Chapter 6 Nyree
I couldn’t believe Jamel was able to get me this opportunity. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise since he was always rubbing shoulders with niggas in elite circles, but the fact that he thought of me when he did let me know he was a real one.
If this shit panned out, I would have to pay him back big time.
I was here as a photographer, helping Jamel with an event he was doing.
My original plan was to try to network and make connections, maybe find a female and smash, but that was about it.
It was one of those formal affairs, so I expected to be bored out of my mind with the only real positive being that I was making money and possible connections.
But all that changed the moment I spotted her.
Asia.
Sitting on one of the sofas in the hotel lobby we were staying at.
Her hair was in a messy updo and she was wearing a light sweater, leggings, and socks with slides, but she looked like a goddess to me.
Her lips curved into a smile when we caught eyes. One she tried to hide, I noted.
Without hesitation, I went walking over to approach her, leaving Jamel and his boy Ricky to handle our rooms. Jamel was comping my room as part of my payment for the event.
She blushed and grew fidgety as I approached her, but I could tell it was shyness and not that she wasn’t interested in talking to me.
“Asia, right?” I said in as smooth of a tone as I could muster.
She swallowed and nodded, then a peek of a smile graced her lips again before she said, “Nyree.”
I liked the way my name rolled off her tongue.
Settling into a seat on the sofa across from hers, I studied her. “What brings you out here? We’re quite a ways from Philly.”
Asia blushed again. “I’m out here with my mom.
She’s up in our room. I just finished doing some work for my job.
..” She gestured toward her laptop as she spoke, which was sitting in her lap.
But the way she halted her explanation, followed by the look in her eyes when she stopped talking let me know that she thought she had said too much.
Like she was boring me.
Far from it.
I wanted to know more.
In fact, now that I had a second chance to speak with her, I wanted to know everything about her.
Settling deeper into my sofa, I said, “What kind of work were you doing?”
Her eyes lit up at my question. “I’m a digital content designer for Messy Tees. They brought me on to handle admin tasks and help with their social media marketing. So far, it’s been going great. They are gaining more customers by the week.”
I was intrigued at the excitement she held about her job.
I had heard of Messy Tees. They were a new t-shirt spot that opened up downtown, creating custom t-shirt designs as well as regular designs that featured bold, funny, and provocative sayings.
I had seen a few of their ads when scrolling social media and meant to stop in soon to buy some tees.
“Wow, that’s fire,” I said, letting Asia know I was impressed by her expertise.
“What are you here for?” she asked, and now it was her turn to study me.
My ears grew hot now that the spotlight was on me, but I quickly recovered.
“I’m here with my boy Jamel. He’s doing a black tie affair for one of Julien’s events and wanted me as one of the photographers.
” Julien was a grammy-award winning singer and violinist whose music had been blowing up for the past year.
Though I spoke my words with pride, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease in my chest. I explained everything to Asia like I was that nigga. Like I had clientele and connections. Like I was as established as she was.
Unfortunately, I was far from it.
She didn’t seem to notice.
“Wow, that is cool!” Asia said with excitement. “How is it, meeting celebrities? Do you get nervous?”
I walked myself right into that one.
I couldn’t tell her that this was my first real gig.
Not when she seemed so impressed by me.
I couldn’t help but exaggerate a little. “I mean, it’s cool, but I’m just here for business, you know.” I said that shit with my swag on ten, and Asia ate it right up.
“Wow,” she repeated. “Look at you.”
We stared at each other for a few moments.
“So how did you get into photography?” Asia asked, as Jamel was walking over to us.
I was about to answer when I caught him approaching from the corner of my eye. His eyebrows raised when he noticed Asia, a knowing smile spreading across his face. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. This nigga could smell when I was interested in someone from a mile away.
I refocused on Asia. Her brown eyes studied me with curiosity.
Before I could answer, Jamel stopped beside our sofas, looking between us with that same smirk.
"You good, bro?" he asked, though I could tell he already knew the answer.
"Yeah, man. Just catching up with Asia." I gestured toward her, and she offered a small wave. "She’s from Philly."
Jamel nodded, his eyes lingering on Asia with an approving glance before turning back to me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key card, extending it toward me.
"Room 1423," he said, handing it over. "I'm gonna head up and call a few people, make sure everything's set for tomorrow night's event. Ricky's headed to the hotel bar to check out the scene." He was giving me space, and I appreciated him for that.
"Good looking out," I said, taking the card. "I'll catch up with you later."
We dapped each other up. As Jamel walked away, he turned back once to give me a subtle nod of approval that Asia couldn't see.
"He’s your friend?" Asia asked, watching him disappear toward the elevators.
"Yup. Known him since we were kids," I said, tucking the key card into my wallet. "He's the one who got me into photography."
That part was true. Jamel had urged me to try photography when we were in our early twenties, insisting I had "an eye" for composition after seeing some random photos I'd taken on my phone.
“For real?” Asia seemed interested, shifting in her seat to face me.
"Yeah, I always had an interest in it, used to take pictures of everything with my phone.
Jamel saw some shots I took and told me I should get serious about it.
" I relaxed a bit, now that I was telling the truth.
"I started small—birthdays, family reunions, that kind of thing. I’ve been building up from there. "
I decided to be a little more honest. "This gig with Julien is my first major event. Jamel pulled some strings to get me in."
Instead of looking disappointed by my admission, Asia's face brightened. "That's dope though! Everyone has to start somewhere. And if Jamel got you this opportunity, he must believe in your talent."
Her reaction caught me off guard. I expected her to be less impressed once she realized I wasn't some established photographer with celebrity clientele. But there was something refreshing about the way she seemed to appreciate my hustle.
"What about you?" I asked, eager to keep the conversation flowing. "Did you always know you wanted to do digital content?"
Asia laughed. "Not at all. I majored in Communications thinking I would work in PR, but I took some design electives and discovered I was good at it. I started freelancing during my senior year, and it just grew from there."
I nodded. "So you're freelance? Or full-time with Messy Tees?"
"I’m on a contract for now," she explained, "but they're talking about bringing me on permanently. The way things are going, I might need to negotiate a raise soon." There was a confident gleam in her eyes that I found attractive as hell.
Our conversation flowed easily after that, any initial awkwardness melting away. We were so caught up in talking that I barely noticed time passing until Asia's phone buzzed. She glanced down at it and her expression shifted.
"Everything good?"
"Yeah, it's just my mom wondering where I am." She looked up at me apologetically. "I should probably head back up. She's hungry, and I was supposed to have already brought her the menu."
I nodded, trying to hide my disappointment that our time was being cut short. "Of course."