Page 45 of Giving Him Something He Can Feel

He flipped me off. “It’s funny you should ask, considering you about to pick up a few new skills as well, huh? Now that I think about it, you too nigga.” He threw his chin in Cartrek’s direction.

He looked up from his phone confused. “The hell that mean?”

“You’re dating a female with a kid, nigga. Baby daddy iss?—”

He waved Cruz off. “Nigga ain’t in her life.”

Cruz chuckled, anybody in here talked to Ayce?”

I shook my head no.

“Yeah a few days ago. Nigga is in the trenches balling the fuck out on it,” Cartrek responded.

“Ain’t that yo’ fucking brother?”

“You know how he is. He be on some loner shit.”

We ended up chilling and talking for a little longer before I decided to go get some food and pull up on my baby mama. We’d been texting periodically throughout the day, so I knew what she wanted to eat, but not gonna lie I missed her something special. When I wasn’t around her she had me missing her like I didn’t wake up next to her every day. It was odd, but I wasgetting used to it. Getting used to needing another the way I never needed a soul before.

Me pullingup on her never happened because I ended up stopping to handle some business. Then by the time I was done, she was headed toward the house asking if I could pick up dinner. I was good with that considering I planned to do that anyway. Shorty wanted some hard fried catfish and garlic truffle fries. After she told me what she wanted, I called up to the Tellys and ordered it so it would be ready when I walked in. I didn’t do that standing around shit at all, especially with everything going on.

When I walked in the joint, I saw a few familiar faces throwing my chin upward to speak before I focused on the lady at the counter.

“Hey, Ms. Ann. I greeted Thirteen’s grandmother. He told her she didn’t have to work anymore but look at her still up and kicking. Though he owned the joint, this was her place. Her kitchen and her floor. Niggas knew to respect it.

“Hey baby, how you been?” she asked with a toothy smile.

“Good, tryna stay out of the way.”

“That’s good, I hear you got a baby on the way. You finally settled down? Or you spreading yo’self thin?”

I laughed. “Nah Ms. Ann I’m tryna hold on to the one I got.”

Her smile grew. “That’s good to hear, bring her by here to meet an old woman won’t you. I wish the lot of ‘em would be like you, specially Teen. You know these lil’ fast tail easy ass hussies ain’t nothing but trouble.” She shook her head.

I chuckled. “I got you.”

“Let me go see if yo’ order is ready, watch the register for me, okay?”

She didn’t give me a chance to respond because she was already walking toward the back.

“Long time no talk. How you been, Cartier?” I recognized the fake whiny ass voice from anywhere.

I glanced to my side and Taylor was standing near thetable in an apron. I didn’t know she worked up here.

“Good.”

“So I hear. Neither you nor Jovie have been around.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

I nodded, looking around the space once more for Ms. Ann. Niggas was ready to go and I didn’t wanna talk to shorty.

“What are you doing tonight?”

“Going home top my baby mama. You know it ain’t like that no more, Taylor.”

“So, you used me to get to her? And now you don’t want to mess with me anymore because you have her.”

I shook my head. “C’mon now. You knew what it was, niggas ain’t hold a gun to your head or force you to do that. You knew what it was with us from jump.”

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