Page 33 of The Love of Priest

Seven nodded in understanding. "I get it, baby. So, about this man…"

"Ma, please, let's not," Britain chuckled. "He's just a friend I'm doing a story on. We're simply chilling."

"Until two in the morning? Times have definitely changed. Chilling until two in the morning is how I ended up with you," Seven jested, causing Britain to laugh loudly.

Britain shook her head, shaming her mother. After stirring her coffee and putting a lid onto it, Britain began wading out of the break room. "You are too much, Ma! Too much!"

After swig after swig of her sugary coffee, Britain found herself wide awake and unable to keep still. Her legs bounced, giving her a clear indication that the coffee served her with all she needed.

"Get a grip. You're acting like you have ADHD," Britain heard her younger brother, Brixton, laugh at her as he sat behind the front desk alongside her, inputting new patient information onto the computer.

Britain cut her eyes at her brother. "I know you aren't talking," she scoffed loudly. "You reek of liquor and bad decisions." Britain tooted her nose in the air.

Brixton laughed before quickly stopping himself once he felt a headache hit him from the hangover he was fighting. "Yeah, I went a little too hard last night,” he sighed.

Britain purposely laughed loudly, causing a heavy groan to draw out of him. “Make better decisions next time, stupid.”

Brixton waved Britain off. “You just mad ‘cause I’m young and turnt.” He mushed her face. Britain attempted to swing on him, but he got out of dodge quickly.

"You better go put on some cologne before your dad gets here!" she warned him. Brixton was the carefree sibling, he liked living in the moment, which was where she and Brixton differed. Brixton often clowned Britain about how obsessive she was when it came to the aftermath of things. She liked to dwell, and she thought of life in a cause-and-effect type of manner, while Brixton just didn't give a damn.

"You’re right!” he agreed as he continued his jog to the back of his office so he could retrieve some cologne from his bag. He managed to bypass Seven, who was making her way over to Britain. Her nose scrunched up at the heavy stench of liquor that was emitting from Brixton. She shook her head and continued toward her daughter.

"You can head home now. Henderson is coming in soon," Seven explained, causing Britain to clap her hands excitedly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Britain hugged her mother.

Seven laughed lightly before waving her off. She could tell Britain was still tired but was amped up from the few cups of coffee she had. It didn't take long for Britain to gather her things and kiss the chiropractor goodbye. On the drive to her place, she dialed Priest's number. Calling his phone was a long shot since he didn't really like phone calls, but to her surprise he answered.

"What's good, Gioia?" he greeted her with a light laugh. Britain could tell he was out since she could hear music along with indistinctive chatter from people in his background.

"Nothing much. I just got off work early. You busy?" she asked him while stopping at a red light.

"Word? Nah, not busy at all. I'm just chilling," Priest said with a light smile. He managed to get dragged out the house by J'Ru and Kaymen, and they had him hanging with a few niggas around the way. It was overall good vibes.

Britain smiled at hearing his usual light chuckle. "You seem to be having fun."

"Pull up," Priest suggested.

Britain gasped dramatically. "Am I meeting the homeboys already? That's high-status, Priest," she teased him jokingly.

Priest laughed, finding her exaggerated antics amusing. "It's a good vibe. You'll enjoy it," Priest assured her. "I'll send you the location."

"I have to go home and change," she informed him.

Priest nodded as if Britain could see him physically. "No problem. Call me when you pull up." They exchanged goodbyes before the phone call ended. Luckily for Britain, she wasn't too far from her place anymore, so it wouldn't take long.

When she arrived, she had a sudden swiftness in her actions. Priest hadn't given her an allotted time as to when he expected her to arrive, yet she felt obligated to get to him as soon as possible. Once she picked an outfit and washed the scent of coffee grounds from her skin, Britain got dressed and did her make up, along with her hair.

She groaned lightly when she realized she spent way more time than she intended to while getting ready. Checking her phone, Britain eyed the address Priest sent her, seeing it was only fifteen minutes away. She gave herself a once over in the mirror, content with her outfit that consisted of a white crop top and a pair of Levi light washed denim shorts. She rolled her eyes at the fact that she looked a little bloated in the pants when she observed herself from the side.

"Fanny pack it is then," she muttered as she secured the black fanny-pack around her waist to conceal what she considered a bloated tummy.

Now finished, she grabbed her wallet, phone, keys and her tube of lip gloss before exiting her apartment. Getting into the car, she followed the GPS, cursing at the rush hour traffic she ended up landing in. After constant honking and road rage, Britain found herself slowing down once she got to a residential area. The GPS announced she had arrived once she pulled up to a cinnamon red brick housing project building which had a group of people littered out front. Music from loudspeakers overtook the area, causing a few people to dance and sing along. There was grill smoking out front as well, and the smell of burning charcoal and grilled meat collided into a pleasing aroma for Britain’s nose. From the looks of it, Priest was right. It was a good vibe.

Stopping her car, Britain did as Priest instructed and called him. The call only rang for a few seconds before he answered. "I'm outside. I don't see you."

"I see you," she heard him say. "Gimme a sec." Britain okayed him before the call ended. In a matter of seconds, Priest slid into the passenger seat of Britain's car, groaning lightly at how close she had the passenger seat to the dashboard.

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