Page 104 of Just Listen
“Ooh.” Jaylah excitedly rubbed her hands together. “Let us get the shrimp and grits. Fried lobster tails. And a bit of the shrimp fondue.”
No cap, my mouth was salivating at the sight of all the appetizing food. The greedy nigga deep within me wanted to try it all, but I also wasn’t mad at Jaylah’s selections.
Then as if she could read my mind, to turned towards me. “Bae, we’re just sampling. I know that you probably wanna try more things. So, we’ll get this, and you can come back for another round of different foods. Then we’ll take everything else to go.”
I nodded with a smile. “Now you speaking my language.”
By the time we found ourselves seated at the long ass dining table, we both had plates in front of us, along with the best mimosas I’d ever had.
“Got damn,” I moaned, after tasting the shrimp and crawfish fondue. “This shit is fucking amazing.”
Jaylah nodded with a goofy grin. “I know. My mama is the original foodie, and she does not play. Trust me. We all have to be rolled out of here on Sundays. I’m telling you.”
“Shit, I see why.” I took another sip of my mimosa that was garnished with real fruit.
“What’s up, Jaylah?” Some nigga spoke, as he strolled past us.
Lifting my head, I realized that he was a running back in the league. Tito.
Cutting her eyes at him, Jaylah merely rolled her eyes.
Without thinking twice, I leaned in and spoke in her ear. “You used to fuck with that nigga, or some shit?”
She shook her head. “No. He’s just irksome. It’s been years, and he still damn near inboxes me daily.”
“Yeah? You shouldn’t have told me that.”
She locked eyes with me. “Please don’t waste your time with that.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll leave it alone, for now. But if he says something that I don’t like…”
“Boy, you bet not fight at this house,” she fussed, before kissing my lips. “Cause it’s not that deep.”
“I hear you,” I told her, while dropping my hand into her lap, and squeezing her thigh.
Look, I never considered myself a insecure nigga, by nobody’s definition. But the longer I kicked it at Jaylah’s parents’ crib, I realized how many niggas were on her. Vying for her attention. Sending lustful glares. Between professional basketball players, football, and boxing…it felt like a fuckingsports convention. And it was unsettling to know that this was the type of temptation my gal regularly faced.
I also couldn’t help but compare myself to them, especially in the occupational department. These were young, black millionaires, legally. Meanwhile, we were just arguing about me hustling in the streets. One could probably say that she was dating down by entertaining me, but I had enough confidence not to accept that. Still, it had me thinking about shit that had never crossed my mind before.
Being that I didn’t spend as much time on the internet, like most people, I wasn’t extremely familiar with the public figures in Jaylah’s family. I wouldn’t’ve been able to point out the influencers and athletes’ girls to save my life. However, it didn’t take long for me to see what my niggas had been talking about. There was nothing but baddies in Jaylah’s family, down to her sisters to her fucking cousins. Straight tens across the board. Rich tens, at that.
“Aye, you smoke?” Jaylah’s brother Jahrae approached me, as I was reclining back in a sitting room, watching Jaylah mingle with her people.
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“Okay, well, we’re back in the smoking room. So, come puff with us,” he offered.
I nodded, before easing off the couch, and following him through the house. When we treaded into the smoke room, I realized that all of Jaylah’s brothers were there, except for the smallest one, along with a few of their brother-in-laws, like Jeremy Wiltz, the professional football player, and Sincere Junior, the professional boxer. Plus, their cousin-in-law, Wale.
Out of everybody, the only person I was personally acquainted with was Wale. We were both from the same hood, and had done business together on several occasions. So, we had each other’s direct lines, but I hadn’t seen him since I’d been dealing with Jaylah.
With thick smoke in the air, it was clear that they were already blazing. “Here you go.” Jahrein Junior handed me a blunt.
“’Preciate it,” I offered, before hitting the weed.
“So.” Jahrein Junior stroked his goatee. “Wale told us that y’all are from the same hood.”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
