"Damn nigga, this shit nice as hell. When it start looking this good in here?" Brandon asks when he sees my new and improved man cave.

"Man, Lani decorated and shit. I gotta admit though, she did a good ass job especially with the bar."

"Hell yeah, I might need to let her decorate mine cause my shit ugly as fuck."

Laughing at Brandon, I grab us a bottle of Dussé and two shot glasses while he starts rolling up. I grab my weed from under the bar cabinet and toss it on the table.

"How yo pops doing, D?" Brandon asks as we take a shot.

"He good, man. Got a lil nurse that he fucking on. That shit pissed me off cause I feel like my mama ain't been dead long enough for him to move on but it's whatever. I can't control what he do."

"Damn, that shit crazy, but you gotta think about it differently though. Him and yo mama been together for years so he's probably lonely. Imagine going from being with somebody everyday then all of a sudden you alone. That shit gotta be hard on him."

Thinking for a minute while I put the blunt up to my lips, I inhale the smoke slowly. "You right, man. Ian think about it like that. Anyway, so wassup with you? What you wanna talk about?"

"For the past couple days, Chanel been staying out late at night saying she handling business, but when I saw the notifications from her bank on her phone, it was all from restaurants. When she get home she be smelling like cologne and shit. That ain't sitting right with me because what if she cheating? We gone get married soon and I'm having second thoughts cause I think she playing me."

"Damn nigga, ain't no way she doing you like that. I know Milani got her location so ima get to the bottom of that shit for you. Ima see where she at, pull up, and figure out what the fuck going on. I can't let you go out sad." I tell him as I pour us another shot and change the song on the speakers.

"Preciate it, my nigga. Knowing what she on, gone give me peace of mind. I'm trying not to end the engagement, but she pushing it. It's already hard for me to trust and now she fucking with that."

"You know I gotcha. I understand that shit. Matter of fact, Ian even gone keep you waiting. I'm boutta go upstairs and get Lani phone. You wanna ride with me to see what Chanel up to?"

"Nah, Ian gone go cause if she is cheating I'll beat that nigga to sleep and Ian tryna end up in jail tonight. You mind if I chill here till you get back?" He asks as he lights another blunt.

"Nah, you know you at home here. Stay as long as you need to, my brotha."

Brandon nods as I head upstairs to our bedroom where I find Milani asleep peacefully. Deciding that I don't want to wake her, I grab her phone off the dresser and quietly put my shoes and jacket on. Going out to my car, I follow the location app on Milani's phone which leads me to a fancy ass restaurant where I see Chanel sitting outside on a heated patio with an old bald man.

The two of them laugh and talk for about 30 minutes then the waitress brings out the check. Chanel tries to pay, but the man stops her; offering his money instead. As they prepare to part ways, he gives Chanel a few hundred dollar bills and hugs her tightly then kisses her. I make sure to capture pictures of the scenes in front of me so I can show Brandon.

My next 30 minutes are spent following Chanel until she pulls up at yet another restaurant where her and another old man sit outside. I watch the encounter from across the street as the man reaches under the table, making Chanel laugh. She bends down as well and by the time they come up, her hair is messed up. Taking a picture of it, I watch him give her money and she kisses him in return; his lips trailing down to her neck. Snapping another picture, I pull off before I am caught then drive back to my house; only to be faced with Milani.

"Where you been and why the fuck you got my phone?" She says as she snatches it from me.

I mentally groan inside because I wanted to make it back here before she woke up. Now I gotta lie to her because I don't want her to know what I was doing. I know she'll tell Chanel if she finds out.

"I was out getting some air. I was tryna deal with the fact that my pops got another woman. Ian mention it but that shit really hurt me. I took your phone so you could get some rest. I didn't want nobody blowing you up." I sigh, trying to look distressed.

Milani wraps her arms around me and kisses my lips. "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I know you're lying about my phone. You took it because you thought I was cheating since I let that dude talk to me at the skating rink right?"

Shaking my head, I lie, "Yeah, you caught me. That's exactly why I took it. I didn't find anything though and I'm sorry I did that. I should've trusted you."

Rolling her eyes, she smacks me in the back of the head and tells me to tell Brandon that dinner is ready because apparently, he asked her to cook. Nodding my head, I walk down to my man cave and tell him to come eat.

"Y'all not gone eat at the table with us?" Milani asks as her and Tae sit down to eat.

"Nah, we gone go watch the game." I lie as I pile my plate up with fried fish, spaghetti, and garlic bread; grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator. "Thank you for the food, baby."

"You're welcome, but it was for Brandon. Not you. I'll cook for you when you learn to trust me."

As me and Brandon walk back to the cave, he asks me what that was all about.

"Nothing, I lied to her about the reason I took her phone. I told her it was because I thought she was cheating. I only said that because she brought up the fact that we had an argument about her letting a lame ass nigga talk to her at the rink. I bluffed his ass with my glock." I explain as I sit down to eat.

"Nigga, you better chill out with that bluffing. One day somebody gone pop yo ass for tryna play them. So what's the word on my woman?"

I hand Brandon my phone and let him look at the pictures while I continue eating. Moments later, he turns towards me with a heartbroken look on his face. "FUCK BRUH!!! I can't believe this shit! I gotta talk to her ass and get to the bottom of it."

"B, ain't no getting to the bottom of it. You see this shit with yo own eyes. She cheating on you! Ain't nothing else to talk about. You gotta make yo move, na." I shrug as I slip my phone back into my pocket. "So what yo move gone be nigga?"

Brandon sighs loudly, eating his food slowly. "You right, you right. Ian bout to sit around crying over her ass. Ima do me then break shit off with her. Lets go to the strip club when we get finished eating. I hope Lani don't be tripping."

"Nigga, Lani don't run shit. She can't tell me where I can and can't go. Ian that whipped, na."

"Yeah, whatever you say." Brandon laughs at me, but I can tell he's secretly hurting over Chanel. Ima make sure I get him right tonight tho.

We finish our food and I walk upstairs to change while Brandon heads home to do the same. After taking a long shower and getting dressed in a black t-shirt, black jeans, black bubble coat, Jordan's and a silver chain that matches my Rolex, I grab my keys and wallet.

"Bae, I'm going to the strip club with Brandon and I'll be back after while. You ain't gotta wait up on me." I say as I kiss her lips.

"Mhmm, if you come home smelling like them bitches, Ima have to whoop yo ass. Have fun."

"Never that, lil mama. I love you."

"I love you too." She says and follows me downstairs so her and Tae can play the game together.

The 25 minute drive to the strip club is smooth. Since it's so late there's not much traffic on the streets which means there's no cops lurking and waiting to pull folks over. Me and Brandon meet up at the door and walk inside; finding a table in the far back. While Brandon loosens up with a few drinks, I hire one of the best dancers to come to the table.

"Mmm two sexy ass men. Which one of you paid for the extra special package. It includes a naked dance from me."

"Well actually I was hoping my boy could get a lil more than that, if you know what I'm saying. My money good and I already know Chino be getting y'all girls tested. I seen yo records, you clean."

She smiles at me and bends down over me, resting her hands on my knees. "Drop me fifteen hundred and I'll make sure yo boy gets what he needs." She breathes in my ear and I pull out a stack, slipping it in her hand. "Now do yo thang." I tell her.

Walking over to him, she straddles his lap and starts kissing his neck; trying to kiss his lips but he keeps turning his head until I nudge him. "Remember what Chanel did to you. She ain't yours nigga so make yourself somebody else's."

Inhaling deeply, Brandon realizes I'm right and starts to loosen up, kissing her as he runs his hands down her body. The two of them start getting hot and heated so I stand up and start to walk around a bit with my drink in my hand.

"You look good." I hear a familiar voice say from behind my back then feel hands running down my chest.

I grab her hands and take them off of me, turning around to face her. "What you doing here, Ariyah?" She just smiles and pulls me into her. "I miss you, babe. I've been so alone since Holloway has been gone."

"Go find you somebody else to play with and keep yo hands off me before somebody sees you and tells my babymama. She gone beat yo ass and mine."

Ariyah's face distorts into a frown as her right eye twitches and a tear rolls down her cheek. "Babymama!!!? DRUMMER, what the actual fuck!!?! Why would you get that bitch pregnant? You know that's supposed to be my baby! You're supposed to be mine! You're giving her my life and everything I've ever wanted!! You don't see anything wrong with that!?"

"Naw bitch, ain't nothing wrong with that because it was never your life. If you could give him a child, I'm sure you would've had one long before I came around. All yo problems didn't come from me. They were there long before then, hoe." Milani says as she grabs me by the collar and pulls me behind her. "Oh and Air fryer , if I catch your hands on him again, it's gone be a problem."

"IT'S ARIYAH, BITCH!!" Ariyah yells out loudly, shaking violently.

Looking back, I see Chanel chewing Brandon out as Milani drags me out of the club then faces me with her arms folded.

"Milani, baby, what you doing here? Why you ain't at home in the bed?" I ask as I try to touch her, but she steps back.

"Fuck that, why the fuck you letting Brandon cheat on Chanel? We know plenty people round here and somebody sent us pictures of Brandon with that bitch and you with Air fryer!"

I laugh at the name she's given Ariyah, but she doesn't look amused at all. "Man, stop calling her that. I can't take you seriously when you do. Yo girl was cheating on him first. He's only playing the same game she's playing. Yeah, you thought I didn't know didn't ya?"

Milani ignores me and follows me back to my car so we can go home since Chanel was the one who drove them here and she's still inside with Brandon.

"Oh, so now you taking up for another woman, huh? What happened to us showing each other the same respect?"

"It's not like that, Lani and you know it. You saw me telling her to chill out." I say as I make a left turn. "So you gone ignore the fact that I know about Chanel cheating on Brandon?"

"Drummer, what the hell are you talking about? She's not cheating on him. She loves him more than anything. Where are you getting all these crazy ideas from?"

Pulling out my phone, I show Milani the pictures and she starts laughing hysterically as if she's heard the best joke ever. "What's funny?" I ask her, confused as hell.

"Chanel isn't cheating with these old ass men. These are her dad's friends. She's been planning him a surprise birthday getaway and collecting money because his friends offered to pay for everything. She told me all about each meeting. Her shoe broke and Mr. Earl went under the table to fix it. She knew he was old so she tried to stop him and fix it herself and bumped her head on the table. These men aren't kissing her lips, it's her cheeks. You just couldn't tell because you were so far away when you took these pictures." She explains and I start to realize I messed up.

"What about the nigga kissing her neck?" I say as I swipe to that picture.

"Mr. Lionel wasn't kissing her neck. He gave her a hug and his earring got stuck in her hair. Like I said, you couldn't see because you took the pictures too far away. I bet you showed them to Brandon didn't you?"

Rubbing the back of my neck, I sigh loudly. "Yeah, I showed him and he was gonna talk to her about the pictures, but I told him not to. I convinced him to cheat on her. Shit! I fucked up, Lani!!"

"Omg, that's why you took my phone! You used it to find Chanel's locations then lied to me about it. So not only have you fucked up with Brandon and Chanel, you've fucked up with me too." Milani says as she gets out of the car, slamming the door behind herself.

I walk inside behind her and try to follow her upstairs, but she stops me. "Nah, you're sleeping on the couch tonight."

"The couch, Milani? Be forreal. I know you don't think I'm finna sleep on the couch. This my damn house and I'll sleep wherever the hell I wanna sleep at." I tell her.

10 minutes later, I'm fixing my pillows and covers on the couch as I make myself more comfortable. My phone buzzes on the table so I pick it up and answer it; hearing sniffling on the other end.

"D, I fucked up. I should've never listened to you! Chanel explained everything right before she packed up her shit and left me." He sobs loudly. "What Ima do? I can't live without her, man."

"Brandon, I really didn't mean to fuck up yo relationship, but I don't think there's nothing you can do. If you can't get her back, you just gone have to charge it to the game and take yo L. I mean think about it, how mad can she be over a few kisses?"

"That's just it Drummer, it wasn't just a few kisses. After you left the table, me and ole girl went into a private room and fucked. We were just coming out when Chanel caught us."

"Damn nigga, yeah, ain't no getting her back. Don't even put yourself through the torture of tryna get her back. Just take some time to get over her then move on. That's the best thing you can do."

"I hear ya." He says before hanging up.

Putting my phone back on the table, I roll over multiple times and finally get confortable, but I can't sleep so I spend most of the night thinking about how I fucked up Brandon and Chanel's relationship.