Winter Toes III: Defending the Heart

WT3| "The Business Of Another"

c h a p t e r s e v e n
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say my name

Roman looked at her but not the way he had years ago when they last crossed paths. His eyes were basically painting over her like he was embedding an image, trying to remember what was the same and what was different. His breathing was calm, he was calm but he so badly wanted to speak rough words. He wanted to grab her and run but she'd already been there and done that as he recalled.

Roman looked down at his hands as Taylor continued to lecture the young boy, him cowering over like some scared sheep. In the middle of her lecture, Roman cut in. "He was probably just there for his homey. Get off him."

For the first time, Roman saw a familiar face; her glare throwing daggers into his mouth implementing that he had just pissed her off. "Get off him? Is that what you just said?" She asked before standing.

He didn't for a second regret what he had just said. He smirked knowing that would only piss her off more as he stared into her eyes and prepared himself for her smart ass mouth. "That's exactly what I said." He told her, licking his lips once.

"Roman... you better shut the fuck up." She said with her eyes closed as if she was trying to calm herself. "This has nothing to do with you."

"I'm just saying because you're bullying his ass. He looks like he's about to cry. They were protecting their egos." He snaked around what she had just told him before flashing his eyes from her to Daye. "His friend is back there, he don't wanna hear all that."

Taylor opened her mouth to talk but she had nothing. Instead she turned away and sat next to Daye, slapping him on the head once. Roman smiled thinking about how he could still get under her skin. He stood up believing his work was done. That's why he stared at her so long, so he'd have a memory of her when he walked back out of her life.

Torei snorted another line quickly, the burning sensation in her nose going directly up between her eyes. She closed them and rocked back and forth slowly, letting out a muffled moan. It felt good to her.

This was her father's downfall leading all the way to his death and it'd probably be Torei's too, that's why no one ever stuck around. Her baby daddy did it, her ex husband, even her lasted fling left. That did nothing but push her deeper into the pool of cocaine. Her father always told her not to be like him but how could she not be like him? She was the man in her life when she went to get away from her mother. He was her hero, everything he did was right. He never did wrong.

Torei looked at herself in the mirror, baggy eyes looked back at her, red from her high. She closed her eyes and began to cry softly, looking at all the makeup thrown in her lap. She picked up a brush, brushing over her mistakes and imperfections.

"You're sucha nasty ass bitch."

"Seriously? This shit again?"

"'Mommy what's wrong? What's it doing to you? Mommy?! Mommy!"

A knock on the door snapped her out of her. The voices in her head repeating over and over putting her into a sort of shock. The door creaked open, catching Torei's attention. When she saw Chase her eyes closed. Please God, no. She thought before watching her baby girl come over to her kneeling in front of her.

"Mom?" She called but it sounded like her twice. It was as if two voices were speaking to her at once saying the same thing. "Mom?"