Page 9 of Gotti
“I’m just… tired.”
“Get some rest, I’m here.”
“Yeah, for now. When I wake up you’ll be gone and you know it.”
He wasn’t available like she needed him to be. Jio was a made man… his time was always split between her, the streets, the club, and his family.
Jio wasn’t about to argue. “Go to bed girl.”
Not long after he commanded her to get some rest, she was out like a light. Her mind was tired and her body had nothing left to give. Nina snored louder than she ever had. Jio was a firm believer that the louder a woman snored, the better the pussy. He sat there for a minute, looking at her in all of her mess and glory. The silence was welcomed but he went from worrying about her to stressing over his own current dilemmas.
He couldn’t catch a fuckin’ break. Back to the streets his brain went and the chaos that came along with it.
η
Waking up alone was normal for Nina, and waking up to Jio beside her was a treat. She didn’t get to indulge often, but when she did, she cherished every second in his presence. Today was one of those mornings where she wasn’t upset that he wasn’t there. She needed some time to process her emotions before deciding how she would move forward.
Nina got out of bed and immediately opened the curtains. For her, the sun shining was a sign from God that today was a fresh start. She got dressed so she could walk Nino. She was too nervous to go to work, in fear that her key card wouldn’t work and her access had been revoked. She wouldn’t be able to outlive the embarrassment, so she didn’t bother going in that direction. Instead, she decided to take full advantage of a “free” Monday, since it’d been months since she was able to do whatever she wanted. Nina went to the market, ran a few errands, and treated her body to a massage along with two new bottles of perfume all before she met Ephrem for lunch. After she shared the happenings of the horrible night where she kicked her damn sister down the steps of her parents’ stoop, the only thing Ephrem could muster was, “Damn.”
All of a sudden, the butter chicken over basmati rice didn’t look too appealing.
“Tell me about it,” she mumbled under her breath.
“How did your parents take the news of you and J?”
Her eyes ballooned once more. “You weren’t listening when I told you my mom-
“Yeah, yeah, I heard all the threats but that was two days ago. What’s the verdict?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Not sure. They haven’t called. My sister did though. I’m sure she has all the answers I need.”
“Damn.”
Nina was annoyed with his lack of words.
“Please say something else! I beg of you.”
Ephrem sipped his tea. “I meannnnn, at least they know now. The sneaking around had to be stressful. Right?”
“I would’ve hid that nigga for the rest of my life if I had the chance,” she admitted to her best friend, causing him to laugh.
“I BELIEVE YOU TOO!”
Nina looked over her shoulder just out of a bad habit that she’d picked up from her man.
“He didn’t say much when I told him, but he has a lot going on as well. It was just bad timing and not a good weekend for us in general. I needed him… he needed me… we don’t treat each other right all the time.”
Self-awarness and Nina Marcelle went hand in hand. But what is it called when you know you’re fuckin’ up and could do better but still lack the willpower to change?
Because that was Nina.
“How can you do better?” Ephrem was curious to know.
“We need to make our relationship a priority again. He’s busy. I’m swamped with work. We live two totally different lives.”
“I asked about you princess,” Ephrem winked his eye.
Nina grimaced but she thought about his question deeply before parting her lips to speak.
