Page 28 of Tangled Hearts
“Knyc?”
“Yes?” Knycole’s eyes misted—a reaction to so many emotions swarming her at once.
“I love you.” For the entire two-minute call, he was uncertain, but when it came to saying those three words, his voice held confidence.
“Yea, me too,” she replied before ending the call and subtly wiping her eyes.
“You good?” Noir asked.
“Yes. Now let’s eat because I’m hungry.” Knycole smiled while her inner emotions ran wild. Silently, she prayed to have a good night because she didn’t know if she would be able to continue to tame her feelings.
“On Me” by August Alsina and Layton Greene shook the floor that all the girls were dropping it low on while circling their hips. Noir had no reservations as she bent over making her ass cheeks clap. The ripped jeans she wore did nothing to stop her nice round ass from giving a round of applause. She was nice with twerking, but Knycole gave her a run for her money. Usually, she would be bent over too. However, she just wasn’t really feeling it.
“That’s my song,” Noir said out of breath. The idea of being with a man who took everything on him was every girl’s ghetto dream life and in the spot with some high rollers, they were all showing out.
“I can tell.” Knycole sipped from her Jamaican Me Happy wine cooler.
“Why you so dry?” Noir asked, both concerned and annoyed.
“I just have a lot on my mind, and I’m a little paranoid. You know how these niggas get. They’ll start shooting if a fly buzzes in their ear,” Knycole said in a joking tone, but was dead serious.
Noir nodded. “You ain’t lying. But just chill, and if a fight looks like it’s about to break out, we’ll leave.”
“Cool.” With that, Knycole decided in her mind to enjoy the moment.
Although she was willing to live a little, that didn’t stop her from keeping an eye on everyone in attendance. It was just something about the people from the other side. Even the women were down to scrap and shoot at the drop of a hat. Knycole was far from scary, but she was also far from stupid and knew regardless of anything, she couldn’t win a fight if twenty bitches were jumping on her. So while she chilled, she was going to be on high alert.
“Y’all good over here?” Paul swaggered over to them looking good.
Noir’s eyes appraised him from his curly fade to his fresh Retro Jordans. He was clean, which wasn’t new to her. One thing about the men on the Eastside, they could dress their asses off.
“Where yo’ ass been?” Noir asked with nothing but fake attitude dripping off her.
Knycole wanted to laugh so bad but decided against it since she didn’t want to mess up her girl’s game.
“Chill out with all that. I was chopping it up with my big homie,” Paul said, rubbing his hands together.
“Yea, let me find out.” She twisted her lips, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
“Girl, you’re so damn extra.” Knycole rolled her eyes.
“That’s your girl. She’s hell, man,” Paul directed to her with a friendly smile as if they were familiar.
Knycole ignored him as if he wasn’t talking to her. Tuning him and Noir out, she bobbed her head to the music with a drink to her lips. She was a light weight when it came to drinking, and she knew her limits. Noir, on the other hand, would get sloppy drunk and want to fight. As soon as she said,“that bitch didn’t say excuse me,”Knycole knew it was time to go. She snickered to herself when she saw Noir dodge Paul when he tried to hug up on her. Watching the two had her thinking about Rock. Memories of when they would joke and have a good time at parties together flooded her. Her heart ached until her eyes followed the most suave boy she knew.
While his broad shoulders brought him attention, his auracommandedit. He was one of the most respected young niggas in the city as well as feared. He walked up to Christian and dapped him up before posting up on the wall while he rolled a spliff. The ache in her heart started to subside as the blood in her body warmed up her skin. Knycole wrapped her arms around herself in hopes of controlling the feeling. As if he could feel her, like she felt him, Hov’s eyes connected with hers. His cheeksdimpled while his head nodded, saying hello. She smiled back at him and trained her eyes on everything else.
“What that nigga Hov doing on this side, and why he over there with Christian?” Paul asked no one in particular.
Knycole and Noir cut their eyes to him, ready to take him down. “The fuck you mean?” they asked in harmony.
Realization of his thoughts becoming words dawned on him. “Oh, I was just talking out loud. I’m just saying I don’t really see him on this side too often.”
“Then you don’t be looking ’cause that nigga be everywhere. The streets respect him,” Knycole chimed in, letting him know that one wrong word could cost him a lot.
Throwing his hands up, Paul surrendered. “I ain’t mean nothing by it, Ms. Lady.”
“Yea, whatever.” She sneered.
