This November

Chapter 36

He did not want to go to this ten-year reunion.

It was not just because Starchima would be there and he knew things could get messy, but because other girls from his past may be at the reunion.

No way did he want any of the girls, his exes, or his jump-offs, to get in Nova's face and say all the things he may or may not have done in his younger days.

But how could he talk her out of it, she was so gung ho to go. She felt like since she was the only one currently teaching at Roosevelt High, that she had to make an appearance. Why? Everyone thought Nova would go on and work on Broadway for years, not become a teacher. Nova was the best actress at their school, hands down, while they were there together. To come back and show that she was just a teacher, well, that was nothing to boast about.

He knew Nova was not ashamed of being a teacher, but learning she had become one was a disappointment. She could be so much more. And despite her not telling him exactly, he knew she lacked the confidence for Broadway that she had when she was auditioning and winning roles in high school. If he could help her get that back, the sky was the limit.

Right now, his only concern was to talk her out of going to the reunion picnic.

"Nova, I'm going to have my son, and I could be doing so many other things with him instead of a picnic with some people neither of us cares about."

They were back at her place after they dropped off Anthony and he had two days to convince her not to go. Nova came home, immediately stripped, and hopped in the shower. He joined her and once done, they put on loungewear and cozied on the couch with a Netflix movie on. He had to bring this subject up lightly like it was no big deal.

"I don't care for any of them, that's why I want to go. They didn't break me." She planted kisses on his neck, he could already feel her body warming up against his, and Nova always made him aroused. He was not going to let her distract him.

He pried her away from his neck. "Of course not babe, but-"

"I did have some other friends and we chatted on IG and they will be there. Oh, you remember Courtney and Iesha? They were really cool. Wait till they see you and I are together, they had crushes on you as well."

He held in a groan. He smashed Courtney sophomore year and Iesha was on his steady list of girls that gave free head in the boys' bathroom. They both knew what they were doing when they went after him. To hurt Nova. They weren't her friends.

There would be many more like them.

"Nova, I was your friend, they were-" If he was going to tell on himself he would have to tell everything. He still wanted to marry Nova and there had to be no secrets between them. "Nova, they were only using you to get close to me."

"What?" She scooted away from him. He hated telling her this.

He reached for her hand to hold.

"Babe, I'm ashamed to say it but...I slept with them. Both of them. Well, not Iesha, she only gave head to the boys in the bathroom. But...but...it meant nothing."

Nova snatched her hand away from him. "This is why you don't want to go. You slept with half, if not all the girls in our class...well, all except me."

"Nova, come on. I fucked up. That was the old me not the me today." He scooted close to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Nova, always have. If I had been brave enough back then to tell you my feelings, things would have been different for us. And I was not going to take advantage of you like...like the others."

"I wish you would have told me before, Malik...I feel like a fool calling them my friends and they did that to me. Who else?"

"Huh?"

"Who else from school...our class anyway that you had sex with, had in the boys' bathroom, or wherever else you did your dirty deeds?"

"Why does it matter? We won't go and you won't have to face any of them."

She pushed him away and then stood up. "I want to go! I want to go and face them all, with you. I don't care what you did ten years ago with those little hoes, I care about the Malik today."

She walked away, but he could see that she wiped away a tear. He hated that he hurt her, and if something from his past hurt her, what would happen if she found out about Starchima recently?

"If you don't want to go, fine, I'll go by myself. I will face all of them and tell them to fuck off." He could hear that she was crying and he felt like shit for doing this to her.

He walked into the kitchen, saw her leaning against the counter, in tears, and put his arms around her.

"November, baby, don't do this to yourself. If you want to go, of course, I will go with you, and I will be there right by your side." He kissed her neck. "I will not let them hurt you, okay? I promise."

He took her to her room and made love to her, although she didn't seem to be as into it. Probably thought about him with all the other girls, the girls that taunted her, and he went and fucked. It was time to face the music.

"November, move to L.A. with me," he whispered to her after they were done and he held her in his arms.

When she said nothing, he looked over at her and she was asleep. Her eyes closed, little snore came from her mouth. She had not heard his request, but he would tell it to her again later.