SALUBRIOUS

SB34

Nasiem Fareed

2:05 pm - January 30th 2024

Ideally, It sounded good to let his tattoos for the month pay for the rent at his tattoo spot, but Nas wasn't really sure how his month would go. So he set aside 750 to cover his first 5 months, just incase he happened to fall short one month. Only owing $150 a month was a major blessing. Deep down inside, Nas knew he would always have $150 in his pocket for his rent, but he still wanted to be sure. Post lock down life was teaching him that shit always popped up, so it was good to be prepared.

Even though Nas had his tattoo space and apartment and he was happy with both, he still found himself looking on real estate apps that remained on his phone and simply eyeing the properties that the market had to offer. "35 for that ain't bad at all." Nas thought aloud to himself while skimming through the details of the property that he clicked on. Suddenly, he was snapped out of his daze by Dakota gently knocking on the window, so Nas could unlock the door. "Here baby." She spoke, handing him his now corrected drink.

"Thank you." Nas spoke as he gently held the Starbucks drink from the top and swirled it around to mix it a bit more. "You ain't have to go back in there and make 'em fix it though, I'm good with the lil' inclusions being in the drink—it don't bother me that bad." He added.

"But you asked for no inclusions." Dakota replied, scoring a small chuckle from Nas. He couldn't be mad at it. He always looked out for Dakota, so she was simply being a mirror of what she saw. "Thank you, baby." Nas voiced before gently pulling her face into a kiss.

"You know—I'm starting to get used to kissing you while you got lipgloss on, but I can't fuck with that lipgloss with the green top on it." Nas announced using the napkins from Starbucks to wipe his lips. Dakota furrowed her eyebrows together before chuckling, "The NYX oil?" She questioned, Nas shook his head yes. He remembered the name once Dakota said it, due to her asking him to pick it up from Target for her a couple times.

"Shit so sticky." He fussed, causing Dakota to chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind." She replied before taking a sip of her drink.

"How Ma doing?" He questioned once he looked over at Dakota. Once Amethyst showed Nas a few photo albums, he came to the conclusion that Dakota was all Miss Amethyst. She had a few of her father's features, but she was definitely a clone copy of her mother. It was funny to get a glimpse of how Dakota would look once she made it to her mother's age.

The news about her health scare fucked Nas up. "She's good. I feel like me, my daddy, and my brother really aren't trying to bring it up because it visibly stresses her out whenever it's mentioned." Dakota explained. Nas' heart was truly hearting for his new family, but especially Amethyst. He'd add a couple minutes onto his prayer at night, praying for her health.

"I gotta order my wig tonight." Dakota announced, changing the subject. Nas could tell her mother wasn't a topic that she wanted to stay on for too long before her mood changed. "What the ticket looking like?" Nas questioned, causing Dakota to look over at him.

"I lowkey don't even wanna tell you—cause I know you gon' start with all that your natural hair is beautiful talk, just like my daddy." Dakota chuckled, causing Nas to do the same. "I do like your natural hair—I like everything that makes you Dakota. And that's switching between styles that involve extensions, so I love that too." Nas truthfully explained.

"That's so sweet." Dakota giddily chuckled as she reached over and held his arm. Once they stopped at a red light, Dakota was adamant about giving him a kiss. The couple pecked each other's lips a few times and stared at each other after the last peck, making them smile in unison. Momentarily, the couple arrived at their destination. Nas' tattoo spot. He was finally getting around to hanging up the pictures Dakota got him.