“See, she’s laughing because she knows I’m right.”
I couldn’t stop laughing long enough to tell her she wasn’t. One, she was damn right, and two, she was too damn observant for her own good.
“Are you happy, Li?” Sissy asked, hopping on the counter, staring at me.
“Actually, I am, very.” I felt crazy admitting that aloud. It wasn’t that I was unhappy. Then again, I didn’t know what I was. I had just kind of been existing in motion.
“Then that’s all that matters. You’re home and happy with the male version of yourself.”
“Nope, I’m not touching that because it’s so true. They both have that look in their eyes,” Lauryn said, making me laugh.
I spent a while longer with my sisters, listening to them talk mess, then it was time for me to leave. I wanted to be in Iso’s face. After promising them we’d do dinner sometime next week, I left. I had just gotten in the car when my phone began ringing.
His name flashed across the screen and of course I was smiling hard like a lil bitch when I answered.
“Good evening, handsome, is this you calling to ask me to pick up food before I come that way?”
He laughed. “Nah, but I want you to meet me somewhere.”
“Somewhere like where?”
“I already sent you the address. Call me when you outside,” he responded, further intriguing me.
“Am I coming in blasting?” I questioned.
He chuckled hard. “Naw, man, but it’s good to know you would.”
I laughed, grabbing my phone and pulling up the address he’d sent to a structure in Watertown. “Okay I’ll come. Do you have Junior with you?”
“Nope. He’s with his grandmother for the evening. I’ll get him in the morning.”
“Okay.”
“It’s just me and you tonight, Killa.”
I smiled at that statement, my cheeks burning. I didn’t know exactly when it happened, but somewhere between him spoon-feeding me pieces of his world and always showing up when he called, this became less temporary and more life creating. Somewhere between no labels, no promises, and no map… I became a full-fledged lover girl.
“And why amI meeting you in an empty bar in the middle of the night, Iso?” I asked as soon as he opened the door for me to enter from the inside.
“It’s a date. Don’t be talking mess, just go straight?”
It was dark and the only light came from the back. “Oh, I’ma walk straight, but I’m also gonna talk some mess because why here?”
His hands were on my hips as he guided me forward. “Because even though I wanted to take you on a date, I decided I wasn’t ready to have too many motherfuckers all in my face.”
“So we ended up at an abandoned building?”
He laughed. “Nah, man. This spot belongs to Psy. It’s a pool hall but it’s been down for renovations. I figured we’d play a couple games, eat, and chill for a minute.”
I nodded as soon as we entered the lit space. Up front it was definitely looking rough, but right here looked good. “Okay, I see the vision.”
“Good now stop complaining.”
I stood in the center, fully taking the space in before my eyes locked on him moving toward the bar where he had food laid out. Knowing Iso, it was chicken… It was always chicken with him.
Honestly, it was magnificent here, dark walls giving it a luxurious feel with an air like everyone wasn’t invited. Though he said the space was being renovated, liquor still lined the shelves from counter to ceiling. Then, in front of those shelves and counters, rested a sleek, massive, black stone bar. In the center of the room was one massive pool table, black and gold, the only contrast being the green material below the balls and strategically laced cues. A few feet away from the table were two luxury black chairs, only separated by a gold end table.
“It’s nice here. Did you used to hang here before everything?”
