“It’s everything,” Morgan interrupted. She crossed the room and straddled him, removing the beer bottle from his hands. He was uncooperative as he leaned back against the couch. “Nobody compares to you. I don’t love anyone the way that I love you. I’ve felt a lot of things for a lot of people before, but never this. I love Messiah, I do; I can’t help that or stop that. It’s a history I can’t rewrite. Even if I could, I don’t know if I would because I wouldn’t know you, Ahmeek. If I didn’t hurt with him, I wouldn’t know what it feels like to heal with you. I have a situation with Bash. It feels like I can’t help that or stop that either. I’m sorry about all of that, but none of that stops me from thinking about you. I know I don’t deserve you. I don’t, because I’m wasting you, but every day, I think about you. Every day, I dream about you. Every other man that you think I put over you has created storms in my life. You’re the calm. You’re my peace. I just can’t get to you.”

Ahmeek’s head was leaned against the back of the couch, and Morgan leaned into him, resting her head over his shoulder. Ahmeek pulled her closer, one hand to the back of her neck, the other to the small of her back. He was so lenient with her. Hard to the world, fucking soft with this one girl. He hated it. His body went rigid as he slid Morgan out of his lap.

“Ahmeek…”

“You should go home to your fiancé, Morgan. Or Messiah. Or whoever you belong to, cuz it ain’t me.”

“I don’t know how to respond to you when you’re like this.”

“Ain’t shit to say. Show me. You staying or you going back to your nigga, Mo? Cuz unless you about that action, all these words are just words. You selling niggas dreams. I told you how I was going to be behind you. I will murder that nigga, Morgan. I don’t want to because it’s reckless, and it’s out of emotion, not necessity, but I will—but then what? Then there’s Messiah. A nigga you telling me you still love and one I can’t just put down. I can’t erase him, Morgan, cuz I love that nigga. He is me. A blood pact at ten fucking years old. The nigga DNA is somewhere in me. You got me out here at war with my man over you, and I’m like, fuck it, cuz you worth fighting for, but you ain’t even fucking here. You ain’t even mine. You ain’t nobody’s, Mo. You for everybody.”