Iman scoffed and stepped closer to Messiah. “I only ever want what’s best for her. Noah was best, so I fell back. You, you’re the worst type of nigga for her. You string her along and come and go as you please. You take advantage of feelings you know she hiding and do what you want with her body cuz you know she ain’t gon’ say no, then you make her watch while you love the next bitch. So nah, she ain’t yours. You put a baby in her and then disappeared for two years. Who the fuck you think was here making sure she made it through that clean? She buried a kid, man. A kid she should have never had cuz y’all just friends, remember? You had Ethic’s little daughter to focus on, so you shouldn’t have been focused over here. I had a feeling you were the reason she kept me at a distance. The whole friends bullshit. I bought it for a while, because I want to trust her, and she’s never lied to me, but it ain’t me she’s lying to. She’s lying to herself about you, but you ain’t gon’ hold it down with her. You ain’t gon’ rock with her the way she deserves. So what you here for? You playing. That’s what you doing. Playing games like a little-ass boy with my family. That girl is my family. She has my son. I’ma give her a life, a ring one day, my name, nigga, but I’ma need you to step out the way, and I’m tired of asking you nicely. You don’t want me to put it to you that other way.”

Messiah’s eyes flickered, a small fire erupting inside him at the notion of a threat. He saw no need for conflict, because Iman had it all wrong. Iman wasn’t describing them right. It wasn’t a love thing. It wasn’t anything. It was nothing, but somehow just the thought of her moving away was enough to unearth grief in him. If B left town, Messiah would lose a piece of himself. He wondered if she had felt this when he had gone away. Had she felt this sinking in her stomach for two years? It hadn’t even been five minutes of discovering her potential move and he was dying a little on the inside. Bleu was the most dependable and consistent friend he had ever had. She never failed him, never judged, never gave up on him. She was such an unconditional presence in his life. She was everything he needed, and he didn’t know it.

“We can do it however you want to do it, G. My burner show Cali love too. You ain’t exempt,” Messiah said. He was unmoved and unafraid, despite Iman’s extensive street pedigree.

“Messiah?”