Page 96 of Not My Type (Not My Type #1)

Zara

I wake up to the gentle hum of my phone vibrating beside me. With a groggy push, I sit upright before swiping the screen. It’s Gavin.

“Top a the mawning,” he says and I laugh, clapping twice as the light flicks off. I climb out of bed.

“Watch chubby face gyal and watch rich life,” he beams, his face now illuminated.

“Morning Gavin.” I smile, opening the balcony door. I scan the surroundings, but there’s no sign of Nickoi. Weh him deh?

“Mi deh yah a try put some clothes together fi go a church with Mama,” Gavin says, setting the phone down on his dresser.

“You a go a church? Surprising,” I say still looking for Nickoi.

“Hey nuh talk enuh! ‘Cause you used to live with Mama and all now yuh nuh step in a church,” Gavin snaps, making me laugh. A true! Shame a killlll me!

“Mi just busy,” Is my excuse. “Mi fi go a church though go get some blessings.” Fi real enuh Zara... dem nearly kill yuh and a God pull through. Amen.

“Yes gyal!” Gavin agrees, his voice full of enthusiasm.

As I rummage through the bedrooms, the living room, the garage, the kitchen, and the bathrooms, Nickoi remains elusive.

I continue my search as Gavin chats away on the phone.

“Nosah then watch tour! Watch high ceiling, watch luxury, risky people can see we sex, house! Angleee, it look like any California glass house gyally.”

“A really tour enuh,” I laugh, ignoring the sex part. Mainly cause it’s true. I spot a door at the side. Him probably in deh so enuh.

“Yuh, call him?” he asks, diligently ironing his shirt.

“Him lef the phone on the bed,” I say, mounting the stairs. Him all have another phone, but mi nuh know that number.

“Mi see one room weh mi nuh check and mi neva see it open yet enuh.” I reply as I approach the door.

“What if him nuh di deh?” Gavin asks.

“Him wouldn’t lef the phone and no car nuh missing,” I say before I call his name checking if he’s inside.

“Nickoi,” I call out, but there’s no answer. I push the door open and find him peering at a painting, causing my smile to widen. Nickoi can paint!? Wow. It’s an unfinished piece of an alien smoking weed while clutching a bottle.

“I’m guessing... Hennessy?” is my way to get his attention. “Babe... what can’t you do? This is nice.”

“Yah,” he says admiring his work. How long him up a do this? Him even sleep?

“How long this take you?” I question.

“Couple hours,” he retorts and I hear Gavin on the phone. Mi not even did member seh him deh pon the phone.

“Den yuh nuh feel mi wah see it too?” he asks with a hint of attitude. I turn the camera towards the painting.

“That look like a professional dweet eeh?” Gavin compliments.

“Respect man,” Nickoi says then I hear a car horn. He gets up and walk out. “A Gutta that,” he tells me.

“Yes girl so how yuh never tell mi yuh man is a artist,” he teases and I chuckle heading back to my room.

“Me never know... him full a surprises,” I say placing the phone on my bed. I quickly gather my hair into a ponytail before picking up the phone again.

“Wah yah go do today though?”

“Cook and then ummm... sleep,” I say and he bursts out laughing.

“Yuh could a neva lazy so,” he says as he slips on his shoe.

“Anuh lazy. Nutt’n else nuh deh here fi mi do,” I counter, then suddenly I remember school.

“Oh mi a go study later cause mi still a guh have exam,” I add, then we chat about random things until he’s standing by the road, looking for a taxi.

“Sash she nah go a church too?” I laugh out but his response makes me scream.

“Man a fi har salvation, mi nuh kno’ a which man yaad she guh last night a neva Marko cause she sprain up and fi him teely likkle. Caah sprain a soul.”

Even now I’m laughing. I can’t stop. “Ahh bwoy... no sah yuh affi guh dung. How yuh kno’ that?”

“A Sash wi a talk bout, she chat everything,” he says and I giggle walking out.

“Mi a go get breakfast,” I say then my mind turns to his allusive girlfriend.

“A wah mi do yuh mek yuh nah mek mi meet har?” I tilt my head, gaze narrow.

He looks a little confused until he catches on. “She just shy,” he laughs.

“So? tell har yuh best friend shy too,” I walk down the spiral stairs, not wanting to go into the elevator. I hear Juaqína’s voice and roll my eyes. Wah dis girl a do in a mi house!?

Gavin chuckles. “Mi a go mek unuh meet one a dem day yah.”

“But Nickoi yuh cya beat up yourself enuh cause a good thing yuh never kill him there because Zara would a know a you and yuh nuh know how she would a tek it,” Juaqína says, and I stop walking before hanging up the phone. Nuh call mi name in a yuh mouth.

“Yeah a fi real G. A nuh like how yuh kill Carlos and she nuh know, because she nuh really know of no connection seh a Talia father so yuh just affi go think bout how you a go do this,” Gutta chimes in.

WAIT.

PAUSE.

NICKOI KILL CARLOS?!

That name sounds so familiar, a weh mi know it from?

‘...Chaos on Constant Spring Rd on Friday close to midday as gun men engaged in a gun fight with a security team from Pe?rez Club which ended with 1 female and 12 men dead and one man missing known as Carlos Pe?rez, a Mexican businessman who resides in Kingston.’ I stare.

His picture pops up on the screen and I gasp.

I saw him at Western Union... oh my God.

Shit the news! Carlos Pe?rez but a how him would a do this when he was at Mystic Mountain with us?

I start thinking about the news again. ‘Yuh know seh mi and mi wife did in a Pe?rez club when mi see some man run in and just start bore up all of Carlos security them. Bay gunshots so mi start run lef mi wife cause me frighten and then mi tun back and grab har and them spot mi but dem neva’ shoot after mi so mi know seh dem know who dem come fa,’ the witness says.

I remember hearing a female in the unknown gang too. So basically, the woman would a be Juaqína and Gutta dem abduct him and if Carlos was missing after the news Nickoi had a lot of time to kill him after. “Oh my God,” I breathe.

Adrenaline and dread course through my body as I process everything. Did he kill Talia too? My anger flares and I walk in front of them, glaring at Nickoi. They’re no longer talking about ‘Carlos’.

“Wah mi just hear!?” I raise my voice. He looks at me confused.

“Weh yah talk bout?” Watch him a lie.

“That mi a seh,” Juaqína chimes in. I turn to her, pointing to the door.

“Bitch get out!” I step forward to her. “Tired a you now. Every time mi a talk to him yuh wah but in get out before me help yuh!” Bombaaaat!

She gets up, and I move closer to her. Nickoi puts his arm around my throat, gently holding me to him.

“Gwan Juaqína,” he orders and Gutta gets up too.

“Inna the laterz,” he says before he leaves.

I shake off his grip, shooting him a fiery glare. “Cyaa believe yuh pretend like yuh never know nutt’n bout Carlos and you kill him!” I fire back, replaying that news clip in my head.

“Jah Jah,” he sighs, sitting down. I’m fuming at this point.

“If mi never come and hear you and yuh murdera fren dem mi wouldn’t know this!” I argue and he puffs his spliff. He’s getting angry, but stays quiet. Dangerously calm too. Zara... leave him alone.

“Mi cya believe say you do this... what would Mama and mommy think? You were literally there like you never know nutt’n while we a talk like idiot!

Mi know seh yuh into badness but mi never know you this deep in it.

If it was the drugs alone it wouldn’t be so bad but yuh out yer killing people and getting away with it. Unuh a really criminal!” I shout.

He continues to smoke his weed while rocking his legs.

“Why mi know this would a happen? Cause people always seh shit in the moment. Yuh seh you understand mi in a badness now you a seh yuh never know mi this deep in it... Zara badness a badness and dem thing yah happ’m.

” He says making my anger flare more. Calm down Zara.

“So why was it a secret!” I shout, moving closer to him.

“Cause mi know you would a behave this way,” he simply says. “Know you never understand yuh just did a chat off yuh mouth.”

“How yuh mean mi never understand?!” I raise my voice at him again.

“Watch how you a talk to me,” he warns.

“Wah yah go do kill mi like yuh do Carlos and Talia?!” I move closer to him. Lawd Jesus.

He stares at me for a while before he puffs his weed and smiles.

“First of all Talia alive, and mi nuh put mi hand pan woman. Her father dead doh, and a mi kill him. Do I regret it? No. Would I do it again if I could? Yes. And you know why? Because him mek wi affi bury innocent Gina yesterday and leave har youth behind.” He barely takes a breath before he continues, it’s the most I’ve ever heard him speak in one go.

“Mi tell him say him a go feel back the pain weh me and me friend dem feel especially Rick and he did feel it back and Talia did too. Anuh like mi a go around and just kill people fi no reason anybody weh mi ever kill a dem try fi hurt me. Mi never start a war yet!” he says with venom laced through his voice.

I stare at him and he gulps his liquor aggressively before he smiles, looking directly in my eyes. He acts... so weird sometimes.

“Now that yuh know I’m a monster, angel Zara, and yuh know now that I’m not just into drugs, mi scam and mi kill people too, wah yuh plan fi do?” his voice raised a bit, shaking the living room.

I step back, no longer in the mood to argue.

“Mi a go just leave yuh place,” I mumble, trying so hard to hold back the tears. Mi a do so good enuh.

“Do yuh thing,” he says still smoking. Him nuh care? That’s Nickoi Zara him a go hide it. His phone starts ringing and he answers it. “Nickoi everything alright now?” She asks and I don’t know why, but this hurts me.

We’re on the verge of breaking up and she’s already checking up on him? My anger flares again and I grab the phone and it falls out of my hand and splinters. Zara look wah yuh do! Mi nuh care.

“You and this bitch deh?” Mi not even care bout the phone weh mash up. Mi swear yow.

“Yo! Why yuh nuh bill? Look wah yuh do to man phone!?” he gets up, my heart reaches my throat. “Yuh seh you a go leave and yuh seh mi a murdera wah yuh still want yasso?!” he towers over me. I push his chest. He grabs my hand. His voice drop extremely low through gritted teeth as he speaks.

“Yuh see how long yah push mi? Bill yuhself yer? Nah talk to yuh again,” he walks away, and I grab his hand. Zara mi know yuh angry but stop and just leave. Mi have a bad feeling enuh.

“Yuh don’t care if mi leave? Nickoi yuh deh with Juaqína?” I forcefully turn his face to me and he yanks my hand away.

He forces me up in the wall, towering over me.

“Zara yah push me enuh!” he voice thick with warning, but there’s something else there, something more dangerous, like he’s at his breaking point, anger consumes me.

I shove his chest, his hand closing around my neck, I shove him again.

He pushes me further into the wall, pinning me down.

Jesus! Z ara mi a sit this one out... mi a meltttttttttt!

“Boss.... everything alright?” It’s Joe.

His grip around my neck tightens. I glare up at him through my lashes. He’s glaring too.

“As much as yuh push mi to the edge and mi feel like mi would a box yuh dung, mi a wol it! Mi nah put mi hand pon yuh cause mi nuh wah hurt you. Mi wah yuh leave because mi wah yuh find better, smaddy weh nah go hide things from you and hurt people and mek yuh be a target,” his body is shaking from the sheer force of the anger he’s keeping at bay.

“Mi nuh deh with Juaqína either cause a you mi love, and nut’n cyaa’ go change that.

This nah go work though, cause you a look fi a perfect relationship and mi cyaa’ give yuh that nuh matter how hard mi try. ”

“Alright... boss just... just let her go...” Joe is hesitant.

He turns his gaze to Joe, much longer than he should, Joe steps back slowly. Then he releases my throat and disappear through the door.

“Yuh kno’ mi a try but... dawg mi nuh know.” I hear him saying to Joe outside. He bites his lip and slam his fist in his car, I jerk back, the alarm goes off. Then he hisses. “Mi nuh wah be like him, mi nuh wah be like him but she bring out the worst inna mi. Just affi a gwaan walk off the anger.”

I stand in place, lips trembling.

I realize that I’m wrong... but it’s too late. Omg.

“Know’ dem say you’re like Outlaw. You’re the better version and me kno’ cause you know mi used to be him body guard, don’t be like him.”

“Nah tell yuh man. A hospital pick up my madda nuff time as a youth... sometimes mi d’evu like deh man deh dawg,” he’s pacing slowly, trying to calm down. Then he comes in the house. Joe is watching him.

“Boss?”

“Mi a bill mon,” his eyes pitch black.

“Nickoi I... ”

He walks pass me.

“Zara. Lock chat,” he puts down the key on the table, plop down in the sofa, and I start crying. He ignores me.

Awwww, stop cry Zara.

I sit across from him, tears silently falling, with Joe watching us like it’s a damn movie. My mind’s racing, and it only makes me cry harder. He doesn’t even look up—just blocks me out completely.

“C-can you help me with the bags Joe?” I sob.

“Yeah,” he nods. “Just bring them down.”

“O-okay,” I get up, watching him rock his legs, smoke curling around him like he doesn’t even care.

I walk to his room, take a shower, and spend about half an hour packing my suitcase, tears falling with each item I fold.

I slip into a white blouse, black tights, and Chanel sandals.

My ponytail, a mess of waves, falls down my back but still manages to look cute.

I carry my bags downstairs, and Joe helps me load them into the car.

I climb in, whispering a quiet thank you.

“You’re welcome,” he nods.

“Joe?” I look up.

“Yeah?”

“Is he okay?” I ask, my voice soft. “You know what I mean. You seem to know them.”

He just smiles, the kind that says it all—something’s seriously wrong with Nickoi, like he’s hiding more than he lets on. “Drive safe…” he mutters, adding, “Another time.”

I honk the horn, then drive off, tears still streaming down my face. I can’t stop thinking about where it all went wrong. I don’t know who’s at fault... Nickoi, or maybe it’s me. Am I the drama?

But then a thought hits me. Maybe it’s not just us. Maybe, just maybe... there’s a deeper problem.