“Alright, I’m about to get out of y’all’s way. If you need anything, let me or the bottle girl know. Yaya is at home taking care of Cherish, so I’ll be headed home in a minute.”
“Okay. Thank you again. I’ll check in on my girls before we leave tonight. Yaya said she was gonna try to take a nap, so I figured she was asleep when we came out here.” Tyeis expressed.
“Yeah, my momma is at the house, so they are straight for now. I love y’all.”
“Love you too.” They called out. Messiah headed back to his table with his friends, and we continued to catch up. Once the drinks came, I wasted no time knocking back two shots of tequila. I wasn’t a big drinker, but tonight I needed to unwind.
“You must be stressed, my girl. You took those shots without any chaser!” Janae shouted.
“You have no idea.”
“Well, you brought us out here, so spill the tea. Is your baby daddy stressing you out?” she probed, hitting the nail on the head.
As much as I didn’t want to talk about him, I needed to get my feelings out before they drove me crazy. I ran down everything that had happened since we came back home, and they listened intently while I poured my heart out.
“I hate to say it, but you need to leave him alone,” Janae stated.
“I know you care about him, but you deserve a man who knows what he wants. I’m not saying he can’t be that person, but you don’t need to wait around until he figures it out. As a woman, you want a man who chooses you without hesitation or doubt. If he doesn’t know what he wants, then go out and do you.”
“I agree with Nae. Dreaux knows what you’ve been through, so it’s not fair for him to leave you in limbo. If he isn’t ready to be the man you need, then you have every right to see what else is out there.” Ciyani added.
“Yeah, babe. They are right. You’re young, gorgeous, and a damn good woman. It’s time for you to put yourself first.” Tyeis chimed in. I sat there taking in all of their advice and confirmed what I had already thought. Life was finally starting to fall into place for me, and I needed to allow myself to enjoy it. If things between Dreaux and me were meant to be, they would fall into place when it was time.
“Excuse me, ladies. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I had to tell you how beautiful you all are. Do you mind if I borrow your friend for a moment?”
I forgot how to breathe when I glanced up and realized it was Kavello, a popular rapper. My friends back home and I went to a few of his concerts and had a great time. Kavello was a sexy, dark-skinned Adonis with long locs down to his back.
“No. We don’t mind at all as long as you bring her back the same way you took her. I keep my gun and blade on me at all times. I love your music, but your career will be cut short if anything happens to her,” Janae warned.
“I don’t want any smoke, ma. I promise I don’t.” His focus turned to me, and I had to remind myself he was still a man at the end of the day. I said I wanted to start living, and one conversation wouldn’t hurt.
Kavello held his hand out for me, and I held onto him as I got up. Those shots made me feel like I was floating as he escorted me to his section. A big, buff man stood at the entrance to their section. I assumed he must have been a bodyguard or something.
“Do you want something to drink? We’ve got dark and light. There’s some Red Bulls over there, some Sprite, and pineapplejuice.” He offered. I thought about having another drink, but I decided to go for it. I told him what I wanted and watched as he mixed the cocktail.
“Tell me about yourself. I come out here fairly often, and I don’t recall ever seeing you around.”
“I moved back here recently. I’ve been to a few of your shows before.”
“Oh, yeah. What did you think about them?” he inquired, pouring another drink for himself.
“I think you’re really talented, and you know how to keep the crowd engaged. My girls and I were hoarse the next day because we were screaming so loudly.” I covered my mouth in embarrassment from how lame I must have sounded.
“I appreciate it. Honestly, I love performing almost as much as I love making music. It’s one thing to know people fuck with my music, but it’s a completely different experience when you’re standing in front of thousands of people rapping your lyrics along with you. It’s a real humbling experience.”
“You seem different than most rappers.”
“Whatchu mean by that, love?”
“Most people with your status are arrogant and conceited. You seem down-to-earth, which is rare,” I explained.
“I think it’s all about having balance. I’m a cocky ass nigga, but I’ll never forget where I came from. I love my fans, so I will always show my gratitude to them. You should come to my next show in Detroit next weekend. I’ll pay for you and your girls to come out and kick it with me for the weekend.”
“I’ll ask them. Most of my girls are married, so I’m not sure if they’ll be able to stay for the weekend.”
“They can bring their husbands too. I’m not paying for them niggas, but I’ll make sure y’all have front row seats. You’re the person I’m interested in, so I don’t care about anyone else’srelationship status. As long as you aren’t married. You are single, right?”
I giggled because of the look he gave me. I could tell he had a good sense of humor, and I needed that in a man.
