Page 36 of Adonis Gates

“Aight,” I chuckled. “You can chill right here,” I pointed to the chair AP normally sat in or up front.”

“Right here is fine,” she said as she walked to the chair that was a short distance from my station.

My next appointment came in right after that, so I got him together quickly then Geri got in my chair. She asked for me to temp the sides and back as well as cut a design that she showed me in her phone into her shit.

“Have you talked to my sister?” she asked as I did my thing.

“Naw. I figured I’d give her time to breathe and clear her head. She went on vacation for a reason, so I’m gon’ give her the time she needs.”

“Mhm, well that’s sweet and all, but you know Jru. She’ll overthink herself out of something good if you let her.”

“I ain’t tryna chase her down while she tryna get her mind right. I respect her space.”

“Respect is good, but pressure is better.” She shrugged. “Sometimes a woman needs to know a man’s not just interested when it’s easy—she needs to see him show up when it’s not.”

My eyes found hers in the mirror, mine narrowing slightly. “So what you sayin’? I need to push up on her wherever she is or blow her shit up? That ain’t me, and I promised to give her time.”

“I’m not saying blow her up, bro, I’m saying remind her that you’re serious. A call. A text. Something. Let her know that you’re not just waiting for her to figure it out—let her see that you’re willing to fight with and for her.”

My brows furrowed at her verbiage, and I didn’t miss the emphasis she kept putting on word fight. “With and for her? Everything straight with her?”

“She’s fine,” she assured me. “She just needs assurance and reassurance sometimes. I know how you feel about my sister and how she feels about you. No sense in waiting or wasting any more time.”

I allowed her words to process for a second. I wanted Jru.Bad.But I didn’t want to crowd her. She’d been with that fuck nigga for a while, and I knew she needed time to get past that shit. I wanted her to have the shit because when it was my time, I didn’t want to hear shit about him or what happened with them. I wanted her undivided attention.

“Speaking of…” she said, jarring me from my thoughts. “She’s calling me now.” She swiped her thumb across the screen to answer the FaceTime call from her sister, and a nigga’s heart skipped a beat when Jru’s pretty ass face appeared in the screen. “Hey, sis, look who I’m with.”

She lifted the phone screen so that Jru could see me.

“Gerica, I look a mess!” she screeched, hurrying to turn her camera off.

I laughed and took the phone from her sister. “Naw, turn that shit back on.”

“No,” she said and giggled. “I just woke up from a nap.”

“I know. I wanna see you on the wake up, beautiful.”

“What are you and Geri doing together? Where are you?” she asked instead of doing what I said.

“I cut my hair off.” Geri answered, taking her phone back at the same time to show her.

Jru gasped. “Gerica, what the hell? When did you do that? And why?”

Geri shrugged. “I just wanted something new. You don’t like it?”

“No, I do,” she quickly answered. “I just can’t believe you did it.”

“Me either.” Geri grinned. “I’ll take pictures and stuff to send to you when Don is done.”

“Okay. I know it’s going to look good.”

“Duh because it’s me.” Geri replied and we all laughed.

“When you comin’ home, Jru?” I asked. “Or is that a secret like your location?”

“No, smarty pants, it’s not.” She chuckled. “I’ll be home tomorrow.”

“Let me pick you up from the airport.”