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“Fa sho. Take your time,Lance,” he responded with a laugh to himself before making his way out of the store. And I could assume it was his little non-joke that had Yani smiling when she said, “He’s a good kid. I see why you like him.”
“Yeah, he’s aight,” I responded with a grin and a shrug before getting to the real reason why I’d sent his ass to the car. “I’m in your plans tonight, right?”
“Actually, I’m supposed to be meeting up with my mom and Nala for drinks and appetizers when I get off,” Yani answered, her response making my eyebrow raise as I repeated, “Your momandNala?”
It seemed like an odd combination until Yani explained, “Nala’s my buffer.” And since I knew how uncertain she still felt about her relationship with her mom, it made a lot of sense that she’d want a third-party who was on her side present, the idea prompting me to give a nod as I said, “Aight. Well what about after that?”
“Afterthat, I’ll be taking my ass home,” Yani replied, giggling once she saw the blank look on my face as I waited for her to change her statement.
Instead of immediately doing so, she asked, “Don’t you have to travel tomorrow?”
“Yeah. But what’s that gotta do with you coming through tonight? Shit, I can sleep on the plane,” I told her, only making her giggle again as she said, “I’ll think about it, Lance.”
“What’s there to think about,Briyana?”
To me, it was a no-brainer even with her reminding me, “We’re supposed to be taking this slow, remember?”
Stepping closer to her, I quietly suggested, “Yeah, as in youslowlyriding my dick for dessert. Matter of fact, where y’all goin’?”
“Pappadeaux? Pappasito’s?” she listed before simply landing on, “One of the Pappas.”
“What’s your Cashapp?” I followed up, already scrolling to find the app on my phone as Yani asked, “Why?”
“Nevermind. I’ll just use your phone number,” I told her, going to my contacts so that I could copy it from there and then paste it where it was necessary while Yani watched me skeptically.
It wasn’t until she’d received a notification on her phone that she realized exactly what I’d done, her eyes widening a bit when she read, “$300? Lance, what is this?”
“Drinks and appetizers. I’m treating.”
“And I appreciate it. But also…why?”
“As good as you lookin’ right now? I know for afactsome nigga is gonna be tryna cover your tab as a way in,” I explained, the thought alone making me shake my head as I added, “Not even leaving that door open.”
Giggling, Yani responded, “You are crazy.”
When it came to her, that might’ve been true. But I was willing to be that if it meant Yani knowing exactly where I stood when it came to how I saw this whole thing playing out between us; tonight included.
“So I’ll see you when you’re done?”
Gnawing at the corner of her bottom lip, Yani answered, “IsupposeI can stop by for a little bit.”
“Nah, bring that spinnanight bag,” I told her playfully even though I was dead ass serious, not all that surprised when she gently nudged me towards the exit as she squealed, “Goodbye, Lance!” in response. And with a parting smirk, I was out the door, only to start laughing once I caught Ahmad trying to take a selfie with my car in the background.
“Bro, your angles are trash,” I teased, Ahmad immediately shooting a subtle side eye my way as I offered, “Here. Let me help you out.”
Setting my bags down on the curb, I took his phone and told him how to stand. Then I positioned myself to get the best lighting possible when I snapped a few pics while urging, “You better give me photo cred for these too.”
Capturing the last picture when he chuckled in response to my demand, I was most proud of the candid shot that had Ahmad frowning after he’d looked at it because he claimed I had him looking goofy as hell. But since there were a few others that he liked, he was appreciative as we finally got my car loaded up with all of our bags and then headed to his house where I dropped him off before heading to my own crib.
Once I was there, I still had plenty to do, like getting my new shoes stored properly in the cave and then pulling a few outfits so that I could get my carry-on packed with what was essentially the bare minimum to get me through the weekend. But after that was finished, I was finally able to at least sit down for a second, only to realize that I needed to get right back up so that I could warm up one of the meal prep style dinners in my fridge from the personal chef my mom was still a little salty about me hiring.
In her opinion, I could’ve been saving my money by picking up the leftovers from their house every day. But since I knew doing that would’ve more than likely led to me eating myself out of the league before I’d even made it past the average career lifespan, I’d opted to go with a professional who would help me maintain my ideal playing size and keep me properly fueled to perform throughout the season.
Yeah, even eating was a part of the job. But it was an investment worth making if I expected to be the best. And since that was always the goal, I had my phone in one hand and my fork in the other as I dug into the grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, green beans, and brown rice that thankfully didn’t taste as plain as it sounded.
Out of habit, I found myself on Instagram first, smiling instantly in response to the top post on my feed from Ahmad who’d shared the picture Yani had taken of the two of us back at Just Kickin’ It. And while the photo itself was dope, it was really the caption that did me in since I could tell it was heartfelt in Ahmad’s own special way.
“Y’all know I don’t even be on IG like that, but I wanted to give a quick shoutout to my guy @_LanceHawkins for always showing love. Appreciate you forever, bro.”
