Nylah
Iwas in Manhattan at Mood, shopping for fabric and on the phone planning a night out with my girls.
“You finally have time to come out with us?” Raven asked.
I laughed. “You act like I'm neva around. I just seen y’all bitches.”
“Yeah, but you haven’t been out with us,” Ari added.
“I know. And y’all wanted me to get a new man, and I did, and he been stepping for me.”
“Which is why I wouldn’t listen to them bitches,” Denise chimed in. “Do you, boo, and stay home with your man.”
We all laughed. “But for real tho, I am ready for a night out with y’all before Rosama's birthday. His people are having a party for him, then we are taking a baecation.”
“Oh, shit,” Raven said.
“Are we invited to the party?” Ari asked.
“Yes, y’all definitely need to come through.”
The topic shortly changed to the fabric I was looking at when Denise changed it back to Rosama.
“What happened after you got him outta jail?”
I smiled as I got a flashback. “He took me home and took care of me, then paid me not to do crazy ass dress.”
“See there, ladies, that’s why she has been in the house,” Denise said.
“Y’all got me weak, but after I went to sleep, I could have sworn he left, but when I woke back up, he was layin’ next to me.”
“Did you ask him?” Ari asked.
I shook my head. “No, because he was beside me when I woke up.”
“Are you worried?” Denise asked.
I was about to respond when I heard a beep in my ear and was getting another call.
“Hold on y’all, I’ma have to call y’all back. Rosama callin’.”
“Tell pit bull we said hiii,” Raven said as I hung up on them and clicked ova.
“Hey, baby.”
“Wussup, ma?” he said. His deep voice made me smile like it was required.
“Nothing, in Manhattan at Mood getting some fabric,” I said as I ran my hand ova the different rolls.
“Word, you sound like you are in your happy place.”
“I am. I love looking at the different fabrics and getting ideas for different things. I just wish I had the place to hold a bunch of fabric; because of you, I would buy up the store right now.”
The line went silent for a second.
“Stay right there,” Rosama said. “I’ma slide through.”
We hung up, and I continued looking around, then took a break while waiting on him and worked on my sketch for school. I was locked in on my drawing. The store inspired me so much that when I heard somebody clear their voice, I jumped as I looked up and saw Rosama.
“How long have you been standing there?” I asked as I stood up and hugged him.
“Long enough for me to realize that even when you’re not paying attention, you still have all eyes on you.”
Rosama took me around the store. I showed him all the different fabrics I liked, even though I didn’t have clients for them yet. I was going to.
Rosama took in all that I was showing and telling him, then called somebody who worked there ova.
“I need you to help her get all the fabric that she wants.”
“What?” I asked, confused. “What do you mean?”
“Get all that you want,” repeated.
“And do what with it?”
He smiled at me. “Let ya man handle that; get what you want.”
I did what my man said and walked through Mood, picking up yards of colors, yards of leathers, silk, and lace.
Spikes, buttons, and zippers. I grabbed everything that caught my eye, throwing it at the workers and whoever he got to help him.
Once I was done, we took everything to the register, and they had a time ringing everything up.
“Okay ma’am, your total is $11,500.82.”
I looked at Rosama, and he laughed, pulling cash—not a card, not a wallet, a fist-sized wad of money out, counted it, and handed it to the cashier.
All the people behind the counter were smiling and whispering at me.
After Rosama paid, the workers helped us carry the bags out and loaded them into mine and Rosama's car.
“Follow me,” he told me as he hopped in his car, leaving me standing there wondering what he was up to.
I didn’t question him though. I hopped in my car and followed him through the city until we ended up in Brooklyn at a storage place not far from his place.
“Rosama, what are we doin’ here?” I asked him as soon as we parked and hopped out the car.
“You said you needed space to hold your fabric, I got you.”
He walked around the cars, pulled his keys outta his pocket, unlocked the lock, and slid the door up to a nice ass fixed-up storage unit.
The floors were padded the walls were painted, and it wasn’t cold or too hot.
“Ro, what is this?”
“It was my sister's lil’ hair shop I got her when she first started out.”
“Where is she now?” I asked.
“I got her a bigger shop in the city, but I kept this shit to store guns. Now I have a new place for that, so this shit has just been sitting, getting paid for, just in case I need it.”
“You sayin’ I can use this?”
He nodded. “Yeah, girl. We can get you some shelves and sit to fix it up.”
I was walking around in a circle, almost thinking about what I could do with the space.
“Rosama, I could almost set up a lil’ studio in here.”
He nodded again. “And be close to your man.”
I walked ova to him, jumping into his arms and kissing all ova his face.
“You are so good to me.”
Rosama laughed. “I'm supposed to be. Come on, let’s get ya shit in.”
We got everything inside, then sat in his car and smoked.
“I gotta go handle some business,” he said, letting me know.
“Should I be worried?”
“No,” he said, passing me the blunt. “It’s a gun pickup; my shit been movin’ fast, and I'm g’tting low.”
I stared at Rosama for a minute while he scrolled on his phone. I loved his style. He was a street nigga that knew how to dress, and his diamonds always shined; whether it was around his neck, in his ear, around his wrist, or in his teeth, they danced day and night.
“Do you love what you do?” I asked him.
He looked off in the sky and let out a deep breath.
“Yeah, I have my days where I wish I didn’t have to run the streets or be in the mix of shit. But I love the fast money, I love my connections, and I love how niggas know I'm not the one to be played with.”
I tried not to smile, but it was hard not to. I loved that shit.
“Will you have time for me tonight?”
“Of course I will,” Rosama responded. “I want to be with you every night.”
I leaned ova and kissed him. “Make it happen, then.”
After we finished smoking, Rosama walked me ova to my car. We hugged and kissed before he opened the door for me.
“I will let you know when I'm on the way to you.”
I nodded with a smile and pulled off, calling my girls on our group FaceTime.
“What the fuck y’all doin'?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Raven said.
“Closing early,” Denise added.
“Just getting dressed,” Ari responded.
“Can we go get drinks?” I asked. “Rosama coming later tonight, and I have nothing else to do.”
“I'm down,” Raven said quick.
“Send me an address,” Ari said.
“Who is picking the spot, me?” Denise asked, knowing her role.
“Yes, you are. Let me get home and change. Send me the location, and I’ll meet y’all.”
“Iight, I got y’all,” Denise said.
We all hung up. I grabbed some food and drove home. Once I got there, I sat in my living room, ate my food, and looked up the place Denise sent us to meet at.
When I finished, I hopped in the shower, seeing that my girls were texting, sayin’ they were on the way to the place.
I hurried up and threw on something cute, did my hair and makeup, and walked outta my house to see Blaze standing at my car, and I stopped on the steps.
“What are you doin’ here?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “Just was in the neighborhood and thought I’d come by and check on you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Come check on me for what, Blaze? I don’t have time for your shit.”
I walked down the sidewalk, thinking he was gonna move off my car, but he didn’t.
“Rosama treating you right?” he asked me.
“Yeah, why would you ask that?”
“Just makin sure. I know how that nigga can be, and I know what I saw the other night.”
I stared at him for a second, then sucked my teeth.
“Nigga, you ain’t even sayin’ shit. What did you really come here for?”
“To check on you, I told you. To make sure that nigga didn’t upset you when he came back the other night.”
“What do you know about the other night?”
Blaze smirked at me. “I know that he snuck out the other night.”
Blaze had a look on his face that made me second-guess even entertaining what he was saying.
“Okay, nigga, spit it the fuck out. What are you tryin’ to tell me?”
“I am tryin’ to tell you, fine ass Ms. Nylah, that you don’t have the nigga that you think you have.”
“Oh really? And what nigga do I think I have?”
“A faithful one,” he said blankly.
“And you are tellin’ me that I don’t?”
“I don’t know. I know what I saw that night.”
I exhaled, getting tired of Blaze and his games. “Either tell me what the fuck you want to tell me, or move from in front of my car. I don’t have time for this shit, and I don’t think I care.”
Blaze smiled, pulled out his phone, scrolled, and did some other shit before my phone dinged.
“Why don’t you look at that?”
I rolled my eyes and pulled my phone outta my purse, tapped on his message with a whole attitude, only to see my nigga in a room with a bitch with her mouth around his dick.
I cuffed my face and leaned against my car.
“I'm sorry I had to tell you this,” Blaze said, placing his arm across my shoulder.
I pushed him off me.
“Get the fuck off me, nigga. No the fuck you are not. You are just happy that he fucked up.”
Once he was off my car, I hopped in and pulled off. I was about to put the address for the trap into my GPS, but then I decided to wait and go meet with my girls.
The drive to the bar Denise picked was just enough time for me to think and to get my tears out. As I pulled up to the place, I was checking my reflection in the mirror, making sure my face wasn’t puffy and my lips still looked good.
After I was situated, I hopped outta my car and walked into the bar with a smile on my face.
“Hey, ladies,” I said as I walked up to the table and pulled out a chair. “I am sorry it took so long. Blaze was waitin’ for me at my car.”
“Oh Lord,” Ari said, “Everything was okay?”