Page 11 of Anything Necessary for Her
Men were so stupid, but this shit was funny. All my brothers were tall as hell, so it was rare another man would be taller than them anyway. Plus I found it endearing that they still wanted to impress their wives.
“Other day, some nigga walked in the ice cream parlor I took KK and my twins to—the nigga was tall as shit. Swear to God my neck and back was on fire when I left that muthafucka from trying to stand all straight and tall so I could be the biggest nigga in that shit.” Unique ran a hand down his face.
The whole backyard was hollering at Unique’s stupid ass.
“Hi, Sif.” Kailey spoke up, waving to my brother who gave her a head nod in response.
“Fuck you too, then.” Unique looked Kailey up and down for only choosing one person out of the nine niggas back here to speak to.
“Hi, Comptons, and y’all two as well.” Kailey gave a lazy wave as I went to hug each of my brothers.
When I got to Low and Free, I nodded with a soft ‘hello’ but didn’t miss the lingering eye contact between Low and myself. This close, I could smell his cologne and see the softness of his lips that I found myself wanting to kiss.
My heart was pounding in my chest the same way it used to years ago when he would be near me, and I didn’t like that shit one bit. I was no longer a teenager who fantasized about her brother’s friend. I was a grown ass woman who didn’t feed into forbidden crushes. Nothing was forbidden for me at my big age. So why did Low bring a nervousness mixed with fondness out of me? It was as if I liked him but was afraid to feel that.
Maybe it was my intuition telling me he was a fuck-boy, because if I remembered correctly, his little boo from back in the day, Rue, used to go out sad behind him. And my young ass probably only made shit worse for her.
“Let’s go.” I tugged Kailey into the house. “We wanna eat before these niggas.”
I spoke to my mother and father who were in the kitchen, then got clearance to make plates for Kailey and me. After, we took them up to my old bedroom that was still very much lived in on those days I didn’t have food or didn’t wanna be home alone, so I came here.
“Was Free always that fine?” Kailey shoved a spoonful of the chili between her lips as she sat on the chaise in my room while I sat next to her.
“Um, he looks the same, just older.” I shrugged. “He was never ugly though.”
“Hmm.” She thought. “Maybe it’s because I ain’t into light-skinned niggas that I never paid him any mind, but he was looking kind of good out there.” We laughed in unison before she said, “I might have to shoot my shot since Sif is playing hard to get.”
“Bitch, is he playing hard to get, or is he married and uninterested?”
“Same thing.”
Kailey always did that—saying something was the same when it definitely wasn’t—and it was hilarious to me.
“Asif is in his thirties, and you are twenty-two. That’s nasty.”
“Exactly. He’s nasty, I’m nasty, so we can be two nasty muthafuckas together. I haven’t seen a dick that big since.”
“Oh my gosh, shut up!” I curled my lip as I resumed eating while she snickered.
Any other woman lusting after one of my brothers would get checked immediately, but Kailey was harmless and mostly justjoking. While she did find Asif to be fine—most women found my brothers to be fine—she only made little comments to disgust and humor me. I would never bring a woman that was actually trying to break up a happy home around my brothers or their wives.
However, what didn’t feel harmless was the swirling in my belly caused by Low’s voice traveling up from the backyard and through my bedroom balcony doors.
ONE WEEK LATER . . .
“This private room back here,don’t show nobody this shit,” Asif explained as he took me into what used to be a suite he’d had built specifically for Anastazia, his wife, when she had worked for the team for a bit.
Now, it had been transformed into a secret room that I was sure would become useful to a nigga.
As I trailed Asif, him showing me other shit around the warehouse that was now my warehouse, as crazy as that was to say, I ruminated on whether or not I should mention the nigga I’d murked back in Vegas. But by the end of the tour, I decided against it.
Asif had always gotten on a nigga about being reckless, and I didn’t want him to think I was still on that type of fucking timingafter he’d just handed over all his shit to me. I couldn’t explain that it was for Banks’s safety, because then the questions and accusations and shit would land on her. So, it was better for a nigga to keep that shit to myself and pray it stayed buried like that nigga was.
“How it feel, nigga? You ready?” Asif asked as we took a seat at one of the tables we’d taken many shots at or played Dominoes on.
I was happy to be back home in LA full time. Vegas was straight, especially with all that good food, fast money, and the freaky bitches lurking, but LA would always have my heart. Additonally, I wouldn’t have to worry constantly about my siblings being in the next state over without me for days at a time. The constant stress and traveling had worn a nigga out.
“Beyond.” I nodded.
