Every Kind of Way

41.

Dallas went through the rest of the items she picked up and she only walked out with two pairs of pants and one top. They left the store and headed toward Aldo's but stopped for Auntie Annie's pretzels. The sweet and salty aroma made the station too enticing to pass up, even on a bad day.

"Dorian huh?" Asha watched Dallas listen to a voice note that made her giggle infectiously before her thumbs rapidly typed a response. Dal looked over at her with bunched 'brows. "I heard him on the phone yesterday."

She bit back a smile, "Do not bring that big nose ass boy up. Leave him wherever he at."

"Nah uh, not with you smiling like that." Asha wagged her finger and Dallas covered her face then started laughing. "I guess that's all I need to know, huh?"

"He's a sweetheart," she shrugged her shoulders. "I like my dude thugged out, with the shits but about that dough. They usually crazy as hell but I'm not too far from crazy my damn self. That's not D tho. He's sweet and mellowed out. Calm, cool, collected."

"If you think about it, all of them are. Dorian, Sanchez and Zeek. They're all laid back individually but when they're together they can be a lil wild."

"But date wild ass women. Victoria, you, me. I guess the idea that polar opposites attract is true for them."

"Girl I am not wild. I don't know who told you that." Asha put her hand to her chest. Dallas pursed her lips. She'd heard stories and seen footage for herself to know that was a lie, "All I do is shake a lil ass. That's not wild."

"Yeah, yeah alright." Dallas fanned her hand and told her order to the cashier. She waited for Asha to do the same then asked, "How are you and Noo?"

"What do you mean?" Asha stuck her credit card in the reader.

"Relationship wise. I'd guess it's weird to be reconnecting with an ex after so long. Like are you still getting comfortable or...."

"Uh, yeah it's weird but at the same time it's not."

"Meaning? You ain't gotta tell me if you don't want to. I'm just curious cause he likes having you around. The more I hang with you I can see why but he's more outgoing when you're here and he has this...admiration for you. I just wonder if it's mutual."

"Admiration? You think he admires me?" Asha's eyebrows lifted and she smiled awkwardly, not so sure about that statement.

"He does. He always has. It's why I wanted to fuckin' meet you so bad because if you knew him before y'all met, you would've felt how odd it was to see him in awe of a person."

"Thank you," Asha grabbed her cup of pretzels. "In awe....You can imagine how crazy that sounds on my end, right? But, um, I only say it's weird because after we broke up that was it. Literally. But somehow after all this time it's still easy to get consumed by him. Like he just has this pull on me that I can't deny no matter how hard I try to."

"Gotcha. Do you think y'all would ever get back together?"

Asha bit into one of the pretzel bites, "I don't know. Right now dating isn't really on my mind. Someone kinda messed that up for right now but I can admit, in a fairytale world, I would go for it. I can really tell he's grown."

"He has," Dallas nodded. "Have you?"

"In some aspects. In others I've regressed a lil bit," she shrugged her shoulders. "Dating ptsd is real so...."

Her time of being single and dating had been full of bullshit after bullshit yet she never gave up. That didn't mean things didn't stick with her— resting in the back of her mind when on to the next person. Or on a mere day to day basis. But she also had great experiences that kept her hope alive and let her know all the men weren't currently down bad. The crop just needed a lot more picking before anyone could reach the cream of it.