Page 100 of Certified to Handle You
“Sha’Nelle,” I said.
“Sha’Nelle,” he repeated, slower, like he was lockin’ it in, and I ain’t even know why that made me smile again, but it did.
“Nice to meet you, Sha’Nelle,” he added.
“You too.”
He looked at me for another second, not sayin’ nothin’, but it didn’t feel empty. It felt like he was givin’ me time to either shut it down or let it keep goin’.
“You mind if I call you sometime, Sha’Nelle?” he asked.
I smiled at that, tiltin’ my head while I looked at him. “Yeah… you can.”
He smiled back, softer this time, like he already knew I wasn’t gon’ turn him down, and then he pulled his phone out his pocket and unlocked it.
“What’s your number?” he asked, his voice low, and easy.
I stepped a lil’ closer, leanin’ in just enough to see his screen while I started callin’ my number out. He put it in, glancin’ up every now and then like he ain’t mind lookin’ at me either.
“Make sure you got it right,” I said, smilin’ as I looked up at him.
He read it back to me, word for word, then tapped his screen and nodded once. “I got you.”
I smiled again, and I could feel that lil’ somethin’ sittin’ between us now.
“What time work for you?” he asked.
“Anytime after six,” I said. “That’s when I be windin’ down.”
“A’ight,” he replied, lookin’ at me. “I’m gon’ call you, fasho after six.”
“Okay,” I said, tryna stop my damn self from smilin’ too hard.
He reached for my hand again, givin’ it another slow shake. “It was nice meetin’ you.”
“It was nice meetin’ you too,” I said, smilin’ up at him.
I turned and got into my car, takin’ a minute to get my thoughts together before I pulled off.
And I ain’t even gon’ lie…
As I drove off the lot, all I could think about was how fine that nigga was.
I was on the phone with Toni and had been talkin’ to her since I got home.
By the time I finally sat down, I had already took me a long bubble bath, smoked just enough to take the edge off my day, and fixed me a plate, ready to eat good. I was curled up on my couch with a blanket pulled over my legs, my hair wrapped up and my feet tucked under me, feelin’ real comfortable in my own space.
“Ain’t no way you missed nothin’,” Toni was sayin’, her voice loud through the phone. “If you would’ve been out there, you would’ve beat Reni ass and threw her off that damn boat.”
I shook my head, smilin’ to myself while I picked at my food. “You already know I would’ve, ’cause what she not finna do is be stressin’ Pluto out like that, especially not right now. That’s my baby too.”
“And that’s what I’m sayin’,” Toni snapped right back. “She know Pluto pregnant, she know what’s goin’ on and she still chose to act like that. I ain’t like that shit at all.”
“I don’t either,” I said, settin’ my fork down for a second. “That girl be doin’ too much, and it be for no reason.”
Toni let out a breath like she was still irritated just thinkin’ about it. “I really think she insecure. I’m tellin’ you, I think the bitch jealous of Pluto ’cause of how close her and Renza is.”
I paused just a lil’ when she said his name, and I ain’t realize how it made me feel. It wasn’t nothin’ I could explain out loud, so I just pushed right past it and kept the conversation movin’.
