Nouveau

Chapter 54: Details

Tremaine

Laive asked so calmly it scared him a little bit.

"WHY," She inquired again. "Is Ava calling your phone Tremaine?"

L looked like she was about to chunk the huge Chanel box at his head so he swiftly took it from her, "Baby. You gone let me explain?"

"You got plenty of space and opportunity and I don't hear you saying shit."

"I'on know why she calling me Laive."

Laive looked at him like he was dense, "I got idiot written across my forehead?"

"L-"

"We..." She was trying to calm herself. "We talked about this. When I ask you something, you're honest about it the first time or I'm done. I know I said that. And right now I'm listening, but you aren't saying anything. Stop trying to save face and just tell me what happened."

Thank God. There his baby was. She was all about communication and being fair.

"I'on know why she calling me today because I talked to her yesterday about why we couldn't be friends anymore. And-"

Laive raised her eyebrows, "And?"

"Stop. Let me finish."

He saw her eyes squint when he said stop and stared into to space.

"Ava..." she pondered.

Apparently, her brain was trying to put the pieces together.

"I remember dancing....Mackson getting off an elevator."

"You punched her."

"Punched who?!"

"Ava."

"Why? How?"

"I was supposed to meet up with her today to talk-"

"I know you didn't think my birthday-"

"But I didn't. I got my days mixed up and wanted to just get it over with. I asked Ava if she could come here so we could talk, and she came like two hours late. Right before I had to go to Drais. We talked, it didn't end well."

"Here like where?"

"At the table."

"The dining table?"

"Yeah."

Laive exhaled and smacked her lips, "Keep going."

"You had been drinking shots all night and-"

"Short version Tremaine. Miss me with details."

"You was drunk. We got off the elevator. Ava was waiting. Said some slick shit, called you a bitch. Then tried to fight you but you slung her to the ground. Punched her when she tried to come at you again."

She sat tight-lipped for all of three minutes.

"Ok."

What?

"Ok?"

"Ok." She repeated. "Right thing. Wrong place. Wrong time."

He couldn't believe it.

Well, he could.

It was Laive he was talking about. Had it been someone from his past, Tremaine would have already been guilty. Those women wouldn't have even given him the chance to explain. Hell, he was used to never getting the benefit of the doubt. It had got to the point in some relationships where he just said fuck it and fucked around anyway. Tremaine grew tired of trying to prove what he wasn't doing because who he was. That shit had been exhausting.