Dominique is an up and coming tattoo artist with dreams of becoming something more. Her homie decides to give her her big break, but her big break may lead to heartbreak if she isn't careful...
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"... I let you in too much, that's the problem. I...
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I had been calling Lani for hours with no response. Arguing wasn't something I did, neither was cutting off communication entirely. After our big blow up in New Orleans four nights prior, I hadn't heard from Kehlani since. And to be honest, I missed the fuck out of her. My brain and my heart were in knots and I knew I had to take the first step in fixing things. I missed everything about her. I missed her touch... her smile...I even missed her bad ass attitude.
I grabbed my keys and the rest of my shit and headed out. This girl had a strange hold on me and my entire way of thinking. A few months ago I wouldn't even think about a girl after some shit like this. But with her, it was different.
"Yo Cooth, let Shaina knows she has to take my clients tonight and reschedule my appointments," I said swiftly moving into the lobby of the shop passing Cooth without even looking at her.
"Dom. Sis, what's going on?"
"It's Keh. She's still not picking up. Something has to be wrong," I said pulling my coat over my shoulders. The black coat seem to taint my typical angelic vibe, creating a sense of edge to my typical aura.
"Damn, I didn't think this chick would have your nose open this wide. I would've never let yall work together if I would've known. Who knew a few months could do this to you," Cooth shook her head with a slight sigh. "Go get your girl, Dom. Me and Shai got this."
I hopped into the car still amazed at the lengths I was going for this girl. I mean no woman would be able to come in between my cash flow.
It took me maybe 20 minutes to reach her place. And within those 20 minutes, I had to have called her about 25 times, with no answer. I knocked on the front door four times before Benji answered.
"What's going on, Dom. Why are you here?" Benji said slowly as he pulled the blunt from his lips.
"Where's your sister I've been trying to get in touch with her. The last option I had was to pop up," I somehow managed to hide my emotions.
"Oh, well, she's in there with some chick. I've never met the girl before. I guess they're friends. Come in tho, we just having a smoke session," He said opening the door gradually, allowing me to walk in.
I walked in and made a left into the living room. I immediately realized why Shai hadn't been answering her phone or shown up to work all day. She was all hugged up with MY girl. I stood there for a second grasping what my eyes were seeing. Keh looked shocked as soon as she saw me. I was worried that something was wrong, when in actuality she wasn't even worried about me and may have been in the process of moving on.
"Hey, love. What are you doing here? I thought you had to be at the shop tonight," she managed to blurt out. Her voice sounded uneasy and nervous. "But, I'm happy to see you though."
She got up and came over to me and tried to kiss me, but I stepped back. She looked at me with a look of confusion. She seemed to be trying to gauge my emotions through my eyes but the look on her face showed that she couldn't find anything in particular.
"Dom, It's nothing serious fam. I know that's your girl, sis. I'm not trying to overstep any boundaries... we're just chillin fam," Shai muttered as she stood up.
"Well, you already did, 'sis'," I glared at Shai. I wasn't jealous at all. I felt betrayed. Lani grabbed my face, turning it to her so that she could look me in my eyes. It seemed as though she was trying to distract me from doing something to Shai. Benji instantly caught on.
"Yo, homie, I think it's time for you to leave... Lani I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," Benji said. He tapped me on the shoulder as he passed me. I heard him whisper fuck that bitch before he went into the kitchen. Shaina grabbed her belongings and left without a word.
As soon as the door closed, Lani redirected her attention to me. She pulled me by my shirt closing the distance between us once again.
"Baby, stop acting like that; I missed you too much for you to have an attitude right now," She said before trying to kiss me once again. I stepped back avoiding her affections again. With the same swift motion I moved her hands off of me. I couldn't decipher the look on her face. It was a mixture of worry, confusion, and a little heartbreak.
"Babe it was harmless, I promise you. You're overreacting," She softened her voice. I could feel that she was trying to comfort me and keep me in her grasp. She knew that this may have been the deal breaker to make me become distant again and finally cut her off.
"You sure about that? I meant that surely didn't look like nothing. If your intent was to play me out, you should've let me know from the beginning. You would've been better off fucking me and going on with your life. Don't get my feelings involved, Kehlani," I was pissed at this point. My voice was about a notch below a yell.
"Dom, can you calm the fuck down and just listen to me?" She was firm in her words. She raised her volume matching mine.
"Why should I listen to anything you have to say right now? I let you in too much, that's the problem. I should've listened when you said you were dangerous... that you would do me dirty. I think I'ma just live my life and let you do you. I can't deal with this bullshit," I said lowering my voice just a little.
"Yeah, I said that; but, do you really think I would even be trying to get to know you if that was my intention?" Her voice cracked a little as if she was on the verge of tears.
"Yeah okay. Kehlani, how about you save us both some time and just let this go. Then you can fuck whoever you want without me saying shit," I sat on the arm of the couch waiting for her to respond.
"Dom... You're just... I-"
She halted her words.
She was looking for words, but it seemed like she couldn't find them. And there it was. That shy side of her... That reluctancy.
"Keh, just let me know what you need from me. I'm trying to love you. I break my back just to see you smile and apparently it's not good enough for you. If I'm not what you wanted you should've told me and I would've kept my distance. You know what fuck it!" I pulled my jacket off off the couch. I headed for the door.
She made me feel like I was fighting a battle with my own heart. Shai and her obviously had something going on and she was closing me out. There was a long silence. I opened the door. At this point, I had given up. After giving her so much, I couldn't give anymore.
"Dom, please. Just wait. I love you too much to lose you," Her voice quivered as she started to cry.
I stopped in my tracks. I felt her presence a few feet from me. I turned around confirming her tears. It hurt me to see her like this, but I wasn't going to set myself up for disaster. But it was weird. Her face was stone cold. Emotionless.
I pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her, shocked at the words that left her mouth a few moments before. She was so concerned with me letting her in, that I was tearing down her walls revealing her vulnerability that she so greatly disguised.
"I love you too, baby," I whispered kissing her lips.
