1995

XII

Anthony.
I held Hazel's hand as we walked through the mall. It was her Idea to show me around California before I left back to Atlanta. We headed to the food court and just sat down. "How much shopping do you need to do?" I said as I looked at the twelve shopping bags placed at her feet.

She looked at me and laughed. "I think I'm done for now. What do you wanna eat?" I looked around the place and shook my head. "Maybe you can take me to your place and cook something for me. After all I haven't been there yet."

She thought for a minute. "Let's go baby."

Tony pulled up into the parking lot of my condo. We got out the car and headed up the elevator. When the doors opened I seen Xavier holding pink flowers and was texting. I knew he was looking for me because as soon as he laid eyes on me the message sent asking me where i was at.  He sized Tony and trashed the pink roses and mean mugged me on his way out.

We stepped into the elevator and soon as the doors closed we burst out laughing. "Your mans missed you." Tony said grabbing my ass. "You my man." I said grabbing his face and kissing his lips.

I sat the plate of pasta primavera in front of him and put a fork to the side for him. "This shit looks good Hazel.. My eyes better not be deceiving me." He stabbed one of the noodles and put the food in his mouth and started chewing slowly. He scooted the plate back and put his head on the table. "I'm sorry." I reached over to the the plate and he snatched it away from me. "It's good baby i'm just playing." He smiled then opened his mouth where all the chewed up food was laying there. "Try it." He said with his tongue still out. I urged him to close him mouth and took a bite out of the pasta. I nodded my head at how good i did.

"I done outdone myself." I said patting myself on the back.

"Tomorrow my boy is getting married and i wanted to know if you wanted to go with me? you probably can't be in the wedding but i'd love for you just to be there".

"Yeah i'll come with you... it's not like I don't have anything else to do." I looked down at my plate remembering i don't have a job anymore.

"Shawty." He scooted his chair next to mines and held my face up with his hands. "Come to Atlanta for a month. You can make some money over there like way more cause it's a bunch of rappers and they love the night life just come fuck with it and see if you like it."

"It's not about stripping. it's just i don't wanna be broke again." He looked at me like bitch.. 

"You got 30 mill laying around this house." He pulled his plate over and started eating. "That won't last forever." He nodded his head. "Just try it in Atlanta then put your diploma to use.. you majored in business so maybe you can open your own shop or something."

Just then we looked at the door to see Ava coming in and Idris following after before she stopped to look at me. I shook my head. "What a bad friend you are Ava, you didn't even tell me you were meeting him." I walked out to Idris and opened my arms so he can hug me.

"Idris this is Tony." Tony stood up and dapped Idris up and they both went and sat on the couch.

I looked and admired the couple. Ava looked good with anybody, I hoped their relationship will last long.

I smiled at Tony. "What do you wanna do now?" He shrugged. "Let's go out for ice cream."

I shook my head no. "Can we go to this Urban air place? It's like trampoline and stuff." He nodded his head and went towards his keys and we walked out the door.

I started bouncing and doing backflips as Tony stood in the corner recording me. You can tell stuff like this really wasn't his thing the way he just been looking around and watching me for the last thirty minutes. "Come on try it." I got off the indoor trampoline and headed towards him as he tried his best to scoot away from me.

"You'll like it." I said holding his hands as we both jumped together. Since he was stubborn he jumped straight face like he wasn't enjoying anything. I got tired of begging him so I just let him be. "Here hold my phone I'm going to the bathroom." I handed him my phone and continued to walk to the bathroom.

After I did my business I came out the bathroom just to see Tony swinging from the bar into the soft cubes he was laughing and smiling like a big ass kid. I seen him hurry and get out and catch up to some teenage boys. I could hear him laughing from a distance and they all went to jump individually on the trampolines I just left from. I shook my head and went over to buy me a soda. When I returned back to Tony he had a big smile on his face. "This place actually fun." He pulled me close and tried to kiss me.

"Uh uh don't try and kiss me now! I seen you over here laughing and enjoying yourself like a kid... you need to stop frontin'."

He smirked then flicked me off. "Shut up." He grabbed my ass with both hands and just looked in my eyes. "I'm so thankful that god brought us back together." Just before I could respond to him he crashed his lips onto mine and held me in his arms like I was a baby.

Instead of jumping we just sat on the bench comfortable in our own silence.

We finally got back to my condo and we were just laying in the bed together.
Just then his phone buzzed and I looked at the caller id. It read Donna with a red heart.

"Hello?" He said into the phone as he kissed on me. I tried hard to keep it cool.

"Baby when you going to get Nia. She misses you." This bitch sounded young and ratchet. I rolled my eyes good thing he was looking at the ceiling.

"I'll be home in a few days Donna." He hung up the phone as I got out the bed. "What's wrong." He said grabbing my arm.

"You got a fucking girlfriend?!" I hit him with the pillow and he snatched it from me. "You're a liar Tony, Why the fuck would you make me feel special then go home to your little shorty?" I pointed in his face and mushed him. He sighed and grabbed my arms. "Hazel, chill." Something in his eyes just told me to sit down and listen.

"I don't have a girlfriend. I have a baby mother and a daughter named Nia alright.... Donna and I are just co-parenting." He unlocked his phone and showed me a picture of his daughter during what looked like her first baby picture. I looked at the tiny chain around her neck that spelled Nia and his ex girlfriend allegedly. She was pretty.

"She's beautiful." I said passing his phone back to me. "I'm sorry.. I get kinda aggressive when I'm upset." He nodded his head and laughed.

"It's good.. I should have told you first though. I hope you don't feel any different about me." I shook my head no. "Of course I don't. I can't help what you did before me."