The Plug's Daughter

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The Plug's Daughter
Chapter 29: Don't Shut Me Out
Bali, Indonesia

Alazhá's POV:

The villa was chaotic. Not "we fighting for our lives" chaotic, but definitely "somebody about to be late" chaotic. Swimsuits and cover-ups were everywhere, the scent of coconut oil and designer perfume thick in the air, and Keisha was in the bathroom cussing out her nose ring as it struggling to get back in.

"Keisha, hurry yo ass up! The driver outside," Mariah called, checking herself in the mirror for the tenth time.

"I'M COMIN' DAMN!" Keisha yelled from the bathroom. "so fuckin aggy don't know what possessed me to fly out wit y'all."

Zori shook her head, taking shots straight from the Don Julio bottle. "Girl, you should've been prepared as we told you hours prior you just careless asf."

"I'm not trynna hear ts right now!" Keisha snapped. " I just wanna get to this club and find me some fine shyt!"

Meanwhile, Alazhá was perched on the edge of the bed, touching up her edges and scrolling through her phone. The heat from her bodyglow had her looking like she was dipped in sunlight, and her marine serre swimsuit—black and strappy—was sitting right. She snapped a quick pic, making sure the lighting was hitting, then sent it to her boo Romani.

Not even a minute later, her phone started ringing.

FaceTime Incoming: my caramel drop 🫦

She smirked and answered. "Damnnn, you a little too eager."

The screen lit up with Romani's face, his hair in an Afro from taking out his braids, slightly messy, shirtless, and laid up in bed. He had that sleepy, deep-voiced energy, like she had just woken him up.

"You know I don't play when it comes to you," he said, licking his lips. His eyes scanned her fit through the camera. "Where you goin' lookin' like that?"

"To a hidden beach club," she said, tilting her camera so he could see the girls in the background. Mariah was dancing in the mirror doing the khadi rahd dance , hyping herself up, while Keisha was still fighting for her nose rings survival.

Romani shook his head. "Yeah, nah. I don't like this."

She laughed. "Whatchu mean?"

"You outside, looking too good. That's a problem for me."

"Boy."

"Nah, cause now I gotta worry about niggas tryna be in your face."

Zori overheard and leaned into the camera. "She outside, Romani! You better tighten up before somebody else do."

He gave Zori the nastiest side-eye. "yo, back up from the camera wit allat wolfin."

Zori cackled and walked off.

Alazhá rolled her eyes, smirking. "Ain't nobody worried 'bout these niggas out here."

He eyed her. " You better not be fuck you tammat ."

She knew he was playin' (mostly), but the way his voice dropped a little when he said that? Yeah, she liked that.

Then, her expression softened. "But... I been meaning to talk to you about something."

His face shifted. "What's up?"

She hesitated, then exhaled. "The other night when we talked... I could tell you wasn't okay. And I hate that you felt like you couldn't come to me straight about it."

Romani ran a hand down his face. "It ain't that, Zhá... I just—"

She cut him off. "Nah, cause if I'm supposed to be your girl, why you feel like you gotta keep that shit from me? That's not fair. I'm supposed to be your peace, not somebody you gotta hide from."

He exhaled, nodding slowly. "It's not you, ma. It's just old wounds, shit I been dealing with before I even met you. I ain't used to talkin' about it."

"I get that," she said. "But if you ever feel like shit too much, I need you to promise me you'll call me. Don't shut me out."

Romani studied her through the screen for a moment, then nodded. "I promise."

She smiled a little. "Good."

Romani smirked, tilting his head. "You really care about me like that, huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "Boy, shut up."

He chuckled. "Nah, forreal. That's crazy. You like me or somethinnn'?" He Teased.

She sucked her teeth, trying not to smile. "Whatever."

His smirk deepened. "I miss you, ma."

"I miss you too," she admitted.

"Aight, well, go have fun. But don't have too much fun i would hate to have to fuck you up."

"You say that every time nigga i know how to behave," she teased.

"And I mean it every time," he shot back.

"Mannn , bye," she said, hanging up before he could say anything else.

She stared at her phone for a second before taking a deep breath. Something about that conversation sat deep in her chest. She wasn't used to feeling like this about somebody. She wasn't even sure if she liked it, but it was too late now.

"Girl, if yo ass don't start walkin," Mariah called out, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Alazhá slipped her phone into her bag, plastering a smile on her face. "Let's turn up."

At the Hidden Beach Club...

From the moment they stepped in, the vibe was immaculate. The club was tucked away behind cliffs, with soft golden lights illuminating the sand. The DJ was spinning nothing but heat—Boston Richey, YTB Fatt, and some Afrobeat mixes that had everybody moving.

Alazhá held up the Don Julio bottle. "Toast to Mariah's birthday! To baddest bitches and being young and turnt!"

"To not catching feelings!" Zori added.

"To avoiding men with podcasts!" Mariah cackled.

They all cheered, throwing back their shots.

But as the liquor settled in, Alazhá found herself staring at her phone again, debating whether she should text Romani.

Zori caught her and smirked. "Aht aht! No texting ya man while we outside! Put that phone DOWNNN."

Alazhá laughed. "Chill! I wasn't even gon' text him."

"Lies," Keisha said, side-eyeing her. "He got you in a chokehold."

"I am NOT in a chokehold."

Zori sipped her drink. "So if he popped up in Bali right now, you wouldn't leave us to go lay up with him?"

Alazhá hesitated.

"EXACTLY."

Everybody started clowning her, but all she could do was laugh.

Yeah, she was down bad. And at this point, she couldn't even lie about it.