Chapter 10
Nearly three years later . . .
Removing my hard hat from my head, I used the back of my hand to wipe away the sweat from my forehead. It was the dead of summer, so the sun was relentless. I was finishing up the task of running MC cable from one junction box to another at the commercial site we were currently contracted for.
“Yo, Port,” my homeboy Titus called out when he spotted me. “You wanna hit the strip with me and Cell tonight?”
I unbuckled my toolbelt and set it down on the ground. I shook my head, letting my hair free. I just knew it was matted at the top, looking crazy. “Nah, I got plans tonight.”
He frowned and eyed me suspiciously. “Fuck kind of plans you got, nigga? You antisocial as fuck and barely wanna do shit with us.”
I chuckled because he wasn’t wrong. The day I walked away from El, I promised myself that I wouldn’t have any distractions.
When Tashay came to pick me up, I found out my father had put money aside for me to attend trade school.
He was so locked in on it that he had Tashay research information about every option available for me.
I mean, from timeframes, to expected salary, and the hours I would be required to work in a day.
All I had to do was read through the pamphlets and choose a future.
My only goal was something that would give me true financial freedom.
I wanted to leave my old life behind, which meant I needed a reliable career.
I ended up choosing to go the electrical route.
Two weeks ago, I had officially completed my three-year commercial electrical apprenticeship and was now a licensed Journeyman Electrician.
The company I was working for offered me a full-time position, and I accepted.
I was officially a six-figure earner, and all I could think about was Rockel.
She was always on my mind, knowing I’d left without any forewarning or explanation, but I had to do this for me.
I needed to feel like I was worth her love, but I couldn’t when I didn’t have a dime to my name.
A nigga was fresh out of prison too. Shit was cliché as fuck and embarrassing.
Now that I had a stable income, I was ready to get my woman back.
“I have a date,” I replied with a simple shrug.
Now he was really intrigued. “A date? Oh, you gotta tell me about this.”
I sighed with a shake of my head while packing up my tools. It was time to call it a day, and I had to get a move on if I was going to have enough time to go home and shower. “It’s a long story for another day because I have to go.”
He shrugged. “Aight.”
We bumped fists before I headed for my work truck. Once everything was put away, I climbed inside and headed toward headquarters. I had to switch to my personal car before I could head home.
The entire time I drove, I kept trying to predict the future.
I had no clue if El was going to receive me well.
I looked up her social media profile and found out she moved her shop to a bigger location six months ago.
I felt goofy as fuck reading her story about going from her shed to her own salon, where she was able to employ others.
She was so cold with the clippers that she had celebrity clients who often frequented her shop.
My princess hadn’t slowed up, and that made me happy.
Now, the only thing she was missing was me.
I made it to headquarters and swapped out the work truck for my matte-black Trackhawk Jeep.
I was kicking up dust and speeding through the city within minutes.
It felt so good to be able to move how I wanted.
Rolling my window down, I allowed the humidity to swallow me up.
I remembered when I dreamed about being able to cruise through the city like this.
Shit was a reality, and I couldn’t have been prouder of myself.
I made it to my apartment in Madrid and headed right for the shower. I was working all day and sweating in places that should’ve been illegal. Better believe, I was going to be fresh, clean, and smelling good the first time I laid eyes on my woman in three years.
I was looking rough as hell because I was ready to cut all of my hair off. And there was only one person I trusted to touch my head. I hadn’t gotten a cut in so long. I looked like a caveman, but other than that, the last three years had done me well.
I was in the gym, attended church with Tashay every Sunday, and ate like I gave a fuck about myself.
There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that the physical attraction would still be thrumming between El and me like a live wire, but I was worried about the emotional wounds.
I had abandoned her because I was feeling insecure. She deserved better than that from me.
Many nights, I stayed up, tossing and turning in bed feeling guilty about it, wondering what her life had become, what man was lying next to her.
I always had to stop myself before those thoughts took over.
They would have me pissed off at the entire human species the next day, like it was their fault and not my own.
After spraying myself with my Tom Ford Oud Wood, I grabbed my wallet, phone, and keys to head out.
I was a man on a mission, and nothing was standing in the way of me going to see El.
I didn’t know why I decided it was the day.
Maybe it was knowing that I’d finally achieved the very thing I’d set out to do, the very reason I’d even left her in the first place.
I couldn’t stop my heart from racing the entire drive over to her shop.
I couldn’t even bring myself to listen to music, because I was trying to think of what I would say, but nothing sounded good enough.
By the time I was parking outside of her shop, I knew there was no script to memorize for this reunion.
It was both of our hearts on the line, and I had to have faith that if we were meant to be, then I would find the right words.
I took a deep breath and released it slowly before climbing out of my car. I jogged across the street and looked up at The Beauty Barber logo painted on the door. She’d upgraded it—some dope art. I glanced left and right before I ripped the door open like I owned the place.
The shop was very modern and sleek. Each station had a huge mirror lined with LED lights.
The floors were marble, and the walls were a stone-gray color.
Beside each mirror were white vases with huge, fluffy pampas.
Along the back wall was a huge, white neon sign that said The Beauty Barber on it.
She had four booths on each side that I knew from reading online were all booked up.
I’d also read that El only hired female barbers, so I wasn’t surprised to see the woman cleaning up hair around one of the booths. “Hi, can I help you?” she questioned me without turning around.
I cleared my throat and straightened my posture while allowing my eyes to study every detail. “Yeah, I wanted to get a cut.”
She turned around to look at me, and I knew immediately that she liked what she saw. She licked her lips and nodded. “Okay, cool. I have enough time to cut you before we close for the night.”
I was shaking my head before she could finish getting her statement out. “Nah, I actually wanted to get a cut by the owner. Is she around?” I tried to ask casually, like it wasn’t a big deal, but on the inside, I was damn near weak in the knees. She was here. I could feel it in my bones.
“I mean, she is in her office, but she doesn’t really take walk-ins.”
I gave her a smirk. “She’ll want to take this one.”
She snorted. “If you say so. What’s your name so I can let her know you’re here?”
I stroked my beard and walked deeper into the shop. “Which station is hers?”
She pointed to a chair, and I plopped down in it, bending my right leg across my left knee. “Just tell her to come out here.”
Instead of asking more questions, she turned and headed toward the back.
I released a shaky breath because while I sounded confident, I really wasn’t.
I continued to observe the shop until I heard them coming back.
The clack of El’s heels shortened my breathing.
My heart rate picked up before she even said a word, before her vanilla scent could sedate my senses.
“Um, hi. I heard you wanted to get a cut by me, but rest assured, Trinity is talented and can handle whatever your needs are.”
I slowly spun the chair around so I was facing her. All the color drained from El’s face when we locked gazes. I genuinely smiled. “Nah, I don’t think she can handle my needs. You can though.”
She stood there in shock while I admired her.
Today, she was wearing a white and brown flannel with brown trousers.
The shirt was constructed so that it snatched in her waist while leaving the top of her breasts exposed.
She’d put on some weight since the last time I’d seen her.
Like her fucking hips . . . I definitely didn’t remember them being so rounded.
I could damn near see her ass from the front, and that sight alone had me adjusting the way I was sitting in her chair.
“Perfect . . .” She mumbled my name in shock. “Wh-what are you doing here?” She fiddled with her fingers nervously. I thought it was cute, but it was also relieving to know she was also affected by my presence. It had been a long time coming.
“I’m here to get a cut. You got me?”
The girl she referred to as Trinity spoke up, breaking the silence. “Wait, so you two do know each other?”
“Yeah,” I replied.
“Used to know each other,” El said at the same time.
I chuckled. “Damn, it’s like that, Princess?” I knew I was playing with fire, but I didn’t care. I was just happy to lay eyes on her beautiful ass. It was taking every ounce of self-control to stay seated because all I wanted to do was put my hands on her.