Justification | Deetranada AU

insatiable

Early Evening
(Nova POV)

Nova contemplates, watching Mani as he texts quickly on his phone, chuckling to himself. 'Aye,' Nova calls out, slowly exhaling smoke as he waits for Mani's recognition. 'What's up?' Mani replies. 

'What's up with you and Dee?' Nova says bluntly.

He watches Mani's face for guilt or fear but is instead met with amusement. 'What you mean?' he says through laughter. 'You always pickin' her up and shit, goin' over there, leavin' from there,' Nova explains, hoping for an explanation that doesn't end in violence.

Mani laughs before replying. 'I be checkin' on her, she don't really talk to everybody no more.' Nova frowns, confused. 'What you mean?'

'Only people she talk to for real is me, Key and Jae,' Mani further explains. "Oh and that nigga Don.' Fuck that lame ass nigga. 'She not talkin' to Latto or nothing?' he questions, still confused.

Mani shrugs, 'Guess not, she don't never say nothin' 'bout her.' Interesting...So if she not talkin' to them, they on my side? Before he can think too hard, he remembers his original intent. 

'You still ain't answer my question though,' he says, putting out his blunt and resting his hands, just in case. 'What question?' Mani asks, obviously confused. 

Nova rolls his eyes, growing tired of not having his answer. 'What is going on with you and Diamond?' 'Told you man, nothing,' Mani repeats. 'She don't see me like that.'

'But you see her like that?' Nova accuses, far from done with the interrogation. He act like I don't be seeing shit, like I'm not payin' attention who always 'round my girl and shit. Same nigga tryna do shit before the same nig--.

Mani laughs loudly, putting his blunt out, 'You already know the answer to that man.' He sits up, exhaling the last bit of smoke. 'Ain't nobody tryna get with Dee, you act like can't nobody be her friend if they got a dick or some shit.'

Nova grimaces, not willing to let Mani see his frustration at their newfound closeness. He wasn't jealous, at least he wasn't initially. But now that she wanted to go to Little Rock... Need to dead all these loose ends.

'You gotta chill man,' Mani says as he chuckles, standing to stretch. 'She goin' to the show, just wait and see what happen.' Nova watches him, trying to see any signs of guilt, dishonesty or nervousness but finding none.

He sighs, reining in his emotions and relighting his blunt to calm his mind. He leans back as he begins to smoke, his mind filled with what-ifs and possibilities, all disastrous. Hard part is over though, she already said yeah. Just gotta get there, tell her the truth.

He takes another drag, letting the smoke fill his lungs and sit as his mind rambles on. What if she don't wanna listen though, just like before...or she don't believe me? Nah, she wouldn't say yeah if she won't gon' give me a chance. Right?

He slowly releases the smoke, anxiously waiting for the high to hit him and calm his mind. He squeezes his eyes closed, focusing instead on the few smiles she gave him in the cafe, the way her eyes sparkled as she talked about being better. He feels a familiar need growing as he thinks about how delectable she looked and leans forward, forcing the thoughts out. Fuck man.