I stood up straight and sipped my drink while watchin’ him watch me. Sha’Nelle followed my line of sight and grinned before elbowin’ me.
“Uh oh, bitch,” she said with her eyebrows raised.
I rolled my eyes but I was smilin’ anyway.
He walked over real cool like he wasn’t rushin’ a damn thing, and when he got close enough for me to smell his cologne he said, “How you doin’?”
I nodded at him. “I’m good. You?”
“Better now,” he said with that same slow smile.
Sha’Nelle turned her back to give us a moment but she was still listenin’ like the messy cousin she was.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Toni. What’s yours?”
“New,” he said.
I blinked ‘cause that was definitely different, but I nodded. “A’ight then, New.”
“You mind if I get y’all two a drink?” he asked while glancin’ at Sha’Nelle.
I hesitated ‘cause I wasn’t here to catch nobody. I was here to breathe, but he seemed harmless, and hell, I was tipsy, happy and tired of lettin’ fear make decisions for me.
“Yeah, that’s cool,” I finally said.
He signaled the bartender and ordered two more drinks for us and somethin’ dark for himself. While he waited he leaned against the bar with his arms crossed, talkin’ to me like we had met before. We fell into small talk real easy. He told me he was from some damn city I never heard of and came to Trill-Land for his people’s birthday, and I told him I lived here for a while now. He complimented my hair, then my smile, and it wasn’t thirsty, but just smooth and confident in a way that made me smirk.
Sha’Nelle kept throwin’ glances at me like she wanted to scream “bitch alright now,” but she behaved.
When we got our drinks, we stayed at the bar awhile longer talkin’ and flirtin’ without me even realizin’ how fast time was movin’. Eventually the lights flickered, lettin’ everybody know the night was windin’ down.
New looked at me and nodded toward the door. “I’ll walk you out.”
I shouldn’t have let him. I knew that. But he smelled good as hell, his voice was nice, and his presence was calm in a way I hadn’t felt in months.
Sha’Nelle walked with us while his homeboys followed behind him, laughin’ and mindin’ their business. The air outside was cool, and the second we stepped out I felt the night hit my skin.
When we got to my car, New stepped in close enough for me to feel the warmth off his body. His cologne wrapped around me and I had to look away just to think straight.
“So can I get your number?” he asked softly.
I hesitated a long ass hesitation. My heart was poundin’ and I kept hearin’ my therapist’s voice talkin’ about movin’ slow and not makin’ choices in the middle of confusion.
But I also heard myself sayin’, “fuck it, why not?”
I gave him the number and watched him put it in his phone.
Then I heard that familiar deep voice.
“Nigga, you might as well delete that.”
My whole body froze.
I turned around slow, and when my eyes landed on Kay’Lo standin’ a few feet away, my stomach dropped so fast I damn near choked on my own spit.
He had on all black with his chains, bracelets and rings on. And I couldn’t help but notice how fresh his fade was. His eyes was locked on me like he had been waitin’ on me all night, and his walk… I already knew that walk. That was the walk he used when shit was about to go left.
