Tough Love *COMPLETED*

Chap 17. ♪ "Jealousy"

Aya Weathers

"Teddy?" I stared up at him in incredulity, almost stumbling on my own breath.

"Weathers." He gave me that mocha glazed smile that only caused my heart to shatter into a million pieces every time. I wanted to cry, I couldn't. This isn't like me. I didn't know what else to say, I just stared at him with a large lump in my throat. My entire body was burning and that ember that was once ignited in my heart was trying to strike up a current.

"Wow, it's been so long. You look the same, just much prettier. I mean, you were always pretty, you just- I'm sorry, are you okay?" He stumbled on his words. I couldn't get myself to say anything.

"What are you doing here? I thought you lived in the UK now." I couldn't peel my teary gaze away from him.

"Things didn't go as planned. I moved back to Houston a couple of years ago, now I'm here in LA."

"Why?" I said almost emotionlessly.

"Don't laugh, but I'm a male model and an aspiring actor." He chuckled slightly.

"Why would I laugh?" I furrowed my brows.

"I mean, you used to always say the modeling industry was biased and Hollywood was rigged." He recounted on a small detail I said like once.

"It is. But if that's what you want to do, I won't be the one to judge." I blinked long. I'm still trying to take all of this in.

"I always loved that about you, you never ridiculed somebody's hustle."

He was right. I can't stand when people judge women who are strippers or anything of that manner. You never know people's circumstances, and creating a false image of their personality based on their lifestyle is wrong. I never judged Chris's personality based off of his relationship troubles, but I will admit that I jumped to the conclusion that he would hurt me. But can you really blame me?

"How's KK?" He referred to my cousin by her nickname. Bitch, you don't get to call her that no more.

"Karilyn is fine. She's a certified marriage counselor and officially richer than me." I corrected him on her name.

"I wish she could've had her license when we were together. We definitely needed some counseling." He chuckled nervously. No, you needed psychological help.

"Our relationship needed more than counseling. It needed an exorcism." I joked without actually joking. I was being deadass.

"Sometimes I wish it didn't end the way it did."

Nigga, you fucked it up. Keep your dumb ass wishes to yourself.

"Sure." I replied dryly. I'd rather not get all nostalgic about our toxic ass relationship.

"Look, Aya. I know it may be a little awkward seeing me here after so long, but you don't have to be that way." He frowned. I actually do.

"It's not even about seeing you here after so long. It's about me never wanting to see you again." I looked down at the ground with furrowed eyebrows.

"I know you may have some hard feelings towards me, but-" He started to say but another masculine voice spoke up from beside me.

"Baby, what's taking you so damn long? I'm finna start cheating." Chris said. Cheating how?

"You better not," I glared at him before turning my attention back towards my ex-boyfriend. "Size 8 please." I said with a straight face. He looked at Chris, then at me, before exchanging my shoes. I took them off of the counter and head back.