by S. K. Lessly
“It’s late, Andrew. All I want to do is relax alone and go to sleep. Besides, I’m not hungry.”
“Okay, what about tomorrow night? We can go out to eat, me, you and Se’Nya? Or I can come by after I get off. It may be late, but I’ll—”
“I can’t,” Nyla retorted quickly, rolling her eyes. “I have to work.”
“Okay, what about the night after that? Or the night after that? Or the night after that? Nyla, it doesn’t matter to me what night you choose, where we go, or what we do. I just want to be with you.” He paused before he said in a softer tone, “I’ve missed you, baby.”
Shit, why did he have to say that? Nyla inwardly groaned. Her chest swelled and her heart seemed to drop down to her toes. She pushed back against her recliner, stretched out, and stared up at the dingy, white popcorn ceiling.
“Andrew, what are we doing?”
A light chuckle was his response before he added, “Well, baby, right now we’re talking on the phone—”
“Ugh, Andrew, you know what I mean. What are we doing?”
Andrew paused a bit before he answered, “What do you mean? Talk to me. What’s going on?”
She sighed heavily. It was now or never. “I think you and I are in way over our heads with this. I think it’s just not the right time, you know. Maybe later on if we cross paths and things are different, then—”
“Nyla, what are you talking about?”
She blew out another breath and said slower, “I’m saying I don’t think we should see each other again.”
Andrew took a longer pause this time before replying, the playfulness in his voice nonexistent, “What?”
Nyla pressed on. “Come on, Andrew. Where exactly do you see us going? You and I are two different people. We come from different worlds. You’re a very successful lawyer. I’m a dang waitress for Pete’s sake. We have nothing in common. I have nothing to offer you, but my body and I’m sure you’ve had better.”
“Nyla—”
“No, Andrew. Hear me out. I’ve never gone to college. You have. I don't know if I even want to go. Hell, I don’t know where my life is going and what I want to do with it. It’s in shambles. I live in an average inner-city neighborhood. I had a baby out of wedlock with a bastard that is doing everything he can to destroy me. I'm literally fighting him for my life and I don’t have time to fight for my life and you. The night we shared was just a night. I get it and that’s fine. Let’s leave it at that and—”
“Nyla, I need for you to stop right there. The shit you’re saying to me—” Andrew began but Nyla, feeling a bit of her liquid courage, cut him off.
“Andrew, I’m sorry, but I just don't think we’re meant to be. We both have a lot going on. I mean, you’re super busy at work, and I understand that. It’s a demanding job and it requires the majority of your time, which leaves you no time for anything else or anyone else. And again, that’s okay, really. Look, I really think that it’s best for both of us if we just call it now. No real feelings are involved, right? You have your work and I need to get this thing squared away with Robert. It's all just too much.”
Silence…
Nyla held her breath and waited for a reply. She had to look at her phone again to make sure he was still there. The quiet on the other end was insurmountable. She did confirm that the call was still connected, and if she listened hard enough she could hear him breathing heavily on the other end.
Finally, she heard him sigh and ask, with a still voice, “What did he say to you?”
“What did who say? What are you asking me?” she answered hesitantly.
Andrew huffed out a breath before he asked again, this time with a slight pause after every word, “Downs, Nyla. What…did…he…say…to…you?”
Nyla sat up in her chair. She could hear the anger in his voice and that sort of surprised her.
Shit…
“I’m uhhh… not understanding w-what you’re asking me?” she began to stutter. The tone in Andrew’s voice was starting to freak her out. He wasn’t loud or combative, but the rage coming through the phone felt like it was crawling up her spine. The nervous shaking that she had experienced a minute ago was back and with a vengeance.
“Baby, it’s a simple question. I need for you to tell me what he said to you. Elese said today went as expected. I assumed that meant he behaved at mediation. Now, after talking with you and hearing this breakup bullshit, clearly, that’s not the case. So, either you tell me what he said to you now or I’ll have to pay the fucker a visit and ask him myself.”
“You can’t!” she cried out. “I mean, his office is closed.”
“You think I don’t know where he lives? In fact, he’s supposed to be at some ridiculous fundraiser tonight to save killer bees or some shit. I know I will find him there.”
Nyla could have sworn she heard a door close in the background and she stood, panic finally taking hold of her heart. She placed her hand against her chest and gripped the top of her dress. “Andrew, please tell me you just didn’t leave your apartment.”
“I guess I won’t then.”
“Jesus, Andrew! He didn’t say anything to me.”
“Bullshit, Nyla.”
“Okay, okay. If I tell you what happened, will you promise me you won’t get pissed?”
“We are way beyond me not being pissed. But, if you tell me, maybe I won’t kill him.”
Her eyebrows rose into her forehead. “Are you serious?”
“Deadly. Start talking.”
“This is ridiculous!” Nyla blurted, running her fingers through her hair, completely in freak-out mode. “You are being ridiculous. My decision to break up with you has nothing to do with Robert. You’re the one that’s been making me feel like shit. I haven’t heard from you or seen you in freaking weeks. I’ve called multiple times and you went from responding to me to no communication at all. And today, you were supposed to be at mediation and you weren’t. Then you asked for a booty call and—”
“A what?” Andrew asked, cutting her off.
“You heard me. A booty call… I knew I opened a can of worms when I—”
“When did I ask for a booty call?”
“A minute ago, when you asked to go to dinner. You know it’s late. Do you really think I want to eat something now? Are you really hungry?”
“Actually, yes, I’m starving. I’ve been in court the majority of the day and I haven’t had time to eat. After work, I had to stop by my parents’ house to pick up their mail. They have no reception there, so I couldn’t call you right away. And when I came home, expecting to call you back, I had an uninvited guest waiting for me at my apartment. Needless to say, I still haven’t had dinner, and I was asking you to come with me because I wanted to see you.”
“Oh, so, when you said that we could ‘lounge and talk’ that wasn’t suggesting something else?” Nyla started pacing in her living room, her frustrations starting to spill over.
“Fuck, Nyla. I’m a full-blooded male who’s overwhelmingly attracted to you. I know for a fact that the moment I see you, I’m going to want to kiss you and touch you. That’s going to instantly get my dick hard. So, yes, I inadvertently suggested we could fool around. But, that’s not the reason why I was asking to see you. I’ve missed the hell out of you, baby. I wanted to forget this long-ass week and get lost in you. I wanted to show you how much I’ve missed you. I simply needed my woman.”
Nyla grunted and rolled her eyes. “Your woman...”
“Yes, my woman. Why the sarcastic tone?”
“Andrew, if I was your woman…” she spilled out hurriedly then paused and tried to calm down. Her blood pressure had to be at an all-time high; she could hear her pulse thumping in her ears.
In an effort to try and bring her heart rate down, Nyla pulled a bit of air into her lungs and then let it out slowly. She started again. “If this is how you treat your woman, then I’m good with being by myself. Andrew, I understand you are a very busy man. And I know you’re worki
ng my case along with probably countless others. It’s just that… I feel like I’m… I don’t know… like some kind of charity case. And to top everything off I gave myself to you and… Look, you’re saying a lot, but your actions aren’t matching up right now. That’s why I’m bowing out gracefully now. I don’t want to get mixed up and fall…” Nyla stopped there and swallowed the last part of her sentence. Saying the rest would have broken her. She had already fallen for him. She just didn’t want him to know that. Nyla sighed and continued, “I just don’t want history to repeat itself. Does that make sense? I have to look out for me...”
Nyla trailed off and stood in the middle of her apartment in the dark, staring out into the silent emptiness that was her life. She didn’t hear anything on the other end, but oddly she sensed that he was still there. The problem was that his silence was lasting a lot longer than she had expected.
“Andrew, are you still there?” she asked hesitantly and then checked her phone just to be sure there was still an active connection. “Andrew?”
“We need to talk, Nyla,” he demanded. “Right now, face to face.”
“It’s late, Andrew. We can talk about this tom—”
“No, we can’t talk about this tomorrow or any other day. The fucked-up shit you just said to me is not going unanswered. You and I will have it out tonight. I’m on my way.”
“What?” she shrieked, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. “Wait, Andrew, you can’t.”
Her words were interrupted with an eerie silence that indicated one thing. He had hung up. Two minutes later someone started banging on her door.
7
Nyla stared at her door, eyes wide and heart beating fast.
That couldn’t be him that fast. Could it?
The knocking resumed, this time more insistent. A voice then followed that made her body relax.
“Uh-uh chick, I know you’re in there. I heard you walking around over my head just a bit ago. Now, stop trying to pretend like you ain’t home and open this damn door.”
The voice was a welcoming sound. It was the voice of Latricia, her neighbor from the apartment beneath her.
“Yeah, girl. Open this door right now. You know we’re supposed to be hanging out tonight. Don’t you dare try to bail out again,” said another familiar voice.
Nyla couldn’t help the grin that begrudgingly appeared on her face. Her downstairs neighbors, Latricia and Melody Bowmen, had moved into the building about six months ago during a bad storm that had chased Nyla from her apartment. The weather had threatened to unleash potential twister-type storms and the three of them had to seek shelter in the laundry unit located on the first floor of their building. Nyla had Se'Nya with her, which broke the ice between the women. It also helped them focus on something other than the violence that was occurring outside. From that long night, a unique friendship blossomed between the three women.
Nyla moved to her door and hit the switch on the wall to turn on the lights. She then unlatched the two chains and turned two deadbolts before opening the door. Nyla took in the two beautiful women standing in front of her and smiled. Her friends were indeed dressed extra sexy tonight.
Latricia Bowman was light skin with light brown eyes and long hair, which was currently pinned up in a messy bun. She was slightly taller than Nyla and proportionally possessed the three things that typically made men go crazy: ass, hips, and boobs. She was dressed in a short-sleeve, form-fitting black dress that stopped mid-thigh, with a plunging neckline. She wore black leather thigh-high boots and accented her arms, neck, and ears with silver jewelry. Nyla also noted that Latricia was wearing makeup. The woman never wore anything but lipstick, however, tonight her face was completely made up as if she was about to hit the runway during fashion week.
Melody, Latricia’s cousin, was no slouch either. She was brown skin, slightly darker than Nyla with a similar body type as her cousin. She was dressed in a skin-tight black skirt that barely covered her large ass and a red tank-top that matched her red stilettos. She had very short hair that was spiked on the top and tapered on the sides. Melody also wore makeup and had jewelry draped along her neckline and wrists. Indeed, these women were ready to have a night out and break every man’s heart they could find. And for Nyla, hanging out with them would definitely be entertaining.
The trio had been planning this girl’s night out for weeks. It was hard to work around each other’s schedule and for Nyla to find a babysitter, but they had done it and scheduled this night as their “single women on a prowl” night. Seeing the excitement and enthusiasm in her friends’ eyes made her feel guilty. She had completely forgotten about their plans. It was a fluke that Se’Nya wasn’t here or she definitely wouldn’t be going.
“Uh-uh, bitch,” Latricia warned, taking Nyla’s silence to mean she was bailing out. She pushed Nyla aside and walked into her apartment, with Melody close behind. “You are not about to bail out. We made plans for this night a long time ago. Come on. We still have time to get you looking fuckable and fabulous.”
Nyla shook her head and closed her door. She locked up and turned to greet her guests. She had a protest and a bunch of excuses to stay home on the tip of her tongue, but she stopped herself.
“I’m on my way.”
That’s what he had said and she had no doubt that he would make good on his word. She didn’t want to see him or talk to him—not now. And she especially didn’t want him coming to her apartment. She knew damn well that the second she saw him, her weakness for him would take over. She needed to get out of here fast.
“Come on, woman, chop-chop. Your clothes aren’t going to magically appear on your body. And I swear, don’t you even think about saying you don’t have anything to wear. I have plenty of clothes in my closet. Actually, I have just the outfit you can wear.” Latricia started for the door, but Nyla brought her hands up quickly to stop her.
“Oh, no! That’s not necessary,” Nyla said quickly, causing both Latricia and Melody to jump back slightly. Nyla’s smile spread farther along her cheeks to seem less threatening. “I’m not trying to bail. We’ve been planning this for weeks, right? Lemme go find something to throw on and put a little bedazzle on my face and we can get out of here.”
Nyla’s heart was beating frantically. It was as if she could feel him coming closer. She moved quickly past her friends and headed to her bedroom, thinking of what she could throw on that wouldn’t require an iron.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Latricia called to her back. “And you better not put on one of your grandma dresses either or you’re not going.”
“Tricia,” Melody admonished softly.
“What? You know it’s true,” she heard Latricia bite back before she closed the door to her room.
It didn’t take long for Nyla to find something that she could wear. Tonight, they were heading to City Lights, one of the hottest clubs in the city. Nyla had heard that it was impossible to get into if you didn’t get there early. The club was usually packed to capacity every night with a line of eager partygoers that stretched almost as long as a city block. It stayed open until four in the morning with people trying their best to get in all the way up until closing. Everyone who was someone in this town went to this club; celebrities, athletes, and the wealthy alike. It was an upscale place full of beautiful people that denied you access if you didn’t meet their dress to impress requirements and Nyla had just the dress to wear.
She reached into the back of her walk-in closet, found the dress she wanted, and pulled it off the hanger. She held up the little black dress and smiled. This is perfect!
She had stumbled on this bodycon dress when she went thrift shopping with Dee-Dee a few months back. The dress hugged her curves like a second skin. It stopped close to mid-thigh and had thin straps with a heart-shaped neckline, exposing a healthy dose of her girls. Nyla accented her dress with silver jewelry around her neck, wrists, and earlobes, and accented her feet with a pair of black 4-inch heels.
She didn’t have to do much with her hair; she had wrapped it in her scarf once she emerged from her bath earlier. So, all she needed to do was unwrap her hair and style it the way she wanted. Makeup was the issue. Latricia and Melody did it big with their attire, hair, and makeup. She didn’t have the time or the skill to do the same. But she couldn’t do anything less either, messing with those two. They were very beautiful women and grabbed the attention of any male within a two-mile radius. They couldn’t help themselves. Nyla had actually witnessed just how much men fell over themselves to get their attention. Tonight would be no different, and if she wanted some attention of her own, to help get over Andrew and feel good about herself, she needed to come correct. The dress was there, no doubt about that, but the rest...
“Mel, can you help with my makeup?” Nyla yelled as she grabbed a T-shirt to cover her dress. Even though it was black, she didn’t want to get any makeup or anything else on her clothes.
“Of course, here I come.”
Melody met Nyla in her bathroom and signaled for her to sit down on the lid of the commode. Melody then searched through Nyla’s makeup until she found what she needed. She studied the canvass that was Nyla’s smooth chocolate skin before she smiled. “I know just what to do.”
Melody decided she wanted to start with her hair first. She made sure that the sides were laying down properly, but the fact that Nyla had just relaxed her hair, made that easy enough. Next, Melody flat-ironed Nyla’s hair and combed it away from her face. She then used hairspray to keep it in place so her beautiful face was unimpeded.
Melody then moved to her makeup.
She created a dark smoldering look for Nyla that accentuated the oval shape of her eyes. Nyla’s eyelashes were long on their own, so she used a heavy mascara just to bring definition to the lashes and a wingtip design, using eyeliner to add definition. Melody finished Nyla’s look with a bit of powder for the shine and to highlight her eyes and cheekbones. The red lipstick just brought everything home.