I hope y'all prayed for me because babyyyy I- Whew!
"Another lemon drop shot bar tenderrrr" I yelled jokingly towards Jen who was making the shots.
"You can have whatever you likeeeee" she sung.
"I'm about to be drunk as fuck Nel" I laughed looking towards Chanel who nodded in agreement.
"We going be drunk together Boog, cause this henny getting to me!" She said while picking up her shot and throwing it back.
"You should've stuck to tequila sistahhh"
Picking up the Don Julio bottle I poured up more shots.
"Take the damn shot, Boog!" Rakim yelled, already four shots ahead of me and dancing like we were at a block party instead of a $10,000-a-night villa.
"Okay, okay damn!" I laughed, tossing it back and instantly regretting it. "Whew! Y'all trying to kill me!"
"One more and you'll be good!" Mase grinned, licking salt off his hand before throwing his own back. That smile of his was dangerous — not just cutesie-dangerous, but manipulative dangerous. The type of smile that made you forget what you were supposed to be mad about.
"I'm good!" I shouted over the music, waving off the next round and slipping onto the plush white couch. My head was already starting to float and my stomach felt a little funny — probably from the combo of tequila and jet lag.
Jennesy was over by the pool doing the most for her story. "Yeah, we out here in DUBAI, bitches! Don't play with us! Chanel, hit that spin again!"
Chanel, clearly tipsy but still cute, twirled in her designer dress and flipped her hair. She caught my eye and winked. "You better get back in this vibe, Boog. Ain't no sad bitches in Dubai!"
I laughed but didn't move. My phone was buzzing again.
Sincere.
Missed Call.
1 New Voicemail.
"Girl, you better not even think about answering that," Chanel said, suddenly beside me with another shot in her hand. "Block whoever that is and take this."
I shook my head, declining the drink. "Nah, I'm good for real. My stomach feel... off."
"You pregnant or something?" she joked.
My heart skipped. I faked a laugh. "Girl, no. Don't play with me like that."
She raised a brow but didn't press it. "Come on, we hitting the club tonight. We looking too good."
"I might sit this one out," I mumbled.
Chanel squinted. "You good?"
"Yeah... just tired. You know, that jet lag," I lied, standing up and grabbing my phone.
I slipped away to the balcony. The breeze was warm, the view insane — city lights mixed with desert stillness. But my insides were knotted.
I played the voicemail.
"Boogie... Look, I don't even know what to say. I ain't been right since you left. I feel a way...yeah, but I miss you. I know I messed up. Don't act like I ain't matter. We friends before anything and you in Dubai acting like everything sweet. That's wild to me. But... do you. I guess."
I stood there, frozen. The words hit harder than I expected. I didn't know if I was sad, guilty, or just confused. All I knew was that this trip was starting to feel like more of an escape than a vacation.
I looked down at my stomach. I hadn't been paying attention to it — hadn't wanted to — but the way it flipped every time I drank or moved too fast...
What if?
I shook the thought and turned back inside.
The energy in the living room had shifted. Chanel and Jennesy were laughing about something, but Rakim was standing near the hallway, frowning at Mase, who had just gotten off the phone.
"You sure that's handled?" Rakim asked, voice low but not low enough.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it," Mase replied, brushing past him with a fake grin plastered on his face.
Our eyes met as he walked past me. "You good, pretty girl?"
"Yeah..." I lied again. "Just needed a little air."
He leaned in close, his voice barely a whisper. "Don't let that shit going on back home mess up your present, baby sis. Enjoy this while it lasts."
That sent chills down my spine, and not the good kind.
While it lasts?
What did he mean by that?
