“You betta.”
We disconnected, and all I could think was how good his arms would feel wrapped around me while I drifted to sleep.
Chapter 7
Dyami
“Ican’t believe that nigga flipped out like that! I’m gone get my brother to see about his ass!” Chante mugged as she slammed her rum and Coke on the table. We sat inside our favorite wind-down spot, Raspberries. After a long workday, this was where a lot of corporate singles came to mingle. It was a diverse crowd, comprising both elites and entry-level professionals. It was the exact opposite of the club, as the crowd was highest on weeknights and completely dead on Saturdays.
I smoothed my hand down my dark blue dress pants and took a drink of my Spritzer before answering. “I can’t believe that, either. I never thought Jay would come at me like that. I guess I didn’t know him well at all. It’s like, how do you really know these men for real? If it isn’t time that does it, then what is?” That made me knock the rest of my drink back. I was so hesitant about meeting Marcos and his friend here tonight, and the more I thought about what happened with Jay, the more uneasy I got. I hadn’t been around Marcos in so long. He had to be a different person than he was all those years ago. I was.
“Girl, fuck that! I’m gonna call Caro to beat his ass. We do not play that shit!” Chante said, just as mad as she was when I first told her.
“No, I love Caro, but he does not need to risk his freedom for me. He’s still on probation, right?”
“By the time Caro finish with him, he won’t be saying shit to nobody. It’s nothing but a few hours. You know my whole family don’t play about you. Speaking of, Momma wanted to know if you were coming to Thanksgiving this year.”
“Probably. I’ll have to see what Trina is doing. Wait, that’s him.” My eyes floated to the door, and I saw Marcos hovering by the entry, saying a few words to someone. His attire was speaking volumes, and it seemed he had the attention of all in his vicinity. He wasn’t dripping in jewels, but the accent he put on left everyone no question about how he was moving. I tried to swallow my smile, but when I saw the person next to him, it burst through wider than ever.
I was on my feet, and when we all met in the middle, I jumped into Chubby’s arms.
“Oh my God! Chubby! You look so good!” I gushed with happiness.
“Damn, Dyami. You've been here the whole time, dodging. It’s good to see you!” Chubby reciprocated.
“Damn, that nigga cool!” Marcos chimed in. The jealousy was written all over his face, and I laughed lightly, remembering the times I used to flirt with Chubby to make Marcos mad. Chubby became a great friend to me once the relationship with Marcos developed. Even after Marcos left, he looked out for me and never crossed the line out of respect for Marcos.
I reached out to Marcos. I gripped his cheeks and teased, “Aww, you feeling left out?” He swatted my hand away and pulled me in by the small of my back. I warmed as soon as my body contacted his chest. I prayed he didn’t feel my nipples through my cotton fabric.
“Left out for what? I got what I want.” His eyes never left mine. I cleared my throat and pushed back from him.
“Umm, Chubby. This is my friend, Chante.”
“Nice to meet you, Chante. Gavin.” Chubby said properly.
“Marcos, this is my best friend, Chante.” I waved my hand between them.
“Marcos?” Chubby said through a laugh.
“Nigga, don’t start,” Marcos said, stepping in the direction of the table we left.
“We will be right back. We have to go to the ladies' room.” Chante grabbed my arm and dragged me in that direction.
“Bitch! Now why the hell you ain’t tell me that big, tall, fine ass nigga was coming here?” Chante blushed.
“Ooh, look at you blushing. I honestly didn’t know they were still friends.”
“Now if I knew that, I would have worn my good push-up.” She was in the mirror, adjusting herself to ensure everything was in place.
“Naw, baby, you sittin’” I smacked her ass to gas her up. She poked it out and did a little dance.
“Whew, shit. Cool. I just had to catch my breath for a second. I wasn’t expecting him.”
I laughed and pushed on the door to leave, but she caught me.
“Mi, I think you should see where it goes. I saw how he shut yo ass up real quick out there. I ain’t the only one that was blushing. We deserve good love, and if that is the nigga that will give it to you, go for it. Just promise yourself it won’t take you three years to move on if it isn’t right. And you talking about me sitting. I see that thang back there, girl.”
She gassed me right back. I winked, and we walked back with an extra boost in my step.
