59.
December 14th, 2020
Istretched my neck side-to-side as I unlocked my car and opened its back door. I threw the design sheets, contract files, my suit jacket, and my laptop on the backseat, and then closed the door before walking over to the driver’s side.
I was so damn tired. To say that every fiber of my body ached would be an understatement. I was low on sleep, and even though I’d had around eleven cups of coffee throughout the day, it hadn’t done shit to fix me up. Not that I needed it now. It was almost 9p.m., and I wassoready to head home and fall face-first on my bed and not wake up unless I either peed or pooped my pants, or the apes suddenly decided to take over the world.
A good shut-eye was an immediate priority of mine, what can I say.
I’d gotten back to L.A. two weeks ago, and ever since then, I’ve been hard at work with Natanya Barnes, Kenneth’s elder sister, in planning and designing a new and diverse clothing line forUnder the Woods.
Kenneth had suggested that I reach out to her for the idea I had in my mind, because Natanya and her brand,NB Couture, were well-known for their fierce and unique styles.
I wasn’t even surprised when her thought tangents had matched mine perfectly during our first sit-down meeting two weeks ago, because not only was she a strategic businesswoman, but Natanya was also willing to try out things she knew would bring joy and excitement to the people who love our brands.
Her and I’s teams had given us a few initial designs to choose today, which is why Natanya and I had been at my HQ going through sketch after sketch, and digital presentation after presentation since eight in the morning.
She’d left only an hour ago after scheduling another meeting for tomorrow, and as ecstatic as I was to pick the final designs and come up with a name for our collaboration line, I was also ready for this stage of the process to be over. Once the actual making of the apparels began, Natanya and I would only be needed to approve the samples and/or give minor instructions if changes were to be made in the quality, color, or layout of the designs.
I groaned and flexed my back and shoulders. Christ, I was stiff from sitting in a chair and staring at papers and a projector screen all day. I needed a drink and some sleep.Stat.
I was about to open the driver-side door when my phone began ringing. I clicked my tongue and pulled it out of my pocket, but it almost slipped from my hand when I looked at the screen – at the name flashing on it.
Zaira.
It felt like my thumb was made of butter with the way it kept slipping past the accept button every time I swiped the screen.
“Get it together, asshole,” I mumbled, and then sighed when the call started. I placed the phone to my ear and set my elbow on the hood of my car. “Hello?”
“Gaaaallannn…”
Jesus on a surfboard.
“Gaaaallannn… Where are you, Gaaaallannn?”
“Zaira, are you drunk?” I asked.
Someone please give me a Nobel Prize for asking the stupidest, the most baseless of questions known to humanity.
I shook my head. “Of course you’re drunk,” I muttered with a huff. The first time she contacts me inweeks, and she’s drunk off her pretty ass.
She giggled. “I had –hic– four glasses of…” She giggled again. “Four –hic– glasses of champagne, that’s all.” More giggling.
If I wasn’t terrified for her safety, I would’ve teased her and told her that she was too fucking adorable when she was drunk, but I didn’t even know why she was drinking, or withwhomshe was drinking.
“Where are you?” I asked. There was loud music playing in the background, but I otherwise couldn’t hear anything else.
“In my –hic– apartmenttttt with my new –hic– sexy as fuck neighbor.” She burped. “Oops…” She laughed.
What the hell?
“Yourwho?”
She made a noise. “My neighbor, Gaaaallannn. NEIGHBHOR.”
“Jeez.” I pulled my phone away a little when she screamed the last word and almost damaged my eardrum.
“You know…” she started, and then burped again. “He has just as many abs –hic– as you. I even counted them to make sure.” She sighed. “He’s a fitness trainer.” She giggled. “You know what he –hic– told me?”
