“And I wear a tutu,” she noted, flashing a smile as she leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest.
Mission accomplished.
***
“Tell me you’re not busy,” Stevie saidwhen Niyah answered the phone.
“Of course not.” Her best friend flashed a grin.
Stevie stared at Niyah’s face on the screen, grateful for FaceTime because it meant she didn’t have to go without seeing her best friend. It wasn’t as good as being in the same room, but it helped. When Niyah lived there, they went to lunch at least once every week, indulged in a girls’ night a few times a month, and hung out doing nothing simply because they could. Back before Niyah got engaged to and then married Adam, they spent all their spare time together. So, no, this wasn’t the same, but it was better than nothing.
“Melanie's here,” she whispered, bringing her phone close to her face.
“What?”
“Meh. Luh. Knee.” Stevie pulled the phone back and pointed toward the door. “She’s here.”
Niyah’s eyes widened, her gaze shifting to Stevie’s bedroom door. “Nuh-uh.”
Stevie bobbed her head up and down. “Yuh-huh.”
Niyah frowned. “Why?”
“Dunno.”
Her best friend canted her head to the side and cocked one eyebrow. “Don’t bullshit me right now, Stevie. What does she want?”
Stevie gave in with a sigh, flopping back on her bed. “She said she misses Nico and wants to talk to him. She showed up before he got here.”
“You didn’t kick her butt out the door?”
“I felt bad.”
“For?”
She shrugged again. She honestly didn’t know why she felt bad. She shouldn’t. Nico and Melanie were over a long time ago, and unlike Melanie's accusation, it had nothing to do with her.
“He told her we were together,” she blurted.
Niyah’s eyes widened, and a slow smile formed. “What did she say?”
“She accused him of cheating.”
“The cuckoo bird realizes they’re not together, right?”
“Back then,” Stevie clarified. “She asked him if I was the reason they broke up.”
“You tell her no, that your man just so happens to like your other man?”
Stevie smiled. After their conversation the other day about Valentine’s surprise ideas, Stevie texted Niyah to let her know that things were looking up. Granted, their text messages would require NSA analysts to decrypt because they spoke mostly in emojis.
She opened her mouth to say something when she heard the front door close.
“Uh-oh.” Stevie looked at her bedroom door like that might help her see what was going on outside of her room.
“Uh-oh, what?”
“I think she left.”
