“Yes,” I answered, only to immediately amend, “I mean, no. Not with you. You’re good. Thank you.” Then I waited until she was completely out of earshot before I addressed my real issue, leaning into the table to complain, “Sending me a drink while he’s out on a date with someone else? How…doggish.”
“I mean, the nigga’s name is literally Snoop,so…”
The amusement in Gianna’s tone only further irritated me as I watched her sip from the traitorous martini glass. And when she acted like it was somehow better than the first round of drinks we’d had, I found myself glaring as I went back and forth in my head about what my response should be and somehow landed on, “I should go say something.”
“Or you could just drink your drink and mind your business,” Gianna suggested with another sip.
Her recommendation was a valid option. But for whatever reason, I was too bothered by the thought of Kendall getting away with his actions tojust… let it go, trying my best to articulate that when I told Gianna, “That poor girl probably thinks she has a good one, but he’s really out here playing in her face.”
“Is he, though?” Gianna challenged. “Or was he just like, sending you a drink to be nice?”
Rolling my eyes, I stood up and decided, “I’m gonna go say something.”
“Kiki, don’t…Kiki!”
Even in my stilettos, it hadn’t taken me long to strut over to where Kendall and his date were seated. But the way he smirked at me when I arrived damn near made my knees buckle, the sound of his slightly raspy voice forcing me to grab onto the edge of their table to keep my balance once he said, “I was hoping you’d come speak.”
“I didn’t come over here to talk to you. I came over here to talk toher,” I groaned. And after a deep breath, I gave the pretty, somehow tall even when sitting down woman he was with my full attention, softening my voice as I told her, “I really hate to be messing up your night with this, but you deserve better than someone who’s gonna be sending drinks to other women while he’s out with you.”
The confusion on her face only made me feel worse as Kendall said, “Wait.That’swhy you were lookin’ at me all crazy?”
“Still not talking to you,” I snapped.
“There’s clearly been ahugemisunderstanding,” the woman chimed in. And when she stood up from her chair, I lowkey got worried that she was really about to make a scene of this until she extended her hand and said, “I’m Anastasia. Snoop’s sister.”
“His sister,” I repeated. “Like, his actual sister.”
The dimpled grin she responded with as she nodded only further confirmed what she’d shared, making me feel dumb as hell as I shook her hand and sighed, “Wow. Thatmakes… so much sense.”
“I told my brother to send you and your friend a drink because I thought it would be a cute gesture, but now I see we might’ve missed the mark?”
“Yeah. I mean, no. This istotallyon me,” I admitted. And now that I knew the full truth, I couldn’t get away fast enough, my skin hot with embarrassment as I rushed out, “But thank you.Both of you. And uhhh… I hope you enjoy your meal.”
Before either of them could say anything else, I was already on my way back to my table, not even fully arrived when I told Gianna, “Girl, we gotta go.”
“What happened?”
“That’s his damn sister,” I hissed, saying it out loud only further embarrassing me as Gianna immediately started to giggle.
“I told your ass not to go over there.”
“Well next time, physically grab me the same way I’m about to grab you if you don’t come on,” I grumbled.
Thankfully, Gianna took my need for urgency a little more seriously this time, being relatively quick about getting out of her chair. But once I started to make a move towards the exit, I heard her say, “Wait,” the single word stopping me in my tracks as I looked over my shoulder and saw her reaching for one of the drinks Kendall had sent us.
“Unlike you, I’m not wasteful.”
“Good point,” I responded as I turned back around to grab my own untouched drink. And after downing the alcohol in a few thick gulps that I’d surely be paying for later, I dropped the glass back onto the table with a clink and a firm, “Now let’s go.”
It wasn’t until we were outside that I released a full breath, only to end up choking on embarrassment once Gianna busted out laughing as she said, “I can’t believe you rolled up on that man’s family dinner like that.”
Hisfamilydinner.
Not his date with the girl who looked like she could be a fuckin’ supermodel, but his time with hisfamily.
The same family who’d suggested he send me a drink to be cute.
Because he wanted to be cute to me?