Page 35 of The Last Man on Earth
“Got it,” she reassures.
I take a deep breath. “He was trying to rap. He was at that shit for a while. I went to the studio with him one day and started freestylin’ on a beat while the engineer was on a break. The producer was like aye, run that back. So I did. And the rest is history, I suppose.”
She’s quiet for a minute. “How did your cousin take it?”
I bristle at that, the memories still too fresh. “Honestly? I been payin’ for that shit for ten years.”
“You got discovered at seventeen?”
“Yep.”
She’s quiet for a beat. “What do you mean by ‘paying’?”
“I mean, I been carrying around a guilty conscience. Every chance I got, I was trying to make it up to him. Bought him a car, a condo, tried to hook him up with producers and managers. And he ain’t never say shit about being upset, but I could always tell it was some tension there.”
“Sorry.”
“It is what it is. Or was.”
I shake my head, scrub a hand down my face, and stare at the leaves. “It’s whatever.”
I turn onto my side to face her. “And what about you? How you end up here?”
Her eyes glint in the moonlight. “Me and my sister were both bottle girls in college. To help pay for tuition.”
“Your twin, right?”
“Mm hm.”
I can’t help but grin at the thought. “I still can’t believe it’s two of y'all. Goddamn. Pretty ass twins in tight outfits serving liquor. I knowallthem bills were paid.”
She smacks my arm, giggling softly. “I’ll never understand the twin thing. Y’all are so weird for that.Anyway, we modeled a little, too. Then after graduation, we started working on yachts. That was so much fun.”
She shifts in place, getting comfortable. Her leg brushes mine, another spark in the dark that makes my heart beat faster.
“My sister met her husband at a yacht club. I could have, but I was more interested in networking. I figured I’d get married way down the line. Anyway, an old rich white man got me hooked up with Echelon. The money was insane, and I got to see the world. The only tradeoff was that I didn’t have time for much else.”
I cock my head. “So you’re motivated by money.”
“Not entirely,” she says, her tone softer. “I liked being free. Not tied down. I don’t know that I’m cut out for my sister’s life. It would take a special man to get me to sit down somewhere.”
“Is Lucas that man?”
Even in the dark, I can see her eyes roll. “His name isLuca.”
“Stupid ass name.”
“Whatever. And I don’t know if he is yet.”
I wanna ask why, but it ain’t like me to be all chatty patty about shit. Besides, it don’t matter in the grand scheme of things.Thatnigga is a thousand miles away with a stupid ass name whilethisnigga is laying right here with a long tongue, a big dick, and plenty of time to kill.
“You know what’s funny?” she says. “That was my last flight. I was getting ready to go back to school to get my master’s.”
I huff out a laugh. “Aye, that’s like the ending of every hood movie. The main character be like, ‘I’m sick of this shit. I’m movin’ out the hoodtomorrow.’ Then he gets shot in the neck.”
She pushes me playfully, grazing my chest before pulling away. Accident or nah? I can’t decide.
“You play too much.”
