Page 6 of Love Next Door
“Do you?” She challenged me as we both bent down to pick up her receipt at the same time. She snatched it from my hands.
I chuckled in a low tone before I replied. “No, I don’t.”
“Lying ass, no good ass nigga. That’s what you are.”
What the hell? Her nasty attitude reminded me that I wasn’t supposed to be checking for women right now, anyway. I had vowed to chill out on women for a while and get some time to getmy head together. I instantly backed up as a frown settled on my face. My jaw clenched, and I sighed heavily before I spoke.
“Listen, I ain’t judging you, so give me that same respect. A’ight, li’l mama?”
She shrugged loosely, turned her lips down, and replied. “It’s whatever.”
“Well, you got it. Be easy, baby girl.” I threw up a hand and disappeared down the hall to the elevators.
“Girl,I would’ve walked down that aisle and whupped his ass,” Kamaia Jones stated.
“Nah, she did good. That nigga wasn’t worth the bail money we would’ve spent getting her out,” Nina Peoples countered.
“Shiid. The hell he wasn’t. I would’ve whupped his ass and hers. How the fuck you gon’ give another bitch my wedding plans, scheming ass, ho ass nigga!” Yamika Burroughs, my best friend, snapped. I loved her to death, and most people thought I was hell on wheels, but my bestie was no joke. She was the real deal and didn’t mind putting hands on anybody who crossed her or her loved ones.
All three women were my ride or dies and had been since middle school. I couldn’t have asked for a better set of friends. Ayear had passed since that fateful day when my life had changed. I had felt the depression descending on me again like the setting sun. Yamika coordinated everyone’s schedule so they could rally around me today and keep my spirits up.
My ex, Devon, got married last year on a Friday afternoon on today’s date. When I finally gathered the courage to call him a few days later, he sent me to voicemail and ignored my texts. I didn’t hear from him until three weeks later when he attempted to apologize and tell me how he was tired of me needing space. He had forgotten that he was the one who started the “needing space” bullshit.
He had stated he wanted to live his life and start building his family. I called him on that, because he was obviously screwing around with that bigheaded heffa before I asked for space.
“Should’ve snatched that dress off that heffa,” Yamika declared.
“And that crunchy ass wig,” Kamaia chimed in.
I laughed so hard that tears poured from my eyes. I gripped Yamika’s shoulder, who sat beside me. “I love y’all down. Y’all some real OGs for real, though.”
“Girl, always. Wish like hell you had called us for that shit. Betcha they’ll be on Maury in two years trying to figure out who that baby belongs to,” Yamika professed.
I scrunched my face up. “What baby, Yams?” I asked, calling her by her nickname.
“Girl, the one she had to already been carrying for that nigga to marry her so fast. Bet it ain’t his.”
I laughed again and shook my head at my best friend’s foolishness.
“You know that nigga was shooting blanks. He did you a big one for real by doing that shit. You don’t need to be tied down to no old ass nigga who can barely get it up, let alone shoot da club up,” Yamika stated.
Everyone fell out laughing at that one. Devon was thirty-three, eight years my senior.
“So, what are you gonna do, boo?” Nina asked, pouring us all another glass of sangria that she had made earlier.
“About what?” I asked with the glass halfway to my lips.
I was mid-sip when she answered. “Your wedding theme and colors.”
I spit the Sangria out.
“Damn, Bri!” Kamaia screeched as I wet her pajama top.
“My bad, boo.” I jumped up and grabbed some paper towels and handed them to her. “You can go in my dresser and grab yourself another top.”
“Or I can just walk around in my bra on your balcony and hope your fine ass neighbor and his friends see me,” Kamaia countered.
I rolled my eyes. “Please. Speaking of trifling ass niggas, do not bring that man up.”
