CHAPTER SIXTEEN
NOLA
The girls’ bathroom at Silo Lounge had become a dressing room against its will.
Nola stood in front of the mirror with one heel off, a tiny tube of anti-chafe balm on the counter, and her dress twisted halfway around her waist because the zipper had caught fabric.
Mani was behind her, concentrating.
“Stop moving.”
“I’m not moving.”
“You breathing.”
“Well, shit. Sorry.”
“Hold still.”
Nola caught Mani’s eyes in the mirror.
“You know this would be easier if I was skinny.”
Mani snorted. “No, this would be easier if you stopped buying dresses with zippers designed by people who hate joy.”
“Same thing.”
“Nope.”
The zipper finally came free.
Nola exhaled.
“Thank you, Jesus.”
Mani stepped back and inspected her.
Nola wore a black midi dress with a cutout under the bust and enough open back to make Kai’s whole evening annoying for everybody around him. Mani had on a short rust-colored dress that hugged her everywhere and kept creeping higher on her thighs whenever she walked.
She tugged it down again.
Nola slapped her hand.
“Stop.”
“My ass is outside.”
“Your ass is contained.”
“Barely.”
“That’s the dress’s ministry.”
Mani looked over her shoulder at the mirror. “I knew I should’ve worn pants.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“I did.”
“Then why you brought the dress?”
“Because it was cute.”
“Exactly.”
Mani sighed.
Nola picked up the anti-chafe balm.
“You want some?”
“Already did mine at home.”
“Prepared queen.”
“I came to have fun, not set my inner thighs on fire.”
Nola laughed.
A woman at the sink looked over and smiled.
“Y’all are funny.”
“We’re exhausted,” Mani said. “Took us two hours to get dressed.”
“Two and a half,” Nola corrected.
“Because you changed four times.”
“Three.”
“That gold dress counted.”
“I wore it for six seconds.”
“It crossed your head. That’s an outfit.”
They laughed again.
Mani’s hand rose toward her mouth.
She stopped it halfway and dropped it.
Nola noticed.
Said nothing.
They walked back into the lounge.
Kai and Dez were at a high-top near the back with Terrence and two of Kai’s cousins. Nola saw the exact second Kai noticed her.
He was listening to Dez.
Then he wasn’t.
His eyes moved over Nola once and stayed there.
A waitress said something to him.
He nodded without hearing a word.
Nola smiled.
“Look at this nigga,” Mani muttered.
“Don’t encourage him.”
“I’m not. I’m observing nature.”
They reached the table.
Kai’s hand went to Nola’s back immediately.
Bare skin.
Of course.
“You late.”
“We were getting dressed.”
“For two hours?”
Mani answered, “Mind your business.”
Dez laughed.
That was the first real time Nola saw him look at Mani.
Not a glance.
A look.
He had his locs down tonight, brushing his shoulders, black T-shirt fitted across his arms. Mani smiled at something Terrence said, then caught Dez’s eye.
Dez looked away first.
Respectful.
Nola filed it away.
Terrence pulled Mani close by the waist.
“You look good.”
“Thank you.”
Then his hand slid to her stomach.
Not lovingly.
Assessing.
Mani moved it without making a scene.
“Leave it.”
Terrence’s face changed. “I didn’t say nothing.”
“Exactly.”
Dez looked down at his drink.
Kai looked at Nola.
Everybody had noticed.
Nola squeezed Mani’s hand once under the table and let it go.
The night recovered.
Music got better. Drinks showed up. Somebody’s cousin started arguing about whether Usher had a better catalog than Chris Brown and nearly got excommunicated from the table.
Nola danced with Mani.
Kai watched.
Every time Nola turned around, his eyes were on her.
Not on the women around them.
Not on the waitress who touched his shoulder to get his attention.
Her.
When she came back to the table, sweaty and smiling, he pulled her between his knees.
“You having fun?”
“I was until you grabbed me.”
“Liar.”
His mouth brushed her shoulder.
Nola glanced at Dez.
“Your friend been staring at Mani.”
Kai followed her eyes.
Dez was talking to one of his cousins now.
“He likes big women.”
“I know.”
Kai looked at her. “How?”
“He asked if Mani was single before he’d even met her.”
Kai frowned.
“Why he asking you?”
“Because unlike you, he knows how to collect useful information.”
Kai squeezed her waist.
“She’s with Terrence.”
“He knows. He hasn’t done anything.”
“Good.”
“You protective over Terrence now?”
“No. I don’t like messy shit.”
Nola looked toward Mani.
Terrence had gone to the bar. Mani was adjusting the hem of her dress again.
Dez passed behind her and said something.
Mani laughed.
Her hand flew over her mouth.
Dez stopped.
Just for a second.
He looked at the hand.
Then at her eyes.
He didn’t touch her.
Didn’t ask.
Just smiled and kept walking.
Mani watched him go.
Nola saw that too.
“Interesting,” she murmured.
Kai’s mother had ruined that word for him. His face showed it.
“Don’t start matchmaking.”
“I’m not.”
“Your face is.”
“That’s my face.”
He smiled into her shoulder.
Later, Terrence ordered a second round and told Mani she should probably skip the sweet cocktail because “them things got a lot of sugar.”
Mani stared at him.
Nola put her glass down.
Dez got up before anybody else could move.
“Terrence, come help me settle something with this DJ.”
Terrence frowned. “What?”
“Come on.”
It was a rescue without announcing itself.
Terrence went.
Mani watched them disappear into the crowd.
“He didn’t have to do that.”
Nola sipped her drink.
“Nope.”
“He always like that?”
“I barely know him.”
“You know what I mean.”
Nola smiled.
“He seems decent.”
Mani rolled her eyes.
“Don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your face did.”
Nola laughed.
Twenty minutes later, the whole table was back together.
Kai had one hand spread across Nola’s bare back. Dez was making Mani laugh without trying too hard. Terrence seemed oblivious to all of it.
Then Nola’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
Every bit of fun disappeared.
She answered.
“Hello?”
Static.
Then Dre.
“Nola?”
She stood so fast her chair scraped.
Kai was beside her immediately.
“Dre? Where are you?”
“Don’t ask me that.”
His voice was low and shaky.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Then tell me where you are.”
“I can’t. They said if I come back, you get dragged into it.”
Nola gripped the phone.
“Who is they?”
“I don’t know.”
“Dre, stop saying that.”
“I really don’t. Somebody sent me the message like it was Rome. I thought it was him because of the initials. Then the box disappeared and I got another text saying I was on camera.”
Kai held out his hand for the phone.
Nola shook her head.
“Dre, listen to me. Kai knows you didn’t just walk out with the money. We know somebody set up the camera.”
Silence.
“He there?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t give him the phone.”
Kai heard that.
His face stayed calm.
Nola said, “He’s trying to help.”
“You fucking him?”
Nola closed her eyes.
“This is what you want to ask me right now?”
“Oh my God. You are.”
Dez turned away, shoulders shaking despite the tension.
Kai looked offended.
Nola hissed, “Dre, I will beat your ass myself if you survive this and make me discuss my sex life in a lounge. Where are you?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because they know where you live. They know Ma and Dad’s address too.”
Nola’s stomach dropped.
Kai saw it.
“Dre—”
“I gotta go.”
“No.”
“I’m sorry.”
The line went dead.
Nola stared at the phone.
Kai put his hand on her shoulder.
She turned toward him.
“They know my parents’ address.”
“I heard.”
“We need to go.”
“Yeah.”
No flirting.
No joke.
No attempt to finish the night.
Kai looked at Dez.
“Get Terrence and Mani home. Put somebody on Denise and Curtis until we know more.”
Dez was already reaching for his phone.
Nola grabbed her purse.
Kai’s hand found her back again as they moved through the crowd.
This time it wasn’t habit.
It was reassurance.
And she let him keep it there.