Chapter 15 #2
Next to it was a table draped in red satin with glasses filled with strawberry lemon drops and some with champagne.
Beside the drinks sat a guest book with a fur pen between the pages.
One side of the page said, “Leave Your Mark If You’re A Sullivan”, and the other said, “With Love, From Dope Ass Friends”.
Naturally, I went to sign the friends’ side, and Amil stopped me.
“Girl, please. You betta leave your mark.” She then turned to Danae. “And you betta not even think about signing that side.”
Danae grinned, and I laughed, signing as a Sullivan, even though I wasn’t one.
I guess when the men took you in, so did the rest of the family.
We stepped farther inside and turned the corner to see her whole living room decked in red and black.
Red and black heart shaped balloons floated in the ceiling, and the pillows that aligned the huge sectional were also black and red.
Real roses in vases were placed throughout the space, making for another level of cutesy.
“Hey, ladies.” Amil spoke to everyone who had gathered in her dining room. “The last of our guests have arrived. Most of y’all know Nae and may remember her cousin, Thyri, from the Christmas party. I’m gonna formally introduce them as Aura and Enzo’s women.”
“Finally!” one of them yelled out, making me and Danae laugh.
I recognized a few Sullivan faces from the Christmas party, along with Kyiris and Marli.
The ladies all gave genuine smiles and stood to hug us once we got to the table.
There were ten women at the table, six of them cousins and four of them friends of Amil’s.
Everyone understood the color assignment and was dressed in either red or black or a mixture of both.
The energy in the room felt warm as we took our seats across from each other and sipped on our lemon drops.
“Drink and get comfortable, ladies,” Amil instructed. “Dinner will be out in a minute.”
We all fell into conversation like we’d known each other for years – conversations of what we did for a living, our kids, who did our hair and nails, and the latest celebrity gossip amongst a few other things.
Danae and I usually stayed close together until we got a good feel of the people we were around, but the vibes in the room had us jumping from one conversation to the next, not missing a beat even when the food came.
“Okay, ladies,” Kyiris stood after about an hour of eating and two rounds of drinks, asking for everyone’s attention, same as she had the night of the Christmas party. “We’re gonna head to the living room for games.”
“I want y’all to know this was not my idea,” Amil joked, standing from the head of the table with her champagne in hand.
“They know, and you’re welcome.” Kyiris stuck her tongue out and ushered everyone into the living room.
Everyone found a seat on the couch that I knew was comfortable before I even sat down.
“Okay. I figured the best game to play is Never Have I Ever,” Kyiris suggested. “And y’all been drinking, so I know y’all ‘bout to spill y’all tea.” She laughed and sat in between Marli and Amil. “I’ll start. Never have I ever faked a call to get out of a bad date.”
One of Amil’s friends, Justine, was the only one to drink.
“That’s childish as hell, Jus.” Amil giggled.
“Shiiiddd, no, it ain’t. These niggas be crazy out here. I even started giving my real number when I’m approached in the street. They be wanting to call you right then and there. Be safe now, block later.”
“I’m witchu on that,” Marli agreed. “Only a nigga gon’ have to feel a hot one pressuring me.”
“Period.” Their cousin, Shawna, cosigned.
Marli went next. “Never have I ever gone through a man’s phone while he was sleep.”
The whole room drank, and we all burst out laughing, not the least bit shamed.
“Bitch, I’ll go through a nigga phone while he up,” Justine said. “I don’t fuck around.”
We all went around the room with our Never Have I Ever statements, each response funnier than the last. It was light at first until we got to Danae, who decided to go last.
“Never have I ever ate a man’s ass.”
All eyes darted around the room to see who would drink, and when their cousin, Shameka, took a small sip, we howled, laughing.
Amil popped up from the couch. “Oh, my God! Meka, forreal? Bitch, gimme my wine glass.” She jokingly reached for it, and Shameka doubled over in laughter, clutching her stomach.
“It was the nigga birthday. Goddamn.”
“I wouldn’t give a damn if it was Martin Luther King birthday,” I said, shaking my head. “I draw the line.”
“Well, why they put a gland in there that make you cum then? Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”
We all shook our heads, and she just shrugged, taking another sip of her champagne.
“Okay. My turn, my turn,” Toni, another one of Amil’s friends, stood to ask her question.
I didn’t know why, but the way she stood made me feel like I wasn’t going to like her question.
“Never have I ever… dated a killer.”
The room went quiet for a few seconds, then a couple glasses tipped. Danae raised her glass slowly and took a sip but didn’t look in my direction. That confused me a little, coupled with the look Toni was giving me.
“What?” I asked, wondering why she was staring me down.
“Oh, nothing, boo. I just figured since you’re dating En…”
“If you don’t move around wit’ that messy ass shit, Toni,” Kyiris cut in sharply, shooting her a deadly look that made her go quiet.
The tension heightened when I saw Amil give her the same look and shake her head slowly. I was even more confused then.
“Gimme a sec. I gotta step outside,” Kyiris announced before standing. “Don’t ask shit else, Toni.”
The looks lingered once Kyiris left the room, and I still didn’t know what the hell was going on that had the room so tense.
“So, yeah,” Shawna spoke up, cutting the silence. “I made dessert. Come to the kitchen to taste, heffas.”
Everyone got up from their seats, including Danae, but I pulled her back down.
“What the hell was that about?”
“Shit, beats me.” She shrugged. “Let’s go get dessert. Shawna bakes her ass off.” She pulled me up from the couch, and I decided to let the awkward moment pass for now.
As we made our way over to the kitchen, Kyiris returned, and this time, she had Enzo, Aura, and EJ with her. Both Enzo and Aura had gifts, and she had EJ in her arms.
“I found two hobos and a baby out front. Do they belong to either of y’all?” She smiled, and Enzo mushed the back of her head. “Keep your hands to yourself, nigga.” She swatted him.
“Oh, I most definitely know the baby,” I said, walking over with my hands out for EJ. His head popped up when he heard my voice. He almost leaped out of Kyiris’ arms to get to me.
“Tyriiii!” he exclaimed.
“Hi, my baby.” I took him from her and kissed all under his neck, making him laugh, and everyone let out synchronized awws.
I could see Aura making his way over to Danae, who stood over to the side with a wide grin.
“Can I get some of that love?” Enzo asked once he was in front of me.
“Is that stuff mine?” I pointed to the roses wrapped in Dior paper and the Edible Arrangements bag.
“It is.”
“Then this love is also yours. Put your neck up please.”
He laughed and leaned in to kiss me. “Girl, please.”
I kissed his lips a few times before EJ decided that was enough PDA.
“What y’all doing here?” Amil asked.
“We’re here to ask these two beautiful ladies a question,” Aura said, holding Danae by her waist and staring into her eyes like it was just the two of them in the room.
“Don’t call my woman beautiful, my nigga,” Enzo let out, making Aura laugh.
“No disrespect.”
I smiled, lifting EJ up on my hip. “What is it you wanted to ask me?” I questioned, redirecting his attention.
“Will you be my Valentine?”
I answered without hesitation. “I sure will.” I took the flowers from him and handed EJ over.
“This is too cute,” Kyiris said.
We looked over at Aura to hear his Valentine’s Day proposal.
“Will you be something to a nigga that you already know you are?” Aura asked Danae, who scowled at him.
“No,” she responded and went to walk away, but she didn’t get far once he pulled her back.
“I’m just playing, baby. Will you be my forever Valentine? You got me straight trippin’, boo.”
We all laughed, and Danae couldn’t help but to join in, giving him a yes before wrapping her arms around his neck to kiss him.
“I tired, Daddy,” EJ said.
I thought about using him as my excuse to leave. I mean, technically, Enzo was my ride home anyway.
“I hate to do you like this, but I’m taking my woman home wit’ me,” Enzo announced, and I was happy that I didn’t have to be the bearer of bad news.
“I’ma let you have it this time,” Amil said, walking over to kiss my cheek then EJ’s. “Thank you for coming, boo. I enjoyed your company. I’ll grab your coat.”
“Thank you for having me.”
I gathered my stuff, waved by to Danae and the rest of the ladies, then left with my Valentines, with an S, because if EJ was around, I made sure he was included.
EJ was knocked out in his car seat before we got on the highway. I glanced back at him, smiling at the way his head hung to the side slightly.
“He must’ve played hard today.”
“He did a little bit of everything. My mom took him to the movies earlier, then he ran around her house. When I picked him up and took him home, he ran amuck there after I fed him. I think he burnt out now.”
“Oh, most definitely.”
Enzo reached over and squeezed my thigh. “You fuckin’ that red up.”
“Thank you, baby. I had a really good time tonight. Amil did her thing.”
“Yeah. When I walked inside and saw the sign, I knew she wasn’t fucking around.”
“You mean when y’all crashed the party?”
“For good reason.” He winked.
The Never Have I Ever game came to mind out of nowhere. I thought about that killer question and decided to ask him about it. Before I could, my phone rang. The ringtone for Kash Dolls’ Baby Boy played, and I knew it was KJ calling.
“Hey. Everything okay?” I answered.