“You telling me no?” he tilted his head and gave her a disappointed look.
“Nooooo but I need to go home,” she whined. Because she already knew where things would lead to and it wasn’t a good idea. Unfortunately, Jio knew it too.
“Shorty.”
“Jio, I can’t leave with you.” She wished he would at least try to understand.
“You’re being difficult.”
“You stole my truck!”
“I relocated it.”
Nina laughed. “HOW DID WE END UP HERE?”
The second he heard her giggle, his whole body warmed. He was relieved and happy all at once. The simple joy of making her laugh was a blessing and it was all he ever wanted to do. Jio felt like his job was to keep a smile on her face. Beneath all the mind games and stubbornness and chaos, he genuinely missed her. Truth be told, she had missed him too, more than she'd ever admit aloud.
Nina stood there staring at his new car, contemplating everything.
Five minutes had slowly passed as everyone wondered whether she would leave with him or not. It would determine if the others were headed to gamble or an after-hours spot.
Eventually she sighed deeply and dramatically. Jio had allowed her to take all the precious time she needed. He knew that she wouldn’t let him down. He had to have her tonight.
“Open the door,” she commanded as she walked toward a bad decision.
Jio blushed. Victory was all over his face.
Nina pointed at his chest. “You look entirely too happy.”
“I am, baby.”
She rolled her eyes. “I hate that.”
“No, you don’t,” he told her otherwise.
The worst part of was that he was right.
Nina climbed into the passenger seat before she could change her mind. The interior smelled exactly like him; clean, comforting, and expensive.
Everything about Jio felt like home and a disaster waiting to happen all in one moment. The ride started quietly, neither of them seemed interested in forcing conversation. They’d always been comfortable with one another even in silence.
“How’s your mama?”
The question took him by surprise, maybe because they rarely discussed her. His eyes shifted briefly toward her before returning to the road.
“Good.”
“Does she still blow you up?”
“Every day.”
Nina smiled at the fact that some things truly never changed.
She missed listening to him complain about his mother calling ten times a day, only for him to spend the next hour talking about how much he loved her crazy ass. The contradiction somehow made perfect sense.
“How’s Auntie Vee?”
“Working per usual.”
