Final Sneak Peak| Rather Be With You
Presley sat in silence as she stared at Silas. He could feel her eyes on him but still furious about what she’d told him, he kept to himself. Dinner was uncomfortably silent. Even Ivy and Rashad weren’t speaking to one another. The waitress bought over their food, and after lowering his head to say a quick prayer, Silas was digging in. His fork clinked loudly against the plate for every bite that he took, wanting nothing more than to at least have a good meal to end the trip with. He and Presley both agreed on trying out new dishes every night, and he hadn’t missed yet. The Fish Escovitch was his favorite, and while he was upset, he managed to slide his plate over so she could have a bite.
The gesture, though small, was enough for her to feel like hope wasn’t lost for them after all. She quickly picked up her fork, enjoying a forkful of the dish. She moaned softly once it hit her tongue, hoping her meal tasted just as good. She didn’t realize the sound had gotten Rashad’s attention. Too focused on her own man, she didn’t notice the way his eyes lingered too long. For the first time all evening, the knots in her stomach loosened. She first took a large sip of the water ordered for her before eating her curry goat and potatoes. Though not as tasty as Silas’s, she was still enjoying it. She tried returning the favor, pushing her plate his way, but he ignored her. She continued eating, trying to play it off but finally took notice to Rashad, who hadn’t stopped looking at her.
Presley wanted to give him the finger and would’ve even settled for poking out her tongue to let him know just how much she hated him. After all, it was his fault she was in her current predicament. Just like that, the knots returned, and her appetite was gone. She ate slowly, knowing that it would help with the headache she could feel worsening by the minute.
Feeling first a gentle squeeze followed by a sharp set of nails digging into his knees, Rashad winced, cutting his eyes towards Ivy. As if she hadn’t just assaulted him, she stared straight ahead, eating her food as if she didn’t have a worry in the world. Truth be told, the couple had been bickering since day one of the trip, and it only got worse after Rashad’s wannabe hero act. Now, there they were at dinner, and the man she was with couldn’t keep his eyes to himself. If the staring wasn’t bad enough, the lustful gaze and lip biting was. She had half a mind to smack the expression from his face but would save it until later.
Unable to deal with his festering anger, being next to the woman he felt betrayed him, the air headed woman he used to work with, and the ex-boyfriend who couldn’t seem to let go had Silas at his breaking point. Before he could control himself, he was on his feet, walking around the table. “Get the fuck up, man.”
Rashad might’ve been confused about what was happening but was standing just as quickly as he’d been called out. “What’s up?”
“Silas, stop!”
She stood, rushing toward them, but was too late. Silas swung hard enough that when his fist connected with Rashad’s face, not only did something crack, blood shot out. Like a sack of potatoes, Rashad hit the ground, and Ivy was right behind him as she used her napkin to try and stop the bleeding.
“What the hell is wrong with you!” she shouted.
“Me? Why the hell are you defending this nigga, acting like what he did was cool?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh no,” Presley muttered. The blood was enough to have her queasy, but realizing the mess she’d caused, assuming that Rashad had been honest with Ivy, had her sick. She felt light-headed and took the closest seat she could in hopes that the room would stop spinning. It all could’ve been avoided had she kept her mouth closed like she originally planned, and now, a restaurant full of diners and staff were either rushing out, away from the chaos, or sticking around just to see how everything ended.
