Nova
“Sis had me so fucked up.”
That was Kaylin’s only commentary on the Mariah situation as we carried aluminum foil containers of side dishes out to the poolside patio in preparation for the guests to come, a guest list that was obviously larger than I had anticipated considering how much food there was.
Of course I had done exactly what Guy thought I would in pulling Kaylin to the side to tell her we were having an extra visitor. But to my surprise, Guy had actually done it himself before I could. Well… sort of, telling Lamar to tell his wife so he wouldn’t catch the possible backlash.
Still, he had at least taken enough initiative that Kaylin was a lot more chill about it than I expected her to be when she said, “As long as she doesn’t try any funny stuff with Guy, I’m good. But you better not let her come down here and snatch that man from up under you.”
Even though I had been keeping her updated with developments over our usual shopping and lunch dates, I couldn’t help but play it down for my own good since I wasn’t sure how much longer it would last, or where it was even going. So as I followed her back into the house to grab more food, I asked, “What are you talking about, Kay? Guy and I are just… we’re chillin’.”
“Bitch, he ate you out for all of downtown Miami to see. There’s nothing chill about that,” she quickly fired back as if we were the only ones in the house.
My cheeks flushed red at the memory and I was grateful that we were at least the only ones in the room when I whispered, “Can you be any louder?”
“Uh… y’all sure didn’t care about an audience when you had your titties all on the window like you were filming for HBO After Dark. “Give it to me, daddy. Fuck me harder”,” she teased in her best pornstar voice, her face contorted as if she was really taking some dick.
I didn’t want to give her any more ammunition, but I couldn’t help but laugh, shoving her in the arm as I groaned, “I really can’t stand you.”
“Well apparently standing isn’t your thing anyway since you wanna sit on nigga’s shoulders now and shit,” she replied, making me snort laugh as I went to grab another tray of food.
“That’ll be the last time I ever give you any details about my sex life.”
“Trust me, sis. Lamar and I did the same thing back when we stayed there, which is exactly why those windows are one-way,” she replied, eliminating the potential of a random passerby having watched what Guy and I did that night.
While in the moment it might’ve turned me on, now that I was out of that mindset - and completely sober - I was gladly releasing a sigh of relief. “Thank God.”
I followed Kaylin out back with the rest of the food. And as she put the finishing touches on the table, she also put the finishing touches on our conversation about Guy when she said, “Seriously though, Nova. I know Guy says him and Mariah aren’t together or whatever, and I totally believe him. But sometimes that can be hard for the other party to understand.”
Of course the same thoughts had already ran through my head, part of the reason why I was still stressing about her visit now, even though, “He told me she has a boyfriend.”
“Yeah. A boyfriend she left at home to go see about her baby and her old thang,” she replied with a look as if to say, “stay woke”.
Since letting the anxiety coat me was only going to make matters worse, I kept busy as the crowd began to pour in, making small talk with some of the other baller wives that Kay could actually stand to be around, keeping the food table stocked and clean while also sneaking little nibbles of my own, even taking on Mama Cheryl and company in a game of dominoes. But all of that still wasn’t enough to keep me distracted from the moment Guy walked in with his… family.
I could feel him before I could see him, and I was honestly a little scared to turn around, scared to face the inevitable. But since I didn’t really have a choice, I released a deep breath, closing my eyes to remind myself of the goal of staying open-minded before peeking over my shoulder at… gotdamn.
The Mariah I had in my head was pretty, but she wasn’t this damn pretty. And I found myself staring even harder because… where the hell did Jaxson come out of?
Even if he was three-years-old now, homegirl’s body was snatched, and she was so petite that it hardly seemed possible for her to have ever been with child. But it was clear Jaxson had some mama’s boy in him as he held onto her hand for dear life even around a very familiar Mama Cheryl and Kaylin just as Lamar was pulling his father towards the grill.
While Mama Cheryl gave Mariah a hug, Kaylin offered her more of a wave, focusing her attention on Jaxson who she had to tickle away from his mother. And then she pointed at me, my heart stopping as Jaxson and Mariah both turned my way. I wasn’t surprised when Jaxson took off in my direction, but I was nervous as I watched his mother follow after him even if she was wearing a smile.
“Miss. Nova, look! It’s my mommy!” Jaxson shouted excitedly, his smile helping me to find one as well as they approached.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when she opened her mouth to say, “So you’re the Miss. Nova I keep hearing about. It’s nice to finally be able to put a face to the name.”
“Um… same. I mean, likewise. Good to finally meet you too. I’ve heard all great things,” I rushed out, for whatever reason nervous in her presence even though she was much smaller than me. But the girl had an aura about her, a glow, and I suppose I was just getting sucked in like everyone else around us.
In fact, I was just getting ready to ask for her beauty secrets when I was knocked out of whatever spell she had me under with a simple name drop. “Guy was telling me you two are sharing the condo. Lucky girl. That place is amazing.”
“Oh, so you stopped by?” I asked, surprised since Guy said they were coming straight here from the airport. But then again, they could’ve made a pit stop to… catch up on lost time.
She thankfully put my worries at ease just slightly when she tossed her perfect curls over her shoulder and explained, “Only to drop off my luggage since Guy was so adamant about getting over here before all the food was gone.”
“Well there’s plenty if you’re hungry,” I told her, tossing a hand towards where the food was set up.
Her smile was polite - and seemingly genuine - as she put a gentle hand against Jaxson’s shoulder to guide him. “Come on, Jax. Let’s go eat.”
“Come on, Miss. Nova. We gotta go eat,” Jaxson added as he reached for my hand, his mother only giggling at his insistence. And since it would’ve been rude of me to turn him down, I accepted the hand he had out for me and let him lead the way, though he was quick to dodge us both once he noticed the tray of cookies.
Mariah was already busy making a plate for the two of them when Guy finally approached, his voice hinted with disappointment when he asked, “Damn, y’all done already met?”
Any other time, I would’ve taken a moment to admire his good looks. But the whole situation had me too on edge, especially once Mariah giggled to reply, “Your son couldn’t wait. Want me to make you a plate?”
The question was innocent, I knew the question was innocent. But that didn’t mean my ears didn’t throb in reaction, even when Guy answered, “Nah, I got it.” Grabbing a paper plate for himself as he continued, “I know your healthy ass isn’t eating any of this stuff, Nova.”
Considering how unhealthy my habits had been around him as of late, my diet consisting of mostly chocolate and liquor, I was a little caught off-guard by his comment. But instead of making a big deal about it, I only shrugged. “I’ve been nibbling all day, mostly at the side dishes.”
My response made Mariah light up as she stopped preparing the plates to say, “You know what, I was watching this documentary on the flight down and you might be onto something. But these ribs also look way too good for me to pass up.”
“Me and you both,” Guy added with one of his little chuckles, something I now realized they both did.
And did they just tag-team me over food?
Maybe I was reading too deeply, maybe I was imagining things, but I suddenly felt like a third wheel as I watched them maneuver around the table, Mariah going as far as adding an extra scoop of baked beans to Guy’s plate when she claimed he was being bashful.
“Your ass loves baked beans. Quit playin’,” was what she said. But what I heard was, “I know how much you love baked beans because we have such a long, deep history together filled with enough servings of baked beans for me to always know you better than any other woman”. A history, a connection, that I simply couldn’t compete with no matter what I did.
I found a silly reason to excuse myself, dipping into the house to regain my composure. But I couldn’t get over how good they looked together, how comfortable and natural they seemed, how much I didn’t fit anywhere in the equation no matter how much Guy insisted things would be cool.
They were cool.
I was not.
Since I knew staying in the house for the rest of the cookout wasn’t really an option, I released a heavy breath before finally exiting the side room I had been hiding in, secretly hoping I’d be able to find something new to distract myself with once I made it back outside. But the second I stepped out of the room, I bumped right into a hard body who was passing through, his hand catching me at the waist before I could stumble. “Ooh. Excuse me. I’m sorry.”
“Nah, you good,” he replied, his voice so warm and smooth that I had to peek up at his face.
I shouldn’t have peeked up at his face.
Even with sunglasses on, whoever he was, was fine as hell, his hickory brown skin and dimples alone enough to make me weak in the knees. And I guess it was a good thing that his hand was still at my waist to keep me steady when he asked, “Yo, what’s your name?”
“Me? I’m Nova,” I answered, already getting sucked in by his smile that seemed even brighter against his skin tone, part of the reason I had always been drawn to extra chocolatey men.
They always, always had the brightest, whitest smiles with the straightest teeth your orthodontist could ever put together.
He gave me all thirty-two when he repeated, “Nova. I’m Austin.”
“Nice to meet you, Austin. You play with Lamar, right?” I asked, the longer I stared at him, the more familiar he looked.
My recognition seemed to flatter him as he gushed, “Aww, so you saw me hoop before?”
“Did I? I’m pretty sure you went for, what? Thirty-five that game? On top of nine assists and four steals?” I listed, remembering the stats exactly because Guy and I had watched SportsCenter together that night.
Guy.
Just the thought of him had me feeling a little guilty for even entertaining this conversation. But I shouldn’t have felt guilty at all since Guy and I weren’t anywhere near established, not to mention he was still outside with Mariah, surely not even thinking twice about me.
I quickly decided it was alright for me to do the same, though that in the moment decision didn’t exactly prepare me for Austin saying, “Damn. Baby girl got my stats too? It’s only right that I get yours now.”
“But I don’t…”
“Your number,” he explained shortly with another one of those panty-wetting smiles.
“Oh. Uh… I mean... I’m not exactly from around here,” I replied, thinking that may factor into his interest, give him a reason to disengage.
But it really only had his face scrunching when he asked, “That mean I can’t get to know you?”
My lack of experience with this kind of stuff was showing its ugly head as I gnawed at my lip, practically whispering, “I guess it doesn’t.”
I expected him to run off, be way too creeped out by how weird I caught myself being to even still be interested in getting to know me. But to my surprise, he extended a hand my way to complement his invitation. “Come out to the pool with me, Nova. Will you?”
Since I was already planning to head out that way, I answered, “Yeah. Sure.” But I didn’t know that also meant us holding hands on the way out, Kaylin the first person to notice as she immediately raised her eyebrows at me from the spades table. The spades table where she and Lamar were competing against Guy and Mariah.
Of course.
With that thrown in my face and Austin leading me towards the pool, I could only offer her a wide-eyed shrug just as Austin asked, “So where you from, Miss. Not-From-Around-Here?”
“Denver. Denver, Colorado.”
“So you be all in the mountains and shit?” he asked as he let my hand go so he could sit against the edge of the pool, slipping his feet into the water before offering me a hand so I could do the same.
“Sometimes,” I answered as I let him help me down, the cold water against my toes enough to shock me.
My reaction only made Austin laugh before he said, “I’ve always wanted to go skiing. If I ever make my way up there, you’re gonna have to show me the hot spots.”
“Or the cold spots…” I muttered more to myself than him.
Though it was clear he caught it, his dimples on full tilt when he said, “Witty. I like it.” His appreciation for my sarcasm enough to make me blush.
There was only a short stint of silence between us as I kicked my feet under the water, grateful that Austin continued to lead the conversation by asking, “So what you do up there in Denver, Colorado?”
“I’m a teacher.”
“Oh word?” he asked with a piqued eyebrow, watching me nod before he continued, “I wasn’t really a big fan of school growing up, but maybe I would’ve been if all my teachers looked like you.”
Again, I blushed, feeling a little more settled into the water - and into being around him, period - when I replied, “I don’t know if I should be more flattered by your compliment or sad that your school experience was trash.”
He brushed me off with a wave of his hand. “Ahh, don’t be sad. I made it out alright, got me a crib as nice as Lamar’s shit, couple whips, good investments, and I make in a night what them teachers who doubted me make in a year.”
“Rub it in why dontcha,” I groaned with a roll of my eyes, though I could honestly appreciate his success story.
He at least tried to make me feel a little better about it when he insisted, “No shade towards you though. I got mad love for the folks who do right by those kids, give their all without getting much in return, see the bigger picture instead of just trying to make a quick buck and put on for their family by playing a child’s game like me.”
I found myself jumping to his defense a little too quickly, but I couldn’t help myself in telling him, “Your job is important too, you know. It gives those same kids hope, makes them want to strive for more and work hard so they can be just like you.”
Instead of taking my word, he only laughed. “Nahhh, I’m no one’s role model. Trust me.”
“You could be and not even know it,” I suggested, already envisioning the few kids from my previous set of students who would surely look up to someone like him for his skills and status alone.
Still, while he didn’t seem fully convinced, he did at least accept it enough to say, “See. You don’t even know me like that and you already believe in me, spouting all that motivational shit. You must really be a good ass teacher.”
Shrugging, I replied, “I’m just speaking the truth.”
“Well I’d like to hear more of your truth, maybe over dinner or somethin’?” he asked, serving me another one of those smiles that were way too hard to turn down. But when I peeked over my shoulder and saw Guy giving Mariah a celebratory high five across the table, I figured there was no real reason to turn him down.
So I didn’t, instead matching his grin to answer, “Yeah. I’d like that.”