I blinked sheepishly. I’ve never wanted to be Aldridge’s friend.Don’t get me wrong, he was my best friend in college, but I loved him. Not right now. I don’t love him right now.But I still held a deep affection for this man. Friends was a big ask. Friendship required no jealousy when he eventually met someone he liked better than me. It also meant no messy dumb shit which us Irwin women were known for.
“You sent me some disturbing text messages.” I’d woken up on Sunday morning to a barrage of texts from Aldridge. They started out benign but with each unanswered text, Aldridge got more aggressive.
“Not my proudest moment. Much of it was said out of frustration.”
“Like the dig about my ears?”
“I love your ears. I think they accentuate your head. And without them poking out like that you wouldn’t have such keen hearing. In school we were in the back of the lecture hall and you caught every word.”
I smooshed him in the head. “I know you’re not talking about imperfections with that unibrow situation you have going on.”
“I get that waxed now.” He pointed to his brows. “I’m practically an Adonis.” He was joking but there were no lies detected. Aldridge was the type of brother who turned heads when he entered a room. His skin was rich mahogany and always seemed to glow. His voice was deep and when he spoke, the bass rattled my chest. His large hands could palm my ass guiding me over his dick when we fucked.
“Much improved.” I managed to squeak out.
“So can we shake on our rekindled friendship and to you being my realtor again?”
“We can be friends but I’m still not your realtor.”
“Come on, be serious. If I’m going to find a home, I need your expertise.”
“So now I’m an expert. I thought I was the worse realtor to ever?—”
“Stop referring to the text messages.” He threw his hands up in frustration. “You wanna play hardball. Okay.” He huffed out a breath before pulling out his phone.
“Who are you calling?”
“I didn’t want to do this, but you’ve left me no choice.” My face was a puzzle while Aldridge tapped on his phone screen. Luther Vandross’s“A House Is Not a Home” began to play. He swayed side to side and when Luther started singing so did he.
Aldridge was halfway through the song when my initial shock finally dissipated. “What’s happening?”
“It’s a concert with songs about home I personally curated for this occasion. Because I need you … to help me find a home. Up next is ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ by John Denver.” When the guitar strings from the next song started to play, Aldridge danced along like he was at a rap concert. His movements were robust but weirdly enough, still matched the beat of the song. I was certain no one had ever done the Dougie to a John Denver song.
“Do you have no shame?” I yelled, doing my best to hold back a laugh.
“When it comes to you, no.”
Grabbing his phone, I scrolled through the songs settling on “Coming Home” by Leon Bridges. When the melody started to play, Aldridge’s movements stalled, and his gaze meanderedover my features. My hips swayed from side to side and he mimicked my motion.
“Can I?” He was asking for permission to touch me.
“Yes.” His hand gently landed on my waist, and I was now following his lead. We swayed back and forth in a small circle. Sneaking a peek at his face, I quickly dipped my head. His eyes were intense and rather than decipher them, I preferred to lean in, resting my head on his chest. Friends. I could do this. I could be his friend.
At twenty-six Iwas coming to the realization I didn’t know how to make friends. During school, people gravitated toward me with little effort. I never had to overextend myself or travel too far out of my comfort zone to find individuals I clicked with. In Minnesota shit was easy because I was from Philly and a basketball player, and people found that interesting. I stood out because most folks hadnormaljobs.
In Vegas everyone was a celebrity, all the men were gym rats and played in a band, and all the women were sculpted and drank lattes with oat milk. No one was checking for me like they were in Kansas City and that’s why against my better judgment, I was at a party. Who was throwing this party? I wasn’t entirely sure, but the home was impressive, and half my team was in attendance.
I was holding up the wall, nursing a ginger ale trying not to stand out like a sore thumb. Everyone seemed to know one another already so it felt weird trying to insert myself into conversations. Like what was I supposed to contribute? The trendiest restaurants in town, I didn’t have a clue. Casinos with the best payout? I wouldn’t even know where to start. GPS wasneeded to find this place because each street still looked the same to me. Was being here looking like a lame better than just cutting my losses and dipping?
The few people I did know weren’t checking for me. When I first arrived, I caught the eye of Dante with two drinks in his hand. He tossed me a nod but then fled in the opposite direction.Can I ask you a question? Taking into consideration all you know about me, would you consider me cool? No, on second thought, don’t answer that. If I had to ask the question the answer was no.
I spotted Colin Pratt moving through the crowd with his entourage. The more I got to know him, the more I hated him. As a Ramblers veteran, he believed his superstar status was solidified. But he was a ball hog who assumed the team was only there to make him look good and if we weren’t supporting his inflated ego, we were useless.
Basketball teams were no different than a regular nine to five. You had employees who showed up and did what they were asked. They didn’t make waves or expect any fanfare. Then there was the office manager who’d been with the company for years and gathered a clique of minions who did their bidding. That was Colin. And then you had me, the new hire who questioned everything. I didn’t give a fuck if this is the way it’s always been done. If shit isn’t working, you don’t keep doing more of the same thing.
Okay Aldi, you just can’t stand in one place all night. You have to say hi or initiate a conversation. I searched the crowd for another lonely loser. If I just had a drink, a few sips even, it would really take the edge off.Hi, I’m Aldridge. How about this weather we’re having? Is it always this hot? What’s up, I’m Aldi. Do you want to go somewhere and suck my dick?You laugh, but that has actually worked in the past.Did you know Pope John Paul the II was named an honorary Globetrotter?
I glanced at the sun-kissed blonde standing next to me, dancing offbeat to the Ying Yang Twins. “Hi, did you know they’re not twins?”
