Page 29 of I Need It

Another lady was at the counter, so I went to her to pay for my food. She smiled at me. “How can I help you?”

“I wanted to pay for my order.”

“Don’t worry about it, baby.”

I frowned slightly. I didn’t like this. While I knew they were probably just being nice, I didn’t know how to genuinely accept their kindness. I pulled two twenty-dollar bills from my purse. “I’ll pay for it.”

Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “Okay. It’s umm… twenty-two seventy-nine.”

I gave her the bills as Mrs. Chrissy came from the back with my order. After she handed it to me, I gave her the envelope. “You have a very kind son. Thank you.”

She nodded slightly, and I turned and got the hell out of there. When I did, I noticed more people walking toward the entrance. Jesus Christ. There were a lot of them. By the time I got to my car and had gotten in, Mister Jasper was at my door. I cranked the engine and said, “It was nice seeing you again.”

“Why you leaving? You didn’t come to see Christian?”

“No,” I lied. “I just came to thank him for his kindness and give him something to show him how much I appreciated what he did for me.”

He frowned. “You could have mailed that shit. You drove an hour to deliver a card and get something to eat? That’s bullshit.”

They surely didn’t bite their tongues around here. I gave him a slight smile and grabbed my door to close it. He took a step back so I could do so. I had to get out of here before Christian showed up. I was pretty sure someone had told him I was here. I felt like I was fucking hyperventilating. I quickly backed out of my spot and hit Highway 90 like a bat out of hell.

Before I could get two miles up the road, my phone was ringing, and I just knew it was Christian. When I checked the screen and saw Janson’s number, I rolled my eyes. There was no reason he and I needed to talk. As soon as the phone stopped ringing, I blocked his ass. However, that only made me think about Christian and how he’d talked to him over the phone last week. What was I doing?

I pulled my car over to the shoulder and took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. Grabbing my phone from the console, I sent Christian a text message.

Hey. I came to Nome and left a card for you with your mother and got some food. I wanted to see you, but I started feeling overwhelmed around all the people. They were nice. It was just too much for me. I left, but I’m not far. I didn’t come all this way not to see you, but if you’re busy, we can just see each other another time. Let me know.

I hit send then brought my phone to my chest and closed my eyes for a moment. When my phone chimed, I pulled it from my chest and opened the message from Christian.

Don’t leave. Give me about ten minutes and I’ll call you. Go back and park at the liquor store. That’s Jasper’s spot. Nobody will bother you there.

I smiled slightly then safely pulled away from the shoulder and turned around to head back. I felt better already. Had I left without seeing him, I would have been miserable as hell. When I parked at the liquor store, I released a sigh of relief. The parking lot was on a side street, so it wasn’t as visible as the lot at the diner. No one would know I was here unless they were coming to the liquor store.

I played a game on my phone until I saw Christian pull up next to me. I lowered my window, and he smiled.

“Damn. Who you all made up for?”

My cheeks heated up. “Well, I figured since you’ve seen me at my worst, you deserved to see me at my best.”

“Well, damn. You look beautiful. Follow me.”

“Thank you. Okay.”

I put my window up and backed up to follow behind him. I thought he would go back to the highway, but he took me through the neighborhood behind the liquor store. We entered another neighborhood that was somewhat gated. There was a sign that read Henderson Village near the gate. I said it was somewhat of a gated community because there was a gate, but it wasn’t being utilized.

He pulled into the driveway of a two-story brick home, with a wraparound porch and three-car garage. It was gorgeous. I pulled in next to him, and he lifted the garage door and gestured for me to pull inside. There was an Escalade and a Mercedes in here. I was somewhat shocked because all I’d ever seen was the truck he was driving. When I got out of my car, he was standing at the door, waiting for me.

I smiled big as he scanned me from head to toe. When I got close, he said, “Damn, Mya.”

“Hey, Christian. I hope I didn’t cause you to alter your plans.”

“Naw, other than me going to the diner to get something to eat. I know my family can be a little overwhelming, especially if you aren’t used to being around a bunch of nosy ass niggas who don’t care whether they know you or not.”

He grabbed my container of food from me and leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Come on.”

I followed him to his back door, admiring his beautiful backyard. There was a pool and a nice patio area with furniture, a firepit, and a kitchen-like area. It was extremely nice. “Christian, this is beautiful.”

“Thank you. I just had the patio and shit done last month. I hadn’t even had the first gathering here yet. My cousins are ready to break it in. It’s a lot of us, but we all travel in crews.”

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