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“Talk that shit to somebody else. I ain’t trying to hear it, brother,” Jude waved me off, replacing the vacuum.

I talked a good game, but the truth was, I wasn’t sure how I was feeling about Nyx. Things started off on a platonic level, but lately, a switch seemed to slowly be in the midst of flipping.

I found myself getting more excited when she randomly texted me throughout the day or hitting her up if I felt like too much time had passed between us talking. Being around her was a breath of fresh air.

Nyx could be mean as a rattlesnake, but underneath it all, I knew she had a heart of gold. That’s why the more she revealed to me about the situation with her ex, the more I felt he needed to be fucked up. Again.

She’d already handled shit her way, but it wasn’t severe enough for me. Coming into her life just to fuck her over was a bitch ass move by a bitch ass nigga.

“Jamie!” Xi called shrilly, punching me in the arm.

“What? Damn!” I snapped, rubbing the spot she’d hit.

“Can you at least pretend for five minutes to listen to me?”

“Expecting him to listen when his mind is on Nyx is a lost cause, Xi,” Jude snorted. “Good luck. No pun intended.”

“Obviously, she ain’t talking about nothing important, or else I would have heard her.”

“I beg your pardon?” Ximena hitched an eyebrow. “The showcase I told you about a couple weeks ago is very important. Had you been listening, you would have heard me say that Yareli is going to be there, and she’s looking for opening acts for her mini-tour.”

“YB?” Jude interjected. Xi nodded, and he released a whistle before continuing. “You know I’m not too much a fan of gimmicky women rappers, but shorty is a beast. Her bars are fire.”

“And she’s completely independent, which is how she has so much say over what happens on this tour. Bro, do you know what this could mean if she selected you?”

My intentions weren’t to rain on Ximena’s parade, but she was also getting ahead of herself.

“Let me gon’ and stop you before you get too far,” grabbing another box, I fished the box cutter out of my pocket to slice it open. “Who said I would be in the running for her to pick me? I’m good, but I ain’t all that.”

“Shitting me if you ain’t,” Judah said. “I know coming to grips with being public with your gift is a struggle for you and all, but I ain’t letting you downplay yourself in the process. If there are ten people signed up for that event, I know you’re better than at least eight of them.”

“Easily,” Xi agreed. “And that’s not all. “The CEO from B Rich Records is rumored to be in attendance as well. So even if things with YB don’t pan out, there’s a good chance of someone else being exposed to how talented you are.”

“You’re forgetting that I’ve yet to apply, Xi,” I reminded her. “I haven’t even thought about it since our initial talk.”

“Why not?” Judah inquired.

It felt as if they were backing me into a corner, and it was putting me on edge.

Exhaling deeply, I buried my feelings before continuing the conversation. “Look, I know you two are excited about me starting to be cool with potentially moving forward musically, but I don’t need you breathing down my neck or telling me what to do. Give me a minute to get used to shit first or at least figure out what I want to do, and then we can talk about shit like this.”

Ximena opened and closed her mouth as a variety of different emotions flickered across her face.

“You know what? I started to cuss you out for a second for talking to me crazily. But, you’re right. I am being pushy and for that, I apologize. I’m just so excited for you, and I can’t wait to see how your journey unfolds.”

“Key phrase, my journey,” I teased, pushing her shoulder. “I appreciate y’all being in my corner, though, for real.”

“Well, be appreciative by buying lunch,” Judah suggested. “I’m starving.”

“Ooooh, me too!” Ximena chimed in.

“I’ll buy if you two go pick it up and let me enjoy at least ten minutes of silence.”

“Shit, you ain’t said nothing but a word. What we getting?”

After nearly a fifteen-minute debate, we all decided on a spot. I handed over my card, and as promised Xi and Jude went to go pick the food up after calling the order in.

I was grateful for the silence. But most importantly, there was a phone conversation I needed to have in peace. Hoping that Nyx wasn’t busy, I slid into the office to call her, closing the door behind me.