Black Rose || Dave East (Book 1)

Chapter 19: New Year, New Me

Dave

Tonight on New Year's Eve I had to host a party and perform. I decided to bring Nyemiah with me. She looked so good tonight. She had on this burgundy velvet dress with a slit all the way up to her thigh. I held her hand as we walked in and went to the section they had reserved for me. Soon Mack Wilds was coming over. He's hosting and performing with me tonight. Nyemiah was holding onto my arm and her grip tightened when Mack got closer. I told her he would be here tonight and if that was awkward she didn't have to come, but she did. I dapped him up. "Wassup Mack!"

"What's poppin, Dave! Happy New year!" He looked down at his watch, "Well in one hour. Hey, Nyemiah."

"Hey, Tristan" she said dryly. Mack kept walking at that clearly unbothered by her presence. I could tell Nyemiah was uncomfortable around him. I wonder what happened between the two of them.

"You okay, Nya?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said putting a fake smile on. Soon I had to leave her to perform.

Bernice

I was running around like a crazy person trying to finish getting dressed for a New Year's Eve party for work. I had to pick Trey up from the airport and that was the main reason why I was running late. I had already skipped out on the Christmas work party, so I needed to go to this one. It would probably be boring, but I needed to get in good with the right people. "Trey, you're moving mighty slow!" I yelled at him. He was taking his sweet time getting ready.

"I don't see what the big rush is. I'm trying to turn up tonight, but no we're going to your work party with some uptight white people."

"I told you we would go to a club after at least 30 minutes of being there. Just 30. Trey, move faster!" He waved me off putting his cufflinks on. "I'm a black woman working in corporate. Please don't make me fit the stereotype that all black people are late."

He laughed putting his suit jacket on. "Colored people time ain't never hurt nobody!"

"It will if I don't get the chance to talk to the president of the company. Are you ready?"

"Yeah" he said grabbing his keys.

I kissed after the dog then said, "Taylor!" He came running into the room. I picked him up putting him in his cage. Trey stared at me.

"What did you just call him?"

"Taylor. I renamed him, if you don't mind." I said nonchalantly locking the door to my condo.

"I do mind. He's our dog! I go home for Christmas and I come back you done renamed the damn thing!" We got on the elevator.

"Is it that big of a deal?"

"Yeah. The dog's like our kid. So you're telling me when we have kids you're not going to consult me on decisions." We walked from the elevator out of the building then to his car.

"Kids? Who said anything about kids?"

"Hypothetically, Bernice."

I laughed. "You're so dramatic sometimes, Trey."

"Dramatic my ass! I'm still calling him Trigga."

"And I'm calling him Taylor. He actually answers to Taylor unlike Trigga. You're going to confuse him."

Trey smacked his lips. "That's because you brainwashed his ass! He answered to Trigga every time I called for him." It was quiet for a few minutes of the car ride. "I'll compromise. I'll call him Trigga Tay!" He said smiling.

"The damn dog sounds like a rapper, but fine. Calling him all these names is going to have the poor baby confused."

"The dog will do anything Daddy tells him anyway, just like you." He said smirking gripping my thigh. He laughed.