
“I’m sorry,” Tyler replied, “Lately, all I seem to do is cry. I know you didn’t ask for all that.” She wiped her face.
“Right, snotting all over my hand and shit.”
“Shut up,” Tyler giggled. “Thanks for asking though. People ask how I'm doing, but they really don’t wanna know.”
“I’m not people, sweetheart.” Logic lightly tapped her chin. “But look, do you still have my number?”
“I broke my phone after I got out of jail. I was tired of seeing myself being dragged all over the internet,” Tyler admitted.
“I forgot my favorite singer is a jailbird.”
“Since when am I your favorite singer?”
“Since you stopped singing them lame male-bashing songs,” Logic jested, leaning forward. The sudden move sent a wave of his cologne across the table.
“There it goes.” Tyler tucked her lip.
“What?”
“That smoldering thing and you out here smelling like a million bucks. Let me find out you really got a lil money.”
“I got a couple dollars.” Logic coyly looked away. Putting his hand in the air, Logic signaled for the waitress, who quickly bounced over to him.
“What are you doing?” Tyler arched her eyebrow in confusion, but he ignored her.
“What can I do for you?” The waitress smiled, giving him a view of all thirty-two.
“Do you have a pen, sweetheart?”
“Sure do.” She pulled a pen from her back pocket. “You can keep it, all my social media info is on there. I love your music, follow me.” She winked before twisting away.
“Ew, not her giving you a pen that she had in her back pocket all day, talking about keep it.” Tyler turned up her nose. “It probably smells like booty.”
Logic lifted the pen to his nose and took a whiff, causing Tyler’s mouth to drop open.
“It’s a lil tangy,” he shrugged. “Maybe you should give her the name of that perfume you be wearing.”
“You’re disgusting.” Tyler laughed out loud as he scribbled his number on a napkin.
“I gotta dip, but I'm trying to see what’s up with you.” He pushed the napkin across the table.
“That’s not a good idea.” She pushed it back.
“Why?”
“Because I'm a wrecking ball right now. Things are going good for you, and I’d hate to be your downfall.”
“My downfall?” Logic tilted his head to the side.
“Yea, being associated with a drug addicted singer can’t be a good look for you. What would your label say?”
“Baby girl, check this out.” He leaned forward. “I’m my own man and I make my own decisions. If I say I'm fucking with you, then guess what, you’re stuck with me, and can’t nobody change that shit but you.”
“And what about your girlfriend? She stuck with me too?”
“That’s not my girl.”
“You fuck her?” Tyler cocked her head to the side.
“Yea,” Logic answered honestly.
“Do you buy her shit?”
“Sometimes.”
“She stays the night with you?”
“Yea.”
“Then she’s your girl,” Tyler stated rationally. “Yall niggas kill me trying to put boundaries on fucking. I’m pretty sure her bobble-headed ass thinks she’s your woman, and she has every right to. She over there bussing it open for you, and you think she’s not going to stake claim.”
Her words rang true, and Logic couldn’t deny it.
Scottie claimed him all over social media, and even though he made it clear they weren’t together, his words didn’t match his actions.
Scottie had a key to his apartment, she had a drawer in his house, while he wanted to believe they were on the same page, Logic knew they weren’t.
“She used to be my girl, but not anymore.” He felt the need to explain. “I have a lot going on nowadays and she’ll do whatever to get back in my good graces. I don’t have time to vet new people to be around my siblings while I’m working, so it’s her.”
“So you’re using her?”
“I wouldn’t put it like that. There are benefits for us both.”
“Mm.”
“But that’s a story for another day. Call me, aight?” Logic reached over and grabbed her hand. “Can I get a hug?”
Tyler’s body reacted before she had the chance to say no.
She allowed Logic to help her stand to her feet and then wrap his arms around her.
He smelled so good and his hug was so tight, so genuine, and it was just what she needed.
Closing her eyes, Tyler melted in his embrace, not caring about the flashing lights and low whispers around them.
Logic held her tight as if he was trying to drain her of all the defeated energy that was trapped in her heart.
“You still smell good as fuck,” Logic released her. “When you need a mental break or just wanna hide from the world, call me, aight?”
“Aight.” Tyler warmly smiled.
“Be easy, sweetheart.”
“You too.” She watched him back away. “Oh, and Logic,” Tyler called out, causing him to stop walking. “I saw your performance on YouTube the other day, you looked real comfortable on stage.”
“I was,” he smirked. “I was thinking about this girl I met.”
“Hm, she sounds special.”
“She is.” Logic winked before smoothly bopping out of the restaurant.