Book 2 [ The Untitled Series ]

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Alexus

With Symonee gone, it was decided that I would manage both the corner store and clothing store in her place. Tyrone and Omar were talking like it would be a permanent position but i had faith that Symonee would come back and everything would go back to normal.

It had been four days since she'd left and shit was just weird. The only way Tyrone could cope with it was by pretending that she had never come to live with him in the first place. He was acting like eveything was normal, but he couldn't hide it with me. Every night when we went to bed, he would lay his head on my chest and tell me a story from Symonee's childhood. I could hear the pain in his voice. But come morning he would act like he wasn't bothered.

Dryan was slowly slipping off a ledge, and I couldn't imagine what it would look like when he finally fell off completely. He was in the streets almost all day everyday and wouldn't go to his own home. Instead, he was staying with Leon. Leon did nothing to help Dryan get his mind right. Instead, they would work together and afterward, drink and party together- because even though Leon was in counseling he hadnt completely gotten himself together.

I was disgusted by Dryan's actions but i couldn't blame him for being so broken up. He missed his woman, but even more than that he missed his kids.

If nothing else, I wished that Symonee would just bring the kids back to him but i knew she wouldn't.

After calling Symonee back to back, leaving a countless number of voicemails on her phone and then a countless number of texts in her inbox, I stopped. Clearly she didnt want to be reached. She wanted to be with her mother. And if that's what she felt she had to do to be happy then I was going to let her have it.

" did you hear me, Love? Alexus!"

" hmm?" I asked. I had zoned out at some point. Tyrone, and I were at what they called "the office". It was a house on the same block as Tyrone's house that he used to conduct business out of. I knew most business conducted in the office had to be illegal because not only was I not allowed in the basement, but i wasnt allowed on the second floor either.

The only reason they'd even let me inside was because I'd popped up on them unexpectedly. After Tyrone not answering my texts for a few hours I got irritated enough to leave work and find his ass. I didn't suspect that he was cheating or anything, I just wanted to see what was up.

When I knocked and Omar opened the door, he immediately called for Tyrone who dragged me back to a room in the back- set up more like an office than a bedroom, with a large desk and filing cabinets taking up most of the room- and closed the door.

" you didnt hear anything?" Tyrone asked from his place behind the desk. I had been staring out of the window over his shoulder.

" I heard the part about you not doing anything wrong, Yeah. I didnt think you were cheating or anything. I just get so nervous with you being away from me. Ever since we came back from the trip i just want to be around you all the time."

He smiled, a genuine smile. " stop acting like you love a nigga. You just using me for cake and consistent dick."

With all the recent events, mainly the one where Symonee accused me of being a leach and using her and her father, i didn't find his statement very amusing. I knew he was kidding though.

" you know I fucking love you and you love me. I'm still waiting on my house, Ty. Come on, where is it?" I asked jokingly.

" it's being remodeled."

He said it with such a seriousness that I scrunched my eyebrows up in confusion. Surely he wasnt serious.

" smile so I know you're kidding." I demanded.