Heart of the Hustle

by A'zayler

“I don’t know what you want to know. You never say very much, so I’m always left to figure things out.”

  “That’s a lie. I talk to you all the time.”

  Snow turned in her seat and tucked one of her legs beneath the other. “Lies. Tell me something now then, I don’t care what it is.”

  Angel stretched some in his seat, showcasing the hard ripples in his chest. The thin shirt hugged his body upon his movement and captured Snow’s eyes immediately.

  “I need more than that, baby. You got to tell me what you want to know.” He ran his hand over his wavy hair. “I could say some random shit that might not mean nothing to you.”

  “Well, you can start by telling me how you’re mad with me one minute and super sweet the next. You’re like a Sour Patch Kid. I get Vinny is sick, but every time he has a bad day, you treat me like I’m the one that gave him dementia or something.”

  Angles dimples deepened as he smiled at her before ducking his head momentarily. “I can’t help it. I’m like this with everybody. You just happen to be around me the most. So it seems like it’s just you, but it’s not. I’m sorry about that.”

  Snow waved him off. “You ain’t sorry. You do it too much to be sorry. Sorry people apologize and never do it again. You just continue to turn up on me. I be ready to knock all your teeth down your throat.” She rolled her eyes at him playfully. “You’re lucky I think you’ll be ugly with no teeth, or else I would have hit you in your damn mouth.” Snow shook her head dramatically. “And it’s so crazy, because you always look so handsome when you have an attitude, but then you open your fucking mouth. I don’t be knowing whether to slap you or make love to you.”

  “You ever slap me again, and I promise I will break your wrists.”

  “See what I mean?” Snow frowned. “You’re holding my hand while telling me you’ll break my wrists. What kind of mess is that, Angel? Why are you so mean to me?”

  He shrugged.

  “There has to be a reason. Tell me. Is it because of Genesis? Because I would never do no shit like what she did to do.”

  “I’m not mean to you, and no, it’s not because of Genesis. I just told you what I was. Vinny being sick just takes me out of my element whenever I think about it. I don’t mean to take it out on you, but I really can’t help it.”

  “Well, you better start helping it before I stop being your friend.”

  Angel smirked at her. “So? I don’t want to be your friend anyway.”

  Snow raised her eyebrows at him. “Oh, you don’t want to be my friend? Dang, that hurt.”

  For a reason she couldn’t quite grasp herself, his words hurt her feelings. Even with her knowing he was probably joking, she could feel herself getting down. Although she was doing her best to remain calm and collected, her thoughts were getting the best of her. Before long, she felt her throat getting tight. She hurried to clear it before it got too far out of control.

  The truck was quiet, and she was more than certain Angel had become privy to every ounce of emotion that was weighing in her silence. He gave himself away when he turned in his seat so that he was facing her. The hand that had been holding her hand was now touching her scalp as he massaged his hands through her hair.

  “Of course I want to be your friend. I just don’t think it’ll work out for us in the end because I love you too much. I just want to be your man, not your friend.”

  “Why not? We should be friends too.”

  Snow hated how vulnerable she sounded, but she had to get this out before it was too late. She’d replayed her and Juan’s relationship a million times in her mind, trying to make sense of where they’d gone wrong, and she always ended back up at the fact that they weren’t friends.

  They had been a couple, and occasional business partners, but never friends. When she’d asked why he’d slept with her best friend, the only answer that stood out was the fact that he considered her his friend. Whereas Snow was too busy to be “fun,” her friend had been. It had taken Snow forever to see the foundation in that, but now she did. Thanks to Angel.

  He ran his other hand over his face as he released a sigh. “Because I think you’re pretty. You make me laugh. You make me angry. You make me feel . . . good, for lack of a better word. Everything that a lover should evoke. Trying to be friends has the potential to fuck up our intimacy.”

  He grabbed the back of his neck and rubbed it before scratching his jaw. He then rubbed his face once more before touching her hand again. His fidgeting was a clear sign of his discomfort. Seeing how nervous he was let Snow in on his vulnerability when it came to her. He too was scarred from the past, whether he admitted it or not.

  “I don’t like any of this.” He waved his hand around the car, referencing his life. “It’s too fancy. I’m a laid-back dude. I like to drive fast cars, fuck the city up with my girl, shop, take trips, and just do me. You know? But all of that changed in the blink of an eye. I had good intentions before, even thought I had the relationship thing figured out, but then Genesis’s ass showed me how wrong I’d been.”

  “I thought you said it wasn’t because of her?” Snow interrupted.

  “It’s not, it’s you. I know how I am when it comes to women I love, and as I mentioned a moment ago, I think we’d do better to remain lovers. Friendliness causes boundaries to be crossed, and plainly putting it, I don’t have time for that shit. Be my girl, and let me love you without all the complications.”

  Snow sat at a loss for words as she stared at his strong jawline and chiseled lips. The thick eyebrows with the heavy crease in them. The deep dimple in his cheek. Such a beautiful man.

  “So, you seriously think we can’t be lovers and friends?” she asked as she noticed his driver walking to the car.

  Though her stomach was growling ferociously, she almost hated to see him coming. Angel didn’t have to tell her that he was going to end their deep conversation once Hector got back inside; she already knew.

  “Angel, tell me. Why wouldn’t it?” Snow asked hurriedly, trying to get as much out of Angel as she could before the conversation came to an end.

  He looked at her with a sad and lost look in his eyes. It was nothing like the self-assured man she had been around for the past few months. This one was worried about something. But what? She hoped it wasn’t her, because she was simple. He didn’t have to worry about anything when it came to her, him, or them together.

  “Angel?”

  With his unmoving eyes on her, he answered. “Because I was your friend before, and you broke my heart.”

  The front door opened, and his driver climbed in with the food. He handed the bag back to Snow before buckling his seat belt and pulling away. The thick silence surrounding Angel and Snow as they sat in the back seat was driving her crazy. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask how she had broken his heart when he was the one who left her, but she couldn’t. His driver would probably hear her, and she was sure that wasn’t what Angel wanted.

  The sounds of their chewing slowly became louder than the music as they feasted on the savory barbecued ribs and French fries. Snow was trying her best to eat like a lady without messing up her face or her clothes, but the raging animal next to her practiced no such thing. His hands and face were speckled with barbecue sauce as he nearly devoured the bone in his hand.

  “You are such a messy date.” She smiled at him to lighten the mood.

  Angel stopped mid-bite and looked at her, the rib bone still dangling between his fingertips.

  “You fucking barbarian.” She tossed a napkin at him.

  When he couldn’t do anything else, he laughed at her. He laughed so heartily that she joined in. Before long, his driver was also laughing.

  After his laughter subsided, Angel tried his best to clean his hands and mouth before continuing.

  By the time they’d gotten back to her lab, Snow had finished eating and was cleaning her hands with the wet wipes that had come with her meal. She then pulled her compact mirror out and checked her face. Whe
n she was sure she looked okay, she put it away and fixed her clothing. She loaded all of their trash back into the bag.

  “Thank you for lunch, Mr. DeLuca,” Snow said.

  Angel looked at her and winked. “No problem. What time do you think you’ll be finished here?”

  “Maybe around five.”

  “I’ll be here twenty minutes before.”

  “Will we finish talking?”

  He looked a little smug. “Probably not tonight. I want to do something a little different.”

  Different didn’t sound good to Snow, but she didn’t want to speak on it right then. Instead, she nodded as the driver got out to open the door for her. She leaned over toward Angel as Hector rounded the back of the truck.

  “I’ll forget how rough you made love to me last night if you’ll just be my friend,” she offered in attempt to lighten his mood again.

  He shook his head. “Nope. I’m not that kind of man.”

  “What kind are you?”

  “The kind that wants you to remember.”

  “Why?” she probed as her door opened.

  “I want you to always remember the good things. The way I make you feel . . . if it’s good. I want to be remembered for it.”

  There were still a few things that Snow wanted to say, but they would probably take too long, and she had to go. “You headed back to your office?”

  He nodded.

  “Okay. Well, text me so I won’t miss you too much.”

  Angel smiled as Snow slid out of the truck and to her feet.

  Before closing her door, Snow blew him a kiss and watched as he caught it and placed it on his lips. She then headed back inside. As she took the stairs two at a time, she inwardly wished she was still in the back seat of the SUV with Angel. She wasn’t sure how she’d broken his heart when he’d been the one to leave her, but hopefully he wouldn’t leave her unknowing for too long.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Was it easy for you to leave me?

  What the hell is wrong with that nigga? Angel wondered as he watched D’Angelo storm into the house and up the stairs without even acknowledging his or his father’s presence. Rude was an understatement when it came to that fool. He was always on some other shit. Versus bringing attention to him, Angel ignored him just like he did all of the rest of the time and turned back to his father.

  “What you say, Daddy?”

  “Mack is going to have your head, son.” Vinny’s voice held a hint of humor as he rocked back and forth in his favorite recliner.

  “I’m not scared of Mack.” Angel sat on the floor next to his father’s chair, looking over the pile of paperwork in his lap.

  Since he was extremely tired and only had paperwork to complete, he’d decided to spend some time with Vinny. Though today wasn’t a “good day,” Angel was still enjoying his father’s company. From the moment he’d walked into the living room, Vinny had been excited to see him.

  His face lit up as it always did whenever Angel was around. Even with him turning down the cartel at every turn, Vinny had still been very proud of Angel and all of his accomplishments. Much like he was right then. He’d been going on and on about how happy Mack should be to have him as his son-in-law. Angel had considered telling Vinny that he wasn’t married to Snow yet, but changed his mind. Him being fake married seemed to bring Vinny joy, so he’d leave it like that.

  “Damn right you aren’t. No son of mine will ever be afraid of another man.” Vinny sipped from the large cup of water in the armrest of his chair. “So, when will the grandbabies start coming?”

  Angel smiled brightly as he stopped reading the paper in front of him. “Soon, I hope,” he told Vinny as he entertained the thought of what his and Snow’s baby might look like.

  “Babies? Whose having babies?” Empress walked in and sat on Vinny’s lap.

  Angel scooted over some to give them some room before turning his attention back to the paperwork in his lap. He didn’t bother to answer Empress because she got carried away too fast. All he’d have to do was say he and Vinny were talking about him and Snow, and she’d be planning the baby shower.

  “Angel. He’s married to Mack’s daughter,” Vinny told his wife.

  Empress hit Angel’s shoulder. “Say what now?”

  Versus saying it aloud and disrupting Vinny’s thoughts, Angel shook his head subtly.

  “Oh, so that’s where all of this baby talk is coming from?” Empress said.

  “Yeah, Daddy wants grandkids,” Angel said.

  “Well, so do I. When you do you plan on giving us some?”

  Angel looked over his shoulder at his smiling mother. “After the honeymoon.”

  The two of them exchanged smiles just as he heard the front door slam closed. He momentarily wondered who it could have been until he checked the time. It was a little after five, so he was sure it was Snow. She’d sent him a text earlier telling him she had a ride. He’d asked her a few times who was picking her up, but she hadn’t responded.

  He hadn’t talked to her since, so his eyes were glued to the door, waiting for her to appear. When she finally did, he could tell something was off with her. She looked stressed, worried, or something. Her eyes were lazy, and her mouth was flat.

  “There’s my daughter-in-law.” Vinny welcomed her warmly.

  Snow’s face perked up instantly. “Vinny, how are you today?”

  “Good, but I’d be even better with a few grandkids running around here.”

  Snow frowned. “Sorry, but I’m not having any kids with your son. He’s selfish.”

  The room was quiet as they all looked at her. Angel couldn’t see the look on his parents’ faces, but he was sure theirs probably looked like his.

  “Damn, Angel. What in the hell have you done to this girl?” Empress snickered.

  “That’s the same thing I want to know.” Angel stared at Snow.

  Angel didn’t take too kindly to being called names, but he would let her slide right then. It was clear she had something going on, so he’d grant her that temporary pass.

  “Excuse me, y’all, I need to shower and get some sleep,” Snow told them before walking out of the living room.

  Angel sat in place, watching her exit. It was silent for a moment after she left until Vinny spoke. “You’d better go check on her. Never let your woman stay mad with you.” He nudged Angel’s shoulder, urging him from the floor.

  As bad as Angel wanted to stay seated, he pushed his work to the side and left the living room. He took the stairs to the bedroom Snow occupied and went in. He could hear the shower running as soon as he opened the door. He looked around the bedroom before going into the bathroom.

  When he walked inside, she was bending over removing her pants from her ankle. Her round ass was barely covered by her small boy short panties, which almost made him forget why he was there.

  “The fuck is your problem?” Angel asked.

  Snow jumped upon hearing his voice. With her hand over her chest, she looked at him through the mirror.

  “Get out.”

  “Not until you tell me what the hell has gotten into you.”

  Snow went back to removing her clothes and ignoring him. Angel watched her get almost naked before snatching her arm and pulling her to him. His face was close to hers when he squinted his eyes.

  “Tell me what’s wrong with you, Snow.”

  Her facial expression changed momentarily before she looked away. “Don’t call me that.”

  Angel didn’t miss the fact that she didn’t want him calling her Snow, so clearly whatever she was mad about wasn’t going to make her leave him. That was a plus.

  “Emelia.” He grabbed both sides of her face and softened his voice, hoping to gain some answers. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”

  “Nothing.” She shook her head out of his grasp and leaned back against the sink.

  Angel closed the distance between them again. “Tell me, so I can fix it.”

  Snow’s head tilted to
the side as she swiped at her eye quickly. When she raised her head, he noticed her wet eyes.

  “All day I’ve been trying to figure out how I broke your heart, when you’re the one that left me.” She finally made eye contact with him. “You’re penalizing me for something that you did. That’s not fair, and I won’t let you do it.”

  Damn. Angel hated that he’d even said anything about that earlier. The moment it left his mouth, he’d known she wasn’t going to let it go. Now there he was, caught up in bringing up old shit that he had no interest in talking about anymore.

  With one hand, Angel rubbed across his face before making eye contact with her again. She was still staring at him, apparently waiting for an answer. When it became obvious that he wasn’t getting out of this one, he figured he might as well get it over with.

  “You broke my heart because instead of holding me down, you chose to dip.”

  Snow stood from the counter. “What? Are you serious right now? You left me, Angel.” She poked the center of his chest for emphasis.

  “Yeah, I’m serious. I told you I didn’t want to break up, and you still ended it.”

  “Because you were leaving me, Angel!” she yelled.

  “So the fuck what, Emelia? I was leaving California, not you. That was you that chose to be on that let’s separate bullshit. Not me. I would have loved your ass just the same.” Angel’s body grew warm as his emotions began to take over him. “I blew up your phone for months, and you ignored me like I ain’t mean shit.” He fumed as he leaned down so that he was in her face. “Why did you shut me out, Emelia? Huh? Why the fuck did you leave me?” Angel was full out yelling at her.

  He hadn’t meant for his emotions to get the best of him like that, but it was too late. Her shutting him out of her life had been one of the hardest things he’d ever had to go through, and he almost hated her for it. He’d known how strongly he felt about this topic, which was the main reason he’d been planning to avoid it for as long as he could.

  Angel was so angry that he wanted to ignore the tears streaming down her cheeks right then, but it was too hard. Everything in him wanted to be so angry that her hurt feelings wouldn’t bother him, but that wasn’t happening. Her tears and his heart didn’t mix. He loved her too much.