“Shut up, Dorian,” Destiny huffed. He shook his head again but didn’t look back as he soundly shut his bedroom door.
She turned to him again, clearly determined to have an argument.
“And how do you know I didn’t ‘like you like that’ then, Brian? And even if I didn’t realize that I did like you, you knew that you had feelings for me, yet you still stayed involved with other women knowing that you did.”
He released a breath. He had absolutely no clue what she was even talking about at this point.
“What’s going on, baby?” he asked, looking her in the eyes. She was tripping and he didn’t know why, just that it obviously didn’t have anything to do with him.
“I’m just saying…” she said, shifting under the intensity of his gaze.
He didn’t look away as he waited patiently for her to tell him what was going on. He used the technique on her all the time and it almost always worked.
She sighed. “Lina texted me while you were sleep.” She looked away and he remained quiet, waiting for her to continue.
“She caught her boyfriend cheating on her last night.” She looked down at her food.
He sighed, studying her crestfallen expression.
“You know that has nothing to do with me and you, right?”
She met his eyes, her expression guarded. “I know. It’s just…”
“It’s just what, Destiny? Have I ever given you any reason not to trust me?”
She was biting her lip as he stared at her. He felt himself getting angry. She was displacing on him and it was irritating, especially because he went out of his way to make sure she never had to doubt him.
“I know but women are always swarming around you like...roaches or something,” she said, looking up at him.
“Roaches don’t swarm,” he said, shaking his head. “Bees swarm.” He stabbed another bite of food and chewed as she silently regarded him.
“Well, then like bees. Horny bees.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle before stuffing more food into his mouth.
“This isn’t funny, Brian.”
He glanced at her as he swallowed. “It is funny. You’re talking to me about horny bees right now. I wonder if bees even get horny? Or do they just instinctually mate?”
She pushed out a breath and rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you.”
“Then stop talking about horny bees,” he said, grinning as he took another large bite of his eggs.
“You’re just so sexy, Brian. And your eyelashes are so long and you look like a rogue Calvin Klein model. Or you know, a Polo model. Or something.”
She said it matter-of-factly and he grinned.
“You think I'm sexy?” he teased her, wanting to steer her away from this insane conversation. But she didn’t smile. She just kept looking at him, her face somber.
“I know this might sound insecure, or whatever, but it’s just like, women obviously want you all of the time. Like, everywhere we go it seems like there’s some thirsty-ass girl just waiting. And like I said, I’m not trying to sound insecure, but you are a man. I know it has to get tempting, especially with them throwing themselves at you all of the time.”
He shook his head, still concentrated on his food but she continued.
“And when you add in the fact that I do know you, I’ve known you forever and I’ve witnessed how quickly you get bored with women…”
She stopped and shrugged. She was so adorable but so damn infuriating at the same time. It pissed him off that she was even thinking like this. That after all he did to prove himself to her, one stupid-ass text from one of her dingy little friends could have her questioning their relationship. Honestly, it worried him. Maybe they weren’t on the same page like he thought they were. This wasn’t the first time that they’d had this kind of conversation, though the last time they had it he was hoping that would’ve been the end of it.
“I’ve told you before, you’re all that I want. I meant it then, the second time, the third time, the fourth time and I still mean it,” he finally said. He made sure she was looking him directly in the eyes as he spoke. “You. Only you. Yes, you know some of my history. We weren’t around each other during college or for the three years after I graduated, remember?”
“Yeah, but…”
“But whatever, Destiny,” he said, uncharacteristically cutting her short. “You know me well enough to know that I never would’ve pursued anything with you if I wasn’t totally committed to you. Only you. So yeah, sometimes girls flirt, but who cares? That’s life. People are attracted to other people sometimes, but it only means something if you act on it. And I know who I want.”
“So were you attracted to Tattoo Girl at the art show last night?”
He dropped his head into his hands and shook it, releasing a pent up breath. Had she not just heard anything that he’d said?
“Why, Destiny?” His voice was flat and his palms were still pressed to his eyes. He finally looked at her.