Page 24

"Surprisingly, it isn't awkward between us. I think we've both missed each other so much.”

"See, I told you.”

Britain rolled her eyes, not liking the fact that he was right constantly. "Whatever," she said, waving him off.

"I'll call your hating ass later. I gotta get ready," he chuckled.

Britain nodded her head. "Love you," she expressed to him with a smile on her face.

"Love you too," he professed before they both said their goodbyes to each other.

As Priest continued with his cut, in came J'Ru through the thick steel doors of the elevator. He was fitted in an all-black dress suit, along with some slacks. His feet were adorned with a pair of Italian leather loafers. As always, his hair was braided back nicely, and his beard was lined up to perfection.

"Something told me your sensitive light-skinned ass wasn't going to be ready," J'Ru scoffed as he went into the kitchen to help himself to whatever he could find. Talia always had somepremade meals in the fridge as a convenience for Jazzy and Priest, who were always busy running around in the city.

"The only motherfucka who can come in my shit and insult me," Priest huffed jokingly, causing J'Ru to laugh.

"Can't forget about your mother, Priest," he reminded him.Priest lifted his hand, sticking the middle finger up at J'Ru. "Fuck you too, nigga!" J'Ru retorted, causing more laughter.

Right when Priest's barber was wrapping up his cut and dusting the clipped hairs off his neck, in came Kaymen. "Typical. You’re running late," Kaymen observed, pointing at Priest. "And you always fucking eating," he said and then pointed at J'Ru who had already retrieved his food from the microwave.

"And you always fucking being a tight ass," J'Ru retorted with his mouth full.

Priest laughed as he stood up from the chair, now with the cape off. "Could y'all chill?" he asked his two friends before thanking his barber and paying him a hefty fee for the impromptu appointment. Priest's barber made his way out after gathering his things, leaving the men the privacy to speak freely.

"Good looks for giving ya spot away at the Hamptons. J needs to be as far away from this shit as possible," Kaymen expressed his gratitude to Priest as he claimed a seat on the couch.

Priest nodded his head, agreeing with Kaymen. "It's nothing, man," he assured. "Britain's hardheaded ass would have made it her will to give me hell today."

"I heard she be checking your ass," J'Ru cackled obnoxiously. "Shorty got you walking around with your head down and shit."

"Do you ever shut the fuck up? Damn," Priest scoffed as he side-eyed J'Ru, who was now shamelessly stuffing his face with the stuffed chicken breast and rice Talia stored in the fridge.

"If you embarrassed because your shorty be putting you in time out, just say that. I ain't gone judge you," J'Ru continuedto tease Priest, causing Kaymen to laugh. Kaymen had witnessed Britain going off on Priest firsthand. She wasn't necessarily controlling or anything, but she was the first person he had ever seen Priest not match fire with fire against. Just like he himself had found his match with Jadey, Priest had found his match with Britain.

Instead of responding to J'Ru's infantile ways, Priest simply shot him another middle finger before going off to get dressed.

Priest put on the tailored suit with ease, being sure to accessorize the navy-blue color of the suit with his platinum, diamond drenched watch and chain. He stood in the mirror eying himself. Like any other time when he was about to face a mass of cameras and be front and center of it all, Priest prepped himself. His rugged yet tender hands smoothed down the steamed material of his suit as he let out a breath. "Priest Kanaz Justice," he reminded himself.

Reciting a quick and routine prayer, Priest waded out of his bedroom to meet J'Ru and Kaymen in the living room. Upon his arrival in the living room, Kaymen and J'Ru rose from their seats and began making their way toward the elevator to go down to the parking garage.

"I can't believe we let this bitch win," J'Ru huffed, not at all happy about the fact that he was about to stand through an acceptance speech from Leila, who truly didn't deserve to be the mayor of the people she failed to look out for. J'Ru didn't think she needed to be die-hard pro black, but for her to be a sista, she was far too disconnected from her roots, and it was evident.

She lacked black representation in everything she did, from her awkward-looking Caucasian husband down to the people she hired to work alongside her in City Hall. There was a sea of white folks in there, and none of them gave a fuck about the heart of the community. They all had different plans to gentrify the local blocks and raise the prices of rent. Leila’sadministration was more focused on beautifying the area than the struggle of those who lived there. They didn’t care that gentrifying the community would make it unaffordable to those who had lived there for years, forcing them out of their homes, and that just didn’t sit right with J’Ru at all. He was trying to be a team player, but damn, it was hard.Priest sighed, preparing to hear J'Ru's long spill listing all the reasons Leila didn't deserve her title. Priest definitely agreed with J'Ru, but he had to see the bigger picture.

Tossing his arm around J'Ru's shoulder, Priest exited the elevator alongside him and Kaymen. "Don't think about right now. Think about the future," he advised J'Ru.

"That's real fucking hard when we about to ruin the future for a lot of folks." J'Ru shook his head. "C'mon, Kay. Tell this nigga that this shit was a bad idea." He turned to Kaymen, hoping he would agree with him.

Kaymen shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Too late, Ru. We got way too much riding on today. If we let this moment slip, it'll be hard to get another perfect opportunity. This is only temporary. Stop tripping."

J'Ru scoffed. "Niggas in the hood gone think we coons," he muttered as he climbed into the vehicle that Cyro had waiting for them.

Priest smacked his lips. "The hood know how we rocking," Priest dismissed the suggestion after thanking Cyro for being on point with his timing. "After today, our problems are over," Priest declared as he leaned back in the plush leather seats.

J'Ru decided to keep his forward, blunt thoughts to himself. He didn't want to seem pessimistic. He figured he'd said more than enough over these past couple of days.

"What got you so tight?" Priest asked J'Ru, noticing the scowl on his face.