The Truth & Lies series is a two-book series that touches on two different couples. In book one we meet Rob and Iris, an IT manager that creates custom jewelry on the side, and a teacher (Math Bae), that happen to be neighbors. In book two we meet Brandi and Kyle. A hairdresser and a retired NBA player turned artist. The ladies in these books are best friends with each other, along with the guys being best friends with each other as well. Both stories were good in their own rights, obviously because of who the author is, but this blog post is to highlight my favorite quotes from both stories. I'm pretty sure most of you know how CCJ gets down with her pen. This blog post will serve as a friendly reminder. So, here are my favorite quotes from the series, with no context. There's a possibility these quotes may contain spoilers, so read with caution.
“When you love someone, you see what you want to see. Nobody wants to think the person they care about has an addiction. So we ignore the signs, and explain it away. Blame it on something else. And then, once we can’t ignore it anymore, we blame ourselves for what they did, to make it make sense. And that’s not just for addiction.”
“I mean, I didn’t even mention the fact that I cried all day when you didn’t respond. Looked through all your Instagram posts again, with Dru Hill blasting in the background. Called and told my mama – who is not happy with you, by the way.”
“I’m feeling you. It’s obvious that you’re feeling me. Neither of us is trying to make a big deal out of anything, so… I don’t know. I don’t understand why you’re so against me.”
“If you’re putting that thing in me, I need to be as far from sober as possible.”
“You have a coolness about you that I’ve never experienced before. You seem so open, and honest, which is mind blowing for me. You’re masculine and sexy, without being some macho asshole who has to “prove” he’s a man instead of just being one. I could honestly go on and on. You love your mother but don’t live with her, you like kids…” she leaned in a little, then whispered, “your dick is huge,” before she sat back, laughing. “I really think you’re amazing… but.”
“Girl I’m gonna fight you if you mess this up with math bae cause of a funky ass few months left on your little “dating yourself” pledge. Was that clear enough?”
“I’m saying talk to her. Figure out what the hell you want to do. I don’t have the mental energy to help make the decision for you, but you and I have talked about this enough to know that you and Coral are not a resolved issue. So while I’m handling my shit – I need you to handle yours.”
“Don’t even think about putting your street clothes in my bed,” she said from across the room, as she pulled on a tee shirt and shorts.
“Then we may just be telepathic Gorgeous, cause I’m feeling the same. Feeling like I need to touch you… tell you in person.”
“If you insist. Maybe. Hell, I’m thinking maybe yeah. It had to be. Two people who really had no business dating, ended up falling in love. What part of the game is that?”
“For now… I’m about to fuck the shit outta you.”
“Silly boy. I’m pretty sure it’s about to be the other way around.”
“Nah. What I want to hear is, “I should’ve told you I was fucking our son’s pediatrician, Kyle, my bad. If I was gonna have him face deep in my pussy one day, and have you in there the next, that’s the type of shit I should’ve let you know before you took our son to check on his cough and had you acting all cordial with this nigga.” That’s the shit I want to hear. Forget a “maybe”, have you lost your mind?”
“Okay, so I guess I see her little just-turned-thirteen slay,” I admitted, handing him back the phone.
“Hold up,” he said, raising a hand. “If you’re think I’m looking at you like you’re crazy, you’re misunderstanding. My face is probably looking screwed up right now because you said that nigga “didn’t want your baby for ten, eleven years”. What does that even mean?”
“Then… I know you don’t really have history to fall back on with ol’ boy, but if he’s trying to be SuperDad… trust him to be that, until he gives you a new reason not to. Not suggesting at all that you should forget the shit he did, cause it was foul, but don’t make yourself sick waiting on him to mess up again, you know? He deserves you being suspicious of him, until he proves himself, but not to the extent that it’s messing with your mental state.”
“You said I tasted better than that shot, right?” I whispered against his lips. “Yeah. I did. And I meant it.” “Prove it. Get down there and double-check.”
“Okay then… you can’t blindside her like this, it’s not cool. Not to mention, it makes it hard to trust you son, and once that’s broken… it’s damn hard to get back. You don’t keep things from your mother, okay?”
“You’ve made it clear that you don’t want too much to do with me, and I can’t do anything but respect that. This is so that my son is a better man than I am, and so that I’m a better man than I was five years ago.”
“Okay Brandi. I will not say anything else against it – after this. You may want to think twice about claiming you aren’t catching feelings when you just pulled out the verbal equivalent of a machete to defend him.”
“I… don’t know when that happened. I mean, yeah, we had chemistry, but this is something other than just sexual attraction. Or… it feels that way to me. And again, I don’t know when we… shifted… but, it’s not an anomaly. That’s every time I’m around you, every time I touch you, kiss you, when I’m inside of you. Maybe it’s not like that for you, you know? And it doesn’t have to be,” I added quickly, not wanting to give the wrong impression of what I was saying. “But… that’s why this “friends”
“I’m asking because… if you trust me as your friend, I need you to extend that a little further. Give me a chance to be more than that."
“So we have something in common then, cause I don’t know how to be a girlfriend either.”
“Ezra? As in… Pastor Ezra Carmichael from the clips on Instagram, standing up on the pulpit all thick and bearded looking like God gave him extra doses of sexy?”
"I can’t go to him. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate if I’m lusting after my therapist. Who else you got?”
“I… I really don’t know how else to qualify that. Maybe when you look at yourself, you see all the other stuff, but when I look at you, I just see… you. Hell, I should be asking you why you’re doing this. Constant drama with my child’s mother, a bad reputation, former athlete, hell my own friends don’t even trust me with you. On paper, I’m the textbook definition of a fuckboy.”
“First of all – I’ve only ever been around your son at the community center, so if you have an issue, address that with Kyle. It doesn’t have shit to do with me. And second – I want you to understand that the only reason I’m giving your ass any grace right now is because the dick is so good I’d probably be acting stupid if I couldn’t have it anymore too,” I told her, returning the smirk that had slipped off her face with my words. “Oh, and… I guess if I’m dating Kyle, we’ll need to have some peace, so I won’t do your silly ass like I really could.” I looked her up and down, then shook my head as I turned away. “Come on Zion, we need to get home,” I called, then glanced back at Audrey, who was still standing here looking dumbfounded. “Oh, and… your leave out, in your weave… no. I work at Studio G. You should come by, I’ll hook you up.”
“Because, you… ugh. You weren’t supposed to move on with a girl who looks like her. The first real girlfriend was supposed to be some ugly, misshapen chick I could roast in a group text with my friends. That woman- this Brandi? Kyle, she insulted my hair and offered to fix it, and I… kinda wanted to take her up on it, for like two seconds. That shit isn’t right, and you know it!”
“Okay, that was your doctor advice, now give me the auntie advice.”
“Well… my mother, God rest her soul, once told me that if a man wants to pay for something I can afford myself… let him pay anyway, and to put my money aside for the day he decided to stop paying. I’m not suggesting that’s what you should do though – just passing along information.”
“I know it ain’t cheap. But… I don’t want you thinking this is something I want to do as your man. I would do this if we were still where we were before, would offer the same to Derrick, or Rob, Gia, Iris. I look at y’all like family now, my brothers, my cousins.”
“Uh… we’re sleeping together, Kyle. Calling me your cousin isn’t a good look.”
“Oh – I am gonna knock that pussy out the frame next time we’re alone though. So you be ready.”
“You’ve seen what I keep locked in my bedside drawer, I’m not worried,” I said, and he twisted his lips.
“The need for vengeance has destroyed many men,” she said, then laid down her card – another “draw two” that she could simply add to the stack instead of having to pull for herself. “Uno out, muhfucka,” she laughed, and Derrick threw his cards down, shoving away from the table, mumbling something about checking on the grill.
“You deserve the dick I’m gonna give you later when these folks get outta my house.”