by A'zayler
I nodded at BB. “He straight?”
“No, but he refuses to leave.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m only giving him a few more minutes before we leave. I would have been left, but I don’t want to leave Azayna out here by herself like that.”
“Shitting me. Leave her ass. She’s good. Go take my boy to the hospital.”
“Nah,” BB interrupted our plans. “Them young niggas on some hot shit. They ain’t gon’ buss if I’m out here.”
I looked back at Jigga and the rest of our people before looking back at BB. “Nah, they straight. I’ll keep it down.”
BB smiled, even chuckled a tad. “Nigga, who you think you talking to right now? You worse than all of them put together.”
Zebrina laughed with him while I just smiled. “Not if you don’t want me to be. You know I’ve been chilling these last few months.”
That was facts. Ever since my encounter with death and the weird things I’d endured in the midst of it, I’d been trying my best to calm down and change my life for the better. I wasn’t quite sure what I’d gone through or whether or not it was God, but I did know that it had scared me. You could literally be here one minute and gone the next. To make matters worse, I still didn’t know who’d done it, so I was doing my best to be extra careful.
“I’ma chill for a few more minutes. I need to holla at you about something later, though, so hit me when you get a free minute to talk.” Obviously, BB still felt the need to stay close by.
“Bet. Y’all need me to do anything?”
BB shook his head, but Zebrina nodded. “Can you take Azayna home when she’s ready? I’m about to use her truck to take B to the hospital.”
Now, why was she trying me? I was frowning like hell as soon as she said that. Azayna and I hadn’t talked since I accused her of setting me up five months ago. She’d pulled out and left me in Georgia with my sister and hadn’t looked back once. I was mad as hell at first, but I really couldn’t fault her. She was right to have left me. I’d considered apologizing a bunch of times, but my pride wouldn’t let me.
I’d called her twice after she left, and she ignored both calls. So, I just assumed I’d see her around, but she had plans for my ass. I hadn’t seen her since that day. I guess her staying out of the streets didn’t put us in each other’s daily circle anymore. I appreciated the fact that she hadn’t gone back to selling her ass, but I was still mad at her for blowing me off.
“Wasn’t she just over here with that lame ass nigga Blue? Why he can’t take her home?” I snapped before I knew it.
When I’d seen that fool running up on her, touching her stomach and shit like he was familiar with her, it made my blood boil. Blue was a Crip that I knew for a fact rolled with that nigga Pat, so I was sold on him fucking her. They were probably around each other all the time, and that shit irritated the fuck out of me. I wasn’t sure if they were officially together or not, but they sure as hell weren’t just friends. There was nothing friendly about the way he was touching my fucking baby.
“I’m sure he would if I asked him, but I didn’t. I asked you,” Zebrina got me together polite as hell. “If it’s too much to ask, I’ll get with him to see if he’s free.”
I cut my eyes at her, and she stared right back at me. Didn’t waver beneath my stare once. BB had really rubbed off on that girl. I knew he agreed when I heard him laugh.
“Get his ass, baby.”
I reached over the side of the truck and playfully hit that nigga’s arm. “I’ll take her, but only because you asked me to.”
“Use whatever excuse you need to in order to make yourself feel better. Just make sure she gets home safely.” Zebrina plastered a large smile across her face like she’d just won.
“I can’t fuck with y’all, man.” I laughed. “Come on, let me help you get B in the truck.”
Zebrina nodded and began moving around, making sure to be extra careful with BB. It didn’t take us too long to get him into the passenger side of the truck and comfortable enough for her to drive away. While I’d been situating him, she’d called Azayna to make sure all of the details of her plan were okay. Instead of just staying on the phone, she had to bring her happy go lucky ass over to where we were.
I looked her up and down as I stood to the side. Like they’d been doing every other time I’d looked at her that day, my eyes went to her stomach. I wanted to touch it so bad. It was small but very visible, and it had my son in there. After I’d come down off my own psychotic ass high and thinking she’d set me up, I’d wanted to reach out and ask about the baby.
I hadn’t known if she’d kept it or what had become of her whole pregnancy announcement but seeing her like this made me respect her even more. With or without me, she was making shit happen, and it made me see her in a different light.
“Okay, he better not leave me, though.” Azayna looked at me as she spoke to Zebrina through the driver side window of her own truck.
She was standing on the pipes on the side of the truck while holding onto the door. I hated how careless she was being with falling and hurting herself, but she’d gotten this far in her pregnancy without me or my concern, so I kept my mouth shut.
“I’m not.”
Her eyes squinted in a sexy, quizzical kind of way as she watched me. She didn’t look angry or like she disagreed with me giving her a ride home, so I tried my best to drop my attitude as well.
“Get down before you fall.”
Azayna looked down at herself balancing on the truck then back over at me.
“You smashing your stomach all into the side of the door.”
After that, she and Zebrina both looked at me. Zebrina was smiling, while Azayna’s face remained calm and unreadable. Seconds later, she let go of the side of the truck and jumped back.
“Azayna!”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Zebrina and I both yelled at her.
Zebrina had the door open so she could see her, while I’d rushed to catch her and still had her in my arms.
“This shit ain’t fucking funny. You play too much,” I fussed as I felt her belly shaking from laughter.
She had clearly found humor in Zebrina’s and my concern.
“Let me go see about my man because your son’s mom is trying to kill me.” Zebrina shook her head and closed the door.
“She plays too much. If my baby’s umbilical cord disconnects from her, I’m shooting her immature ass.”
What the fuck had come over me, claiming her baby? Maybe it was because I’d believed her all along and was afraid to acknowledge it, or maybe it was actually feeling the hardness from her belly when I’d grabbed her. Hell, it might have just been the fact that I’d missed the feeling I got by just being able to be that close to her. Shit, I honestly didn’t care which one it was, or if it was all of them. I wanted her.
“Brina, can’t it get wrapped around his neck or some shit like that?”
Zebrina looked at me with water in her eyes and nodded hard. Oh Lord, here she went with her crying ass. A nigga couldn’t even show genuine interest in his kid’s well-being without her getting worked up and shit. I smirked at Zebrina and looked at Azayna, who was still resting comfortably in my arms.
“Can you be your ass still for the rest of the day, please?”
Her smile was big and extra giddy as she nodded up at me.
I pecked her forehead while simultaneously picking up her E necklace. “I see you recognize what’s real. Don’t forget you mine.”
“Why not? You forgot?”
“Nah, I ain’t forget that. I just forgot my common sense.”
“Aww, I wish I could stay and watch y’all make up, but I need to go. Can y’all move?” Zebrina cranked up, and I backed us out of the way.
Once they pulled out, and we were alone, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to say, but I knew I ain’t want to let her go just yet. It was a good thing God made her more of a talker than me.
“How long you plan on being out here?”
/>
“Not long, so don’t get comfortable.”
“I won’t. I’ll be over here by the girls.”
I turned my nose up. “Why you still keeping that kind of company?”
She shrugged and stepped away from me. “They’re my friends. Just call me when you’re ready to go.”
She waved and walked away. My eyes were glued to the way her ass shook in her dress. Ain’t no way she had on no panties with it moving like that. To distract myself, I walked back over to my niggas. Jigga spoke first with his young, retarded ass.
“That’s you?”
I played dumb like I always did because I didn’t do niggas in my business. “Who?” I knew exactly who he was talking about.
“The girl with the red dreads.”
“Why?”
He smiled mischievously. “Just trying to see before I try her.”
My attitude soured as soon as I heard him. I hated when niggas said and did dumb stuff. If he’d just seen me touching up on her, talking, and stuff, he had to know what was up whether I said it or not. Since the nigga wanted to play dumb, and I dared him to try me, I didn’t even bother to answer. Instead, I looked past him and at all the rest of the niggas.
“We gon’ chill out here for another few minutes so I can drop this money at the raffle, then we can dip if y’all want to.”
There was an array of responses as I posted up on the car they were all around. Seated on the hood, I had the perfect view of the park. All of the niggas who loved to wear blue were conveniently posted near the deejay booth where all of Master’s women were.
Something about that nigga Master hadn’t been sitting right with me, but BB had given strict instructions for me to leave it alone for now, so I would. The moment he said otherwise, that nigga was kissing the dirt.
If for no other reason, he had to die because Azayna loved his snake ass too much, and I didn’t like that. I was the only person she needed to be loving on. If I could just get her to act right, then I’d be straight. She was over there right then talking to some lame ass nigga. He was all in her face smiling and shit, and she was right there, eating it up. I stood away as long as I could before my trigger finger started itching.
I was across the field and in her space before I could talk myself out of doing something that dumb. I didn’t even bother respecting her space. My arm slid around her neck smoothly, while I pulled her ear to my mouth.
“Tell that nigga you mine.”
Even with my eyes not being directly on her, I could see her smiling.
“I already did,” she responded.
I looked up and made eye contact with that square ass dude. “Tell him again.” This time, I looked at him while I spoke.
“I’m already taken.” Her words were music to my ears.
Luckily, for him, he held his hands up in mock surrender and retreated. I watched him walk away before doing a quick scan of the women who were standing around her and watching.
“Don’t make me shut this shit down.” I pecked her ear again and walked away.
Versus going to where my homies had been standing all day, I walked to the far end of the park and headed for the trees. I needed to take a piss something terrible, and I wasn’t about to use none of that public shit that had been for everybody. Even with the park being as crowded as it was, the parking lot was somewhat empty. At least empty enough for me to pull my joint out right quick without being seen.
I was still holding my dick when my phone vibrated. Since it had only vibrated once, it must have been a text, so I didn’t rush to check it. I’d rather watch my back instead. Getting my car shot up wasn’t anything to take lightly. I’d been on the edge since it happened, and the paranoia was irritating as hell, but it was better to be that than dead.
Azayna: I asked you nicely not to leave me
Egypt: And I told your ass nicely that I wouldn’t
Azayna: Why you go to the parking lot then?
I shook my head. Suspicious ass.
Egypt: Come see
When she didn’t text back, I instantly began to look for her. I was more than positive that she was on her way. I didn’t know her that well, but I’d learned her enough to know that she stayed on a nigga like white on rice. If I told her to come to me, then nine times out of the ten, she was well on her way. I stood in the same spot looking around for her.
I proved myself right when I spotted her standing near the front of the street looking around all of the cars, obviously looking for me. Yelling her name popped into my mind, but I ended up not having to. Her head was down, but I could tell she was walking toward me. I kept eyes on her until she got close.
“Happy now?”
She looked all around before nodding. “Yes, I just wanted to make sure you were keeping your word.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged and grabbed the front of my vest. “You been different since the shooting. You might have said one thing and did another.”
I stood with my hands in my pocket as she held on to the bulletproof material covering my chest.
“How you know I’ve been different? You ain’t been fucking with me.”
“That doesn’t mean I haven’t been keeping up with you.”
It felt good to know that she’d been thinking about me the way I’d been thinking about her. The past couple of months had been hard for me. On top of trying to heal and piece together who’d shot me, doing it all without the comfort I’d become dependent upon from her had been hell. Some nights got so bad that I would literally drive past her apartment and contemplate knocking on her door. She’d awakened the emptiness in me that had gone too long without attention. Now that I’d begun to feed it again, I felt close to death without it.
She took a step closer to me and touched my bottom lip with the pad of her pointer finger. “I missed you.”
“I miss you still.” I palmed one side of her butt and pulled her closer to me. “You still ain’t with me the way I need you to be.”
Azayna smiled and wrapped both of her arms around my waist. She held us as close as her stomach would allow and smiled.
“I can feel your gun.” She pecked my mouth.
“Which one?”
She patted the Glock I had in the band of my jeans. “This one.” She sighed. “You should feel my panties.” Her head shook. “My addiction to you and all of this thug shit is so real.”
I chuckled some. “They must be wet?”
“You know they are.”
I looked into her pretty brown eyes and thought about all of the stuff I’d wanted to say since she’d been away. None of it seemed that important anymore. There was only one thing that I could think to say, and she probably wasn’t going to want to hear it, but I needed to.
“You wouldn’t set me up, would you?”
Her arms dropped from my waist, and she stepped back. It wasn’t even a whole minute that she stood there watching me before she walked away. I was stuck in place for a minute, not knowing whether or not to chase her, but the fact that life could be here one minute and gone the next had me running after her.
“I’m sorry. Don’t run off.” I held her hand in mine.
“I’m not going to be around you if you’re going to think like that about me,” she spoke without turning around.
I grabbed my head with my free hand and exhaled. My mind flashed back to when I was in the hospital and all of the things that occurred. Seeing her crying face in my head and hearing her agonized cries in my ear drowned out the quiet voice in my head telling me not to believe her.
“Turn around.” When she did, I made eye contact and held it. “You love me, don’t you?”
Her eyes got wet, but she kept it G and held her tears in. We waited heavily in silence before she finally nodded. As if her admission took away all self-restraint, the water in her eyes fell.
“I’m not ready for you to die, Egypt.” She shook her head and wiped at her eyes. “There’s no way I’d
help someone do that to you, I’d be killing my own self if I did.”
The words ready and die took me back to the hospital. Those words were a part of a very serious question that had helped determine the way I’d been thinking and moving since coming home. I’d known for sure from that day, that I was definitely not ready for the end of my world to come, so I’d been trying to be smarter about shit, including my relationship with her. I hadn’t told her, but I’d been thinking about us real heavy.
“We never got to finish our date.” I smiled to lighten her mood. “I owe you one.”
“You owe me a lot.” She sniffed and rubbed her hand on her dress. “You’ve missed darn near my whole pregnancy. BB’s been more of a daddy than you.”
“I’m sorry.” I grabbed her hand. “Tell me what I have to do to make it up to you.”
Azayna’s eyes rolled away from me as she twirled her lips in a circle. I picked up one of her long locs while I waited for her to come up with whatever she was about to say. My eyes scanned her skin, face, and neck. Everything about her seemed to be so fresh. I guess without selling all that ass she was able to cleanse and give her body time to rejuvenate.
I licked my lips when my eyes stopped on her titties. They were sitting right as hell, so right that I did some dumb shit that had her clocking my ass as soon as I did it.
“Why would you do that?” she hit me again after she’d pulled her dress back up to cover herself again.
I was laughing and dodging her hits. “I just wanted to see them.”
“You gon’ let everybody out here see them, doing that dumb shit.” She fumed while making sure her dress was back upright on her.
I laughed while I watched her shake her head at me. “Man, tell me what I got to do to make it up to you before I change my mind. You taking all day.”
“Propose to me.”
I smirked. What the hell? She was tripping if she thought I was about to marry her. Well, right then anyway. Marriage had been one of the main things that had been on my mind since I’d been away from her. All the months I spent alone was different than they had been before. I usually would have been okay just spending time with my niggas, but without her, that didn’t even feel right.
