Noles #3
"One asked to stay another night and you know how that go," she replied.
"Plus they mammies at happy hour with champagne glasses turned up to the mouth like always.
" I knew she was rollin her eyes by the way she said it.
I could hear the sarcasm wrapped up in affection.
Juste, Jules, and Pierre busted out laughing all at once, the sound cutting through the earlier tension like a blade.
"Since y'all think everything so funny," Mama snapped back, "come get ya damn churren!
" That shit had me snickerin before I could stop myself.
"I'm on the way. Love you," Saint said, his tone softer now, different than it was ten minutes ago.
He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Watchin them like that always threw me off.
Saint and Mama both had big personalities.
Strong. Loud. Stubborn as hell. But them kids had softened somethin in them, rounded the sharp edges.
I saw it every time they talked about the grandkids, even when they pretended to complain.
It made me think about Ayida. About the way she talked to the ancestors like family.
The way she believed love changed bloodlines, not just people.
"She love tryna act like she don't like bein' a grandma," Juste said, smacking his lips, "when deep down she don't even be wantin' them to come home." Pierre nodded. "Facts. She be sad when they leave."
Saint adjusted his jacket, already halfway gone mentally. "I'm out. I meant what I said." He walked out the building without looking back, the door closing behind him with a soft click that somehow sounded louder than it should've.
The room felt different after that. Lighter but uneasy. Pierre made calls out to Amina and got her voicemail a few times. "Them women say somethin' to y'all about meetin' up?" Pierre asked, breakin the silence.
We all shook our heads at the same time.
They usually didn't. "I wonder where they ass at," Pierre muttered.
"Nine times outta ten yo house or mine," Juste said casually.
I pulled my phone out my pocket without thinkin, thumb already movin'.
Ayida's location popped up quick, that little dot sitting steady like it always did.
"Look like they at Ju house," I said. "That's where Ayida location say she at.
" Pierre laughed under his breath. "Know they drunk.
" I leaned back in my chair, starin up at the ceiling for a second longer than necessary, lettin that statement settle.
Drunk usually meant loud. Loud usually meant truth.
After we left the shop, I trailed them back to Jules' house.
We stood out front for a minute, passing a blunt around, smoke floatin up into the night air while the porch light flickered.
Nobody rushed inside. We never did. There was always that pause, like we was bracing ourselves for whatever kind of chaos waited on the other side of the door.
"Noles, make sure you get your hair did," Juste said, exhalin smoke. "That shit nappy as a cat's ass."
"Y'all crab-ass niggas stay on my dick," I shot back, snatchin the blunt from his hand mid-pass, makin him laugh.
"You just the lil brother, nigga. That's all that is," Jules added, shaking his head.
I took one last pull, put the blunt out on the edge of the ashtray by the door, and tucked it away before we stepped inside. Soon as the door opened, I knew.
The house was loud. Drunk loud. Happy loud.
Women-on-a-mission loud. When we rounded the corner into the living room, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Amina was laid flat on her back on the coffee table, legs up in the air, turkey baster in her hand pointed at her cat like she was conductin a damn science experiment.
Ayida stood over her, tryin her hardest to be serious but failing miserably, her shoulders shakin as she tried not to laugh.
"Come on, y'all, be forreal," Nia said, attemptin to sound authoritative and failin just as bad.
"Quit laughin' and pay attention." That just sent Chiana and Ayida into wheezin laughter, clutchin each other like they couldn't breathe.
"Ay man, what the fuck y'all in here doin'?
" Pierre barked, makin all of them jump and snap their heads toward us like they'd just been caught by the police.
Chiana pressed her lips together, trying to hold it in, cheeks puffed.
"None of y'all gon' say shit?" Pierre continued, hands on his hips.
"Amina, why the hell you laid out on these people coffee table with a damn big-ass syringe in ya hand?
" That was it. They lost it. Ayida, Chiana, Nia, and Amina all howled at the same damn time, bent over, crying, laughing, barely able to stand.
"Ain't shit funny," Pierre muttered, shakin his head.
"Y'all ass just get drunk and be doin' shit.
" Amina rolled off the table and immediately tried to pull him into a hug, plantin a kiss on his cheek. "Relax, babe," she laughed.
I walked straight up to Ayida, took the champagne glass from her hand, and took a slow sip.
Then I hooked my free arm around her waist, pullin her closer until her body fit against mine like it always had.
"What y'all got goin' on, man?" I asked quietly, eyes locked on hers.
She stared back at me for a long moment then giggled it off like it was nothing.
"It ain't nothin'," she said lightly. But I knew her. And it was something.
Before I could press her, the sound of muffled voices driftin from down the hallway caught my attention.
Jules and Nia. Raised voices. Sharp tones.
Whatever it was, it wasn't playful. I didn't even noticed them slip away.
"You ready to go?" I murmured, lookin back down at Ayida.
"But we drinkin', the energy is great," she pouted, lips pushed out, eyes shinin.
"You can do that at home with me," I said, brushin my lips against hers.
"I'm yours for the rest of the day." That did it.
She smiled up at me with that goofy, unguarded smile like she felt chosen, and safe.
"I'm about to go," I said, glancin at Juste, then back down the hallway one last time.
"We right behind ya," Juste agreed, already noddin.
"P and Mina, if y'all ridin', let's go." We filed out one by one, the night air hittin different now, quieter, calmer.
Everyone split off into their cars, engines starting, headlights cutting through the dark.
Ayida played DJ on the ride home, champagne glass still in her hand, shoulders rolling as she danced in her seat like the world wasn't heavy at all.
"I like how yo roguish ass stole that glass from my brother house," I chuckled, glancin over at her.
She rolled her eyes, laughin, never missing a beat.
Watchin her in the passenger seat had my chest doing weird shit. Butterflies. Calm. Gratitude. All mixed together. She was a different breath of air for me.
A pause.
A peace.
No matter how loud the world got, no matter what chaos waited around the corner, I knew one thing for sure, The peace she brought me, That shit was unmatched.