I roll my eyes. “Not much.”
“Come on,” Othello presses. “There has to be something. One of your writers interviewed me forMod.”
“That was my best friend, Lo. And that was years ago,” I remind him.
“I feel like you’re hinting that I’m long overdue for an interview?”
“Well, are you working on anything new? We can feature it.”
The look on his face tells me, yes, he is working on something new.
“What is the new work of art?” I probe.
“Top secret.”
“So, you want me to spill the beans about my story, but you can’t tell me yours?”
He laughs and runs a hand down his face. “I feel like I’m in the hot seat.”
I sit back in my chair, feigning nonchalance. “Fine. I don’t care. I mean, I guess I’ll just charge it to the game. You’re barely in the news; it’s hard to keep tabs on you. I remember my team being surprised at you agreeing to let us interview you.”
“I’m rooting for everybody Black,” he smiles, quoting Issa Rae. “I’m not turning down a Black-owned publication who wants my story.”
Heat creeps into my cheeks.
“That article did give me a lot of exposure, though,” he adds. “So I appreciate you and your team for that.”
“You’re welcome.”
A flight attendant appears beside us, her cart stacked with drinks and those little Biscoff cookie packs. This prompts us to open the tray tables in front of us.
“Would you like some cookies?’ she purrs softly to Othello. I don’t miss the slight flirtatious tone and the lustful gleam in her eyes. A part of me wonders what kind ofcookiesshe’s offering.
“No, thank you,” he answers politely. He barely even looks at her.
She turns to me. I nod, and she hands me the cookies with a napkin.
“Anything to drink?” she asks, looking between us.
Othello looks at me. “Do you drink wine? Alcohol?”
“I do. A glass of red wine would be nice right now.”
“Two glasses of wine,” he tells the attendant. “We’re celebrating.”
“Celebrating? What are we celebrating?”
He smiles at me. “A second chance.”
6
love jones
MARLEY
Five hours into this flight,and we’ve shared two glasses of wine, lunch, and some of the most embarrassing stories. I’ve laughed harder than I have in a long time because of this man.
Othello Kingston.
