She stood, shifting from foot to foot, as an insatiable throb filled her clit. “I don’t want to think about anything but what’s happening right now,” she said.

She approached him, and he stepped back, confusing her as she frowned. There was alarm in his expression.

“I thought,” she paused, as she ran a hand through her hair. “Wait, what’s happening right now?” she asked, suddenly confused. They had been in a vibe, she had felt it, she knew he had felt it.

So, what’s with the disappearing acts? She thought. Rejection was worse than loneliness, and suddenly, she felt humiliated. Maybe I’m misreading the signs, she thought.

“This isn’t right,” Ethic said. “I shouldn’t have let it get this far.” He ran his hands down his head and then his face, as if he were kicking himself, regretting every moment he had spent with her.

“What’s not right about it, Ethic?” Alani asked. “I know what I want. Right now, I want you to fuck me.” He knew she was angry because sweet Alani had turned into kick ass Lenika, and all her frustrations were aimed at him. “Are you not attracted to me? Have I been imagining our chemistry? Cuz I’m going crazy right about now. So, if I’m misreading this shit, let me know.”

“It’s not about my attraction or the chemistry, Alani. It’s more to it than that,” Ethic stated.

“And more is bad?” Alani was lost. “I’m a grown woman, Ethic. I can handle it. I can handle you. What are you running from?”

She was chasing him now, desperately, and she felt pathetic for it. This sounded a lot like begging, and Alani had never begged a nigga for anything a day in her life. He had reduced her to the type of woman who didn’t allow a man to walk away. She couldn’t let him leave it like this, not without understanding, not without an explanation. They had enjoyed each other’s company for weeks. She had thought they shared a connection, that they were building something. Their chemistry was undeniable, but still, he was spinning her. As he walked away, he wouldn’t even bless her with an answer.

Her confusion turned to aggression, and she pushed his back, as he headed for the stairs. Alani was angry that he had lifted her out of her sadness, that he had distracted her from the hurt, only to freeze up when it mattered most. She wasn’t asking him to love her. She was just asking him to stay, asking for one night, asking not to sleep alone because when she did she cried herself to sleep. He ignored her assault, as he kept marching toward the stairs.

“Ethic!”