Chapter 5 #3
The conversation was going left pretty fast, and Minx was thrown.
Rose hardly ever got an attitude with her, and if he did, it never felt like this.
The heat radiated off him, and he kept his shadowy eyes locked ahead, far from her.
She was actually afraid of what she might see if she looked back at him.
Before he left, they shared a kiss. Now it was an invisible thing between them that neither of them spoke on.
Minx wondered if he kept out of touch recently because of that.
The more she thought about it, the more fidgety she became as the Ferris wheel was set in motion.
For the first few minutes, there was nothing but the sounds of the music and the people surrounding them.
With his hand to his chin, Rose sat very rigid and pensive beside her.
He could feel her checking his temp with her sideways glances.
“I guess you’re right. We aren’t kids anymore.
We are who we are, and we are going to be with whoever we choose.
Neither of us should have that kind of power in the other’s life.
But… as your best friend, you know I’m gonna talk shit.
I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t.” Minx excused herself with a half-ass apology, and Rose kept silent.
“Maybe I always thought… down the line… something else might happen. It was in the back of my mind though, so I never entertained it. Then you kissed me, and you just left. What was I supposed to do with that?” she murmured, eyes downcast as the wheel moved in slow circles.
Peeping Mille with Nadia below them, she could tell she wished she was a bird in the sky so she could hear their conversation.
All these years, and Minx never understood the bond that Rose had with her.
Nadia was intimidated by it, and there was no other word for it.
Slowly, Rose’s head spun in Minx’s direction.
She even attempted to pull away from him, but there was nowhere for her to go.
Pouting like a little ass kid, she folded her arms over her chest. Rose tightened his arm around her, but she didn’t want to look at him.
Hugging her close to his hard body, he grabbed her chin and forced her to turn his way.
“You know the darkest pits of me, Minx. You’ve seen that shit up close, and it’s ugly. I can’t change who the fuck I am.” Rose grit his teeth, jaw tight while speaking to her.
The tone of his voice stiffened her spine, stirring this uneasiness in her stomach. All that junk food and being midair was starting to sound like a bad idea.
“Nothing and nobody can change the nigga I am, not even you.” He released her chin, startling her.
She finally looked at him, this stricken expression on her face.
His nostrils flared, fluttering her heart wildly in her chest as she watched him.
Rose always had a temper, but he never inflicted any of it on her.
Everybody else could get it, never Minx, and now she was feeling slighted.
Blinking back tears that threatened to slip down her face, she sniffled and reluctantly pulled her gaze from his as the wind blew her tears away.
“What you need to do is stop worrying about me and deal with your own life. Stop deflecting. We both know I ain’t shit.
It was never supposed to be a me and you.
I’m a fuckup. I take too many chances and risks to put you in the line of fire like that.
A nigga lives on the edge, and you’re my safe place.
I’m grateful as hell for it and don’t know where I would be without you.
We just… it’s not supposed to go there.” Firm in his words, Rose returned her lingering stare.
Seeing the hurt he put in her eyes shredded his heart.
Eager to break away from, Minx was grateful as hell when the ride slowed down.
Rose had her questioning everything, and she didn’t like the uncertainty slowly starting to fill her up.
The one thing she thought she would always be able to count on was also slipping away from her.
When they were able to get off, she practically ran from him.
Rose took his time and met up with Nadia and Mille walking toward the gate to leave.
Minx was already off ahead, rushing by people like she had somewhere to be and he watched after her.
Surprised that he wasn’t giving chase like he normally would, Nadia slid up into his personal space and grabbed his hand.
Intertwining their fingers, she brought her head to his shoulder.
“You wanna go grab some real food, just us?” she asked in his ear.
Rose let out a heavy sigh, studying her face. She wasn’t where he wanted to be, but in the long run it was for the best. In time things with Minx would cool off.
“Yeah, I’m with it.” Nadia lit up like a fucking Christmas tree at the crumbs he fed her.
She knew she had to work her way in now if she wanted to keep his attention.
Knowing Rose all this time gave her a slight advantage over new bitches trying to slide in.
She knew exactly what to play on when it came to him and Minx.
That girl was her own worst enemy to be honest. No nigga in his right mind was going to put up with her spoiled, entitled, and dramatic ass.
She was okay looking, but Nadia always thought she was a little off in the head and an attention seeker.
Everybody knew the story of how she was shot as a child.
She’d been unhinged since. Furthermore, Rose was Nadia’s man first. Whether they were friends or not, Nadia felt like Minx needed to learn some fucking boundaries.
She was glad that Rose was starting to check that hoe and see her for what she was.