Page 15 of Search My Soul
“You could say please, rude ass.”
“Why would I do that?” Soul shrugged. His friend chuckled in the back, making me even more upset.
I swear I wanted to put my hands on him, but he had come to my rescue, so I guess I had to give him grace. Doing as he instructed, I input her address into the GPS. My plan was to make sure she got home safely, then I would get an Uber to the hospital. I would worry about everything else once I made sure my father was okay.
When we pulled into her complex, I prepared to order my ride when Soul snatched my phone out of my hand.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I shouted.
“No yelling! My head hurts,” Kamesha whined. All of this was her fault, and once she sobered up, I planned to tell her about herself.
“Aye, Huncho. Make sure she gets inside her place safely,” Soul instructed.
“I guess I’m not special after all. You don’t possess any manners in that skinny ass body of yours.” I rolled my eyes, then bent down to reach for my phone.
“I promise, if I see you open that app, I’mma bend your fucking fingers back.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Hell no. I don’t make threats, Juicy, I make promises. I would hate to fuck up your nails.” I sat there as Huncho carried Kamesha in his arms. I watched him like a hawk until they disappeared from my view. I didn’t like the idea of him taking her into her place without me present. Men could be predatorywhen it came to a vulnerable woman, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything bad happened to her.
“He won’t hurt her. I don’t fuck with anyone that hurts women in that way, and I’d have a mothafucka stretched out in the morgue if they tried.” Admittedly, his words gave me comfort even though I found him to be a jerk.
“Why did you knock my phone from my hand?”
“Why the hell are you trying to order an Uber when you’re sitting in my car? What kind of sense does that make? If I drove your friend home, it would only make sense for me to make sure I got you home as well. Pretty bitches always seem to lack common sense.”
“I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted. I planned to order a ride because I’m not going straight home. My father is in the hospital, and I need to see what’s going on with him.”
“Use your words, Juicy. All you had to do was tell me where you needed to go. It’s too late at night to be riding around with a stranger. These folks are crazy out here.”
“Are you forgetting the fact that you’re a stranger too?”
“No, the fuck I’m not. I might have been fucked up that night, but my memory has never failed me. Just because you went ghost on me doesn’t change the fact that we fucked. I’m very familiar with that pretty pussy, so I can’t be a stranger.” I froze in my seat. A part of me hoped that he would have forgotten about that night since we were both drunk off our asses.
“Yeah, you over there looking silly like you don’t remember me staking claim on that pussy. You’re dead ass wrong for leaving me the way you did. I get it though. I can be intimidating when all you’re used to is broke ass lames with nothing to offer except a few nuts and a lot of empty promises. I’m a different caliber of man, but if you play your cards right, you’ll love it over here.”
“Wow, you sound like a very humble man.” I tittered.
“Do you know the definition of humble? Naw, that word doesn’t exist in my vocabulary, baby. My parents and grandparents taught me to know exactly who the fuck I am and what I’m worth. I’m not dialing shit back in order to make another mothafucka comfortable. Either get on my level or get the fuck outta my face.” I hated that his confidence turned me on. He wasn’t just someone tossing out words with no substance. Soul backed up everything he said, and I wouldn’t pretend like it didn’t intrigue me.
We engaged in small talk for the rest of the ride until we arrived at the hospital. My nerves hadn’t settled yet since I still wasn’t sure about what had happened. My father often got into trouble, and I was sure this time would be no different.
“Thank you for dropping me off. I really appreciate it.”
“It’s all good, but if you were truly appreciative, you would stop playing with me. Can I at least get your number or something?”
“You’re a very important man with endless resources. If you want my number bad enough, you’ll figure out a way to get it. Good night, Mr. Taylor.” I got out of his car, but when I glanced back, he was watching me walk away. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I needed to focus on what was happening with my family at the moment. If it was meant to be, we would have our moment.
“Where the hell is this nigga?”Huncho grumbled, sharing the same sentiments as me. This mothafucka was supposed to be here at nine so he could drop off my bread, but here it was a quarter till eleven, and his ass still wasn’t here.
“This is the shit I be talking about. Remi is full of excuses, and he gets away with his bullshit because y’all are family.” His words hit me the wrong way, so I stopped and looked back at him.
“What the fuck you say, nigga?” Gripping the waistband of my Amiri jeans, I stepped in his face.
“No disrespect, Grim. You run a tight ship with the rest of these niggas on the team, but when it comes to Remi, you don’t hold him to the same standards.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You saying I’m showing favoritism or some shit?”
