Page 28 of Lucci

brEEZY

I was more than likely moving super slow for a few reasons.

The main reason was that it was taking way too much effort to keep my anxiety at bay.

Being in a hospital; flashbacks of what happened the last time I was there.

My fear of death. It all had my chest tight.

With each step that I took, it became harder to breathe.

Lucci had to be alive because the registration clerk gave me his room number.

But just because he was alive didn’t mean he was doing well.

I was genuinely afraid of what I’d find.

On top of that, I didn’t even know if he wanted to see me.

I heard about him and his friend being shot from Lauren.

All I could think about was his parents and how it hadn’t been that long since they lost Tyler.

The news that Lucci had been shot literally made my knees buckle.

For a few seconds, I couldn’t breathe. I had no clue how Lucci made his money or what he was into, but people didn’t keep shooting at him for no reason.

Regardless of whatever, I at least wanted to look him in his face and make sure that he was okay.

Even if he didn’t care to see me, I needed to know that he was okay.

Or that he would at least be okay eventually.

The closer I got to his room, the harder my heart beat.

I placed one hand flat on my belly as if that was going to help calm my nerves.

It felt like my insides were doing the electric slide.

My palms were sweaty, and my mouth was uncomfortably dry.

As I approached Lucci’s room number, I saw that the door was open.

Holding my breath, I peered inside, and my heart slammed into my ribcage.

Her back was to me, but I knew that Kiandra was the woman that stood at his bedside.

I stood frozen. I couldn’t go in. Lucci’s face was visible and when his eyes connected with mine, I could see that he was alive and well.

That was enough for me. I remembered how to use my legs and back peddled out of his line of vision.

I’ll wait for you .

That was the dumbest shit I ever could have said.

There was no way I could wait for Lucci to sort his shit out with Kiandra.

I had to gracefully bow out no matter how much it hurt.

In the car, my emotions won, and I had a full-blown anxiety attack.

Tears streamed down my face as I gripped the steering wheel and hyperventilated.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but I cried and struggled to breathe and calm my racing heart for way too long.

Finally, the tears stopped. My hitched breaths slowly returned to normal, and I was able to lift the center console and remove some napkins.

When my cell phone rang and I saw that Gavin was calling, I welcomed the distraction. At that point, I didn’t care what he wanted. I just needed something to take my mind off the bullshit. Clearing my throat, I answered the phone and tried my very best to sound normal.

“You good?” I could hear the concern in his tone.

“Yeah, my allergies have been acting up. What’s up?”

“I’m surprised you answered. Got me feeling like a lame calling you more than once, when you don’t answer or return my calls half the time.”

“Sorry,” I sighed. “Life has been crazy lately. I’m getting a lot more clientele and taking these continuing education classes.

That’s why I told you we could hang out here and there but for the most part, I have to be locked in right now.

” That was the truth. But that wasn’t the reason why I’d been ignoring him.

“I respect it. There’s nothing wrong with a woman that has goals.

That’s actually sexy as hell. I was calling to see if you could squeeze me in for a bite to eat.

I want to try that seafood boil at Red Lobster, and I don’t want to go alone.

I think Red Lobster is considered a cheap date these days, but I really love the biscuits. ”

That made me laugh, and I was glad I had answered the phone for Gavin. I didn’t have to be looking for a love connection to be cool with him.

“I could go for a seafood boil right now. Which Red Lobster do you want to meet at?”

“You tell me where to go. You know I still don’t know much about this city.”

“We can go to the one on Golden Waters Way. I’m about ten minutes away. What about you?”

I waited as Gavin put the location into his GPS. “It’s saying I’m twelve minutes away. Let me stop and get some gas, and I’m on the way.”

“Okay.”

Lucci’s eyes were open. He looked directly at me, so I knew he was conscious.

Hopefully, that was a good sign. As long as I knew he was going to be okay, I would find a way to deal with everything else.

I had been disappointed before. Heartbreak wasn’t anything new to me.

Was it even heartbreak when you hadn’t made it to the love part yet?

I wasn’t sure what it was, but I could admit that it didn’t feel good.

I was about to shake it off, however. I was doing fine before I met Lucci, and I’d be fine after.

The Hellcat Barbies were going to Crescent Falls for the weekend to celebrate the new chapter of our car club.

It would be a nice, quick little getaway.

There were a few races set up, and it was going to be an eventful weekend.

There was some delicious looking eye candy in Crescent Falls.

I had no plans to do anything, but it never hurt a girl to look.

It wasn’t about trying to find someone to help me get over Lucci.

It was about reminding myself that God didn’t stop making men when he made that one.

After I arrived at the restaurant, I checked my appearance in the visor to make sure I didn’t look too crazy after my meltdown. My phone rang, and when I saw that it was Lauren I did a quick appraisal of the parking lot. Since I didn’t see Gavin’s car, I answered. “Hey, boo.”

“Hey. Are you still at the hospital? How is Lucci?”

“No. I’m at Red Lobster about to meet Gavin. I didn’t even go in his room. His door was open, and I saw Kiandra standing by his bed. He saw me, so he’s awake. Hopefully, that’s a good sign. I left.”

“I know it would have been awkward being in the room with her, so I can’t blame you for leaving. They were together for a lil’ minute, so I’m sure she was just worried. That doesn’t mean they’re getting back together.”

“It really doesn’t matter, Lauren. I walked away from the situation before he even got shot.

Together or not, their situation is fresh and when either one of them is going through, the other runs to them.

That tells me a lot, and I’m not going to hurt my own feelings by inserting myself into the dynamic.

A man can only make me feel like someone else is more important than me once before I get the hint. ”

“I get it boo. Have fun with Gavin. I’m in here packing for our road trip. Tell me why I already have six outfits packed, and I’m not even done yet.”

Gavin pulled into the parking lot as I laughed loud as hell. “Girl, we’re staying for the weekend and at least one of those days is going to be spent at the track. It’s not like we have a whole itinerary filled with adventures planned.”

“I know, but if I stay ready, I won’t have to get ready. We might do brunch, so I need a cute ‘fit for that. I need something in case we hit the club. A girl’s gotta have options.”

“Well, you go ahead and get that sorted out. Gavin just got here. After we leave, I’m going home to pack myself. I have a full day tomorrow. One showing, and two closings.”

“Okay, friend. Have fun. Talk to you later.”

Gavin emerged from his car, and I did the same. Even if it killed me, I was going to balance work and fun. I was getting back to carefree Breezy. No more sitting around sulking. I was her, and I needed to start acting like it.

Taking off my seatbelt, I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer. “Sas, if you make me fall out of this car, bitch, I will kill you,” I promised as she giggled.

“I got you, boo. But you better hold on tight.”

I was in Crescent Falls having the time of my life and clearly making piss poor decisions.

Saskia was about to do donuts in the parking lot that we were all congregated in, and I had the bright idea to sit my ass in the car window with my upper body outside of the car.

Sas drove at a snail’s pace as I snaked my body through the opening and perched myself onto the car.

My heart pounded irately in my chest as she increased the speed a bit.

“You ready?” she yelled.

“Let me repent for my sins in case I die,” I closed my eyes and wondered if I had any sense at all.

Once again, Sas laughed before increasing her speed and whipping the car to the left and spinning on the asphalt.

“Fuccckkkk,” I squealed as my heart fell into my ass.

Spectators cheered as Sas stole the show.

She could whip her car with the best of them, and she loved it.

The turquoise vehicle with pink stripes gained her compliments wherever she went.

Sas loved her car, and she loved driving fast. Visions of my body flying out of the car and hitting the pavement flashed through my mind as the car fishtailed before she spun it into another donut.

If I didn’t die from being ejected from the car, I’d surely die from a heart attack.

Closing my eyes, I willed myself not to throw up.

I heard engines revving, and I knew other cars were about to join in on the fun.

Tire marks decorated the pavement, and the smell of burnt rubber infiltrated my nostrils.

Spectators had their phones out recording, and I knew too many people probably had me on camera looking a fool.