Page 22 of Definitely Not a Thing

I smirked.

Stepped closer –righton the line of probably too close – meeting her gaze as I told her in a low tone, “Onlybecause you said please.”

She gulped a little.

I saw it.

Iheardit.

Got her.

“Goodbye, Calvin.”

I straightened to full height to wave. “Bye Li-Li.”

She’d already started moving down the sidewalk, but looked back with a frown. “Li-Li? Don’t do that,” she laughed, then crossed the street.

Ass swaying in little peeks under the hem of her sweatshirt.

She is bad as fuck, man.

“That box-head nigga from upstairs gone fuck you up about that girl,” Arthur cackled, fromwaycloser than he’d been when I stopped paying attention to him. “You know that’s his lady, right?”

I sucked my teeth. “Nah, he fumbled her.”

“They ain’t done – they was together too long – I’m telling you,” Arthur warned. “And that boy got money.”

My face dropped into a frown as I turned to grab my ball. “So? I got money too.”

“The fuck you hanging around here for then?” he countered, and I sighed.

“Because this is home? It’s low-key, nobody bothers me for autographs and shit.”

“Cause don’t nobody know who you are.”

“They know who I am, be serious.”

“Shedon’t.”

Damn.

Okay.

He had me on that one.

“Don’t you have a list of maintenance requests you should be handling right now instead of bothering me?” I asked.

“I ain’t on the clock yet.”

“But you’re punched all the way in onmybusiness? That’s craaaazy,” I said, heading into the side door of the building.

With himrightbehind me.

“Somebody has to look in on you – make sure you’re not getting too comfortable.”

“What doesthatmean?” I asked, frowning as I stopped at the door to the stairs.

He shrugged. “I’ve seen a lot of cat get a little too comfortable sitting out. Start doing other shit – never make it back to the game. Look at Ambrose McNeil.”