7. Han’some Valentine
Me:
Wassup? Wya?
Adora, can you please talk to me?
I felt like less of a man begging Koi to talk to me, but for her, I was willing to swallow my pride. I couldn’t even sleep last night because I couldn’t get her voice out of my head. I would never listen to Spec and Judea again because they were the reason I was in this predicament.
At first, I didn’t understand why she was so angry with me, but the more I tossed and turned, the more it made sense to me.
I wanted to see her so I could apologize and set the record straight.
I knew it didn’t look good for me, but inviting those dancers was not my doing.
Those two claimed they were throwing me a bachelor party, and I should’ve known nothing good would follow.
I stared at my phone screen, waiting for a response, even though I knew she would likely keep ignoring me.
I had no way to find out where she was unless she told me.
I thought about trying to go see Nyari Skye, but Tana was another woman who was ignoring me.
I was not in good standing with the ladies right now.
Adora :
*attachment*
being held captive by my parents right now. We can talk later
I opened the picture to see that she was at some kind of church event. From the details I saw listed on there, I could see that it had just started twenty minutes ago. I’d never been the patient type, so I jumped up to grab my car keys. It was my turn to hold her captive.
Within the hour, I was pulling up to the location.
The parking lot was so packed it took me a minute to find a spot to squeeze my big-body Benz into.
Once I was in there, I hopped out and made my way inside.
Ignoring the ushers, I stood against the wall, looking for her.
I spotted her near the front, but there was no space on either side of her for me to go sit.
So I watched as she leaned over to whisper something to a nigga beside her, and for some reason, it made my hands ball into fists.
Taking my phone out, I sent her a text message.
Me:
Who is that you talking to?
I watched her look down at her phone before her head popped up. She turned around, searching for me. Her eyes bulged when she saw me in the back of the room. I smiled with an innocent wave. Tilting my head toward the door, I motioned for her to follow me out of the sanctuary.
Making my way outside, I leaned against the wall to wait for her. She came out a minute later, looking around for me. Since she couldn’t see me, I snuck up behind her to wrap my arms around her waist. She squealed in shock before spinning around to pop me on the arm.
“Han’some, what are you doing here?”
I pinned her in place with a frown. “Fuck all that. Who was that nigga you were talking to?”
She folded her arms over her chest with a smirk. “Why? You jealous?”
I eliminated the space between us to hook her chin and force her to look up at me. “I am, actually.” Those full lips puckered from her kissing her teeth, and I almost took it as an invitation to kiss her.
She rolled her eyes while turning her head away. “What you jealous for? Worry about who them hos you had in your condo are talking to, and not me.”
I chuckled silently. “Wow . . . They aren’t engaged to me, though.”
“And neither am I.” She was so damn sassy that her eyes and her head rolled as she spoke. She really thought she was putting somebody in their place.
Snatching her left hand to me, I went into my pocket to get her ring.
Despite her fighting against me, I slid it back on her finger.
“Yes the fuck you are. How you going to break up with me for something that wasn’t even my fault?
I didn’t invite none of them hos over there.
That was all Judea and Spec. They said it was my bachelor party. ”
Her head tilted to the side while her eyes bore into me. I could tell she was trying to decide whether she believed me or not. “Then why did I see you throwing money in the air, having a good ol’ time, smiling and shit?”
I couldn’t help but laugh, because I’d never experienced this side of her, and I fucking loved it.
She tried to snatch away, and I had to tighten my grip to keep her from going anywhere.
“Because they said they wouldn’t leave until I threw money at least once.
You happened to storm in as I was fulfilling their request. That’s all it was.
” She remained quiet in front of me, which I felt was a good sign.
I brushed some of her curls out of her face.
“Now what you got to say? Who was that nigga you were talking to?”
“Oh my God, it was just my brother. Calm down,” she finally explained. I smiled widely, feeling much better now. I was going to be pissed if he wasn’t family. I might’ve even waited until he came out to drop his ass for even thinking it was okay to be shoulder-to-shoulder with my woman.
“Well, are you done being mad at me now? I want to take you somewhere.” She glanced behind her to the closed doors of the church. “You already walked out now. Might as well come with me.”
She rocked on her toes, weighing her options. Finally, her body relaxed, and I knew she was riding before she said anything. “Okay, fine. Come on. Let’s go before they come out here looking for me.”
I took her hand in mine, and we sprinted across the parking lot toward my car. I opened the passenger door to let her inside. Once she was in, I closed her in then raced to the other side. In the next few seconds, I had the car cranked and peeling out of the parking lot with a loud whine.
I felt better every time I glanced at my passenger seat to find her sitting there.
Today, she was wearing a cheetah-print skirt with a fitted, brown top and some baby-blue heels to match her purse.
She was busy texting on her phone, but I didn’t mind.
Because of where we were, it didn’t take long to reach our destination.
“Where are we?” she questioned while her eyes surveyed the area.
“You’ll see in a minute. Come on.” I turned the car off then hopped out to open her door for her. After some tussling, I finally got her to hold hands with me as we walked.
“This place looks sketchy,” she admitted after we walked deeper into the alley.
“Don’t worry. You’re safe with me, baby.”
She tightened her grip on my hand and even moved closer to me. I smirked as we walked up to the back door. I knocked twice, paused, then three times, to signal I wanted access inside. Seconds later, the door pushed open, and a bouncer stood there.
“Wassup, Valentine?” he greeted me.
“Nothing much,” I replied, dapping him up. He stepped back to allow us access inside. The hallway was dark, so I wrapped my arm around Adora’s shoulders. She held me around the waist while I led the way downstairs.
She didn’t relax until we stepped inside the well-lit bar. There were people lounging all around the establishment. “Is this a speakeasy?” she questioned while looking around.
I nodded. “It is.” I guided her over to the table I reserved in front of the stage. “Sit right here.”
I pulled her chair out and waited for her to sit in it before pushing it closer to the table. “Where are you going?” she asked when she noticed that I wasn’t about to join her right now.
I winked with a grin. “You’ll see in a minute.” I waved to the bartender then motioned to Koi. “Order whatever you want to drink. I’ll be back.”
Making my way to the side of the stage, I spoke with the band members.
We all made our way to our respective places on the stage.
Standing behind the microphone, I found myself feeling nervous for the first time in a very long time.
I knew it was because Koi sat a few feet away, looking as beautiful as ever.
She perked up when she saw me adjusting the microphone.
The server came over to place a drink in front of her.
She fiddled with the straw and took a sip without ever taking her eyes off me.
Turning toward the band, I motioned for them to begin playing.
I knew she was probably expecting me to perform a song, but this wasn’t that.
Tonight, I was going back to my roots. Tonight, I would allow her access to my soul through my poetry.
“I know a lot of y’all are familiar with my music, but before I was an artist, I was a poet.
Tonight, I’m going to share that poetry with you.
” Snaps erupted around the room, and I found myself tapping into a new level of consciousness with my eyes steadied on the goddess patiently waiting for me to begin.
“This poem is called Furthest from Perfect.
You said I’m furthest from perfect and I have to agree
Since a very young child, I’ve gotten used to people abandoning me
He act too much like his daddy
Probably will end up dead too
Since that’s how my mama felt
I might as well walk in my daddy’s shoes
See the only woman to really love me was my granny fasho
But even God wanted me to walk this life journey on my own
Heaven gained an angel
But Earth gave birth to a new demon
There wasn’t much to look forward to so you could find me leaning every weekend
I’m used to doing my own thing
Having nobody to depend on
Shit at this point being alone is what I call home
Sleepless nights and cat fights were what I considered entertainment
Because only the drama was enough to keep me from sinking
That is until the day I finally saw the light and produced a seed from my semen
On one hand I was happy to finally have someone to love
But on the other hand, all I could think about was if I was going to fuck this up
All I know is abandonment and never getting my way but for my daughter I’ll keep my head high and fight to live another day
Now there’s this girl I really want to give my heart to
She deserves love, respect, and affection and sometimes I doubt if that’s something I can do
So, I’m sitting here trying to figure out what’s next and if this can even last
And I find myself praying to God not to let me fumble being a husband and a dad
Family is something I’ve never had, and no house has been a home
So, when I tell you I’m furthest from perfect it’s because home is where I’ve always wanted to belong.”
The crowd exploded into applause when I finished. Seeing Adora sitting there with tears in her eyes made my heart cavity fill with warmth. She stood to her feet and jumped up and down with each clap of her hands. Leaving the band behind, I exited the stage and headed over to her.
“What did you think?” I asked with open arms.
She stepped into them, and I inhaled the rose scent in her hair. “You’re amazing,” she replied. Resting her chin on my chest, she glanced up at me. “I miss when you used to do poetry. Valentine, the artist, isn’t as vulnerable.”
I gave her a sad smile because it was the truth. There were times when I missed speaking on the things that mattered, but that wasn’t what the women wanted to hear. “No woman wants to hear about a man’s struggles.”
She tugged on my shirt, making my heart jolt. “I do. I want to know everything that’s on your mind.”
I swallowed down the swell of emotions that tried to overtake me. “You mean that?” I pinched her cheek and stared deeply into her brown eyes. I only found sincerity swimming in their depths.
She nodded slowly. “I do. I’m going to be your wife. Never hide how you’re feeling from me, Han’some. I’m here for you.”
Hearing her say that almost made me cry, so I pulled her into my chest to hide it.
I sighed in relief because the last thing I wanted was to be on bad terms with Adora.
This arrangement was supposed to be for my custody case, but whenever I was around this woman, I couldn’t help entertaining ideas of it becoming something real—something I couldn’t live without.