For the Love of You

Chapter 1

I dropped my clippers on my work station and kicked my trashcan out of my way.

I was tired as hell and I was glad that it was time to close up.

I loved owning my own shop. My pops had passed it down to me when he was ready to retire and no matter how much I bitched and complained, I would never shut the place down.

“Why are you over here looking like somebody spit in your face?” My brother, Rob, checked as he collapsed into my chair.

“What are you even talking about?” I sucked my teeth and snatched up a broom to get rid of some of the hair on the floor.

“You looking real tight.” He freed a piece of candy from his pocket, unwrapped it and threw it in his mouth, “You look tense. You need to get out more.”

“He needs to get laid,” Javits added, coming from the back room with a towel thrown around his neck.

“Both of y’all need to mind your own business. Matter of fact, get up out of my chair.” I hit Rob behind the head and he chuckled as he climbed up. “And you need to lock that damn door.” I pointed at it.

“We’re just looking out.” Javitiz shrugged, but made his way over to the front door and locked it.

“I didn’t ask either one of y’all to do that though.” I scoffed and continued to sweep.

Rob was my older brother and Javitz was my best friend so I was used to them giving me shit. I’d met Javitiz in kindergarten and we’d been inseparable ever since. We’d played ball together, fought together and graduated together. I kept my circle small and he made up the entire thing.

Javitiz called JV for short was an artist and I meant that in every literal sense.

The dude was talented. If it was considered an art he could dabble in it.

The dude danced. He played the drums and the trumpet.

He could read and compose music and actually wasn’t half bad at it, but his heart was in drawing and painting.

He wanted to open a tattoo shop eventually and he was saving up to do just that.

He was a business major at the college he was attending, but he did it part time between working at the shop with me and a series of other odd jobs including selling drugs with my brother.

Rob and I were two sides of the same coin being raised the way we were.

Our mother had dipped out a little bit after my birth leaving us with our pops who was a twin himself.

Our pops and uncle had done a lot of running the streets when they were younger and the bricks they’d move had laid the foundation for the very shop we stood in.

Our dad had purchased it to go down the straight and narrow and our uncle had kept moving work and running the streets.

I’d followed after our dad. Rob had followed after our uncle.

“Speaking of needing to get laid,” Rob hopped up in to Javitiz’s chair, “What’s up with you and that girl you met?”

“We kicking it,” Javitiz shrugged, a smirk crossing his face, “Allur is cool people.”

“He’s smirking like a little girl,” Rob started laughing, “He’s sprung.”

“Shut up,” Javitiz hit him behind the head. “And uh,” he cleared his throat, “speaking of shawty, which one of y’all free tonight?”

“Kaleo!” Rob said instantly, “I’ve got a meeting. I can’t hang out with y’all lil niggas tonight.”

“Yeah okay.” I shot Rob a look. “What’s up?”

“Allur’s lil cousin is in town for a while and I may have said one of y’all would chill with her.”

“What the fuck you mean ‘chill with her’?” I asked. “Do I look like I need you to set me up on some blind date?”

“Look, she’s cute and going through a breakup.

Allur is worried she’s going to fall into depression or something.

I’m not telling you to ask her out or date her or fuck her or nothing like that.

I’m just asking for you to talk to her while Allur is around so she’s not upset seeing us all into each other coming off her breakup and not sitting around just checking her phone repeatedly. ”

“Yeah, okay. Run me four hundred dollars since you always need something.”

“Five-fifty,” Rob added, “because he’s always hooking you up with some stale ass hoes.”

“You right,” I pointed at Rob as I leaned my broom up against my station, “$550.”

“Done,” Javitiz pulled out his wallet, counted out the money and walked it over to me, “And don’t look like you want to kill yourself the whole time.”

Before I could respond a knock sounded at the front door and we all turned and looked in that direction.

“I got it.” Javitz spun around and walked over. He unlocked the door and then held it open.

“Hey,” Allur waved and Rob and I nodded once, “Soo, this is my cousin,” she looked back, rolled her eyes and then grabbed her arm and yanked her inside, “Novi.”

I licked my lips without thinking about it. Shawty was bad. She was brown skin with a short ass haircut. She was bigger than Allur both in weight and height. She looked around the room slowly before her eyes settled back on Javitz.

“What’s up?” He shook her hand.

“This is JV,” Allur explained to her cousin. “And these are his best friends, Rob and Kaleo.”

“Nice to meet you.” She waved awkwardly.

“Nice to meet you too.” Rob and I answered at the same time and he cast a glance at me and chuckled.

“I need to meet up with my people but I’ll catch y’all this weekend.” He slid out of the chair and dapped me up. “Stay out of trouble.” He walked over and dapped JV up, “It was nice seeing you again, Allur. Nice meeting you, Novi.” He saluted then slid by them to get out of the building.

“Come see something real quick.” JV licked his lips and then held a hand out to Allur. She took it with a smile and he started to lead her towards the back of the shop.

“Keep an eye on my baby please,” she called over her shoulder.

“Yes ma’am.” I scoffed.“You can just sit wherever.” I gestured around and Novi nodded.

I looked her up and down up close and noted that she had some of the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen.

“So, what are you in town for?” I watched her sit and collected my water bottle before I hopped into the seat across from hers.

“I just wanted to spend some time with my favorite cousin.” She shrugged.

“And that’s it?” I wasn’t the type of dude to beat around the bush. That wasn’t me and would never be me.

“My boyfriend dumped me.” She gave me a tight smile and shrugged. “That’s it.”

“You looking for a rebound?”

“You offering?”

“Maybe,” I shrugged.

“Yeah okay.” She rolled her eyes and crossed her legs. She was wearing a pair of white shorts and a yellow tank top that looked amazing against her skin tone.

“So why did you and dude break up?”

“We wanted different things.” She shrugged.

“He broke your heart.” It was partially a statement and partially a question, “You’ll bounce back,” I offered. “Feelings are temporary.”

“So, how long have you been working here?” She was uncomfortable and trying to change the subject. That amused me, but I let her have it.

“If you count sweeping up hair, as long as I can remember.”

“It’s a family business?”

“Yeah, my pops…” I let my sentence trail off. I looked back at the sound of the door opening.”We’re closed.”

“Good. Then you should be free for us to chop it up.”

I sighed but climbed to my feet. I was used to bullshit and people trying to pull my card.

The shop was supposed to be a safe zone for both the gangs that ran these streets, but thanks to Rob it wasn’t always seen that way.

It didn’t help that whoever controlled the shop got control of the basement which happened to be central for a lot of work and connected to three other shops, both on either side and the one across the street.

Each of the other three were only connected to us.

Both gangs had been trying to lock the shop down ever since word had gotten out about it.

Since it was a neutral zone I hadn’t exactly been threatened for it and no vandalism had gone on, but I had gang members try to intimidate me and push the line on threatening in public and away from the shop.

I also got pretty good financial offers, enough for the average person to sell for sure.

Unfortunately this shop wasn’t just a means for financial security.

It was my father’s legacy and luckily for Rob, that alone was enough for me to stand ten toes down on keeping it.

If it wasn’t for our father, I would have taken the cash and ran off long ago and left the building to Rob and his own devices. If ownership went to him, the whole neutral zone shit would cease to exist though and I was sure war would break out.

There was apparently a strong line between being a member and just being affiliated and I kept my head down just enough to be able to not bear my brother’s brand.

“What’s up?” I adjusted the gun tucked into my pants and walked closer.

“You know Lily?”

“Nigga, what?” I chuckled without even thinking about it. “Man, I don’t know who that is and checking me about yo’ bitch at my place of work is real immature.”

“Well the word on the street is-”

I cut him off. “I don’t care what the streets said. I don’t know who that is. If y’all got kids maybe I cut the kids’ hair or some shit, but I’m not dating or fucking anyone. I don’t care what you heard.” I gestured to the door. “Have a good night.”

“Nigga, if you think you about to-”

I cut him off again.”Aye. I gave you two calm warnings. There won’t be a third. Get the fuck up out of my place of business with that dumb shit.”

Ole dude started to walk in my direction and my brain automatically told me it was a threatening move. I met him toward the middle, pulling my gun out before we were toe to toe.

He opened his mouth and I hit him in it, sending him stumbling back.

I didn’t pause to assess the damages. I hit him in his mouth two more times as hard as I could and watched him stumble before knocking him on the side of his head and slumping him.

His arms flailed automatically and he hit a chair on his way down.

Novi let out a shocked squeal and jumped up. I tucked my gun back in my pants.

The door dinged and we both looked back toward it.

Rob’s eyes darted around the room and he freed his own gun.

“We got a problem up in here?” He asked.

“Nah. Dude was just leaving.”

“Alright. Cool.”

Rob nudged him with his foot then exhaled, leaned down and plucked him up in a firemen’s hold. He adjusted his hold and I headed to the door to yank it open for him.

I looked outside, both ways and saw a few of his friends standing around, talking and laughing.

“Aye, get dude up out of here.” Rob said.

A few of the guys walked over and grabbed him down to carry him to the nearest car. They popped the trunk and threw him in.

I didn’t comment. I didn’t care about what dead end lane they threw him in or if they rode him around in the trunk all night.

I headed back inside.

Novi was looking around, her surprise obvious on her face.

“You good?” I checked.

She nodded. “Yeah.” Her voice was shaky and I looked her up and down.

“You sure?”

“Mhm.” She nodded and blinked her eyes a few times.

“You’re alright,” I said quietly. “I’ve got you.”

“Does that happen often?” She gestured around.

I shrugged. “Probably more than it should,” I admitted.

We both looked toward the door when it flew open again. Rob walked in, one hand in his pocket. He looked around the shop before looking me over. Even being only two years older than me, he took his role as older brother seriously.

“He tried to press you?” he asked casually.

I knew he was asking if it was a rival gang without him having to explicitly say it and I shook my head.

“Nah. He wanted to know about some broad named Lily.”

“Oh?” Rob chuckled and shook his head. “What about her?”

“Let me guess. You know her?”

“Yeah. I know her.”

I scoffed at that. Of course he did.

“How you know her?” I asked even though I already knew the answer.

“We fuck occasionally,” Rob said simply.

I exhaled.

“Stop bringing yo’ motha’fuckin’ problems to my doorstep, Rob.”

“Yes sir.” He snickered and gave me a fake ass salute as he backed up toward the door. “I’m sorry about all that, Novi.” He winked at her. “We’re not always like this.”

“Nah. I’m not always like this. That nigga is usually worse,” I said.

My brother laughed. I walked over and held the door open for him and locked it behind him.

“I’m sorry about that. For real.” I walked over, collapsed back in my seat and gestured for her to sit back down too. “So, uh, where were we?”