Page 22 of If I Gave You My Heart
"Aww, you care," I teased him.
"Shut the fuck up, bruh."
I decided to leave out the part where we both could have been shot to death. I figured I would leave that talk for in person.
"Be smooth, bruh, and have fun," I said before ending the line.
Smooth and I had separated the money for Dom, and I had placed it in an envelope for him. When we left the storage unit, the sun was rising.
"Let me know when the next one is, bro."
I just gave Smooth a look. Ain't no way in hell I would ever let him go on a run with me. I hated nervous people, and I'm sure that if you googled the word that his fat-ass picture would pop up. He hopped in his car, and then I jumped in mine.
It took me less than twenty minutes to get to the house. I went into Dom's room, placed the envelope on the dresser under his television, and then headed to my room.
I was so damn tired I didn't even bother to wash my ass. I had this date night planned in my head. I just hoped that Nyoka would go for it. I had been distant over the past couple of weeks, but I definitely had good reason for it. With everything in my savings, I had enough to put down on a house and start my landscaping business. I felt overwhelmed with everything that I had coming up, but I couldn't complain about how much was on my plate when the goal was to eat.
I lay on my bed and thought about Nyoka. I wondered how she couldn't sleep the last time she was over. My bed was comfortable as shit. I guess it was the simple fact that she was lying in a stranger's bed. I set my alarm for a couple of hours so that I could get the rest I needed to enjoy the evening with Nyoka if she accepted. I had to take my ass down to T-Mobile and finally turn my phone on. I dozed off to sleep with a smile because it felt good to be back.
Nyoka
Being in a big-ass empty house while Talia took her little vacation with Dom had my nerves frazzled. I kept checking out the windows with every bit of noise that I heard. Big houses made the weirdest noises when the house was still, which I was still getting used to. I was happy that Talia was going away, though. She and Dom had a nice little thing going, and it was cute to see her smitten over his ass. When Adonis had first texted me, it was from an iCloud email address, and right there, I was ready to block his ass. I didn't pry on why he didn't text me from a number, but he later explained that he didn't see the sense of having a monthly expense that he barely used. He was frugal, and I loved that about him. Our FaceTime conversations and text message sessions over the past few weeks definitely made me like him.
I had caught myself rushing to my phone whenever a notification went off, or my Apple watch vibrated. It had been five days, and I hadn't heard from him. I wasn't the clingy type, and although I did like him, I wasn't going to show him that shit.
I had dipped my chip in some salsa as I lay cuddled up on the sofa watchingAmerican Horror Story. The simple fact that I was still walking around with a bounty on my head made me want to reach out to one of the only people I trusted associated with The Heart Mirage. I needed to know the bounty's price on my head. If I had that amount tucked away somewhere, I was willing to make a payment to the head of the organization to dissolve the bounty placed on me. I made a mental note to reach out to Bombshell. She was an Asian chick that specialized in bombs and also the only one I had trusted from the organization.
I had done a great job with lying low thus far, and the reason for that is that I didn't have anything in my name. The phone that I was using was under an alias, and although I did want my own place, I wasn't about to use this alias again, and I damn sure wasn't about to put a place in my name. No one in the Heart Mirage knew Talia was my family, and I loved that for me.
I was three episodes in and in the middle of my chip bag when my phone had chimed. It was a random number that sent a text message.
Hey, pretty lady.
I stared at the number for a while because it wasn't a Georgia or New York area code. I didn't know who the fuck it was, and considering that I had just gotten this phone after I made the move, no one had this number. I googled the 662 area code and saw that it belonged to the northern half of Mississippi.
The corners of my mouth turned upward when I thought of it being him. Before I could text back, I had an incoming FaceTime call from that same number. I snatched my bonnet off and quickly slid the bar to the right to answer. My natural hair was cut into a bob and fell on my shoulders.
When the screen cleared, I saw Adonis in his car with the phone in his lap.
"New number. Who is this?" I asked as soon as the phone connected.
"Yeah, something like that," Adonis replied with a smile.
The way the sun hit his face made his brown eyes look a shade lighter, which made me smile. God took his time when he made him.
"Whatchu doing?" he asked as he looked down into the camera.
"Eyes on the road, Mr. Loving, and nothing being a bum and watchingAmerican Horror Story."
"You busy today?" he asked.
"Nope…"
"Let me spend some time with you, then. I got two places I wanna take you, but they are by my way, so can you meet me at the crib, or do you want me to come and get you?"
I always preferred to take my car anywhere because when I was ready to leave, that was what I was going to do.
"I'll meet you at your house," I stated as I flipped the plush blanket off my frame.
