16. Roman
Koi stood stoic, eyes fixated on Rae while Rae glared at me. Confused, I grabbed hold of both women's hands. This was about to be a shit show.
“How the fuck you know her? This a joke or something, Rae?”
“What?” She snapped. “This is my client and friend.”
“So, Koi, this a joke you set up?”
“Roman, get off of me. I didn’t do shit but happen to fuck the both of you, and now that’s dead now too.” She snatched back her arm, turned on her heels, and made a quick exit.
I looked at my wife, who looked just as stunned as I did.
“She fucked us both?” I couldn’t believe Koi. She had a bunch of shit to explain, and instead of trying to clear her name, she ran away. “Were you fucking her?”
“Were you? Is that who baby girl is?” We were now in the upstairs bedroom questioning each other.
“I met her months ago at a hotel. Yes, we were fucking.”
“I love her,” Rae blurted out. “Sorry not sorry, but I do, and she’s my client that I turned out.” Her arms were folded across her chest. “She did tell me she was dating a guy, but we never spoke about you.”
“Wow. So, the bitch played us. She played me.”
“Why you calling her out her name? That’s not even right, and for you to really think she did something like this on purpose.”
“So, you really love her, huh? You’re taking up for her.
I’m confused.” Rae was trippin’ me out. She ain’t never admitted no shit like this to me before.
I wasn’t mad she was in love with a woman.
I knew my wife was into women more. I was mad that she was in love with the woman I was also falling for.
“I’m just saying. I speak to her in therapy and in real time.
Maybe if you weren’t just sticking your dick in her and actually hearing her out, then you would know what type of person she was.
” Rae’s true feelings were now on display.
I saw the annoyance on her face as she spoke. “I’m going to go check on her.”
She left me standing there. I didn’t know what the fuck to do right now. I hopped in my car, pulled out my phone from my pocket, and dialed her number. Koi sent me to voicemail twice before I sent her a text.
Roman: Please call me. I need to talk to you.
The three bubbles appeared and then disappeared. Not in the mood to play childish games with her, I started up my car and drove right to her house.
This was a first. Out of all forty-five years of my life, I never let a chick willingly play in my face.
Koi wasn’t just some pussy. I was building something with her knowing I was married.
It was selfish on my end. but shit, she had an aura about her that I couldn’t let pass me by.
And now my wife and I were both in love with the same damn woman. Shit was wicked.
I pulled up to her building in hopes that she was right ahead of me, but I didn’t see her nor her car in sight. I found a park and went straight to the security guard.
“My man wassup? Koi got here already?”
“Nah. She left earlier looking all cute but-” I cut my eyes at him. He knew what it was with us, so his slick ass comment was about to get him punched.
“Aight.” I lifted my hand in the air. All that extra shit he was saying wasn’t worth a damn.
I got back in my car before heading to Harlem.
It had been a minute since I saw my dudes and had a few drinks.
Koi had me feeling some type of way, so before I lost my shit, I was gonna go chill with my boys. I needed a drink and a cigar.
“Damn nigga we ain’t seen you in months. Rae must have found her another chick to lay up under.” My right-hand man, Aaron, yelled over the music as I dapped him up.
“Nigga I found a chick to lay up under,” I boasted.
“Oh, you finally ready to face the fact that you and Rae are just friends with benefits. Where is the new shorty at?”
“Long story short. I probably fucked it up with her.” I called the bartender over and ordered a round of tequila shots. Aaron tried to pick my brain, but the music was too loud, and I wasn’t in the mood to go down the rabbit hole of the Koi, Rae, and me fiasco.
I was kicked back, enjoying myself, until I spotted her. My eyes became low as my jaw clenched. She was whining her hips to the music, while her people hyped her up. Without much thought, I got up from my seat and walked in her direction.
“That’s what you on?” I knelt down in her ear. I expected Koi to fight me off, but she continued to dance until they switched the song. I spun her around. “You out here dancing and shit and I’m looking for you?”
“Roman, I told you what it was earlier. Let’s not even do too much. It is what it is.” She tried to give me her back, but I wasn’t hearing that. I wrapped my arm around her waist.
“You not gonna herb me, I’ll let you enjoy your night but trust I’ll be checking for you tonight.”
“Why? I may be too busy.”
“Fuck around and find out, Koi. That’s all Ima say.” Her two friends looked at me with raised brows. I smiled, nodded, and left. I knew all eyes were on me because I could feel the burning on my back.
“So, I take it that's the shorty.” Aaron looked over my shoulder. “She's cute. She looks young though.”
“She is young, and that is the fucking problem. Plus, my wife done tasted her as well, so yea.”
“Nigga what?” I never kept secrets from Aaron. We had known each other our whole life.
“You heard me.”
“Shit. So now what?”
“Listen, it’s out there. Rae don’t want me, and Koi does, or she did, so I’m ready to file for divorce and see what that looks like for all parties involved. Aaron nodded his head.
“She’s coming this way. What you plan on doing?” He asked.
“Ima go holla at her for a few minutes. She’s used to a nigga who don’t hold up his on his end and that ain’t me.”
“I hear you.”
“You get five minutes to come talk to me.” Koi poked out her bottom lip. “I’m not doing this with you or Rae.” She folded her arms.
“Bet.” I ran my tongue over my teeth.
By the time we made it outside, Koi’s face was flushed. “How much did you drink?”
“Enough, why?” She was leaning against the brick wall. Her nipples were on full display as her chest rose and fell. I spotted some niggas staring at her.
“You got this little shit on and you ain’t even safe.” I touched her small top.
“And dealing with you was safe?” She closed her eyes for a second. “I can’t do this. I’m tired, and I don’t feel good.”
“What’s wrong? You need me to take you home?” I became concerned.
“No. You’ve done enough.” She looked around. “Just go get my friends, please.”
“Get your friends? And leave you out here? Nah. You got me confused with someone else.”
“Or maybe-” her words were cut off when gunfire erupted. Koi ducked down as I used my body to shield her. “Roman,” her voice cracked.
“Shh, we good. I’m gonna get you to my car. It’s over there.” I looked up to see just how far we were from it.
“But my friends.” More gunfire sounded as yelling continued. “Don’t leave me.”
“Where am I going?” I asked with a slight attitude. Koi not feeling secure with me was pissing me off, but right now I couldn’t dwell on that. I needed to figure out where the gunfire was coming from and get her to the car safely.
This must have been a sign or God because she was just iggin’ me and now she was telling me not to leave her. Whatever it was, I appreciated it. Outside of her and I trying to figure out what was next with us, I had a full life, family, and friends that I needed to make it home to.
“Yo, Rome, this way.” I heard Aaron’s voice as I looked over my shoulder. Koi was crouched down when I scooped her up in my arms, carrying her to where Aaron was. “Well, shit, tell us how you really feel,” he chuckled.
Koi’s eyes were bucked as she looked away. “Roman, really.” She didn’t know I had carried her over to where my boys were, near the car.
“I told you that you were good. Now call ya girls when I put you in this car.”
She pulled out her phone as soon as she got in the backseat. Happy that the shooting had ceased, but now the crowd was moving in all different directions. Her safety was all I was worried about.
I listened to her explain to her friends that she needed to meet her in the parking lot until my phone rang.
“Hello.”
“It’s mama. You need to come, quick.” Rae sobbed into the phone. “Please, Roman.” She didn’t need to say anything else.
“Okay,” I ended the call, conflicted. We hadn’t been seeing eye to eye since the bomb was dropped, but she was my friend. Koi ended her call first, looking at me with eyes that let me know she was concerned. “You spoke to them?”
“They’re coming now.”
“Good, who drove?” I couldn’t make it obvious that I was about to break her heart by leaving, but this was a situation I couldn’t avoid.
“Me. My truck is over back.” She pointed out the window.
“Aaron, drive over to the Audi truck,” I told him. He hopped in without question. “You aight?”
“I grew up in the hood, I’m fine.” She looked out the window. “You?”
“I’m good.” She yelled for Aaron to stop.
“Ima walk her to the car.”
“You didn’t have to,” she tried to walk ahead of me, but I grabbed her forearm. “What’s the problem?”
“I know you’re gonna leave. I’m not slow, and I heard her.” She puffed out her cheeks. “It comes with messing with a married couple, right?” She tried to laugh off the hurt in her voice.
“Don’t do that,” I lifted her chin. “It’s an emergency, Koi. I'd rather fix this with us, but I have to go check on my family.”
“It’s fine. I need this time anyway.” She swallowed hard. “Thank you for protecting me tonight.” She kissed my cheek, rubbed in her lipstick, and turned to leave.
For some reason, watching her leave felt like the last time I would be seeing her. I watched the car drive off before I slid into the passenger seat of my whip.
“Where to?”
“Rae’s parents' house.” The ride was silent. Rae texted me to see how far out I was. I responded quickly, asking her if it was serious. She texted back with an upside down face emoji.
I still had Koi on my mind when we pulled up to Rae’s parents’ house, fifty-five minutes later. There was an ambulance parked out front. Aaron stopped me when we stepped out of the car. “You want to check on shorty first? Make sure she made it in? I can stall Rae.”
“Ima just text.” I tapped on Koi’s name.
Roman: You home?
I waited a minute to see if the text would deliver, but it hasn’t. Livid, I handed Aaron my phone. “If she texts, let me know. Let me go in and check on my wife.”
“Here we go.”
Rae was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed and her face in her hands. “Hey, Rae.”
“Hey? Hey? You are out running around the city, and my mother is dead!” The words hit me like a ton of bricks.
“What? How?”
“They’re gonna do an autopsy,” Rae’s father chimed in. “Were you out with your girlfriend?” Taken aback by his question, I furrowed my brows.
“Huh!?”
“I know you’re with her. Rae has filled me in. She also said that she is feeling the woman as well. I don’t know what y’all young people be doing, but I don’t want nor need my daughter hurting in the end.” He said in a stern voice.
“Right now, I’m here as her husband to make sure she is good,” was all I said. “What do you need?” I knelt down in front of Rae. “Let me know.”
“Be honest. Were you with her?”
“What? Rae, right now?”
She flicked her hand, tapped on her phone, and placed the call on speaker.
“Hello,” hearing her voice only infuriated me. Koi hasn’t answered my text but picked up on Rae's call.
“I want to ask you something. Were you with Roman tonight?”
“Rae, what? I was out with my friends. Did I run into him? Yes. But I was not with him.” She stressed into the line. “I don’t know what you guys have going on, but please leave me out of it. Please.”
“I just wanted to know that.” She looked at me, licking her lips before ending her call.
“You called her? What is this?” The coroner had now arrived. Rae’s father shook his head, leaving us at the front of the house. “This is what you doing now?”
“What I’m doing?” Rae yelled, “I am doing what any female who is in love would do!”
“You not in love with me,” I chuckled. “So, stop it.”
“You’re right, I’m not in love with you. I am in love with her.”
“Rae, as your friend, I want you to know she is not gonna run off with you.” Rae screwed up her face. “I’m being honest. She loves dick.”
“And? She loves what we have. You think you know what is up because you have a dick?” She laughed. “Just like a nigga.”
“It ain’t that,” I told her, signaling for Aaron to come over to me. “But believe what you want.” Annoyed, “If you want to insult me, I’ll leave.”
“Bye.”
I stomped outside, with Aaron on my heels. “I get you mad, but I ain’t gonna be running around.”
I asked him for my phone, calling Koi privately since my text didn’t go through.
“Hello.”
“Wow. You blocked me?”
“You and Rae need to figure out y’all shit. Do not mix me up in it. I’m telling you and you can tell her. Leave me alone like I told her. Goodbye.” She ended the call in my ear.
“Fuck yo. Fuck!”