Danae grinned, and I laughed, signing as a Sullivan, even though I wasn’t one. I guess when the men took you in, so did the rest of the family. We stepped farther inside and turned the corner to see her whole living room decked in red and black. Red and black heart shaped balloons floated in the ceiling, and the pillows that aligned the huge sectional were also black and red. Real roses in vases were placed throughout the space, making for another level of cutesy.
“Hey, ladies.” Amil spoke to everyone who had gathered in her dining room. “The last of our guests have arrived. Most of y’all know Nae and may remember her cousin, Thyri, from theChristmas party. I’m gonna formally introduce them as Aura and Enzo’s women.”
“Finally!” one of them yelled out, making me and Danae laugh.
I recognized a few Sullivan faces from the Christmas party, along with Kyiris and Marli. The ladies all gave genuine smiles and stood to hug us once we got to the table. There were ten women at the table, six of them cousins and four of them friends of Amil’s. Everyone understood the color assignment and was dressed in either red or black or a mixture of both. The energy in the room felt warm as we took our seats across from each other and sipped on our lemon drops.
“Drink and get comfortable, ladies,” Amil instructed. “Dinner will be out in a minute.”
We all fell into conversation like we’d known each other for years – conversations of what we did for a living, our kids, who did our hair and nails, and the latest celebrity gossip amongst a few other things. Danae and I usually stayed close together until we got a good feel of the people we were around, but the vibes in the room had us jumping from one conversation to the next, not missing a beat even when the food came.
“Okay, ladies,” Kyiris stood after about an hour of eating and two rounds of drinks, asking for everyone’s attention, same as she had the night of the Christmas party. “We’re gonna head to the living room for games.”
“I want y’all to know this was not my idea,” Amil joked, standing from the head of the table with her champagne in hand.
“They know, and you’re welcome.” Kyiris stuck her tongue out and ushered everyone into the living room.
Everyone found a seat on the couch that I knew was comfortable before I even sat down.
“Okay. I figured the best game to play is Never Have I Ever,” Kyiris suggested. “And y’all been drinking, so I know y’all ‘boutto spill y’all tea.” She laughed and sat in between Marli and Amil. “I’ll start. Never have I ever faked a call to get out of a bad date.”
One of Amil’s friends, Justine, was the only one to drink.
“That’s childish as hell, Jus.” Amil giggled.
“Shiiiddd, no, it ain’t. These niggas be crazy out here. I even started giving my real number when I’m approached in the street. They be wanting to call you right then and there. Be safe now, block later.”
“I’m witchu on that,” Marli agreed. “Only a nigga gon’ have to feel a hot one pressuring me.”
“Period.” Their cousin, Shawna, cosigned.
Marli went next. “Never have I ever gone through a man’s phone while he was sleep.”
The whole room drank, and we all burst out laughing, not the least bit shamed.
“Bitch, I’ll go through a nigga phone while he up,” Justine said. “I don’t fuck around.”
We all went around the room with our Never Have I Ever statements, each response funnier than the last. It was light at first until we got to Danae, who decided to go last.
“Never have I ever ate a man’s ass.”
All eyes darted around the room to see who would drink, and when their cousin, Shameka, took a small sip, we howled, laughing.
Amil popped up from the couch. “Oh, my God! Meka, forreal? Bitch, gimme my wine glass.” She jokingly reached for it, and Shameka doubled over in laughter, clutching her stomach.
“It was the nigga birthday. Goddamn.”
“I wouldn’t give a damn if it was Martin Luther King birthday,” I said, shaking my head. “I draw the line.”
“Well, why they put a gland in there that make you cum then? Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”
We all shook our heads, and she just shrugged, taking another sip of her champagne.
“Okay. My turn, my turn,” Toni, another one of Amil’s friends, stood to ask her question.
I didn’t know why, but the way she stood made me feel like I wasn’t going to like her question.
“Never have I ever… dated a killer.”
