Soul Ties, page 4
“What to wear?” Nina asked aloud as she fingered through the suitcase of clothes she had brought from Charlotte. “I definitely have to go shopping.” She settled with her new black Gucci bodysuit, a red kimono, and her all-black, thigh-high Louboutins.
I hope I’m not too overdressed. Nina admired her appearance in the mirror. The bodysuit complemented her slim curves perfectly. Her bare skin glowed to Nina’s surprise. She had abandoned her skincare regimen since arriving to Atlanta. She brushed her eyelash extensions and applied a clear coat of lip gloss to her full lips.
“Okay, Nina. You’re ready.”
Nina’s palms moistened when her GPS projected her estimated arrival to be in less than five minutes. Even though Yasin had made it clear that it wasn’t a date, Nina felt awkward. She’d never dated anyone besides Chance. She felt so far removed from the dating scene. What if she said the wrong thing or made a wrong move? Romance with Chance came easily. Nina didn’t know if she was equipped to find love in today’s market.
Yasin was sitting at the bar when Nina arrived. The sleeves of his button-down were rolled up to his elbows. He had the appeal of a mafia boss. Someone who could parlay with the elite and always survive in the trenches; it’s what Yasin gave. His dark skin complemented his freshly tapered haircut.
“Hey,” Nina said softly, announcing her presence.
Yasin turned and licked his lips when he spotted Nina. His eyes scanned over her, and the sides of his mouth curled into a grin. Nina looked even better dressed up. The bodysuit she wore put her slim-thick frame on display. Her hair was different from the last time he saw her. Her tresses were pressed and curled. He noticed the beauty mark above her lip for the first time. She barely wore makeup and still stunned him.
Yasin stood and embraced her. “I thought you stood me up, ma. You look amazing. How you?” he asked, pulling the seat out for Nina to sit.
“I’m okay,” Nina replied as she slid into the seat beside Yasin’s. “I thought we were eating.”
“You can go ahead and order something. It’s been a long day for me, so I’m settling for a drink.” Yasin had been ripping and running through the city handling business. The illegal empire he ran occupied most of his free time. There weren’t many he trusted to run his operations, so he remained a one-man army.
Nina nodded, understanding the feeling of having an overwhelming day. Shit, it’d been an overwhelming two weeks for her. A drink or two couldn’t hurt.
“I’ll take a margarita,” she told the bartender. Nina checked Yasin out. She assumed he had worked all day because he was still dressed in his suit. The jacket hung on the back of the barstool he sat in. She had to admit that she thought Yasin was fine. His smooth, ebony skin shone with no traces of blemishes. He had the aura of a city nigga, and Nina dug it. “I’ve had a long fucking two weeks,” Nina admitted bitterly as she sipped the margarita.
Yasin studied the expression on her face. Her eyes. They were dim and faraway. Her eyes told the story that her mouth never voiced. Sorrow. Grief. Yasin could read those emotions on anyone. Even though she tried to hide it, he recognized the hurt all over Nina’s face.
“Well, shit, let’s drink to that.” Yasin leaned back in his seat, cupping his elbow with one hand and rubbing his goatee with the other. He wanted to know more about the mysterious beauty in front of him, but he didn’t want to ask the wrong questions. Nina had a guard up that he hadn’t quite figured how to disband. “I’m glad you came out with me tonight, though.”
Nina smiled tightly and rolled her eyes up, pausing before she responded. She barely had the mental capacity to be around anyone right now. She desperately yearned to curl up in her bed and sleep, but Nina knew if she succumbed to the grief, she’d never find her way out of it.
“Honestly, I am too. It feels good to be in a new environment, meeting new people. Just the distraction I need,” she admitted before tilting her glass back, finishing the rest of the margarita. Nina signaled for the bartender to bring her another round.
“Damn. Distraction?” Yasin clutched his heart as if he were wounded by Nina’s words. He nodded to the bartender and handed him a fifty-dollar bill as a tip.
Blushing, Nina rolled her eyes playfully before focusing on Yasin with a smirk on her face. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just been a rough couple of weeks, to say the least. Being occupied keeps my mind off things,” she said while swirling the straw around her drink.
“I feel you,” Yasin admitted.
“Life can just be so hard sometimes, you know? Nothing in this life is guaranteed. And when you’ve lost so much, you’re constantly waiting for the rug to be pulled from under you, like shit could be turned upside down at any moment. It’s not fair,” Nina stated quietly, lowering her gaze to her margarita and blinking away tears. “I lost one of the closest people to me in a blink of an eye. Someone who helped me grow into the woman I am today, and I just don’t know how to make sense of it.”
She looked up to find Yasin glancing at her curiously. Her cheeks flushed, and she took a gulp of her drink to fill the awkward silence. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pour all of this on you.” Being with Chance for so many years made dating feel like a foreign territory to Nina. She had forgotten what people talked about on first dates.
Although they both agreed this wasn’t a date, Nina felt a connection with Yasin that she couldn’t explain. First date or not, don’t run this nigga off with your baggage, she thought.
Licking his lips, Yasin curled his finger and placed it under Nina’s chin, bringing her gaze to meet his. “Don’t apologize for speaking what’s on your mind. I know exactly what you mean, but something tells me you’re strong enough to make it through it. We gotta make the best of the cards we dealt.” He empathized with Nina’s plight. He, too, took many losses to be in the position he was in today. “I’m here to listen if you want to talk.”
“Thank you.” Nina bit her bottom lip and shook her head lightly. The only person she trusted mourning Chance with was Quan. After the funeral’s revelations, however, Nina needed space from him too. There was no one she could share this pain with. She had to become numb to it all. “I’m just going to take it day by day.”
“Tell me something about yourself,” Yasin stated.
Nina shrugged and gently bit her bottom lip. It’d been so long since she shared intimate details about herself with any other man besides Chance. The most basic things like a person’s favorite color or food—Nina had forgotten that this was the type of information single people shared when dating.
“I love dogs, but I never actually owned one,” she blurted out. It wasn’t the most interesting fact about herself, but it was the first thought that came to her mind.
Yasin’s lips curled into a smirk as he finished off his second double shot. “Why not?”
“Too much maintenance. The idea of cleaning up dog shit doesn’t excite me,” Nina responded, chuckling lightly. “What about you?”
“I feel that. Let me see . . . I love music, but I’ve never been to a concert,” Yasin stated, brushing the back of his head.
Nina cocked her head to the side and squinted her eyes in Yasin’s direction. “No?”
“Nah, plenty of opportunities, but big crowd’s not my vibe. I’m a low-key dude. You’ll learn that if you stick around me.” He hoped that this wouldn’t be the last time he saw Nina. There were multiple reasons he desired her, but her vibe topped the list.
“We’ll see,” Nina replied.
A few drinks later, Nina was more comfortable with Yasin. He was surprisingly easy to talk to. He allowed Nina to lead the conversation and only contributed when she asked him a question or for his thoughts.
Nina’s phone interrupted the conversation. It was a FaceTime call from Quan. In her inebriated state, she didn’t think twice about answering Quan’s call. She was supposed to still be upset with him.
“Excuse me.” Nina said to Yasin as she accepted the call.
* * *
“Yo, Nina, what the fuck is up, sis?” Quan spoke into the phone. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d called Nina by this point. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing Nina was safe, because Chance could get off his back now. He loved his brother to death, but the persistent talk about Nina gave Quan a headache.
“Wassup, bro.” Nina smiled into the camera. Looking at Quan reminded her so much of Chance. The two were almost one in the same. That fact alone was bittersweet. Pieces of Chance would always live on through Quan. Yet, the reminder of Chance that Quan presented crippled Nina at the same time. She needed to establish distance between Quan and herself for a while. Her healing couldn’t happen as long as she grieved Chance. She hoped Quan would understand.
Chance looked at Nina from a distance. Hearing her voice was a relief to him. His heart ached when he saw the smile on Nina’s face. She had her hair down and straightened, one of his favorite styles for her to wear. “Where she at?” he whispered to Quan, waving his hands back and forth, attempting to get Quan’s attention. Quan stood a few feet across the room from him.
“What you up to, Nina? I been hitting you up like shit all day. You dipped out of the funeral so quick I couldn’t even talk to you.” Quan said. He barely allowed Nina time to finish her statement before he bombarded her with his questions.
Nina sighed. She appreciated Quan’s concern, but she didn’t have the mental capacity to have this discussion at the moment. Quan had questions that she wasn’t ready to answer yet. “My mind was fucked up, Quan. I just couldn’t stay there.” She didn’t let Quan in on the information Tiana had given her. To be honest, she didn’t want to hear the words come from her own mouth. It was embarrassing to even think about. She wanted to drown it all out tonight. “I’m out having a drink, ya know. Take my mind off some things.”
“I feel you. I know you taking losing Chance the hardest.” Quan sympathized, laying his act down thick. As much as he hated keeping Nina in the dark, he had to respect his man’s wishes. “You out drinking alone?” Quan asked as if he read Chance’s mind. Chance pointed his finger at Quan, shaking his head while wagging his finger. That was his indication that Quan asked all the right questions.
Nina paused, and she remembered she was sitting across from Yasin. She smiled at Yasin and stepped away from the bar. “Nah, I’ve made a friend actually. Shit has been crazy for me, and he’s been helpful.”
“He?” Quan and Chance repeated at the same time. Before Nina could respond, the video call disconnected.
“Her phone must have died.”
“Bro, did she just say she met a nigga that’s been helping her?” Chance asked. His nostrils flared at the thought of Nina out having drinks with another man.
Quan ignored the question. He knew Chance heard Nina as clearly as he had. He knew Chance well enough to understand that he didn’t want an answer to that question.
“Fuck, man. Nina’s a good girl, my nigga. Any nigga would be lucky to have her. So, I know all those niggas out there on her hard. I just hope shorty can wait long enough for me to get my shit together.” Chance shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. The thought of another man lusting over Nina made his skin crawl. He realized it was typical nigga shit to be upset over Nina getting to know another man although she was technically single, while he had a female showing up to his funeral, professing her love. He could admit that he wouldn’t be able to handle the heat if he switched roles with Nina. Still, that revelation didn’t ward off his fuming anger. The situation was all fucked up.
“We gotta make a trip to Atlanta and scope some shit out, bro,” Chance concluded.
“Nigga!” Quan scoffed while throwing his hands in the air. “Fuck you wanna do? Play dead or check on sis? Why not just bring her in on all this shit?” It was hard to follow Chance’s logic. One minute he wanted to ice Nina out, and the next he wanted to keep close tabs on her. Quan usually trusted Chance’s plans, but the incident with Nino had him moving erratically. “This shit got you moving crazy, bruh.”
Chance clasped his hands together in a fist as his brows furrowed. Inhaling deeply, he gazed directly into Quan’s eyes. “I’m doing this my way. The first thing Nino will suspect is me making contact with Nina. This nigga knows the tricks of playing possum. He got years of practice with this shit. I gotta be two steps ahead of him.” He didn’t expect Quan to understand his reasoning. Hell, he barely agreed with it himself, but the only way to keep Nina safe was to kill Nino. With Nino believing he was dead, it gave Chance the upper hand to execute his plan. Contact with Nina risked blowing his cover.
“Why go to Atlanta then?” Quan asked.
“I got a feeling. We’ll check it out and head back. Just trust me.” Chance wasn’t going to expose his hand yet, but there was no way he would let another nigga get close to Nina. No way in hell. If he had to lay down bodies for her, then so be it. He’d done it before. He would kill, steal, and lie if that meant Nina’s heart remained with him.
* * *
“I’m sorry. That was my brother,” Nina said to Yasin.
Yasin waved his hand, saying it was no big deal. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop on Nina’s call, but it was hard not to. Putting two and two together, Yasin figured Nina had lost her boyfriend, and the baby she lost must have been his also. That explained the sadness that her eyes revealed.
“I’m sorry for your loss, ma, for real.”
Nina’s lips pursed together tightly to keep the tears from falling. She didn’t want Yasin to see her waterworks. “It’s hard, ya know? But I’m dealing with it.” A single tear fell down her cheek. Bottling up her emotions had been her only resort. Soon enough, however, Nina sensed that everything she held in would boil over and explode in her face if she didn’t face it head on.
Thumbing the tear away from her cheek lightly, Yasin lifted Nina’s chin with his index finger. “I can tell you’re strong. I won’t lie and say it’ll get easier, but it gets better with time.” He offered Nina a little consolation. Grief was a feeling he was well acquainted with. If things went well with Nina, Yasin promised to open up to her about his own sad stories too.
Nina nodded, and she turned away from Yasin. The words he spoke were the type of words that broke a grieving person down. While they were meant to sound encouraging, they only sank you deeper into sorrow.
“Can I have two shots of Hennessy?” Nina asked the bartender. Her emotions were coming down hard right now, and she just wanted to drown them out. Hennessy promised her the mental escape she desperately needed. “Just promise you’ll get me home safely if I’m too fucked up.”
“You don’t have to worry, ma. I won’t let anything happen to you,” Yasin reassured her sincerely. Nina was broken, and he wanted to be the one to help put the pieces back together. Then and there, he made up his mind. Nina was going to be his. He wouldn’t rush her. If she ever decided to give him a shot, Yasin would be there for her.
* * *
“Whew, I’m feeling nice.” Nina flipped her hair over her shoulders as she nodded her head to the music playing in the Black-owned restaurant. The alcohol had her feeling lovely, and she knew she had reached her limit. Being sloppy drunk wasn’t usually Nina’s thing unless she was in the confinement of her own home.
She and Yasin had been enjoying each other’s company for the past two hours. She looked at the digital clock hanging above the bar and gasped. Three hours had passed since they’d entered the bar. “Yeah, I think it’s about that time,” she said as she stood up, swaying lightly.
Yasin placed his arm around Nina’s waist to hold her steady. “I don’t think you’re in any condition to drive home, ma.” He could tell she was a lightweight when it came to alcohol. Furthermore, he respected the fact that she knew when to stop drinking. It let him know that Nina was disciplined. “I told you I would get you home safely. I can’t let you drive like this. Give me your keys.”
Nina sucked her teeth as she waved Yasin off. “Nah, I’m good. I can make it home. Plus, I don’t want you to have to leave your car.” Nina reached in her bag for her car keys, fumbling around the many unnecessary items inside. “Fuck!” she exclaimed as the contents of her purse spilled on the floor. Yasin bent down and helped Nina retrieve the contents.
Yasin held the keys out of her reach and smirked. Nina jumped in the air slightly, but her attempts were futile. Her five-foot-six frame didn’t stand a chance over Yasin, who stood well over six feet. “Like I said, I can’t let you drive.” He ignored Nina as she smacked her lips and rolled her eyes. “And don’t worry about my car. I own this restaurant,” he stated humbly.
Nina was impressed—not by the fact that Yasin had money, because she was used to being spoiled by Chance. But she liked the fact that he had something to show for his money. “It seems like I’ve been talking about me all night, yet I don’t know much about you, Yasin.” Her first instinct told her that he was a drug dealer, but she knew not to ask. Nina had always been attracted to Chance because of his hustle, not how much money he brought home. If her dad had taught her anything, he taught her that a man with hustle in him would never be broke. A man who could go into the jungle naked and come out with a fur coat; a man who could make a dollar out of nothing; a man who could lose it all one day and get it back with no complaints. Not every man had it. Yasin seemed to possess that hustler mentality. The only question was, what was his hustle?
“Next time, shorty. Let’s get you home.” Placing his hand on the small of Nina’s back, he guided her out of the restaurant. “There’s still a lot I don’t know about you, too,” Yasin said as he opened the passenger door to Nina’s Benz. He noticed she had just totaled her Lamborghini and was able to turn right around and purchase a brand-new Mercedes like it was nothing. The condo she purchased rested on the penthouse floor of one of the hottest complexes in downtown Atlanta. It was nothing to brush shoulders with celebrities in Nina’s building. Money talks, and Nina’s spoke volumes.
