Page 49 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

“Twice. Only twice.”

“Was the first time after we started dating?”

He nods, pulling on the strap of his eye patch.

My mouth goes dry. How I’m still hurt by this, who knows.

“And the second time?” I ask.

“Reem had got put on. I needed to make sure that he would be able to leave too, when the time came, so I did what I needed to do.”

“And when was that?”

He bites the corner of his lip, before sighing. “That night… we all stayed at your house. That time before Labor Day Weekend.”

It takes a second, but that night comes to my mind’s eye. I scratch the top of my head as I regard him. “You came to my house… with your friends… after fucking that lady?”

The pink of his tongue peeks out before he nods.

And I’m up.

But I guess I’m done getting the one up on Rico, because he’s up, too, grabbing my flying fists, and twisting us around until he’s bear hugging me from behind.

His bare chest is heated on my back, but it’s no time to even lose myself in the feel of him. How long has it even been since he’s been this close?

Well, if we’re counting when he was trying to kill me, only a couple days.

“I fuckin’ hate you!” I shriek, trying with all my might to get out of his hold.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

His apology feels like a kick to the gut.

He takes advantage of my momentary lapse by caging my arms to my chest with his arms. His big, stupid chin clamps down on my shoulder, and he moves with me when I try to headbutt him.

“You gotta calm down so you can listen.”

He squeezes me tighter, lowering us onto the floor, leaning onto the bottom storage of where he was sitting before.

I’m in his lap, my head resting in the column of his throat as my breath slows with each exhale. My eyes flutter closed, and after a moment, we breathe in sync.

The sunset casts purples and oranges into the boat. I turn my head so it’s not in my eyes, and melt into his embrace.

He keeps his iron grip on me, even though I have no more energy to hurt him physically.

Not anymore.

“Are you listening?” he murmurs, his lips close to my ear.

I nod once, as tears gather in my eyes.

“Snow, I’ve never been a nigga to apologize. But I am sorry. I’m sorry for lying, for cheating, and burning you. I’m sorry for shooting at you. I’m sorry for everything, man. All the shit you’ve done… started with me. I know I said we started over, but we couldn’t do that until I apologized. I shouldn’t have ever even got at you.”

A wail lodges in my throat. Where would I be if Richard Alvarez never asked to pull up on me almost twenty years ago? What type of fucked up alternate universe is that?

I can never bring myself to regret him. Even if that meant I’d never get this anticlimactic apology. He absolutely should have still barged into my life. No matter what came of it.

I move my hands until they’re cupping both of his arms, anchoring myself to him.