Page 11 of The Spirit Of My Savage
King met me halfway, fine as hell in all-black, red bottoms on his feet, that signature smile stretching across his face. “Y’all see this fine ass birthday girl?” he said loudly, hands on my hips. “This whole night for her. All of it.” He tongued me down and they cheered like we were royalty.
We sat at a long ass table. King at the head. Me on his right. His crew was posted nearby, including Rome, who sat on the opposite end, whispering to one of the niggas next to him. He’d been close to King since they were kids.
He lifted his glass toward me and said, “Happy birthday, shorty. Hope King got you somethin’ more than just this fancy ass dinner.”
I laughed, sipping my wine. “We’ll see.”
King smirked, eyes cutting toward Rome real quick, then back to me. “She gon’ be straight. Trust.”
Rome nodded with a smirk. “I bet.”
Dinner was a whole vibe. Then, dessert came out and it was a chocolate lava cake with “Happy Birthday Skylah” written in gold fondant. I swear, my heart stopped along with the music.
I looked around, confused. “What the hell…?”
King stood up with a glass in one hand and a velvet box in the other. “I ain’t gon’ make no long ass speech,” he started, voice calm but deep, steady. “Y’all know how I feel about attention but y’all also know how I feel about my baby.”
He looked at me, and I swear my whole chest flipped.
“Sky been holdin’ me down since day one. Before the cars, before the money, before the name meant somethin’. She saw me when I ain’t even see myself.” He paused, hand rubbing the back of his neck like he was trying to keep it all together. “And y’all know I’m bout to do this lil’ bid. Nothin’ major. Just two years. I’ll blink and be back. But before I go… I want somethin' solid waitin’ for me when I get out.”
He turned toward me, eyes low, soft but intense.
“I want you, Sky Pie.” He dropped to one knee in front of everybody, and the whole room gasped. Even Rome froze, his hand halfway to his drink. King popped the box open, and a big ass princess-cut diamond sat there gleaming.
“Skylah Simone Haynes… marry me, baby.”
Tears filled my eyes, and my lips quivered. “Yes, babe. A thousand times, yes.”
The room exploded with laughter, whistles, and glasses clinking. King removed the diamond promise ring and put that fly ass engagement ring on my finger. Then, he stood up and kissed me like he never wanted to stop. It was the best night ofmy life, even with the jail time hanging over us. I had my man. I had our future.
I sat on the bathroom floor sobbing until I finally managed to pick myself up. I lotioned in a trance and put on an oversized tee and panties. I could hear Rome downstairs yelling on the phone about something being wrong with a shipment, but I didn’t care. Nothing else mattered except the hole in my heart and the questions on my mind.
It wasHalloweennight. The house smelled like weed and good food. The whole downstairs was decked out in Halloween decor.
There were purple and orange lights glowing dim behind cobwebbed mirrors, black plastic bats hanging from the chandelier, and a fog machine Rome ordered at the last minute that had the dining room smoky like a haunted trap house. A life-sized skeleton leaned against the liquor cart, wearing a fitted hat and a pair of fake Cartiers. Hood spooky.
"Okay, bitch, this house lookin’ like some grown-ass Goosebumps,” Sheena said as she strutted in behind me, adjusting her leather cat ears. “If I get possessed tonight, I want my hair laid in the afterlife.”
I laughed, but it didn’t stick in my chest like it should’ve. Rome was outside on the back patio with his niggas. There were hella blunts lit, dice hitting the concrete, and a lot of yellingwhen money changed hands. He had on all black with that ski mask rolled up on his head like a crown. When his eyes found me through the sliding doors, he gave that little smirk. The one that used to make me melt. Now it only made me nervous.
“Boo! Got your scary ass again,” Unique giggled, tossing glitter on my shoulders. “You good? You been off all night.”
“I’m good. Just tired and high. Too many edibles, probably,” I lied.
Those edibles wore off hours ago. But I couldn’t shake the way I kept hearing or seeing King’s name everywhere today while running errands. On a song that played when I walked into the liquor store. On a random post, someone tagged me in on social media. I had to blink fast to convince myself I imagined it.
The music bumped louder. Megan, Moneybagg, Glorilla, Gunna. Strippers in lace and latex danced around the living room while shots got poured in test tubes and fake syringes. A few folks popped out to the garage for a smoke-and-strip-spades game. Rome kept glancing at me from outside, chin lifting when he caught somebody talking too long in my ear. I stayed near my girls, sipping slowly, laughing when I could.
“Y’all remember when King threw that wild ass Halloween party?” Justine asked out of nowhere. “That man had a stripper dressed like Chucky poppin’ it on a damn casket-shaped table!”
I froze. Goosebumps slid down my spine.
“Girl,Iwas that stripper,” Asia shouted, grabbing theliquor bottle. “He tipped me in twenties and told me not to tell nobody. RIP that man. He knew how to throw a damn party.”
I laughed, but tears threatened to fall. That was the year he gave me an onyx bracelet. Just then, the light flickered out of nowhere and the Bluetooth speaker glitched.
“The fuck?” Justine mumbled.
