7. Mali
Two weeks later
“You can do this, Mali.”
I sat in my car for almost an hour, prepping myself to return to work. It had been two weeks since I’d gone to the fire station and spoke to Flame. The tour was so cool. He showed me the inside of the fire truck, the different rooms in the fire station, and his locker with his clean uniform.
I couldn’t lie to myself. Flame was attractive. He had the slim yet muscular vibe. He wasn’t bulky or extremely big, but he could lift me up and carry me out of buildings, so he was strong enough for me.
“Focus.”
Since the tour, I constantly went back to that day. Flame infiltrated my thoughts multiple times a day. I caught myself thinking about him in uniform, in the slacks, and naked—a sight I hadn’t seen yet, but my imagination loved to run wild.
Even though he’d given me his number, I still didn’t message him. I didn’t want to use him as a vice to get over Juda. I needed to work through the breakup and not get under a new man to forget about the old one.
After another fifteen minutes of stalling, I finally pulled myself out of the driver’s seat and made my way up the path to the front door. I pulled the door open and walked in.
“Surprise!”
I held my chest as my employees and best friend shouted at me. My eyes instantly watered as I looked around at them.
There was a welcome back sign with an array of signatures from humans and fur babies. There was a gift basket with all my favorite snacks, a bottle of wine, and custom wine glasses. There were also a dozen cards with kind words from the community.
“You guys . . .” I wiped at my teary eyes.
“I knew your first day back would be heavy on you, so I got with these amazing people, and we did something special for you.” Joylei stepped up and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. She rocked me in her arms for a long moment. I took the time to gather myself, using her as my anchor.
“Thank you, bestie.” I sniffled.
“Any time, baby love.”
“How did y’all get my babies to sit still for the banner?” I asked as I walked closer to it.
“A lot of patience,” Kira joked.
“We’ve missed you, Boss.” Diego stepped up and wrapped an arm around me.
“I missed y’all too. I will definitely put in some vacation time for all of you once I get my footing back on track.” I patted his back and looked at all my employees with so much gratitude and appreciation.
When I couldn’t show up for my clients, they all split the responsibility and gave me the time and space I needed.
Some people would never know what it felt like to have a team who respected you enough to show up during hard times.
I prided myself on creating an environment for not only me to thrive, but everyone who clocked in daily to thrive as well.
“Besides the banner, gift basket, and cards . . .” Alisa came around the front desk and pulled out a large piggy bank.
“We collected donations for two weeks, both virtually and in person. We’ve raised twenty thousand dollars to help you replace some things you lost in the fire.” Dominique finished.
“Y’all are so . . . I don’t even know what to say other than thank you! Thank y’all so much for everything.”
They each pulled me into a tight hug before a client walked in with their fur baby. While they got back to work, Joylei helped me carry everything to my office. I set the gift basket on the floor beside my desk. I put the piggy bank on the desk and sat in the chair.
I wiped my eyes and smiled.
“How are you feeling, pooh?” Joylei asked as she set the cards on my desk and sat across from me.
“Blessed. The village I have has shown me unconditional love. Y’all have poured into me in ways I never imagined. I’m so content,” I expressed in a gentle tone.
“You get what you put out into the world. Despite everything you went through in private, you never put that negativity into the world.” Joylei stood up and walked over to me. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled my head into her chest. I listened to her heartbeat as I enjoyed her warmth.
Best friends were so important. To have a woman love you and accept all your flaws without judgment was an unmatched feeling. Genuine friendships were hard to find, and I would cherish every moment with my girl.
After work, I took myself on a ramen date.
I enjoyed a spicy miso ramen bowl and a glass of sparkling wine.
When I got back to my parents’ home, I caught them up on my day and listened while they did the same.
Then I showered and lay across the bed to doom scroll on social media for a couple of hours before I fell asleep.
Midway through a compilation video of cats doing crazy things, I got a text.
Unknown number:
You should have died in that fire stupid bitch. Next time, I’ll make sure you don’t make it out alive.
My eyebrows knitted together as I reread the message again . . . and again . . . and again. I took a screenshot of the text before I blocked the number. They wouldn’t get the satisfaction of a response from me.
You should have died in that fire.
As the text continued to torment me, my chest tightened. A persistent throb drummed in my head as several emotions swarmed my body at once.
Panic.
Anger.
Fear.
Exhaustion.
Confusion.
It had been weeks since the fire. Why now? Why, when I’ve finally returned to normalcy, would someone throw these threats at me?
In my haze, I tapped on the screen absentmindedly.
My first thought was to send the screenshot to Joylei, but I didn’t have the energy to talk her down from going full FBI at the moment.
Not right now, at least. I wanted to enjoy my week before I added a new stressor onto my plate.
Instead, I hovered over Artez’s contact.
Should I call him?
No. It was too soon to bother the man with my wild life.
I hadn’t spoken to him since the tour at the station.
What would I look like coming to him with my problems right now?
Plus, it was so late in the evening, he was probably busy.
I didn’t know his work schedule or what his personal life looked like.
I couldn’t be a nuisance to him. I couldn’t—
“Hello?”
I yelped in surprise. I looked down at the phone and realized I’d called Artez during my inner turmoil episode. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to call you out of the blue. I probably should have texted you first. You’re probably so busy and I—”
“Mali,” he interrupted me in a tone as soft as a feather.
“Hmm?”
“Take a deep breath for me.”
Instinctively, I followed directions. I inhaled.
One Mississippi.
Two Mississippi.
Three Mississippi.
I exhaled.
“Good job. Hi, beautiful.”
“Hi.”
“How are you?”
“I don’t even know how I am right now.”
“What’s going on?” The concern in his voice sent a warm and fuzzy feeling through my body.
“I contemplated calling you. I didn’t know if you were at work, if you were busy with your family, or what. I’m sorry if this isn’t a good time.” Once again, my mouth moved with no real direction from my brain.
“It’s all good. I told you to call me whenever, no matter the time of day.”
“You know some people say stuff like that but never actually want to be bothered.”
He chuckled. The sound calmed my nerves. “You’ll find out I’m a man of my word. I say what I mean and I mean what I say.”
“Oop. I know that’s right. What are you doing?”
“I’m in my room, chilling. I was flipping through some videos trying to find something to watch.”
“Twins. I was watching a cat compilation video until I got a weird text.”
“What did the text say, if you don’t mind me asking?”
I bit down on my bottom lip as I contemplated what to say. I didn’t see the need to lie to Flame when he’d made me feel safe and secure since the moment we met. My lungs filled with air before I replied.
“I’ll just send you the screenshot for you to see yourself. Not really in the mood to repeat what it said out loud.”
“That’s fine.”
“Cool. One sec.”
With a few taps of the screen, I opened the text thread and sent the screenshot. I heard a slight shuffling on his end before the line went silent.
“Does the number look familiar to you?” he asked.
I shook my head, then realized he couldn’t see me. “No. I don’t know if it's somebody playing on my phone or what. I know I shouldn’t take the threat as a joke, but I’m tired of being on the defensive, you know?”
“I get that for sure. What capacity do you need me right now?” he asked.
I blinked.
Never in my life had anyone asked what I needed from them. I didn’t even know how to fully respond to the question.
“Mali?”
“Sorry. Your question caught me off guard. No one has ever asked me something like that before.”
I could hear the smile in his tone, even if I couldn’t see it. “Do you need me to be your friend, your protector, or your confidant? Do you want me to give you solutions, change the subject, or what? Tell me what you need from me.”
I muted the phone and buried my face in the pillow and let out a muffled scream. As I did this, I kicked my feet. I held the action for almost a full minute before I recollected myself and unmuted the phone.
“Honestly, I just want you to be my friend. Offer a distraction for the night so I don’t go to sleep with this still on my mind.”
“I got you. Let’s play twenty-one questions,” he suggested.
“Not the horny man game. Let me guess, you’re going to start off by asking my favorite color, and three questions in, you’re going to ask what sex position I like the most?”
He let out a laugh so loud I was sure my parents could hear it from down the hall.
It took him almost two minutes of full, deep belly laughter before he finally calmed down long enough to speak to me.
“That’s some funny shit. I don’t know what type of niggas you’ve been dating, but that ain’t me.
I genuinely want to know you without the pressure of sex looming in the back like a thief in the night. ”
“Are you even human?” I questioned.
He chuckled. “Very much human. Very much still a man. I know how to handle my sexual needs without making women uncomfortable.”
“Period. You need to profit off this. You got men out here creating toxic nigga classes and becoming billionaires for these incels inability to get women. If they had a man like you teaching them the ropes, the world would be a better place.”
“That sounds like a nightmare. I’ma pass on that.”
“No, but seriously . . . I’ll play the game with you.”
“Are you comfortable FaceTimeing me? I want to see your face when I ask these questions.”
A feeling I hadn’t felt since I was in tenth grade filled my core: butterflies. The idea of being on a FaceTime call with Artez in my bare face and bonnet sent a surge of nerves through my body. Then I remembered . . . I was in nothing but a bonnet, a robe, and bear paw slippers when we first met.
“We can FaceTime.”
“Say no more. Let me switch the call over.”
I moved around in the bed so my back was against the plush, olive-green headboard. I twisted the lamp on the bedside table and waited patiently. When the call came through, I swiped the arrow and watched his picture spread across my screen.
He was shirtless. The tattoos covered his arms, chest, and neck. Under the light of his lamp, his freckles were so prominent. He wore a do-rag, and his beard looked moisturized.
“Hey,” I squeaked.
“Hey.” His smile was intoxicating.
“Not you wanted to match with me,” I teased at the sight of his do-rag matching the color of my bonnet.
“Great minds think alike. Most of my clothes are variations of black, gray, and white.”
“Same.” I giggled. “I’ll throw in some crazy colors now and then, but my favorite color to wear is black.”
“Good to know.”
“So, what’s the first question in our game of twenty-one?” I asked as I slid down into the mattress and turned to my side.
“The first question I want to know is what’s your dream vacation?”
“Ooo. Good question.” I rubbed my hand on my cheek as I thought about my answer. “I think my dream vacation is a nature hike in the mountains, settling into a cabin in the clouds with nothing but my person and nature to keep us company.”
“In the country or out of the country?” he followed up.
“I have my passport, so I definitely want to go out of the country.”
He smiled. “I like that.”
“What about you?” I tossed back at him.
“My dream vacation includes a clear-water beach, aquatic animals, and endless sun in the sand.”
“Cute. You’re more of a beach guy than a mountain guy?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I was probably a fish in my last life. I would have been on the swim team in high school if my behavior wasn’t so bad.”
“Good to know.”
“My next question is, where do you see yourself in five years?”
“In five years, I want to be settled down with a fiancé, at the least. I want to be in my forever home, setting the stones for at least two kids. I want to be hands-off in my businesses while pouring into my other hobbies and loved ones.”
“I like that. What are your hobbies?”
“I like to cook. I like to hike. I like to paint. I like to try new things. I really used to love being outside, for real.” I listed off my interests.
“I can definitely see you doing those things.”
“How about you? Where do you see yourself in five years? What are your hobbies?” I asked him.
“In five years, I hope to get a promotion within the fire department. I want to expand my car restoration business. I also can see myself settling down and building something with a woman who catches my attention. I love to swim. I love to eat. I also love to try new things. Maybe we could do that together sometime.”
The butterflies returned. Every time we answered each other’s questions, I felt giddier and more attracted to him. It was the first time I’d made it through a full game of twenty-one questions without getting the ick. It was also the first time in a long time I’d talked until the sun came up.
“Oh my goodness, Flame.”
“What?”
“We literally talked until the birds started chirping. I haven’t done that since high school.”
His laugh filled me with joy. “Do you work today?”
I nodded. “Yes. I’m going to be soooooo tired.”
“What’s the name of your place again?”
“Floral Fur Pet Groomers.”
“Let me know when you get to work. I’ll send you some coffee and a pick me up.”
I smiled big, showing damn near all my teeth. “You don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t, but I want to. I want to show up for you after depriving you of a good night’s rest, so text me your favorite order from your favorite spot and I got you.”
“You’re so sweet. I have about an hour and a half until I need to head out the house. I’ll text you when I get in the car.”
“Sounds good.”
We talked for a few more minutes before we hung up. Even with no sleep, I felt rejuvenated from his attention and kindness. I got out of bed with a pep in my step, excited to see what the day brought me.