SO RIGHT

Odd Obsession

Omniscient
It was now 2 a.m., and CJ woke up on the couch to the sound of banging on the front door. He kissed his teeth, glancing over to see Nico and Nas knocked out on the other couches. Annoyed but curious, CJ dragged himself to the door, opening it to see Messiah standing there.

"Oh, wassup," CJ said, stepping aside to let him in. "You ain't got your key?"

"Nah, left it at the crib," Messiah replied, stepping inside. "Nas hit me talkin' about somethin' wrong with the cameras, but he ain't answer when I pulled up."

CJ chuckled, pointing to Nas, who was snoring away. "Hell yea, he knocked out over there."

Messiah shook his head, walking straight past CJ and heading upstairs to check the cameras. As he disappeared, CJ checked his phone and saw 10 missed calls from Mia, an hour ago. He stuffed his phone back in his pocket, deciding to call her back later. He didn't feel like dealing with that right now.

Messiah came back down the stairs a few minutes later. "Cameras straight now," he said, dapping CJ up. "Just gotta press the power button on the top to turn 'em back on after y'all cut 'em off."

"Bet. Preciate that," CJ replied, about to let Messiah leave when something else crossed his mind. "Oh, and I preciate it for helping Mia with that tech shit too."

Messiah nodded coolly. "No problem, bro," he said, dapping him up again. "Tell Nas he only owe me $200 for today," he added before heading out.

---

The next morning, Mia was at the mall, shopping for CJ's birthday gifts. She had mixed feelings about it—part of her felt stupid for going all out after what he'd done, but the other part felt guilty for not getting him anything at all. After all, CJ had gone all out for her birthday, despite the mess.

She grabbed him some Louis Vuitton skates and a bottle of cologne, then headed out, her budget already blown. Walking through the parking garage, her phone buzzed. Pulling it out of her purse, she saw a DM from Messiah.

"We havin' open interviews tomorrow for the internship at 9. Come through, imma make sure you get it."

Mia couldn't help but smile as she read the message. She felt a rush of excitement and quickly typed out her response, thanking him. She hurried home, eager to pick out something to wear for the interview, feeling a mix of nerves and anticipation.

•••

Later that evening, Mia was on FaceTime with CJ, showing him the outfit options she had pulled together. "What about this one?" she asked, modeling a fitted skirt.

CJ scrunched his face up. "That skirt too tight. What you tryna show your ass for?"

Mia rolled her eyes, yanking the skirt off. "I'm just trying to look professional," she said, rummaging through her closet.

"Put some pants on," CJ replied, taking a hit from his blunt.

Mia reappeared on camera with black slacks that hugged her curves and only her bra on. "How about these?" she asked, spinning for him.

CJ smirked. "Them make you look thick," he teased.

Mia sighed in frustration. "So I can't wear them?!"

CJ chuckled. "Nah, they cool. What shirt you wearin'?"

Mia grabbed a white button-down and slipped it on, stepping back into the frame. CJ's face instantly scrunched up again.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked, growing annoyed.

"Button that shit up," CJ snapped. "What you tryna show your titties for?"

Mia rolled her eyes as she buttoned the shirt. "You doing too much."

"Nah, I'm just tryna figure out why you tryna show your body off at a job," CJ muttered, still eyeing her up.

Ignoring him, Mia adjusted the collar.

"You want me to pick you up tomorrow after the interview? We can get some lunch or something after."

Mia smiled at the thought. "Cool, I can give you your gifts too."

"Bet. I love you," CJ said before hanging up.

Mia sighed. "Love you too," she replied softly, staring at her phone for a moment. She hated when he said he'd call back later—it always left her wondering what he was really up to. Lately, she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Her mind would spiral, imagining CJ entertaining someone else, but she tried to shrug it off. Maybe she was just overthinking things.

After taking her braids out and straightening her hair for the next day, Mia was about to relax in bed when she got another Instagram notification. It was a message from Messiah.

"Send me yo #."

Mia raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk. Before she could even respond, another message popped up.

"So I can let you know where to come in the morning."

She smiled wider, amused by the follow-up. Deep down, she knew she needed to be careful, but there was something about hearing from Messiah that she couldn't resist. It was exciting, a break from the constant drama with CJ. Without hesitation, Mia sent her number, her heart racing as she hit send.