Page 22 of Verse Two
When you come across one that means something to you, cut it out.
Her words actually made the process go smoother, because it wasn’t until she reminded me of what I had shared with her the night before that I actually started to consider what I wanted out of life.
I had gotten so comfortable with the money I was making that I forgot I was a nigga with dreams. Being able to lay them out on the poster had me feeling like I was taking those dreamsand creating a plan with them. I liked plans, so this vision board shit was all right with me.
I cut out a picture of a vinyl record before glancing at my Doll. She was working on the bottom corner of her board. She had her tongue out slightly as she tried to place her latest image just right.
“What’s that one?” I asked once she was done.
Observing it, she replied, “A round table of women. I feel like I want to build something—like a business or a collective with people who get it, you know?”
I nodded as I admired her.
“I do. You ever said that out loud before?”
She placed the top back on her glue stick and frowned as her eyes trailed up to the ceiling.
After a minute, she said, “I don’t think so.”
“Well, it’s real now. That’s what’s up, Doll.”
Dy grinned. “What did you just cut out?”
I showed her the record. “I used to want my own record label. For a minute—when I was just beginning to make money from songwriting—I felt like I could really do it. Somewhere down the line, though, that dream dipped and ain’t come back since.”
“Until tonight,” she said softly.
With my free hand, I reached over and gripped her chin. She leaned into me with no hesitation, and I kissed her lips gently.
“Until tonight,” I replied.
We remained there, with our eyes locked on each other for a minute before we quietly resumed our boards. I hadn’t felt this peaceful in a minute, and I knew it had everything to do with Dylan. It wasn’t until she came back into my life that my dreams became clear to me again.
I never wanted anything but the woman beside me and to write. I hoped like hell she was feeling everything I felt, because there was no way I was living another day without her.
No way at all.
Eight
Dy
Irolled my eyes as soon as I made it through TSA. Because there were so many cancelled flights in the last two days, the airport was much busier than normal, which was saying a lot because JFK was always packed with people.
I hated airports, mostly because I was usually in one when I was accompanying or on the way to Maria Striten. The time I spent with my boss was never pleasant, so it was hard not to resent this place. I also hated maneuvering through crowded spaces, and as soon as Brick got through security, that was exactly what we would have to do.
Brick.
I turned toward TSA and found him finally getting his bag from the conveyor belt. He looked just as annoyed as I felt, but he had good reason to be. Although we both paid good money every year to have an expedited security process, they selected him to do a secondary security screening.
It added at least ten minutes to an already drawn-out experience, and I knew he wasn’t feeling it. When he lockedeyes with me, however, his face softened, and he headed straight toward me.
Without words, he threw an arm around my shoulders and led me away from security. We joined the heavy flow of foot traffic, and as annoyed as I’d usually be because of all the people, I wasn’t.
Brick held me close and maneuvered through the crowd with ease. If a person got too close to me, he would block the contact with his other hand, and not a single person bumped into me as we walked. I felt like a princess who had her own personal bodyguard, and instead of rolling my eyes like I thought I would be, I was smiling from ear to ear. It was a fifteen-minute trek, but we made it to our gate without issue.
Luckily, we made it there before every seat was taken and claimed two on the end of a half-full row. Once we were seated, Brick placed his arm around me once again, and I adjusted my body so that I was as close to him as space would allow.
For a while, we just sat there without speaking. There was so much noise buzzing around us, but I allowed it to fade to the background as I rested in this man’s embrace, wondering where things would go from here.
