SEVENTEEN #4
“I mean they change. What works this year might not work next year. What y’all survive today might've broken you five years ago. What you forgive now, you would’ve walked away from before.”
Nina listened quietly.
“People always think they know what's best because they only see what you let them see.”
He paused to let that sink in.
“The only people who truly know what belongs in a relationship...”
His eyes met hers in the mirror.
“Are the two people sharing the bed.”
Nina looked back out the window. “I needed to hear this, thank you.”
“You make me feel safe.” The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Roberto glanced at her again.
She looked down at her hands. “My dad never...”
Her voice trailed away, and thankfully he didn’t expect her to share her thoughts with him. Roberto turned the music up, and by the time they made it to the front of Jio’s building, Nina felt lighter than she had all week.
Security greeted her by name before Roberto walked her to the elevator like he always did.
“I’ll see you in the morning, ma’am.”
“Goodnight, Roberto. Thank you for getting me home safe.”
The elevator doors opened directly into the penthouse.
Before she could even step inside, tiny paws skidded across the hardwood.
“Hi, big boy,” she cooed towards her pup.
The little dog came sprinting toward her so fast he nearly lost his footing before jumping into her arms.
“Look at my big boy.” She buried her face against his fur as his tail wagged uncontrollably.
She laughed, scratching behind his ears.
“You like it here, don’t you?”
She knew that his answer was yes. Nino was now walked every morning and groomed every two weeks. The way her life had changed… walks with Nino weren’t common these days. Nina no longer had to rush home out of worry that he’d been alone too long.
After some much-needed quality time with her pet, Nina sauntered up the steps into the master bedroom. The day was finally coming to an end and she was thankful.
She ran hot water into the oversized soaking tub before adding lavender bath salts and a few drops of eucalyptus oil. Within minutes, steam filled the room.
She undressed and eased into the water with a long sigh. “Oohhh…..yesssss….” She felt relief as her entire body melted under the bubbles.
Her phone rested on the marble ledge beside the tub, so she reached for it to text her man.
Made it home safe.
Hurry home. I can't wait to see you.
The warm water lapped gently against her skin. Without thinking, her hand drifted to her stomach. It was still flat but there was a very strong possibility that a baby was inside.
Was she pregnant?
The thought had been living in the back of her mind for days now. Her cycle was beyond late and nausea was kicking her ass and she didn’t even factor in the exhaustion and hunger pains.
“What if...”
She leaned her head back against the tub and closed her eyes.
Whatever God had planned, she was going to have to trust Him.
An hour later, she emerged wrapped in one of Jio’s oversized white bathrobes, in search of a snack from the kitchen. On her way there, Nina remembered that the perfume samples had arrived today.
They were in a shipping box on the dining table. After removing the taping, she opened the package. She slowly peeled back the tissue paper that protected the bottles before lining them beside one another. She was shocked at how heavy the glass felt in her hand.
The labels were perfect and the gold embossing caught the light perfectly. Nina carefully held one of the four bottles into her hands. It looked better than her bootleg drawings. The bottle screamed luxury.
For this to be her first time doing this, her vision matched reality.
Her fingers brushed across the Marcelle & Co. logo.
“I wish you could see this Papa,” she said aloud.
She looked toward the ceiling as if he were there. He would’ve critiqued every detail before quietly buying enough inventory to make her first launch sell out.
She snapped a few pictures with her phone.
Her thumb hovered over Davie’s name. If she sent the pics tonight, he would call instead of responding like normal people. Nina loved him dearly but she'd talked enough for one day. She decided to wait to send them in the morning.
She wandered back toward the bathroom to rinse the drying clay mask from her face.
As she reached for a towel, her eyes landed on the unopened box that controlled her fate. The test haunted her every day as it rested beside the sink.
Jio hadn’t asked about it in days because he was trying not to pressure her.
She couldn’t keep avoiding the inevitable. Nina took a deep breath before finally deciding to just take the stupid test.
η
The city lights blurred together as Jio guided the truck through familiar streets, one hand resting lazily against the steering wheel, the other tapped quietly against the center console.
The small black ring box sat in the cup holder beside him.
Every few minutes, his eyes drifted toward it and a slow smile would fall on his face. “Damn...”
He couldn’t believe he’d actually bought it.
The truck filled with the smooth sounds of old-school R&B.
Tonight, he rode in silence. Well, as close to silence as Luther Vandross could give him. He wasn’t taking any calls. Any money on his line would have to wait until tomorrow.
His phone vibrated against the console and the screen lit up. It was an unknown caller and he definitely wasn’t answering that shit.
Jio looked at it for half a second before pressing the button on his steering wheel, sending the call straight to voicemail.
He leaned farther back in the driver's seat.