Chapter 18
Arris
I turned the mirror to the girl standing in front of me doing her best to see the koi fish I’d tattooed on the back of her leg. She looked in the mirror and tilted her head one way then the other.
“This looks amazing, Arris. Thank you!” She smiled.
“No problem. I’m glad you love it.”
“I really do.” She pulled cash out of her bra and I watched her count it out before she handed it to me.
I counted it a second time, out loud to her, before I pocketed it. Then I walked her ass to the door. It was already nine at night. I’d been going all day but I’d raked the cash in. I’d even taken some small tattoos between the large ones I had scheduled.
I’d moved my jewelry and a few valuables I had laying around to my car and would be leaving it at Jayme’s spot now that I had people coming in and out of my spot and I was spending every night there.
Did I think anybody was stupid enough to try to get some shit over on me?
Fuck no, especially not in D-Ville, but crazier shit had happened.
If the Bedford Boys had a mark on me from that lil fight outside the liquor store, it was better to be safe and proactive.
I got ready to smoke a joint and clean my work station.
Then I looked down at my phone and cursed when I saw it was Kassir, one of the two DP leaders.
It was unusual that he was calling me. Shit.
He usually didn’t need to. I did my work, stayed beneath the radar, and did my best to make sure I contributed to DP however and whenever I could.
I’d never tried to slide up the ranks or no shit like that and I was sure that was how I was able to move how I did.
I was a firm believer in not having too many leaders and nobody to lead.
I was cool with following when a nigga was worthy of the respect required to lead.
Kassir and Suleem were easily them niggas.
I exhaled, threw my tattoo gun down, and plucked the call up.
“What’s up, Serious?”
“Serious is who I used to be until I got my shit together like you need to.” Kassir skipped right to the point and I sank into my seat while I got ready for the verbal lashing I knew was coming my way.
Word got around fast and apparently this stupid ass shit with me, Darryl, and Dyani was causing a fucking wave it didn’t need to be making. I hated bringing my personal drama to DP.
“Look—”
Kassir cut me off. “With your shop getting vandalized, that lil fight in the club, and the annual streetball tournament coming up, do you really think it’s a good look to be promoting infighting?”
“I didn’t start the fight with Darryl,” I argued. “That nigga ran up in Dyani’s spot tripping and I reacted to the disrespect. But it was never supposed to be what it is and I don’t have beef with him. It just—”
He cut me off again. “When I spoke to Darryl he said something similar. So if you don’t have an issue with him and he doesn’t have an issue with you, why is this dumb shit becoming my fucking problem?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, “but it won’t happen again.”
“Good,” he said simply. “You and Darryl better grow the fuck up yesterday.”
“Yeah, alright. I hear you.” I let my head fall backwards.
“I love Dyani,” I said after a beat and the realization made my chest tighten.
“I wouldn’t come through causing issues or no shit like that if it wasn’t her in specific and I mean that.
You know what DP means to me. I wouldn’t even play like that. ”
“Yeah, okay. I said what I had to say about it. I think you and Darryl can fix things, but if you can't, don't make it DP’s problem.”
“Never that.”
“Bet.”
“Bet,” I echoed. “From the cradle to the casket.”
“From the cradle to the casket.” He responded and he hung up immediately.
I tossed my phone down and hopped up. This shit was for the birds.
Darryl and I had been friends too long to be causing stupid ass problems because that nigga was in his feelings.
With that being said, I wasn’t going to bow down and kiss the ring or cop a plea with that nigga.
I’d make sure whatever we had going on didn’t affect the gang because I meant every word I’d told Kassir.
I didn’t have an issue with Darryl. I just wasn’t going to let him play in Dyani’s face in front of me and think that shit was cool.
I went back to cleaning then smoked a little bit. I did a quick little walkthrough of my spot before heading out and taking the elevator down.
I was met with an array of DP members as I walked out of the building and I dapped them as I exited.
“You coming out tonight?” one of them asked.
“I hadn’t planned on it,” I admitted.
“Oh. So you just gon’ fake on us again?”
“Ain’t nobody faking on y’all niggas. I just be having to get up early as fuck and can’t stay out all night chilling and shit like I could when I made my own schedule.”
“Man, you’re acting like we’re going to the club till it closes or some shit. We’re just going to a lil hole in the wall ass spot for this pool tournament they got going on. We figured we could hustle the tourists real quick and get some cheap ass drinks while we were at it.”
I looked at the watch on my wrist.
After the talk I’d just had with Kassir I kind of felt obligated to go out.
Shit. I hadn’t done anything DP related in a little bit, and if word really was going around about the fight me and Darryl had, the last thing I wanted to do was make niggas think I was fraud and avoiding them because I’d done something wrong.
I scratched the back of my neck and nodded.
“Yeah. Alright. I can come through,” I said.
“For real? You coming out?”
“Yeah. When y’all heading out?”
“Shit. We were about to leave right now.”
“Alright. I’ll follow you.”
“A’ight. Cool.”
I made my way to my car, hopped in, and cranked the engine. Then I pulled my phone out and sent a quick text to Dyani and Jayme: I’m going to the pool hall with some of DP. Don’t wait up.
Dyani liked the message immediately. Jayme liked it a minute or so later and responded.
Jaybird: Be careful.
I liked her message too. Then I threw my car in reverse when I saw the two cars full of DP members head out of the D-Ville parking lot.
I spent the night drinking and shooting pool to the best of my ability, and by the time I stumbled out, it was after one and I was crossfaded from smoking and the strong ass drinks I’d been fed.
I called an iDrive to get me back home and fell asleep in that mothafucka.
When I woke up outside of Dyani and Jayme’s apartment building, it was due to my driver damn near shaking me awake. I stumbled out of the whip to the elevator and slumped against the wall as it went up.
At Jayme’s door it took me longer than it should have to get it open.
I slammed it a little harder than necessary and sat on the arm of her couch to take my shoes off near the door.
Eventually, I gave up and just fell backwards across the couch.
I set my hands on my chest and just stared up at the ceiling while the little bit of light that managed to seep in through the blinds danced above me.
I felt a little bit like the fucking room was spinning. I reached down for my gun, pulled it out of my pants, and dropped it on the end table near my head. Then I gripped the side of the couch and slammed my eyes shut. I was unconscious in seconds.
The second time I was woken up was from a series of kisses all over my face. I grumbled but reached up, grabbed one of my women, and yanked them down over my body. I knew from the little quiet giggle that it was Jayme and I crushed her against me, halfway between me and the back of the couch.
“Hey,” I mumbled.
“Hey,” she repeated. “Why didn’t you come get in the bed?”
“Shoes,” I said simply.
She stifled her laugh by burying her face into my side and I scoffed.
“Do you want me to get them off?”
“Nah. You’re good.”
“Are you sure, Arris?”
“Mhm. Thank you, baby.” I forced my eyes open and looked in her direction. I stared at her for a while before my eyes slowly adapted to how dark it was in the room.
“You had fun with the guys then?”
“Yeah. It was cool. Kassir called and talked to me about the shit with Darryl so I figured it was a bad look to seem like I was ducking the rest of DP. You know?”
“Yeah. I get it.” She reached up and ran a hand along the top of my head.
“How was your day?”
“It was good. I made good money and Blake was an angel.”
“He always is.”
Jayme sucked her teeth. “You’re in denial.”
“Let me be delusional at least until middle school,” I pleaded.
“We’ll see.” Jayme adjusted how she was laying, putting her weight on top of me. I parted my legs, letting one fall off the sofa completely for her to get comfortable.
“How’s Dyani holding up?”
“She seems okay. I mean, it was a lot but she doesn’t seem to be holding on to it or blaming us for the blowup.”
“That’s good.” I clasped my hands together on her back. “What possessed you to pepper spray that nigga?” I asked as an afterthought.
“Y’all were going hard and Dyani was starting to freak out and I don’t know.
I wasn’t about to jump between two grown ass men who used to fight every weekend for fun while they were fighting and drawing blood.
If you would have hit me by accident, you wouldn’t have forgiven yourself, and if Darryl hit me by accident, you wouldn’t have forgiven him. It was a calculated risk.”
I nodded.
“Well, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Jayme exhaled, put a hand on my chest, and propped her chin on it.
I looked down at her pretty ass face.
“I love the way shit is right now. Even with the Darryl drama and the shit with the shop, I still feel good coming home to this, to you and Blake and Dyani.” I exhaled. “I just want this shit for the rest of my life.”
“Me too, baby.” Jayme lifted and kissed me then snuggled her head into the crook of my neck.
I wrapped an arm around her.
“I think we should talk about officially moving in together,” I confessed. “I can keep my place to do tattoos without worrying about getting caught up and come home to my family every night.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I love you and I know I want this shit forever. Plus, we’re spending every night together anyway; whether it’s this place, Dyani’s spot, or mine. I don’t even remember the last time I slept alone.”
“I love you and want this shit forever too,” Jayme said quietly. “You can move in. You have a key and my blessing, Arris, even though you’ve never needed the blessing part.” She peered up at me. “You’ve always had a key and you’ve always been welcome here.”
“But I don’t want it to be ‘Jayme’s place’ anymore. I just want it to be home.”
“Okay.” She ran her fingertips along my jaw. “I’d like that.”
“Yeah?”
“Mhm.”
“Good.” I kissed her mouth softly and her light touch intensified as she grabbed my face to hold it in place.
We rested our foreheads against each other.
“Is Dyani included in this moving into this apartment thing?” she asked.
I didn’t hesitate. “If she wants to be. I’d love to wake up to both of y’all every single morning, but I don’t want to rush her into anything she isn’t ready for either.”
“We won’t know unless we ask,” Jayme said.
I nodded. “I know.” I waited a beat. “Jayme.”
“Hm?”
“I love Dyani too.”
“I know.”
“Yeah?”
“Mhm.” She let out a little yawn. “You should tell her if you feel that way.”
“You don’t think it’s too soon?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
We lay in silence for a little longer. I traced my hand up and down Jayme’s back and eventually she drifted off to sleep.
I wrapped my arms around her and let myself fall asleep too.