Page 29 of Certified To Handle You 2

“And don’t forget either, bitch.”

“I won’t,” I promised.

She leaned over and hugged me one more time before lettin’ me go.

“I love you, cousin.”

“I love you too.”

I grabbed my purse, climbed out the truck, and watched her pull away before I turned toward the hotel entrance.

By the time I unlocked the room door and stepped in, the TV was still on, and Couture was layin’ in the bed with his back turned toward the door. He never rolled over, asked where I had been or said my name.

I quietly sat my purse down, took a quick shower, put on a pair of sweatpants and one of my oversized T-shirts, then climbed in bed next to him.

Normally, I would’ve wrapped my arm around him or scooted close enough to feel his body against mine. Right now, I couldn’t do it, so I stayed on my side of the bed while he stayed on his.

The only sound in the room was the TV and him breathin’.

I ain’t know if he was sleep or pretendin’ to be. But somewhere deep inside, I couldn’t shake the feelin’ that he knewsomethin’ between us had changed. Maybe he couldn’t name or prove the shit.

At the same damn time, I knew love had a way of noticin’ the smallest changes, and for the first time since I landed in Trill-Land, I admitted somethin’ to myself that I couldn’t keep runnin’ from anymore…

I couldn’t keep livin’ between two niggas forever. Sooner or later, one decision was gon’ break somebody’s heart, and if I waited too long to make it, I was afraid I was gon’ break all three of ours.

I had only got about two hours of sleep and was already up, movin’ around the hotel room with my mind still all over the place.

The room was quiet except for the bathroom sink runnin’ while Couture brushed his teeth.

I had already folded the last few pieces of clothes and shoved them in my suitcase, but I kept glancin’ toward the bathroom ‘cause somethin’ about Couture felt off.

He usually moved different with me in the mornin’. Even if he was tired or half sleep, he would still come kiss my forehead, pull me against him for a minute, or ask if I needed somethin’ before he started gettin’ himself together.

This mornin’, he ain’t do none of that shit…

He moved past me without touchin’ me, opened bags without sayin’ nothin’, and kept his attention on everything except me. Every time I looked his way, he either had his back turned orhis eyes somewhere else, and the silence between us started botherin’ me more the longer it went on.

The fucked-up part was, I already knew why it was botherin’ me.

Guilt had me studyin’ every move Couture made ‘cause I kept feelin’ like he knew somethin’. I ain’t have no proof that he knew, but after what happened with Renza, my mind was lookin’ for signs everywhere.

Couture could’ve simply been tired, but I kept takin’ his quietness personal ‘cause I knew what I had done while he was layin’ in this same room waitin’ on me.

When he stepped out the bathroom with a towel in his hand and walked past me again, I finally reached for his arm.

“Couture, what’s goin’ on with you?” I asked, turnin’ him back toward me before he could keep walkin’.

He looked down at my hand on his arm, then lifted his eyes to mine. His mouth was tight, and the look on his face made my stomach drop ’cause he looked completely over me.

“What you mean?” he asked, but the way he asked it ain’t sound right.

“You know what I mean. You been movin’ around here like I ain’t even in the room. You ain’t kissed me, asked me nothin’, or said more than two words since you got up.”

Couture tilted his head a lil’ and bit down on his bottom lip like he was tryna hold back everything he really wanted to say. I let go of his arm, but I stayed right in front of him ‘cause I wasn’t about to let him keep movin’ around me without tellin’ me what the hell was wrong.

“You mad ‘cause I came in late?” I asked. “If that’s what this is, then say that.”

He stared at me for a few seconds before lookin’ away, and I ain’t gon’ lie, that shit made my nerves worse.