Page 31 of Not My Type (Not My Type #1)

Zara

I stop in my tracks when I see Nickoi sitting in the sofa next to Mama with a smile. They seem normal. No tension. Weird. Mama has to be up to something because this cya real. It is. They both look at me and I stare at them confused. Mi need answers and I need them now.

“Mama what’s this about?” I ask, staring at them.

“Nickoi came looking for you,” she starts.

“And?” I press. This cyaa’ be real. “And I found out that he’s my pastor’s grandson after a while of talking,” Mama’s smile infectious. I stare in shock.

She was questioning him. I can just imagine what she asked him. Out of nowhere, she just like him just because he’s her pastor’s grandson? Hmmhm. There’s more to this.

I narrow my eyes at her. “Did you talk to mommy?” I ask and she nods. I knew it.

“Yes me and Michelle was on the phone from morning,” she tells me and I nod. Okay so because mommy accepts Nickoi she accepts him too. I see.

“Oh,” I breathe and pick up my bag with my clothes. I didn’t even realize I dropped it.

“Nickoi, I had no idea Pastor Jacobs was your grandfather, we know each other from way back enuh,” she tells him.

He nods but his focus is on me walking to my room. I can see him in my peripheral vision. I close the door behind me and slump down in the sofa taking out the two piece. Then suddenly, the door pulls and he walks inside. He stands in front of me.

“Weh yah wear that go?” he questions and I glare at him when I remember what Sash told me. His face softens.

“Why would you fist my father?” I glare at him.

“How yuh know bout that?” his brow furrows.

“How yuh mean how mi know that? It happened in a bar, people there so it spread,” Mi cya rat out Sash.

I continue. “We don’t have the best father daughter relationship but it still doesn’t change the fact that I’m his daughter,” I argue.

He looks away. “Sorry bout that Zara,” he mumbles as he looks back at me.

“That’s not sincere,” I complain and he lets out a sigh.

He’s annoyed. “Your father start it zeen. Mi go in there to talk and as soon as mi bring it up him start get jumpy,” he stops himself and hiss. “You know what? Make that stay,” his voice dry.

I stare at him blankly. “Is this is our first fight?” like an idiot and he looks at me with a straight face, struggling to hide his laughter. I take out the top holding it against my chest. “I’m wearing this to a baby shower,” I finally answer his question. Look how long him ask that.

I guess I’m adapting his style.

He looks at it with a smile. “It look good,” he compliments before his phone rings. He walks away to take the call. I narrow my eyes at him.

Why him need privacy? He locks the bathroom door and I put my ear at the door. His voice is indistinct, but I definitely hear...

Talia!? Who name Talia?

Why he had to go in the bathroom to talk to this ‘Talia’ person?

My anger flares. I start knocking the door til’ my knuckles start hurting.

Be careful, my subconscious warns.

I don’t care right now I just want him to open the damn door.

“Nickoi open the door!” I raise my voice.

“Relax nuh Zara,” he says making my temper boil more. I hit the door once more and it opens.

“Who yuh did a talk to!?”

Nickoi Talia calls me, reminding me of a welcome home party that her family is hosting. As soon as Zara starts knocking the door I know I’d have to hang up.

“Soon call yuh back,” I say before I hang up. I start thinking hard.

Mi know say she suspect me so anything mi a say affi make sense. Wah mi o’ tell her? I ask myself.

As I stand in the bathroom, thinking hard an idea comes to my mind.

“Nickoi open the door!” Zara sounds irate.

“Relax nuh Zara,” I try to sound calm. I decide to tell her that my brother called about business matters. She’ll probably wonder why you had to come in a the bathroom. Shit, I’m gonna have to tell her that it’s about drugs. Hope she believes me.

I pull the door open, and she’s standin’ there, mad as hell. “Who yuh did a talk to!?” she asks and I close the door behind me.

“Calm down nuh babes I was talking about business,” I lie.

“With who!?” her voice raises and her grandma opens the door. We both look.

“What’s wrong?” she’s curious.

“Mama everything is okay. We’re just talking,” she says, and her grandma shuts the door.

Soon as it clicks, her burning eyes lock right back on me. “My brother,” I tell her. She lets out a laugh, but I can see the anger sitting right behind it.

“Yuh brother? And a Talia mi hear?!” She narrows her eyes at me. Shit!

I remain calm.

As a top choppa, find a way out a this, my subconscious tells me.

“Yes a the drugs business we a talk bout and Talia works with us... he’s just telling me that Talia is going to meet one of the suppliers today,” I lie, hoping it works.

She breathes. “Okay.” Yuh see that!

“Yes... what did you think?” I ask, waiting to hear her answer. Mi feel cut up seh mi a do this to her enuh. I swear. Yuh affi stop it then..

“Mi just feel seh yuh did a cheat,” she says and I gulp.

Technically, I am. Jah know, I have to stop this.

“Okay... no need fi worry mon,” I say comforting her. We pull away, and her eyes find her clothes.

“Mi a leave now,” I say to her and she looks at me with an unreadable expression.

Mi need fi smoke right now and drink some Hennessy and think bout this shit. Wah mi o’ say? Might as well say it’s my brother since a that mi lie bout.

“Where are you going?” she questions.

“Mi a link mi brother,” I tell her.

“Can I come?” She asks and I freeze. Jah know.

“Of course,” I nod and quickly send a message to Junior telling him that I’m in a situation and I need him to come through for me.

Seeing that I’ve already lied to her, it only makes sense I tell him about it in case she feels inquisitive.

If I don’t... Mi get knock. He replies quickly saying he’ll come through. As expected.

“Where we going Beverly Hills?” She asks and I shake my head. I live in Beverly Hills and Junior lives in Portmore.

“He doesn’t live where I live, his place is at Portmore, over by Caribbean Estates,” I tell her.

Talia is at my house so I can’t take Zara there. Me just want fi think bout this. Because mi affi find a solution to this problem.

“Take extra clothes with you because we might sleep over,” I tell her. She looks enlivened.

Jah know, yah take the girl fi idiot.

But seriously, I can’t keep playing this game with her; I need some solo brain time to sort this out. Somewhere quiet, where I can do just that without distraction. ‘Affi find a solution before she find out wah really a gwaan.