Chapter 7 #4
Two glasses of wine and an additional hour of girl talk later, I hugged Lauryn one last time before heading to the front door.
“Yo, Cass. Long time, no see,” Lauryn’s brother, Mark, announced, approaching me from the right.
“Mark, hey. I was meaning to get over to you and say hey, but that sister of yours has been working me like a slave since I got here this morning,” I said, letting my hand slip away from the doorknob.
“It’s all good. I already know what’s up with her crazy ass. How you been, fam?”
“You know me, just hanging in there. Making moves when I can make them,” I said illusively. “How are you?”
“Shit, I’m out here doin’ the same thing. You spoke to Hendrix lately?”
“Are we really gonna stand here and act like the two of you don’t talk as much as Lauryn and I do? I already know you know what went down between us.”
“Yeah, I do. You good?
I shrugged. “I’m…processing.”
“Look, I know I shouldn’t even be tellin’ you this, but you family, so I’ma do it,” he said.
“Telling me what?”
“That nigga was sick over that shit when it first went down. I ain’t never seen him like that over nobody he’s ever dated, not even his ex, Carina.”
“Mmm,” I said, mashing my lips together at the mere mention of his ex’s name.
“He even tried to get his teammate to call you up and tell you the truth.”
“What? He never told me that.”
“Because I talked his ass out of it, that’s why. Like I said, I don’t even know why I’m tellin’ you this shit. All this is goin’ against the code, but I know you a good woman, and he’s a good dude. I just wanna see good people doing good shit together, that’s all.”
I dipped my head in a silent nod. My conversation with Mark did nothing but prove once again, I’d mishandled everything about Hendrix, including his heart. A puff of air burst past my lips. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“I mean, I know it’s none of my business and both of y’all grown and all, but I know he’d be happy to hear from you.”
“Thanks,” I acknowledged. “Well uh, I got a little bit of a drive ahead of me, so I’m going to get on the road. It was nice seeing you.”
“You too, fam,” he piped before pulling me into a quick hug and sending me on my way.
I gave into the adrenaline rush coursing through my veins as soon as my body was privately confined inside my car and called Hendrix. The phone rang four times before I heard shouting, banging, and cheering on the other end of the phone.
“H—hello?” Hendrix answered.
My heart practically leapt out of my chest as butterflies danced through my abdomen. “H—hey. Uh, did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Nah, this just locker room shit. We just came off another win. Niggas is hype in here.”
“Congratulations! Today was Lauryn’s baby shower, so I didn’t get a chance to tune in,” I admitted.
“It’s all good. Your boy handled the roc like a God out there on the court today,” he boasted.
I smiled at the recollection of how he used to handle all my curves like a pro. Just the sound of his deep voice had turned my insides upside down. “I bet.”
“You good though? I can barely hear you.”
“Oh, uh yeah, I didn’t want anything, really. I uh, wanted to let you know that I was offered the job. You know, the one I thought I bombed the interview for?”
“See! What I tell you? I knew you had that shit in the bag! Congrats, Cass. Nobody deserves it more than you do.”
I grinned. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“There’s just one thing though…”
“What?”
“It’s in New York,” I informed him.
“New York? Wow. How you feel about that?”
“I’m sure I’ll probably go through my fair share of separation anxiety at first, but I think I’ll eventually find my footing there.”
“Yeah, I know you’ll be fine.”
“I have to give them my decision next week, and then I have to find a place and relocate in the next ninety days.”
“I got a boy who’s a licensed realtor out there. I can shoot him your number if you want and have him see what’s available for you.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“I’d do anything for you, Cass.”
I chewed my bottom lip for a second. “I just thought that because of Christmas, and—"
“I meant everything I said to you that day, but I don’t hate you.”
“I’ma pass him your number. Give him a few days to reach out. Aight?”
“Yeah, um sure. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“Speaking of real estate…I still have the key to your place, you know?”
“I know. What about it?”
“Nothing…I just didn’t know if you still wanted me to keep it or mail it back to you somehow.”
“If I didn’t want you to have it, I never would’ve given it to you in the first place.”
“So, you want me to just…?” I asked, nervously tightening my hand around the steering wheel.
“Hold onto it, Cass. I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” he assured me.
The words I miss you, Hendrix wanted to jump off my lips so bad, but I wouldn’t let them. Instead, I said, “Cool, well, I’ll let you get back to celebrating. Congrats again.”
“Thanks, Cass. Congrats again to you, too.”
I ended the call and tossed my head back against the headrest. “Fuck,” I mumbled. “I’m really moving to New York,” I whispered to myself, knowing come Monday morning, the job would officially be mine.