Tinder, Love and Care

18. Flashbacks

"Yea, I just wanted..." Jabari's words trailed off as he finally realized I wasn't alone. "I wanted to come by before you left."

Both men seemed to be sizing up the other and neither was happy with the result. There was no clear winner, no "You're #1!" banner on top of one of their heads.

The longer they looked at each other, the more I felt like crawling in a hole and hibernating each and every one of my problems away.

"Oh, that's so nice. Isn't that nice, Justice?" I gently took the flowers from Jabari with an overly big smile on my face. I was hoping it covered up the panic and awkwardness I was feeling. "I have to go to bed now."

I quickly dapped up each man before me, and normally, I would've found it hilarious how confused they looked at my actions. Except the world was currently plotting on my downfall.

Which is why I tripped in my rush to get in my building as fast as possible. From some small stroke of luck, I managed not to fall on my ass, but I could still hear them both chuckling softly behind me.

Kill me now.

🦋

I sighed as I watched the ceiling fan of my childhood room slowly rotate. Thoughts of Justice and Jabari plagued me as I lay there.

"You're sighing." My best friend commented, looking up from his phone to shoot me an unimpressed look.

"Wow, Darnell, your power of observation is astounding." Slow applause filled the room that paired with my sarcasm.

"And your closed mouth won't get fed by annoying me with sighs 'till I ask."

He was right, of course, but that didn't stop me from pouting at the ceiling.

Darnell and I had been thick as thieves since my freshmen year of high school. We both always said that we were just meant to be friends. Shit, we were even sister signs.

We didn't talk nearly as much as we used to, but the bond had always been there. My platonic soulmate through and through.

So now that the topic was in the air, there were so many things I wanted to say until I just settled on one sentence.

"Men suck."

Darnell sighed heavily before setting his phone on my bedside table before leaning back in my corner hammock chair.

"What they do this time?"

I'd been updating him throughout the semester on the highs and lows that came with being involved with two men. Darnell wasn't on anyone's team except mine, but I had a sneaking suspicion that he preferred Justice.

"Well, Jabari took me out to lunch a few days before I left."

The previous week

I don't know why I even agreed to go with him.

Well, technically it was Olivia practically shoving me out the door when I told her about it, even though Jabari wasn't picking me up until the next day.

But deep down, I think it had more to do with fear and curiosity. Jabari had always been an option when I didn't think there was one, and as much as I hated it, I was a bit too forgiving for my own good.

"What do you want to eat?" Jabari's voice brought me back to the present as we sat across each other.

I hadn't even touched my menu while he seemed to be using it as a distraction from the big ass elephant in the room.

"Do you really want to talk about what I want to eat?" I deadpanned... okay, I might not be as forgiving as I thought.

It was silent for a few minutes as Jabari returned to scanning his menu as I picked at the fraying plastic that covered mine. I'm sure even the waiter could sense the uncomfortable tension as he took our orders.