The Harlem Way

16. My Side Of Town {Part 1}

Sarai' Morgan

"I can't believe you're leaving me so soon." I whined to my sister as I helped her pack. Her and Lance were moving in two weeks so she wanted to make sure she had everything together. "I know Dub." She frowned slightly. "But you'll be fine. You still have Mel and Manny close by and I'll visit often." She assured me which made me smile.

"I know...I'm just used to seeing you all the time. Popping up whenever, now I have to catch a flight to get to you." I whined more. "You're such a baby. Jah will keep you nice and warm." She joked. "You guys have another date tonight right?" I nodded. "Where to this time?" She asked. "He won't tell me. He told me to wear tennis shoes though." I rolled my eyes a little. Jah was being all secretive about our date later. He told me it was 'his' version of date. I didn't know what that meant and I was a little scared to find out, to be honest.

"He seems like a thoughtful guy but his version of a date is probably something you're totally not gonna expect." She giggled. "I knoooow! And he told me to wear sneakers! You know I only wear them to the gym. All that I have are heels, boots and sandals." I huffed. "Sounds like you're doing something active. I get so happy when I see you blush Dub, it's amazing." She complimented. "Yeah...it is." I cleared my throat a little. Re' looked at me skeptically as her brow rose.

"What's wrong?" She asked. "Nothing...I just- Jabri just seems too good to be true." I sighed. "And what's wrong with that?" She blinked at me. Shrugging, I sat on the bed and folded my feet under me. "I don't know...it's just I don't know." I stumbled over my words. Re' just smiled at me which confused the hell out of me by the way. My eyes followed her as she walked across the room to join me on the bed.

"You know what I think?" She quizzed. "Enlighten me." My tone matched hers. "I think that you're scared because Jah is sweeping you off your stubborn ass feet." She paused to laugh. "This is just you actually liking it-him. It's happening and you want to fight it but you can't." Her hands went up in a shrug motion. "I wouldn't say 'love' yet but you're definitely feeling him." She ended before she stood. Biting my lip, I let her words sink in as I thought to myself.

She was right. I was definitely feeling him.

I was so used to being in control when it came to the dating scene. I never gave out my number, I always took the guy's. That way I could determine if I wanted to see you or not. And most times I never used the numbers. No matter how hard I played to get, Jabri wasn't letting up. He had me. Part of me loved the feeling of actually being wanted and treated good by a man but the other part of me was scared. Scared to fall in love. When I loved, I loved hard and I gave all of me. I was just starting to put myself first and I didn't want anything or anyone in the way of that. But, I couldn't deny the fact that Jah made me feel good. Not only did he express how beautiful I was to him but he was interested in my goals, my future. He actually listens when I talk and he pays attention to the small things.

"Maybe." I quietly let out. "Ain't no 'maybe'. You saw how I was with Lance in the beginning. He broke that wall down, no pun intended. And now we have Lacee'." We shared a laugh. "You know my birth control is locked and loaded. No babies anytime soon. I am the baby." I was serious. Don't get me wrong, I loved kids but I wasn't ready for any. I had a niece that I spoiled to death and I enjoyed every bit of that. "You've kept your word all 24 years of life. I believe you. Does Jah want kids?" She questioned. "Uh- I don't know. I would assume since he works with them but we haven't talked about it." I told her. "And what if he does?" She threw out. "I'm not having a child to keep him so if that's an issue he can hop back on the horse he rode in on." I was firm. I had a career to focus on and there was no ring on my finger. "Lacee' wasn't planned but hey, good amu calls for a lot of surprises." She threw her hands up. I fake laughed, cracked a smile and stood again. "When you start getting your back blown out, the tune changes Dub. It just happens, I don't know what to tell you." She continued. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. I didn't know who was worse, her or Mel. They always tried to pry the 'freak' out of me. I was already struggling in the presence of Jabri, I didn't need to be harassed by them too.