Stoplight II (Stoplight #2)

Chapter 1

One

Irish had never experienced a fear quite like this.

She’d been coasting through life, not feeling the dread that once consumed her up until now.

Jovanis was mad… in fact, he was incensed.

He glared at her with eyes which showcased the darkness that resided inside him.

His jaw was clenched as his grip on her collar tightened.

Irish parted her lips, ready to confess her betrayal but her words stalled.

They actually evaporated in her mind because confessing that she had fallen in love with his general was too frightening to reveal.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he scolded through clenched teeth.

Irish’s chest inflated then deflated at a rapid rate. “Get your hands off of me.”

Jovanis angled his head; his nostrils flared as his grip intensified. “You think this shit is a game? Do you think I won’t handle you how I handle these niggas in the streets?”

Irish muffed his face with her open palm. That only enraged him more. She needed to place some distance between them. Jovanis was no good in this state. Right now, he didn’t have a sound mind and because of that, Irish didn’t want him anywhere near her.

“Get the fuck off of me!” she screamed.

“I ain't doing shit until you tell me what I know ain't true. Tell me you ain't fuckin’ Noble.”

Irish could’ve easily gotten out of this by lying.

She could’ve denied that she had fallen so deeply in love with Noble that his residence was inside her heart.

She could’ve lied about all their meetings, deep talks, and spellbinding sex sessions just to appease Jovanis.

Yet, Irish couldn’t do it. She had given so much of her life and loyalty to Jovanis that this time, she wouldn’t deny herself of the man she needed.

“…It’s true,” she muttered, swallowing hard.

The hands on the clock came to a standstill. Her breathing paused as she peered at the bewildered expression on Jovanis’ face. He was stunned and angry. She knew him well enough to spot the emotions plaguing him.

“You fucking that nigga for real?” he questioned just above a whisper.

Devastation suddenly inhabited him, yet he didn’t loosen his grip. “You got me fucked up!” He pushed her into the wall, inciting a yelp.

“Get off of me!” she bellowed.

“Out of all the niggas! You really fucking around with him!” he yelled. “You gon’ disrespect me like that, Irish! I thought we were better than that!”

“Fuck you!” She clawed at his face.

“Oh, hell no!” She heard a voice.

Within minutes, an arm snaked around Jovanis’ neck. “Get the fuck off my sister!”

Irish had never been so relieved to see Ivory. She repeatedly struck Jovanis in the back of his head while Irish muffed his face again. Within seconds, he released her as Irish ran into the living room. Jovanis slung Ivory off his back and stalked after her.

“This what you’ve been doing behind my back? You got that mothafucka sending shit to my house? Fucking disrespecting me!”

Irish jumped behind the couch, hoping that would’ve been enough to stop him. She was so distracted by Jovanis’ pursuit of her that she didn’t notice Ivory come out of the kitchen, holding a butcher knife.

“You touch my sister again and I’m going to slice you the fuck up!” Ivory declared.

Jovanis glared at her before his seething gaze landed on Irish. “You ain't shit, Irish!”

“Excuse me!” Her eyes ballooned. “After all the shit I’ve done for you, you're going to fix your lips to tell me that?”

He shook his head, pinching his bottom lip in deep thought. “You told that nigga my business?”

“What the fuck is going on?” Ivory questioned, looking at Irish then Jovanis.

Irish nibbled on her bottom lip, knowing exactly what he was referring to. How could she reveal that Noble already knew of his sexuality? It would kill Jovanis, and Irish knew that.

“Did you?”

Her gazed descended since she couldn’t bear to look him in the eye. “…He already knew.”

Quickly, they locked eyes before Jovanis flipped the table. Ivory let out a scream as Irish cowered in the corner. In pure terror, they watched him destroy the entire living room. Couches were tossed, picture frames broken, while glass scattered across the shiny hardwood floors.

“You told that nigga? You really went and fucked me over like that?” he shouted.

“He already knew!” she screamed.

“Bullshit! You told him, Irish. I ain't no fucking fool!”

“Told him what?” Ivory asked confused.

Irish shook her head, slowly approaching a frazzled Jovanis.

“Listen to me, I would never tell your business. He already knew. I don't know how because he refused to tell me. But he knew, Van. It wasn’t me.”

Tears gathered on the brim of his reddened eyes. He was so hurt, so broken that Irish wished she could’ve wrapped her arms around him. Still, she was no fool. He was a ticking explosion ready to detonate at a moment’s notice.

“Fuck!” he whispered, resting his hands on top of his head.

“Is anybody going to tell me what’s going on?” Ivory demanded.

“Sis, it’s okay. Just give me and Jovanis time to talk right now.”

Ivory defiantly shook her head. “Hell no! He was just trying to choke you. I don't trust him right now.”

Jovanis kicked over a vase before shaking his head. “Damn, Irish… you really fucked me over.”

“It wasn’t intentional. It just happened, Van.”

His gaze seared into her. “It just happened? You really gon’ tell me that? So what? You love this nigga?”

Her mouth clamped closed as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“Do you love that nigga?” he interrogated her.

“I do.”

Irish couldn’t afford to suppress her desires anymore.

She was done putting Jovanis first. She had been his confidant since they were teenagers.

Irish was ready to move on. She had a life awaiting her with a man that she adored.

Giving that up for Jovanis was a tall order she couldn’t fulfill.

For the first time in her thirty-two years, she was choosing herself.

Ivory gasped. “Irish, you’ve been dealing with another man?”

She nodded, unable to voice her betrayal. On the outside looking in, she appeared to be an unfaithful wife, who had just destroyed her husband. However, their arrangement was far more intricate. Jovanis was a closeted gay man, and Irish was a long-suffering wife, who wanted to be loved.

“Fuck,” he gritted. “So, now what?”

“Irish, you cheated?” Ivory asked, still stuck on that fact.

“Now what!” Jovanis hollered.

“I want to—”

Before she could utter the words, Jovanis approached her. He stood in her face while Ivory hurried over with the knife still in her hand.

“I’m not ‘bout to do shit to her!” he spat.

“I don't trust you, so I’ma be right here to make sure you don't touch her.”

She loathed how Ivory felt the need to be her protector in this moment.

“Me and you.” His hand skated back and forth between the two. “We locked in, Irish. Do you remember we made that promise to each other? ‘Til death do us part, baby. We done been through some shit, and we done did some shit. Remember that.”

Irish’s eyes widened as he backpedaled toward the door.

“Remember that, Irish,” he repeated. “We in this shit for life, baby. Nobody is going to come between us.”

Tears welled in her eyes as her throat ached profusely.

She wanted to scream out in agony because his reminder was one that haunted her.

They’d been through so much and those times weren’t always pretty.

There were moments they had gotten dirty, and the stains were still present.

No amount of years would erase their bond, trauma, and tragedy.

The door slamming caused Irish’s body to jolt. Ivory dropped the knife on the ground and rushed over to her.

“Did you really cheat on Jovanis?”

Irish turned to her, eyes glossy from the tears that refused to fall. “We have an open marriage.”

That was the best Irish could come up with. Ivory was her baby sister, who she had practically raised. Still, she couldn’t out Jovanis no matter what.

Gasping, Ivory quickly covered her mouth in utter shock. “Open marriage. How come I didn’t know any of this?”

“It was supposed to be between me and Van.”

“So, why is he mad?”

“Because of the person I chose.”

“Who is it?”

Irish sighed, not in the mood to be interrogated. “Right now, Ivory, I can’t talk. Just give me a minute.”

Irish stepped over the mess Jovanis had created and went to her bedroom.

As soon as she shut the door, she fell to the ground and sobbed uncontrollably.

It was the kind that made her body quiver and her breath hiccup.

She was hurt; in a pain that Tylenol couldn’t soothe because she knew she had to let go of what she desperately wanted.