8. Amina Sinclair #5
“I don’t know the last time that I’ve had a burger. I don’t know if I want a burger or wings,” I said out loud, looking at the menu in front of me.
“Get both,” Gemini’s response was nonchalant, as he sat back in his chair, picking his arms up, so that he could rest his hands behind his head.
He so casually sat there in a black tee that had his arms exposed, so you could see the tattoos he was working with. Instead of joggers today, he had on black shorts. Gym shorts. All that sexy thigh meet and those leg tattoos were on full display.
“This is how you know that I’m still very much going through something because I don’t eat like this. I typically eat clean,” I shared with him.
“Your body looks good. You ain’t going to kill yourself with one burger and fries. You see the way I eat,” he told me, and I laughed.
“Yes. Like a dog. You do hard labor work, and you work out, so you can afford to eat the way you do,” I let him know. He shot me that smile, showing off those perfect teeth, along with his deep dimples.
The waitress came over, introduced herself, and wanting to know if we’ve ever been to the spot before.
We let her know that we haven’t, and she broke down the menu for us, letting us know how everything worked.
She hyped up the shot tower, telling us that it was popular.
It was an assortment of different liquor.
I knew that I could get dangerous off liquor, but what she was offering sounded good.
I turned to look at Gemini, wanting to know how he was feeling.
“Yeah. Let’s do it,” he let the server know.
She smiled, adding it to her small server book.
Gemini put an order in for mozzarella sticks.
He wanted to know if I wanted to put an appetizer in as well, but I told him that I didn’t.
We both knew what we wanted for our main course, so he allowed me to go first. I did the burger, wings, and curly fries.
Gemini ordered wings, and curly fries. Once she had written it down, she headed to the back, so that she could log it, and they could start on our order.
“I get annoying off liquor,” I shared with him, now that it was just the two of us at the table.
“Oh yeah? What you be doing?” he wanted to know.
“Everything. I start talking too much. I get emotional. I get horny as hell too. I’ll be mindful. I don’t want you to see that side of me,” I let him know, leaning back in the chair and crossing my legs.
“Shit, it’s a no judgement zone. I know you been through a lot. I won’t judge you if you decide to have a night to let loose. That’s you. I know how to control my liquor though, so if you get fucked up, just know that you’re in good hands with me,” he said to me. I was going to keep that in mind.
Five minutes later, the shot tower was brought over to the table. It came out when the first person went on stage to do karaoke. It was perfect timing.
There was a variety of shots in the tower.
I knew that shit could go left if I were to pick up that brown shot, so I didn’t.
I chose to go with white, instead. Gemini chose brown though.
He grabbed his shot, and I did the same.
We tapped our shot glasses together, and he instantly threw his back.
I struggled with mine a little bit. I’ve never really been a shot girl. I liked cocktails and wine.
“Man, swallow all that shit,” he voiced, putting his hand on the bottom of the shot glass, so that I could finish the entire thing.
“Ooooh. That shit burns,” I released, picking up the lime, so that I could suck on it, trying to get rid of the burning feeling that was in my throat.
For thirty minutes straight, Gemini and I went shot for shot.
I even ordered two of the cocktails that were on sale.
I kept a good balance, eating some of the mozzarella sticks that he’d ordered, taking bites out of my burger, eating my wings and fries.
Even with all of that, I was feeling good by now.
I no longer had my braids hanging down. The liquor made me hot, so I pulled them up into a bun, having it rest on top of my head.
I was out of my seat, and as there was a woman on stage singing, I was rocking my hips, singing along with her.
Gemini was so chill, sitting in his seat, finishing his food, allowing me to do me without any judgement.
“Gemini, let’s go nextttt,” my words came out slurred. The fact that it came out like that, I knew I was tipsy. The shots, and the cocktails had done me in. I lost count on the number of shots that I’d taken.
When I suggested that we go on stage and sing, Gemini looked over at me and laughed.
“You on your own with that shit, love,” he stated. I pouted, crossed my arms, and scooted a little closer to him.
“Whyyyy? I don’t want to do it on my own. Just sing one song with me. You scared, Gemini?” I asked him, pulling his card, knowing that if I made him out to be scared to get on stage with me, that he would more than likely go up there with me.
“Nah. Never that,” he said.
“Go up there with me then. Just sing one song with me,” I begged again.
I watched him as he finished with his wing, picked up a napkin so he could wipe his hands, along with the corners of his mouth, and he leaned back into the chair. The look that he was giving me made me hotter.
“What song you want to sing? Me and you don’t even have the same taste in music. You was talking shit about my music the first day on the truck with me,” he said. That got me to smile because I could tell that I was getting ready to have my way.
I thought about the song that I wanted us to sing.
Gemini was right. I really didn’t listen to a lot of new rap that he liked to play.
I loved slow jams, classical, and even jazz.
I could get into the rap music from back in the days though.
There were so many songs for me to choose from.
I wanted something with a nice duet, so we would be able to sing it, and rap it together.
I thought about it for a little while, and as if a lightbulb went off in my head, I quickly smiled.
“Ooooh. What about Put it on me? The one with Ja Rule and Lil Mo’?” I perked. When I asked that, he chuckled.
“Girl, what the fuck you know about that?” he joked.
“Everything. Come on. You going to go up there with me?” I asked, putting my right hand in his hand, as if I was getting ready to pull his ass out of the chair if he said no.
“Aight. It’s your world. Let’s go,” he said, and as if he said the exact words that I wanted to hear, I jumped up and down.
Gemini reached for another shot, as if he needed something to give him a boost. I took another shot as well, even though I knew that I didn’t need shit else to drink.
We headed over to where the DJ was. He was controlling the music, and the projector screen on stage with the lyrics.
There wasn’t anyone else in line to go on stage, so as soon as the woman that was on stage now finished up, it was going to be our turn.
Gemini was the one to tell the DJ the song.
We only had to wait our turn for about a minute longer, and then we took to the stage.
It was a party going on inside the bar by this time.
Damn near every table ordered the shot tower, so they were all feeling the same way that I was feeling.
Folks were out of their seats dancing, and as if Gemini and I were a famous duet, the crowd started going crazy.
I think they were only so happy because we were black.
It really wasn’t many black people in here.
Plus, all the customers that had gone on stage to perform were white. We would be the first black people.
Gemini and I were standing side by side with the mics in our hands. I was just as goofy as ever, ready to sing, knowing damn well that I’ve never in my life been able to hold a tune. Gemini had this look in his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe that I’d managed to get him on this stage with me.
The beat instantly dropped and I brought the mic to my lips, hitting that first line that Lil Mo’ said.
The crowd started going crazy. I really don’t know if they went crazy because they knew this old school classic or if it was mainly because two black people were on stage and we were getting ready to turn this spot out.
Since Lil Mo’ had the first part, and it took up at least the first 30 seconds, the floor was mine.
Gemini stood there, facing me, with the mic tucked into his arms since he had his arms crossed.
He was bobbing his head to the music, fully in tune to what was going on.
You know how when Beyoncé performs on stage with Jay- Z, and he’ll stand there in admiration, allowing his wife to do her thing while he just watches?
That’s what this moment felt like. The look that he was giving me was like motivation.
You would have really thought that we were going to get paid for this performance.
I had weed and liquor in my system. I was up on this stage, singing my pour little heart out.
Gemini had the mic in his hands, and without having to look at the lyrics on the screen, he started rapping Ja Rule’s part word for word.
That turned me on so bad. So much so that when it was my turn to sing again, I went over to him, singing to him, while he rapped to me.
You know the way we had been posted up against the wall earlier, when we were waiting for a table?
We somehow transitioned back into that position.
The song was almost to the end, and I was still singing, and he was still rapping behind me.