“Jatavia!” He called out to me.
Trey turned, his eyes scanned me in a way that made my skin crawl. Devin never seemed to notice how Trey looked at me and if he did, he probably didn’t give a damn.
I smoothed my shirt and forced a polite fake smile as Devin and Trey walked up.
“Damn,” Devin muttered pulling me close until I pressed against him. “You look sexy and smell good, baby.” He kissed my lips quickly.
I felt myself blush, surprised by his rare compliment and act of affection in front of his friend. It was one of the few moments he’d made me feel wanted by him, although I stopped caring it felt good to be admired by my so-called man.
“Come on,” he said grabbing my hand. “Let’s go.” He turned with my hand in his.
I turned to Trey and nodded my head to acknowledge him. Quickly, I rolled my eyes hard when he licked his pink lips hungrily and winked at me.
Thirsty ass nigga!
The festival opened up like a whole other world. It was colorful and live as hell. Hanging lantern lights stretched across the night sky like glowing orbs. Vendors lined both sides of the walkway selling everything from jerk chicken bowls to glitter body paint. The air smelled like smoke, sugar, sweat and weed all twisted together.
I eyed the stages that sat at different corners of the lot, each had big speakers and flashing strobes. There was a main stagethat people already crowded at. I was overwhelmed instantly and needed a drink because I was surrounded by thousands of people. Bodies moved everywhere, dancing, singing and laughing. A woman brushed by us wearing angel wings with a thong and matching bra leaving nothing to men’s imaginations. Two guys walked behind her with hunger in their eyes as they took big gulps of their beers.
“I want to be close to the stage!” Devin yelled over the music.
“I gotta see my boy up close, I swear that nigga hard as fuck!” He squeezed my hand.
I rolled my eyes behind him because he sounded like a damn groupie for whoever this artist was. I didn’t too much care for rap music like that, I was more an R&B and oldies girlie. Devin quickly navigated us through the crowd and bought me a huge Don Julio slushy. After I got my drink and took a couple of sips, him and Trey bullied their way through the crowd. We were close enough to the main stage now as more people filed in behind us. The lights blinked off, and the crowd seemed to thicken around me.
Women started to scream in anticipation, the energy outside was thick enough to taste. I felt alive inside and embraced it. Soon as the beat dropped the bass rumbled through my ribs. The light made the DJ the focal point and followed him as he ran behind his set up and picked up a mic.
“Vegas Vibe!!!! What the fuck is good?!” His voice boomed through the speakers with a loud echo.
The huge crowd responded as he got them even more hype with his next set of words.
“Y’all better turn this muthafucka up! The man of the hour just touched the fuck down! Make some noise for Big D!”
The crowd exploded along with Devin losing his mind.
I froze. My heart stopped. My breath cut off. Something inside of me tilted violently.
Dreu Langston…
Before I could fully process it, he walked out onto the stage. The spotlight hit him and my past slammed into me like a wave. All those memories I buried, messy, beautiful, and unfinished rose up as clear as yesterday.
Our late-night talks over in the projects. He was there for me when my brother got murdered and really listened to me speak without saying anything. The way he used to look at me like he saw right through all of my insecurities. His funny persona, his laugh, touch…and then the promise he couldn’t keep.
Besides Dreu hurting my feelings by being a hoe, he was considerate, charming, and never batted an eye when it came time to drop a bag on me. Dreu was immature when we dated, but the love that he expressed for me was real. I just refused to let his handsome looks overpower right from wrong. Soon as he played me the first time, I cut things off cold turkey then suffered from withdrawals later.
My insides felt jittery, my stomach dropped when his big brown eyes found mine. For a moment, the whole world stopped. The screaming crowd faded, the lights blurred and the music sounded muffled. It was just him, and me. And the silence between two hearts remembering something we never forgot.
Goodness, he looks good as hell…I thought. Dreu looked better than good. His skin was rich and warm, smooth like cognac. His long locs were freshly retwisted, pulled into a low ponytail that gave him a grown and polished looked. He still looked thugged out with tattoos that crawled across his arms, neck, and chest.
His outfit was clean and crisp. Fresh Jordans, fitted jeans that hung just right. His black tee molded to his chest and shoulders like it was tailored for him alone. Diamonds shimmered across his neck and wrists glinting under the spotlights like stars orbiting him.
He looked like a man who knew he owned the room and even me.
“That nigga looking over here, bro.” Devin screamed.
His voice snapped me right back into the reality of my surroundings.
“I knew Vegas was gonna bring me something real special.” Dreu’s deep voice spoke directly into the mic.
