"Does she know about me?"

Ashley and I were at her place lying down after some bomb ass sex. This girl was it, in every aspect. I'd been rocking with her on this level for a short little minute now. We'd known each other for years but just recently really connected. Starting off we were just cool as hell. Legit only friends cause I was stuck as fuck on Aria and trying to get with her. But one drunk night led to another and now we were here, and surprisingly I was always happy as hell to be in her presence.

So happy that one night I flat out just asked her to be my girl. Couldn't tell you where the shit came from or what made me ask but I did and she said yes. I don't know if it was the pussy or if she legit just brought a different vibe that I really was fucking with. I knew it was probably both.

I sighed as I pulled her closer to me, "not yet."

"Landon, you need to tell her. Y'all are about to have a baby and I'm not about to be a secret. If you still on her don't string me along." And that was her only downfall. At times I felt like she found herself comparing herself to Aria, and I knew that was all on me since she was someone I confided in about her. But the shit could get annoying.

I sighed, "if I wanted you to be a secret would I have asked you to be my girl?" A smile spread across her face as I continued, "and honestly you met Mink. So I know for fact she knows about you now."

She rolled her eyes. "But she also needs to hear it from you." I leaned up, "and she will, so chill out."

She leaned up, kissing me on the side of my mouth. "Landon, Landon, Landon. Who would have ever thought we'd be here?"

"In your bed? Oh I knew I was going to hit." I smiled as she hit me and a laugh escaped her mouth.

***

I didn't really feel the need to let Aria know so quick, but I knew Mink had more than likely already mentioned it and Ashley was adamant about me telling her so I went ahead and hit up Aria asking her to meet me at a food spot that we both liked. And without hesitation she told me she would.

I got to the restaurant before her so I went ahead and ordered our drinks as I scrolled through social media. She slid in the booth not too long after pulling my attention. "Hey!" She spoke with a small smile.

I smiled back as I locked my phone and sat it on the table. "What up? How are you? How's my baby?" My eyes went to what I could see or her belly momentarily before focusing back on her face.

"Good, and good," she said as she got situated. "How are you?" She questioned back.

"I'm good." The waitress came back to the table before we could really have any real conversation to greet Aria and we went ahead and put in our orders since we rarely changed what we got from here.

"So what's up?" she asked as she took a sip from her drink. "Inviting me out for food, is this good, is this bad?" She asked as her facial expressions changed.

"I just wanted to talk to you about a few things." I answered honestly.

She leaned back as she sat her drink back on the table. "A few things like what?"

I chuckled, I know she knew where I was going with this. "Ava, you." I lowered my voice a little bit, "my girl."

"Your what? I didn't hear the last thing you said" she smiled.

I chuckled as I licked my lips and looked at her, "I have a girlfriend Aria."

Her eyebrows went up as her eyes got wide. She nodded her head, "oh okay. This the girl you went on a date with?"

I nodded my head as I tried to gauge how she was feeling about the news. I know I had been on her heavy so I could only imagine how she probably furthermore felt like I was trash nigga. But it was what it was. I truly was only focused on trying to get her for a minute, wasn't about to do that shit forever.

"I'm just curious," she started, "but I just want to know when this happened? Like you've been telling me to end it with Jason, but yet you go out and get a girlfriend?" Her eyebrows were scrunched in, like she truly was confused.

I knew this was coming. "Aria, let's be real. How long have I been trying to make it work with you?" I questioned. She wasn't about to play this game with me.

She looked at me as she shrugged her shoulders causing me to laugh, she fucking knew. I nodded my head, "months on end. Shit, this whole fucking pregnancy. You had every excuse in the book to not be with me. I still even tried once you got with Jason. But you wasn't with the shits."

"So you hop in a relationship?"

"You thought I was going to chase you forever? Be real, I invested more time in trying to get you than I've ever invested in anymore. Period."

"And here I am done with Jason and now you're in a relationship?" She said with a laugh.

"Oh now you're done with Jason? I talked to you two days ago and you ain't mention that shit. Aria do you even want to be with me? Or do you like having me there just in case? You had amble time to make shit happen with us, I literally was waiting for your ass for months."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes as she looked down momentarily before looking back up at me. "So when did it happen?" She questioned.

"When did what happen?"

"When did you get with her? Like how long have you been dealing with her?"

"I mean does that shit even matter? Just know that it didn't happen overnight, granted it may seem like it. She was a friend first, been a friend for years actually."

The waitress came out placing our food on the table, pausing our conversation as she asked if we needed anything.

We started eating, neither of us saying a word but stealing glances at each other. I took a sip of my drink as I finished chewing, "look I get it if you're upset –"

She interrupted "I'm not upset, just flabbergasted."

I nodded in understanding and said nothing else about it as we finished our meals in silence. The shit was lowkey awkward.

The other day she was telling me to have fun on my date, and now she was sitting here acting like she was upset they I was actually dating the girl I took on the date.

"You say you not upset but you lowkey acting like you are." I stated once we were finished with our meals.

"Well I'm not." She stated blatantly. I didn't feel like she was being honest but I wasn't going to push it. "What happened with you and Jason?" I questioned instead.

She looked like she was debating if she wanted to tell me. "Aria." I demanded her attention as her eyes met mine.

"Wouldn't you love to know." She started, "I'm sure you are so intrigued by our downfall."

I laughed, "you're right I am intrigued by it because I told you to let that lame ass nigga go plenty of times, so I want to know why y'all ended it."

She rolled her eyes as a small smile graced her face before quickly disappearing. "Whole time he was with his baby mother still." She responded.

My mouth dropped opened as my eyes got a wide and I started laughing. Not purposely, but the shit just came out. She gave me an evil glare. "I'm sorry, it's not funny."

"It's not," she said seriously.

"How you find out?"

"His girl blew up my phone one night."

"Damn, you should listen to daddy more often," I smiled as she rolled her eyes at me.

"What he say?"

She chuckled as she rolled her eyes, "he told me that she was crazy and a liar."

I laughed thinking about how many times I told a girl that when I got caught in some crazy shit, when all else fails just make the other chick sound crazy. Shit works like a charm sometimes.

"You believe him?" I asked.

She straight faced me, "no, not at all."

"Damn, well I'm sorry to hear that."

"No you're not."

In a sense she was right, I wasn't a fan of Jason so I was happy she wasn't with him, but I didn't want to see her unhappy at the same time. I put my napkin on my plate not responding as the waitress dropped the ticket off at the table, "oh can we get this split," Aria asked before she walked away. "No, we're good" I said as she was about to pick it back up. I picked up the tab as the waiter left the table.

"Well let me pay for my half," she started digging in her purse as I pulled out my credit card. She tried to hand me thirty dollars as I just looked at her. "Here."

I shook my head, "Aria you know I'm not taking that."

"Why not?" She questioned.

"I invited you out, it's the least I can do, besides I have never left you pay for something when we're out so cut it out." I put my credit card in the book and closed it.

"That was different." She easily stated, I just shook my head not even about to get that deep with her. The waiter came back to the table picking up the book as Aria checked her phone.

I leaned back deciding to do the same seeing I had a message from Ashley. I read it as I responded to her asking how it went. It went fine, how did you expect it to go? I questioned back as I locked my phone again.

The waiter came back quickly as she thanked us for coming and dropped the book off again for me to sign and tip. Aria thanked me before both of us slid out the booth and headed out the restaurant.

"Welp, I guess I'll see you at the next appointment." She spoke, I nodded in agreement. "You good?" I questioned, something was off about her. I didn't know if it was my news I just dropped, the Jason shit, or something else or even a combination.

She nodded her head, "great." She flashed a fake smile. "Listen, I'll still beat that nigga ass if you want me to." I stated trying to get a smile out of her but serious at the same time.

She laughed, "no, it is what it is." She shrugged her shoulders as she sighed. "If you change your mind you know I got you."

She smiled, "I'll keep that in mind." I pulled her in for a hug, she relaxed in the hug so I stayed like that for a moment before releasing her in hopes that it gave her some type of reassurance or relief.

"Let me know when you get to your destination." I demanded once I pulled away. She let me know that she would and then we went our separate ways.

***

I walked in the apartment as Jodie and Chris were arguing over Jodie cheating in 2K. "Nigga, fuck outta here. You just ass." Jodie yelled as I walked by and took a seat on the couch.

"Aye? How did it go?" Jodie asked as they exited out of the game. Chris looked my way as he tuned in as well.

I shrugged my shoulders, "it went fine. Why everybody asking that like it was supposed to be crazy or something?" Aria had a nigga this whole time. Ashley knew that and so did they.

"I mean you never know." Jodie shrugged. "Look how you reacted when you found out she had somebody." He finished. They was a valid point but I gave him the finger.

"Shit is completely different, she ain't checking for me or at least she's not acting like she is." I commented.

Jodie nodded, "well I'm happy that you two can co-parent and date others with no problems now."

I ignored his slick comment, "her and Jason ended, he was still fuckin' with his baby mama."

They both looked at me wide eyed, "no way." Chris stated as he started to laugh. I nodded giving him assurance that it was true.

"Damn," he let out with a shake of his head. "What if Aria try to push up on you now?" He questioned.

I sucked my teeth as I waved him off. "She wouldn't."

"But if she did." He asked again. "She wouldn't but it might put me in a hard place." I answered honestly.

"Word?" Jodie began, "I thought you was rocking with Ashley hard as fuck."

"I am, but I can't flex like I don't have feelings for Aria, plus she the mother of my child. I would want to give that shit a shot."

Just as the words slipped out of my mouth there was a knock on the door. We paused the conversation as Jodie got up and answered it. I heard him say Ashley's name causing me to stand up we as he greeted her.

All my niggas loved her, she was like one of the boys sometimes. I loved that chill ass nature about her.

She greeted him and spoke to Chris as well once she walked in. She walked to me, placing a kiss on my lips. "Hey baby," she whispered against my lips. I spoke back before grabbing her hand to head to my room.

"So give me details." She demanded as she sat on my bed. She wasn't playing no games, she was getting straight to it.

I laughed as I took my shoes off, getting more comfortable. I plopped down on the bed beside her and looked at her. "I told her I had a girlfriend, she acted surprised, we ate and parted ways."

"That's it? It was that easy?" She questioned, "I mean I know I'm a catch." I smiled as she rolled her eyes. "But damn, was it supposed to be hard?" I questioned. "It's not like her and I were dating, and you know that."

She shrugged her shoulders, "I know. I just know baby mama's can be crazy."

I grabbed my remote, turning the TV on, which I rarely did in my room. I shook my head, "nahh, she ain't really the crazy type."

"Well, I want to meet her." She stated as she got more comfortable on the bed. I didn't want to tell her no, but I felt like it was a little early for that shit.

I smiled as I looked at her, "in due time baby, in due time." I patted her leg and focused on finding something to watch.