I ’ da l r e a d yb e e nin two meetings, ignored three calls, sent two “circle back” emails, and nearly told my coworker to eat glass before nine. And it wasn’t even Friday.
I was sitting on the edge of my couch with my laptop open, bonnet on, robe tied lazily around my waist, and the smell of my second coffee of the day still drifting from the kitchen. My phone buzzed, and I looked down at the screen expecting another Slack ping or deadline reminder. I didn’t even get to sayhellobefore Shonica launched into it.
“Girl. Let me tell you what this man did,” she snapped, background noise windy like she was walking and talking. “No, matter fact… tell me why he’s blowing up my phone right now after I already told him we’re not talking today. Not tomorrow. Not until he fixes his attitude.”
I leaned back, already knowing this was about to be one ofthoserants. “You said y’all weren’t talking on Sunday.”
“Exactly. And he thought ignoring me all week would scare me? Please. He must’ve forgotten I’m a Libra with a blocked list longer than my edges were in high school.”
I muted myself and let her go off, sipping my coffee and clicking through my inbox. Shonica’s new man was always on thin ice. He just didn’t know she kept a blowtorch handy.
“And the wild part?” she continued, still heated. “This man had the nerve to post a meme talking about ‘I just want peace.’ LikeI’mthe chaos.”
“Youarethe chaos,” I said, unmuting. “But that’s why he likes you.”
“Girl, fuck him,” she huffed. “I need new dick.”
That made me laugh. “Yeah, right. You know you’re the good girl between the two of us.”
“Well, shit, I might mean it this time.”
“I hear you.”
“Speaking of new dick… what’s going on with that dude from a few weeks ago? You haven’t mentioned him since you finally kicked the married loser to the curb.”
I opened my mouth to tell her to mind her business, but paused as my phone buzzed in my hand. I glanced down at the screen and immediately sat up straighter.
I bit my lip. That man had a way of texting like his voice was already in my ear, body already pressing up behind me, hands already reaching for my thighs. One message and I was shifting in my seat.
It’d been a little over a month since we linked. We texted here and there with random check-in phone calls or some wild 2 a.m. freaky voice notes that had me clutching my thighs. But life had been doing what life does. He had work, and I had deadlines for these ad campaigns.
“You still there?” Shonica asked.
“Yeah,” I said quickly. “Still here.”
“You’re quiet.”
“Because I’m working.”
“Lying ass,” she said. “You’re looking at your phone.”
I smirked. “Whatever.”
“No, that’s him, huh? The special delivery man. What’s his name again?”
I rolled my eyes. “Ahmad.”
She laughed. “So what, y’all linked up again?”
“Nope.”
“Not once?”
“Not once.”
“Bitch…”
I groaned. “It’s complicated, Shon. He’s been working. I’ve been busy. We talk, though.”
