Chapter Eleven

Journei

I was still at JaRue's house with my neicy pooh until her mama got home. I was in no way rushing her. Hell, she could stay all damn day if she wanted to. She needed to let Hassan erase every memory that she had left of Keith's tired ass from her body, mind and spirit. Infiniti has been up since about eight-thirty, like she had somebody's job to go to. It was cool though because I knew she would be back asleep after I bathed and fed her. That's exactly where she was now. I sat on the sofa watching Living Single when I heard the locks turning on the door. I knew it was Rue finally bringing her hot ass home, and I loved that for her. When the door came open, I saw Hassan first, before I saw her. He walked in ahead of her and she trailed in closely behind him.

"Not you done gave up a key already. Damn Haze, I see you, bro." I joked.

"Nah, it's nothing like that. I knew she said you were inside, but I needed to make sure things were straight before she walked in," he countered. I looked at my friend and she was blushing and glowing like crazy.

"Okay then. I love it."

I sat back and watched them interact with each other like they were already in love. I loved the way Haze looked at my friend, and she was just as smitten as him. He finally kissed her, and I heard him say that he would see her later. Once he was gone, I jumped right into my line of questioning.

"Alright, bitch. Spill it. You over there walking like Shamar and glowing brighter than a glow stick." I was cheesing so hard my damn cheeks were hurting.

"Damn, can I come in and get myself together first?" she asked.

"No, bitch. You should've done that already. I need the tea now. Hurry up and spill it."

I wasn't playing with her ass. She finally got a taste of some new dick, and she wants to keep the deets. I think the fuck not.

"Well, nosy. He took me to dinner at Aurora. It was so nice and upscale. I almost felt out of place. We got to know each other a little better. He asked did I want more kids, and I said I did, but I doubt if it'll happen. He told me he wanted kids but not just a baby mama," she revealed.

"Okay, y'all worked on that last night," I interrupted.

She pinned me with a glare.

"My bad. Go ahead." I threw my hands up in mock surrender while still smirking.

"Girl, why did we see Keith and he was out with another woman. He wanted to say something to me so bad, but he didn't. Hassan asked who he was, and I told him. I had to stop him from going over there and beating his ass."

"You should've let him." I shrugged.

"And what would that have solved?" she asked.

"Hell, it would've made me feel better."

Shaking her head, she started back to our previous conversation. "When we got back to his house, we had a few shots before he kissed me and carried me up the stairs to his bedroom." She blushed.

"Look at you blushing and shit. It was good?"

"Bitch, it was more than good. I mean, I can only compare him to Keith, but now I'm like Keith, who?"

"Yaasss! I love that for you, friend. Good dick from a fine ass man will do it every time."

"Girl, he has the type of dick that you want to take with you when you leave. The kind that makes you want to hold it while he pees and shakes it when he's done." She started fanning herself and I fell over, laughing. She never talked about Keith like this.

"So, are y'all together now?" I inquired.

Shrugging, she said, "I don't know. I don't think we are. It was one date and sex. That doesn't constitute a relationship."

"Did he take you to a hotel or his house?"

"His house," she replied.

"His actual house?"

"I'm going to assume because it was more than one vehicle in the garage, and it was all the way out in The Estates."

"Well, bitch. It looks like you have a whole fine ass, thug ass boyfriend and I love that for you."

"You're moving too fast. That man is not thinking about making me his girlfriend. You heard him say he didn't even date women with kids."

"Yet, he took you on a whole ass date to a nice ass restaurant and slurped your ass up afterwards. Girl bye. That's your nigga. I bet you won't tell him different." I gave her a look, and she gave me one back like she wanted to protest, but she didn't. Instead, she went upstairs to take another shower, since she said Hassan ruined her last one. While she did that, I would order brunch from Roasters and get the mimosas started. It was Saturday, and we had all day to do nothing. By the time she came back down, she looked refreshed but still had that glow. I was thrilled for my friend, and prayed that Hassan was the man to come in and love her properly since Keith didn't know how.

∞∞∞

By the time JaRue returned downstairs, I was on my second mimosa.

"Damn, bitch. I thought I had to come and get you," I spat.

"My bad. Hassan called as soon as I stepped out of the shower." She blushed.

"But that's not your man? Yeah okay."

"He's not. A phone call doesn't solidify that," she insisted.

"Did he say that he missed you already?" I asked, and she blushed again.

"See, bitch. Case closed." I took a sip of my mimosa before handing her one. "Here, catch up." She took the glass from me, and we sparked a conversation while we waited for the food to arrive.

"So, do you think things will progress with you and Hassan?" I asked.

"I mean, it's too early to tell. I thought he was fine before we went out but after talking to him and baby that dick." She stopped to fan herself. "I would love to stake a claim on that man, but I don't want to get in over my head and end up in the same situation I found myself in with Keith. I'd probably kill the next nigga that plays with me," she voiced.

"Hell, why wait? I say we practice on Keith and get his ass out the way." I shrugged, taking down the last of the mimosa that was left.

There was a knock on the door, and I went to open it, since I was closer. When I got there, it was the food being delivered. It was right on time, too. After thanking the driver and giving them a cash tip, I took the food and went back into the kitchen, where I left JaRue. She was already taking plates out and grabbing utensils.

"This smells good. What did you get?"

"I got an order of shrimp and grits, with salmon croquettes, scrambles cheese eggs, and fruit bowls." I took the containers out of the bags while I told her what we were having. We each got a little of everything and ate in silence for the first few minutes.

"How do things look between you and Rakeem?" she asked.

"They're looking about the same. Like I've said, we're just friends who just happen to have you and Hassan in common. He has a lot going on and I respect that. I actually find the shit sexy as hell that he's so dedicated to a woman that he knows is dying. Shit like that will automatically grant him a trip to the throat lodge, but I respect our friendship too much to ruin it. So right now, I'll take what I can get." Everything I said was true. I like Rakeem's company, but until he can focus on anything other than his sick baby mama, I'll play my part as his new bestie.

"I hate he's going through that, but you know what?" she intercepted. I gave her a look that let her know to go on and say what she had to say. "By you sticking by him, that's going to make him fall in love with you. He may not verbally say it, but he likes you, too. He's just not ready to come to terms with it, in fear that you'll leave him too," she stated.

"You read too many of those urban romance books." I giggled.

"I know you're not talking, Miss ‘Y'all had sex now that's your man.' You literally did the same thing."

"I was telling the truth, though." I shrugged.

"Looks like your bestie boo is calling."

I looked down at my phone and saw Rakeem's picture illuminate my phone's screen. Swiping to the right, I answered before it went to the voicemail.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, bestie. You busy right now?" he asked.

"Uhm, I'm chilling with Rue. Why? Wassup?"

"I need a huge favor. My mama is out of town and Lu's mom is with her sister. I need somebody to come and sit with Lu while I go handle some business," he informed.

I was quiet because I didn't know if I could sit around this woman, knowing I was lusting after her man. Yeah, I knew she was dying, but I still felt like it was wrong.

"Please, bestie? You'll have Peace here to keep you company." I looked at Rue and she had a silly smirk on her face.

"Okay. I'll do it. Just give me about an hour to get myself together."

"You got it, and thank you." I could tell that he was relieved that I agreed. I hung up with him and as soon as I placed the phone back down, Rue was firing off question after question.

"What did he want?"

"He wants me to come sit with Peace and Lucretia while he goes out to handle business," I mentioned.

She smirked.

"What?"

"That man just invited you to his home that he shares with his daughter and where her mother lives."

"And?"

"Don't play slow, Journei." She rolled her eyes before popping a piece of cantaloupe into her mouth. "That man is welcoming you into his home and into his world. He likes you."

"He just needs a sitter." I shrugged.

"Stop playing. While that may be true, he trusts you enough to have you around them. Take it for what it is."

I listened to my friend, and she basically told me the same thing that I told her and using it against me.

"Don't be using my logic against me. I see what you're saying, though. I'll go along with it as long as you promise to do the same."

"This ain't about me, but I will."

We continued to eat our food until Infiniti woke up. I helped Rue clean up the mess before I got dressed to go to meet Rakeem. He had already sent his address, so I had it in my phone. Hopefully, this wasn't some sort of way of playing me to be his baby mama's caregiver, because if he's playing, I won't hesitate to send him to the afterlife with her

∞∞∞

I pulled up to the address that Rakeem sent me after I agreed to come help him out. He lived in a nice, enormous house out in The Hills. He had a roundabout driveway that led to circular steps that accompanied the front door. When I stepped out, he was already at the door with his daughter clinging to his bare chest. I shouldn't have been so thirsty for this man, but I couldn't help it. He was around the same height as Hassan, and they both had that tawny colored skin that was riddled with tattoos and freckles. The only difference between the two was that Hassan kept his hair long as hell while Rakeem kept his shorter with waves. When I approached him at the door, I noticed how his body raked over my frame. I knew I would just be sitting in the house, so I only had on a pair of tights and a t-shirt with some Nike slides. My hair was in its curly naturally curly state and flowing freely.

"I appreciate you coming to do this. I need to be at the ports, and I didn't want to call a nurse at the last minute. I don't leave Peace with them anyway," he clarified.

"It's no problem. She's a cutie, so I can see us getting along well." Peace looked at me and smiled when I called her a cutie.

"Pea, this is my bestie, Journei. Bestie, this is my princess, Peace." He introduced us and escorted me inside. His foyer was beautifully decorated with a navy chaise lining the wall with a gigantic mirror hanging above it, with a sturdy shelf on the other side with a few trinkets on it. When we got to the living room, I became speechless. It was decorated in navy, cream, and gold. You would've never thought that a child lived here because it was so clean. He took a seat on the couch and placed Peace on her feet. I took a seat next to him and watched as he got her together.

"Peace, Journei is going to stay here with you and mommy, okay?" he explained.

"Mommy, schleep!" she squealed in her cute little voice.

"Yes. Mommy is sleeping. You be good for my bestie, okay?"

"Yay, bestie!" She started clapping, causing the both of us to laugh.

"She's animated as fuck," he explained.

"It's okay. You forgot I have a goddaughter?"

"Damn, I really did. You could've brought her with you. Peace would've loved that."

"I'm pretty sure Rue wouldn't mind a play date between the two of them," I offered. He nodded and continued to pick up toys that Peace had scattered about.

"Uhm, you can come with me so I can show you where Lu is."

He got up and Peace grabbed my hand while we followed her father toward the back of the house and down the hall. We came to a closed door and pushed it open, allowing me and Peace to go in first. Peace practically dragged me toward her mother's bed. I was surprised she was so quiet, but I guess she was used to it.

"She's asleep right now. There's really not much that you can do except for watch and make sure that she's still breathing and give her meds or something to drink. She's been refusing her medication, so all we've been doing is keeping her comfortable."

While he explained everything to me, I heard the hurt and anguish in his tone. He was hurt and had every right to be.

"We'll be fine. Go handle your business," I assured.

Nodding, he placed a kiss on Lu's forehead before kissing Peace. When he reached me, he looked down into my eyes and I saw a glimmer of attraction there mixed in with the hurt.

"Thank you," was all he said before he placed his forehead on mine and left the room. I watched him leave and when I turned back around, Lucretia was staring at me with a smile on her face.

What the hell?