"How a pretty girl like you don't have a man?",Santiago said.

"The same way a guy like you doesn't have a girl",I said looking at him. He walked me to his all black Mercedes benz and opened the door open for me. When I sat down, I watched as he walked over to the driver side of car. He walked with a lot of confidence and I wasn't hating it at all. He drove with one hand on the wheel and was a fast driver I could tell.

"Ima bring you to one of my favorite spots. They got the best food",he said.

Moments later he pulled up at a nice, small restaurant. "This is extra fancy don't you think?"

"If you say so. Let me get the door for you",he said hopping out the driver side.

He led me inside the restaurant and the moment we got in, a short, elder lady with long gray hair came up to hug him and said something to him in Spanish I assume. "Abuela this is Khia",he said introducing me. I held out my hand for a handshake but she pulled me into a hug instead.

"How are jou?",she said with a thick accent.

"I'm fine. Thank you",I said smiling.

"Ven Ven. Siéntate aquí",she said motioning her hands for me to come sit.

She pulled out a chair for me to sit in.

"hacer que se sienta cómoda hijo",she said to Santiago. I had no clue what she was saying but he was smiling. He pulled up a chair and sat across from me.

"So is this a family restaurant?",I asked him.

"Yeah this my family's restaurant. My father owns it and he wants me to take over for him in the future but I'm just not trying to do that."

"Why not?"

"I got other plans. I'm not in my Major for no reason."

"True. I think they'll love it if you did take over."

"If I do decide to, it'll be a side hustle not my main job."

Just then his grandma came out with what looked like patties and put them on the table.

"You ever had empanadas before?"

"No is that this?"

"Yeah try one."

"Only if you try one too."

"I ain't got no problem with that. I could eat 10 of these",he said grabbing one with a napkin. I took one as well and bit into it. It was really good.

"What's the stuff inside of it?"

"Chicken. You like it?"

"Yeah it's amazing."

After we ate, he dropped me home and walked me to my front porch. I was surprised. I forgot to know what it's like to have someone walk me to my door. Which is sad, I know. "See you around school",I said to him.

"Yeah. Now that I know where your classes are I definitely will",he said smiling with his pearly whites. I closed the door and stood behind it. Santiago was one Dominican hottie and I couldn't believe he was seriously into me. Out of a million girls on campus, he noticed me. I didn't know why. "Who is that in my driveway?",my mom startled me coming from her room.

"My friend mom",I said walking past her. She looked through the blinds and I thank God santiago's car had black tinted windows.

"Better not be that boy trey."

"Mom, it's not",I said rolling my eyes.

"Good for nothing boy with his fancy car and fancy house." My mom hated trey with a passion and it was partially my fault because I let her see me crack. By that I meant she saw when I was crying over him. He moved on and so should she....and apparently so should I. Its just harder for me than anyone else because I decided to wear my heart on my sleeve and settle for less. I went to my room and checked my phone. A bunch of missed calls and unanswered texts from trey.

I called him back and he answered on the first ring.

"Hey",i said.

"Sup",he said dryly. That's how I knew he was mad at something.

"Nothing much. I just got home, I had a long day at school."

"Where you been?"

"I just told you I had a long day at school."

"That's the story you wanna stick with?",he said.

"Unless you got a different story, yes."

"I saw you hop in homeboy car after school."

"Did you follow us too?",I said smartly.

"Nah. I ain't no stalker."

"So are you mad?"

"Mad is a understatement babygirl."

"Shouldn't be. It's not like you caught your girlfriend cheating on you with someone else."

"Might as well have. Makes me feel like if we was together, you would do that sorta thing."

"I do that 'sorta thing' when I'm single trey and that's what I am until further notice."

"Come over."

"For what? Sex?"

"Sex is the only thing we do?"

"That's the only thing we do when I go over there trey",I said bluntly.

"You comin or not?"

"Give me a couple mins",I said and hung up. I took a shower and threw on a pair of sweats and a black camisole. I told my mom I was going to ebony house and was out the door. When I got to trey's house, he opened the door for me.

"Do you not own a shirt?",I said coming in.

"I need to be comfortable in my own home Khia",he said kissing me on the cheek.

I sat on his black leather chair in the living room.

"You don't wanna go upstairs?",he said.

"No here is fine",i said. I looked around and on the table I saw a picture of him and his girl. That made me seriously want to get out but I decided against it.

"So why am I here?",I asked him.

"I knew from the day you told me you went to a party that somethin was up. You don't even go to parties so why did you go?"

"Because it was either stay home and ponder about thoughts of you and I or go to a party and enjoy myself and I did just that. I don't know why your acting like I'm obligated to you."

"You pushing this issue too hard",he said crossing his arms.

"How you have the choice to choose between someone you love and someone you don't and choose the person you don't love. What. Am I not petite like she is? I got too much junk in the trunk for you? You like a size double 0? Am I a shade a little too dark for your taste? Oh wait, it's cause I'm not rich. I don't even have a dad in my life that's why you didn't choose me. Like what is it with you? What is it in me that you don't like?!",I yelled.

"Baby no. It's not you. Your perfect your amazing. Your beautiful."

"But-"

"It's my family. My family has a role in who I decide to be with. I love my mom a lot and you know that. She's my queen and I value her opinion."

"Has it ever occur to you that she just doesn't like me?"

"Baby, your mom doesn't like me either if we being technical here. She can't stand to see my face."

"As she should. She saw her daughter get broken by a man that chose someone else. Who's mother wouldn't act the way she is."

"Your mother is too much. She's illogical and emotional. She thinks she's right about everything and she's not."

"Don't disrespect my mother like that."

"Baby hear me out. Im not disrespecting her by any means I'm just scared that you will some day inherit her traits."

"So you won't be with me because of my mom?",I said.

"No it's more than just your mom. Your not ready to be with a guy like me."

"The f... you mean I'm not ready to be with a guy like you? I've grown a lot."

"You should've grown already back when we could've been together. I'm just now seeing your growth and it's already too late."

"So ...for the second time your gonna break my heart."

"I'm not breaking it hun. Look at me",he said caressing the side of my cheek with his hand. I could feel myself holding back my tears.

"You will always have my heart. You was the last woman I fell deeply in love with and I'm still in love with you."

This was a roller coaster and I was so ready to get off.