“I would never have done that to you,” Sly said as he stroked up Bishop’s shoulder to his neck.
Without thought, he leaned into the touch. He was beyond starved for affection, but what Sly was offering wasn’t real. It’d be temporary and very secret. He wasn’t anyone’s dirty lie. Bishop soaked up just a bit of the care, of the warmth of Sly’s callused hand. “I know you wouldn’t’ve,” Bishop acknowledged. “You wouldn’t have said a word.”
Sly stared as if he was confused.
Bishop held Sly around his narrow waist and stared deep into his eyes. “If my alibi had been you. If I’d been sharing your bed all that time. Would you have said something? Would you have took the stand for me?”
Sly didn’t say anything as his hand slowly fell from Bishop’s neck. “B,” he whispered. “Don’t do that. That’s not fair.”
“It’s one thing I’ve learned while serving time, Sly, and that’s life’s not fair and it never will be.”
“So, you’ll stand by my side if I come out?” Sly asked.
“I would’ve. Yes,” Bishop answered honestly. “But you have a decent crew now and I’m damaged goods.”
“Then you guys need to stay out the playground. You’re gonna find yourselves in a world of trouble if Trent keeps picking fights with no crew to back up his loud mouth.”
And there it was. They were old friends, but Sly had new responsibilities, he had a reputation to maintain. Bishop dropped his hands and took a couple of steps back as Sly stood taller. “I lost money last night being stuck in the Breaks.”
Bishop looked up the street, his mind racing. “Your mom still got that small ranch house in Aragona Village?”
Sly nodded slowly as if he wasn’t sure why Bishop was asking.
“You still do a shit job on her yard every week?”
Sly rolled his gray eyes. “Look. At least I cut it. That’s a lot more than most of these lazy asses do for their mothers.”
“How about me and Trent go over there after work today and hook up that depressing flower bed that you don’t do anything with. I bet she still fusses about that. I’ll tell her you sent us and I’ll have her yard looking better than anyone’s on that street.” Bishop held his hand out. “I’ll make Trent do all the heavy lifting. Deal?”
Sly laughed lightly then clasped Bishop’s hand. “Deal.”
“Then we’re good?”
Sly cocked his head to the side as if considering his words. “Yeah, B. We’re good. We’ll always be good.”
“And Trent?”
Sly’s laugh was smooth. “He’s your problem. Always has been. But y’all won’t get no beef from me.”
“Then I’ll take that.”
“Stay off the block, Bishop. You guys don’t belong there anymore.” Sly looked left and right then stepped forward and placed a soft kiss on Bishop’s lips, lingering there for a moment as they said goodbye silently.
Bishop wouldn’t get caught up again in a feud like he had last night. He’d made a vow to himself that he wasn’t going back to prison, and neither was Trent. That meant making serious changes and letting go of old acquaintances. He knew this would be the last time he saw Sly for a very long time.
Bishop started to walk out of the alley when Sly called out, “He’s a manager at the IHOP on Monticello now. No one’s really seen him in years.”
Bishop didn’t turn around, his long strides eating up the concrete as he made his way onto Market Street and joined the crowd. Why’d Sly tell him where to find Royce? He wasn’t sure if he’d wanted to face his ex, but maybe he should just bite the bullet and get it over with. Perhaps dropping that weight off his shoulders could help him to move on.
Chapter Three
Bishop
“Why are we getting off here? We’re gonna be late for work,” Trent said as he followed Bishop off the bus at East 21st Street and Monticello Avenue.
“I’m hungry. I can’t work all those hours outside on an empty stomach. Not to mention the extra yard we have this evening.”
“Extra yard!” Trent stumbled over a large crack in the sidewalk. This part of Norfolk wasn’t where the rich and affluent resided, so the streetscape wasn’t as pleasant, and neither were the pedestrians. A lady scowled when Trent accidentally bumped her shoulder.
“My bad, damn girl.” Trent glowered back.
The woman sucked her teeth, flipped him off and kept moving. Bishop laughed. “You sure have a way with women.”
“Man, I can’t mess with these females over here on the west side. All they want is a man that’s gonna pay their bills and sit up under them all night long.”
Bishop shook his head and answered sarcastically, “Yeah, women are crazy to want that.”
“Right,” Trent said, not taking the hint. “You’re lucky you’re into dudes.”
“For some reason you still think dating men is easier, you’re crazy.”