Nel furrowed his brow, turning to look at me fully. "Wait... you really think you’re the family disappointment?"
"Nel, you know I am," I said, staring at the scuff marks on the terminal floor. "Everyone was so hyped about my scholarship back in the day. I was headed to Howard. Everything was mapped out, and then in one night, that was all taken away over some beef I didn’t even realize Prez had. Sometimes I wonder how different my life would be if I never got shot."
The memory of that night still tasted like copper in my mouth.
"You remember," I continued, my voice dropping an octave. "You and I were already discussing ways for me to break up with Prez before I left for D.C. I should have done it sooner. I should have walked away the second I felt things getting heavy."
"You can’t keep living with that regret, Nique," Nel said softly, reaching over to squeeze my hand.
"I know," I sighed, leaning my head back against the seat. "But I just feel like I’m so behind in life. I feel like if I’d been able to go to Howard like I was supposed to, my business would be so much bigger. World wide probably because I would have actually taken business classes. I wouldn't be figuring this out as I go."
I paused, a thought I’d been suppressed for years finally slipping out. "Dex and I probably would have fell in love for real back then. Amina would have never had a chance."
Nel went quiet for a second, a slow smirk spreading across his face. "Wait a minute, girl. Let me find out you still got it bad for Mr. Nash. I’ve been wondering why you called him instead of one of us to bail you out. I know you weren’t that damn mad at us."
I opened my mouth to defend myself, to tell him it was just a business decision, but the words died in my throat. I looked toward the terminal entrance, expecting to see Dex walking in alone, looking for me. Instead, I saw the parade.
Dex was there, but he wasn't alone. He was hauling suitcases with his mother on one side and Amina on the other. They were laughing, whispering, looking like a portrait of the "perfect family" I’d spent years convincing myself I didn't want.
Amina reached out and touched his arm, her hand lingering there with a comfort that only comes from years of history. Seeing them together didn’t just hurt; it felt like a confirmation of every insecurity I’d just confessed to Nel.
I wasn't the girl with the clean slate and the easy path. I was the one with the complications and a fresh court date, watching the man I’d finally started to trust play his part in a story that didn't seem to have a role for me.
I turned my head back to the window, staring hard at the planes on the tarmac. The flight hadn’t even boarded yet, and I was already wishing I’d stayed in Mobile.
"Well, damn," Nel muttered, his smirk vanishing. "I see he’s back to straddling the fence. I was rooting for him, but he always disappoints."
"I don’t know why he tries to pretend he doesn’t want her," I whispered, the bitterness coating my tongue.
Nel squinted at them, studying the way Dex was moving. "Maybe he doesn't. She’s talking his ear off, but his eyes are locked on you, Nique."
I looked again, and sure enough, Dex was staring straight at me, ignoring whatever Amina was chirping about. He started walking toward us, his stride purposeful.
"I get it, though, sis," Nel teased, trying to lighten the mood as Dex approached. "I would have called his ass to bail me out, too. I’d love to be his princess in distress. Who knows? Maybe you and Amina could be sister wives."
"Nigga, I’m already still mad at you about inviting Stella," I snapped, cut-eyeing him. "Keep playing with me and I’ll ignore you this whole trip."
Nel immediately made a motion like he was zipping his lips and throwing away the key just as Dex reached us. He didn't even wait for an invitation; he plopped down in the empty seat right beside me, his presence taking up all the air in my personal space.
The heat radiating off him made my stomach flip, and not in a good way. Less than twenty-four hours ago, he was standing in a courtroom for me. Two days before that, we shared a hotel bed,and he was treating my body like it was his favorite addiction. Now, he was here as part of a trio, and I felt like a side-story he’d paused so he could get back to his real life.
"Get that look off your face," Dex said, his voice low and vibrating. "It’s not what it looks like."
I didn't even turn my head to look at him. I just kept my eyes on the tarmac, my shoulders stiff. "It looks like you showed up with your family," I said, giving a small, careless shrug that I didn't actually feel.
"Nique—"
"I’m just here for the wedding, Dex. Who you bring to the airport is your business."
Dex leaned in closer, his shoulder brushing mine. The scent of him threatened to break through the wall I was trying so hard to build. He lowered his voice until it was a low vibration only I could feel.
"You better be glad your brother is sitting right there," he murmured, his eyes dark and intense. "Or I’d tell you exactly what I plan to do to that smart-ass mouth once we get to Mexico."
I felt the heat rush to my cheeks before I could stop it. I wanted to snap back, to tell him he didn't have that kind of pull anymore, but the words got stuck in my throat.
“Attention passengers, Flight 1422 with service to Houston is now beginning the boarding process…”
The overhead announcement shattered the moment. Houston was just the first stop. Tulum was waiting after that, and so was he. Distance was not going to save me, not when he was already this close, already this deep under my skin.