Page 114 of It’s The Dawg In Him For Me

I got Nylah situated with her girls while I stayed around for a minute, greeting everybody that came through to speak to me. Dre walked ova and dapped me up, then leaned in and said something about the party being packed already. I looked around and realized he wasn’t lying. The section was full. The music was hitting, and every time I looked toward the entrance, more people were walking through the door. I had people from different sides of Brooklyn in the building, some I had known since I was a jit and othas I only dealt with when business brought us together. Everybody came out tonight to celebrate, but I knew better than anybody that shit could change quick when you put this many people in one room.

I looked back at Nylah and caught her talking to Raven while Denise and Ari were already laughing about something. She looked comfortable, like she belonged right there and was ova what happened between us. She wasn’t walking around with an attitude or looking at me sideways. She was herself again, and that’s all I wanted. I walked back ova to her and sat beside her, putting my arm around her waist.

“You good?” I asked.

She leaned into me. “I'm good. You?”

I nodded. “Better now.”

We locked in for a few minutes, lost in our own world, not worried about anything around us, when I happened to glance around, just checking our surroundings. I saw Dre talking to a couple of people, music blasting through the speakers, the bottle girls had to have done at least five laps around the club with sparklers and shit, and the party had only been popping for about an hour or two. The whole room had the vibe I wanted for my G-day, and the night was just getting started.

I leaned back in the section with Nylah tucked against me. Every now and then she would say something to one of her girls, then turn back toward me with that same smile she had been giving me all night. I wasn’t used to sitting still at my own party. Usually, I was making moves or seeing how many bitches I could fit in my section. But that night, everything was handled. My people were with me deep. The only otha thing I cared about was my girl, and she was with me.

Dre came back ova after a few minutes and leaned down so I could hear him. “Everything good?”

I nodded. “Yeah, everything straight.”

He looked ova at Nylah, then back at me with a smirk before walking off. I already knew what that look was about, but I wasn’t bout to play with him, so I turned my attention back to Nylah. She was talking to Ari while Raven was already halfway out the section, dancing with Denise. The music had everybody moving, and for once I wasn’t worried about what was happening in the rest of the room. I reached for my drink and took a sip while Nylah leaned closer to me, saying something I couldn’t hear ova the bass in the song. I leaned down toward her, and she repeated herself in my ear.

“You havin’ a good birthday, luv?”

I smiled. “Hell yeah, I can’t wait until you give me my cake later.”

She smiled back and kissed my cheek before turning back toward her girls for a second. That lil’ shit had me feeling on top of the world. I can’t lie to you. I had spent the last few weeks dealing with bullshit on top of bullshit. Her and my party were my reward for surviving.

The DJ switched the song, and the whole room reacted at once. People started yelling and moving closer to the dance floor while the lights bounced across the room. Nylah looked at me, then at the dance floor, and I knew what she wanted.

“Come on,” she said, standing up, reaching for my hand.

I looked at shorty crazy. “You want me to dance? I'm not a dancin’ type of nigga, bae.”

She nodded, not caring what I said. “You bout to feel some ass on you tonight, come on.”

I shook my head but stood anyway. She grabbed my hand and pulled me outta the section while her girls followed behind us. We made our way into the crowd, and for the next few songs I forgot about everything. Nylah was in front of me, laughing and dancing, and I kept my hands on her waist while she moved against me. Every time she turned around and smiled, I couldn’t help but smile back.

Eventually, we made our way back toward the section. I grabbed anotha drink for us while Nylah sat beside Raven, laughing at some people on the dance floor. I stood there watching the room when somebody came up and dapped me up and wished me a happy birthday. Then anotha person came behind him, and anotha. Before I knew it, I was back to greeting people and accepting drinks while eyeing my girl every now and then, thinking about what was about to go down when we got to the crib.

The night kept moving like that. Music, drinks, people coming through, people leaving, and everybody having a good time. I wasn’t paying attention to the time, but I knew the party had been going for a while when I looked around and realized the crowd had gotten even bigger. I leaned back against the couch, vibing with my blunt when the light cut on, and the DJ’s voice came through the speakers, letting everybody know somebody had something special planned for the G-day nigga.

I laughed and shook my head when the people around me started yelling. The lights started to dim lil’ by lil’.

I looked toward the DJ booth, then back at Nylah, thinking this was something that she put together, but she looked just as confused as I was.

I stood up and grabbed Nylah’s hand and walked outta the section to get a better view of the floor when the music faded out, and the entire room went black. I grabbed Nylah's hand tighter in my right hand and clenched my Glock in the otha.

Then a voice came ova the mic that I knew too well.

“Happy Birthdayyy to youuuu…” they sang.

“AYO, TURN ON THE LIGHTS!” everybody yelled but me. I was tryna move outta the club with Nylah, but she wasn’t moving.

The lights cut on, and I wish a nigga had shot me right then and there.

Mariah was standing there with a see-through dress on, with just a bra and panties underneath, smiling hard as hell.

I looked at Dre. That nigga was stuck and didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to, but I looked at Nylah, and her eyes were locked on Mariah.

“Mariah?!” Nylah questioned before she turned to me and asked me what I knew was coming. Mariah spoke out.