Chapter 16
Coye and I had our first fight, and it bothered me all night.
I wanted to call him, but I refrained. Maybe some time apart would do us some good.
I had too much other stuff going on to worry about a relationship.
I didn’t like the way my father looked the last time I saw him, and after what the nurse said, I knew he wouldn’t be around much longer.
Half the night, I cried and wished Coye was there to hold me, but I was too stubborn to admit that out loud.
“Are you going to tell us why you are sitting over there with your head down like we aren’t here?” Lily’s voice made me raise my head.
She, Sophie, and my mom had come over to help cheer me up. I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell them about the fight with Coye.
My mom had placed a cup of tea in front of me, and the three of them had one as well. I smiled as I thought about Coye telling me how he and his mother had teatime sometimes. It was so cute to me.
“I guess a smile is a good thing,” Sophie said.
I took a sip of the tea and let the warmth soothe my throat. I think I cried so much that it caused my throat to be a little sore.
“Not really. Everything is going wrong, and I don’t know what to do about it,” I told them.
“We can only work on one thing at a time. I know a lot of it has to do with your father, and unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. It’s all in God’s hands.
I know that isn’t what you want to hear, but you know I will always be honest with you.
Your father has lived a great life. I hate it, too, because even though we aren’t together anymore, I’ve known him for half my life.
He’s still one of my closest friends, and he gave me you and your brother.
” A tear slid down her cheek. “What else is going on?”
“Coye is what’s going on.” The three of them looked at me, on the edge of their seats. “He wants to tell Jordan about us, and I told him it was a bad idea.”
“And what was his response?” Lily asked.
I took another few sips of my tea.
“You mean after I accused him of not caring about me?” I covered my face with my hand as one of them groaned, and another sharply inhaled.
“River, you didn’t.” My mother looked at me like I was crazy.
“I did, but in my defense, I was mad. We had just left Daddy’s, and my emotions were out of whack.”
I knew my actions were wrong, and I had no business accusing Coye of not caring about me, because he’d shown me how much he really did care. I just didn’t know how to control my mouth or my feelings sometimes.
“Girl, that is no reason to say some crazy shit like that to him,” Sophie added. “Sorry, Momma, but your daughter is tripping.”
“She sure is. You and the rest of us know how much he cares about you. I’m surprised your brother never noticed, if I’m being real,” my mother said. “I’m sure he’s trying to let Jordan know before he finds out another way, and I don’t blame him.”
“That’s what he said,” I told her.
I understood why he wanted to tell, but I didn’t feel like it was the right time. I wasn’t sure when the right time would be, though.
“Listen. Do you want to be with Coye?” my mother asked.
I had to think about it for a second. Things between Coye and me had been going really well, and he made me happy. My thoughts were consumed with him, and I thought I wanted to be with him, but sometimes, I just wasn’t sure. It wasn’t anything he’d done; I just didn’t want to ruin things.
“I think so. What if it messes up his friendship with Jordan?”
My mom put her hand over mine. “Your brother will get over it. There is no reason why he wouldn’t trust you with Coye. I think he will only be mad because of you two hiding it from him.”
Maybe she was right, but I needed time to think about it. Coye and I needed to talk, so I grabbed my phone from the counter.
Me:
Can we talk later?
Coye:
Yeah. Just let me know when, and I’ll come to you.
Me:
Okay.
“Coye is going to come over later, and we’ll talk then,” I told them.
“Make sure you’re honest about your feelings toward him,” Sophie suggested.
“I will.”
They stayed at my place for a few hours as we all got caught up on what had been going on with them.
After they left, I cleaned up a little because I was nervous about seeing Coye again. I figured I’d make dinner and some of his favorite cookies. I knew what I needed to do; I just hoped he understood.
“Hi.” I greeted Coye as he stood on the other side of the door.
“Hey.”
His cologne wafted through my nose when he stepped inside my apartment.
He must have been off from work because he had on an all-black sweatsuit with black sneakers.
His sleeves were slightly pulled up, showing off his gold watch and a chunky gold bracelet.
He wore the necklace to match. Gold looked good as hell against his chocolate skin.
I closed and locked the front door, then joined Coye in the living room. He sat on the couch opposite where I was before he came.
“I wasn’t sure if you had dinner or not, but I made enough for you if you wanted to eat,” I informed him as I sat down.
“I can eat.”
The way his eyes traveled from my feet to my face made flames shoot through my body. At least he was still attracted to me. I wanted to react to the look he gave me, but I didn’t. We needed to talk first.
I jumped up from the couch. “I can make your plate.”
He grabbed my wrist when I went to walk to the kitchen.
“River.”
My eyes dropped to his hand. “Yes, Coye.”
“You said you wanted to talk, so don’t beat around the bush.”
I slowly slipped my arm from his grasp and wrapped it around my midsection.
“I’m not trying to beat around the bush. I’m hungry, and I wanted to wait for you to eat. We can talk while we eat if you want.”
He stood from the couch. “Lead the way.”
I continued my walk to the kitchen with Coye behind me. More than likely, he stared at my ass because of the little shorts I had on. It might have been cold outside, but I liked to keep my place warm, and shorts were the most comfortable for me.
Coye sat at the table while I went to the stove to make our plates. It was a simple meal of fried chicken, mac and cheese, and broccoli.
“What do you want to drink?” I asked as I placed his plate in front of him.
For some reason, I felt nervous around him. Maybe because of the way we left off the day prior.
“Whatever you got is fine,” he said as he looked down at the plate.
I put my plate on the table, then went to the fridge and pulled out two sodas. I always kept some type of soda, juice, and water in my fridge. I even had a couple of bottles of wine on hand, but I didn’t think we needed that, or we would never talk.
“Thanks. Food looks good.” Coye gave me a small smile.
“Thanks.”
We took a few moments to pray over our food.
Every few seconds, I would glance at Coye, but he was too engrossed in his food to notice.
The silence killed me, so I decided to tell him why I wanted to see him.
“So, I was thinking that we need to cool off for a bit so I can focus on my dad.”
Coye dropped his fork on the plate and wiped his mouth.
For a few long seconds, he stared at me. “I agree.”
My eyes watered as soon as he said that because even though I thought we needed space, I didn’t want him to agree so easily.
Coye pushed his chair back and came around to my side of the table. He pulled me up and wrapped me in his arms. I closed my eyes and nestled my head against his chest. His strong arms and fresh scent comforted me.
“I can tell my agreeing is bothering you, and that’s not what I want.
I only agreed because I know that’s what you need.
I’ll be here, though, if you need me. That won’t change.
And make no mistake about it. You are still mine, River, and taking some time apart won’t change that.
” He lifted my chin and stared into my eyes.
“You understand me?” He dropped a soft kiss on my lips.
“Yes,” I whispered.
He leaned down to kiss me, and when he slipped his tongue into my mouth, I moaned. We probably shouldn’t have gone any further, but I couldn’t help myself. I gripped his shirt and tried to pull it over his head.
“What you doing, baby?” Coye asked when he broke the kiss.
“I need to feel you, Coye.” I grabbed his shirt again.
His eyes searched my face, then his tattooed hands helped me pull his shirt over his head. Underneath his hoodie was a black T-shirt.
He picked me up and carried me to my bedroom. This time when we made love, there were no words exchanged, and hardly any eye contact, but it didn’t bother me. Coye made sure he imprinted on me and solidified his place in my life.
When we were done, we fell asleep, and by the time I woke up, Coye was gone.
I was glad he left when he did because I would have tried to keep him there, but we needed the space for me to deal with my father. There was no doubt in my mind that Coye and I would be together at some point. I just prayed my brother understood.