For the Night (Sun)

by Rae Lyse

“Who cares about love and relationships? Fuck these hoes. They all just headaches anyway…”

I’m gathering that you really know Nuney and please tell me his real name because I refuse to call him that.” “What’s wrong with ‘Nuney?’

“You, my friend, need dick.”

Chileeeee

but the lack of penis

is in the tension in your shoulders, beloved. Relax them.”

“How did we go from sex to love? They’re not always synonymous.”

“So, you’re looking for dick?” “It sounds so raunchy when you say it out loud.”

“‘Dating without a purpose?’” Venus tsk’d, tossing her head back. “Does it have to be this complicated?” “Yes.”

“But that wine better be the price of that lemon drop I was gon’ order for you.”

Oooh okay 🤣

Shawty gon’ take an Uber,” he bellowed, making her eyes snap up to his face. “A Uber? Since when?” Morris asked. “Since she told me.”

IKTR

She didn’t have to explain herself to any man anymore.

“How old you is, anyway?” “Your mama never taught you to never ask a lady her age?” “My nigga taught me that if I fucked a lady good enough, age wouldn’t even be a topic of discussion.”

“What it pertains to and how you deliver it. Sometimes women think a nigga need hand holding—whole time we just be wanting guidance on how to be men without the condescending bullshit that comes with it.” He shrugged. “Correct me with respect is all I’m saying.”

“One of the best parts of a woman is how deeply she feels.” “Yeah... but sometimes life happens and we lose touch of those deep feelings. We get too busy catering to other folks and bending ourselves so much that one day we wake up and can’t even remember how the fuck we like our eggs cooked because we been cooking them the same way for ten years just to satisfy another person.”

“Explain?” She rolled her eyes up. “I divorced the last man I explained myself to.”

There’d be no more mutual telepathy or silent gushing over the way his mouth moved when he cursed, pronounced fancy dishes for her, or spat insults her way. She had to be the mature one for them.

“Now, about this problematic teacher we have on our hands,” she said. His cheek tingled at her description of Venus. She was problematic, mouthy, sexy... and divorced, which meant she really really needed his dick and he really really wanted her to have it however she wanted it. Then, he wanted her barefoot behind a stove cooking them the over easy eggs she forgot she liked.

All was always fair in love and war with women like Venus—especially

You should’ve just explained

yourself last night when I told you to—now leave my baby and Tinder alone.”

IKTR

“I thought you didn’t care what I do outside of school hours?” she breathed out in a daze. How could he not care when she made his dick stir, and worry run rampant through his body at the power she yielded over him just from the tiny piece of innocuous information she’d brought up to Logan under the guise of being a good teacher? “I lied,”

“You should never wanna just pass time. You should wanna live.”

“Oh, so you like to sit on the phone then? Why you ain’t tell me that? I would’ve called.” “Because I think you’re confusing this with something that it’s not.”

Girlaaaa

“If you knew what I wanted to do every time you cursed at me, I bet you wouldn’t do that shit no more.” “Behave...”

“You really think I would invite you out and have you make plans for us? How presumptuous of you, shawty.”

You don’t hear me asking you about the nigga that let you divorce him.”

Let?

I’m telling you that you too grown to not know when I’m talking to my woman and when I’m choppin’ it up with a vibe.”

He told me ‘you care too much. People like you can’t ever be a politician or…or a lawyer because you wouldn’t be able to stomach the wrong you gotta do to survive in those positions and ain’t nothing wrong with that. You just care too damn much.’” She shrugged. “So, here I am, big and grown, still caring too much and not aspiring for much else but to be a good kindergarten teacher.”

Not everybody is constantly aspiring for the next big thing in life.”

It would’ve been criminal for him to be that fine and plot against her if he couldn’t even drink.

“I ain’t never impressed by what somebody got because I never know what they did to get it.”

She wasn’t good at modern dating, but damn, she might’ve been a pro at reading niggas.

“You tryna fuck me too, huh?” she spat. “You never planned to talk to me about Tori today. It was always about fuckin’ me to get in my head to distract me from the issue. You don’t actually like me. You just like what me and my pussy can do for you.”

Oop

“She think I’m scared to get fired from your restaurant.”

“She thinks…” Anthony pointed at Venus and then at him, wagging his finger between them. “That I won’t air you and yo’ beautiful ass house out if you don’t keep your goddamn eyes to yourself, OG.”

“Don’t tell me you’re an ‘ask permission’ type of gal.”

“I’m a ‘keep the peace’ type of gal.”

“Because slaving eighty hours a week collecting slow money from some ex-drug dealer turned CEO ain’t my focus right now.”

“I want you to answer my question.” And bite it.

To—to wanna kill for another human being and admit that shit on a recorded line?”

You can’t leave if I’m not okay with it, either. That’s not how it works with us.”

“You bad business, Ms. Thibodeaux. You know that, right?” He wagged his finger like her and shook his head. “Sit back and put your seatbelt on.”

Didn’t she know he’d take her ass to Venus for real and make love to her there?

Anthony decided he liked Venus the best that way. Barefoot and goofy as hell with that twang in her voice.

“You got ten seconds to explain yourself right goddamn now and on God, I don’t wanna hear that ‘you first’ bullshit.”

Yes daddy!

“Oh, like you running from our conversation about Tori? Like you about to run from our conversation about whoever the hell that was in there and what type of shit you be in?” She tossed her thumb back at the studio door.

“I couldn’t even smile at a man without him accusing me of flirting and starting a fight afterwards,” she blurted out, explaining herself anyway.

“If it’s just us for the night, then let it be that. I ain’t telling nobody we went on a date if you not.”

“If you my woman, then that’s just what it is. It don’t matter how many men you flirt with behind my back or in front of me. I always exist at the top.”