Cocktail Dreams

Chapter 8: The Breakfast Club

Taraji stirred groggily as the third shrill ring of her phone broke through the peaceful quiet of her bedroom. She rolled over, face buried in her pillow, muttering curses under her breath. She squinted at the illuminated screen of her phone on the charger, where a FaceTime call flashed. The name Petunia🌹 glared back at her in bold text, making her groan loudly.

"Who else but this fool?" she mumbled, rubbing at her sleep-heavy eyes with one hand while reluctantly grabbing the phone with the other.

She hit accept, and the screen immediately filled with Teyana Taylor's face, framed by her signature red durag, snug against her head. Teyana's thick brows were drawn into a mean mug, and a thin stream of smoke curled from her lips as she puffed lazily on a morning blunt. Behind her, the early sun painted a golden hue over her patio, the slight swaying of palm trees visible in the background.

"Bitch, I'm glad this wasn't a damn emergency," Teyana snapped, leaning closer to her phone camera like she was trying to reach through the screen physically. "Why didn't you pick up the last two calls?"

Taraji sighed loudly, dropping her head back onto the pillow dramatically. Her hair fanned out across the plush fabric as she gave Teyana the side-eye through the camera. "Ummm, maybe because it's seven o'clock in the fucking morning, and you're over here blowin' up my phone like a damn bill collector. What do you want anyway...shit?" Her raspy morning voice carried the irritation of someone who was nowhere near ready to start their day.

Teyana took another long drag of her blunt, tilting her head back and exhaling with exaggerated ease, clearly unbothered by Taraji's tone. The smoke curled around her as she laughed, her deep chuckle carrying through the call. "Well," she said, dragging out the word, "I can tell you didn't get any pussy last night 'cause you still got a funky-ass attitude on this beautiful morning." She gestured toward her background, flipping the camera briefly to show the brilliant sunlight streaming through the patio railing.

Taraji rolled her eyes so hard that it was a wonder they hadn't fallen out of her head. "Don't worry about my pussy. Thank you, bookie," she fired back, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she propped herself up on her elbows.

Teyana burst into laughter, choking on her blunt in the process. She hacked for a second, her laugh turning into a wheeze before she got it together. "Aight, bruh," she said, grinning wide enough to flash her perfectly white teeth. She brushed imaginary lint off her durag, shaking her head. "Anywaysssss," she stretched the word playfully, her voice turning singsong, "get your lazy ass up and come to my crib. I'm making breakfast for the crew, and I know yo' greedy ass ain't about to turn down a good meal."

Taraji sat up fully now, her bra strap slipping off her shoulder as she adjusted the phone's angle. "You ain't slick," she said, narrowing her eyes at the screen. "Y'all just wanna corner me and pry details about my date outta me, huh?"

Teyana raised her eyebrows, her mouth curling into a mischievous smirk. "What, me? Pry? I would never!" she said in mock offense, clutching her chest dramatically before taking another puff of her blunt. "I'm just tryna feed you and make sure you don't die of starvation. Now get up, girl, and don't forget the orange juice. Oh, and wear something cute—we got questions, boo."

Taraji shook her head, a smile creeping onto her face despite her irritation. "You lucky I like you, Petunia. I'll be there in an hour."

"You love me," Teyana corrected, blowing a kiss toward the screen before ending the call abruptly, leaving Taraji staring at her own reflection on the darkened phone screen.

She groaned again, flopping back onto the bed. "They are so damn nosy," she muttered, but a small smile lingered on her lips as she rolled out of bed to get ready.