Deceitful | Book 3

| E I G H T |

P R E S E N T
TERENY

Everything had grown silent while he placed his bags onto the ground. I took a deep breath, trying to brace myself. Part of me believed that I would never see him again. Part of me also believed that my family and I would be long gone out of Palatka before he was even released from prison. This was just crazy.

I watched him as he walked over towards my car, looking around as if he was expecting someone. I looked at Antoinette who had looked away from me without another word spoken. When I looked back out of the driver's side window, Tray had already come up, making me wind my window down.

He looked a lot more different than what I last remembered. He'd cut off his dreads and he looked much more older. His hands were in his sweatpants as he looked from his left and then his right before kneeling down to look inside of my car. I took a deep breath and then let it all out about to speak, but he beat me to it.

"Your husband know you here?" He asked me, sounding unfazed but curious at the same time.

"Nnnn- no." I stutter.

"What you doing around here? You ain't supposed to be on my side of town no way. You ain't scared you gon get busted round here?" He asked me, trying to sound intimidating. He was doing a good job too. This wasn't the Tray that I remember. This one is much colder.

"I...I- I was just...I just was wanting to know a few things that has been bothering me. And I- I heard some things from Bruce but he won't tell me all of it. I overheard him on the phone talking and I just wanna know what he's talking about." I was getting frustrated at how bad I was stuttering.

This man has seen me naked plenty of times. I've seen him naked plenty of times. And now, it's almost as if I didn't know this man from a can of paint. It just felt weird and the atmosphere was awkward. I came to get information, but now, I just wanted to get away from this man.

"Sss- sorry.." I put my car in drive, but before I could get my foot off the break, I felt Tray touch my hand and it shocked me.

I pulled my hand back and stared at him for a moment, trying to read him. But he was making it so hard for me. It was as if this man that I had all of these feelings for looked disgusting to me. I couldn't stand the sight of him and it bothered me to be here, staring at him.

This was a mistake.

"This was a mistake. I'm sorry." I say.

"Ask your husband about the skeletons in his closet. He should clean them out tonight before they come out on their own." Tray says to me mysteriously.

And this is my daughter's father? This man isn't anything like my daughter's father. I don't know this man.

"Excuse us, but we've really got to be going?" Antoinette interrupted.

"Fucking with you was part of the plan. Ask Cheri. She knows more than me." He smirked. And his smirk scared the hell out of me because he almost looked possessed.

"What do you mean?" I asked, curious to know.

"Look, as much as I wanna see you leave his ass, now just ain't the time, a'ight. Just go home." I looked at Tray, surprised. I thought he would've been ready to tell me something to ruin my marriage.

I was stuck in place and it seemed as if Tray was aggravated with me and didn't want me around and it kind of hurt my feelings. Looking down, I just shook my head and swallowed hard.

"Get the fuck outta here." I yanked my head back, a little taken back. I couldn't believe he was being like this towards me.

"Excuse me?" I ask.