Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
“Why am I just now hearing ’bout this?”
“Really, Neecey? Naz’s name was mud in our house. It’s not like he and I had a relationship. We had a connection. It felt real and good and like potential, but after what happened, I couldn’t do that to Cliff.”
“And you just ran into him at the show after all this time?”
“I literally tripped and fell into his arms.” I pour a generous serving of coffee in one of my many Breakfast at Tiffany’s mugs, this one sporting a sketch of Holly Golightly wearing her sleep mask.
“And you got to talk after the show?”
“There was an after-party at Lotus’s house, and he kind of dragged me downstairs to the pool room.”
“Did you do it on a pool table?” Janice gasps, and I can’t discern if she’s outraged or delighted. Probably torn.
“No, I told you we just kissed, but it was like one of those kisses you dream about. It was a lot like the first time we kissed, but he’s more confident now. More aggressive.”
“And you love that hard shit. Let me guess. That vibrator I gave you for Christmas got a workout last night.”
“No.”
“This morning?”
“Neecey, will you stop?” I laugh. “Though I must admit…best present ever.”
“I also gave you a bottle of rosé. Vibrations and libations.”
“That rosé was bomb, and somehow, even though it’s not even my favorite vibe, it’s become like my lucky charm.” I take a slurpy sip of my coffee. “Even when I go on trips and know I won’t use it, I still take it with me.”
“Now that is weird. All us kids need therapy.”
“I feel like we’re getting way off topic here. I did not use the vibrator.” I used my hand, and it didn’t help. “But Naz was the last thing I thought about when I went to sleep and the first thing I thought about when I woke up. He wants to see me. Like, take me out or whatever.”
“And you said?”
“No, of course.”
“Why ‘of course’? I’m sick and damn tired of you complaining about the people you meet on Unhinged.com. This is the most excitement I’ve heard from you ever about anyone.”
“It’s not that simple, and you know that. Cliff’s recovery is so fragile. I don’t want to do anything that will set him back.”
In the quiet that follows, I imagine she’s reliving the horror of Cliff’s overdose. We both rushed home, me from LA and Janice from Chicago, where her family lives now. Mama was inconsolable. Daddy was pissed but also terrified.
“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” Janice finally whispers.
“Exactly,” I say, taking my coffee back to the bedroom. “I can’t do anything to risk that happening again.”
“Look, I get it, but we both know Naz had nothing to do with Cliff’s shit. He brought that on himself. Why should you ignore an attraction as strong as it sounds like this one is because Cliff might not like it?”
“It’s more serious than not liking it,” I say, deciding I’m not quite ready to be up and climbing back into bed. “He’s obsessed with the idea that Naz took everything that was meant for him and ruined his life. I don’t want to send him spiraling.”
“Look, at his big age, Cliff is gonna have to get over this. That man is thirty-one years old, has a job, and is looking better than I’ve seen him in years. Trust that he’s getting better, Tee, and take something for yourself. Besides, who says he has to know about it? What’s the harm in one date?”
“There’s been enough harm done, so I don’t plan to find out.”
Long after we disconnect, I’m mid-Sunday reset—washing my sheets, wiping down the counters, mopping the floors, and preparing my meals for the week—when the phone rings again. A smile curls on my lips when Lotus Ross’s name flashes onscreen.
“Lotus, hey.” I leave the kitchen and the whir of my dishwasher, stepping out onto the small balcony with a view that makes this studio worth the rent. “How are you?”
“Recovering,” she says, her voice carrying that husky timbre I recognize as exhaustion. “I guess being pregnant really can slow you down, or at least it should, according to my over-protective husband.”
“He’s so sweet with you. It’s nice seeing a man that gone for his wife, especially a professional athlete. You always think of them as dogs, but Kenan is obviously completely devoted.”
“He is awesome,” Lotus agrees softly. “Which actually brings me to the reason for my call.”
“Oh, yeah?” I settle onto the wrought-iron chair on my balcony and tip my head back to relish the breeze across my face. “How so?”
“It’s his fortieth birthday soon.”
I didn’t realize there was so much of an age gap between the Rosses. I remember being impressed at all Lotus has accomplished by the age of twenty-nine.