Page 31 of Keeping Busy
“Now, what’s up?”
Since I knew she didn’t have a lot of time, I told her about the situation with Maddox, and how we were pretending to date to help his reputation. I knew Joya would keep the secret. She was married to a music industry heavy. She understood playing the game.
“I thought the pictures at that benefit and the relationship came outta nowhere, but when I saw y’all at the anniversary party, it looked like the real deal Holyfield to me. I mean, the chemistry, though. He couldn’t keep his hands off of you - had you sitting all in his lap, kissing all over your neck. When you left the party, it was like you all couldn’t get outta here fast enough.”
“That was an act.”
“Sure ain’t look like no act to me.”
“Busy kissed me tonight. Like, for real kissed me.”
“This is the first time he’s kissed you?”
“Yeah, Joy.”
“Uhm, I would’ve thought he was tonguing you down from day one. The way he was looking at you, though. He had me ready to take Nasir to the bedroom.”
“We do have chemistry.”
“Yeah, you do. So, I’m guessing that the kiss was everything and now you’re bugging. You stay too much in your own head, MeMe.”
“I don’t trust anybody more than I trust me. I don’t like letting other people in my head.”
“Or your heart.”
“Agreed.” I said resolutely. It was my truth, I wasn’t going to deny it - especially not to Joya, who knew me too well to believe an obvious lie.
“Well, if you wanted somebody to tell you to jump on that D, and let Busy bang out, you would’ve called Clarke...or River. Since you called me, you must want the real.”
“Plus, you’re older than us. Your opinion isn’t colored by a past, misplaced crush on Busy. You can be unbiased.”
“Where are you crossed up? Did you not like the kiss? Liked it too much?”
I sighed heavily, because I was about to have to admit the truth to my “big” cousin, and in the process, admit the truth to myself. “I like everything Busy does to me. I like it when he hugs me, holds me, touches me, kisses me, and he gives me these foot massages. I’m walking around in a constant state of...arousal, every time we’re together. But at the same time, I don’t trust Busy.”
“Name me one person that you do trust, MeMe.”
“You.”
“Onemaleperson.” She paused. “Besides Uncle B. and Cairo.”
“I trust Brandon Mayhew, and Nasir.”
“But you will never be in a romantic relationship with either of them. At least you better not ever be in a romantic relationship with Nasir.”
We both chuckled.
“Here’s my advice, girl - be open to the possibilities. Even if they freak you out, try to be open to them. When I met Nasir, I didn’t trust anybody, even myself. So, you’re one step ahead of me, because at least you trust yourself. And I won’t lie, Nasir did fumble my heart. He did mishandle me and it hurt like hell, but to get where we are right now in life, I would do it all over again.”
“Yeah, you can say that, now, Joy. But when you were on your Jazmine Sullivan, and wanting to “bust the windows out his car,” you were probably wishing that you had left Nasir exactly where you found him.”
“You’re right.” She conceded. “But Busy isn’t Nasir. There’s no guarantee that he’s gonna do the same stupid stuff Nasir did. Look, I don’t know athletics like I know the music industry, but I do follow Busy’s social media. I don’t see him loved up with women on there. It’s pretty tame, Mecca.”
“His social media might be tame, but if his personal life was tame, he wouldn’t need me to pretend to be his girlfriend to clean his shit up.”
“So, do you just wanna argue? Cuz if so, I’m going back to bed. I’ve got a whole husband that I could be snuggled up against right now.” She stood up and started to leave her walk-in closet.
“I’m not trying to argue, Joy. I’m just trying to...process.”
