Page 132 of Anything Necessary for Her
“So you think I’d stop talking to you, doing your nails, or change anything we have going on over Lequay?” Her brow hiked, and she sort of tittered as if the thought alone was comical. “And don’t worry. I will get him in line.” She inspected my hands.
“Thank you.” I laughed. “But no. I don’t want people intervening, and I also don’t want you two arguing over me. Also, if he comes to me, I want it to be because he wants to and not because he is scared of losing bedroom privileges.”
She laughed as she began working on my nails.
“I will try not to say anything, but I had no idea he called himself still being mad at you. And why? Because of Low?” She shook her head.
“I mean, I was wrong for hiding it, and I think kissing him in front of them after that whole confrontation hurt them in a way,” I professed. “I had my reasons for hiding it though. I knew this would happen, but at least while it’s happening, I feel good with my decision on being with Low. Could you imagine if this was going on and he was a fuck-boy?”
She chuckled then replied. “Yeah, that would be terrible. Well,” she paused, reaching for a box of tools, “when you dospeak with your brother, remind him of my brother Finland and how he didn’t like his ass either, and kind of for the same reasons, assuming he was a certain way but didn’t know shit.”
I giggled and she joined.
That was surprising to me since the times when Scotland’s brother was around, he and Lequay acted like old friends.
“I would never be able to tell. My brother is not even the type to fuck with someone who didn’t fuck with him. He doesn’t care how long it’s been.”
“True, but he’s my brother, so of course Lequay wouldn’t give him the same treatment,” she replied, making me think of Low. I knew Low was only willing to reconcile with my siblings because of me. “They’ve been cool since before Brave, but at one point, Fin was not fucking with it. He nor my father wanted me with him because I was known for choosing terrible men, and once they learned he was in the streetsandjail, it was like here she goes again.”
“Makes sense, but people have to get to know people. Lequay knows nothing of Low except what he’s heard through the grapevine, and that was years ago.”
“Your brother is smart, so he knows damn well Low is not some trash nigga because Asif wouldn’t even associate with a person like that. But he doesn’t like being wrong, and like you said, he doesn’t like you going against him for somebody else.”
“That wasn’t my intention. I would never choose anybody over my brothers, but at the same time, Low isn’t asking me to choose, they are. I just . . . I’m grown, and I won’t be controlled by my brothers on who I choose to date, and I wanted to make that very clear.”
“As you should.” She bobbed her head, eyes focused on her work.
The rest of the appointment, we discussed other things, mainly my new nephew True, and she wanted some details onLow and me. By the time we were done, I had to pee from the champagne she’d offered me.
As I stepped out of the plush bathroom, I stopped in my tracks at the sound of my brother’s voice. I hoped to God she didn’t invite him here.
“Why’d you need two damn drinks?” he asked as I slowly entered the front of the salon.
His eyes landed on me, the bag of food he’d brought his wife suspended from his hands.
“For your baby sister that you should be bringing food to anyway.” She gestured toward me, patting his stomach so he’d kiss her since he was too distracted by the sight of me. “The one you’re mad at for no reason.”
He obeyed, lightly skating his lips across hers before pulling a chair out for her to sit.
“I ain’t mad. I’m disappointed,” he had the nerve to say before taking a seat, moving my purse and placing it on the station beside his wife’s.
“Why? What have I done that’s disappointing?” I chuckled sourly, shaking my head as I sat back down in my seat. His cologne assaulted my nostrils as he rocked from side to side in his chair.
“Lied and snuck behind my back to fuck with a nigga I told you I ain’t want you fucking with.”
“Told me?” I bucked my eyes. “Did you forget you’re my brother and not my father?”
“Yo’ father told you the same thing,” he retorted.
“Regardless, I’m grown, and anything I do without telling you isn’t considered behind your back. If that’s the case, you been doing shit behind my back for years,” I quipped, causing his wife to chuckle as she forked some of her food.
“I don’t want you with that nigga.” He skipped over my statement, making his point clear.
“I didn’t want you with Teyaira, but did you care about that back then, or did you keep dealing with her?”
“Oh my gosh,” Scotland commented, reaching to slap my hand with a mouth full of food, making her husband cut his eyes at her.
“I didn’t want Khari with Marley, Shakur’s ass with Teyaira—which y’all gave him no issue on but wanna press me. Iespeciallydidn’t want Bashar with crazy ass Nixi, Asif with Milan, or Unique with the Bobbsey twins. Cemone was the only one who never had anyone really around until his wife.”
