Chapter 21 Asia
I hadn’t spoken to Nyree in a few days.
I kept going to his name in my contacts but every time I went to call or send him a message, I froze up.
I was being way too scary about this situation but couldn’t help it.
Each time my finger hovered over his name, my mind flashed back to that moment in his apartment—him showing me his search history full of engagement rings, the vulnerable look in his eyes, the earnestness in his voice. It was both the sweetest and most terrifying thing a man had ever done for me.
I wanted to run straight to him, to dive headfirst into whatever this could become. But the part of me that was still scarred from Quan kept pulling me back from the edge.
I was out to eat with Bella when my phone vibrated against the table. When I saw Nyree's name flash across my screen, my heart did a little flip.
"You gonna answer that?" Bella asked, reaching for her wine glass.
"Yeah, give me a sec." I picked up my phone, trying to appear casual as I opened his message.
Asia, you won't believe what just happened.
Remember that website you built for me? It just landed me the biggest opportunity of my career.
Vina Bonet needs a photographer for an event this weekend in LA.
Her regular guy canceled, and my boy Jamel showed her my site.
She loved my work and wants to fly me out tomorrow.
10K for one night! This is all because of you.
I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. This was huge for him. Vina Bonet was a major star—Grammy-winning, chart-topping, magazine-cover-gracing famous. And Nyree was going to photograph her. Because of something I did for him.
Though I was still leery about doing too much for him, I was still happy my work had brought such a major client to his business.
Before I could respond, another text came through:
What’s your Cash App?
I froze and stared at those words on the screen. It was as if Nyree had been hearing my thoughts. Sending him my Cash App info, I expected him to send me a couple hundred bucks.
But my eyes widened when I saw that he sent me two thousand dollars.
Nyree, that’s too much, I texted back immediately.
Hell no, it ain’t, he wrote back. You just changed my life, Shorty.
I blinked back my emotions and took a bite of my food, giggling at something Bella said so she wouldn’t ask questions about my texting.
But I couldn’t get it out of my mind that Nyree had just shown me once again that he might be different. Quan had never done no shit like this. Never even offered to pay me back for all I had done for his ass.
I'm still in shock, Nyree texted again. But I wanted you to be the first to know. You made this possible.
I felt a warm glow of pride, both for him and for my small contribution to his success.
"What are you smiling about over there?" Bella asked, eyeing me suspiciously over her menu.
I shook my head quickly. "Nothing important," I lied, not ready to open that can of worms.
I typed back: That's amazing, Nyree! I'm so happy for you. You deserve this. Your work is incredible.
His response was immediate: Thank you. When I get back, I'm taking you on a yacht to celebrate. You and me, a bottle of champagne, and a sunset cruise. I need to thank you properly for changing my life.
I chuckled and replied, Yeah okay. We'll see.
I slid my phone away, aware that Bella was watching me with curious eyes.
"What?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"What's going on with you?" she asked in a teasing tone, leaning forward on her elbows. "You're all smiley and secretive over there. Who's got you cheesing like that?"
I froze. This was yet another perfect opportunity to tell her about Nyree, about everything that had happened over the past few weeks.
Bella had been my best friend since forever—we told each other everything.
She knew all about the Quan disaster, had been there through the tears and rage and recovery.
She'd be thrilled to know I was moving on, connecting with someone new.
But something held me back.
"Nothing," I lied, looking down at my menu to avoid her scrutiny. "Ma just sending me stupid memes about Daddy."
Bella giggled, once again accepting my explanation without question. Because why wouldn’t she? I’d only recently become a boldfaced liar. "I know that's right. I'm glad she's getting back to herself."
I smiled, but a wave of guilt washed over me.
It was true that my mother was starting to seem like herself again after months of being upset about my father remarrying.
But using that as a cover for my secretive texting felt wrong—disrespectful to both my mother's journey and my friendship with Bella.
As we ordered our food and moved on to other topics, my mind kept drifting back to Nyree, to the exciting opportunity he just landed, and to the bigger question looming over me: how long was I going to keep him a secret?
It wasn't just Bella. I hadn't told anyone about him—not even Ma. It was like I was keeping him in a separate compartment of my life, protected from scrutiny but also denied integration into my world.
Was I ashamed of him? Nyree was talented, ambitious, kind, and sexy as hell. Any woman would be proud to have him on her arm.
Was I ashamed of myself? Maybe. Ashamed that after everything I'd been through with Quan, after all my big talk about taking things slow and being careful next time, I'd fallen for someone so quickly again.
Or was it something else? Was I keeping Nyree a secret because I was already preparing for it to end? If no one knew about him, no one would witness my heartbreak if things fell apart. No pitying looks, no "I told you so" comments, no need to explain what went wrong.
The thought made my stomach twist with discomfort. Was I that cynical now? That damaged?
As Bella chatted animatedly about her latest work drama, I only half-listened as my mind became consumed with Nyree.