Page 27 of Not My Type (Not My Type #1)

“What you doing?” I ask, my voice sweet. No response.

He has a pair of scissors in his hand and a Rizla. He looks at me with a smile. “Mi a build a spliff,” he finally answers.

“You could a keep your answer,” I playfully roll my eyes.

Him always ignore me then answer long after. Why him do that? Like answer five–six minutes after. Him think it cool? Nuh ask me, see him deh... ask him nuh miss!

“You’re not gonna come in the water?” I pout up at him, my demure expression a stark contrast to the deviousness of my thoughts.

“Soon,” he tells me and I finish the lemon beer.

“Why you nuh try Hennessy?” he inquires and I shake my head.

“I have school tomorrow, can’t take a hangover right now,” he chuckles at that.

“So you affi go home then?” he’s... disappointed? So, he wanted me to stay?

“Yes and I told my grandma that I’d be back so she probably worried.” He’s silent.

“Okay, no issue. I’ll take you home,” he says quietly.

He doesn’t say anything else as he runs his tongue along the rizla, rolling the spliff to perfection.

I start swimming again to escape the awkward silence.

I dip my head under the water, holding my breath for five seconds.

Then suddenly, Nickoi appears behind me, my body flush against his.

I start laughing. He’s just staring at me. That look again.

“So... ” He starts and his tone sounds off. I snap my head to him.

“Is everything okay?” My brows knit in confusion.

“Yah, just that if your family isn’t happy about us... ”

I interrupt him. “Wah you a suggest? We breakup?”

I get a strange feeling that I’ve never felt before. It’s so weird. I don’t like how I feel. Jezam... you like him that much?

I think I’m falling in love with him.

You cya love him so fast Zara, take your time.

I think it’s called emophilia where people fall in love quickly. Or maybe I’m simply not used to being given this much affection. But I know I have strong feelings for this man already. I just know it and no one can tell me differently. I’m falling and I’m falling real fast too.

“Zara yuh mad how me fi wah lef yuh?” he asks bringing me back to reality.

Okay good. “Mi just wah know if this is going to be a secret, since yuh people them nuh rate wah gwaan?”

I shake my head. “No secrets Nickoi,” I tell him before I splash some water on him.

He chuckles, then starts splashing water on me too.

I squeal, laughing and trying to dodge him, but it’s no use—water’s everywhere, dripping down my face.

I move back, still laughing, but Nickoi grabs me, pulling me flush against him, and just like that, I’m face-to-face with all his handsome glory.

I’ve never felt this level of intimacy with anyone. It’s so new and exciting. I wrap my arms around his back as he grabs my ass—he loves it. I’m sure. Once upon a time I’d slap a guy who did that, but it’s different with Nickoi. We all know.

“What’s your mom like?” he asks.

Mad. But proper at the same time.

“She’s really pretty,” I say, ignoring my thoughts. That’s for another time.

His eyes drop to my cleavage before he looks back at my face. A smirk appears on his lips.

“That’s all?”

I shrug. “What you want to know?” I’m blushing hard. Having Nickoi staring at me like this... I’m bound to lose my senses.

“Just tell me about you then... ” he really wants to know.

“There is no fun in that if I just tell you everything now,” I challenge him. He hates that.

He hisses before he pulls me closer to him, kissing my neck. I close my eyes, smiling hard. His kisses send tingles down my spine. Whew.

He turns, staring at me with a gleam in his eyes before he says, “Come yer.”

He swims out of the water, wrapping a towel around his shorts before he sits. I follow him but I don’t get out of the water. He takes up the Hennessy and pours it into a cup.

He looks at me. “Zara yuh know one thing? You mek mi wonder,” he starts.

“Wonder what?” I ask.

“Why you give me a chance even though yuh meet my dark side; yuh know... that night,” he says to me.

I can tell he doesn’t like to talk about it. I ponder my response for a while before I say, “Because I looked past it and saw the real yuh,” I admit.

He’s nodding to himself. I look at the house before I look back at him. Every thing about him is exotic. His house, his cars... him. I want to know what he does for a living. Should I ask him? Yes girl. We well waah know.

“Nickoi what do you do?” I ask. He looks at me as if sizing me up.

“If I tell you, yaw go judge me.” he sighs.

“I don’t know that word,” I joke.

You?! Y’all hearing this? Zara is that word.

He looks away smiling before he looks back at me. “If yuh seh so...” he smiles before he gets serious. “Chop.”

That can’t be the only thing. I narrow my eyes at him. “What about the other one?” I ask. I don’t even know if there is another one. I’m just assuming because I’m intrigued.

“Which other one? A chop mi chop,” he shrugs.

“You got all sorts of expensive cars, houses, clothes... Scamming alone can’t give you all a that,” I reason.

“It can,” he insists. Sure...

“Mek sure seh yuh nah lie to me,” I warn.

“Come yer,” he calls me, and I hold onto the rails and climb out to him.

I wrap my towel around my lower body and sit beside him.

“Usually I don’t tell people this, but fi some reason if I don’t tell you it bothers me,” I look at him intently as he speaks.

Wah kinda bomb him go drop on me now?

“Mi Godfather and mi father did a do some illegal business. My father would deal with the business for him since he was wanted. Then my pops now tek weh nuff a him money so him nyam my father food because of that. Him never get fi live though, cas my big brother nyam fi him food,” he tells me.

If I weren’t Jamaican, I wouldn’t understand his slangs or make sense of what he’s saying.

“My big brother take over until him just draw back from it so a just me and mi know yuh wah know exactly what, so mi sell drugs and cars. My brother still helps with the car dealership even though him leff the drugs,” he explains.

This is too much but a me ask. I don’t want him to feel bad, and I already promised not to judge him. “Thanks for telling me,” I start, unsure what to say.

“Mi understand seh it probably too much fi you.”

“So that nuh mek yuh... um, have a lot of enemies?” I ask and he nods.

“Nuff, but mi guards ever up and that’s why if we do come out officially to people yuh affi live here with me,” he says and I look at him shocked.

Mi a risk mi life.

“Yuh nuh need fi worry still,” he tries to comfort me.

“Look I am not judging you, and I like you for who you are but if yuh bredda lef it why can’t you?”

I’m a bit angry because this sounds dangerous for him, and also for me. He takes up his spliff ignoring me. “Nickoi! A you mi a talk to!” I stand up. Mi never know seh yuh have dem anger yah.

He looks up at me and with a cold tone he warns, “Watch yuh tone.”

“Wah you a go do?” I ask, my eyes fixed with his cold emotionless ones. He hisses.

“Mi just a help mi mother with the business zeen? Somebody affi dweet. You have a life where you got a chance to be a child... I didn’t. Me get expose to the real world before I was ready. I didn’t get to choose,” he says. I really wasn’t looking at it like that.

“Look, I’m not gonna judge you. I’m gonna stay by your side and support you in whatever you do,” I say like a promise.

He looks at me with a beaming smile then he puts down his weed and pours out more Hennessy in his cup. He drinks it. Why him like it so much?

“Let me have some,” I say and he looks at me with his eyebrows raised. He’s surprised.

“Nuh you say— ”

I put my index on his lips and he gets quiet. Look at you nuh! I bring his cup to my lips and the liquor burns my throat on its way down. It makes my body shiver.

“I wanted to see why you like it so much.”

He smiles. “How is it?”

“Strong... I guess that’s why you like it. It makes you numb.”

We fall in complete silence. Maybe yuh right... maybe a him coping mechanism along with the weed.

Yuh nuh see as yuh start stress him, him start smoke? my subconscious blames me.

I didn’t stress him. My eyes finds him again. For some reason I wish I could read his mind.

“Yah... Why you drink it?” he asks.

“Just told you,” I rest my head on his shoulder.

“No the real reason,” he asks before he puffs his spliff. I smile at him.

“What do you wanna hear?” I smile, looking at him.

Nickoi puts his hand around my neck, bringing his lips close to mine as he blow the smoke in my mouth. Ouuu, thats sexy. He smiles at me. I cough before I meet his gaze.

“Truth is, I did it to show you that I’m with you regardless of what you’re doing. Always. ”