Page 18 of Breaking the Rules
“Rules, huh?” Lawryn asked with amusement. “The lover made rules. What’s the rules?”
“Rule number one: do these niggas like they do you. Rule number two: keep your heart tucked away. Rule three: get to your money and fuck everything else. I’m just going to live by that. I can’t afford delusion or another mishandled heart. I hate fighting.”
“But you do that shit soooo good,” Lawryn chuckled. “Could you at least amuse me? That party was crawling with ballers. Which one did you choose?”
Savanhi shrugged. “I don’t know if he was a baller or not. Don’t care either. Noble.”
Lawryn slowly drew in a gasp. Sincere was big. Noble, bigger. Noble was safer. Noble was cut from a different cloth. In Lawryn’s mind, Noble was just what her cousin needed.
“Are you dying?” Savanhi asked with true confusion.
“No. You don’t pay attention to anything going on in the world, do you?”
Savanhi shook her head. “Where is the time? Half the time, I’m getting off from the club, sleeping for a couple of hours before running to the studio. And then repeat. Getting cable was honestly a waste of money because it watches me. Why?”
“Ohh no reason.” Lawryn buzzed, giddily. “So, when you let that man slide inside, what rule did you put on that?”
“No vested interest. When you see me, act like you don’t know me. Which, I doubt I’ll ever see him again, so it makes it all the easier.”
“Mm, okay. I’d love to see if that theory works.”
“There’s no choice. It will. I’ll never see that man again. Thank you for the nut, and we can both go back to our lives.”
Lawryn didn’t reply with a comment, just an expressive expression before changing the subject. “Zay really put new furniture in here.”
“And had it deep cleaned. He thinks he’s my daddy. And you know he stole it straight out of someone’s showroom because they were late with his money.”
Lawryn laughed. “Because he is. He’s not playing behind you. I got to ask him what he did to Brixx.”
“I’d rather not know. I don’t want it on my conscience.”
“I feel that. You’re going to let me crash on the couch until my next session. I drank entirely too much last night.”
“Mi casa es su casa.”
“And only tellmethat moving forward.”
Savanhi rolled her eyes. “Considering she was my only friend, tag you’re it.”
“Oh, girl, you’ve been my only friend, and I do not like sharing. Almost had me plotting to get the hoe up out of here.”
“The cousin doubling as the best friend is wild.”
“Nah, it’s ideal because if you cross me, I can kill you,” Lawryn spoke with a smile, then laughed.
The women rounded the couch, each taking their respective sides and drifting off to sleep. By four, Savanhi was up and prepping herself for the night. Lawryn was still lazy lounging, pecking away on her phone, and Zayden was rummaging through her fridge as if he owned the place.
“Where you headed to tonight?” Savanhi questioned. She never wanted the details, just to know where he would be so she could keep her ears to the streets. Losing him in any way would flip her world.
“Over on 20th. Got a café spot as a front. Trying to get that shit set up.”
“Hmm,” Savanhi buzzed in reply to his comment.
“Don’t do that,” Zayden stated, leaning on the counter. “I didn’t hmm when you took your ass to Tempt.”
“No, but you were there every night like security,” Savanhi pointed out.
“I had to be. You’re hard-headed. You want to stand on your own two and I get it. You got to figure out your own way but I’m still your brother and while knowing you shaking your ass for niggas fucks with me, I know your independence means the world to you.”
