Thy Neighbor

Chapter Five

Friday night happy hour at Ngosi plays as a second therapist. As the drinks are poured and the alternative R&B plays softly in the background, people pour their hearts out about terrible workweeks and terrible dates. The bar is crowded as usual as Ciara walks in. Her jumbo braids are in a bun and her hoop earrings are as large as her face.

She grows upset until she notices two empty seats on the left side of the bar.

"Thank you, Ashley!" Ciara says as she plops down her purse.

"You know I got you, girl. The usual?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Ciara nods as Ashley pours her double Woodford Reserve neat. As she starts to sip, Mahalia comes storming in from the patio area. She picks up Ciara's purse and tosses it onto the bar.

"Well, hello to you too."

"I'm sorry, Ciara. I just had to dodge somebody. Ash! The usual!"

Ciara met Mahalia at this very bar years ago after they both got stood up on dates. Mahalia's humor about it all made Ciara feel better and Ciara's positivity made Mahalia feel as if her world wasn't over. So what if he was an NBA player?

"Girl. Let me tell you what happened with neighbor dude..."

"You fucked him."

"Wait? What?"

"I mean, this story means nothing if that ain't the ending."

Mahalia grows tired of always hearing about Ciara's "fine ass chocolate-ass neighbor".

"Okay. No. I come home yesterday and there's flowers at my door. From him."

Mahalia chokes on her drink. "What now?"

"Yes. Flowers. So I go knock on his door to say thank you and he opens up the door straight up shirtless. That body ain't fair, Sis. It ain't. So I'm like "Ciara, shoot your shot" so I ask him over for dinner and he turned me down for some girl."

"Gym girl?"

"Nah. I haven't seen her lately. It was some girl I've never seen! She knocked on my door by mistake. She looks he'd break her in half."

"Okay, okay... so..."

"So yeah. He's over there doing whatever. You know how he has no home training about these things and I'm like "you know, let me bring him a plate..." so I do and homegirl opens the door and she's looking like she wants to cut me."

"Welp. Heh."

"Right! He comes running from the trash room as if he's about to break up a fight. I can't."

Mahalia and Ciara both laugh as their drinks start to kick in. Ashley quickly pours them another round.

"So what are about to do, Ciara? You ain't gonna do nothing..."

"I know, Ma. I know. I just... I though the flowers were sweet. The last dude to get me flowers was Y'lan, so..."

"Speaking of your boy..."

Trevante and two of his friends walk into the bar. It feels as if the room stopped. Trevante has that affect everywhere he went, women stopping their conversations mid-sentence to catch a glimpse of the adonis that iss Trevante. His purple sweater is cascading his frame, fitting every crevice with perfection. It is the perfect color to play off of his beautiful skin.

As he grabs a tabletop with his friends, he notices Ciara at the bar.

Ashley steps from around the bar and walks up to Trevante and his friends.

"What up, fellas."

"What up, Ashley" Trevante's friend, Yahya, says. "Can we get a bottle of Crown, please?"

"You got it, love. What up, Tre?" Ashley taps Trevante on his right arm, winks at him and walks away. His boys notice instantly.

"Who haven't you smashed, fam?" Michael says as his pulls out his cellphone.

"Haha. Very funny."

"But seriously?" says Yahya, "Who haven't you? Because there's this girl that I met and I just wanna–"

"Fuck y'all, aight."  Trevante says between small fits of laughter. "I haven't smashed Ashley. Yet."

As Ashley rings up their bottle, Ciara takes a quick look over at Trevante's table.

"All of his friends are fine, Mahalia. What the hell?"

"I bet they all hoes like him too."

"Mahalia! That ain't nice. Probably true by not nice."

Ashley places three glasses and the bottle of Crown on the table. As Yahya pours their drinks, Trevante grabs Ashley by the hand which elicits a smile. 

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything for you, Tre. What's up?"

"You see the girl with the braids? Her next drink is on me."

"You got it."

As Ciara looks at her phone, Ashley places Ciara's new drink on the counter.

"Girl. You trying to get me drunk."

"That dude over there in the purple copped it for you. Girl, I'm scared of you."

Ashley points over to Trevante. As Ciara turns around to look at him, a slight smile comes onto her face. She lift her glass up as a thank you and he does the same in return. Mahalia starts to clap.

"Bitch. I need to be like you."

Ciara dismissed Mahalia's comment. "Shut. Up."

Trevante continues to sip on his drink as he tunes out his boys. He awakens from his daydream when his phone vibrates. It's "track body." Trevante realizes that he set up a date with her for tonight. Realizing the error of his ways, he leans on his boys, Yahya and Michael, for advice.

"Fam. Shit. I forgot I had a date with that girl."

"Who?" Michael says as he downs the last of his Crown Royal. 

"That track athlete I met at Crossfit. Alissa."

"Who don't you get with?"

"Yahya, chill. Shit. What should I tell her?"

"I don't know... be honest." Yahya quips as he taps his glass on the table. "Just tell her that you got hung up at work and forgot and reschedule."

"But that ain't being honest though," chimes in an already-buzzed Michael. 

"You know what, you right though." Trevante then proceeds to open up his text messages.

              Hey. I'm so sorry. Caught up at work. Can we reschedule? 

               Look in front of you.

Alissa stands at the front of Ngosi, the steam coming out of her ears. As Trevante sits there stunned and stupefied, Alissa casually gives him the middle finger and walks out of the bar. Yahya and Michael laugh uncontrollably.

Yahya signals to Ashley. They are going to need another bottle.