Page 64 of Fever

Chapter Sixteen

“That was one of the best nights of my life.”

Carla squealed and wiggled in her seat as I made a left on Torrence Avenue.

“I won’t tell you the details, but girrrrl…” My smile was brighter than the sun.

“Wait, you can’t tell me the details?”

I shook my head vehemently. “No, ma’am. But I will say this, we are officially a couple.” I glanced to Carla boastfully. “You should be proud of me. I pushed back the idea that Josiah’s too young to commit and went for it.”

Carla looked on with a sister-girl prideful nod. “I am, girl. I really am.”

We both squealed again.

“Now, I’m nervous,” Carla admitted.

“About what?”

“Meeting Jacob. How do I look?”

She flipped down the visor to check her appearance. Carla could easily be the poster child for CoverGirl cosmetics. With russet skin, sharp features, and an upturned nose, her features were more than catching. I didn’t think she knew that though. I skimmed an eye over her sundress and four-inch heels.

“You look great,” I said, turning into the driveway of Christopher Lee Rose’s entrance. “It looks like we’re the last to make it.” I glanced around at the full lineup of vehicles.

“Girl, you’re not nervous?” Carla whispered sharply as if we weren’t alone in the car.

I chuckled. “No, let’s go.”

I opened the door and got out, making sure to adjust my clothes as I did so. This was a barbeque. So instead of a fun, flirty dress, I wore a pair of destroyed denim jeans, a flirty top that sat loosely around my breasts but wrapped snugly around my waist. Carla made her way around to me and got a full look at my attire.

“You make that simple look so stylish,” she said. “How do you do it?”

I shrugged. “I’m just being me, girl, come on,” I said, tossing a hand around her shoulder. We walked to the front door, and it opened before we could knock. Desiree stood on the other side with a broad smile.

“Heeeeey!”

I leaned in, and we hugged long and steady.

“Well look who it is,” I joked, “one of my old friends.”

Desiree pulled back with a purse of her lips. “Stop!”

“What? I don’t see you anymore now that you’re a Rooosssee,” I accentuated.

The three of us fell into laughter, half-bent over.

“What’s so funny?” another voice said. We all turned to Claudia, Samiyah, Octavia, Selena, Eden, Jasmine, and Phoebe.

“Looks like the gang’s all here,” I said. “I was telling Desiree we used to be friends before she married a Rooosssee.” We all snickered again.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Samiyah said, “You need the black card to get in here.”

I leaned into my hip and smirked, “What in the world is the black card?”

“Your last name has to be branded with an R,” Samiyah responded with a wink. Samiyah held her hand out. “So where’s yours?”

I patted myself down, pretending to look for a card. “Oh wait, I think I found it,” I said, playing along. I pulled out my ID and frowned. “Oh no.” I looked at Carla. “Do you have yours?”

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