11. Nylah
Nylah
Since the date with Rosama, we had been talking, and I had to say, the nigga was growing on me.
Like I said, he was smooth. That nigga knew how to keep a smile on my face no matter how hard I tried to act like he didn’t.
I liked the vibe that he gave me tho. It was way different from Kyron. I was starting to feel like I could entertain him more, ya know? Show him my softer side. That was until I was getting ready for work and checked my phone to see I had a few DMs on Instagram from people that wasn’t my friends.
I opened all three of them and read them back-to-back. All of them asking me the same thing.
Are you talkin’ to Rosama?
Two of the girls I had never seen before in my life, but the last one, Sonya, I know I seen her around the way. I sent her a message back, and she called me instantly.
“Nylah!” she said as I picked up the call. “I knew that was you at the club with him.”
“Yeah,” I said, gathering my shit for work. “Why did you ask me that?”
“I'm not tryna get in your business like that,” Sonya said. “But my people fuck with you and they said you a bad ass designer. They said that nigga is a dog, you hear me?”
I stopped in my steps. “Why do they say that?”
“He keep a bitch. He is known around Brooklyn for a lot of things. He keeps the streets in motion, but other than that, he is no good.”
“Iight,” I said as I walked outta my house. “I got you. Thank you for tellin’ me.”
“No problem, girl, let me know when I can get a dress from you.”
We hung up, and I continued to work, thinking about what Sonya said. I didn’t know how to feel about it. She could have been a bitch wanting to be in the position that I was in, or she could have been telling the truth.
Once I made it to work, I got out my car and grabbed my things when my phone dinged. I looked down and saw a message from Rosama.
Him: Good morning, ma, I would love to see you tonight.
I looked at it and locked my screen back. I didn’t know if I wanted to spazz on him or act as if I never received that message.
When I walked into work, everything I was thinking about got put to the side for a second.
“Come on, girl,” Ari yelled out, with Raven walking behind her with mimosas in her hand.
“Yeah,” Raven said, handing me a glass. “We need to talk about your date.”
I took the glass from Raven and took a big sip.
“I need a bigger sip.” I set my things down.
“Why?” Denise said, coming out of the back room. “What happened?”
I finished my first glass, and Raven poured me a second one.
“I don’t have time. I got Mariah comin’ in for a fitting soon.”
“And she can wait. This is my store,” Denise said.
I laughed. “The date was cool. We went to the club—”
“The first date he takes you to the club?” Ari interrupted.
I nodded. “Yeah, but I was cool with it since we went to dinner first. So we went to the club, and he is known, people was yellin’ at this nigga like he was a celebrity.”
“Was the vibe off?” Raven asked.
“No, he gave me his attention all night. Some nigga came to talk to him. He made sure I was comfortable. Bitches started hating, of course, but for real, we just sat close in the section and talked until he said it was time to go.”
They all nodded.
“And then what did y’all do?” Raven asked.
“He asked what I wanted. Y’all know I love Chinese.
It was late, but the nigga had some people with a Chinese place; they was closed, but they let us in.
We ordered the same thing and continued talking there.
After that, he took me home. We smoked, talked some more.
Then he left. The nigga didn’t kiss me or nothin’. ”
“Ummm, Nylah,” Denise said softly. “I think we are missing the problem. It seems like you had a good date.”
I took a sip. “I did. The nigga smooth with it. The vibe was real. He made me laugh and smile. But I think I’ma have to fall back. I got three messages this morning from bitches asking me if I was talkin’ to him.”
“Man, them bitches just want that nigga. Pitbull is fine,” Raven added.
We laughed.
“Nah, I called one of them, Sonya. She said he is known around the way for keeping bitches.”
“Damn,” they all said at the same time.
“So what are you goin’ to do?” Ari asked.
I shrugged as I exhaled. “I like him, but I think I’ma have to fall back.”
Just as Raven opened her mouth, the door opened and Mariah walked in.
“I'm sorry, are y’all still closed?” she asked.
“No,” Denise said. “Just havin’ a lil’ girl talk, come on in.”
I stood up. “Yes, come on in. I have your dress ova here. I’ma put it in the dressing room, and we can go from there.”
She nodded with a look on her face that I really couldn’t tell what it was.
I put the dress in the dressing room, and she walked in without another word.
“Oh, shit, she looks like she might be hard to please,” Raven expressed.
I nudged her and told her to shut up.
Me and my girls changed the subject. Raven started talkin’ bout her nigga and the movie they didn't have. Ari talked about the date that she went on and how the nigga’s card declined and she left him there. We were having a good laugh when I noticed that Mariah still hadn’t come out.
“Are you okay, Mariah?” I yelled out.
Finally, the curtain swung open. She walked out with the dress on and tears in her eyes.
“I am sorry,” she said softly. We all hurried around her. “I am just havin’ a bad day.”
Denise grabbed her some tissues. “It’s okay, sis. Do you want to talk to us?”
Mariah wiped her face and took a deep breath.
“My husband…he-he hasn’t been home like that.”
We all exhaled loudly.
“I am sorry,” I said, patting her back. “Have y’all been together for a long time?”
She nodded. “Yeah…since we were in high school. I have been with him through all his ups and downs, and lately he’s been sayin’ we outgrown each other.”
“Do y’all have kids together?” Denise asked.
“No, I want kids, but he don’t. I am sorry to dump this on y’all. I guess it has been heavy on my mind. I-I love my husband, and I want us to work out.”
I smiled. I understood where she was coming from.
“You told me this dress was for his birthday, right?”
“Yeah, I don’t know if I belong there, but yeah.”
“Girl, you belong there, the fuck,” Ari added.
I laughed. “My friend is extra, but she is right. You belong there, and I’ma make sure you're the baddest bitch in the room!”
“And one thing I know my girl can do is make a bitch feel like the baddest in the room,” Denise added.
Mariah finally smiled. “Okay, let's do it then.”
We got up, and I stood there in front of the mirror and did what I did best. I made sure the dress was snatched to her body, making sure it hugged her in all the right places. We went over what to add to it with my girls’ help.
After Mariah got changed and sat down, she had a drink with us. I kept glancing at her as she laughed and could tell that she needed the girl time.
The day went on. Me and Denise made some money while the girls sat in our showroom getting drunk. By the time we closed, Mariah was walking sideways to the door, falling into my arms, hugging me.
“Thank you for today. You don’t know how much I needed this.”
I smiled. “I get it. We all need a girls day from time to time. I hope everything works out with you and your husband.”
She exhaled. “Me too. It is somethin’ about that man I just can’t let go of.”
She walked outta the shop, and I locked the door behind her and went back to sit with my girls.
“Do you think her and her husband are gonna fix things?” I asked Ari and Raven.
They looked at each other and laughed.
“Hell no,” Raven said.
“What the fuck,” I said, laughing. “Why not?”
“Because she seems…off,” Ari said.
“Yeah, like she listen, but she don’t hear you.”
“Well damn, as long as I get paid, that’s all that matters to meee…”
They laughed.
“Facts,” Denise said. “But I want to know what you are going to do about you and Rosama.”
I pulled my phone outta my back pocket and saw that he had been calling and checking on me all day.
“I’ma fall back for now, explore my options, and see what happens with him. Last thing I need is a nigga that brings drama into my life.”
My girls agreed with me. As they went on talking, I stared at the message from Rosama. Even tho I wanted to talk to him and hear his side, I had to stand on business. The nigga was fine, but not fine enough for me to be played with.