Chapter Twenty-Four

Been Around the World

“Something is in the air, man. There seems to be more fine-ass women in here than usual.”

Smirking, I shrugged at Cody’s comment and leaned back in my chair. We were back at Sanity, waiting for Jucee to hit the stage and dance to a new, unreleased track of mine. A quick look around proved he was right though. Sanity was a safe space for the community, so it always attracted women, but today was different. The place was packed more than usual and I didn’t know why.

Samir and Morgan had joined us tonight. Before everything, I would’ve been insecure about Samir being in the building, but I understood that he was important to Jucee. Their friendship meant a lot to her. He was a part of her village.

So was Morgan. And Mercedes. And Mal. And hell, even Cody’s goofy ass.

And I was there too, pulling double duty in a way no one else was privileged to. Holding on to fears from my past had me in such a chokehold that I’d almost lost out on that privilege.

Jucee killed her set. The song was more upbeat, made specifically to inspire ass-clapping, and she delivered in spades. I watched the room go bananas, people standing on chairs, folks bent over with their hands on their knees. They were loving it. Mission accomplished.

Once Jucee finished and disappeared through the curtains on the stage, the lights came up and so did chatter about the song. I just sat back in my seat and soaked it all in.

I could see Mal across the room making her rounds as usual. Most everyone knew she was the owner, but some folks just watched her move because she commanded attention. When she made her way over to our table, I stood and embraced her. Standing back, she greeted everyone at the table before turning back to me.

“Your girl killed it tonight.” Pausing, Mal eyed me. “She is your girl, right?”

Grinning, I nodded. “Yeah, she is. And you’re right, my girl did amazing.”