A hand grabs her wrist roughly, turning her around. "Why didn't you come see me?" He asks as her wide eyes study him. "You forgot about me or something?"

"Riley." She breathes out, still in shock. She clears her throat. "I, uh, didn't know you'd be out-"

"Cuz you stopped talking to me. It kinda hurt actually, but I knew I'd end up seeing you."

"Riley..." She mutters and looks back at her friends, who were watching the two of them. "Can we talk later?"

"Nah, I have shit to do later." He says, crossing his arms. "Yo girls can bounce if you want shit to be private."

"Uhm, just who the fuck is you talking to?" One of the girls asks, calling Riley's attention to her. He looks her up and down.

"I don't know why you hang out with girls like this, Maira. You could do so much better. I guess that's my fault tho." He says and she frowns.

"Riley, please don't do this." She says, and he rolls his eyes. "Please apologize." He looks at the girls, disgust in his eyes.

"Yeah, apologize nigga." The other girl says. He inhales through his nose.

"My fucking bad." He says, and the girls smirk. He turns his attention to Maira again. "Baby, I've-"

"Riley, don't call me that." She says, and he frowns.

"What? Baby? Don't call my girlfriend baby?"

"I'm not your girlfriend." She says quietly and he raises his eyebrows.

"Excuse us." He says, the anger in his voice barely veiled. He grabs Maira's wrist and pulls her away.

"Oh, uh uh! Where you taking her?" "Nigga you better come back here with her! Don't be dragging her like that!"

"Hey, it's fine." Maira says. "Just, wait for me, okay?" The two girls watch as Riley pulls her along and cross their arms.

He stops, roughly letting her go and pushing her forward, making her stumble a bit. She steadies herself and looks in his eyes only to quickly look away. "Maira, fucking look at me." He says, placing his hands on her face and forcing her to make eye contact with him. "What the fuck are you saying?"

"Riley, I-"

"Are you fucking another nigga?"

"Riley, I'm not fucking anyone."

"But you're not my girlfriend?"

"No." She says, looking away. He drops his hands from her face.

"Well, I wasn't fucking informed."

"I thought it would be clear when I stopped talking to you."

"Well it fucking wasn't, Maira." He lets out a breath. "You can't leave me."

"Riley, I have a boyfriend."

"I thought you weren't fucking anyone!"

"We don't have sex." She says, wincing at his loud voice. He lets out a breath.

"No." He says, shaking his head.

"No?" She asks, her eyebrows raised.

"No. That's your side nigga or something, because me and you are not separated."

"Riley, stop being selfish!" She shouts, making him look at her.

"I can't help it!" He shouts back, grabbing her arms. "Shit, you know I fucking love you, but you would just go and be with some other nigga!" He shakes her a bit, and she places her hands on his shoulders, stopping him. "I can't believe you did this to me." He mutters, bending his head and kissing her.

Her eyes widen and she slaps his chest and struggles against him. He pulls her closer to his chest, his hands falling from her arms and to her butt, gripping it and causing some of her skirt to rise. Her struggles stop and her eyes close, her hands wrapping around his neck.

He pulls away slightly, giving her a smirk that warms and chills her. Without another second she pulls away, slapping his chest and scrambling away from him. "Why did you do that?" She whispers, tears in her eyes.

"Maira-" he says, but she turns around and walks toward her friends, who were watching with wide eyes. "Maira! Don't fucking walk off!"

"Fuck you Riley." She calls back, making him grit his teeth.

"Maira, stop!" He shouts, catching up to her and pulling her arm again. She turns to face him, her hand swinging toward him but she stops herself. He watches as she places her hand down.

"Uh uh! You better slap the fuck outta him!" One of her friends shout to them, making him grit his teeth.

"Fuck you hoe." He shouts back, and Maira sighs.

"Stop." She says.

"Why you wanna leave me?" He asks her, his voice quiet.

"Because of Cindy." She mutters, and he frowns.

"I thought we were over that." He asks and she lets out a breath.

"I was over it. Until she sent me a picture of her now two year old son." She says, inhaling deeply. She then shouts: " And guess who the fuck he looks like?" He watches her with wide eyes. His mouth drops open at the news and she turns away.

"Why didn't she tell me?" He asks, grabbing her hands.

"I don't know. That's her business."

"And she told you? You know she did this shit on purpose."

"No, me and Cindy are cool." She says, pulling her hands away. "I'm the baby's aunt. But it hurts, Riley. Seeing Tristan hurts me."

"I'm... I'm sorry baby." He says and she closes her eyes tightly.

"Don't call me that." She says. "Go see Huey, Riley. He misses you."

She eyes the male sitting on her couch, tying the bathrobe around her. "Why are you here Riley?" She asks and he turns to face her.

"Hey babe. I didn't know when you was gonna leave that shower." He says, walking over. "You look good in that bathrobe... But I'd rather-"

"How did you get in here?"

"I have the key. You didn't change the locks or nothing." He says, placing his arms on her waist only for her to pull away. "You still mad at me?"

"No, I have a boyfriend remember?"

"Yeah, me. That other nigga can be yo side nigga. But imma need for him to back-"

"Riley, stop being difficult! We are not together."

"But we are though. I didn't want to break up."

"But I did. Doesn't what I say go? If I don't wanna be together anymore, why can't you respect that?"

"Because you don't wanna break up, Mai." He says, taking a step closer. "If you wanted to break up, I wouldn't be doing this." He says, diving to her lips.

She inhales deeply, his hands untying her bathrobe as they kiss, her hands on his chest. She was unsure if she should push him away or pull him closer, so he made the decision for her and pulled her closer, his hands underneath the bathrobe and under her bra. His head falls from her lips and to her neck, which he knew was already sensitive. But he hit that sweet spot making her bite her lip.

"Riley, no." She gasps, moving backward, trying to get away from him. He kept her to him and the two fall onto the couch, him on top of her. "Oh God, please." She gasps, her hands tangling themselves into his small fro. His hands find the band of her panties and he moves to pull them down. He gets them down, and his hands start to work their magic, making her mouth open. "No, wait, please- Ah." She gasps, barely able to form words.

She forgot how good he was at this. And it was all hers. He wouldn't do this to anyone but her, and he knew it and so did she. "I love you, Maira." He mutters, kissing her stomach. "I love you so much."

"Riley." She whines. "We can't-" She was cut off by him going further. "Stop! Stop, Riley! Stop!" She says, pushing him away.

"What's wrong?" He asks, pulling himself up. She pulls the bathrobe to cover her, quickly grabbing her underwear and pushing him off of her.

"We cannot! We absolutely cannot, Riley!" She cries out, her eyes watering.

"Baby, what did I-"

"I'm not your baby! Not anymore! Riley move on! Please-" She was cut off by a knock on the door, which startles her.

"Baby, it's me." She hears a muffled voice say. Her eyes widen and she freaks out, quickly pulling her underwear on.

"Oh God, oh God." She mutters, tying the bathrobe on her. "This looks so horrible."

"Then ignore it." Riley says, sitting down.

"Go hide somewhere!" She hisses and he raises an eyebrow.

"I am not the side nigga here." He says. "I want him to know whose girlfriend he thinks he's with."

"Riley-"

"Baby, are you there?"

"Open the door, Maira." Riley says, giving her a smirk. She gives him a glare and jumps when the knocks get louder.

"I-I'm coming!" She shouts, running to the door and opening it.

"Hey. I heard… talking." She looks her up and down.

"Uhm, how was work, babe?" She asks, keeping him in the doorway and not seeing Riley, who was smugly sitting on the couch.

"It was good. You gonna let me in?" He asks and she looks around.

"But, I haven't seen the… uhm, hallway in so long, and… I miss it."

"What are you talking about Maira?"

"N-nothing. So uhm… Are you gonna go home?"

"What, you don't want me here?" He asks, a little smirk on his face.

"No, that's not it, I'm just…" She motions to herself. "Kinda not dressed."

"I don't mind."

"I do." Riley says, stopping her heart. Her eyes get wide and Riley gets up, walking over.

"What the fuck is this?"

"C-Cairo, it isn't what it seems like, I swear." Maira says, placing her hands on his chest. "He's my ex, you know, and he had the key to my apartment and-"

"He has the key, but I got to knock?" Cairo asks, pushing past her and into the house, into Riley's face. "What business do you got here?"

"Her." He says, wrapping her arm around Maira. Maira pushes him off.

"Cairo, I swear, nothing happened." She lies, placing her hands on his chest. He looks down at her and takes a step away from Riley, who had scoffed at her words.

"That hickey on yo neck say otherwise." He mutters, making her heart stop. Cairo's eyes narrow and he grabs Maira's face, tilting it to the side to get a better view of her neck. "Don't be grabbing on her like that." Riley says, slapping his hand away.

"What the fuck nigga?" Cairo says, getting into Riley's face. The two get into each other's face. "Get the fuck outta my face." He growls.

"Guys, don't-"

"Who the fuck is you talkin bout nigga? Don't lose yo life over some fucking words Bruh."

"Nigga you can't do shit." Cairo responds. Riley smirks and shakes his head, reaching around his back and pulling out his gun.

"Don't play with me." Riley says and Maira almost runs over, placing her hand on the barrel and lowering it.

"Riley, stop. Don't do this." She says, and Riley turns to face her. "Please just leave."

"You want me to go." He mutters, taking a step back. "Sit the fuck down, nigga." He says to Cairo, waving the gun at him. Cairo takes a step back, looking at Maira, who still kept her eyes on Riley. He exhales, sitting down.

"Riley-" Maira was cut off by Riley pressing the gun into her hand.

"Take me out." He says, and she closes her eyes.

"Riley-"

"That's the only way. You want me gone, get rid of me." He says, making her hand wrap around the gun.

"Riley, stop being so dramatic and crazy!" She shouts, trying to pull her hand away from the gun. "I'm not going to-"

"This is the only way. I'm not going anywhere. You can't get rid of me any other way?"

"So kill you? Shoot you? Riley, I can't." She whispers, closing her eyes.

"And tell me why." He says, grabbing the gun from her.

"Because murder is-"

"Tell me why you can't kill me, Maira." He says, taking a step forward. She opens her eyes and they flicker to Cairo.

"Don't." She whispers, and his lips upturn into a smirk.

"I love you, Maira." He says, and Cairo gets up, his silence over.

"Get the fuck out, nigga." He says, grabbing Riley's arm. Riley grits his teeth, his other arm cocking back and hitting Cairo in the face with his fists.

"Riley!" Maira shouts, grabbing his arm. He pulls it away from her and continues to beat Cairo. Maira grabs Riley's arm, pushing him away from Cairo and wedging herself in the middle of the two. "Get out!" She shouts, taking a deep breath.

"Maira-"

"Leave!" She shouts once more, and Cairo wraps his arm around her waist. "Get off of me!" She shouts to him, pulling herself away from him. "You need to go to!"

"You kicking me out?" He asks, shocked.

"Yes! Everyone needs to leave!"

"After I dealt with you cheating on me with this nigga?"

"Yes. What were you expecting?" She asks, crossing her arms. Her light face was red and full of anger. "I want to be alone."

"Well, fine." He says, nodding. "You can be alone. I ain't coming back!"

"Fine then!" She shouts back, watching him walk out of the door. She exhales and turns to Riley. "Get the fuck outta my apartment, Riley." She says, her voice low.

"I lo-"

"Shut up." She says, her voice cracking. "Shut up! You didn't love me when you had your dick all up inside Cindy!"

"I've always loved you." He quietly says, and she closes her eyes tightly, sitting down on the couch. She sits there, shaking a bit. "Maira Jade Washington, I've always loved you. Ever since I first saw you. Cindy was a mistake, and I told you that. We worked things out. I wasn't with Cindy any more." During his words, Maira starts sobbing. He looks to the side, closing his eyes. "You know I hate seeing you like this." He mutters, and she sobs harder. He exhales, sitting next to her and pulling her hands away from her face. "No one can love you like I do. And… I'm sorry you lost your…" He grits his teeth. "Boyfriend." He says disgusted. "I just needed you to know how much I love you. I need you to understand that I cannot live without you. I mean… the shit I did just a minute ago was crazy, but… I need you, Mai."

She looks at him, tears falling from her face. She leans forward, her head falling on his shoulder and her arms wrapping around his neck. "I hate you." She mutters. "You're crazy. You're problematic. You're no good for me at all. You have a baby you still haven't met. You rob, steal and occasionally kill."

"But you love me, right?"

"I fucking hate you."

She opens the door, and leans against the doorframe. He looks her up and down, taking in her clothes.

"You look nice, are you going somewhere?"

"No, Cairo. I'm staying home all day." She says, sarcastically. "Why are you here?" Without a word, he moves his hand from behind his back, showing her a bouquet of roses.

"I'm sorry baby. I was angry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

She looks to the side, sighing. "Cairo." She mutters, pushing the roses away from her. "I'm getting back with Riley."

"What?"

"I'm getting back with my ex." She says, keeping her eyes away from him. "I love him."

"Maira, that nigga is crazy."

"I know." She mutters, closing her eyes. "He's not a good person for me to be with, but… I can't stay away from him. He's addictive."

"So you're getting back with him. I'm guessing your going to go see him now." He says, lowering the roses.

"Yeah, kinda." She mutters, pulling at the sleeve of her thin sweater. "We're going to see Tristan together."

"Oh." He says, nodding. "Okay."

"I see the side nigga is back." Riley says, walking over to the door. He holds his hand out for dap, and Cairo eyes him. "Aight then nigga, stay salty." He laughs. "Wassup bae." He says, kissing her cheek. Cairo takes a step back. "You bought me some roses nigga?" Riley asks, looking at the flowers.

"No. For Maira."

"If it's for Maira, it's for me too my dude." He says, a smile on his face. "They nice tho. They must've cost hella." Riley says, reaching for them. Cairo takes a step back, clenching his fists.

"Riley." Maira says, grabbing his wrist.

"I'm just tryna be civil with the dude." Riley shrugs, looking down at Maira. "I mean, you made her happy when I was gone, so that's pretty… trill. I guess." He says, looking back at Cairo. "Yo, sorry for… being myself back at the first time we met. We cool?" He asks, holding his hand out. Cairo looks at it, the back at Riley.

"Here man." He mutters, lifting the flowers and placing them in Riley's hand. Riley smirks. "I love you Maira." Cairo says, walking off.

"Aight then nigga." Riley says, holding his hand up as a wave. Cairo lifts up his hand, not looking back. Riley kisses Maira's forehead. "I like that nigga." He says, walking into her apartment. She looks in the direction the two men went, confused.

"What?" She mutters.

"You wouldn't understand." Riley says, waving his hand. "The nigga gets that you weren't his to begin with. He knew from the beginning that you was someone else's girl, and he can respect that."

Maira frowns, still confused. "That is not how things work." She says, and Riley shrugs, placing the bouquet on the counter.

"If you say so bae."