Pulling her hand away from his, she playfully slapped his arm.
“I’m just fucking with you.” He chuckled. “We can do whatever you want, Irish.”
“No, this is for you. To cheer you up and make you forget about your problems. I’ll be your designated driver for the night, and you’ll have my undivided attention. Deal?”
He nodded. “Deal.”
The two ordered a round of shots before they left and went to the bar down the street. They ordered more shots and danced like it was 2014 all over again. Irish missed those times when she and Jovanis had just entered adulthood. They had no one ruling over them or telling them how to live. Although their trauma awaited them, they took a break and partied the night away.
“I love to see you smile,” she gushed, giving him a sideways hug.
“I’m only smiling ‘cause I’m slapped.” He laughed.
“Yeah, but you needed this night. Away from TLM, your lover, and other responsibilities.”
“Nah, I only need you, Irish. Fuck everything else.”
She kissed his cheek and pulled him back to the dance floor. One would have thought they were a happy couple enjoying a blissful night. Not a set of best friends who were only married for the optics. One was in love with a one-of-a-kind man, and the other battled his feelings for another guy.
Hours had flown by, and Irish realized it was after three a.m.
“Damn, I didn’t know we been out this long,” she said to herself. “When she looked at her phone, she noticed she had several missed calls from Noble.
“I’ll be right back, Van. I gotta make a call.”
He bobbed his head as she maneuvered her way outside. Standing near the building, she dialed Noble.
“Where you been?” he answered.
“Oh, I was out with Jovanis.”
“What? I’ve been hittin’ you up and you been with that nigga?” he questioned, appalled.
“Well, yeah, he wasn’t having a great day, so I was only trying to cheer him up. I meant to call you ba—”
“Don't ever in your life ignore me for that nigga. I come first. You know I don't even do this phone shit, and you got the nerve to ignore my calls ‘cause you with him.”
“Noble, calm down. It’s not that serious.”
“You right, it ain't. Go hop on that nigga’s dick then.”
“What the fuck?” she whispered once she heard the beeping sound. Realizing he had hung up on her, she dialed him back just to be sent to the voicemail. “Wow.” She chuckled in disbelief before heading back inside the bar.
“You ready to go?” Suddenly, she wanted to end her night.
“What’s wrong?” Jovanis quizzed, noticing a shift in her mood.
She shook her head, picking up her purse from the chair. “Nothing. I just think we should go.”
Jovanis grabbed her arm. “Aye, tell me what’s wrong.”
She inhaled deeply and revealed, “My guy is mad at me because I missed his calls.”
Jovanis smirked. “You always like those dominant niggas.”
Smirking, she fired back, “So do you.”
“You right, I can’t help it.”
