ᴀᴜʙʀᴇʏ 'ᴅʀᴀᴋᴇ' ɢʀᴀʜᴀᴍ
The evening was laid-back, just the way I liked it. Me, Chubbs, and Ant were chilling in the backyard, playing cards around the old wooden table. The air was warm, a perfect summer night, and the crickets chirped quietly in the background. I had been cleaning them out all night, stacking up their bills in neat little piles.
"Yeah, nigga, give me y'all money," I said, laughing as they both groaned, slapping their last few bills on the table. They didn't take losing too well, but it was all in fun. I smirked, pulling the cash toward me like a pro at a casino, while they exchanged frustrated glances.
Just then, Finn, my chef, came out from the house, carrying my favorite energy drink. He set it down next to me with that quiet efficiency he always had.
"Appreciate it, Finn," I said, nodding at him. He gave a quick nod back, disappearing into the house like a ghost.
"This nigga cheating, man!" Ant huffed, throwing his hands up. Chubbs immediately chimed in with a grumbled agreement, and I just shook my head, grinning.
"Y'all just don't know how to play cards," I teased, leaning back in my chair. They'd been accusing me of cheating for the last half hour, but the truth was, they just didn't have the skill.
I grabbed my phone, scrolling through some random apps while Chubbs shuffled the cards, trying to get his head back in the game. That's when I saw a text from Onika light up my screen.
I was supposed to be taking her out for tonight, but it looked like she was already tapped out, saying she might have to cancel.
She was telling me how she was too tired and burnt out.
I started typing a response, but halfway through, I changed my mind. I decided to FaceTime her instead, right in front of Chubbs and Ant. I didn't care—they could wait.
The screen flashed for a few seconds before she picked up. "Wassup?" I asked, my voice softening a bit when I saw her face. She was sitting there in her scrubs, looking cute but beat. Her exhaustion was written all over her, but even tired, she was beautiful.
"Hey," she replied, a small smile tugging at her lips. She leaned back in a break room chair, rubbing her forehead like the day had been way too long.
"You good? You look tired as hell," I said, eyes narrowing as I took her in.
"I am, it's been a rough day," she admitted. Her voice was soft, and I could hear the exhaustion clinging to every word.
I leaned forward, about to get up and grab something for Onika to eat. She just told me she was hungry, and without even thinking, I was ready to fix that.
But she stopped me. "What are you doing?" she asked, sounding both amused and a little surprised.
I paused, giving her a look like, "What does it look like I'm doing?" I shot back. "I'm about to bring you some food."
She sighed, shaking her head slightly, like I was missing the obvious. "Aubrey, do you not know who you are? You can't just be coming into my job like that, sir."
I blinked, taking a second to realize what she meant. Right—showing up at the hospital where she worked wouldn't exactly be low-key. "Okay, that's cool," I said, nodding slowly, acting like I understood.
But then I glanced over at Chubbs and Ant, who were already watching me, waiting for what I'd say next.
I grinned, already coming up with a plan. "I'll just pull up in one of my lowkey cars, you know, with the tinted windows. You can eat in my car. How's that sound?"
