“What if what she wants is for me to wait until she figures out how to solve her own problems?”
“Then give her the space to do so, son. If she cares about you in the same way you do about her, then she'll welcome you back, but you cannot force her. You cannot give her an ultimatum because that will only drive her away.”
“What if,” I began in a low voice. “What if she doesn't care about me in the same way?”
My dad squeezed the top of my shoulder. “Then you move on. As much as it'll hurt you, learn from your mistake and continue to live your life.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. I had no clue how Natalie felt about me, but I knew what I felt about her. Indeed, we hadn't known each other for long, but from the first time I laid eyes on her at the club all those months ago, I wanted her by my side. Despite trying to ignore my fluttering heart when I thought of her, I knew she was meant for me. Thenagain, I doubted she wanted us to be anything more than friends with benefits. I mean, why else would she agree to keep helping her ex-fiancé? Hell, she didn’t care that I was upset about their agreement. I closed my eyes and took a few breaths as I made up my mind. I’d give Natalie a few days and reach out to her. If she needed more time to end whatever agreement she had with her ex, then I’d give it to her, but in the meantime, I’d give her all the time and space she needed.
.
Natalie
I applieda fresh coat of lip gloss onto my lips as I pulled into the parking lot of a steakhouse that Lawrence loved. Thankfully, I was able to secure a private section for his dinner in such a short time. I wasn't crazy about how much the shit cost, but I took it from the money he gave me. If Lawrence knew he was paying for his own birthday dinner, he’d have a baby cow. That thought had me burst out in laughter.
A knock at my window had me smiling as my two best friends, Amanda and Mya, stood by my door. Amanda had on a red cocktail dress that complemented her honey brown skin and petite frame. Her burgundy bob was fully activated and slightlybumped at the ends, and it demanded your attention. She was towering over me because of her gold stilettos; without them, she'd be right at my height. She wore gold bracelets wrapped around her wrists and finished her outfit with a pair of gold teardrop earrings. Mya, on the other hand, had on a black lace sleeveless bodycon midi dress that stopped right above her knees with a pair of black peep-toe heels. Her dreadlocks were pulled back into a low bun, showing off the silver studs going down her ears. Her silver charm bracelet was on her right wrist, which matched the silver anklet on her left ankle. Mya's look was classy yet sexy.
“Okayyyy!” I said, snapping my fingers. “Both my besties are some baddies.”
“Girl, look at you, though!” Amanda said, eyeing me up and down with a smile. “Baybae, your body is tea.”
I had on a white, wide-leg, satin jumpsuit with a sweetheart neckline and embellished trim from my spaghetti straps down to around my padded bust. I finished the outfit with a pair of low heels. I straightened my hair and had it falling to the middle of my bare back, showing off my pearl earrings.
“Thank you, babes! I am sooo happy that you both are here. I don't think I would be able to make it through this dinner without y’all.”
“To be honest, I'm surprised that you threw that ass hat a party,” Mya said, adjusting her purse on her shoulder.
“Agreed. After everything that man put you through, I would have told his bald-headed mama to make that fool a ham sandwich and kick rocks.”
Mya and I stared at Amanda before we burst out into laughter.
“This Amanda, I miss!” Mya said, giving her a high-five. “I was tired of the bitchy Amanda.”
“Me too,” I said, locking my car door.
“I'm really sorry. I'm kind of in the middle of some drama myself, and I haven't had the courage to tell any of you. Honestly, I'm quite embarrassed by the whole situation.”
“Whenever you want to talk, let us know,” Mya said, wrapping her arm around Amanda.
I went to her other side and wrapped my arm around hers, too. “Yeah. We are here for you, and we will not judge.”
“I might a little,” Mya said, shrugging her shoulders.
“Wench,” Amanda laughed, bumping into her.
“I'm kidding. We may bump heads, but you know I love you down. Hell, we both do. Natalie's the sweet one, and I'm the blunt one that's going to tell you like it is, but we're both here for you.”
We embraced each other in a group hug. No matter how hard life was going for either of us, we always had each other's backs, and I was grateful that God placed these two women in my life.
“Okay, enough of all that mushy stuff,” a voice said behind us.
Turning around, I saw Ricky and Leonard walking up towards us. I laughed and pushed him on his shoulder before hugging him. Taking me by surprise, Leonard reached over and wrapped me in a hug, too. I couldn't remember the last time my older brother embraced me in a warm hug without being forced.
“You look good, kid,” he said, ending our hug.
“T-thanks, Leonard. Thank you both for coming. I know it was kind of last minute.”
“Yeah, what's up with that?” Ricky asked, a smirk dancing on his lips.
