Page 40 of Perfect Rhythm

SHADE

“You’re really going to wear that?” I asked Jassi as I sat down on the edge of her bed, staring at the fitted crop top and ripped jeans she’d chosen for her date. The holes in her pants were so big that it was almost pointless for her to have them on.

“Yes, I am, and instead of policing my outfit, how about you help me find my earring?” She dropped to the floor and looked under the bed, and immediately my eyes landed on the rips in the back that showed curves that shouldn’t be showing.

“Yo, you can’t wear this.” I jumped up from the bed and snatched the comforter from the mattress before tossing it over her. “Your ass is out.”

“Oh my God, Shade, you’re going to mess up my hair.

” She struggled to get out of the blanket and tossed it back at me.

“Stop being ridiculous. I’m already aggravated that this date was put off for a damn month.

Between my busy schedule, his, and for some reason yours , I didn’t think this shit was ever going to happen. ”

“Well, maybe that’s a sign. What exactly do you know about this kid?”

“I know that he’s a gentleman.”

“Mmhmm, we’re all gentlemen until we get what we want.”

“Trust me, he isn’t like that. He’s a nerd.

Like, for real.” She giggled, her relaxed demeanor proving that she really felt comfortable about him.

For the most part, I trusted my little sister’s judgment, and seeing as I was supposed to be playing things cool, I decided to accept what she was saying.

“He reads a lot of books. It’s one of the things we do a lot together. ”

“What kind of books?”

“Mostly fantasy. He loves to read about dragon shifters and things like that.”

“Hmm...okay. You not bullshitting me, right?”

“No.” She giggled again.

“Damn, you really like this kid, huh?”

“Like?” Xandie said as she entered the room and handed Jassi a tube of lipstick, which I was pretty sure was mase.

I’d seen those little tubes enough to know what they looked like.

I nodded and smiled inwardly. “She is literally obsessed with this guy, and I love it for her. I mean, he’s not my type at all, but?—”

“Really? Why? Because he can read?” I teased.

Xandie rolled her eyes. “Ha, very funny.”

“What? I’m just asking a question. We all know the kind of guys you like usually can’t form a full sentence.”

“Whatever. I really don’t appreciate your judgment.”

“I’m sure you don’t. But I’m just speaking the facts.”

I reached into my pants pocket and pulled out my ringing cell. “Hey, Nyx, what’s up?”

“Nothing, I was just calling to see if you were free to come by and put up my bookshelf tomorrow. It was delivered today.”

“Yeah. I’ve got to meet up with my publicist in the morning, which should only take about an hour. I can come through after that.”

“Okay, great.”

“Cool.”

“What are you doing?” She asked, a hint a laughter in her voice. “I hope you’re not giving your sister a hard time before her date.”

“You know I am. You should see what she’s wearing.”

“I’m sure you’re probably making it a bigger deal than it really is.”

“Nah, you should see the holes in her jeans. They’re kind of like the ones you wear on stage with the ass out.”

She broke into laughter. “No, they aren’t. You’re just being extra. I know you.”

“No the fuck I’m not. I’m serious, Nyx. I’m about to go make her put some leggings on underneath.”

“Shade, leave her alone. Your sister is capable of taking care of herself. She doesn’t need her big brother policing her clothes. Just be supportive and show her that you trust her to make good choices.”

I sighed, knowing I should be taking Nyx’s advice. But it was hard. It was my first time seeing my baby sister go out with a boy, and like always, I just wanted to protect her.

“Alright, fine. I’m going to keep it together.”

“Good.”

“So, what’s up?” I asked. “What you about to get into?”

“Absolutely nothing. I just finished making some shrimp alfredo, and now I’m about to cuddle up on my couch and listen to this audiobook that I’ve been trying to finish for a week.”

“Damn, for real? Is it boring? You usually finish those things in a couple of days.”

“Nah, it’s not boring. It’s just long as hell. It literally has two parts to it, and they go on for hours.”

“Yeah, see, I don’t know how you do it. I would lose interest so fast.”

“Shade, you would lose interest because you don’t read.”

“What? I do read. Just the other day, I read a paragraph from one of those nasty ass books you be reading.”

“Wow, a whole paragraph. Aren’t you just the little scholar?” She giggled.

“Whatever. Don’t try to play me. I read, and if we’re keeping it real, the only reason you read the way you do is because you lowkey be reading porn.”

“What?” she gasped between laughs. “I do not.”

“Yes, the hell you do. Every time I snatch a book out of your hands, the main characters are either fucking or getting ready to fuck.”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is. But it’s cool. I ain’t even gonna lie, I almost bought a couple of books just for that reason. Them niggas be giving it to them females, and they take that shit like a champ. My ass might need to take notes.”

“Take notes for what? Who you planning to fuck like a porn star?”

“None of your business.”

“Bullshit! Who is it? Is it that model the bloggers keep catching you with?”

I laughed inwardly. “Aye, I’m going to let you go. I’ll see your crazy ass tomorrow.”

“Nah, Shade, don’t try to get off the phone now. Is it her?”

I shook my head but tried not to make it known just how amused I was.

For weeks, Nyx and I had been sticking to our agreement to just be friends.

But we spent a lot of time together. Whenever I wasn’t in the studio, I was at her place, or she was at mine.

It wasn’t easy to give her what she wanted, but it had become clear that I had no choice, which meant I had to figure out a way to keep her off my mind.

No better way to do that than to fuck my problems away with someone else.

Hell, a few someone else’s. But Ashlin Murphy was the only one I felt comfortable being seen in public with, and the blogs made it a point to catch us every time.

Mainly because she was a well-known social media model, and her entire brand revolved around her luxurious lifestyle.

I’d seen Nyx read the blogs a few times while we were together, and I knew she wanted to ask me about what was being said, but her pride got in the way.

What she didn’t realize was that I wasn’t fucked up about any woman the cameras caught me with. My feelings for her hadn’t changed. I was just trying to cope with the way things were between us.

“Shade, answer the question.”

“Nyx, chill. I promise you it isn’t like that.”

“Mmhmm.”

“I’m for real.”

There was a knock on Jassi’s door. “Oh, I think ol’ boy is here. I’ll call you later.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Come on now. I know you’re not trying to act jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” she blurted. “You know what? Bye. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Laughing, I said, “Okay. Oh, and make sure you wear some old lady pajamas. No booty shorts and shit.”

“Whatever. Bye.”

The line went dead.

I almost called her ass back just to let her know how for real I was. The last few times I’d hung out at her crib, she was washing clothes, which meant she didn’t have anything to wear that didn’t show off her thighs and ass.

Jassi raced into the living room to answer the door, but I put my arm out to stop her. “I got this.”

“Please don’t embarrass me.”

“Relax.” I walked to the door and opened it.

I tilted my head slightly, taking in the young man standing on the other side of the door. Fresh cut, crisp outfit, and a bouquet of red roses in his hand. “Hello, is Jassi home?”

“Yeah, she might be. Who are you?”

“I’m Nathaniel, but most people call me Nate.” He held out his hand and waited for me to shake it. “You’re her brother, right? Shade?”

“Mmhmm.”

Jassi shoved me to the side. “I told you not to embarrass me. Sorry about that, Nate. I’m ready to go.”

“Where y’all going?”

She cut her eyes at me. “Seriously? I already told you all of that.”

“Yeah, I just want to hear it from him.”

He smiled. “We’re going to a movie and we’re grabbing a bite to eat after.”

“Hmm...okay. Well, you make sure you keep your hands to yourself. If I hear you did anything different, I’ll break your fucking nose, understood?”

Mortified, Jassi’s eyes widened, and she shoved Nate further outside. “Goodbye. I’ll call you in the morning.”

“No, call me when you make it back home.”

“Okay, fine. Bye!”

Like a proud father, I watched as my little sister walked to Nate’s car, and he opened the door for her. Surprisingly, he seemed exactly like she’d described, which made me feel at ease.