Page 89 of Are You Going to Love Me

“I got a key?”

“You’ll see it when you wake up. I’ll hit you when I land,” Maximus honored her requests, pulling the comforter over her. By the time he was down the stairs, Eden was knocked out again.

Unsure of how many hours she’d been sprawled across the bed, inhaling Maximus’ scent, she was pulled out of her post-sex slumber by the incessant ringing of her phone. Groaning, she rolled her sore body over and picked the phone up in a tired review of the screen. Staysha.

Groggily, Eden answered, “Yes, Stay?”

“We have a full day ahead of us, full of sister time. Get up and meet me at DeLaTique Spa in an hour. Love you, bye.”

The call dropped, leaving Eden staring at the ceiling. She moved her eyes from the tray ceilings to the sheet-covered windows. “All that money and the man hasn’t bought curtains.”

Moving slowly, she found the bouquet of vibrant flowers propped up with a teddy bear whose shirt read, MISS YOU MORE. A house key hung around its neck, and Eden swayed with joy, unsure how she got this and if it was going to be hers to keep. Before she could overthink and let anxiety creep in, she proceeded to get ready and was out the door and in the JoyRide to her destination to meet her sister.

“Look who came up for air,” Staysha hummed, as Eden, in full natural state, strolled into the hair salon. They embraced and shared a sisterly giggle.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eden mused innocently, as her insides ached and pulsed with muscle memory. “You missed me? You only called me twenty-seven times.”

Staysha rolled her eyes. “You haven’t had a boyfriend in a million years, so I have to get used to you not being regularly available for me.”

Eden looked around the empty DeLaTique Spa of Midtown, hoping not to find a hidden camera because Staysha was tripping. “First of all, you’re loud.”

Staysha waved her off. “No one is here.”

“Until we pop up on someone's blogs. Second, he’s not my boyfriend. Third, you dropped me like a hot topic the minute you gave Keon a little whiff. You know how many nights I was at that apartment alone and bored out of my mind?”

Staysha winced apologetically. “Why didn’t you call?”

“Because I’m not a dickblocker and one of us had to get some and be loved on. I wasn’t going to be a hater. I just rearranged my apartment eighty-three times.”

The receptionist strolled into the private waiting room with a tray of fresh-cut fruit and a bottle of champagne. “These are for you two. Once you’re done in here, walk straight through those doors and you’ll have your facial services. The itinerary is on the tray. After lunch is your sound bath.”

Eden nodded in thanks and side-eyed Staysha. “You didn’t fuck Keon into sponsoring a spa day, did you?”

Staysha scoffed. “Uh, no. I funded this with my hard-earned money. However, the cooking class after this is fully sponsored by Keon. I never knew you could burn boiled eggs. They exploded all over the kitchen.”

“Well, we’ve never been the pair to cook an actual meal. By the time we had to cook for real, Poppi was declining and all she wanted was-”

“Peas and chicken,” Staysha finished. “Every day. All day.”

“She wanted absolutely nothing else. And my God, she couldn’t stand you,” Eden huffed.

“You remember that time she flew off the couch and tried to body slam me?” Staysha was laughing, but laughing was the only way to keep them from crying. “But she wasn’t lying when she said niggas was in her house.”

“She cussed me out time after time ‘cause I was covering for your ass.”

“It’s crazy how she used to beat up grown ass men and when she couldn’t, she started cussing them out. Remember when Mr. Benjamin took more money off the top, and she slapped him and then told him to-”

“Come here and cussed him out in front of all his runners,” Eden snorted in laughter. “I swear that man was crying. Poppi was something else. I miss my girl.”

“I miss her too, even though she swore I was that lady,” Staysha rolled her eyes. “You heard from Mama?”

“Not since I was filming, but I made it clear I didn’t want to. Mama is just like her sister, full of shit,” Eden hissed. “Anyway, I thought this was supposed to be relaxing? Tell me about Keon. You like him? He treats you good?”

Staysha couldn’t hide her smile or joy from her sister. “I do. Like I said, it was just something to do, but man...”

“Happiness looks good on you. What’s even better is that you don’t have to hide out in hotel rooms at the St. Harlem or devalue yourself for a man who doesn’t respect you. I’m happy for you. Really, seeing you happy makes my heart smile. What also makes my heart smile is that you’re making money now and can pay for these massages.”

“You need them kinks rubbed out, don’t you?” Staysha questioned with laughter.

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