As I stepped outside, I noticed my ex-boyfriend standing in front of me, smiling as if he had won the lottery. As I continued to stare at him, so many thoughts began to race through my mind. First and foremost, how did he know where I lived? Second, why is he even present? I'm sure he realizes he's not welcome here.

As I snapped out of my reverie, I looked back at Manny, who had a confused but angry expression on his face. I hope he understands that I did not bring this boy here on purpose. When I turned back to look at Nau'Jour, I noticed that he, too, was perplexed.

Nau'Jour continues to stare at me, perplexed. "Can I come inside yo crib or what? It's hotter than the devil's mansion out this bitch."

Manny pushed me aside and walked up to Nau'Jour, sizing him up as if he were about to fight him. "I have no idea who the fuck is, and I couldn't care less if I did, but you're not coming in here. You should probably turn around and go back the way you came."

Nau'Jour locked his gaze on Manny and burst out laughing. "Who the fuck does this nigga think he is, man? Is this supposed to be your nigga, Angel? I assumed you were dating a dark-skinned nigga, not a Mexican. Oh, so you got multiple niggas now?"

Manny clenched his fist and was about to punch Nau'Jour in the face, but I jumped in between them and stopped him. With an irritated expression on my face, I looked at Nau'Jour. He's only been here for a few seconds and he's already causing havoc. I hope he realizes that when he leaves, Manny is going to be all over me because of this shit.

I sighed deeply. "Can you please explain why you're here, and how the hell you know where I live, Nau'Jour?"

He simply shrugged. "I'm here because your birthday is approaching and I'd like to surprise you with gifts. I got the address from your mother. She didn't inform me that you had a nigga in here. I'm surprised you forgot about me so quickly. You used to be crazy about me."

Manny's skin was getting hot as I was holding him back from attacking Nau'Jour, which meant he was getting ready to fuck Nau'Jour up. My mother should have known better than to give Nau'Jour my address without my permission, so I shook my head. That is completely inappropriate and disrespectful of her.

I understand she loves Nau'Jour like a son, but she needs to let go of that relationship because me and him will never be together again. My mother should have known that drama would ensue with Nau'Jour and Manny.

I palmed my face. "Listen, I'm not sure why you thought it was a good idea to show up at someone's house without first informing them. I appreciate your efforts to be nice for my birthday, but I'd prefer if you just take the gifts and leave. It's not a good time right now."

Nau'Jour had a stunned expression on his face when he looked at me. "How come a nigga can't just come inside and get something to drink?"

Manny directed his finger towards the garden. "Over there, there's a water hole. Take a fucking sip and dip."

Nau'Jour sucked teeth. "Man who the fuck are you talking to, nigga? I came to see Angel, not you, last time I checked. Stop trying to be her echo and shit."

Manny started pushing me out of the way, but I managed to keep my grip. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep Manny from beating Nau'Jour up because my tiny ass is losing all of my strength. Why can't Nau'Jour just hand over the gifts and walk away? He appears to want to argue with Manny.

Manny lifted his shirt to reveal his gun, which was tucked into his pants. "Angel, you better hurry up and finish this conversation before someone dies."

I sighed heavily. "Manny, just relax and go inside. I'll get this done quickly."

Manny clenched his jaw and stared at me and Nau'Jour for a few seconds before leaving. I already know that once Nau'Jour leaves, Manny and I will be arguing about this situation. Nau'Jour is always bringing negativity and drama into my life, I swear. That's why I dropped his ass in the first place. I folded my arm and stared at him, and as I did, I noticed he was laughing.

Nau'Jour started yelling with both hands on the side of his mouth. "Listen to what she says, pussy nigga!"

I stared at him as if he were insane. He must have missed Manny showing me his gun and not realized Manny is dead serious about killing him as well. I slammed my fist into his chest, and he looked at me puzzled.

Nau'Jour began rubbing the spot where I punched him. "What the hell did you do that for, girl?"

My index finger was pointed in his direction. "You know he left, so why are you messing with him again?! You should hurry up and hand over the gifts before leaving because you're causing a lot of trouble. I have no idea why you came here in the first place. I don't want to see you, and my mother is well aware of this, but she still sent you here anyways. In fact, why didn't you just send the gifts through the mail?"

Nau'Jour scratched on the back of his neck. "To be honest with you, Angel, I don't have any gifts for you. I just told your mother that excuse so I could get your address and have a real conversation with you."

I burst out laughing because I should have known he was lying about the gifts from the start. I'm not sure what he wants to talk about, but there's nothing to talk about. If he thinks I'm about to rekindle my relationship with him, he hit his head hard.

"What exactly do you have to say, Nau'Jour? I feel like slapping you for lying about bringing gifts."

Nau'Jour sighed deeply. "I apologize; I had to come up with something in order for your mother to give me the address, but I miss you and want to reunite with you. Since you've left, it's become clear to me that I shouldn't have treated you the way I did, and that you didn't deserve to be treated that way. I simply want you to return to New York so that we can start over."

I laughed as I folded my arms. "Did you really come here to tell me a fabricated sob story? You really expected me to agree with you after telling me this fabricated story? You must have hit your head on your way here. I don't want to be with you because I know you'll never change your ways. You're only saying this because you've noticed that I've moved on. Please leave, I won't say it again. Never come back here."

Nau'Jour sighed and palmed his face. "Angel, just l-"

I heard his car door slam before he could finish his sentence. I looked over to see who was there and noticed Mariah getting out of his car. How the fuck does she even know who he is? And how does he even know who she is? And why are they even together, and why did he even bring her here?

I swear the drama never ends. She approached us with a smirk on her face. She was switching her hips like hell like girl, we get it, you're trying to make a dramatic entrance, but if she says or does anything that irritates my nerves, she'll have a lethal exit. She had almost made a fatal exit before, so she better keep it pretty because this shit sure can get ugly.

Mariah leaned against Nau'Jour and began rubbing his chest. "I thought you said we were going to the mall, Babe. I had no idea we were going to this hoe house."

Nau'Jour shoved her aside. "Bitch, I thought I told you to stay in the car while I took care of some business. Do you have rocks for brains?"

My fist was clenched. "Speaking of rocks, get this bitch off my property before I grab a rock and smash her big ass head with it."

Nau'Jour looked at me, puzzled, and started pointing at me and her. "Do you guys know each other?"

Mariah sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know this hoe. She was the one who took my man away from me. Angel, do you see how I took your nigga?"

I burst out laughing. "First and foremost, stupid, he's not my man. He's my ex, so good luck with my leftovers. Second, Nau'Jour, I think you're stupid because if you're coming to make things right with me, why would you bring a bitch with you? That's how I knew your apology was bogus. Now, I'm not going to say it again, get the fuck off my property before shit becomes serious."

Before they could say anything to each other. From inside the house, I heard Manny's deep voice. He's about to come out and see why I'm still standing outside, I can tell. I'm already anticipating things getting serious once Manny arrives. I turned around to see Manny approaching us with the same enraged expression.

Manny glared angrily at the two of them. "How come you're still here, homie? And what the fuck is she even doing here?"

I attempted to push Manny back inside. "Manny, just go back in the house. I got this. They were about to leave."

Mariah burst out laughing. "Oh, you're dealing with Trevante and Manny? Oh, this is hilarious."

Manny appeared in front of me before I could say anything to Mariah. "Listen bitch, before I put both of you in a body bag, you and this mega mind head ass boy need to leave, and this is my last time repeating my fucking self."

He laughed and pulled up his pants. "It sounds like you're tryna do sum. What's up?"

I tried everything I could to keep Manny back, but I guess I didn't have the strength this time. He shoved me to the side, almost knocking me into the bushes, and then he started fighting Nau'Jour. Manny was getting the best of Nau'Jour as he tried to fight back. I began to feel panicked and unsure of what to do. I need to act quickly before someone notices and calls the cops. When I turned to look at Mariah, she was staring at them, dumbfounded.

"Bitch at the very least, are you going to help?" I asked her.

She folded her arms and shook her head. "Uh uh, hell no, they're grown men. They are capable of handling themselves. I'm not going to stop them. I'm not about to get punched in the face."

I rolled my eyes because she's absolutely useless. When I returned my gaze to them, I noticed Manny had Nau'Jour on the ground, punching him in the face. I'm not going to lie, I despise watching men fight because it appears that they are fighting to kill. I dashed over to them and attempted to wrestle Manny away from him, but Manny simply pushed me and I landed hard on my butt.

I moaned in agony. "Manny, stop! Enough is enough."

Mariah began clapping and laughing. "No, don't stop; this is so much fun."

With a "what the fuck" expression on my face, I looked at Mariah. Why would you want them to keep fighting? I believe there is something mentally wrong with that girl. I began to consider ways to separate them, and Miguel came to mind immediately. I dashed half-way through the house, yelling for Miguel.

Both of my hands were placed on the side of my mouth. "Miguel, come outside right now!"

When I returned outside, I noticed Nau'Jour fighting hard to get Manny off of him, but Manny refused to budge. Miguel took a long time to exit the house. I have no idea what Miguel is up to, but if no one intervenes, Manny will literally kill Nau'Jour. Manny pulled his gun from his pants and pointed it at Nau'Jour before I could run back towards them. My heart sank as I realized Manny could pull the trigger at any moment and not hesitate.

To stop Manny, I raised my hand. "Manny, please put down the gun. He's not worthy of a prison sentence."

Mariah's pupils dilated. "Oh no, it's time to leave."

Mariah struggled down the street in her heels. Is she really going to abandon Nau'Jour like that? That's so pitiful of her. Manny was still holding the gun to Nau'Jour's face when I looked at him.

Manny continues to point the gun at Nau'Jour. "If you ever bring your ass back here and try to fuck with my girl or even disrespect me, I'll kill you. Do you understand what I mean?"

Nau'Jour spit blood from his mouth. "Yeah, now get off my back, nigga!"

Manny got off of him and stared at him as he stood up. When I looked at Nau'Jour, my mouth dropped open. His face was bloodied, and he had a knot on his brow. Manny had a great hold on him. I'm just hoping Nau'Jour doesn't tell my mother about this. She's going to throw a fit, despite the fact that she's the one who started this mess in the first place. For a few seconds, Nau'Jour and Manny locked gazes.

Smirking, Nau'Jour pointed at Manny. "This shit isn't over yet. I swear to you, nigga."

Manny cocked his glock. "Your life may end right now. You should leave while you still have the opportunity."

Nau'Jour nodded, walked to his car, climbed inside, and drove away like a bat out of hell. Manny's lip was bleeding when I looked at him. I approached him to see if his lip wasn't busted. I tried to touch his lips, but he grabbed my arm and pushed it to the side of me. He gave me an angry look before walking inside the house.

Because of this, I know this man doesn't have an attitude toward me. You know I didn't invite him here, so why bother with an attitude? Before I could enter the house, I noticed Miguel running outside, looking stupid.

Miguel was out of breath from running downstairs. "What the hell is going on foo?"

I gave Miguel a sidelong glance. "Forget it now. I'm glad nobody died."

Miguel palmed his face. "What exactly happened?"

Just thinking about it made me shake my head. "Basically, my ex showed up and tried to get back with me, which Manny didn't like, so everything went crazy."

Miguel burst out laughing. "Aw foo, I had no idea Manny could be so jealous. He was never the type to be envious. You have a firm grip on my homie dawg."

"He nearly killed the boy, and I tried to get him off of him, but he was too strong. That's why I yelled for you, idiot."

Miguel sighed and shrugged. "Shit, I was upstairs taking care of business, and I couldn't stop in the middle of it."

I was almost sick from thinking about what Miguel was saying. You didn't have to tell me that, I swear. Both Miguel and I entered the house. Manny was drinking liquor in the kitchen when I walked in. I approached him to see if he was okay, but he continued to be rude.

He's starting to irritate me because he has an attitude for no apparent reason. I understand that he was upset prior to this incident, but it appears that he is even more enraged now.

I stared at Manny with my arms folded. "I'm sure you don't have a grudge against me because of what happened."

Manny hissed as he finished his drink. "Did you invite him here?"

Miguel returns upstairs. "Yup, it's time to leave."

I gave Miguel a sidelong glance. I'm glad he's going upstairs because I didn't want him listening in on my and Manny's conversation in the first place, so he did the right thing. Manny was staring at me, waiting for my response when I returned my gaze.

With a "the fuck" expression on my face, I looked at Manny. "Why the fuck would I invite him here, Manny? I'm sure you overheard him say that my mother gave him the address so that he could give me some gifts for my birthday."

Manny laughed. "Nah, you probably told him to come here so you could fuck him the same way you fucked Tre."

Incredulous, I smiled. "How could you say such a thing about me? You know what, Manny, I'm done with this conversation. This is not something I'm going to do with you."

I just left him standing there alone. I went upstairs and slammed and locked the door to my room. He's doing way too much right now. It's as if he's trying to accuse me of being a hoe or something. I understand that he might be a little envious, but saying that to me is ridiculous.

I sat on my bed, took out my phone, and started watching Tik Toks. I heard the doorknob being twisted left and right out of nowhere. I hope he realizes I'm not getting up to unlock it.

"Mama?" Manny spoke in a more relaxed manner.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Go away. I'm not interested in speaking with you."

Manny can be heard suckling his teeth behind the closed door. "Please open the door. I apologize for saying that shit, mama."

I sat up in my bed, facing the door. "I'm not playing, Manny, leave me alone."

Manny exhaled a sigh. "I'm not playing either, girl. I'll break this shit down if you don't open this door."

I sighed, rolling my eyes. I hesitate to get up, but I do so anyway because I know he's going to break the door down if I don't. I approached the door, unlocked it, and noticed him standing in front of the doorway.

I rolled my eyes at him and walked away, returning to my phone on my bed. "What exactly do you want? You've made it clear that you don't want me around."

Manny sighed and walked up to the edge of my bed. "I apologized, mama. I was furious that he had shown up here. I know you didn't invite him, but I couldn't help myself. I apologize for snapping at you like that."

My gaze remains fixed on my phone. "All right, whatever. Are you finished?"

Manny approached me and grabbed my phone, which he placed on the nightstand, before climbing on top of me and lifting both of my hands above my head.

Manny locked his gaze on my lips, then on my eyes. "Before I change that shit for you, darling, you better change your attitude. I apologized and honestly didn't mean to say that shit. I was simply enraged at the time. You already know how angry I was when I saw you with Tre, and seeing the other dude at the door enraged me even more. I simply despise seeing you with someone else. Could you please forgive me?"

When he said he hates seeing me with someone else, it made me feel special. I was about to smile, but I decided against it because I enjoy it when he's aggressive in a playful way.

I exhaled a sigh. "Whatever, I forgive you. Can you please get off of me now?"

Manny wore a smirk on his face. "Make me."

I tried to get him off of me, but he was too heavy for me. Manny began laughing because he sensed my distress. I gave up trying and started breathing heavily.

Manny keeps laughing. "Your small ass isn't powerful enough."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Boy, please get off of me."

Manny shrugged his shoulders. "Not until you've forgiven me."

I didn't say anything at all. We exchanged stares for about a minute. Manny started kissing my neck, which caused my breathing to change. I loved how the tingling sensation spread throughout my body and gave me chills all over. Manny continued to kiss my neck with warm, wet kisses.

"Can you forgive me?" Between kisses, Manny inquired.

My breathing became labored. "N-no."

Manny removed my shirt and kissed my collarbone softly. "Are you ready to forgive me?"

My breathing has become even more irregular. "N-no not y-yet."

Manny lowered his head and kissed my bellybutton. "Do you accept my apology? Do you love me, mama?"

I was still struggling to breathe. "I accept it, and I love you, Manny."

Manny smirked and rose to kiss me softly on the lips. "I knew I could persuade you."

I burst out laughing and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Shut up and love me."