Page 13 of Fraudulent Beauty

“How was your day?”

“It was good. I can’t complain.”

My eyes roamed over Tahli’s pretty brown legs and traveled all the way down to her neon green toes. She had pretty feet. Pretty skin, a pretty face, shorty had a pretty everything. Grabbing each of her legs, I placed her feet in my lap and began to rub the left one.

“That’s what got something started last night. That foot rub,” She leaned over so our arms were touching.

“And I’m trying to start something today,” I replied making her giggle.

“You real mannish.”

Tahli and I fell into a comfortable silence. Peaceful was the perfect way to describe at. We didn’t pay any attention to the things going on around us. We simply sat and watched the sun set. The silence wasn’t awkward. Finally, Tahli turned to face me with another soft smile.

“What you thinking about over there?”

“You.” I answered while looking straight into her eyes.

Tahli’s lips twisted to the side, and she gave me a ‘yeah, okay,’ look.

“I’m serious,” I chuckled. “I’m thinking about how much I’m feeling you.”

Her smile turned bashful, and she shook her head lightly while looking straight ahead.

“That’s a problem?” I probed.

“No, it’s not a problem. I’m feeling you too and with the track record I have, that’s kind of scary, but I’m going to go with the flow.”

“I will never try to come across as perfect because I’m far from that, but I can also guarantee that I’m nothing like the niggas you met before me. I take pride in that.”

“I hear you.” Her tone wasn’t confrontational, and she didn’t say it like she thought I was running game.

“You hungry? Thirsty?”

“Your girl is a lil’ parched,” she chuckled.

Standing, I extended my hand for her to grab so I could pull her up. When Tahli was on her feet, I took a second to just look at her. I had seen pretty women before. Gina was pretty. But there was something about Tahli that had me feeling like if she was the only woman I could ever be with again, I’d be cool with it. Using the pad of my thumb, I wiped sweat from her nose.

“My mama said people that sweat on their nose are mean.”

“Tell your mama, she’s right.”

We laughed, and I grabbed her hand, so I could lead her to get something to drink. Back at my place, we took a shower together, and then I drank her.

I sipped my beer while Nook gave me the side eye. Patiently, I sat waiting for him to say something stupid. “You really going to that shit?” he finally asked.

With a frown, I looked at him like he was crazy. “Why wouldn’t I go? Don’t tell me you on some female shit. You want me to choose sides because you aren’t with Sheniah anymore?”

Nook kissed his teeth and poured more Rum into his glass. “You don’t have to choose shit. I’m just saying.”

It had been a month since Nook and Sheniah broke up. She was having a birthday dinner, and Tahli invited me to be her plus one.

“Sheniah has had plenty of stuff before, and Tahli was never pressed about bringing a date even when I was going to be there. I know this isn’t some couple shit. She probably just wanted you to come back and tell me,” he scoffed.

That comment got a snort out of me. “There it is. You’re jealous.” All I could do was shake my head.

I knew his happy to be a single man act was going to come to an end sooner or later. Maybe Nook expected Sheniah to be giving him a hard time and begging him to come back. The day I went by to get his things, she handed them over to me with no hesitation. She wasn’t thinking about his ass, and he was worried that meant she had someone else.

“I’m not jealous of shit,” he replied. “If she found another nigga good for her. Probably one of those lames in her DM’s.”