Chapter 16
Nyla went straight to Chello’s house after she finished her last client for the night, per his request. She had no intentions of reaching out to her brother because he had truly hurt her feelings.
She hadn’t been talking to anyone outside of Jada and that was because they were in the house together.
She hovered over Kyst’s contact at least a hundred times a day, she missed everything about him, but she knew they couldn’t be.
Pulling up to the house she once shared with Chello, she killed the engine and dreaded getting out, she was dog tired and wanted to get in her bed.
On top of that she wasn’t in the mood for a lecture.
She walked up the stairs and rang the bell instead of using her key because she knew that would piss him off.
Chello opened the door, and the siblings stared like strangers meeting for the first time.
This was their very first fall out and neither knew how to handle it, clearly.
“Your key is still your key, Nyla, use it.”
She ignored his comment and walked inside, she noticed a pair of stilettos at the door and rolled her eyes because she knew they belonged to that bitch Londa.
“Playing house?” Nyla took a cheap shot with her eyes on the shoes.
“Sit down,” he got straight to the point, Nyla flopped down on the couch.
Chello looked at her, she looked tired, not physically, but emotionally and he knew it was partially his fault.
He hated seeing it, underneath his anger of the situation, he missed his little sister.
She was for sure his best friend and not hearing her voice everyday wasn’t going to cut it.
Nyla was a Taurus so he knew if he didn’t say shit to her, nothing would ever be said.
Bullheaded and stubborn, her grudges lasted five to seven business years and he couldn’t take that shit.
“You been eating?” he asked, breaking the silence.
Nyla looked at him and almost laughed, “That’s your opener?”
“You still mad at me?”
Chello finally took a seat next to her on the couch.
“Yes, you hurt my feelings.”
That honesty pained them both, but it had to be said.
“I’m sorry, I went too far with my words.”
His voice stayed calm, no yelling, no threats, just a heart to heart with his heart. He looked at Nyla and saw that same little girl that used to follow him around and he had to accept that she wasn’t that girl anymore.
“I never meant to hurt or disrespect you, I just wanted something for myself,” she said in a low tone.
“You think I never have nothing?”
Nyla let out a sigh because this was the part where she had to be very transparent with her brother while trying not to say the wrong thing.
“You love so much, you suffocate me sometimes.”
The words hit him hard because they were true, Chello did a slow nod.
“I kept you alive and safe.”
“I know and I thank you for that, but you have to let me experience some things. You can’t protect me from the world.”
“I understand, but do you have any idea what this city would’ve done to you had I let it?”
Her eyes softened, “I know, Brother.”
She really did know. Chicago would eat anyone alive if you let it, and Chello didn’t. The city would’ve swallowed her whole without her brother standing in front of the slug life tried throwing. She was forever grateful for that, but shit, she wanted to at least get her feet wet.
“When Momma was on the ground bleeding out, I made a promise to her that I had you and I did. And I always will, I’ll loosen my grip, but I’ll never let you go.”
Nyla’s eyes were burning as she fought back tears.
His words hit her in the heart, she grabbed his hand.
Nyla was his soft spot, hurting her was like hurting him, and that was suicide.
He felt like he owed her the world because theirs was taken away from them, he never wanted his sister to experience pain.
“Brother, you’re my favorite person, nothing and no one can change that. One day, I’m going to be someone’s wife, but I’ll still be your little sister, and you can still protect me.”
He squeezed her hand once.
“I’m gon’ do that anyway. I love you.”
A small giggle escaped her as she shook her head, there she was, that was his sister. For a second everything felt normal again, then Chello ruined it.
“You still talkin’ to him?”
The warmth she felt went cold immediately.
“I don’t, Chello. I cut it completely off, but can I ask a question, and you give me an honest answer.”
“Yeah.”
“No matter who I end up with, they’ll never be good enough in your eyes will they?”
“Depends on the nigga.”
She shook her head, “What is it about Kyst that scares you?”
Chello looked at her like she was crazy, “Scare me?”
“Yeah. Is it because you see you in him and you think he’s going to treat me how you treat females?”
“He’s nothing like me.”
“But he is, the same hustle, the same heart, different backgrounds, but same morals. Family first, money immediately following. Loves Nyla down. Tell me that ain’t you, Chello.”
Chello sat there listening to her read him like a book, he would never admit being afraid of shit, but he was.
Nyla hit the nail on the head, he was scared of losing her, scared of her getting caught up loving a thug.
Chello had destroyed plenty of women and broken many hearts, and he didn’t want Nyla to catch his karma.
If it was up to him, she would never speak to that nigga again, but he knew better, Kyst had his sister.
He didn’t want her feeling like she had to sneak and do shit, he needed all lines of communication and trust open between them in case Kyst fucked up.
He needed her to know that no matter what, big brother was there and ready to burn the world down behind her.
It was time for Chello to release his hold.
“I want you to do what makes you happy. I was wrong for telling you to cut him off, that should’ve been your decision.
I’m on the outside looking in and I can’t judge a man off assumption.
Just promise me that if ever there’s anything you can’t handle, or if there’s anything you don’t understand, you’ll come to me and let me be your brother. ”
Nyla’s eyes were sweating as he spoke, Chello had no idea what he meant to her, she would always run to him.
“I promise, Brother.”
Hours later, Nyla finally made it home with a ton of weight lifted off her shoulders.
Jada was already asleep, but she wanted to wake her up so bad and tell her about everything.
Nyla opted against waking her and headed to her room with a smile on her face.
She showered and climbed right into bed, but as tired as she was, sleep wasn’t on her mind, Kyst was.
Stubbornness trumped everything for her though, Kyst hadn’t reached out to her, so she wasn’t reaching out to him, at least not that night.
She put the phone down and dozed off into a deep sleep only for her bladder to disturb her a couple hours in.
She cussed and flipped the covers back; she hated when that shit happened, and she was sleeping good.
Climbing back in bed, she was fully awake again, looking stupid at three in the morning.
She grabbed her phone and went on Facebook, laughing at reels and seeing updates on her friends, her eyes began to get heavy.
She was about to close the app when a Messenger notification popped up.
Her stomach dropped when she saw a new message from “Big Ty,” confused, Nyla accepted it and damn near threw up.
A picture of Kyst lying on her chest, sleeping like a baby, smacked her in the face.
She stopped breathing, maybe it’s an old picture, she gave him the benefit of doubt, but when she zoomed in, she noticed that was the house she had been to.
That shit broke her, suddenly, her phone felt heavy in her hands.
Fresh tears blurred her vision immediately.
She closed the app and dialed his number, straight to voicemail, she called right back, same thing. She was crying so hard Jada ran in the room.
“What’s wrong?” She flicked the light on, all Nyla could do was shake her head and pass her the phone.
Jada looked at the picture and her face softened. She didn’t say a word, she just walked over and wrapped her arms around Nyla as she cried like a baby. Nyla couldn’t even find her voice to speak, but a little voice whispered to her…Chello was right…
Working with a broken heart wasn’t shit nice, Nyla cried between clients and pulled herself together before the next one arrived.
Her shop was usually her trill, but that day, she was down bad.
Kyst had been blowing her phone up since she mustered up enough strength to text him what Ty sent him.
That was two days ago, and he hadn’t stopped calling and texting yet, but she ignored them all.
She collected her last payment of the day and cleaned her area before going into her office.
She took a seat behind her desk and closed her eyes as her phone vibrated on the surface.
“You ok?”
“Yup,” she lied with her eyes still closed, if she opened them, she would cry.
“You’re not and that’s ok, but friend, you can’t ignore him forever.”
“Yes I can. He played me for a bitch he swore he didn’t fuck with anymore.”
Jada watched her carefully before inviting herself inside and taking a seat, Nyla blew out warm air because she wasn’t in the mood for a heart to heart.
Nyla also knew Jada didn’t give two fucks what she was in the mood for.
Every bitch in the world needed a Jada, especially Nyla, because she was on the verge of a real crash out.
She wanted Ty’s head, not over Kyst, but because that bitch was too comfortable playing in her face.
“You sure that’s what happened?”
“What it look like to you, Jada?”
Jada leaned back in her seat, “It looks like a hating ass bitch that’s trying to trick you out your spot and you letting her without talking to your nigga first, but hey…” She threw her hands up.
There it was, Jada jumped right in her head and had her thinking. She did want to hear what Kyst had to say for himself, but seriously, what could he say? The proof was in the picture.
The rest of the night moved slowly, by the time they were done cleaning the shop, it had started pouring down.
“Movie night?” Jada asked, tossing her purse over her shoulder.
“That’s cool.”
“Ok, I’ll order pizza and stop by Walmart for snacks. Hurry up, I’m gone wait on you to lock up.”
“Nah, go ahead, by the time you’re done shopping, we’ll be pulling up at home at the same time.”
“Ok. You got your gun on you, right?”
“Always.”
Jada nodded and left the shop, Nyla bumped around for another forty minutes before she headed out.
She sat the alarm and locked up before walking out into the light rain.
The closer she got to her car, he became visible.
Kyst leaned against her car with his arms folded like he owned it.
The second his eyes met hers, he pushed off the car immediately.
Nyla’s heart was beating out her chest, she could dodge phone calls and texts, but looking at him, her feelings hit her at once.
He was still the finest man in the world to her, still the only nigga who could make her chest tight just by looking at her, the only man that her mind and heart.
“Baby.”
“Not your baby,” she rolled her eyes and started digging in her purse, looking for the key fob that was already in her hand, females were weird as hell when they were mad.
She hit the locks and tried to open her door, but he grabbed her wrist.
“Listen to me.”
“Don’t touch me.”
His grip loosened immediately, but he didn’t let go completely.
“Nyla, it ain’t what you think.”
She laughed in disbelief and shook her head.
“If you can justify laying on a bitch’s chest sleeping then by all means, let me hear it, Mr. Cochran.”
“I was drunk, Nyla. To the point all I remember was leaving the club after a mufucka shot at me.”
“Shot at you?”
Nyla didn’t know anything about a shooting and shit like that usually ran all through her shop. Her face softened for a second.
“Yeah, it’s all good though. My people coming to town, I’m not worried about that shit. I’m worried about you.”
“What about me?”
“That bitch did that to get under your skin and it worked. I told you Ty was messy and always have been. Ain’t a nigga walking this earth can come to me and tell me shit about you without me fact checking with you and I expect the same shit from you.”
“So explain the picture, Kyst.”
“The shooting happened, Ty hopped in the car with me and Banko because she couldn’t find her people. She went to the crib when she didn’t get an answer, we walked in, I passed out on the couch, she must’ve took the picture then.”
“You was that drunk?”
“Dead ass.”
Rain started falling harder around them, but neither seemed to care about getting wet, getting points across were more important.
“I’m not about to play with you or about you. Matter fact, I don’t play about shit I love, and I love you. I’m saying that shit with my chest… you can take it or leave it, but like I said, that bitch means nothing to me.”
Nyla had to be the toughest, yet most sensitive bitch in Chicago. Her heart wouldn’t allow her to hate him because she loved that man, too.
“I wanna hate you so bad right now, but I love you so fuckin’ much, Kyst.”
“You hurt, baby, and it’s my fault. I fucked up.”
She did a slow nod and stared at him, “You did fuck up by taking that grimy ass bitch where you lay your head, that’s first. Secondly, I forgive you.
Lastly, I’m beating her ass and hear me when I say this, that ass whooping is not about you, it’s the principle of her thinking I’m a punk bitch that she can play with. ”
“Beat that bitch up,” he shrugged and pulled her close to him.
“I should beat you up, too,” she smiled before kissing his lips.
Nyla meant what she said, it was on sight with Ty.