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I leaned back in the office chair, arms stretched overhead, twisting my neck side to side. My tank clung to my back from the heat, and my playlist was on its third loop. Boxes of lashes and bundles sat on the floor, untouched. I wasn't in a rush. Not when I knew Nicki was still out front.
Nicki always closed the register slow. Counted every bill twice, locked it, wiped the counter like it was sacred. That woman could make sweeping the damn floor look elegant.
I strolled to the front just to mess with her.
Nicki was in jeans and a cropped hoodie, edges laid, lips glossy, hoop earrings catching the light. She didn't even look up.
"You done flirting on the phone?" Nicki asked.
I smirked, leaning on the counter. "Jealous? I could be flirting with you."
Nicki raised an eyebrow, still not looking up. "You could be getting these shelves restocked like Nia asked."
"She ain't here, though." YN's voice dropped.
Now Nicki looked up. Slowly. The kind of look that stripped you down without moving a muscle.
"That's the problem with you," she said, calm but tight. "Always playing."
I shrugged "You used to like when I played."
Nicki stared at me. Long enough to make the silence feel loaded.
"That was before I realized you play with everything."
That one stung—but I didn't flinch. I leaned in closer, both palms on the counter now.
"I don't play with you, Nicki. Not really. You just don't let me show you that anymore."
Nicki stepped back from the counter. Just a little. Just enough to breathe.
"I don't have time for you anymore." she said, arms crossing over her chest. "I'm not some game you pick up when you get bored."
I rolled my eyes so hard but said nothing.
Nicki walked to flip the CLOSED sign when her phone buzzed in her hoodie pocket. She pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and sighed.
"Damn," she muttered, pressing the phone to her ear. "You serious right now?"
I leaned on the counter, watching with interest. I could already tell by the tone that the night wasn't going how Nicki planned.
"Alright, it's cool," Nicki said, trying to keep her voice even. "I'll figure it out."
She hung up and slid the phone into her back pocket, her jaw tight.
"Ride fell through?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
Nicki didn't reply, just grabbed her bag from under the register and started toward the door like she had some kind of magic carpet waiting outside.
I was on her heels. "Come on, let me take you home."
