32. Nylah
Nylah
When I woke up wrapped in Rosama’s arms, I smiled, listening to him snore against my ear before slowly moving his arm off me and getting outta bed.
I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and checked it, seeing a few messages from my girls already talking about what time they was coming ova.
I exhaled slow, knowing I was about to be in for it with them, but I was ready for it.
I grabbed my clothes and headed to the bathroom to get myself together, and from the messages, my girls were about to be standing outside my crib waiting for me.
When I walked back into the room, I jumped, seeing Rosama sitting on the edge of the bed typing on his phone.
“Good morning,” I said as I walked ova to him.
“Good morning,” he responded as he pulled me in between his legs. “You leavin’ me already?”
I smiled as I kissed him, then pulled away. “Yes, I told you I have to meet my girls to get ready for the party. Don’t you need to get straight too?”
He nodded. “I do, but I’ma miss you.”
I laughed. “Nigggaaa!!! Cut it out. I’ma see you tonight.”
“I can’t wait either. I know you’re gonna be the baddest in the room.”
Rosama walked me out to my car and got anotha hug and kiss before I pulled off.
On my drive home, my girls were blowing me up. I could already hear their voices in my head, so I didn’t pick up. Instead, I dashed through traffic and got to my crib in half the time as normal, only to hear their mouths.
“What the fuck?!” Raven said. “That nigga have you tied up or somethin'?”
I laughed. “I'm sorry, we went out last night, and I overslept.”
I grabbed my bags and flowers outta my car and hauled my ass up the steps and unlocked my door.
“That nigga bodied you at that day party,” Denise said as she walked in, laughing.
“Girl…shut up!” I said, closing the door behind them.
I dropped my bags at the door, then went into the kitchen and put my flowers in water. Once they were straight, I walked back out to Denise, Raven, and Ari staring at me.
“What the fuck is wrong with y’all?” I asked.
“We want to know what happened with you and Pitbull,” Ari expressed.
I couldn’t help but smile as I sat down.
“Welll… we went back to his crib, we argued a lil’ bit, then…that nigga smooth, yo. We fucked, then last night he put me in Dior and took me on a date.”
All three of them looked at each otha, then back at me and started laughing.
“That nigga put that ‘make her listen’ dick on you,” Raven said.
“I can’t believe that you forgave him that quick. I thought you was gonna make him sweat that shit out longer,” Denise added.
“But, girl,” Ari said, chiming in. “Did you see the way that nigga stood ova top of her at the party and she had to look up to him? Every bitch in that room wanted to listen to him.”
I let them go on and sat there laughing until they calmed down and let me get a word in.
“I basically told him what I told y’all. He do me wrong, I’ma do him like he did me. Whatever that may be.”
“Do you think he doin’ any otha side shit?” Denise asked.
I took a second before I answered. “No. And I asked him, and he said no, so at this point, all I can do is trust him.”
They all agreed, but I could see it on their faces that they weren’t fully sold the way I was.
Denise leaned back and looked at me for a second before shaking her head. “I still can’t believe you took that nigga back this fast.”
“No, seriously,” Raven said. “A few days ago you was ready to make that pit bull dog lookin’ nigga suffer. NOOOWWW you sittin’ here all on some forgive you like you wasn’t just putting Kyron out for damn near the same shit.”
“I neva said I was done with him,” I reminded him. “I needed to feel him out, see what he was really on before I made up my mind, and after that pull up.” I laughed. “I decided to forgive and get gifts; I was just mad anyway.”
“Girl, you was more than mad,” Ari said, laughing. “You had that man stressin’, look at your place.”
“And?!” I asked with a smirk.
Denise shook her head. “And now look at you, ready to celebrate a nigga that you was just cussing out.”
“What can I say?” I shrugged with a smile. “That’s my Brooklyn nigga.”
They all groaned at the same time, making me laugh.
“See, that’s exactly what I'm talkin' about,” Raven said. “You fold.”
“I didn’t fold!” I said, laughing. “That nigga just…”
“Bodied you in front of everybody! And made your ass listen!” Ari blurted out, making us all laugh.
“And, real talk? I liked it.”
They laughed at me, already knowing by the way he didn’t get cussed out.
“Anyway,” I said, clapping my hands once as I stood up. “We got a party to get ready for. I am ready to celebrate my man, so can we focus on that?”
That shifted the whole vibe.
“Yeah, ‘cause you not about to show up lookin’ regular,” Raven said, already getting up and heading toward my room.
“Bitch, regular where?” I shot back, following behind her.
By the time we got to my room, they were already digging through my closet like it was theirs, pulling out hangers, holding shit up that had tags on or that I made, and tossing it in yes and no piles like they had the final say.
“Not this,” Denise said, throwing a dress on the bed.
“What was wrong with that?” I asked, walking ova.
“It’s cuteee,” she said, dragging the word out, “but tonight is not for cuteness.”
Raven laughed. “Exactly. It’s his birthday, and you just got back right with him. You betta show up to that party in an outfit that screams my man, my man, my man.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smiling a lil’. “I’ma step, y’all just be doin’ the most.
Ari was already halfway in my closet, looking through the back like she knew something I didn’t. “Nah, you got some shit in here; you be hiding it from us!”
I crossed my arms, leaning against the dresser, watching them fuck my room up.
“Try this,” Ari said, finally turning around with a dress in her hand.
She held it up, and I took a step closer, looking it ova. It wasn’t too much, but it wasn’t basic either. It sat right in that space where I could walk in and not have to say a word.
I took it from her and held it up against me, glancing at myself in the mirror. I turned a lil’ then nodded.
“Yeahhh…. this the one.”
“Thank you,” Ari said, like she just did her big one.
Once the outfit was locked in, I grabbed some heels while Denise pulled out my jewelry and laid it all on the bed.
“This the look?” I asked.
They all nodded while Raven checked her phone. “Come on, we need to get to KeKe’s.”
We all grabbed what we needed and headed out, getting in Raven’s car.
By the time we got to the salon, KeKe and her team were setting their stations up. They looked us up and down when we walked through the door like they all had something to say.
“Y’all late,” KeKe said, shaking her head.
“Baby, this is New York. We are right on time,” Denise shot back.
KeKe rolled her eyes as I sat in her chair, and they took a seat in the othas.
The next couple of hours went by fast. Blow dryers, flat irons, laughter, stories being told louder than they need to be. People coming in and out, looking at us as if we were the loudest group in there—which we probably were.
I sat in the chair while KeKe worked on my hair, watching myself in the mirror as it all came together. Every now and then my eyes would drift to my phone, but I didn’t answer it. Seeing his name on my screen was enough.
“That nigga got you ova here smiling,” KeKe said, catching me.
“I'm nottt,” I responded with a slight smile.
“Mhmm…” she hummed. “That man has been doin’ a number on you, huh?”
“Girl, don’t get her started,” Ari said.
I laughed. “That man is…”
“A dog,” Denise said, cutting me off.
I laughed again. “Girl, do my hair so we can get outta here.”
By the time we were done, we looked good. Hair laid and makeup touched up.
“Y’all did that,” Ari said as we looked in the mirror.
“Nah, for real, you did,” Denise added.
We all paid our ladies, said our goodbyes, and walked out of the salon talking bout how the night was about to be a whole vibe, when a nigga ran into me.
Me and my girls looked up at the same time, and I almost lost my shit.
“Kyron!” I blurted out.
That nigga had the nerve to step back and smile at me.
“Yeah, baby girl, wussup with you?”
I looked at Ari, Denise, and Raven, then back at him with pure disgust.
“Nigga, you need to watch where the fuck you stepping.”
“My fault, shorty. I was just caught up staring at you. I miss you, boo.”
“You been doin’ some clown ass shit. Why the fuck would I be worried about you?”
Kyron raised a brow. “What are you talkin’ about?”
“Cut it out. Don’t pretend like you weren’t throwing trash at my door. Now you want to act like you magically ran into me.”
“Baby girl…I didn’t trash your crib. What the fuck?”
I tilted my head. “After I banged on you and told you I had a nigga, you didn’t trash my shit?”
Kyron shook his head with a slight smirk. “Nah, noo, talk to ya MAN about that.”
He walked around us and left me standing there confused.
“Don’t worry about that,” Ari said, trying to focus my attention elsewhere.
I nodded. “Yeah, but if he didn’t do the shit,” I said, getting into Raven's car, “then who did?”
Once we got back to my crib, we each took turns in the bathroom getting ourselves together. I was there, but the whole time my mind was stuck on Kyron and what he said.
“Stop it,” Denise said, walking into my room.
“What?” I asked, stepping back from the mirror.
“You are thinkin’ bout Kyron.”
I tried to play it off, but Denise knew me better than anybody.
“I'm tryin’, but that shit is weird.”
She nodded. “It is, but you know what’s weirder? Him admitting to it.”
I smirked. “You are right.”
“Don’t let a clown ass nigga with no window for his pot or his piss fuck up ya vibe.”
I laughed. “You’re right, I’ma snap outta it.”
Ari and Raven finished getting dressed, and once we were all standing together, Kyron wasn’t on my mind anymore.
“You ready to go see ya man?” Raven asked.
I didn’t even mean to, but I felt myself smiling hard as hell. “Yes, I am!”
We walked out and got in the car, and my energy picked right back up. Ari lit a blunt, Raven turned up the music, and we twerked and rapped the whole ride to Brooklyn.
By the time we pulled up, the music was already hitting outside. Lights, people, and cars lining the streets were exactly what I expected for Rosama’s party.
Raven found a parking spot, and we stepped out, putting our heels on and fixing ourselves up one last time before heading in.
We walked toward the entrance, all four of us talking and laughing while the music got louder the closer we got.
People were everywhere, some standing outside with drinks in their hands, others getting out their cars and heading toward the entrance.
I looked around at everything, taking in how much the party had already grown since we pulled up.
Rosama definitely wasn’t playing about his birthday.
“This shit packed,” Raven said, looking around.
“You expected anything less?” Denise asked.
I shook my head. “Not from him.”
We made our way inside, and as soon as the door opened, the music hit me hard. The room was packed, lights moving across the walls while people danced, talked, and moved around with drinks in their hands. I could smell liquor and smoke in the air. The whole place was already turned up.
“Okayyy,” Ari said, looking around. “He did his shit.”
I nodded. “He did.”
We moved farther inside, and I started looking around, though I didn't even think bout it. Already knowing he would be in a section.
“You lookin’ for him already?” Denise asked, catching me.
I smiled. “Maybe.”
“Girl, you just got here,” Raven said, shaking her head.
I ignored their hating asses and kept making my way through the crowd to the VIP area when I finally laid eyes on my man.
He was across the room, surrounded by people, talking and laughing like he didn’t have a care in the world. He looked good, too. Even with all the people around him, he was still the first person I noticed.
As I stared at him, he turned, and his eyes scanned the room before landing directly on me like he could feel me or something.
For a second, neither one of us looked away.
A smile slowly spread across my face. And when I saw his face change the second he realized I was there, I knew the connection that I had with that nigga was strong.
Me and my girls made our way to security to the VIP area. I couldn’t even open my mouth and say my name before Rosama was right there, reaching out his hand, ignoring security altogether.
He pulled me into his arms while my girls walked past us.
“Hey,” he said before kissing me.
I hugged him like I wasn’t with him that morning.
“I missed you,” I whispered in his ear.
“I'm glad you’re finally here.”