𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑

𝟢𝟫 | 𝖴𝖭𝖢𝖮𝖬𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖳𝖠𝖡𝖫𝖤

CIARA ARMANI LOVE | CICI

WALKING into the salon, a wave of hair products and glue instantly filled CiCi's nose. She greeted everyone as she walked to her station. She cleaned the reclining bed with Lysol wipes before laying down a knitted blanket over the bed and an extra one for clients who liked to cover themselves.

Her first client came at 3:30 and CiCi finished her hybrid set at 5:20. As she was working on her next clients volume set, a call from Sage rung through her AirPods.

"Hello?" She answered, keeping her tone low after seeing her clients breathing slow down; letting her know she was asleep.

"You at work? You want me to call you later?" Sage asked as he looked down at his screen once CiCi set the camera up, blowing smoke out his mouth.

"No, I can talk. What's wrong?" She mumbled.

"Nothing, just wanted to see your pretty face. You ate yet?"

"Not since I left school and that was four hours ago." She blushed at his compliment, briefly taking her eyes off her client to look at the phone. Seeing he was already staring at her, she put her head back down. "Why you staring at me weirdo?"

"You on my phone, I'm supposed to stare at you." He retorted causing her to laugh,"I'm finna bring you something to eat. You at the shop on 34th right?" He asks as he looks at her location on Life 360. The whole group were sharing their locations but Sage found himself looking at CiCi's too often.

"I'm not hungry." She couldn't eat while working, it made her feel unsanitary.

"I'll be there in thirty minutes." Sage says before hanging up.

"Rude."

______

"Aww you so nice." CiCi pouted as she grabbed the Chipotle bowl out of Sage's hands.

"Come eat with me." He offered, showcasing his bowl filled with rice and steak too. "And don't say you got a client because you don't. Your next one not until another thirty minutes."

"How you know that?" CiCi frowned.

"Because you posted the times you was available on your story, I pay attention ma."

She chuckled at his antics before walking around the Scatpack and settling into the passenger seat. They ate in silence— neither a fan of talking while they eat— as J. Cole's entire KOD album played lowly in the background.

"J. Cole must be your favorite artist." Sage mumbled, noticing she rapped along to every song that had played so far.

"Third favorite. My second fav is Kendrick Lamar and my first is Jasmine Sullivan." CiCi listed her versatile music taste.

"I fuck with it. You got taste, I see." He nodded.

"I been had taste, don't play with me." She pushed his arm in a playful manner as they laughed. "What's your top three?"

"Lil Baby number one, King Von is two, Brent Faiyaz is three, Kehlani four, and Nardo five." He says, not realizing he went over three.

CiCi smiled at his list, seeing the versatility in his music as well. Kehlani wouldn't be on a average hood nigga list, she was starting to notice that Sage wasn't an average hood nigga.

As a comfortable silence hovered over them, CiCi began thinking deeper into Sage's life. He was eighteen and still in school. It didn't make any since to her because he wasn't dumb so she knew he could have skipped a grade.

"Sage, your eighteen right?" She asked, earning a nod from him. "So— and I don't mean to come off as rude— but how are you still in school?"

"I got held back in fourth grade because my mom ain't feel like I was getting the proper teaching and I have a late birthday." He explained.

"When your birthday?"

"November 12th, and ion wanna hear shit bout my sign and that dumb ass zodiac shit because that don't got none to do with me."

"Your a Scorpio though." CiCi frowned. She didn't believe in zodiacs but the more men she met, the more she noticed the similarities and differences in their signs.

"I don't crawl and I don't bite so no, no I'm not." Sage shook his head with a frown, obviously not a fan of zodiac signs. "When your birthday since you got so much to say?"

"March 27th, I'm an Aries."

"Damn, your shit right before prom and grad bash." He hissed. Prom was April 10th and Grad Bash was April 21st along with senior breakfast being April 3rd. Meaning she had 7 and 1/2 months to prepare for all five events.

"I know, imma make it work though. You gone come to Miami with us for my birthday?"

"Who is us?" He rose an eyebrow.

"The gang duh. Me, Trey, Jelly, and Rod. My brother gone come too and YB and Nae can come if they want to."

"Oh yeah, I'm down. Just tell me after my birthday so I can remember." His was less than three months and that was all he was worried about. His father always threw him the biggest parties and since he was turning nineteen, he knew he was bound to get a celebration.

"What you doing for your birthday?"

"My pops might throw me a party, he do every year."

"Y'all back cool?" CiCi asked, keeping her tone leveled because she know this topic was sensitive for him.

"Weon never stay mad at each other for too long. It's weird, I know, but that's my pops at the end of day." He justified. He didn't see the wrong in his father's actions and that bothered CiCi. He was allowing his father to take him for granted and that's why he continued to do what he did, not caring how it affected his son.

"Just because he's your daddy doesn't mean he's your daddy."

"The fuck that's supposed to mean?" Sage mugged the brown skin girl, not understanding her perspective on his father. "My father is my father, don't shit change."

"I'm sorry, I— just forget I said anything." CiCi shook her head. She didn't like the way his eyes were piercing into hers or the way his jaw was clenching.

"CiCi—" His tone softened and his mug rested once he seen the discomfort in her face. He wasn't trying to come off mean but his relationship with his father was a touchy subject.

"No, it's fine. I'll see you at school tomorrow." CiCi fakes a smile before placing a quick kiss on his cheek.

A sigh left his lips as he watched her rush out the car, feeling bad for his actions. After making sure she made it into the salon, he looked on TikTok for ways to apologize to a female. Sage wasn't good at showing emotions but he would try, for her.

—
What y'all do for Cinco De Mayo??