Page 18 of Suleem and Yahzi (D-Ville Projects #1)

“All this.” She tilted her head back and looked up at me. “I remember when it was just hood niggas smoking, drinking, and talking shit.”

I chuckled. “We didn’t have money like that back then. We were getting stacks but nothing serious. A lot has changed.”

“Have you changed?”

My eyes dropped to hers. “You see me, don’t you?”

She nodded and I kissed her. “That’s your answer then.”

I finished my blunt, dropped what was left on the ground, and smashed it with my heel to make sure none of these little bad ass kids could come behind me trying to be grown. I buried my face in her neck and inhaled the smell of watermelon from that whipped shit she used.

“If I was the same nigga you left, were you gonna run again?”

I made a lot of changes. Whereas I used to be out here reckless with no thought of what the consequences would be for my actions, I now considered how I moved.

I still handled my shit, but instead of barreling blind into the thick of things, my moves were more calculated to make sure those around me didn’t get caught in the crossfire.

She shook her head. “I wasn’t running from you, Leem. After what happened I needed distance from your life.”

“Yeah, I get that but that’s still my life. It’s always going to be.”

“I know but this is your life too.” She pointed to the block. “And you sitting with my mother to talk shit about me and looking out for the kids in the neighborhood is your life. I was hurt and it was hard to see all that.”

I tightened my arm around her neck and kissed her temple. “I’m cool, Yah.”

She tilted her head back and lifted her eyes, smiling. “Me too.”

I dipped my head and grazed her neck with my teeth.

Yahzi grinned and settled deeper into my chest, watching the crowd until she noticed the Fadez mobile unit pulling up.

For the past two years, they came out to provide free cuts to all the neighborhood kids.

Kassir owned the shop but the mobile unit was collectively funded by everyone in DP.

They donated money to keep it in rotation, especially throughout the school year when the kids needed to keep their shit fresh.

“Fadez,” she said, then watched as they set up near the end of the block.

“Yeah, DP sponsors that.”

“I might check them out. I’m going to have to figure out something.”

“You ain’t gang. That’s DP, but if you’re trying to get that rose, I can hook that shit up for you.” I smirked and dropped my eyes to hers.

She didn’t have to be gang to cut at Fadez or work the mobile unit but I wanted to see what she would say to being inked with a rose.

Concrete Roses were the wives and girlfriends associated with our members.

It started without our knowledge on some slick shit but became a thing over the years.

You had to be solid to get the mark, and if your loyalty was ever questioned, your visual display of loyalty was blacked out. There were only a handful who had it.

“Do you need that from me?”

“Nah, my dick is imprinted in your pussy, Yah. Your walk validates who you belong to.”

“Why the hell can’t you just say things like a normal person?” She rolled her eyes and I chuckled.

“That’s gang, baby. We’re a different breed. You can’t do the mobile shit. I don’t want you confined in small spaces with them niggas but you can cut at the shop if that’s what you need. I’m not trying to dim your light. I’ll run it by Kassir to see if he can move some shit around up there.”

“Kassir owns Fadez?”

“Yeah, like I said, a lot of shit has changed.”

“You’re not going to trip about me cutting hair?”

“Long as you do it with your pants on and don’t be rubbing all over them niggas like you were doing with me, then yeah, I’m cool.”

She turned and leaned into my chest. “That was VIP treatment.”

I nodded and kissed her forehead. “Better be because if that’s how you got down over there a lot of bodies are dropping.”

“What are you gonna do, hunt down every person who sat in my chair?”

I dropped my eyes to her face, she rolled hers, lifted onto her toes, and pecked my lips. “I love you but you’re insane.”

She had no idea…

“I’m going to get something to drink. You want anything?”

“From Miss Emma? Hell nah. I’m not trying to get alcohol poisoning today.”

“Stop, it’s not that bad.”

I stared and a smile spread across her face.

“See, you know. I’m good on that. I’m ’bout to go holler at Kassir for a minute.

” I motioned to where he’d pulled up on the block and parked his 2013, black on black G Wagon.

I customized it a week after he got it. That was his love child but I fucked with it because it was clean as hell and a classic.

“Okay, I’m going back over there with your aunt.”

I dropped a kiss on her lips. “And stop hyping her ass up. Y’all are doing too much over there.

“You like it.” She grinned.

“Nah, not when you’re shaking your ass next to her. Ain’t shit cute about that, so be easy, Yah.”

She grinned and walked off, leaving me with a smile on my face and a hard dick that she was going to get as soon as we left the block.