Namier sat down in the chair across from my desk and ran his hand over his face. "Man, I wasn't expecting that. She different and we only said a few words to each other.”
"I know what cha mean.” I said. And I did know. I'd seen it the second Namier walked in the room. The way his facial expression had changed into something I wasn’t used to seeing.
"I'm serious though," Namier said. "That girl is... I don't even know what that is. But it's something. Shit, what’s up with her?”
I leaned back in my chair. "One name is River, the other name is Nyla. I think you want Nyla. She's Tatti's best friend and that’s all I know. They came here thinking they friend had been kidnapped or some shit, so she's probably not in the headspace to be thinking about niggas."
“I mean, shid, technically she was kidnapped nigga.”
“Shut up and get yo mind off that. We got real shit going on around here. You need to be ready for the day after tomorrow.”
"I wasn't trying to—" Namier started, but I held up my hand.
"I know you weren't," I said. "But I'm just telling you. That situation ain’t the most important thing right now. So whateveryou're feeling, whatever just happened in there, pump the brakes for a minute."
Namier nodded, but I could see him already thinking about when he could walk back in that living room and look at Nyla again. I hated when he had a girl, or somebody he fucked with. His tender ass lost focus. He wasn’t nothing like me and Zaire.
“Besides, it’s almost time for them to leave. I'm having them blindfolded and driven back out to where we picked them up."
Namier winced at that. "That rough?"
"Not rough. Just necessary," I said. "They can't know where this house is. You already know how I am. I just made sure Tatti got her hour to be with her girls and feel normal. Today we signed for our marriage license and I know that was hard for her to do. This is me being nice.”
He understood that. He'd seen what I was doing with Tatti — controlled but not cruel. Keeping her contained while giving her just enough freedom to breathe. It was the move.
But Nyla. Damn.
My brother was in trouble and he didn't even know it yet. The way they put their detective hats on, Namier wouldn’t be able to breathe wrong around a chick like that.
---
Later that night, after Nyla and River left, my brother went home too. I sat in the office after the compound had settled back down into quiet, going over numbers and just thinking about life.
I wasn’t husband, nor father material but I was expected to get married and have a child. Who would raise the baby? Whatwould I do when it’s time to care for it? All this shit was hitting me and it made me think about Tatti having all her rights stripped from her and being forced to pay her father debt. As fucked up as it was, she was my ticket to the life I wanted and she had to do what was required of her.
Being around her was making me feel some shit that I ain’t know I could feel. She was different. Something made me wanna protect her at all cost. Even at the courthouse. No, she wasn’t my bitch for real, but I wasn’t about to let a muthafucka disrespect her or make her feel a way. Layla clearly saw that I was with someone and her ass blatantly disrespected that, so I had to get her back in line. The look on Tattiana‘s face let me know that she respected that and appreciated me doing it. I had never been the type to lie, so I told her what the situation was in the past between me and Layla. I honestly didn’t think Tatti gave a damn. She didn’t want me or this damn marriage. Still. I had principles that I stood on.
I wrapped my work up for the night, then went in my room to take my shower. While I was in my shower, all that I could think about was how I didn’t want to sleep alone after seeing what it felt like to sleep beside her. She gave me a feeling that I couldn’t even explain if I wanted to. But what man didn’t want something thick, fine and soft in the bed with him? Once I dried off, I went into her room and asked if she wanted to sleep with me or if she wanted me to sleep with her. Her ass jumped up so fast that my head was spinning. I had to walk out the room first so that she wouldn’t catch me laughing.
This is what I was talking about. She gave me mixed feelings. I let her get into the bed first, I turned on soft music, and lay behind her with my arms around her. She didn’t stop me either, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. One thing Inever did before was fell asleep before the woman. This just felt comfortable to me. Like I had done it before and I knew damn well that I hadn’t. I barely even knew her.
—
I woke up before she did.
My body automatically woke me up at 7 every morning. My parents instilled in me that the early bird gets the worm. As a man, I was gone get that damn worm every time. Besides, it’s only 24 hours in a day, and only 12 to really get shit accomplished. I had to be productive.
I didn't move right away. Just laid there with my arm still around her waist, watching her sleep. Listening to her breathing patterns.
She was on her side facing away from me, her breathing deep and even, completely relaxed in a way I'd never seen her be while she’s awake. Her hair was all over the pillow. One arm was tucked under her head. The other was resting on top of mine where it had ended up sometime during the night.
I studied the side of her face for a long moment. The way her jaw wasn't tight anymore. The way her lips were slightly parted. The way she looked like she didn't have the weight of the world on her shoulders for once.
This woman had been forced into my life four days ago. Against her will. Scared out of her mind. And now she was sleeping in my bed like she belonged there. Like this was home.
I didn't move my arm. Didn't want to wake her. I just stayed there, watching her sleep, thinking about something I wasn't ready to even admit yet.
After a few minutes, I carefully slid my arm out from under hers and got out of bed. She stirred slightly but didn't wake up. I watched her for another second, then turned and walked out of the room.
