Beyond Us.

6.

6.

Ace on the side.

Lauren.

Its been almost a month since I visited New York. I've been back in Houston working and planning on a few moves. My mom has been in my ear about coming home and I've been kind of thinking of moving back. Houston is like a second home, but it's nothing like NY! I've been working as a marketing coordinator for Prism, a club franchise that has clubs all over the country. We were opening a new club in a few months around New Years. I'll have to be back and forth between here and NY until then, so why not make it a permanent move after it's opening night?

After lying in bed for a few moments, I walk over to my closet to look for something to wear for the day. I have to meet with Ace for details about this new locale in New York. I finally decide on keeping it relaxed, this wasn't an office thing and more than likely Ace's lazy self was going to tell me to meet at his house. I checked the weather on my phone and noticed it was already 75 degrees, its only 8:30 ugh. I chose a plain white v-neck shirt, a pair of light wash boyfriend jeans with rips at the knees that were slightly cuffed at the bottom, and a pair Versace flat sandals. I got in the shower and did my hygiene. As I began to dry off my phone started ringing. "Hello?" I asked, after looking to see it was Ace. "Good morning, how is everything?" He asked me. Ace and I are best friends. After I left New York, I applied to for a job at Prism, which wasn't as big as it is now, and met Ace. He and his brother Tony had started local and when I joined on we started to make things major. With Ace's ideas, and my creativity we've made an empire. We became friends after seeing how well we clicked together on the business front. Him and I have never been together romantically or even thought about it. He's been like a brother. "Everything's good, I've been e-mailing the designer about the club in NY, We need to set up a sit down meeting with our new partner, with a lawyer to sign off on things." I said, filling him in on work. "Ok, he should be here tomorrow, we can set up something this week. I need you to come over to the house so I can talk to you about some things before he comes." "That's cool, I'm getting dressed now. I'll be there in 45." I told him as I was starting to put on my clothes. He hung up. I decided to wear my hair curly today. I sprayed some mousse in my hair and fluffed it to make it big. Once I was satisfied with my hair, I sprayed on my Miss Dior perfume. I grabbed the keys to my white 2014 Audi A7, which I had bought myself as an early birthday gift last month. Yeah, I'm a bad bitch.

I arrived to Ace's condo, which overlooks Houston's skyline. It's nothing compared to New York, but it's just something about overlooking a city. You feel like you're on top of everything, so it was nice. I knocked on the door, and Ace answered like he was expecting me. He bent down to give me a hug, since he was 6'2 and I was only 5'1. "Wassup, you look good." He told me, I surveyed him. He had on a white 10 Deep t-shirt, army green cargo pants with utility pockets, and a pair of Olive Jordan 9s. "You do too, OG Swaggy Johnson." I laughed as I walked past him into the house. "So you got jokes, lets go in my office, I got to let you know what's going on with business." He said getting serious. "You remember when I told you dude from NY is coming tomorrow?" He asked me as I sat down on the couch that he had in his office. "Yeah, what's up with him? Who is he?" We hadn't really talked about the guy they had decided to bring in. They had been shopping around ona few offers until last month they decided it was him. "It's your guy, Brooklyn." I looked at him with a stupid face, I quickly recovered, "what? Like Amir, Brooklyn? You can't be serious?" I already knew he was, because when it came to business Ace and I were always on the same page, we don't play. "I am. He's coming tomorrow, his flight lands at 10:30, I'm going to scoop him from the airport." I thought about it, Ace knew the history between us, and he knew about us clearing some of the stuff up. "I'm telling you to see if you going to be straight, I think this is best for everyone. Nothing's going to get out of hand?" He looked at me awaiting my answer, "this is business, everything's going to be good. I'm over what happened, I'm letting go of all of the negative." I said truthfully. It takes energy I don't have to continue to be stressed over the past. "Alright baby girl. Let's go out for lunch." He told me as he got up to leave his office. He grabbed his wallet that was by the door, and we went to hop into his silver 2014 BMW m6.

Ace and I pulled up to Mikki's. His fat ass was always trying to eat heavy. Don't think I'm one of those girls who eats' salads all the time, It's just too early in the day to have the itis and taking food naps. After we got into the restaurant, we were seated. Immediately a waitress came to the table to take our order. "Good afternoon," she said looking at Ace. I was used to this I just looked on, smiled, and shook my head. "Let's start off with drinks. Do you know what you want?" She asked still looking over at Ace. "My wife and I would like sweet teas, and for you to put your eyes back in your head." He said in a normal tone as if he didn't just play her face. She looked upset, and walked away. "Why you always act like that?" I asked him laughing. "That's disrespect to you, even though we ain't together like that, they don't know that. They would have disrespected me by disrespecting you." This is why Ace is my best friend. The boy is real as hell. I don't think blood could make us any closer. Even though we've only known each other for 2 years. Sometimes he feels like my long lost twin, we even have those twin powers. Weird, I know. "So what's been up with you and Tai?" I said, asking about his new chick. Tai and Ace have been kicking it for about 6 months. She seems like a cool chick once you get to know her, but I'm not trying to know her. It's something about her that makes me think she isn't loyal. She's not for my brother, but I would never tell him that, I will support him in any choice, but let her fuck up, and I'll end her ass. "Man she cool, I just moved her in the crib last month, she pregnant, so you know I'm bout to handle my shit." I hid my emotions. "That's what's up. When is she due?" "Sometime around New Years. She's like 3 months now." I nodded my head and then twisted my face up, "Eww nigga, you was fucking her raw after 3 months?!" He looked at me with the 'nigga what I look like face', "naw I strapped up, but it broke, I pulled out but it could have been too late, you know that pullout shit don't work." I nodded my head, yeah I knew, been there, and done that.