I did love pineapple in my drinks. I wondered if Mahlia had told him. Taking the red cup, I placed it to my lips and took a small sip. Very fruity, less alcohol…just how I liked it.
“Thanks,” I mouthed and sipped some more while grabbing more bills to toss at the dancer.
The night went on just like that. Dancers coming and going. Drinks were being made, and money was being thrown. I was really enjoying myself, but I missed my baby. It was late, so I figured he’d be asleep by now. I’d call Ermias in the morning. I was ready for him to come home already.
Zyro had bought us buffalo wings to put on our stomachs since we were drinking. I was on my fourth cup of pineapple and vodka. It was so good. Zyleek had rolled a blunt, and I even took a few hits. I was being careless tonight, and I needed this. Tomorrow, I’ll probably wake up regretting everything I did tonight, but right now, in this moment…I was living my best life.
It was still dark when my eyes popped open. My stomach was making weird noises, and my mouth was watering. Removing the bedding from my body, I jolted up and swung my feet over the edge of the bed, taking off toward my bathroom. I made it to the toilet by the skin of my teeth. Wings and alcohol. How was I going to work like this?
I flushed the toilet and almost jumped out of my skin when I heard footsteps. They weren’t padding the feet of a little boy either.
My baseball bat was in my room. There wasn’t anything I could use in the bathroom to fight an intruder. I barely had the money to offer them if that was what they were looking for.
I stood, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. When the person came into view, I was confused and relieved at the same time.
“You stayed here?” I asked a shirtless Zyro. My brows dipped as I attempted to remember last night.
I couldn’t.
I just remembered wings, drinking, and lap dances.
“I drove you home and was too tired to drive back,” he replied.
“You slept…”
“On the couch, ma.” I peered down and saw that I was just in a long T-shirt. “Mahlia made sure you were comfortable and helped you out of your clothes. How you feelin’?”
“Sick,” I admitted. “I don’t think I’ll be able to work today. What time is it?”
“It’s just five in the morning. What time do you work?”
“Nine,” I answered, placing a hand to my stomach.
“You might not feel better by then, to be honest. Do you have any crackers in the kitchen? Sprite?”
I shook my head. “No, but I don’t think I could even keep anything down right now.”
I sauntered over to my sink to brush and rinse my mouth out. Zyro remained by the door, eyes trained on me. He looked tired as if he didn’t get much sleep. I started brushing my teeth. When I spit, I asked, “Why didn’t you stay the night with Mahlia?”
Zyro rubbed his head. “Zyleek caught her couch. I could have gotten a room, but I wanted to make sure you were good. Damn, you don’t want me here?”
I finished brushing my teeth instead of responding. While I was rinsing my mouth with Listerine, I forgot about Zyro for a moment until I heard urine hitting inside my toilet. I slightly turned and got an eyeful of dick. He had no shame. I spun back around so fast my head began to pound, and I nearly knocked the bottle of mouthwash over.
“If you needed privacy, you could have just asked. I have an extra bathroom outside of my room,” I said as I walked across the bathroom for a face towel, making sure not to look in Zyro’s direction.
The toilet flushed. I imagined him shaking that anaconda and pushing it back into his boxers. I slightly shook my head to get that vision out of my brain. As I was walking back to the sink, he was too. I’d left the water running so it’d be hot. Zyro quickly washed his hands and moved out of my way.
“You need me to run to the store to get you anything?” he quizzed.
“At this time?”
One shoulder rose and dropped. “A corner store is open. A Sprite might help.”
I just need to lie back down and see if I can get a few more hours of rest. I’ll…I’ll be okay,” I replied. “Are you about to leave?”
As soon as I asked, a crack of thunder boomed, and I almost jumped out of my skin. The sound of rain began to hit the bathroom window.
“You want me to leave in this weather?” he asked, a smirk gracing his lips.
