The Plug's Daughter

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The Plug's Daughter
Chapter 17: Late night calls
June 17th,2023

Alazhá's POV:

The next day, Alazhá woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing non-stop. She squinted at the screen and groaned, her group chat was on fire. It was Keisha, Zori, and Mariah all going back and forth about what went down during last night's date.

Keisha: "Sis, Romani really pulled out all the stops, huh? Rooftop vibes??"

Mariah: "Yeah, but the real tea is, how you gon' top that next date? 🤭"

Zori: "Girl, don't start. Ain't no toppin' a whole restaurant rental. Alazhá got that man sprung."

Alazhá rolled her eyes, but a smile crept onto her face. Before she could respond, another message popped up.

Keisha: "But for real, what did your daddy say about it? You know he don't like nobody near his princess."

That made her pause. Her dad had been quiet since the night before, and that wasn't like him. She threw on a hoodie and some sweats before heading downstairs.

Demario was sitting in his usual spot at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. He glanced up when she walked in, his expression unreadable.

"Morning, Daddy," she said cautiously, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Mornin'," he said, setting his phone down. "How was your date?"

"It was nice," she said, trying to sound casual. "Real nice, actually."

Demario nodded slowly. "Romani treat you right?"

"Yeah, he did," she said, sitting across from him. "Why, what's up?"

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I had a talk with him before y'all left. Told him what time it was."

"Daddy," she groaned, leaning her head back. "Why you always gotta do that?"

"'Cause I'm your daddy," he said firmly. "And it's my job to make sure these boys know you ain't just anybody. But he handled himself good. I'll give him that."

"So, you don't hate him?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't say all that," Demario said with a small smirk. "But he got potential. Just don't let your head get too caught up, aight? Keep your eyes open."

She nodded, knowing better than to argue. "Alright. I hear you."

Later That Evening

By the time the evening rolled around, Alazhá was back in her room, scrolling TikTok while Mariah sat on her bed fixing her lash clusters. Zori had just texted saying she was on her way over, but Keisha was nowhere to be found.

"Keisha bein' real weird lately," Mariah said, applying the glue to the cluster.

"You noticed that too?" Alazhá asked, frowning. "She been actin' shady, like she got somethin' to say but don't wanna say it."

Before they could get too deep into it, Zori walked in, a bag of snacks in one hand and a bottle of don julio in the other.

"Y'all talkin' 'bout Keisha?" she asked, plopping onto the bed. "I been peepin' her vibe too. She gon' have to say somethin' soon, 'cause I'm tired of guessin'."

"She might just be goin' through somethin'," Alazhá said, trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. "I'll ask her next time I see her."

"Better you than me," Mariah muttered, rolling her eyes.

Romani's Check-In

Later that night, just as Alazhá was settling into bed, her phone buzzed with a FaceTime call. She smiled when she saw Romani's name pop up.

"Hey, stranger," she said, answering the call.

"Don't 'hey, stranger' me," he said, grinning. "You the one that ain't hit me all day."

"I been busy!" she said, laughing. "What you been up to?"

"Nothin' much. Just thinkin' 'bout you," he said smoothly, his voice dropping a notch.

"Boy, you so corny," she said, but the blush creeping up her cheeks gave her away.

"For real, though," he said, his tone softening. "You good? You been quiet today."

"Yeah, I'm good," she said, lying back against her pillows. "Daddy gave me his little 'don't get caught slippin'' speech this morning, but that's just him bein' him."

"Yeah, I figured he would," Romani said, chuckling. "I respect it, though. At least he care."

"He care too much sometimes," she said, shaking her head. "But enough about him. When we goin' out again?"

Romani smirked. "Whenever you ready. I got some more tricks up my sleeve."

"Oh, you think you slick?" she teased.

"Nah, I know I am," he said, his grin widening. "But for real, I'll hit you with the details tomorrow. Just be ready to be spoiled again."

"I'm always ready," she said, laughing softly.

Their conversation drifted into light banter, then deeper topics about their childhoods, dreams, and random memories that had them both laughing. Time slipped by as they talked, neither of them in a rush to hang up.

"You got me over here smilin' like a fool," Romani said, his voice low and warm.

"Good," Alazhá replied, her own smile stretching wide. "You deserve to feel like one."

At some point, the talking turned into soft murmurs. Alazhá lay on her side, her phone propped against her pillow as her eyes started to flutter closed.

"You still there?" Romani asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Mm-hmm," she mumbled, half-asleep. "Don't hang up."

"I won't," he said softly. "Get some rest, ma."

Her breathing evened out, and Romani couldn't help but smile as he watched her sleep through the screen. A few minutes later, his own eyes closed, and the two of them fell asleep together, the call still connected—a quiet comfort bridging the miles between them.