Chapter 17
I knew it was a bad idea, but I did it anyway.
Leslie invited me over Monday evening to kick back and relax. Not wanting to be the third wheel, I grabbed Nastasia and brought her with me.
She sat on the passenger side of my Acura in a nice orange sweatsuit set from Shéc. Thankfully, she didn’t seem nervous at all on meeting with Cesar and his girl.
“How long have they been together?” Nastasia asked me.
“Not too long, but they got history,” I said.
“So we’re third- and fourth-wheeling?”
“Pretty much,” I admitted.
Nastasia shook her head. “I was gonna watch Vanilla Sky, but I guess it can wait.”
We were getting closer to the address Cesar had texted me, but just then it was tempting to turn around. “Aw, you about to watch my fave? I subscribed to your blog so I’ll be on the lookout for your post.”
“I seen your little e-mail,” Nastasia said. “I’ma trash the movie.”
I turned and faced her. “You gon’ trash my movie?”
She was trying, and failing, to hold back her smile. “Uh-huh.”
Bobbing my head coolly, I faced the road. “Okay.”
“Okay? What’s that mean?”
I shrugged casually. “Just okay.”
She was blushing and that only made her prettier. “Whatever, Zeke.”
I found Leslie’s spot, and pulled in the double driveway beside Cease’s car. From what little I knew of Leslie her crib was fitting. It had a homey vibe from the outside alone. The porch swing, the yard decorations, and the floral arrangement by the porch.
Nastasia unbuckled her seat belt and faced me. “Let’s get to it, I guess.”
I peeked at the house before coming back to Nas. “Code word is ‘Scorsese,’ if you wanna sneak up outta here if things get too awkward.”
She winked at me. “Gotcha.”
I met her at her side of the car and placed my hand on the small of her back before leading her up the path to the front porch. Leslie must’ve heard us pull up, because she was quick to greet us at the door.
“Hey, Black people!” She was extra affectionate as she leaned in and gave us each a hug. With Nas, she held her at arm’s length and studied what she had on. “Girl, I need this in green.”
“We got it in stock at my store, Shéc,” Nastasia swore as Leslie let us into her house.
As Nastasia fished out a business card, I found Cesar in the room off the front door on the right.
It was an entertainment room complete with a comfortable-looking blue suede sectional.
The smell of something homecooked was in the air and the sound of an old Janet Jackson song playing on the stereo set the tone.
“What you got goin’ on, Leslie?” I asked as she entered the room with Nastasia. “Smells good.”
“Just a little something,” Leslie said with a sneaky grin.
It turned out a little something was a meal of pesto chicken, a side of pasta, and a salad.
We sat around the dinner table eating and drinking.
Wine for us, and a glass of some lemon-lime soda for Nas.
Leslie could cook, and seeing her and Cease in action made me more than happy for my brother and best friend.
She’d wanted to clear the dishes after dinner, but he wouldn’t let her do it alone.
They worked as a team, and I could tell Cesar wasn’t showing out for company, that he just wanted to do it.
When he’d said Leslie was the one for him, he hadn’t been kidding.
We settled into the entertainment room after eating. Cesar was on the chair and Leslie was on the arm, leaning into him. I wouldn’t give it long before she just ended up on his lap.
“That was really good, thank you,” Nastasia said as we shared the sofa. I was lounging across the sleeper and she was on the cushion next to me, nursing another glass of soda.
“It’s never a problem,” Leslie offered.
“I’m definitely taking advantage,” Cesar joked.
Leslie couldn’t fight her smile and Cesar was quick to touch her thigh.
“We should play Nosey or Not,” Leslie suggested.
“What’s that?” Nastasia asked.
“Basically, someone asks a nosey-ass question and if you don’t answer, you drink,” Cesar explained. “You sippin’ on a Sprite, so that’s cheating.”
Nastasia laughed. “I’m not into wine.”
Leslie stood up and went over to her shelf across the room that housed books and records. I loved that she kept it old school and had vinyl. I’d been meaning to start a collection of my own.
Leslie came back over to us with a deck of cards. “Y’all down?”
Nastasia peeked at me and I shrugged. Down for whatever with nothing to hide.
“Okay,” she said in a small voice.
Cesar sat up and shuffled the deck. “I’ll pull the cards. Who wants to go first?”
Nastasia raised her hand. “I want mine out of the way!”
Cesar chuckled as he read from a glossy black card. “When was the last time you saw your ex?”
In my head I was saying Friday, but what Nastasia answered didn’t match.
“Saturday,” Nastasia said.
“Oh, it’s like that?” Leslie joked.
Nastasia shook her head. “He’s having a hard time letting it go.”
“And you didn’t call me?” I found myself asking. Phat Fitness wasn’t that far from South Strip.
“I didn’t need to. I handled it,” Nastasia said.
She was sitting there whole and unscathed, evidence that she’d handled things fine. Still, it didn’t sit right with me.
Leslie went next.
“When was the last time you peed the bed?” Cesar read from the next card.
“When I was fucking two?” Leslie blurted out. “Gross.”
Her reaction garnered laughter. Some of these questions were going to be off the wall, I could see.
I went next as I tipped my head toward Cease.
“Have you ever cheated or been cheated on?” he read.
“Shuffle the deck again,” I responded.
Cesar cracked up. “Nah, man, answer the question.”
“You can always drink,” Leslie sang melodically.
I could, but that felt just as bad as admitting it. “I mean, of course.”
Nastasia immediately turned and looked down at me. “So you’re a cheater?”
“I have cheated before in the past, yes,” I said. “I was a cheater.”
“And now?” Leslie probed, leaning over, being as nosey as these damn questions.
“I’m single. Problem solved,” I said as I held my hands up.
Leslie smirked and grabbed a card to question Cesar. “What’s your favorite position?”
Cesar grinned and looked over at me. Simultaneously, we answered together, “Back shots.”
Nastasia and Leslie both groaned and rolled their eyes.
“Every guy loves back shots,” Nastasia complained.
I looked at Cesar and shook my head. “That shit is good, that’s why.”
“Missionary is underrated,” Leslie deemed.
“Simple, but effective,” Nastasia agreed.
The game continued and the questions got more fun, kinky, and personal. The more personal the question, the more folks started to drink. In Nastasia’s case, she was lucky she was only sipping on Sprite.
When Cesar asked her how often did she love herself, she was quick to swipe up her glass and take a hearty sip.
“Listen, I haven’t gotten laid in almost a year. I’m so ready to start humping legs at this point,” Nastasia said in her own defense.
In a smooth move, I turned and pivoted on my back and propped a leg on her lap.
She laughed along with Cesar and Leslie as she pushed my leg away.
“You comin’ out to Bonnie & Clyde night?” Cesar asked Nastasia as he finally let the game go.
“The first night of the Belmont Fair opens Friday and I don’t think I want to be out all night the night before,” Nastasia said. “So I might have to pass.”
“I ain’t been to one of those in years,” Cesar said. “You and Paisley going?”
Nastasia frowned. “She’s got something going on, so I’ll probably fly solo this year.”
It was cute that she really went to the fair every year.
“We should go,” Leslie suggested to Cesar.
He looked over at her and wrapped an arm around her, squeezing her thigh. “Sunday?”
“That’ll work.”
“You guys are so cute,” Nastasia remarked as she looked on in admiration at the two of them.
Leslie rubbed Cesar’s head and admired him. “Thank you.”
“Was it love at first sight?” Nastasia wanted to know.
Cesar chuckled and Leslie swatted at him. “He wasn’t romantic at all in the beginning. It was casual at first, to be honest, but when the real feelings hit, it just felt right and natural.” She leaned down and kissed him. “What about you guys?”
This was where shit got awkward.
Nastasia toyed with her glass. “We’re not together…like that. We’re hanging out.”
Cesar’s brows shot up, but he stayed quiet. Leslie made a face and leaned down and grabbed her wine. “Sister, y’all are grown. If you have a situationship, say that, but ‘hanging out’ is for kids.”
“I mean, we’re not together…but we’re not…doing anything either,” Nas stumbled to say.
I could handle the heat of scrutiny, but I didn’t like the way Nastasia seemed on the spot.
“What about kids at heart?” I quipped as I grabbed Nastasia and pulled her into my arms.
She laughed as she struggled against me. Leslie and Cesar weren’t going to go in on her in all seriousness, but I still felt the need to protect her.
“Boy, bye.” Leslie waved me off and regarded Nas. “So you’re single?”
“Yeah, my last relationship was exhausting enough,” Nastasia said as she sat up away from me.
“He cheated?”
“Girl, you know it.”
Cesar threw his head back and groaned. “Why it sound like that’s the only logical answer?”
Leslie eyed him. “Because that’s the reason for most breakups dealin’ with y’all.”
Cesar pawed at his chest. “That’s for kids.”
“Fool, you can have a birthday tomorrow and still be a cheater. Age don’t stop infidelity.”
“Got that right,” Nastasia agreed.
“Nah, I’m older now,” Cesar insisted. “When I was, like, twenty, I wasn’t trying to stick with just one woman, there was too much out there and I was way too curious.
Now, my tastes are different and my wants and interests are different.
” He cupped Leslie’s knee and squeezed. “I know what I want now and I have who I want, so I’m not thinkin’ about playin’ in another sandbox. ”
Leslie went forth and bathed his face in kisses.
Nastasia raised her glass to Leslie. “Mind telling me what spell you used, I think I might need it for when I get back out there.”
I laughed along with the rest of the room.