Page 10 of You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
“Hey, girl, how’s it going?” Joy answered, her face filling the screen.
“Bitch, did you give my number to Milan’s friend?”
“Ooh!” Joy rolled over on her stomach and propped the phone up, white pillows clouding around her. “Did he call?”
Feyi raised an eyebrow at her best friend. “First of all, whose fucking bed are you in? I thought you were going shopping.”
“I’m in a hotel, bitch, mind your business. Tell me if he called!”
“Yeah, he did, but it’s whatever. He wants to take me out to dinner tonight.”
Joy shrieked in delight, kicking up her legs. “Yes, bitch! Get in there!”
Feyi shook her head. “I fucking can’t with you. When did you even give him my number?”
“Shit, I texted him right after brunch. He gave me his card that night at the club, told me he was into you but he’d blown it, and if it ever looked like he could have a shot, I should give him a chance.”
It was the last thing Feyi had expected to hear, Nasir charming Joy over to his side. “What the fuck? Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
Joy shrugged. “Girl, you were kinda shook that night. I was going to trash his number but honestly, I kinda appreciated his strategy. He a sneaky motherfucker. Plus, I saw the sparks between y’all, so it hit me after brunch—maybe that’s what you were missing with Milan, you know?”
Feyi sighed and pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose. “I can’t do it, Joy. I don’t know why I said yes. This is some ho-ass shit, working my way around the friend group.”
Joy rolled her eyes. “Well, excuse me, I had no idea you had plans to fuck him in the middle of the restaurant tonight.”
Feyi glared at her, but Joy was unrepentant.
“Nobody’s calling you a ho except you,” she continued. “Milan wouldn’t say that shit and clearly Nasir doesn’t give a fuck. Just go have fun.”
“Maybe it’s time to hit pause on this dating shit.” It would’ve been easier to fuck Nasir than to go on a date with him. Feyi considered inviting him up to her apartment instead, getting it over with. It couldn’t be that hard now that she’d gotten back in the swing of things with Milan; it was just a different bicycle.
“Why? Because this one feels like he could be serious?” Joy’s face softened on the screen. “I know it was easy to get rid of Milan, and I know it’s scary, love, but one day you’re gonna have to give something serious a chance again. Maybe Nasir is it—not the serious thing itself, but just the chance. Don’t run away from it.”
Feyi groaned, her stomach dropping. “I hate growth.”
“I know, hun. It’s a bitch. What are you gonna wear tonight?”
“I’m gonna go take a nap.”
“Boring. But sure, get your rest in case y’all get it in tonight.”
“You’re disgusting. Don’t you have a married woman to be turning out?”
Joy winked. “She’s in the bathroom.”
“Oh my God. Goodbye.”
“Call me after the date!”
Feyi hung up and flopped on her bed, her concerns about the date paling a little next to a blossom of worry for Joy. She’d seen her best friend actually fall in love with women like this before, and it always ended in a messy breakup once Joy realized they wouldn’t leave their boyfriends or husbands to go play happy lesbians with her. Those women never wanted to live that openly, but Joy fell for them anyway, playing the same story out over and over again. She wasn’t wrong about Feyi’s forming patterns, either, the way she chose Milan because he didn’t want anything deeper than what she was offering yet worried there was something wrong with her because he wanted only what he wanted and not more.
It was impossible to nap, so Feyi went through her favorite playlists and got ready instead. By the time it was seven thirty, she was a ball of jangling nerves and Joy’s words about Nasir being a chance were sticking to her like a wet and heavy skin. What if Joy was right and this could be something different? Just thinking about it made Feyi nauseous.
She paced the apartment, her mules clicking against the hardwood, her dress swirling around her legs. She and Milan would never have gone on a date. Maybe she was too dressed up. Maybe she should’ve worn jeans and slides to show that this wasn’t a big deal, that she didn’t care.
“It’s just a first date, calm down,” Feyi told herself, turning her phone in her hands. She wished Joy was home. “You got this. Relax. It’s not serious.”
Her phone vibrated with a text from Nasir saying he was downstairs, and Feyi blew out a relieved breath and grabbed her keys. Getting the date over with was better than waiting. Nasir flashed his headlights once she stepped out onto the sidewalk, and Feyi climbed into his sports car. It hugged low to the ground, and the seats inside were a buttery leather. Nasir was wearing a jewel blue shirt, his thighs encased in denim. When he leaned over to kiss her cheek hello, Feyi wondered if he’d ever feel a comfortable distance from her—he was always too close or too far away, or often, both at the same time.