Page 7 of Welcome to the Table
My lining and mohawk were perfect. My barber had come to the penthouse the night before to freshen me up. I sat on the bed, watching Klarity get dressed so we could go. I really didn’t want to take her. Shit could go left at any minute, but I had upped security for this event, and they would be camouflaged within the crowd, but I still only trusted myself when it came to my safety. Same as my brother; I was his protection.
I watched as she stroked the brush with that shit on it across her face. She grabbed her red lipstick and glided it across her lips. The shit did enhance her already beautiful features, but she didn’t need it. She wasn’t even dressed yet.
“Umm, can you hurry yo’ ass up? I want to be home before the sun goes down,” I told her.
“Or, we could just stay in the city at the penthouse after your parents' meeting,” she suggested, but I wasn’t trying to do that. Iknew the maids had cleaned it spotless because they knew how I liked my shit, but still, I didn’t want to take Klarity there.
“Maybe.”
I ran my hand through my curly hair as I looked at her. I usually had my hair braided, but I decided to let my shit run wild. She stood from her vanity as I reflected on the day I asked her to move in with me.
Klarity was always different. Went to school, stayed to herself, and didn’t have any friends but me. She’d told me everything about herself since we were little. My mother thought it was strange because, outside of my brother, I didn’t talk to anyone. Klarity was my person. Best friends. No secrets. We did everything together, but when we graduated from high school, she left and went to Spelman, and I stayed in the city and went to Loyola University. She graduated with a master’s in pharmacy, and I was a business major. Good with numbers. Could count and rearrange money in my sleep. Melph praised me for that.
Fast-forward five years. I ran into her when I took a trip to Atlanta with Hellcat to collect money from some nigga who was playing with the family’s money. Nigga’s time was up, and it was time to pay up. That nigga always sent us to do his dirty work while he sat on his fucking throne and gave out orders. I envied and admired him for that.
Hellcat encouraged me to go out since it was our last night in the A. I didn’t do clubs, but we ended up at The Compound. The vibe was nice, and that nigga had already booked us a section because he knew I didn’t do people. We were escorted to our section by bottle girls. They were sexy as fuck, too. Thick in all the right places because I loved my women with meat falling off the fucking bone. Petite women complained too much about the size of my dick. We took our seats, and Hellcat lit the first blunt and ordered us two bottles of Hennessy Paradis RareCognac. It was smooth as ice but crept up fast. That’s the type of shit I liked.
After my third drink, I went to use the restroom. I walked through the crowd and was almost to the hallway when I stopped in my tracks. I felt someone watching me, but it wasn’t in a dangerous way. My heart started to beat rapidly as my eyes scanned the crowd, trying to meet the eyes of the stranger. Hands clammy, sweat misted my brow. This shit wasn’t me. I felt nervous. The soft song of Anthony Hamilton crooned in the background.
“It’s simple, I love it
Having you near me, having you near
Our conversations, outrageous
You smile, and I smile, then I say
Oh, this is getting personal, personal, personal
Let's stay for a while and play
Girl, let’s make this a moment.”
She had to be somewhere in the vicinity. I only heard that song when she was near, but I hadn’t seen her in years. It was the song that we danced to at our senior prom. The song that we agreed would always bring us back together. We pinky swore on that shit and stuck to it.
I forgot I had to piss as I looked around. I caught her dark hazel eyes and couldn’t fucking believe it. In a sea of people, I noticed her body. I stood there staring at her, staring back at me, and I gave a one-sided smile that I was sure she couldn’t see because of the dimly lit club. I was stuck. It seemed like time stood still. I couldn’t even hear the fucking music anymore. Everyone around us disappeared, and all I saw was her. My heart ached for her.
When we separated, I went through withdrawal from not having her near me, but I eventually got over it once Melph toldme I would be the underboss of the family. That kept me busy, but I still longed for her touch, scent, and vibe.
She floated toward me, and I stood there stunned. When she finally was in my personal space, I felt like I could breathe again. She leaned in with her hands on my biceps. Her head was to my ear.
“I have been looking for you. Where have you been?” Her breath on my ear made my dick hard. Her scent was a mixture of Chanel Mademoiselle and vanilla. I’ll never forget that scent.
I fell back and chuckled. “Nah, all you had to do was come back to the city. I never left.”
Her head went down. I lifted her chin with my finger. She looked at me again, and the sadness in her eyes told a story. Without another word, I grabbed her hand and dragged her to the bathroom with me. I didn’t give a fuck if they were labeled, but I needed to know what the fuck that look was about, and she was going to tell me.
After pissing, I walked out of the stall and washed my hands. Klarity was leaning on the counter with her head down.
“Chin up and talk to me. What the fuck is going on?” I stood between her legs with her ass on the counter. My hands palmed her ass cheeks as she looked into my face. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, and I wiped them before they could run. That pissed me off.
“I can’t, Calliope. They will kill me.”
My face turned to stone. What the fuck was she even talking about?
“The fuck you talking about? Who is going to kill you?”
“Melph.”
