There were a lot of people here, and these kinds of events were always boring. It was about elbow rubbing, who knew who, and locking in new deals. Underneath all that were the cheating spouses all plotting on their next mark or trying to floss their status for the next one to see. It was all fake, a mirage of bullshit to cover up that everyone was greedy and there for the money.
Ivana and I used to come to these things and be ready to go within five minutes. She didn’t do this uptight shit one bit. Shorty was bred from the block. She was hood, and a lot of her etiquette was shit I gamed her up with. Thinking back to some of those times with her got me in my feelings. When the waiter passed, I ordered a triple bourbon and decided to check in on Ivy. Since the weekend was approaching, I was looking forward to spending some quality time with her.
Harbor
The bathroom was crawlingwith women when I entered, and most of them studied me as I bypassed the mirror to a stall. I’d been catching eyes all night, and I knew everyone was curious about the young woman that showed up with Frequency. Hewas a well-known man, so he was greeted every other minute by some person or another. I was just finishing relieving myself when I heard a woman’s voice speak up.
“You know how these men are. They lie, cheat, and put that shit on repeat. If he hasn’t done it to you yet, just wait for it. Frequency Roth is the kind of man that gives zero fucks about anyone but himself. He brought this girl here for what? To show off his latest arm candy? Please.” She scoffed.
When I rose from the toilet, it did the automatic flush, and I let myself out of the stall. The pretty woman with the golden-blonde hair in the mirror cut her eyes at me when I emerged. Clearly, she knew who I was. I went right up to the sink beside her to wash my hands as Chevy strut through the door. Ignoring her and her little friend, I ran my hands underneath the water. I could tell the fact that I was ignoring her only infuriated her more.
“Be careful. Green is a hideous color on you.” I smiled when I spoke, and her nostrils flared angrily.
“What are you… sixteen? You are a little girl, and you have no idea what the hell you just stepped into,” She forewarned. “Grown men like women that are successful and about something. I run my own business, and you look like you still wear a fucking training bra.” She scoffed with an envious glare.
“Seems to me you’re just a little bitter. Trust me, I get it. But I’m not your problem. You are standing in your own way. And I am all woman, love. I bet that business of yours comes attached to daddy’s name. Whatever the case is… I don’t care. If you want your man, take him.” I baited her, and a flash of rage flickered behind her catlike eyes. “What I’m not about to do is go toe to toe with some random bitch.”
I shook my hands out in the sink and reached for a paper towel. She was left with her mouth half open, and that brought nothing but a smile to my lips. She wasn’t about that life. Sis wasprissy as shit, and I would wipe the floor with her if she came at me wrong. Chevy stepped out of her stall, and walked right up to the sink I had been using. The blonde one flipped some hair over her shoulder and stomped out the door with her friends in tow. Chevy snickered as they all slinked out together. I watched until I turned my attention to the mirror and ran my palm over my swoop to make sure it was still laid to perfection.
“Damn. I gotta give it to you… that was very well played,” Chevy spoke up.
I was surprised she was even talking to me since a couple of hours had gone by, and she still hadn’t spoken to me at the table. She gave me a half smile and flicked her hands into the sink to get rid of the excess water.
“I thought you were this stuck-up little siddity bitch. Those are the types that Free usually goes for,” Chevy revealed.
“Hmm, I think I should be offended,” I muttered, facing her.
“Take it how you want. He and Knowledge have been friends for a long time. We’ve done plenty of double dates, so I am familiar with his type. You are not that.”
“Maybe because we aren’t dating,” I clarified.
“Yeah, sure.” She smoothed out her dress and shook her head. “You’re stubborn like him too. Free and I don’t exactly get along. But he is Knowledge’s best friend, and I’m the mother to his children.”
“Knowledge has kids?” I was floored.
That savage ass nigga didn’t seem fit to raise a pit bull, let alone a kid. Chevy giggled.
“We have two. One of each. And he is a different man with them,” she revealed. “Certain people bring out certain things in other people, if you know what I mean.” She insinuated.
“I don’t know what you mean… sorry.”
“Harbor, you seem like a very smart girl, mature for your young age. Frequency hasn’t been public with a woman since hisbaby mama was killed. When Ivana died, that changed him. He was already a stone-cold killer. Losing her made him so much harder. He puts up a good front, doesn’t he? Strong, resilient, and intelligent. He’s arrogant as fuck, and it irks me to my soul, but he’s loyal. He’s saved Ledge’s ass more times than I can count.”
“There isn’t anything going on between us. Why does everyone keep hinting at that?” I asked, exasperated.
It was getting tiring explaining where we stood with other people.
“Hmmm, maybe they see something you don’t. Or maybe you are just in denial.” Chevelle hinted. “Take a long look in the mirror. And don’t brush off that intuition. It can save you in the long run.” She sauntered toward the door, and I watched her disappear.
I was alone in the bathroom, studying my reflection. Chevy left me with something to ponder. Other than Lock, I’d never been attracted to a man seriously before. That seemed so long ago, and I didn’t even feel like the same person that fell for him. I’d grown up in the last year. At first, I would fantasize about Lock finding me and rescuing me, but that never happened. I got to the point where I couldn’t even picture his face or hear his voice anymore.
It had me feeling like I was crazy, like my life before was all just a figment of my imagination or something. Frequency was a man like no other. He had years on me. He was a grown ass man that had experienced love, loss, and everything in between. He had a child. Compared to him, I was still green.
Something came over me walking from the bathroom back to the table. All eyes were on me as I slipped through the sea of people. Halfway there, I saw that Frequency was no longer seated alone. Blondie was at his side, neck swinging while she gave him a piece of her mind was my guess. He was unbothered,barely even looking at her as she ranted in his ear. The song switched up as I reached him and Ariana Grande’s “Safety Net”was put on. The song was often on repeat on my playlist. Tonight, the lyrics sank in.
I’ve never been this scared before, feelings I just can’t ignore
Don’t know if I should fight or fly
