Drake twisted his toothpick between his teeth, looking down at multiple photos of Tae and Rihanna. He wasn't sure how to feel, he hadn't spoken to Rihanna in months, going on a year. He closed out his Instagram and pulled up Tae's contact.
"Hey babe." A smile eased on Drake's face as Tae's voice filled his ears, a few seconds later he slowly began to frown at possibly hearing Rihanna's accent in the background.
"How are your? How was the show?" He asked trying to also listen to background noise.
"It was beautiful. Got some offers, business deals that might be in the works." Tae said back, folding her arms across her chest as she stood at a distance in the restaurant.
"That's great. Proud of you. And now?" He asked as he pulled his toothpick out his mouth.
Tae could feel her knees grow weak at his husky voice. She rolled her eyes at how much she was missing him.
"Getting some drinks..... With some acquaintances." Tae paused as she looked over at the table, every once in a while she'd catch Rihanna throwing an eye in her direction, Rihanna knew who Tae was speaking to, and Tae could tell she knew.
Rihanna was in no form a 'friend' and Tae wasn't going to use the term loosely. Drake was quiet on the other end, and Tae knew why. "Your name hasn't been brought up, and it won't be."
Drake sighed in what seemed to be a relief, that his ex-girlfriend wasn't sitting at a table speaking to his now girlfriend about their old business.
Tae made her way back to the table a small smile on her face, as she pocketed her iPhone. She sat back down and grabbed her class of half-empty red wine and took a sip.
"Everything ok?" Rihanna asked leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.
"Yea, checking on things." Tae said looking over her glass then placing it back on the table.
"I guess we can address the elephant in the room, how is Aubrey, he seems very happy lately." Rihanna asked tilting her head and an arched eyebrow. "I mean he has a beautiful girlfriend to back him up, I'm surprised he hasn't found you 'intimidating' and broke it off, maybe you're just not at that level yet, you know? Too intimidating for him." She finished as she picked up her wine glass, Rihanna smiled as if she was planning to steal Christmas. All of her friendliness went flying out the window and was replaced by what sounded like low blows to Tae's career, and Tae not being as popular as she was.
Tae clenched her jaw as she looked over Rihanna's expression. She began to count silently in her head to keep herself calm.
"I don't think it's me not being 'intimidating' enough, I think he's just happy that he doesn't have to worry about me cheating on him with an abusive ain't shit ex boyfriend." Tae said back keeping her face extremely calm, she grabbed her wine glass again and took another sip as she looked Rihanna in her piercing green eyes.
Rihanna was not amused by the shade being thrown back at her, she was taken off guard and her Grinch-like smile turned into a pressed straight line, her perfectly scalped eyebrows were arched into a frown, and her bright green eyes seemed to grow hazel. As big as the restaurant was the now tension between the two very headstrong women was thick enough to hold up a building.
"Weeellllll, I think..... We should get going. I have exams and, yooouuuu.... You have to get back to..... Him." Toya said trying to sound as formal and normal as possible as if she wasn't bothered by the thick tension. "Uhhhh, Thank you Rihanna for having us, it was great meeting you Melissa." Tae's sister Toya stood up as she spoke, realizing that at any moment one of them was going to reach across the table and snatch the other one up.
Toya picked up her wine glass and gulped the rest of it down in nervousness, then grabbed Tae's arm, who was still calmly sitting at the table staring Rihanna down. She followed her sister's direction only because she was grabbing and pulling at her. Rihanna followed Tae and her sister all the way out the front door of the restaurant.
Flashes began to go off from the few paparazzi that camped outside the restaurant to get photos of the women leaving. Tae's facial expression told a story that didn't need to even be told, it was clear by her clenched jaw, flared nose, and frowned eyebrows that the dinner did not end well and the paparazzi picked up on the annoyed vibe Tae was giving off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the other side of the country, Drake pushed open the heavy door to get to his car. He braced himself for the questions that the paparazzi began to throw at him. Chubbs following closely behind Drake.
"DRAKE! IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR NEE BITCH LEFT YOU FOR YOUR OLD BITCH!" A deep voice yelled out over the noise of screaming fans and other paparazzi asking him questions.
Drake stopped dead in his tracks, the statement itself didn't bother him, but the guy calling Tae and Rihanna a bitch is what set him off. Drake turned around, by the look on his face Chubbs knew his blood was boiling. Drake began rushing towards the man, his thick dark eyebrows frowned down. Drake was caught by Chubbs pushing him forward.
"EH EH EH! Stop! Stop! Go Aubrey!" Chubbs voice echoed in the parking lot garage of the Staples Center. Chubbs wrapped his arms around Drake pulling him into a bear hug.
"The fuck is wrong with you man!?" Drake's Canadian accent flowed easily as he began to raise his voice, the man smiled as he snapped pictures of Drake coming at him.
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Chubbs pushed heavily against Drake until he finally gave in and began walking back to his car. The paparazzi closed in closer to Drake trying to get photos of him in his current feelings. Drake gained his composure as he continued walking forward, he straightened his face and smoothed down the front of his shirt.
"Fucking disrespectful man." Drake said shaking his head and under his breath to Chubbs as he walked next to him
"I know, just keep walking dog, don't get out of character." Chubbs said back to him, trying to keep his friend under control.
Drake pulled the driver's side of the Ferrari door open. Drake had never really stepped out of character with the paparazzi, he knew how to ignore them, he knew how to block a majority of them out whenever he was in the move. Drake was by no means known for being a "hood nigga" nor did he have to pretend or put out an image of him being that way, and because he didn't have that image he was an easy target to try.
People assumed he was soft, assumed he wasn't about "that life" he just had certain triggers that seemed to set him off, and someone talking down on Tae seemed to be one of those triggers he didn't know he had until tonight.
YOU ARE READING
Company
Fanfiction"And Draya, Dollicia ... The rest of them?" Drake asked as his back was turned to her. Tae sat quiet again unsure of what he was really asking, what he really wanted to know that she hadn't already confessed about. "They were a 'at that moment' thin...
