4. Nylah
Nylah
Ifinally had some free time at home and was able to work on the dress for Mariah.
I was low-key nervous. I’ve only designed dresses for family or friends, and having my first client thrown at me was a lot, but I was glad Denise did it.
I looked down at it and saw it was a number I didn’t recognize. I almost let it go to voicemail, but something told me to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Damn, you answer the phone with an attitude?”
I looked at the phone. “Who the fuck is this?”
He laughed. “It’s Rosama, princess. How you doin’?”
I took the needle out of my hand and placed it beside me.
“I'm good, workin'. How are you?”
“You workin’? I like that. What do you do?”
“I design clothes. I'm in school for it, and I work at my friend's store.”
He started clapping. “I like that! Now you just need me by ya side to complement you.”
“Complement me? Nigga, please. I don’t need anybody to add anything to my life. I got it out the mud on my own.”
“I didn’t say you needed it,” he shot back. “I'm sayin’ I'm tryin’ to be part of it. It’s a difference between needin’ somebody and wanting somebody around, mama.”
“You got a lotta mouth for a nigga that ran into my car.”
“And you answered the phone and still talkin’ to me, so what that tell you?”
“That I got questionable judgment, apparently.”
He laughed, deep and easy. “Nah. It tells me you're interested. You said you peeped me at the block party. It’s okay. We are grown.”
I paused for a second. “The only thing I'm interested in is finishing this dress, and that’s it.”
“That’s cool, and you can do that. It doesn’t mean you can’t talk to a nigga.”
Rosama was smooth. His voice was deep, almost like Pop Smoke. The way he talked made me roll my eyes and smile at the same time.
“Are you always like this? Cocky as fuck?”
He laughed. “Never cocky, sweetheart. I can back up what I say.”
“I bet you say that shit to everybody.”
“Nah, I don’t waste my breath on everybody. Only the ones worth it.”
I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see it through the phone. This nigga had a comeback for everything, and it was starting to get on my damn nerves how much I was liking the shit.
“You are calling a random woman spitting game like you been knowing me.”
“You ain’t random though,” he added. “You are the fine ass woman that almost fought me in the middle of the street over a bumper.”
I smirked. “You deserved it.”
He laughed a lil’ bit. “Probably did. But that’s what got my attention.”
“What about me got your attention?” I asked.
Rosama went quiet for a second.
“You wasn’t trying to impress me. Most bitches around here be trying to impress me, trap me, and some more shit. You? You move like you are that bitch—no offense, and I am that nigga.”
“So what are you sayin'?”
“I need to get to know—I need a woman like you in my life.”
“Are you sure about that?” I questioned. “I might be the bitch that put you in your place. The way you talk, it seems like bitches let you get your way.”
He laughed again. “That might be true, and who knows, you might be right. But I might be the nigga that show you how submissive you are.”
I laughed hard and loud. “Submissive? Mr. man, sir. No nigga alive would eva, EVA make me submissive.”
“You say that because you never had Rosama in your life.”
I got quiet. That nigga got me with that one. I opened my mouth to respond and heard a knock at my door and thought to myself, it had to be Jesus Christ himself coming to save me from that man.
“I would love to finish the back and forth with you, but it's somebody at my door.”
I walked ova to the door.
“Iight, princess, I’ma let you go. But before I do, can I get one thing from you?”
I exhaled loudly. “And what is that?”
“I need a date from you, ASAP!”
I paused with my hand on the doorknob, thinking about it while somebody was steadily knocking on the other side.
“Yeah…sure.”
“Iight then, I’ma send you a text and let you know when to be ready.”
I looked at the phone. “What, nigga? That’s not how you do it. You supposed—”
“I don’t care how other niggas do it,” he said, cutting me off. “That’s how I do it. Like I said, I’ma let you know when to be ready. When I do, you send the addy, ya heard?”
That shit made me wet. “Okay…” I said softly. “I got you.”
We hung up the phone, and I caught myself smiling as I opened the door. But that smile quickly went away when I saw Kyron standing there.
“Kyron, what the fuck do you want?”
“I want you,” he said quickly. “I want us to fix things.”
I sucked my teeth. “Nigga, I don’t want to fix shit with you. I don’t even like you.”
“Nylah, come on now, we been down for a lil’ minute now.”
I nodded. “And in that 'lil’ minute,' you have not done shit to better us. What the fuck I'm not gonna do is waste more than one year with a nigga who not only can’t bring no money in the house, but the nigga also cheats.”
“I can change,” he responded quickly.
“And you had time to do all that, Kyron. You took another bitch around your family. I am all the way good on you.”
I tried to shut the door, and he stopped me.
“You serious, Ny? You don’t love me?”
I tilted my head. “Love does not top respect and loyalty. Move ya hand before I close it up.”
Kyron stepped back, and I closed the door, locked it, and went back to working on the dress while thinking about that nigga Rosama.
I liked the way he talked to me, but I had a slight feeling it was something about that nigga that was telling me I needed to keep my guard up for a lil’ bit.
I went back to working until the sun went down. I was about to order some food when Raven texted me to see if I wanted to grab something to eat since her nigga was busy and Denise and Ari were with their niggas.
I was down. I told her to pick the spot, and I would slide.
I got up and went to my room, pulled some jeans and a top outta my closet, and hopped in the shower.
I got myself together quick and went back to the living room and grabbed my phone off the couch and checked the location Raven wanted to meet at. The restaurant was in Brooklyn. It was her man's recommendation and he was fronting the bill.
After rolling up, I grabbed my bag and my keys and walked out of my house, hearing my phone ring in my bag.
As soon as I turned on my car, Raven's name flashed onto my screen.
“Yes, girl?” I said as I pulled away from the curb.
“Where the hell you at?”
“I'm on the way. Why, are you there?”
She started laughing. “Girl, no, I just left my crib. Had to get a quickie in.”
I laughed. “Well, look, I will be there in a few. The ride looks chill.”
“Well, I am hittin’ some traffic, so wait for me outside.”
“I got you,” I said before hanging up.
As I hit the interstate, I lit my blunt, leaned back in my seat, sang along to the music, and moved through the light traffic with ease.
When I got to the spot, I texted Raven, and she said she was about fifteen minutes out.
I stepped outta my car and leaned against the door as I finished my blunt. I didn’t really come to Brooklyn much, but when I did, I always loved the vibe. I was looking around, watching my surroundings, when I looked across the street from me and had to do a double take.
I hopped in my car quick and stared outta my window.
Rosama was walking to his car with some girl, grabbing her ass and shit. I snapped a quick pic. As he drove past me, I leaned ova in my seat, hoping he didn’t see my face.
I was heated.
I was about to call and cuss him out when Raven called.
“I'm here,” she said as soon as I answered. “Where are you? I'm by the door.”
I got back outta my car and walked up on the sidewalk to the entrance to see Raven standing there.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I shook my head as we walked inside. “Nah, I'm not.”
Once we were greeted and led to the table, we ordered drinks, and I turned to Raven.
“So, while I was outside waitin’ on you. I was smokin’. Tell me why I saw Rosama across the street.”
Raven's eyes got wide. “Who?”
I sucked my teeth. “The nigga that ran into me, with the different color eyes.”
Raven's eyes got big again. “He got different-colored eyes, like a pit bull?”
I laughed so hard I almost screamed in them people's restaurant.
“Girl, shut the fuck up.”
Raven was still laughing. “And his name is what again?”
“Rosama,” I repeated.
She shook her head. “We are gonna call him Pitbull, but anyway, what was he doin'?”
“Looks like he was takin’ some bitch out. He was grabbin’ her ass, and she was smilin’ hard as hell.”
Raven shook her head. “Niggas ain’t shit.”
“That’s not what got me fucked up. What got me fucked up is that the nigga called me earlier plannin’ a date and shit. I know he don’t owe me anything, but I'm not into a playin’ ass nigga.
“I feel that, so what are you gonna do? Are you gonna go on a date with him?”
“Girl…I’ma waste my time as he wasted mine. I don’t know what the fuck he thought this was. I had a feelin’ I would have to watch him.”