Page 8 of Fraudulent Beauty

If someone got caught using a CPN and they decided to rat me out, I could get in some serious trouble too. They say a smart person knows when to walk away. That alone made me wonder if I was as smart as I thought I was because I was still holding on.

Later that evening, I pushed my bottom lip out and gave Sheniah a sympathetic look. “If you want me to cancel my date with Khalif and stay here with you, I will.”

Sheniah took a large swallow of wine and shook her head. “Don’t sit here and have a waiting to exhale moment with me when there’s a fine man that wants to take you out. I’ll be okay. I know it’s for the best. If Nook wants to leave his ass can go.”

“And nothing major happened with you two?” I asked for clarity. I was used to them arguing but him up and moving out was out of character, and I was stunned.

“Just the usual bullshit. Him being jealous of the attention I get on social media and accusing me of purposely posting thirst traps when I don’t know ninety percent of those niggas. I’ve been with Nook for ten years and never cheated. Anything that I wear in my photos on social media are clothes I wear out in public. If he wants to accuse me of cheating and throw away ten years over some niggas liking my pictures, then fuck him. He wants to leave anyway, and I won’t beg him to stay.”

Sheniah was sad which was expected, but she wasn’t crying and acting too heartbroken, and I loved that for her. Maybe she was waiting for me to leave before she curled up into a ball and cried, but she was taking the breakup better than I expected. I decided to change the subject before it was time for me to go.

“Um, you could have given me a heads up about Khalif,” I nudged her arm with mine.

“What about him?” Sheniah asked with furrowed brows.

“Sheniah, he’s a cop!” I hissed like we weren’t in the room alone. “I haven’t done it in a lil’ minute, but you know I do illegal shit from time to time,” I lied. Technically, I hadn’t done anything major in a lil’ bit, but I had just sold two CPN numbers earlier that day.

“What does that have to do with him?” she frowned. “Now as far as I know, Khalif is a good guy, and he’s far from a crooked cop, but he doesn’t walk around with his chest out flexing his power. He looks past Nook smoking weed and Fred snorting powder sometimes. When he’s not on the clock, he minds his business.”

Still unsure, I nibbled the inside of my cheek. I really was trying to refrain from scamming, but in the event that I had to do it again, I would be paranoid having the police that close to me. Ignoring weed and ignoring scamming were two different things. Plus, he’d known Nook longer than he knew me.

Sheniah could sense my skepticism. “Give him a chance, Tahli. He’s good people. He has one of those hood rat ass baby mamas that doesn’t deserve him. As far as I know, he’s not a womanizer, and he is a great father. Just because Nook and I are over doesn’t mean I’m going to sit here and bash all men and tell you not to get that back blown out.”

Her words made me recoil. “Back blown out? Who said he was getting any coochie?”

“You better give him some,” Sheniah kissed her teeth. “Your hole is going to mess around and close up.”

Laughing, I stood up. “Anyway. I need to leave for my date. You sure you don’t want to come?”

“Oh Lord,” she groaned. “Am I already that pathetic that you think I want to be a third wheel?”

“First of all, you are far from pathetic. Second, we’re going bowling. Bowling is always fun with more people. I’ll text you when I get there. Bye boo.”

Sheniah stood, so she could walk me to the door. It had been almost two years since I’d gone out on a date. Most of the lame ass men that I met called once and after a ten-minute conversation, they kept asking when they would see me, but never made plans for a date. Even before I moved back in with my mother, random men coming to my home and ‘chilling’ versus courting me and taking me on dates the proper way would never be an option. I wasn’t sure what was up with the men in my generation, but I wasn’t pressed enough for a man to settle for the bare minimum.

It was crazy to me how the good people always seemed to get stuck with the wrong people. If Sheniah said Khalif was a good guy, then she truly meant it. The odds of him having a child with a woman who was a dead-beat baby mama was crazy, but it happened to good women every day. I was so used to being disappointed that I didn’t pray or hope for a boyfriend. If it happened it happened, but if it didn’t, I wouldn’t be devastated. I wasn’t sure what would transpire with Khalif. I was just going to take it one day at a time.

When I arrived at the bowling alley, I saw his car pulling in. Khalif was fine as shit. But the police? I had plans to slow down because I didn’t want to push my luck but still…

After checking my appearance in the sun visor, I got out of the car at the same time Khalif got out of his. Yes, he was fine indeed. Khalif was dressed down in army fatigue camo shorts, a light brown tee, and brown, black, and white sneakers. His locs were hanging freely, and he looked taller than I remembered at the cookout. Clearing my throat, I advanced toward him with a nervous smile. Since we were going to be bowling, I chose to wear grey and white leggings and a matching sports bra with sneakers. I was cute but comfortable.

“You’re so pretty, I hate what I’m about to do to you in here,” he simpered as he gently grabbed a piece of my hair. I’d installed a thick, super curly, thirty-six-inch wig, and it was gorgeous. Getting free hair was definitely one of the best perks of being a wig influencer. Aside from getting paid of course. But the money I saved on hair was a huge blessing. And the fact that I didn’t have to pay anyone to install it for me was chef’s kiss.

“Lucky for you, I’m not a competitive person. I like having fun, but I don’t want to sweat or break a nail, so,” I shrugged, and he laughed.

“I can’t even be mad at that. Come on Princess.”

Khalif led the way and opened the door for me. Inside, we ordered food and drinks before changing our shoes and starting the game. It was only my fifth time bowling, but I was doing surprisingly well.

“If you roll one more strike, I’m arresting your ass,” he called from behind me making me laugh.

“Don’t tell me you’re a sore loser,” I turned around to face him.

With a sly smirk on his face Khalif advanced toward me. He invaded my personal space, and his cologne permeated the air between us. “I never lose,” he winked at me and grabbed the ball.

I picked my drink up and sipped it as I watched him. Khalif was fine as hell, and I didn’t have to worry about him doing anything illegal and getting arrested. He was a gentleman, and he didn’t turn every conversation into something sexual. I liked him, but I refused to fall too hard too fast. Most men started out seemingly perfect then the harder a woman fell the more he showed his true colors. Most people were around for a good time not a long time. For some reason that thought made me think of Nook and Sheniah. Shit, they were together for a long time, and things were still rocky. Love was a gamble period.

Khalif won by two points. By the time the game ended, I was full and tipsy.