“QUIET! Everybody got to shut the fuck up or get the fuck out! Rina fuck all that bullshit. I got to this show on time, that’s all I got for the night.” I plopped down on the couch and grabbed my phone.
Everyone froze. Even the stylist holding my extra tee stopped mid-fold. My lungs begged for a hit of the blunt that still was clutched between my fingertips. I sparked it, inhaled deep, letting the smoke fill every tight space in my chest then released it. I needed to calm down, but I needed Jatavia, right in front of me to give me some damn clarity on what the universe was trying to show us.
“Matter fact, everybody get out!” I sniffled.
“Is this nigga about to cry?” Ghost murmured.
“Yeah, nigga I’am! I’m still a thug though, don’t get the shit confused.” I blew out smoke in his direction then focused back on my phone.
Bleu answered on the second ring.
“What you want, Dreu?” he said in his usual irritated big brother tone.
I didn’t even warm up the conversation or bullshit him like I normally liked to do.
“I need to talk to Truly.”
He paused; a sigh left his mouth as I listened to him probably shift in the bed.
“What you want to talk to Truly for?” he snapped.
I released a shaky breath before I whispered hoarsely.
“Taaviaaa.” I snatched my fitted LA cap off and tossed it to the side of me.
I pulled at my Cuban link chain like it was choking the life out of me. My left leg bounced rapidly, without having to say it verbally I knew that my nerves mixed with anxiety was getting the best of me.
“Mannnn,” Bleu drawled.
“We got twin boys over here fucking teething, Princess wants to bake cookies since it’s Friday and?—”
“Baby who is that?” I heard Truly’s soft voice in the background.
“Your brother-in-law is having one of his classic moments.” He told her.
A moment was an understatement. After some shuffling around in the background, Truly’s voice came through on the line. I tried to pull my emotions together but always struggled with doing just that whenever I felt overwhelmed like now. I still had high adrenaline from performing mixed with seeing a woman that I once considered the love of my life…or did I still consider her as that?
“What’s wrong, Dreu?” She asked.
I closed my eyes and sat back, massaging my forehead. Truly had always been easy to talk to. Sometimes I felt like she understood me and where I was coming from better than Bleu did.
“I saw her.” I stated lowly.
“Who?”
I frowned because I told her and Bleu about Jatavia.What other ‘her’ could she possibly think I was talking about…I expected Truly to know without me having to verbally say Jatavia’s name.
“Her, Truly. I saw my Pancakes.” I reminded her.
Silence. Then softly, Truly sighed into the phone.
“Oh,” she said knowingly.
“Yeah,” I whispered then decided to lean forward, placing my elbows on my knees.
“What happened when you saw her?” She asked.
“She was just there in the crowd. And the second I saw her, everything in my chest felt tight and off. Like I been waiting to see her for years now…it never happened…then it does, tonight. After all that ducking and dodging the fuck out of me, she had the nerves to be front in center while I performed.” My jaw tightened.
