Chapter 14
Fourteen
Choyce Mancinelli
"Pretty. Tell me I'm pretty. Even when I wake up without no makeup morning breath still kiss me."
My hips swayed as I gripped the broom like it was a mic, mouthing the lyrics to "Words of Affirmation" like they belonged to me.
The song hit too close. Her voice traced every insecurity I refused to say out loud.
It peeled me open, exposing a more vulnerable side of myself.
I wanted to shrink as I stood in front of Kage, but the D'ussé shots I took before he came over refused to let me do so.
"Man, what you on tonight?" Kage groaned, eyeing me.
It wasn't the lustful gaze I was hoping for, especially when I was dressed in an oversized t-shirt, no bra underneath, and boy shorts that my thighs ate up every time I moved.
"What you mean?" I asked, playing dumb.
"You called me over to watch the game."
"And we're watching the game." I giggled. "It's just muted."
"Choyce," Kage sternly called out.
Rolling my eyes, I tossed the broom to the side. "What?"
"What's this about?" he asked.
"What is what about?" I dragged. "Is it wrong for me to wanna spend time with my best friend?"
"Nah, us chilling ain't never been an issue, but since when do we chill with you half naked?"
I frowned. "There's nothing wrong with what I got on."
"If I'm a nigga tryin' to fuck, then yeah, you dressed accordingly, but you know I'm not on that with you," he plainly said.
I didn't know what to say because the truth was, I wasn’t really thinking when I called him over.
Cherish was at her friend's house, and I'd been sitting in my room with nothing but silence to keep me company.
I almost called Emersyn, but I wasn't in the mood for another girl chat after the last one with her and Chosyn.
What I wanted to feel she couldn't give, unless she went that way, and even if she did, I didn't.
"I'm sorry," I huffed, dropping onto the couch beside him.
Kage stared at me for a moment, then cracked a smile. "You been drinking?"
"Just a little." I shrugged.
"Wassup with you?"
"I'm fine," I quickly answered.
Kage gave me a look that said he wasn't buying it.
"I'm fine, really," I assured.
"Don't do that."
"Do what?" I snapped.
"Lie," he gritted. "I've never been the nigga you lie to. Don't make me that nigga today."
I scoffed, annoyed that Kage had the potential to be him for me but chose to be a friend instead.
"Why do you care? It's not like you're willing to fix what's wrong with me."
Kage's jaw flexed. "I can't fix what I don't know."
"You wanna know what's wrong?" I whispered, leaning into his space.
My hands palmed his knees, steadying myself while my hazy eyes locked on his.
"I need dick… black, heavy, girthy, dick.
That's what's wrong with me. I wanna get fucked so good that I feel the recoil of it inside me after the dick is gone. Can you give me that?"
My question hung between us, and the room went so quiet it felt like the walls were holding their breath in shock.
"See… that's what you get for asking questions you really don't want the answer to." I laughed, only it came out as bitter as I felt.
"That shits not funny, Choyce," he rasped.
"You think I don't know that?"
"I think you know, but you're confusing sex with wanting to be loved. You're lonely—"
"Stop," I told him, leaning back. "I'm not lonely. I'm just—"
The doorbell rang, saving me from telling Kage the truth. I pushed off the couch to answer the door when Kage's hand shot out, gripping my wrist.
"Where you think you’re going?"
"To the door," I smacked.
He yanked me back down. "You not answering the door dressed like that."
My eyes widened. "Nigga, you're not my daddy."
"Shit, be happy I'm not, or that shit you tried to pull would be considered incest."
"That's not even funny." I frowned as the doorbell rang again.
"Wasn't meant to be." Kage stood and then looked down at me. "You heard what I said."
"Nigga, if I wanna answer my door, I will, but you lucky I don't want to," I huffed.
"Yeah ight. Keep your ass right here," Kage gritted.
He walked out of the living room, and I waited a few seconds before getting up and creeping toward the hallway. I hid in a corner, watching as Kage swung the door open.
"Where's Choyce at?"
I didn't have to see Honor to know that gravelly voice belonged to him. Just hearing him say my name made my nipples pebble and sent a shiver down my spine. I leaned forward, peeking just enough to see him.
"She's not here."
Honor didn't even acknowledge what Kage said. His gaze slid past him and landed on me.
"Funny, 'cause she's staring at me."
Kage peered over his shoulders, shooting me a hardened look.
"Like I said, Choyce ain't here," Kage flatly said. "Matter of fact, last time I saw you, you gave me your word you were gon' leave Choyce alone."
Honor stepped closer as his voice dropped. "I didn't give you shit. You asked me to leave her alone, and I told you I wasn't pressed 'bout her."
Kage squared his shoulders. "Fuck you doing here then?"
"Choyce," Honor called, eyes locked on mine. "Tell this nigga to move or—"
"Or what?" Kage quipped.
Honor didn't blink. "Or you gon' have her cleaning brain and blood off her muthafuckin' doorstep."
"Can both of y'all chill instead of fighting over little ole me when neither of you has that privilege," I snapped.
Kage turned first, eyes narrowing as if I betrayed him by speaking up. Honor didn't move. He just stared at me with those beautiful, distant eyes.
"What did I fucking tell you?" Kage gritted.
"This is my house. If I wanna answer my door half naked, that's my business."
Honor's eyes dragged down my body. My stomach fluttered with butterflies that I refused to give too much attention to.
"Go put some fucking pants on," Honor gritted.
"Since when did everyone start giving a fuck about what I do?" I laughed. "I'ma tell you like I told him. This is my house and—"
"Put some fucking pants on, Choyce," Honor demanded.
Seconds of silence dragged, cripplingly between us, before I dropped his gaze and gave in.
"Fine," I muttered.
I turned on my heels and walked down the hallway, grabbed a pair of Talon's gray sweats from the guest room, and slid them on. When I got back to the hallway, the tension was still there. Kage stood with his jaw clenched, and Honor somehow seemed more relaxed.
"Why are you here?" I asked Honor.
"I came to talk to you."
I crossed my arms. "About?"
"Tell him to leave," he said, nodding toward Kage.
Kage let out a short laugh. "The fuck you mean leave?"
Honor's glare didn't move from me.
"Choyce," he said again, slower this time, "tell him to leave."
My stomach knotted. I looked at Kage, and he was watching me, waiting to see what I was planning to do.
"Do you mind leaving?"
"Choyce," Kage scoffed, "you really gonna let this nigga tell you what to do?"
"Kage, just go." I sighed.
"That's your word?"
"Yes, I'll call you later."
Kage's jaw flexed like he wanted to remind me that Honor showing up wasn't normal. Instead, he grabbed his coat off the hook. He brushed past Honor, shoulder bumping him on his way toward the door.
"Watch that shoulder." Honor grimly chuckled.
Kage ignored him and turned to me.
"Don't let this nigga play with you," he warned.
The door closed behind him, and the silence that followed was louder than the soft R&B I still had playing in the background.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I snapped. "You couldn't talk with him here?"
"Nah," he rasped, "some shit ain't meant to be said in front of an audience."
Rolling my eyes, I asked again, "Why are you here?"
Honor smirked, his hooded gaze dragging over my face like he had nothing but time to study my features.
"Chosyn wanted me to talk to you," he finally said, stepping back and leaning against the wall. His head tilted, and those lifeless eyes of his dropped lower.
He's too fucking fine.
I pushed out a shaky breath, trying my best to hold on to my attitude, but it was slipping.
"She was just over here and could've asked me whatever then."
"If she had asked about your time with Lucian, would you have told her the truth?"
"Probably not." I sighed.
"That's why I'm here."
I scoffed. "And what makes her think I'd tell you?"
Honor turned like he was about to walk off, and my heart rattled in my chest. Laughing under my breath, I told him, "Just because I had a small crush on you doesn't mean I'm going to tell you my life story."
"Had?" he questioned, one brow lifting.
I shrugged like it was nothing, like my heart wasn't basically tripping over itself. "Yeah… had."
Honor pushed off the wall, clearing the space between us until my back hit the wall.
"Lyin' doesn't look good on you," he groused.
I smirked through my nervousness, "As if you know what looks good on me."
His gaze dropped to my lips, then slid back to my eyes.
"I know what would look good between those lips."
My stomach flipped as my brows pulled together.
I stared at him, confused because this wasn't Honor. He didn't flirt, didn't tease, or even enjoy being this close to me. Honor cut through you if you weren't Navy, yet here he was leaning into me a little more.
Alcohol.
The smell clung to his breath like he'd been drinking way more than the couple of shots I took earlier. It wasn't just the scent. His eyes looked dark and looser. I shifted, slipping out from in front of him because staying there was suffocating.
"How did you get here?" I asked, leading him from the hall into the living room.
"I drove," he dryly answered.
I stopped mid-stride and looked back at him. "You drove here drunk?"
Honor shrugged, then peeled off his coat and tossed it across the back of the couch.
"Do you know how dangerous it is to drink and drive?"
Honor's eyes slid to me. "Shit, you know how dangerous it is for me to be here when I'm feeling how I feel," he tossed back.