Chapter 35
Harmony lay stretched across her bed staring at the ceiling. It was five o'clock on a Saturday, and outside her window, the weather was beautiful, but she hadn't found a reason to leave the house all day.
The apartment was empty. Melody flew out of town with Cameron, and Lyric had taken the twins to Oklahoma again.
For the first time in months, Harmony had the entire place to herself.
Normally, she would've loved the peace and quiet, but after a few hours, the silence started feeling more like punishment than a luxury.
Unfortunately, all that quiet left plenty of room for her to think about the mess her love life had become.
Ever since getting caught up between Nick and Legend, both men had pretty much disappeared from her life.
Legend and Skyy had blocked her number altogether, making it clear exactly where she stood.
Nick handled things differently. He hadn't blocked her, but in some ways that felt worse.
Every text she sent was delivered. Every call went through.
He just never answered. Weeks had passed, and the silence from both of them was becoming harder and harder to ignore.
After checking her phone for what felt like the twentieth time, Harmony tossed it onto the bed and let out a frustrated sigh. She already knew nobody had called, but part of her kept hoping she'd look down and see a message waiting for her.
She hadn't spent a Saturday night sitting in the house in over a year. Whether she was working, hanging out with friends, spending time with Legend or Nick, or simply out doing something, she always found a reason to be outside.
Eventually, Harmony sat up and looked around the room. The place was clean, her laundry was folded, and there wasn't a single chore left to do. She had already watched enough television to make her head hurt, and scrolling social media only made her feel worse.
Maybe she needed to find a hobby. Maybe she needed a job. Or maybe she just needed one of the two stubborn men in her life to answer the phone.
After a few minutes of just sitting there thinking, she finally climbed out of the bed and headed toward the living room, hoping a change of scenery would improve her mood.
The second she turned on the television, she realized the exact same show she had been half-watching in her bedroom was playing in the living room too. With an annoyed sigh, she cut it off, tossed the remote onto the couch, and stood up.
Walking over to the mirror by the front door, Harmony gave herself a quick once-over. The leggings and crop top were casual enough for whatever she ended up doing, and after deciding she looked decent, she slipped on a pair of sandals, grabbed her purse, and headed out.
A few miles later, she found herself driving down Madison with no real destination in mind.
The music played through the speakers while she cruised through the West Side, trying to clear her head.
She was so lost in her own thoughts that when the car in front of her suddenly slammed on its brakes, she had to react quickly and hit hers just as hard.
"Ole dumb ass."
Harmony lay on the horn as her purse slid off the passenger seat and spilled across the floor.
When the light turned red, she leaned over and started gathering her belongings.
One by one, she tossed everything back into her purse until she reached the last item, a business card.
Frowning, she picked it up and flipped it over.
It was Shonda Mills, Nick's realtor. Harmony stared at it for a moment, thinking.
Then a couple of ideas came to mind. By the time the light changed, she had made up her mind.
Instead of continuing in that direction, she made a U-turn and headed toward the block where Nick usually hung out.
It took a few minutes of circling nearby streets, but eventually she spotted him sitting on a fire hydrant talking to a few friends.
Without hesitation, Harmony threw the car in park and climbed out. The second Nick saw her, his expression changed.
"Mannn, Harmony. What the fuck you doing over here?"
"Nick, we need to talk."
"Nah, man. I'm working. We can talk another time."
"Nicholas, if we don't have a conversation right now, I will act a fool, and nobody gon’ be making money on this joint."
Nick stared at her for a few seconds before shaking his head and standing up.
"Come on, man."
Harmony followed him away from the corner and down the block. Once they were far enough from everybody else, Nick stopped and turned around.
"G, what do you want?"
"We need to talk."
"Ain't shit to talk about."
"But it is. I know I fucked up and I'm sorry, but the shit you've done to me over the last seven years has been way worse."
"Oh, so that's your excuse?" Nick chuckled.
"No. But that's why you should forgive me like I've forgiven you a million times."
"Man, look. I gotta get back to work."
"Work? So now you back hustling?"
"Yeah. I kind of ain't got no choice seeing how I got fired because you was fucking my boss," he barked.
"Nick, you was in jail."
"And that made it okay? You continued fucking the nigga even after I got out."
"I know. And I'm sorry." Harmony lowered her eyes before going on.
"I don't love Legend. I love you."
Tears filled her eyes before she could stop them. Nick looked at her for a long moment, but whatever emotion flashed across his face disappeared just as quickly as it came.
"Man, them tears don't mean shit to me."
"Nick…."
"Fuck out my face, Harmony." He spat before walking away.