That's when his phone buzzed on the nightstand.
I wouldn't have looked. Swear to God I wouldn't have. But the screen lit up and the name appeared before I could stop myself.
Sheree: I find it funny how you act like you dont know me now????
My heart dropped straight to my stomach. I stared at that message, reading it over and over. So you don't know me now. Like they had history. Like he'd disrespected her today by being distant. It was like she expected more from him.
I wanted to wake him up. Shake him. Ask him what the fuck this was about. Why this bitch felt comfortable texting him like that. What she meant by "now." But I didn't. Instead, I just laid back down, staring at the ceiling, Sosa's arm still draped over me.
I wasn't gon' say shit yet.
But I damn sure wasn't gon' forget it either.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Ya’Mya
I shoulda known this day was gon' end up pissing me off.
Me and Trigg was supposed to be spending the day together—just us. But then his sister called talking about she needed him to watch his niece Nova for a few hours, and of course he said yes. Which was cute and all, don't get me wrong. I loved seeing him with Nova. The way he held her on his hip, bought her little snacks, talked to her in that soft voice while she babbled back at him with her little sixteen month-old self. It made my whole heart melt.
But that wasn't the point. The point was we was at Target, cause apparently Nova needed diapers and some other shit and every time somebody looked at us, they probably thought we was a whole family. A couple. Together. Me pushing the cart with the diaper bag, him carrying Nova, her little hand patting his cheek while she said "Da-da" even though he wasn't her daddy.
But see that was the problem, we weren’t a couple. Cause after a whole fuckin' year, Trigg still ain't put no title on what we was doing.
"Aye, grab them Pampers," Trigg said, nodding toward the shelf while he adjusted Nova in his arms. She had her little fist wrapped around his chain, trying to put it in her mouth.
"Which size?"
"The purple pack. Size five."
I grabbed them and tossed them in the cart, watching as Nova reached for me. I took her from Trigg and she immediately laid her head on my shoulder, her little body warm and soft against me.
"She tired," I said.
"Yeah, she always crash around this time." Trigg looked at me and Nova, and something flickered in his light brown eyes before he looked away, his dimples showing when he smirked.
"Y'all look cute."
"Whatever."
"Nah, for real. You good with her."
I didn't respond. Just kept walking through the store with Nova in my arms, her little fingers playing with my hoop earrings. And I couldn't help but think about how this could be my life. Our life. If he would just stop being so fuckin' scared and actually commit to something.
We checked out and headed back to his car. a black Hellcat that he kept clean as hell. He put Nova in her car seat while I loaded the bags in the trunk. By the time I got in the passenger seat, she was already knocked out.
Trigg pulled out the parking lot, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on my thigh. He was wearing a red Jordan hoodie, black jeans, and red and black jordans. His waves was spinning, fresh from the barber, and his skin was that smooth toasted vanilla that looked golden in the sunlight. He was fine as hell. Nigga looked like he shoulda been playing ball somewhere. And I was so fuckin' gone over him it made me sick.
"You been quiet all day," he said, glancing at me. "What's good?"
"I'm cool."
"You lying."
"I'm not."
"Ya’Mya." He said my name like he always did, slow, with that little rasp in his voice that made my stomach flip.