“You still talk to her?”
Irish bobbed her head. “Yeah, I just seen her before I came here. She gave me some sound advice and put things into perspective for me. I really needed it.”
“Did she tell you to make up with Noble?” Cali eyed her.
Laughing, Irish responded, “Not necessarily but she said I should give myself grace.”
“Well, you need to make up with Noble. You know you miss his ass.”
“I won’t deny it but I don't wanna think about my woes right now. I wanna celebrate my girl moving into this fabulous loft, having a great job, and living in this beautiful city. It’s all about us this week.”
“You right. No more talk about Noble.”
Irish took off her hoodie, showcasing her small bump. “I’m so glad I don't have to hide my stomach right now. Wearing all that damn shapewear was starting to become an exercise.”
“Luckily, you're small. You still haven’t told Ivory yet?”
“No, I will though. My girl has been so focused, running my business like it’s hers. She even hired another person. I walked in and was like who the hell is this?” She giggled. “I’vebeen so out of it that I didn’t know she got someone else to help with the workload.”
“That’s dope Ivory is helping you out.”
“I know, that’s my girl… So what we doing tonight?”
“Well.” Cali popped her lips. “Since you're knocked up, I figured we can go to this fancy restaurant downtown. Then we can go to this spot that my girl, Elara, recommended. It’s a lounge where they play live music.”
“I can work with that. Oh, I brought something for you, hold on.”
Irish hurried to the guest room and came back with a garment bag. Unzipping it, she pulled out a long black dress with cut outs on the side and long sleeves.
“Ooh, bitch.” Cali ran from around the island. “This dress is everything.”
“I know. I designed it specifically for your birthday. Nobody has this dress, so happy birthday.”
Cali hugged Irish before snatching the dress from her. She shuffled to her floor-length mirror and held it in front of her body. “I will be squeezing my tiny ass in this.”
Irish tittered. “Tiny my ass. You done gained all your weight back. That ass is sitting on your back.”
“I did and I’m geeked ‘cause I have the perfect shoes to go with this. Let’s get ready because our reservations are at 8:15.”
“8:15? Girl I’m hungry now.”
Rolling her eyes, Cali walked back over to the island. “I’ll DoorDash you a snack until it’s time to go.”
Irish grinned. “And that’s why you're my best friend.”
Hours later…
Dinner was amazing. The duo had eaten at a popular Japanese restaurant that offered scenic views of the eastside. After eating until they were stuffed, Cali and Irish were escorted to a lounge called The Don Room.The place was laid back with a band that had them on the dancefloor. Cali had knocked back three drinks and was feeling good. She wasn’t necessarily drunk but tipsy.
“This city is so nice. I’m definitely gonna bring Ivory back here for her twenty-first birthday,” Irish declared as they walked down the street with their arms linked in each other’s.
The wind whipped through them, making the girls walk a little faster. Cali had made the uber drop them off at the corner since she didn’t want anyone to know where she lived. Being in a new city by her lonesome, she wanted to make sure she was protecting herself.
“I’ll definitely put together an itinerary for her,” Cali promised just as her phone buzzed.
Taking it out of her pocket, she smiled at the screen.
Rule: I wanna c u Cali…
