Chapter 6
Ari
“Can I get you something before I go outside to call my aunt?”
Cyn shook her head, no, curling her legs under her bottom in her large king-sized bed.
She looked small as hell in the middle of this big ass bed, and I could only dream of having a bed this size.
It was big enough for her and Hawk to roll over four times and still not reach the edge during sex.
Where I’m not trying to think about my friend and her husband’s sex life, I couldn’t help but imagine looking at this bed.
“No Ari, I’m okay. I’m just going to sit here and watch TV until Hawk wakes up and calls me.”
“And I’m sure you will be the first person he calls once he opens his eyes. That man loves his wife.”
“Yeah, he does. He’s so good to me, Ari, and I’m so happy that he is okay. I would’ve probably gone to glory with him if he didn’t make it.
We shared a small laugh, light but tired, the kind that only comes after long days and heavy emotions.
I left Cyn sitting in her bed, and I slid out of the patio door down the hallway from her. This penthouse stretched across the top of this entire hotel, so it was as big as a house and ten times the size of my apartment back home.
The Vegas heat wrapped around me immediately but thank God the sun was starting to set.
This particular patio overlooked the Strip, where I could see the neon signs begin to glow in the distance.
This was the first time here in a while where I felt like I could use some fun, but fun here could end up being a bad thing in the long run.
The last time I had fun, I cheated on my fiancé and yelled a man’s name louder than I ever yelled his.
Shit, Proctor could teach a class on fucking if I’m being honest.
Just thinking about him in the bed made me wonder where the hell he and Tania were after being gone for so many hours on a supposed food run.
What was taking so long? There were all types of restaurants near here that she could’ve gone to, so leaving with him was already suspect as it is anyway.
And with the way Proctor drives, I was sure it wouldn’t be a long trip when Cyn told me they had left.
I was only irritated at first, but now I was getting heated.
I just can’t believe she would play the game like that.
I know I said I didn’t care or want him anymore, but she knew I'd had him first. That history doesn’t just disappear because you say you’re done, shit, how many times did I say I was done with Josiah until God made it where I actually had to be?
I guess Tania was just as desperate as I always thought she was, but even more so now, back dooring me.
Maybe that “Girl Code” rule we swore by was fading away with age.
I shook those thoughts out of my head and then dialed my Aunt Rea’s number since I came on the patio to make a call and not worry about Proctor’s ass.
The phone rang twice before she picked up, and I could hear my baby babbling in the background, that sweet, chunky, happy sound that instantly softened something in my chest.
“Hey, Auntie.”
“Hey, baby.”
“How is she doing?”
“She’s perfect. Happy as ever. I found the medicine and gave it to her.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
“Okay, good.”
“But I stopped by your apartment this morning again for more diapers, and there was a note hanging out of the door.”
I closed my eyes, already knowing what was coming. Apartments don’t leave notes for shit but bad news or inspections.
“I read it, Ari, and it was about your rental balance.”
“What did it say, Auntie?”
“It’s your three-day notice to vacate the property. Baby, you know what comes after that. I’ve been in this position before, and the eviction is coming next.”
The words sat heavy in the air between us, and I knew that this time was coming; I just didn’t want to face it. Without working, and Josiah not there to pick up any slack, I was drowning in bills, unable to stay above water.
I rubbed my forehead and sank into one of the patio chairs. Down below, people were laughing near the pool, having a good time with music playing in the background, and here I was, feeling like my life was unraveling in the middle of the place everyone comes to vacation and get away from problems.
“Why won’t you just give that apartment up and come stay with me? You and the baby can share my guest room. We’ll make it work with the space I have, and you can be comfortable without worrying so much about where you'll live. You’ve been through enough, Ariana.”
“Auntie, your apartment has strict visitation rules. I’m not trying to get you put out, and you have nowhere to stay.
You know what happened with Aunt Vicky’s apartment.
Having someone who is not on your lease staying with you is a direct violation of your lease, and if I get this eviction, they will not approve me to be added to your lease. ”
“Ari, you living here would be on the low. Plus, the girl in the office and I are cool. If I tell her what’s going on, she won’t say anything.
You won’t cause negative attention anyway.
Over here acting a fool and stealing Cadillac convertors from under cars like your cousin Fred did at Aunt Vicky’s place.
Just think about it, baby. There is no need to struggle if you are not going to get this baby’s father to help you. ”
“I don’t know, Aunt Rea. I have to figure out something else. I can’t invade your space, I just won’t.” I tried to be proud.
“Well, you are down there with Cyn right now. Why not ask her for a loan to get you back on your feet?”
“Ask her for a loan that I can’t pay back? Cyn isn’t the one with money; her husband is.”
“Well, you are helping her right now. If that’s your friend, and Hawk has money like you say he does, it shouldn’t be anything for them to help you out. If it is, then is she really your friend?”
“Asking Cyn for money is my last resort. I’m sure her whole family already does. And I’m not trying to make her think I’m trying to use her along with everyone else. She’s my friend, and I want to keep it that way. We all know what mixing money and friendship can do.”
I said sternly to stop that conversation.
Cyn had good parents, but they often tried to live above their means.
They took trips when we were younger that they had to pay for throughout the year and brought Cyn things they couldn’t afford to make their lives look like something it was not.
Cyn’s daddy didn’t make much money, and Cyn’s mama didn't either. I know they are in her pockets now, along with her little sister. I've been seeing her riding around in a new BMW that I’m sure Cyn and Hawk had to purchase because her ass didn’t even have a job.
“Ari, at the end of the day, I hope that you realize that you have to drop your pride sometimes and do what’s best when you are a mother. Pride doesn’t keep lights on or food on the table. I have had to drop my pride plenty of times while raising my boys.”
I bit down on my bottom lip because she was right, and I hated that she was right.
The truth was, I didn’t want to move with her for more reasons than one. Having my apartment for me and my daughter was the only thing that felt like mine in a world where I felt like I had lost everything. That little apartment was proof I was still standing.
“Anywho, are you sure Treasure is good now? You know I can come home early if I need to?”
“Yes. She’s fine. After I gave her that medicine, she’s been happy-go-lucky ever since. Ain’t that right, baby?”
I heard her start to do that precious little giggle, and a smile crept across my face.
“Okay. Well, I’ll be back on Tuesday. The flight is taking off at 11:00 am.”
“Okay, but take your time, baby. You know, I’m enjoying this time with my special great-niece because I get bored here alone, and I don’t have my sister to call and keep me entertained anymore. Damn, I miss your mother.
The line grew quiet like it did when my mother came up in conversation.
My mama and my aunt were close whenever she wasn’t having one of her spells.
As a matter of fact, most of the time, my aunt was the only person who could bring her out of them.
Still to this day, my aunt never addressed anything about my father, and it’s like she blocked what happened to her sister completely out of her head.
I tried to do the same with him most of the time, too, but he wouldn’t leave me alone.
All I know is that I would drop my pride and ask Cyn for the money before I ever ask him again.
I was low last year and, in a panic, and I called his phone.
Back then, my best friend wasn’t married to a millionaire, and he was the only rescue I felt I had.
After my aunt and I hung up the phone, I sat there for a minute longer, letting the wind brush against my arms, trying to gather the courage to go back inside and ask Cyn for help.
When I finally stood and grabbed the sliding glass door handle, I heard the front door shut from inside, and when I went into the living area, I saw Tania sprinting through the living room, sandals clicking against the tile.
“Hey, you finally back?”
She turned halfway, shook her head slightly like she didn’t want to talk, and kept moving toward the bathroom.
Something in my chest tightened because, since when did she not have anything to say? This was already giving guilt, and I hadn’t been around her for ten seconds.
I walked further into the living room, barely catching the bathroom door close. I expected to hear the shower turn on or the toilet flush, but at first, there was nothing.
I listened there quietly until I finally heard harsh, violent gagging coming from the other side.
“Tania!” I knocked on the door.
“Are you okay?” I called out.
“Yes, Ari, I’m fine.”
Her voice sounded as if she had a mouth full of saliva.
“Are you throwing up, Tania? What happened?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly, but her voice cracked.