Channel surfing with a plate of poached eggs and raspberries early in the morning was what I lived for these days, and having Ruby right beside me nuzzling on my bare thighs was like the missing piece to my puzzle. Finally settling on Two and a Half Men, I dropped the remote on the coffee table and basked in solitude. Don't get me wrong, I like being around people, but I love being alone. Plus whenever I did feel like things were getting a little too lonely I had Imani, and now Ruby too. Imani was a night person, unlike little old me who would knock out at 10pm and wake up at 7am religiously. Little differences like that was what made our sisterly bond so special, though.
The door to her room creaked open followed by an obnoxious yawn. Speaking of the devil. "Suh dude." Being from the West coast, she couldn't get enough of that phrase.
"Mornin' loser," My Brooklyn-born self replied, finishing off my plate of food with a small sip of homemade Avocado smoothie to cancel out the sour taste of the eggs. "Go back to bed, you've got a couple more hours." I chuckled, looking at the time on my TV. 8:42? Definitely too early for her. She matched my laugh before I noticed that she was fully dressed in workout leggings, a PINK sports bra hidden underneath a zip-up hoodie and Nike Flux's on her feet. "Care to explain..." I waved my hand at her outfit, dropping my fork on my plate. "This?"
"I want to be an early bird like you." She cheesed, walking towards the cabinet next to the door and picking up her car keys. "Sike. Dejounte wants me to come to his session today and make sure he's getting buckets." Imani tugged at her blonde-dyed cornrows and half zipped her hoodie, allowing her cleavage to be seen ever so slightly. "Have fun." I giggled at my corny friend. Of course, only Dejounte could get her to wake up at a time like this.
"I know what you're thinking, Jazz," Imani pulled her mouth to the side. "Oh my Goooddd why is she so whiiippeeddd... I wish I had a manssss, but I'm a butthurt little girl who rejects every man that comes my way ever since I broke things off with that douchebag Rodell. Boo-freaking-hoo." She proceeded to mimic my voice. Attempt to, I mean. Badly. Six months ago, I would've been really hurt by the Rodell remark, that being the Rodell who openly cheated with copious amounts of women and said he was "going to break up with me anyway" whatever that's supposed to mean, but my heart has healed entirely. Well, a broken heart never really heals does it? The cracks are just filled when someone comes along and shows you what real love looks like, which grudgingly hasn't happened to me yet. She was right though; perhaps it was my fault for giving a big fat no to every opportunity to have a man in my life, like yesterday for instance. Maybe her mockery was my wake-up call.
"That sounds nothing like me, and all I was thinking of was what to do today." I objected, to which she chimed happily. "Hey, now that you've finally admitted to having a free schedule, join me at Dej's training?" Before I could deny the invitation I found her jumping on me, tickling my sides and every sensitive spot she knew of until I gave in.
"FINE. Stop!" I shrieked of laughter at the tickling and vexation at having to do something I didn't want to. She finally pulled herself off me, smirking at her achievement. "What about Ruby?" I resorted to my last excuse hesitantly. "We can bring her with us dummy," She pressed the home button on her phone with a long manicured nail. "Hurry getting dressed, I don't want to miss a second." Lurching off the sofa, I walked into my room and opened the tall oak closet, surveying my options. "This should be fine", I slipped on a loose black T-shirt dress and distressed denim jacket on top, as well as white ankle socks and Retro 12 Taxi's. We were headed out the door with Ruby in my black tote bag seven minutes later.
➳ ♡ ➳
The glass doors of the gym center automatically opened as we reached the foot of the facility, closing just as swiftly behind us. One of the first things I noticed about the place was how highly air-conditioned it was. Today wasn't a hot day at all in New York, perhaps about 60 degrees, yet I felt even colder inside the building. The second thing that hit me was the smell; an unsettling mixture of chlorine from the swimming pools, steam from the sauna, and sweat from, well, everywhere else.
