Page 21 of Suleem and Yahzi (D-Ville Projects #1)

In the picture with her ankle on Kassir’s legs, I saw the rose inked on the inside of her thigh with Kassir’s name on the stem.

I had already planned on getting one. Even though Suleem made it clear I didn’t have to be inked, that rose meant a lot in his world.

It was a commitment to him, his life, and the loyalty he lived by.

As much as my promise that I wasn’t going to leave again gave him comfort, having that rose on me would be just as profound.

Rebel: You trying to get one?

Me: Maybe, but please keep this between us.

Rebel: I got you, sis. I’ve had mine for years but Arris is in the building on the 3rd floor.

He’s pretty much the only person who does them now.

The rose has to be approved because hoes were doing too much with claiming DP when DP didn’t claim them.

They were talking about it yesterday at the block party.

Arris has the spot at the end of the hall near the elevator.

Me: Okay thank you. I might check him out.

Rebel: Girl, don’t waste that lie. You know you’re about to hang up with me and go right down there

Me: Maybe

Rebel: Send me a picture.

Me: If I get one…

I locked my phone and headed back inside.

Suleem left this morning after waking me to see if I wanted to go to the shop with him.

With the look I delivered, he kissed my temple and left me alone and I didn’t wake up until a few hours later.

Now was the perfect time to get this tattoo.

My goal was to surprise him if I could get Arris to do it for me.

I was sure they had some type of approval process because there was no way they were just out here inking every woman who wanted a rose with DP on the petals.

When I was in the bedroom, I dragged on a pair of shorts and pushed my feet into a pair of leather sandals. Once I grabbed my purse I was out of the apartment on my way to the third floor.

As soon as I stepped off the elevator, I found the unit at the end of the hall just as a man stepped out. He was on a call and tossed his chin to me as soon as I looked his way.

“Are you Arris?”

“Yeah, who you?”

“Yahzi. I wanted to see if I could get a tattoo, but you’re leaving so…”

He frowned and addressed whoever he was talking to on the phone. “Ay, I’m gonna be late. Give me like an hour. I got something I need to do for Bank.”

I frowned and waited until he ended the call before I spoke again.

“This isn’t about Suleem,” I said and he smiled.

“You said you wanted ink, right?”

“Yes but?—”

He turned back to his apartment, removed a set of keys, and pushed one into the lock. “Come on, I got you.”

“Wait, you were leaving. I can come back later.” I followed him into his apartment and stopped a few feet from the door and looked around. It was neat but lived in. I noticed a child sized pair of sneakers by the door.

He chuckled and tossed his bag on the kitchen table. “If Bank’s girl is requesting a tattoo, it means he’s requesting one. I’m not about to tell you no and have to deal with his crazy ass. What you getting?”

I was seconds from arguing but it would have been pointless. I knew how things worked around here. “Nothing complicated. I want to get a rose.”

“Aight, where you getting it?”

I arched my brow. “Don’t you have to get that approved or something?”

He was handsome with a sly grin, sexy chocolate skin, and a shadow fade.

I also admired the tattoo on his neck, a bird with a J inked in one of the wings.

If he designed it then he had skills. It was very detailed and unique.

“For you, nah, you’re good. You got something in mind or you want me to create something for you? ”

I frowned and watched him setting up things at the kitchen table. I hadn’t thought that far ahead, so when he pointed to the chair near me, then filled the one across from it and flipped open a sketchbook, I shook my head.

“I don’t have a design in mind.”

“That’s cool, I got you.”

He lifted a pencil and began moving it over the page. About five minutes later he reached across the table, placed the sketchpad in front of me, and I smiled.

He drew a rose, with the petals half open and a connected lowercase DP on one section. The stem was twisted to create an S midway down. It was so pretty, my smile expanded even more.

“If you want me to change something…”

“Nope, it’s perfect. I want this.”

“Aight, color or just the outline?”

“I want it filled in but I want the rose black instead of red. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, I got you. I can use gray and white to define the petals.”

I nodded again and he pulled on gloves and moved his chair closer. “This is simple so I’m gonna do it freehand.”

“You’re not gonna mess it up, are you?”

He chuckled. “I wasn’t crazy enough to tell you no and I’m damn sure not about to play with my life by messing up your ink, Yahzi. Trust, I got you. Where you want it?”

I tugged my braids to one side, exposing the space behind my right ear as I pointed. “Here.”

“Aight, bet.”

When he cleaned the spot and sketched the design I tried to control the anxiousness in my stomach. This was a big deal and a part of me understood this tattoo was a promise of my commitment to Suleem that I was in this with him.

My tattoo was so damn cute. I didn’t give a damn if Suleem didn’t like it.

After Arris was done, I handed over my phone and had him snap a few pictures for me.

I also tried to pay him but he refused, saying he couldn’t take money from me.

I cringed knowing that meant he would get it from Suleem.

After I let him know this was a surprise, he shrugged and said that was cool, that Suleem would take care of it as soon as he found out.

I groaned in annoyance and left his place, pulling up the address for Fadez on my way down to the parking lot.

It took me ten minutes to get to the shop and I walked in smiling at how nice the place was, even if it was currently empty. A woman was seated at the station near the door. She looked up from her phone and smiled as soon as her eyes landed on my face.

“Yahzi?”

I frowned and nodded. “You know me?”

“Nope, but I was just looking at your face.” I stopped in front of the chair and she extended her phone to me. With each message I read in whatever group chat she was a part of, I got pissed.

There were pictures of me at the block party, dancing with Suleem’s aunt, some of me with Rebel and Teaira. As cute as I was yesterday, conveniently all of the shared photos had me looking crazy. I was either in the middle of speaking with my mouth open or caught mid dance move looking awkward.

“What the fuck is this?”

She grinned and crossed one leg over the other, shifting her position. “That’s a salty bitch mad that you came home and staked claim to a man she delusionally thought was hers.”

When I just stared at her she added, “Jessica is my cousin, and she’s married by the way, but apparently was fucking around with Suleem.

I don’t deal with Jess like that but I’m cool with her sister.

I told Jenisa you were taking Joel’s spot because she was creeping with him.

She must have told Jessica, who thought it was a good idea to add me to a group chat with Jenisa where she decided to talk shit about you, because again, she’s pissed about no longer having access to dick that doesn’t belong to her husband. ”

It took me a minute to process everything she was telling me. “This is your cousin?”

I held the phone up and she nodded and shrugged. “But only because our mothers are sisters. I don’t fuck with Jess like that so I use the term family loosely when it comes to her.”

I scanned the messages again, scrolled to the first one in the group chat and noticed the only blue message, which was from this phone, said, you better find something safe to do because talking shit about Leem’s girl will get you fucked up.

The rest of the messages were between Jessica and her sister, with Jessica so-called dragging me and her sister telling her to worry about the dick attached to the man she made vows to. Apparently he was very close to divorcing her because Suleem’s dick wasn’t the only one she was delusional about.

I handed the phone back. She locked it and used the device to point to a station on the opposite side of the shop. “You’re over there next to Makai. Unless you want one of the other stations. You’re DP royalty so I’m sure you can have whatever you want in here.”

She paused. “Well, any station but this one. It’s mine, and as much as I know Kassir will do whatever Suleem asks, I’m his OG because I’m the first barber hired here and he’s not trying to piss me off.”

I grinned because I liked her. She legitimately didn’t give a damn about my connections and I didn’t want her to. If I was going to work here, I had to be cool with the other barbers and not have them tiptoeing around me. “Nope, that spot is perfectly fine with me.”

“Cool, we’ll be straight then. Makai moved all of Joel’s shit out before he left for the park.”

“Wait, so who’s Joel?”

“Nobody important. He could cut but was lazy as hell and hardly ever showed up. Makai pretty much took all his clients. Kassir fired him earlier. All the stations were full and you needed one.”

“Ah shit.” Definitely a bad start.

“Girl, stop looking like that. Nobody really cares that Joel is gone. Hell, they probably don’t even remember he worked here and I’m hyped as hell to have an ally.

These niggas in here stay on some dumb shit but now it’s two against seven which basically means four to seven because you already know we have twice the brain power. ”

I laughed and looked around. “It’s kinda empty in here.”

“Don’t trip, everyone is down at the courts watching practice because of the game Saturday. Trust, when the doors open it’s going to be back to back before we close up. You straight to be here Saturday morning? Games start at four, we close at two.”

“Yeah, that works.”

“Aight, I’m about to lock up and head down to the courts. You want to bring your stuff in or…”

I shook my head. “I don’t have it with me. I can bring it when I start.”

I told her goodbye and left the shop. As soon as I was in the Jeep, I got a text from Suleem asking me to meet him at the courts in an hour. I had time so I decided to grab something to eat before I headed that way but I received a call from Blue Haven and panicked.

“Is she okay?” The words rushed out in one breath but I relaxed as soon as Dr. Ross responded.

“She’s fine. I was just calling to provide an update. As of now, we don’t feel any surgeries are required. Of course we’ll continue to monitor her, just to remain on top of her condition.”

“But she’s fine?”

“Yes, your mother is doing well. Will you be coming by soon? You can see for yourself. That might put you at ease.”

“Yeah I’ll do that. Thank you.”

I could stop by to see her on the way to the park since it was en route.

I would definitely feel better seeing and hugging my mother.

I hated that she could no longer give me her thoughts and feelings, or even a reflection of how much I know she loved me, but regardless, I felt it each time I snuggled in her bed and lay my head on her chest. That was all I had and it would have to be enough.