Lighter Shade of Brown (Urban Fiction) BWHM

Chapter 10

With a long drawn out sigh, Tech reached out and brushed the tears from her face with the side of his index finger. When she flinched from his touch, he allowed his hand to drop. "Don't tell me these or for Gianni, girl." He rubbed his thumb over the wetness on his finger. "They'll be wasted for nothing if dat's who dey're for, lil' one. You heard me?"

"They're not." She lied, looking down at her hands clasped in her lap, wishing he'd just go and leave her the hell alone.

Ignoring her, he swung his gaze to the parking lot below. "Bet it has someting to do wit the chicken he left the spot wit last night," he muttered to himself as he shook his head. "Can't expect da boy to know how to treat a queen, when all he deals with are concubines."

Being reminded about before day this morning, caused another tear to trickle from the corner of her eye. Once again she buried her face in her hands.

"Aw girl!" Tech said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and drawing her to his chest. "Erry tings gonna be alright. You just gotta learn to protect ya heart. Don't toss it to erry grinnin' snake ya see." He pushed her away some to stare down into her face. "Ain't ya momma given you da game already? Taught you the difference 'tween a boy and a man's mind?" He stared at her so hard his hazel eyes became laser focused slits of light.

"Like how boys only want one thing and grown ass men want the same thing even more?" She asked, swiping at her face.

Tech laughed. "Guess I forgot who yo' momma was."

"Yeah, guess you did," she mumbled, ducking from under his arm, not appreciating him making a joke of Liberty. Especially, since she already had that on lock.

"Listen here, Babygirl." His tone became, stroke level, serious as he reclined back, resting his elbows on the step behind them. Stretching out his long legs, he crossed them at the ankles. "A boy wants to fuck a hole, get his wherever he can, and den roll out with the fellas. A man...," He stroked her upper arm with the pad of a finger. "Do whatever to get the job done. Put in work on more dan just a nut. Men take care of der women, worship dem like a religion. Provide for dem, and even after all dat, men still love dey women like there's only today, fuck a tomorrow." His nostrils flared and the veins in his neck stood at attention, betraying his mode, which was clearly in force.

Cleo's neck rolled backwards, as she watched him as if he were a rabid junkyard dog just off the chain. "So what you trying to say he the boy, and you the man?" What was this shit really about?

Tech shrugged as he blew a dread off his forehead. "You tell me, Queen Cleopatra. Am I the man?"

"Well what the fuck is goin' on here?" Liberty asked, kicking the bottom of Tech's shoe. "Why you all up here in my girl's face, ain't you damn near twenty, boy?" She demanded, putting an emphasis on the word boy.

"Seventeen." Tech corrected, pulling his legs up and planting them on the step below him.

Liberty swayed from side to side, swatting at a fly that had been crazy enough to get too close to her. "What?"

"Just turned seventeen a week ago."

"Yeah well you look like a grown ass boy. And I don't want you up here." Liberty waved her arm wildly at the screen door. "Sniffin' around my girl, I don't care how much dope you serve, now get your Fugee, wanna be ass up outta here before I pull it and cock it in-,"

 Before she could finish her rant, her eyes bulged from her sockets and her hands flew to her mouth as grayish white chunks oozed between her fingers. Whirling away, she vomited over the iron rails of the stairs. Cleo leaped from her seat to yank Liberty's long genie ponytail out of the way, shaking throw up from the frayed ends of the weave. Still dry heaving, Liberty slumped over the rail, her body inches from going over. Letting the ponytail drop she snaked her arms around her mother's waist and clung to her not caring she was at risk of going over with her. Out of nowhere a pair of arms wrapped around both her and Liberty, yanking them away from the rail. He deposited her on the stairs and yanked a passed out Liberty up in his arm.