Page 7

nariah

. . .

What you in here getting all dolled up for?” My mama asked.

“I got a date tonight.”

“With who girl? I didn’t know you were dating.”

“That’s because I’m not.” I giggled.

“Then who is this date with?” She wondered.

Dropping the beauty blender, I turned around in my seat. “Some guy I met at the club.”

“At the club!” She yelped.

“It’s nothing like that.” I held my hand out cause she was about to get real dramatic. I had told her all about Chucky and how he kept hitting on me, so she was probably thinking it was him. I wouldn’t be caught at the 7-Eleven with Chucky greasy ass. “His name is Julius. He’s a rapper.”

“Oh okay.” She sang. “Does he have money? Cause we don’t do struggling artist over here.” She joked.

“He got a lil bit.”

“Well, good. Where are the two of you going?”

“TWO Urban Licks.” I knew Julius was persistent, but I did not expect him to text me hours after I’d left him at the club with a dinner reservation. How he was even able to secure one at that time of the night was puzzling to me. But he had and therefore tonight he and I were going out.

“I love their salt and pepper calamari.”

“So do I.”

“Back to this little date. How’d he get you to agree?”

I’m glad my mama knew me well enough to know that I didn’t give niggas the time of day. Again, it wasn’t because of a bad relationship I just didn’t have the time. “He’s persistent.” I giggled. “Him being handsome didn’t hurt.”

“You got a picture?”

“I can find one.” Swiping my cellphone, I unplugged it and searched for the internet for a picture of him. Selecting a good one I held the phone out.

“He is cute Nariah.”

“I know. Charming as hell too.”

“Most of them are.” Getting up from the bed she passed the phone back. “Is he coming to pick you up?”

“No ma’am. I don’t know that boy to be giving out my address. I’m going to meet him.”

“Mama taught you well. I hope you kids have a good time.”

“We better cause this is the only time I’m going to go out with him.”

“As cute as that boy is I doubt that.” She winked her eye and left the room.

Going back to what I was doing I finished my makeup and pulled the rollers out of my hair.

I didn’t want to look like I was going all out for the date, so I decided to keep it simple by throwing on a pair of light denim jeans with the rips at the knee, a plain white baby tee, and my pink Giuseppe Zanotti Cruel Summer heels.

After grabbing my denim jacket out of the closet I hit the lights, said bye to my mama, and left the house.

The restaurant was twenty minutes away from my house so forty-five with traffic and I wasn’t a late person, so I was leaving an hour early.

Right as I was pulling up to the restaurant my phone started to ring. When I glanced down at it, I smiled. “I didn’t stand you up.” I clarified once the call connected.

“I wasn’t worried ‘bout that shit. I saw you pulling in. Bring your car to the valet stand.”

I glanced around trying to see if I could spot Julius, but he looked to be nowhere in sight. “Where are you?”

“You’ll see me when you pull your ass up over here.”

“Ugh bye.” I ended the call and drove to the front of the restaurant. Before I had the chance to open my door Julius was pulling it open.

“Hand me your keys.” He demanded.”

“Excuse you.”

“Hey Nariah.” He smirked and leaned in to snatch my keys out of the ignition.

After passing them off to somebody behind him he held his hand out. I looked at it a few seconds before letting him assist me with getting out. As soon as I was upright, he placed his hand in the small of my back and ushered me inside of the restaurant.

“Julius.” I stammered, having noticed the bouquet of roses sitting on the table beside a green gift bag.

“Have a seat.” He emitted after pulling my chair out.

Swiping my tongue across my lip I placed my bag down in the chair next to me and sat down.

Julius walked around the table and sat directly in front of me. “Ma Dukes told me not to show up empty handed so I hope you like what I picked up.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything but I’m appreciative. I’m more curious as to how you pulled this off in such little time?” Not only did Julius get us a reservation but we also had a private room. Not gone lie I was impressed.

“My manager knows the owner.”

“Impressive.”

“Impressed enough to give me another date.”

“Boy please.” I tittered.

The server assigned to us came over to the table to take our drink orders and since I wasn’t of legal drinking age I ordered water and my appetizer. Julius ordered a shot of Hennessey.

“So.” I brought my hands together and sat them on the table. “Why are you interested in me?”

“Keeping it a stack Nariah, I can’t even tell you cause yo lil ass ain’t did shit but give me yo ass to kiss since I first met you.”

I pointed at my chest. “I gave you my ass to kiss?”

“Hell yeah. Like you wasn’t feeling a nigga.”

“I’m not. I think you’re handsome, but Julius I am young.”

“How young? What you like twenty or something?”

“Uh try eighteen.”

“Got damn Nariah.” He howled. “Ain’t no way you eighteen, Nariah.”

“I am. I can show you my driver’s license.”

“How the fuck you get on at Stax? Yo ass not supposed to be handling liquor and shit.”

“Chucky breaks a lot of rules.” I shrugged. “That’s part of the reason I kind of don’t say shit to him ‘cause I’m really not supposed to be there.”

“That’s fucked up yo.”

“What is?”

“That nigga got you in there in grown niggas faces with ya body and shit on display.”

“Julius, I’m shapely. Niggas stare at my body even when I’m fully clothed.”

“That don’t mean a fucking thing. Yeah, you gone have to quit that shit when we get serious.”

Tossing my head back I laughed. Clearly, I was frustrating him cause his brows had pitched a tent in the middle of his forehead. “Fuck you laughing for?”

“We are not getting serious.”

“You thought we wasn’t.”

“Anyways, how old are you.”

“How old do I look?”

“To be honest we look around the same age”

“Cap! I’m twenty-two.”

“Too old for me.”

“Fuck out of here.” He waved me off. “What you do besides work at Stax?”

“I’m in college?”

“You go to school?” He asked perplexedly.

Our drinks and the appetizer being lowered to the table put a temporary halt in our conversation. Once the server walked away, I asked. “You thought I was a dummy? Or did you think I was like the rest of the hoes at the club?”

“What you mean by that?”

“You thought I was working there so I can get chose or something?”

“Nawl never that.” He refuted. “I ain’t know what to think to be honest.”

“So why me? Out of all the girls that stepped into your section that night why you seek me out?”

Julius leaned back in his chair and stared at me. At first, I was giving him direct eye contact but when he didn’t blink, I started feeling like this was too much. Shifting in my seat I cleared my throat. “Julius.”

“Honestly, it was your smile.”

“That’s corny as hell.” I joked. Really it was kind of cute, but I wouldn’t dare tell him that.

He held his hands up palm side out. “I’m being honest. When you smiled at me, I swear that shit lit up the fucking room. It was something alluring about the way your eyes were damn near hidden behind your cheeks.”

I didn’t want to but I blushed, so hard to the point where I had no choice but to drop my head to keep him from noticing it.

“I know that shit may seem corny to you but wasn’t nothing corny ‘bout the way your smile made me feel.”

“Julius.” I breathed. “You just signed your first record deal. When your first album drops, hell the first song, you are going to blow up. Where you’re headed in life is not a place that I want to be in.

Me working at Stax is a means to an end for me. Once I finish school and get my degree, I plan on moving away. I don’t think I’m equipped to live the fast life.”

“How you know what you’re equipped to do until you give it a shot?” He probed. “People see the front side of this lifestyle not realizing the things it takes in the background to maintain it.”

“I hear you but still.”

“Ain’t no but still, Nariah.”

“I’m telling you what comes along with your job isn’t for me. The girls, the late nights, the partying, the flying here to there. I don’t want that for myself. Moreover, I don’t want to get myself tangled up in everything that you have going on and lose sight of who I am and what my purpose is.”

“Who says I’ll let you?”

“It’s not a matter of you letting me do anything. It’s inevitable. If I say okay to being with you, you mean to tell me you’ll be okay with me not being able to jump up and travel to where you are— or hell go with you?”

“If I know you got other obligations, Nariah then of course I’ll be okay.”

“You won’t.” I shook my head. Slamming my eyes shut I sucked in a deep breath and pushed it out. “You say that now until the time comes.”

“I ain’t talking just to hear myself talk though, Nariah.” He said, trying to convince me that I was wrong. I knew I wasn’t, that’s why I didn’t date anybody in the industry. Rappers, athletes, all of them were pretty much the same.

Julius wasn’t the first “celebrity” that had tried to holla at me. I’d been approached by a few of them. Atlanta was small so I ran into a famous person every single day. By saying that, I’m saying regardless of what type of celebrity he was the end results would be the same.

“And I’on like how you tryna make it seem like I’m equal to the rest of these niggas out here. I ain’t tryna deter you from your dreams Nariah. All a nigga tryna do is be in your mix and prove to you that I ain’t how you think I am.”

“I hear ya.” I would like to believe him when he said that shit, but I just didn’t see it the way he saw it.

“Hear me enough to wanna give me an honest shot.”

“I didn’t say all of that.” Looking down at the gifts I added. “You do know you can’t buy me don’t you?”

“Girl ain’t nobody tryna buy your ass. I told you Ma Dukes said not to show up empty handed.”

“I hear ya talking. Let’s just get through this first date and let that determine whether or not you get another one.”

“I can rock with that.”

Julius and I sat at the table and talked until the damn restaurant closed.

He was easy to talk to and I really enjoyed getting to know more about him.

Before we parted ways, he asked for permission to call me, and I gave in.

I hated to admit it, but he was slowly bringing my guard down.

Not enough for me to take him serious as far as a relationship goes but I didn’t have a problem with us being friends.

“We just got off the phone. Why are you calling me back?” I fussed, when I answered the call.

“Nigga.” He rasped. “I’m tryna make sure yo dark ass got through the gate.”

“Yesssss.” I snorted. “I’m pulling up now.”

“I’m on my way down.” He voiced before ending the call.

It had been two weeks since Julius and my first date. Outside of us texting here and there and one or two phone calls a day, both of us had been too busy to get together. At least we were but that changed today.

Class ended early for me, and I wanted to go to lunch and didn’t have anyone to go with, so I texted him to see if he was free. After confirming that he was, he wanted me to pull up at his condo so I could ride with him to the restaurant.

Whipping my car into the parking lot beside his Range Rover, I threw it in park and hopped out right as he was coming out of the building with his gym shorts hanging halfway down his ass. Julius was fine as hell, and I knew for a fact the girls was going to be all over him.

Hell, since he’d been signed to Majik Musik his lil name had picked up even more traction and was now in every girl’s mouth, and within reason.

Julius was a few shades darker than hot caramel and his body was littered with tats.

He stood about six feet even and had a gorgeous brown pair of bedroom eyes that would have any girl dropping her thong for him on que.

His low-cut Caesar added to his sex appeal.

“Why you ain’t wait on me to get out here?” He fussed while walking over to my car.

“You said you was on the way.”

“Don’t do that again.” Wrapping his tatted arm around my back he pulled me into his chest. “What’s up beautiful? How was class?”

God, he smells amazing. “It was cool.”

“That’s what’s up. I still need to hop in the shower.”

“Julius.” I whined and stomped my feet. “You said you would have that done before I got here.”

“I know I know—in my defense though, I would’ve if my producer hadn’t hit me up.”

“You only get a pass ‘cause it’s work.”

Holding the door open for me he deduced. “I was gone get a pass even if it wasn’t my producer.”

“Whatever.”

When we made it back to his unit I sat down on the sofa while he went to go wash his ass. By the time he was done I was starving and had an attitude out of this world.

“I’m ‘bout to feed yo ass, Nariah.” Julius laughed as he whipped his truck in the parking lot of La Parilla. Grabbing my arms he untucked them and kissed my cheek.“That was my bad for real.”

“I hope you know I’m never going out on another date with you.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

“I bet you will.” Getting out of the truck he came around to my side.

Instead of letting me get out he stood in between the door.

“I heard everything you said Nariah and I’m trying to respect it.

But I’m feeling you more than I want to and right now I should be focused on my music, but I can’t cause I’m trying my hardest to change your perception of shit.

All I’m asking is just one shot, Nariah. And if shit start going left, I’ll let you walk away with no issues. But you gotta be willing to give it an honest chance. That’s really all I’m looking for.”

Against my better judgement I relented. “One shot Julius and if you fuck up I’m done with you. You want a chance so I’mma give you that. I beg of you please, pretty please don’t prove me right.”

“I’m not.” He swore.

And while a part of me wanted to believe he wouldn’t, I knew Julius was promising me some shit that he couldn’t guarantee. The question was. How long was I willing to stay down for the ride?