“You been watching me move, Micah?”
“I feel like we’ve been watching each other. And it’s Michael, actually.”
Malakai’s flattened voice created the perfect platform for my laugh to slip out and skid across. Malakai didn’t miss a beat; he caught my bait between his teeth and tossed it back to me with ease. If this was a game, then it was fun to play with someone who could challenge me.
I stepped closer to him. “Okay. I’m sensing that you have something you want to get off your chest. Am I wrong?”
Malakai’s eyes were still dancing. He didn’t look annoyed but he didn’t look pleased either. His gaze sparkled like he was about to jump into a duel. My pulse spiked remembering the last time we did that.
“The Wasteman of Whitewell.”
I was kind of proud of it. It sounded like the title of one of the medieval romance novels I used to love. The Cad of Canterbury. The Richmond Rake. The Vicious Viscountess. The Wasteman of Whitewell.
“Oh, you’re a fan of my show? Thank you so much.”
Malakai’s face didn’t twitch. “I am, actually. I listen to it every week.”
Oh.
My attempt to be a brat flopped. I swallowed this titbit of information he had revealed in an attempt to ignore the fact that it made my pulse skitter, but the fact that it tasted sweet on its way down my neck made the fact that I liked that he listened to me decidedly difficult to ignore. The show was my main source of confidence but also coyness. He tapped into both at the same time.
I cleared my throat. “Thanks.”
Malakai shrugged, matter of fact. “I wasn’t saying it to gas you. It’s good. It’s good energy, good music and I like what you say. I mean, I really like what you say. Until last week. . . . You know what happened last week?”
I hitched a shoulder up and narrowed my eyes in polite curiosity. “No. What happened?”
Malakai released a slow smile and nodded. “You were describing this dickhead that breaks the hearts of gyaldem and I was like, rah, who is this guy? Prick. But then all of a sudden, my phone starts chiming. Messages from girls cussing me out, telling me they were about to reclaim their time. Calling me a Wasteman, saying that I’m trash. And then tonight happens. Two beautiful girls I’ve gone on dates with suddenly turned on me like I married them both then abandoned our twelve children.”
I moved to lean against the wall in front of him, fold my arms across my chest and stare up at him inquisitively. “Huh. At the same time? Like was there a whole polygamy setup? Old-school Naija?”
“No, like, international businessman with one family in London and another in Houston type deal. New-school Naija.”
“What kind of business is taking you to Houston? Do you sell Bibles?”
“If I was a Bible salesman, that would actually make the whole two-family storyline even juicier.”
We each smiled, then stilled, apparently both as disconcerted that our words had fallen into rhythm in the same way our bodies had. The first time we met wasn’t a fluke.
Malakai cleared his throat, his voice now sounding formal. “Anyway. I’ve been doing damage control all week. As you can imagine it’s all been wildly distressing.”
“Wildly? Distressing?” I laughed, then stopped when I realized he wasn’t smiling. He was serious. “Wait, are you—you’re fucking with me, right? You’re upset because I disrupted your little harem?”
Malakai shook his head. “Nah, I’m upset because you’re a hypocrite—”
I raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
“Kiki, we’re the same. The same way I assume you were seeing Zack casually—”
“Wait—”
“So you weren’t coming from his flat that night we met?”
I swallowed, my skin prickling with new exposure.
Malakai shook his head. “Look, no stress. I didn’t tell anyone. It’s none of my business, and honestly, I don’t give a shit. My point is, the same way you were seeing him casually is the same way I was dating the girls. Similar, anyway. Because I actually liked them, and it’s clear you can’t stand Zack. Don’t get me wrong, that’s your prerogative and you can do whatever you want, but I don’t appreciate being judged for doing the same thing you do. All the women I talk to know what’s up from the beginning. I make that clear. That’s why I was able to sort that shit out with Chioma and Shanti earlier. It’s why me and Zuri are cool. I didn’t lie. I never lied. They’re great girls that I wanted to get to know. No commitment was promised. I told them that I understood their feelings but I just thought this was a healthy way of doing things. There was communication there. You were getting involved in things you don’t know about.”