IMANI

24

"Yes," Fego's voice came out raspy. It made goosebumps develop around her body. He cleared his throat.

"I'll be at the table," Emma said, smiling. She gave Imani a concerned look. The last time she had seen the two of them together, Imani wanted to rip his throat out. Emma looked at them one last time and left.

"What are the odds that we would have been at the same restaurant tonight?" Imani smiled at him.

Fego shrugged his shoulders at her question and looked at her.

"Uhm, Emma forced me here," Imani said, looking down. She didn't know why, but she felt like she had been caught cheating.

"We're not dating, so I can do anything I want," she kept saying from the moment Emma forced her out of the house.

"Sure doesn't look like it from where I'm sitting," His reply was cold. The room suddenly hallway to the restrooms felt chilly.

"What does do you mean?" Imani raised her eyebrow.

"For someone who was forced like you said. You've been laughing and giggling a lot at his jokes," he had a look of disgust on his face. Imani felt something boil in her stomach. She had no idea why he was looking and talking to her the way he did.

"You've been watching me all night? How rude," she scoffed.

"I'm not jobless. I didn't even know you were here, to begin with. Your loud, obnoxious laugh was what made me know you were here,"

"My loud laugh?" She scoffed.
"If you want to lie, at least be smart about it," she spat out.

She was getting frustrated. She thought they were going somewhere finally only to go back to the beginning.

She saw him open his mouth to speak, but she ran out before he could say anything. She knew whatever he was going to say was probably going to hurt her, and she also wanted to have the last word.

"Such a jerk!" She thought. Imani headed back to the table where Emma, Greg, and her date, David, sat.

Imani sat on the table and let out a weak smile. She felt Emma's leg brush against hers. She looked at Emma and tried to smile at her friend that she was really alright.

"Are you okay?" David asked her. David was a nice guy. He was tall and had a really nice build. He wasn't too dark, and he had beards just the way she liked it, a stubble around his lips.

From the little time they had spent together, David was funny and sweet. If Fego weren't always on her mind, she would have been more interested in David.

She looked up from her seat and saw Fego walking out of the hallway to the restroom to his seat. Their eyes met, and she quickly averted her gaze. She was supposed to be angry and not longing for someone who didn't want her.

"I Uhm think I want to go home. I have a headache," Imani lied.

"Are you serious? Okay, let's leave," Emma looked concerned. She knew she shouldn't have left her friend alone with Fego.

"Oh no, you don't have to. I'll find a way home," Imani said, making a gesture at Emma to sit back down.

She smiled weakly at Greg, who had a sad look on his face. Imani could tell that he wasn't ready to leave. She understood how he felt. He hadn't seen her in so long.

"I'll take her home. You two can stay," David spoke. It's like he got the memo immediately.

"Yes, babe, don't worry. David would take her home," Greg said, almost immediately. Imani wanted to get offended, but she knew she couldn't blame him; instead, she chuckled.