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She crawled into his bed, and his strong arm comforted her. “I thought black didn’t crack.”
Mateo loved the attention. “Ah, look at my baby. You jealous.”
She smiled. “Un poquito.”
“Poquito my ass,” Mateo replied and then planted a kiss on her lips.
Chanel’s visit with Mateo was shorter than usual. Instead of spending the majority of her day with him, she stayed for a couple of hours and then gave him an excuse why she needed to leave. He seemed understanding.
Chanel took a cab back to Pyro’s place. Mecca called Chanel during the ride. She wanted to meet up and talk. Chanel was down.
When she walked into the apartment, Pyro wasn’t home. It had been nearly a week since the incident between Mecca, Sheree, and him. Chanel didn’t want to get involved with their drama, but it was easy to see that Pyro was hurt by Mecca leaving him. It was obvious that he really liked Mecca and he was missing her. But he didn’t want to talk about it to anyone, especially not Chanel. That incident put somewhat of a strain on their friendship.
Chanel got dressed for the weather in some jeans, sneakers, and a light, pumpkin-colored leather jacket. It was late autumn with a chilly breeze outside, and the holiday season was about to be in full swing. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas—each one was right around the corner. Thinking about the holidays weighed on Chanel’s spirit. She didn’t want to spend them without Mateo. She wished he could make a full recovery so they could spend them together. It had been a daunting few weeks for her, but she was still moving forward, praying that she went into the New Year with high spirits and Mateo walking by her side.
She trekked down into the parking garage and got inside of her white Range Rover and headed to Manhattan to see Mecca.
Chanel walked into the modernly decorated restaurant with clear acrylic barstools and black metal tables near Columbia and spotted Mecca already there, seated at the table looking despondent. Her head was lowered and her attention was on her cell phone. Finally, she looked up and spotted Chanel coming her way. She managed to smile and stood up to greet Chanel with a friendly hug.
“I’m glad you came,” said Mecca.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m doing fine,” Mecca replied.
Chanel knew it was a lie. She could see it all over her friend’s face, the pain and heartbreak that Pyro had put her through with the Sheree business. Chanel knew she would have felt the same way if Mateo had put her through something like that.
“Well, I’m here for you, Mecca. Let’s talk.”
The two sat at the table opposite each other. They ordered Shirley Temples and some appetizers.
“So, how are you holding up?” asked Chanel.
“I’m okay, Chanel, for real. You don’t have to keep asking me the same thing in a different way. I’m going to always be okay,” Mecca replied faintly. “Let’s talk about something else.”
Chanel didn’t believe her. Her words were saying that she was okay while her eyes were manifesting something completely different. Their drinks came, along with their appetizers. They ate, drank, laughed a little, and talked. But after putting up a strong exterior, Mecca unexpectedly started to cry her eyes out at the table.
“How could he do this to me, Chanel?” she cried out. “I loved him.”
“I know you did, Mecca.”
“He’s out there having sex with his baby mama and then comes and makes all these promises to me. Ohmygod, I’m so stupid,” she said with a tinge of defeat and embarrassment.
“Mecca, don’t stress yourself over this. We’re women and it happens to everyone. Don’t you remember? You told me that once when I was tripping about Mateo.”
With her tear-stained eyes, Mecca looked at her friend. “But you know what hurts me the most, Chanel? It’s that Pyro hasn’t called me since the shit happened. And I’m embarrassed. I miss him. But I should have listened to you when you told me that he was a player.”
Chanel, seeing her friend in deep pain, sighed and said to her, “Listen, I know for a fact that Pyro misses you and that he really likes you. If you want him, then you need to fight for him. And I also know that those other women don’t mean anything to him. Just give it time, Mecca. I know Pyro. He’ll come around.”
Chanel took her friend’s hands into hers and held them firmly in her grasp, while she fixed her eyes on Mecca. “Look, you’re the best thing to happen to him. You’re a good woman, Mecca. I know it and he knows it, and he’s been searching for someone like you for a long time. And if he can’t see that then he’s a fool and you’re too good for him.”
Chanel didn’t believe this for one second. In her eyes, Pyro was a womanizer and undoubtedly had moved on to the next one. But she had to say something comforting, seeing how distraught her friend was. It was all she could do other than kicking Mecca while she was already down.
Mecca managed to smile at her friend’s encouraging words. She was grateful for a friend like Chanel. She sighed with some relief and the two friends stood up and hugged each other warmly. After her talk with Chanel, Mecca felt a thousand times better.
Chapter Twenty
Charlie steered her flashy car into the Washington Heights alleyway at dusk, traveled a few feet farther from the public street, and brought the vehicle to a stop. She climbed out of her Benz looking like the boss bitch she had become, wearing a pair of red bottoms, stylish jeans that hugged her juicy booty and curvy figure, and a pricey shearling coat. Being in a sketchy place such as a back alleyway would have been intimidating for anyone—man or woman, but Charlie carried a look of certainty that no one was going to fuck with her. And she had her reasons to believe so.
