Chapter 22 #2
She was tiptoeing around shit and I didn’t like it.
This whole situation reminded me too much of the time I lost Nova.
And as fucked up as it might’ve sounded, I was ready to rip the bandage off.
Wanted shit to go ahead and do what it was going to do.
Was ready for the burial, the service, the tears, and the earth-shattering grief that would come with all of it.
Just so I could get to where I was now. Living.
Existing in a world without my daughter in it.
When ma passed, I’d just be existing in one without her in it too.
Same pain. In a sense.
Same situation. Same reality. Just wanted the shit to hurry up.
I didn’t want to sit through another service.
Didn’t want to see my ma in a box. But what I wanted and what would happen were two completely different things that I would have to deal with.
So, fuck it. The way I felt… it was valid.
Didn’t have a reason to sit up wishing, hoping and praying because none of that shit would change anything.
“Never mind, Crescent. God.”
“I hate when you do that shit,” I mumbled before shifting my car into reverse. “I got some shit to handle.”
“And that’s why I do it because look at you. You… ugh.”
“Alright Lu. Keep your head up.”
“That’s all you’re going to say? Mommy is dying—
“And what the fuck you want me to do about that, Luna!?” I yelled. “Fuck!”
She flinched. I ignored it.
Dragging my hand down over my beard, I shifted my eyes over to the time. 12:12. Just two more hours. Weak ass nigga. Me. Was looking forward to a bi—a female just to take my mind off of what the fuck I had going on.
Luna didn’t say anything.
She stared at me wide eyed for a couple of seconds before getting out of the car, slamming the door in the process.
You think I stopped her? Apologized for snapping?
Shit no. I told her she was heavy. That was a good enough warning.
I didn’t give a fuck about snapping on her.
Didn’t give a fuck about being dismissive…
none of that. I wanted that shit up off me.
That heaviness. I wanted the tears out of my eyes, and she was the reason for it so… fuck it.
I backed out of the driveway without giving her another look.
Hours later, I was back at the crib, straightening up, waiting for Mahogany to pull up.
I was on some sucka shit for real, checking the time on the microwave every couple of minutes.
Leaving my parents’ house left me feeling low as hell.
I couldn’t wait for her to show up. I knew she was coming to work but fuck I could go for some of that wet ass pussy.
But because I told her I could control myself, I would control myself.
I knew she wasn’t coming for that shit anyway.
Besides, we were crazy behind on the project and needed to get shit moving.
In the middle of me lighting a Dior candle, My phone went off with a notification about someone being at the gate.
I grabbed my phone from the table and tapped on the security app.
For a second, I watched her on the camera, admiring her.
She had her braids pulled up to a big ass bun on the top of her head, accentuating the bone structure in her face.
She sat with her elbow resting on the window sill, her head propped up by the ball of her fist. She was impatient.
Sucked her teeth and looked over at the intercom, getting ready to push the doorbell again.
Before she could, I hit the unlock button, opening the gates.
I ran my tongue over my bottom lip as I headed for the front door to meet her.
Opening the door, I stepped out and the afternoon sun greeted me as I stood at the edge of the porch.
I watched as she pulled up, into the circle driveway, with my hands stuffed into the pockets of my gray joggers.
She sat there a minute, with the sun visor flipped down before finally getting out.
She hiked her big, pink, fluffy laptop bag over her shoulder and looked up at me as she made her way to the porch.
“Good afternoon,” I spoke, wearing a smile before she got to the porch.
Once she did, I wrapped my arms around her for a hug. She was a little stiff at first but eventually melted into my arms.
“Good afternoon, Crescent.”
I led her into the crib, and she took her black Nike’s off. She was dressed down in a pair of black leggings that gripped her ass with perfection and a pink sweatshirt with the word ‘Utopia’ on it.
“You have a really nice house,” she complimented, as we stood in the foyer, getting ready to make our way to the office.
I chucked my chin. “‘Preciate it. This one Crescent coded too?” I asked with a smirk.
She laughed, looked at me and shrugged her right shoulder. “No. It’s not, actually.”
It wasn’t Crescent coded because I shared this house with Reign and she wasn’t with all of the black. There were a few black pieces incorporated here and there but the overall color scheme of the crib was slate grey and white.
“Let me hear it,” I said, as we continued into the house.
She looked over her shoulder at me with a laugh. “Hear what?”
“Your opinion. Analyze. Do your Mahogany thing.”
“I have a thing?”
“Yeah. It’s subtle tho’. At least you try to be subtle. I always notice you, noticing shit. You can’t help it. It’s the designer in you.”
She looked over at me with another laugh. She hiked her bag up over her shoulder again and I reached for it, taking it from her. “Well… there’s nothing for me to critique.”
I twisted my lips up at her. “That’s a lie.”
Looking up, I asked, “What you think about the light fixture? You always look up when you enter a room.”
She squinted and blushed a little before looking back at it. Caught her look at it the minute we walked into the room. “It’s beautiful. Fitting for the size of the ceiling.”
“But…?”
“I wouldn’t have gone with silver. There’s already enough gray in this area.”
“Black?”
She snorted. “No. Not black. Gold. But since that particular fixture doesn’t come in gold, I would have swapped it out for something different. Not too different. On the same geometrical scale, for sure. Just… wouldn’t have gone with silver.”
I nodded. “Bet. So, get a new gold light fixture.”
She laughed. “What? No, Crescent. Keep it. I’m just saying what I would have done.”
I didn’t say anything, but I did make a mental note to have it swapped out. Exactly because she said gold would have looked better. I valued her opinion. Her eye for design was incomparable.
We made it to the office and she got comfortable, setting up at my desk.
I watched as she moved a few things around and grabbed a pillow from the couch to place behind her in my chair.
She liked cushion. I was so wrapped up in watching and making things comfortable for her that I thought about ordering a new chair, one that wouldn’t require a pillow for extra cushioning.
As if she would be working out of my office often or some shit.
I was bugging.
So excited about having her here that my mind ran a little rampant. I couldn’t stop smiling neither. Mahogany was just what I needed for a day like today.
I sat across from her at the desk and stuffed my hands into my pockets.
She looked up from her laptop at me. “What? Why you got that goofy smile on your face?”
“Because you did all of that arguing earlier just to end up where you were going to end up all along. You like giving a nigga a hard time, don’t you?”
She made a face at me and squinted. Sucking her teeth, she coyly waved me off. “Whatever, Crescent.”
“Whatever, Crescent,” I mocked. “Now give me that Mahogany Experience I’ve been waiting for all day.”
“Did you go over the email I sent you?” She asked, hitting me with a side eye.
I ran my tongue over the corner of my mouth, busted. “Nah. I mean… I didn't get a chance to. I was—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You never get a chance to,” she said, twisting her lips. “Pull the email up. Let’s go over it now. I’m telling you, Crescent… You’ve gotta do better with the emails. If you want this to work you have to do your part.”
I tossed my head back and dragged my hands down over my face.
I was trying. I was trying hard as hell.
Mahogany man. Working with her was like a completely different ballgame.
It was as if every bit of the business mindset I had withered away when it came to her.
I did need to do better though. Real shit.
She was right. But damn, I couldn’t help myself.
The only reason I fucked up and skipped out on emails was because I wanted to hold her up.
I needed more time with Mahogany. Only seeing her when it pertained to work didn’t work for me.
I looked over at her and shook my head. “I need more.”
“You need more what?”
“Time with you. That’s the only reason I be fuckin up. You think I would be in business this long if this was the way I operated with everybody? Fuck no.” I moved up a little, getting closer to the desk. “Let me take you out.”
She went quiet for a moment, rubbing her lips together. Then that hand went to the back of her neck. She stared off into the distance for a second before finally giving me her attention again. With a deep breath she shook her head. “Crescent.”
“What? Tell me you don’t want more.”
Mahogany looked away at her laptop screen and then back up at me. “Can we just focus on work? I have vendors waiting for finalizations and—
“I hear you,” I uncomfortably said before nodding. “We can focus on work. My bad.”