6. Say what now?

Mateo was back in San Diego as he sat in a booth waiting for Xavier to arrive. It'd been a week since he met with Jessica and they hadn't really talked since then, there was really nothing to talk about until the time came closer for the paternity test. She did inform him that she had a six week appointment however.

Mateo threw back the shot of whiskey as he waited, he was meeting with Xavier to tell him about Jessica. They were really bros, they grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same schools but they didn't really become friends until high school. Both having dreams of making it pro and both achieving it.

Xavier walked in with some sunglasses on and a hat. He swore he needed to be incognito everywhere he went. Mateo laughed as he watched him approach the table, Xavier slid in on the other side of the booth as he removed the glasses. "My boy! What's up?" He smiled.

"You know, same shit." The waitress came over taking Xavier's drink order as Mateo ordered a whiskey and coke.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Xavier questioned as the waitress walked away to get their drinks. Mateo sighed and then laughed slightly. He didn't want to jump right into it. "Tell me what's up with you first, you find a date to this dinner shit Sofia put together?"

Xavier nodded as he leaned back in his seat, "remember shorty from Pulse?" The irony, Mateo nodded. Xavier had mentioned he was feeling her when they left the hotel that morning.

"She coming to stay with me for a bit so I was thinking I'd bring her."

"She staying at your house? Or you putting her in a hotel?" Xavier would fly girls out often and put them in a hotel, fuck them until he was tired of it and then send them back on their way.

Xavier brought his hand to his face, stroking it. "I think I'm going to let her stay at my place." Mateo's mouth slowly widened as a smile came to his face. "Oh so you like like this girl." X laughed, "chill out, but yeah I'm really fuckin' with her. She different. But don't get it twisted I still got my girls that I'm fuckin' with and shit. We ain't there yet, but she definitely has my interest on another level."

Mateo nodded his head, "that's what's up. What about that Mahogany chick?" Mahogany was like Xavier's number one, she wasn't his girlfriend but out of all the girls he messed with she was consistent. He dropped plenty of girls, but he never dropped her. She was just his type if he really considered himself to have one. Light skin, thick as hell and extra pretty in the face.

"I still fuck with her, shit I'm getting up with her when I leave from here with you."

Mateo shook his head, Xavier could never just be with one. Xavier smacked his teeth, "don't shake your head like you wasn't out here fuckin' all these girls with me," he laughed.

"That's the past," Mateo let out as the waitress dropped off their drinks. "Sofia came in and changed a young boy up. Playing house and shit." Xavier commented.

Mateo laughed, "alright yo. Shut the fuck up." Xavier laughed as he picked up his beer taking a swig from it. "What's up though?" X questioned again. "We have our bro time and shit, but when you called and said you wanted to get up you sounded stress."

And he was when he first called him, he called right after Jessica dropped the news on him. He was angry, he was upset, he was stressed out. However Xavier wouldn't be back in town for almost another two weeks so the talk had to wait. Mateo laughed, "remember the girl from Pulse?"

Xavier leaned up, placing his forearms on the table. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Well she DM'd me on IG asking to talk."

"About what?" He questioned with curiosity. Mateo ran a hand down his face. He never told Xavier that they had sex, he was so tired the next morning and had a slight hangover that he slept the whole time. "Well uh," Mateo scratched his chin. "We kind of had sex, we were drunk as shit though and neither one of us barely remember that shit."

"Wait, hold up, hold up." X got wide eyed before a smile came to his face. "You cheated on Sofia with a black girl?"

Mateo shook his head, "I didn't cheat. We were broken up." Mateo was pretty private so X wouldn't have known that. The only reason he was telling him all this right now was because he needed a second opinion.

X smacked his teeth, "yeah tell Sofia that shit." He had a point. Mateo shook his head, "we were though, granted it wasn't long and it's not going to excuse anything it's the truth."

"I'm sure you two were arguing the whole time though. Not like you two weren't talking, so you know that shit won't be excused. And she a Latina, boyyyy you got it coming to you if she find out."

"You say she Latino like I'm not." X waved his hand, "which means your ass should have definitely known better." Mateo shook his head, he wasn't helping right now. "Man I haven't even gotten to the point."

X looked at him with a surprised look as he took a long swing of his beer. "Finish," he let out as he put his beer back down.

Mateo shook his head not even wanting to tell him anymore, everything he said about Sofia was true but he couldn't help but be bothered by him reinforcing it. He drank some of his whiskey as they sat there in silence for a moment. "She pregnant?" X questioned.

Mateo looked at him, "yeah." X let out a breath. "Damn," he said lowly. "But how you know that shit even yours? She could be just trying to pin it on you. Shit you making millions."

Mateo nodded as he leaned up, placing his forearm on the table as he ran a hand down his face again. "I know, but we met and she agreed to get the non-invasive paternity test while she was pregnant. In about two weeks."

"Word?" X questioned, in his mind that definitely made it sound like it was really Mateo's. Girls had tried to pin babies on him before and they all acted super offended when he asked for a paternity test and just dropped it, letting Xavier know bitches was just looking for a come up. Mateo nodded, "and she was just cool with that shit."

Xavier licked his lips as he shook his head, picking up his beer to sip it. "Damn, at least she look good."

Mateo looked at him like he was stupid. "Really?" Xavier laughed, "man c'mon. You ain't said shit to push that it can't be yours otherwise. She agreed to the test and that's all we got to really go off of. I'm trying to be optimistic if it is yours."

Mateo shook his head, "like how the fuck am I going to tell Sofia if it is mine?" X didn't know, "man cross that bridge when you get there. Right now we ain't even sure it's yours so just relax. She not down for an abortion or no shit?"

Mateo shook his head, "she said she ain't have it in her to do it. And you know I would never be one to push somebody to do that shit." Mateo was way nicer than Xavier, Xavier had definitely made a girl get an abortion before. He was far from ready for a baby.

"I respect it, but like I said, don't stress that shit right now. You got your birthday coming up and shit. You bout to be 27, getting old as shit boy." Mateo laughed needing this shift in the conversation.

—

"So this is your spot." Alexis let out knowingly as she looked around his place. It was huge and unnecessary for just one person. "You have company a lot or something?"

Xavier laughed, "nahh, but I'm prepared if I do." She shook her head as he walked them upstairs to his room. He sat her suitcase down as he went and plopped down on his king sized bed. He laid back looking at her. She looked good. She had on some leggings and a T, not even trying to look top notch from getting off a plane. The complete opposite of what he was used to but he actually liked it.

He licked his lips and looked down at his phone. "We got about two hours until Mateo's birthday dinner so if you one of them girls that take forever to get ready you might want to get started."

Alexis placed a hand on her hip, "you didn't tell me it was tonight X!" He shrugged his shoulders, "I'm telling you now." Alexis hated shit like that. "No, you tell me that type of shit in advance." She grabbed her bag making her way into the bathroom that connected to his room and slammed the door.

"The fuck she think this is," he stated lowly. "Don't be slamming my shit," he yelled out. Alexis rolled her eyes as she looked around his bathroom. Looking for any signs of another woman. She'd had her fair share of men who kept their woman a secret and it came out at the worst of times, she was over that shit. She didn't see anything and then proceeded to start the shower water, something in her told her this was going to be a long night.

-

"Happy birthday my boy!" X smiled as he dapped Mateo up. Alexis took Mateo in, realizing that he was indeed fine as hell. She hadn't paid too much attention to him at Pulse. She looked to the side of him seeing the girl from Instagram, his girlfriend. She was even cuter in person, she had a wide smile on her a face and a cute ass black dress on that hit all her curves right. She reached her hand out to Alexis, "hi I'm Sofia."

Alexis stuck her hand out returning the smile, "Alexis. Nice to meet you." This was going to be interesting and slightly awkward for her. More people arrived, known and unknown to the public eye and it was clear this was a couples event.

The night went on as people ordered bottles, food and had side conversations. None too serious until they got on the latest drama in the tabloids.

"No but did you see that shit about Malik Greer?" Sofia asked one of the girls. His name caught everyone's attention, as some guys turned to tune in as if they didn't already know what she was about to say. "He really got a side chick pregnant."

One of the girls shook her head, "I heard she wasn't even a side chick though. Like it was on some one night stand type shit."

"That's even worse," another girl said. One of the guys shook their head, "no it's not." Alexis agreed with him. She found herself jumping into the conversation, "I agree with him. A side chick means he's been continually messing with this chick. One night stand means it happened one time. Neither are right but I'd take a one night stand over an affair."

"I'm not taking neither," Sofia let out with a roll of her eyes as her peanut gallery agreed. Alexis rolled her eyes, "I'm not saying I would want either to happen as well, but realistically speaking."

Sofia looked at Mateo, "I wish you would get another girl pregnant while with me." Alexis wanted to push it, people always had opinions on what they would or wouldn't do but whenever they got in the situation it was always different from what they said. "What if he did?" She questioned as Mateo looked at her like she was crazy and X burned a hole in the side of her face. It wasn't like she said he did, she was hypothetically speaking. Alexis didn't even know that Xavier knew at this point, they didn't talk about it.

Sofia laughed, "first off," she pointed. "He knows better. And if he did he could kiss my ass goodbye." Most of the girls nodded at the table. Alexis chuckled, a few of them knew damn well they nigga was fucking on others but they sitting here nodding with Sofia.

The conversation got awkward as hell for Mateo as he sat there uncomfortable. "Enough of that," he let out. "Right!" X let out. "It's my boy birthday, fuck that bullshit y'all talking about. Let's shot it up for my man."

Everyone smiled the atmosphere easily changing as X stopped the waitress to order a round of shots for the whole table.