“Yeah, I’m done bothering you… for now."
“Please be.”
“After I shower, I’ll come grab the card. Kyrin and I are about to go spend your daddy’s money,” she announced cheerfully.
“Go ahead.”
“And when I come back, I need more details… even if I gotta read it off your face.”
I shook my head. “You’re crazy.”
“And you’re happy,” she quipped.
I didn’t respond to that because, as funny as Lainey was… she wasn’t wrong.
“Alright, I'll see you soon,” she said, ready to sign off.
“Okay."
The line went dead.
I set my phone down on the nightstand and turned onto my side. The familiar soreness enveloped me again.
“Yeah… I’m not moving for a while.”
And just like that, sleep pulled me under.
I don’t know how long I was out, but it felt like mere moments before the door flew open with a suddenness that jolted me from my slumber.
“Ajori!” Lainey yelled, storming in. “Where the card at?!”
I groaned, pulling the pillow over my head. “Girl, please—”
“No, don’t ‘please’ me!” she fired back, snatching the pillow from my grasp. “You had energy earlier, find it again!”
With squinted eyes, I peered at her, still trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. “Why are you yelling?”
“Because we gotta go! Kyrin already downstairs looking like his credit score higher than mine, and I’m not about to miss my chance to spend somebody else’s money in peace.”
I leaned over, grabbing my purse, moving slowly, my body protesting every inch. Once in reach, I tossed it to her.
“It’s in there,” I grumbled.
“Ooooh,” she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement as she pulled out the card with a gleam in her eye. “This got weight to it.”
“Please don’t go crazy,” I cautioned, knowing her tendency to go overboard when she didn’t have to come out of the pocket for anything.
“No promises,” she replied with a mischievous grin, clutching the card as if it were a winning lottery ticket.
I shook my head, letting myself sink back into the comforting embrace of my bed. “Have fun.”
“Oh, we will,” Lainey said, striding toward the door with a bounce in her step. Then she paused, turning back to give me a teasing grin. “And rest up… don’t rush that healing process. Let Ms. Kitty relax, reflect, and come back stronger, because right now, it sounds like she just got drafted into the wrong league.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, fighting back a smile. “You’re annoying.”
“And you’re sore,” she shot back, her laughter light as she exited the room.
With the door gently clicking shut, I was left in the solitude of my room. When I finally woke up again, the room was quieter.
