Page 37 of If I Gave You My Heart
Her ass came prepared like a muthafucka,I thought to myself as we cheered, and then both took a sip. The insides of my cheeks tingled from the bitter taste.
"Don't say nothing to Nyoka about this with ya big-mouthed ass. I wanna surprise her for Christmas."
I had a lot of shit on my to-do list. I wanted to have the place fully furnished before even showing Nyoka where I wanted her to live.
"Aw, that is so cute! Tell your cousin to get some romance with him. He got my ass, and now he done fell off with keeping me, but that is a story for another time. Here go your keys, Mr. Loving. Enjoy and create joyous memories in your new home." Talia slid my keys across the granite kitchen island counter. She placed her cup into my deep farmhouse-styled sink. The sound of her heels sounded against the stormy gray hardwood flooring as she made her exit.
When I heard my front door shut, I kicked my Timberland boots off and then hopped my ass on top of the island counter, pulled my phone out of my pocket, and then FaceTimed Javier.
"Aye, bruh, what's up?" he answered on the second ring.
"Where's Joy at, hoe ass nigga?"
"Boy, I'm right here. You better mind that mouth." I could see Joy peeking her round face into the frame.
"I'm sorry, gang, but look, check this out, old lady." I raised the phone above my head so she could see what I was standing on.
"Who countertop you got ya stankin' ass feet on?"
"Ooooh, Joy cursing 'round this mug," Javier joked.
"Mine," I declared with a big ol' grin.
"Yours?" they yelled in unison.
"Un-huh." My ass started moonwalking.
"You better stop before you fall off that counter," Joy warned.
"Do I got a room, bro?" Javier asked in an excited tone.
"Everyone does."
I had finally done something in life that could make my little brother proud, and that made a nigga feel good as shit.
"I'm proud of you, baby," Joy expressed.
I couldn't do shit but smile. I did my big one by pulling this shit off and pleasing them had me feeling like the shit for real.
"Aight y'all let me go. I got a lot to do now that ya boy is a homeowner."
They both laughed before telling me they loved me and ending the line.
My family was pleased with me, so now I had to get the same stamp of approval from my girl. After all, Nyoka had been helping me for the past two months to better my credit, and because of that, my down payment wasn't as high. Nyoka had been bettering a nigga, and it was scary as fuck, but I loved it. She was showing me a side of life that I had never had before. I couldn't wait for her to see how I was gonna have this crib decked out by Christmas. I was lowkey geeked about telling Nyoka. I could see us building like a muthafucka under my roof. I wanted this to be her roof, kitchen, and bedroom too. I couldn't wait to furnish that room and then fuck her all over that bitch. I couldn't wait to ask her to move in. I just prayed that her skeptical, emotionless ass was with it.
I hopped down from the counter and then propped the phone up on the mosaic-tiled backsplash. I set a timer and took a couple of pictures sitting on the island counter. I had left small-ass Lima and made shit happen in a whole different state. I was muthafucking proud of myself. I needed the city to see that Drayko was moving in silence for months for this very moment. I was done being humble. I posted two pictures to my Facebook account with the captionNew beginnings… talk to me nice.
After posting, I logged out because I already knew that I was about to break the damn internet and get a shitload of comments and likes. Although I kept in contact with some people when I left the city, nobody knew where I had gone. I was a ghost for seven months, but now I was back. I was back on my bullshit. I felt like I was back on top, and the shit felt great.
Nyoka
December in Georgia was nothing like experiencing a winter in New York. Snowflakes fell from the sky as Adonis maneuvered his car onto the highway. One thing he was going to do was push that v8 to the limit. As soon as the flakes touched the ground outside, they disappeared. It was no fun in that. Christmas, to me, was always the most beautiful when there was snow to add to the beauty of the holiday.
"Where are we going?" I asked for what had to be the fifteenth time.
"Chill out."
I looked over and saw his high cheekbones were raised with his smile. Adonis was excited, and it was rare to see because not much moved him. I already knew what had him so geeked because Talia couldn't hold damn water. I was surprised she never blabbed about how I was an assassin. I think Talia knew that kind of information was some life-or-death shit, so she was able to keep those big-ass lips sealed.
