City Love (NEW 2024 - Black Love Story)

Four

Tanya's POV:

After my shower, I realized I hadn't messaged Dan back.

Tanya: LaTanya 0 - 1 the gym 😭.
Daniel: Damn, my bet was on you! Better luck next time. 😂
Tanya: You're funny 🙃. Thanks for reminding me.
Daniel: It's all good. You free today?
Tanya: Nope, girls are coming over 🥂.
Daniel: Damn, better luck next time, I guess.
Tanya: Damn right! Tanya 1 - 0 Daniel 😂.
Daniel: I gotchu next time. Tell the girls I said hey.
Tanya: Kay, speak soon. Have a great day. x
Daniel: You too ❤️.

I couldn't help but smile like a Cheshire cat. Daniel always had a way of making me smile, even if it was annoying. I tossed my phone onto the bed and focused on the tasks ahead: cleaning, job applications, and meal prep. Time to get to work.

By 2 p.m., the house was spotless. Alesha and Shanay were set to arrive at 4 p.m., so I decided to wait for Alesha to start on the meal prep. The only way I'd enjoy this diet was if my bestie made it. Smart move, right? It was crazy that I thought I could let me and my ancestors make this 'healthy food'. I loved cooking, but Alesha was like a culinary prodigy—seriously, it was like Gordon Ramsay had trained her.

I opened my MacBook to tackle some emails. I texted the girls in our group chat, asking them to grab groceries since I was running short on time. I had an hour to scan through job applications. Nothing new. I checked my Essence application one more time and sighed, hoping for some news. I explored other journalism roles outside of fashion, but nothing caught my eye. I decided to leave it for now. I connected my phone to the speakers and started playing songs from my throwback playlist, beginning with "Good Girls" by Joe —definitely a vibe!

As I danced and sang around the house, time flew by until I heard a series of knocks at the door. Shanay and Alesha were clearly impatient.

"Open, open, open... LATANYAAA!!! I'm gonna count to three..." Shanay shouted.

"Can you calm down? We just got here!" Alesha fussed.

Shanay was reenacting that hilarious scene from Baggage Claim with Tia Mowry and Trey Songz.

"OKAYYY... hold on!" I laughed, rushing to the door.

The moment I opened it, Shanay dashed past me straight to the bathroom.

"Damn, it's that bad?" I laughed.

"Hey girl, Shan thought it was a good idea to drink hella water on the way here... It's scorching out there!" Alesha fanned her face.

"We got everything?" I asked, pointing to the bags.

Alesha nodded, handing them over to me and closing the door behind her.

"How hot is it out there? I haven't been outside today," I asked.

"95 DEGREES, BITCCHHH," Shanay shouted from the bathroom. We burst out laughing as she walked in, dramatically wiping her forehead.

"Be forreal, Shanay," I said, wiping tears from my eyes.

Alesha took out the cooking gear and started setting up.

"I almost fainted at work yesterday. Had to leave early and call Alesha to take me home. I thought Jesus himself was going to take the wheel if I drove!" Shanay's exaggeration had me laughing again.

"Did you take a taxi to her job?" I asked as I thought of the distance and the cost.

"YES! Took all my money, but Shanay paid me back because she felt bad," Alesha laughed.

Shanay joined in, taking out containers for meal prep while Alesha began cooking. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and Shanay held out her hand, waiting for me to give her one. I glanced at Alesha, unsure.

"She might as well have one... She almost passed out on me yesterday," Alesha said with a giggle.

"Girl, go lay," I told Shanay, handing her a bottle and pointing to the couch.

"Thank you, pretty," Shanay cooed, heading to the couch for a nap. Alesha giggled—when did this become a thing?

"Not funny. I forgot about what's-his-name again?" I clicked my fingers, pretending to forget.

"LEONNNNN!" they both shouted.

I rolled my eyes. They had an impressive memory for things I told them once. I had forgotten about Leon for a while and considered texting him but decided to let it go. Better luck next time, buddy!.

With meal prep done, we all lounged on the couch, chatting about work, Daniel, and other interesting topics. Later, we enjoyed the leftover meal—kudos to chef Alesha. We followed it up with a game of charades, which Alesha was hilariously bad at. We gave up and settled on a movie: Think Like a Man. A classic.

As it neared 11:30 p.m., almost midnight, just looking at the clock made me tired. After the movie, we said our goodbyes. The girls headed home, and I went to the bathroom to start my shower, preparing for bed.

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Shanay is a trip! Out of the girls who's your fave? Let me know xx