Hate that I Love You

Four

Pt.2

Monté

I sit on the couch and sip my wine clearing my head of California and just focusing on making the best of this New York trip.

While I sit deep in my thoughts, someone knocks on the door repeatedly. I open the door fast getting irritated by the constant knocking to see Dave.

"Um what are you doing here." I manage to say before he brushes past me. I close the door behind him and close my robe up a little tighter.

He stumbles a little sitting at the dining table. "I misss...yoouu." He says. I walk to kitchen counter and turn on the coffee pot.

"Okay Dave how'd you get here?" I ask turning around sitting on the bar stool.

"I got my driver to drop me off." He says taking another shot of henny. If you have to get this lit to have a good time, you shouldn't be getting lit. I thought to myself.

"You had to come see me tonight?" I say sipping my wine and crossing my legs. He stares at me licking his lips. It's like his eyes burn a hole in my soul and he strips me bare and naked everytime he looks at me.

"I been waiting on you all day I really went out wit my pantas so I could kill a lil time. A nigga ain't expect to be this lit tho." He gets up out his seat walking closer to me causing me to get hot.

"You made this coffee for me?" He asks grabbing the coffee cup I had set on the counter. I nod getting up to grab him a lid. Ya girl be on the move.

"Here's a lid." I say bending down to grab a lid under the cabinet. I hand him the lid and sit back down.

*

"Man that food was so good I did not know Harlem had wings like that." I say throwing away our paper plates. We was finishing "God Father of Harlem" and got hungry and Dave suggested this real cool spot out here in Harlem.

"I told you Harlem got that cooking shit you just gotta know the right spots na mean." Dave says watching me clean up a little bit.

"Cali got places too but everything just be damn near the same taste. I like home cooked shit, something with flavor like my ma use to do it." I say drying off my hands then I lean up against the counter watching Dave roll.

"I feel watchu mean. Where's ya moms now? I mean she back in Cali?" He asks causing my body to go numb again.

"No um, she actually passed away last year..overdose." I say looking down at my feet holding back the pain in my eyes.

"Aye mama look at me," He grabs my chin looking me in my eyes. "When you talk about ya mom you hold ya head up. I know you it feels like you broken but you gon get through this shit and that's what your moms would want, ya feel me?" I nod as a tear rolls down my cheek. He wipes my tear then kisses my cheek.

I don't know what I'm feeling but I feel closer to him. No one hasn't asked me about my mom in so long because they don't want me to cry about it but I rather cry then hold it in.

"It's getting late maybe we should go to sleep, album release tomorrow." I say breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah you right shorty. I'm gon smoke this blunt before I go to sleep if that's okay witchu." He asks pulling out his lighter.

"Yeah that's fine, just blow the candles out and It has blankets and pillows in that closet by the bathroom. I'm going to hit the bed." I walk closer to him and give him a tight hug before going to bed.

Next Morning

I woke this morning around 7:30 to finish my term paper because I know today is going to go by so fast and I'm not going to have time to do it. Dave was still sleep when I went to go check on him earlier.

I get up and go take care of my hygiene and get ready for the day. After I get dressed and do my hair I walk in the living room to check on Dave.

"How you feeling?" I say walking in the kitchen. He is in the kitchen making a cup of coffee after all the liquor he probably has a headache.

"I'm cool, I just need something for my head." He grabs his head sipping on coffee. I walk to the room and grab my little bag and get the stuff I need to my mom's detox tea.

"What's that you making?" He ask. I turn the stove on letting it brew. "My mom use to drink this after late nights drinking, it's a detox tea it'll clear that headache before tonight."

"She taught you how to make it?" I stood on the other end of the counter from Dave.

"Yeah I mean I learned eventually sometimes she was too drunk to even function. I had to be a daughter, I had no time to be a little girl." I say not even knowing I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

Dave gets up and walks around the counter, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Let me take your pain away Monté just one chance. Let me take care of you." He offers looking me in my eyes.

"What do you mean take care of me Dave?"

"Let me show you the love and care you been showing everybody else."