Raw & True

o03.

Chapter Three

(Marley Wright)

Thursday, April 20th 2017

"Finally, I get a lunch date with my girl."

I sat down across from Carter and rolled my eyes. We had decided to meet up at a little diner across from my shop for lunch but I was already itching to leave.

"You gonna be petty today, or are we going to enjoy lunch together?" I asked with much attitude.

"We can enjoy lunch together." He chuckled while looking through the menu.

"Good idea."

We sat in silence until the waitress approached the table to take our orders. I ordered a personal pizza pie with no cheese, olives, onions, tomatoes and bell peppers and a lemonade to drink. I also made sure to ask for a box to put the rest of my pizza in because I knew I wouldn't finish the pie. I never did. I don't know what Carter ordered because I received a text from Micah Jr. when he was ordering. Micah was letting me know that his car was acting up but that he and Miracle would get a ride from Elijah and for that, I was thankful. I didn't want to have to leave work to pick them up today; it was Thursday and believe it or not, a big-money day for the salon.

For the past three days, Micah had been leaving school and going straight to Elijah's shop to work. From my understanding, Elijah wouldn't be back at the shop until this Saturday since tomorrow was his last day working at the school. For now, Micah was working beside Elijah's older cousin, Xavier, who was apparently as cool as Elijah, according to Micah. I was just happy to have positive role models around him while my brother was going through this rough patch. My younger brother, Moriah, was always busy with school and at 21, I couldn't expect anything else from him, but he promised to come by the house this weekend for family dinner since we both conveniently missed the one my mother had, the weekend the kids came to stay with me.

The waitress coming back with our food took me out of my thoughts. When I looked up at Carter, he was giving me an unreadable look. I wasn't trying to figure out what his problem was. Honestly, for the past two almost three weeks since my niece and nephew had come to live with me, he'd been an asshole and I wasn't here for the stupidity.

"Who you over there texting?" he asked as I took a bite out of my pizza.

"MJ..." I replied dryly once my food was down.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if I fit in this...this thing you got going on now."

I literally had to bite down on my tongue to keep from cutting into this guy's ass right now. I cut my eyes at him and shook my head.

"This thing? My brother being in rehab and me taking care of my niece and nephew until he's home and better isn't a thing you asshole; it's called looking out for family," I scoffed.

"I didn't mean for it to come out that way, baby. " He reached across the table and attempted to grab my hands. I snatched them away from him with my lip turned up. "Look, I just think that with all these new responsibilities, you don't really have time for a relationship." Who was he to tell me what I had time for?

"Are you done?" I asked, pretty much over this entire lunch date, if that's what we were still calling it.

"When's the last time we had sex, Marley?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"You shitting me, Carter?" It took everything in me to not reach across the table and slap him. "That's what's got your panties all in a bunch? Sex? A week without sex is too much for you? And how can you not understand that I don't want you in and out of my house while my 15-year-old niece is staying with me?"