"Yes, Mom. I'm fine." I sigh as I remove one of my AirPods out of my ear, placing it into its case snapping it closed as I lean back into my work chair, playing with the Rubik's cube that sat on my desk, crossing my legs, one over the other.
"Good. Good. When are you coming to visit?" she asks me for the fourth time this month. I keep skirting around the question simply because I don't have a real answer yet. I already visited last month and I don't feel like coming around every month to be asked if I've found someone to marry yet.
Because God forbid an African woman is single in her early twenties.
So I say, "I'll check my schedule. I have a few interviews lined up and I'm not sure when I'll be available to come down to the house" It wasn't a total lie. I am pretty busy, however, the interview part? More like editing other people's interviews before they go into the magazine for this month's issue.
I did have a pretty big interview at the end of the month, I was supposed to be speaking one-on-one with Kylie Jenner discussing the joys of motherhood, her successful business, and her dating life.
Besides that, I'll be completely consumed with editing and emailing managers back and forth in regards to their clients.
My mother sucks her teeth and says, "If that's the case then fine. I wouldn't want to disturb you from your work. Don't let this your job get to your head now that you've been promoted." her Nigerian accent flowing through my ears as she warns me about this yet again.
I laugh, "Never. I'll never forget you, you're my biggest fan." I teased, reaching up to the rubber band of my high ponytail, grabbing two sides of it, and pulling them apart to tighten the hold it had on my hair.
I hear a snort on the other end, I can practically see her crossing her arms shaking her head, "Biggest fan indeed. Abeg, get off my phone. You're at work."
"Oh so now you care that I'm at work?" I grin
Sucking her teeth again she says, "Tell Paola if she wants more food she's welcome to come by because only God knows if you people are feeding yourselves well or buying pizza every night. I'm hanging up, goodbye."
Smirking to myself, I put the other Airpod back into its charging case, uncrossing my legs, scooting my chair further into my desk, opening up my Macbook again, and going back to work. A journalist had just done a small story on Billie Eilish and I was going over the photos of herself that she picked personally that her manager had just sent to my email.
After college, I went on to score an internship at the People Magazine. Soon the interning job became a full-fledged position as a journalist for a year. I accompanied a fellow journalist to an interview to speak to Selena Gomez, which had my inner 10-year-old self fangirling by the way but the journalist hadn't been prepared and had zero to no questions for Ms.Gomez, assuming that she'd be able to think of questions on the fly.
I ended up taking over and conducting the whole thing myself. By the time the interview came out, Selena had given me a shout out on Instagram, which is pretty big considering that she's not really into social media and never really has been, and thanked me personally in her post and sent me a DM saying that the questions I asked were refreshing and it was nice to have an interview that didn't feel like an interview, but just two girls catching up.
So after that interview and Selena's free promo, people had begun requesting me to conduct their interviews and I could not be any more shocked or surprised. My boss, the CEO, took note of the buzz I was getting and bumped me up to being Editor and I was so excited.
I'm only 23, and I already felt so accomplished in my career. Contrary to what my mom and everyone else think, I'm more than okay being single right now.
I mean it feels weird to date anyone anyway after my last relationship in high school crashed and burned. I spent all my college years, curving any male that came within a 10-foot radius. This gave me the reputation for being unapproachable but I wasn't unapproachable I was just heartbroken.
Part of me wanted to remain loyal until I realized that I had no one to be loyal to. So instead, I kept my head down, my legs closed, and my eyes on the prize. It all worked out in the end and I couldn't be any prouder of myself.
I had this big office to myself with my name on the front of the door. I can sing old Disney songs in here in peace. A car that I had been dreaming of driving since I was a little girl, shout out to my baby Jeepy.
Paola, Justine, and I all shared a condo because we knew we'd end up staying at each other's houses anyway so it was a nice investment. Ryan and Cyrus stayed over a lot too and I had gotten so used to being a fifth-wheel that it almost felt like I had a poly-relationship with both couples.
I get all the benefits of having a significant other by being around them. I get free cuddles, free food, male and female advice. And now that I've invested in a vibrator, I get free orgasms too.
It's a win-win situation.
I like where I'm at right now and I don't need my mother, or my friends pressuring me to get a date. Well, actually it's just Paola and Justine. Cyrus and Ryan choose to stay neutral on the subject since they still talk to my ex.
He was supposed to be getting out of jail sometime at the end of the year.
As much as I hate to admit it, I had been keeping tabs on him through Cyrus and Ryan. Just little questions here and there regarding how he's doing.
He was my first love and despite what he did, his well-being will always be important to me.
They'd never let me successfully move on from him anyway since Ryan and Paola had been dating for six years now and Cyrus and Justine had reconnected three years ago, all I heard was Jesse's name on an almost daily basis.
But just like our relationship, he's ancient history to me.
There was a knock on my door and I sighed quietly to myself because I didn't feel like talking to anyone currently but feeling like it could be important I shout, "Come in!"
When the door opens, I'm met with a familiar face that belongs to one of my favorite people.
Wearing a black button-up shirt and navy blue pants, he walks into my office, shutting the door behind him with a grin, "There's my favorite co-editor in chief." as he strolls towards my desk, and only then do I notice the bag of Chinese food hanging off of his fingers.
I can practically hear my stomach growling, and I pout, pointing at the bag, "Are you looking to share?"
"Share? Half the food in here is for you." He chuckles as he comes to stand in front of my desk, shutting my laptop in front of me, "I get worried about you when you lock yourself away like this, you probably haven't even eaten have you?"
I purse my lips, twisting them to the side and he gives me a death stare deciding to stay quiet because he knows I hate when he gives me the same lecture over and over again about how I need to remember to eat instead of doing work all the time.
I can't help that when I'm stressed I like to finish whatever stressed me out before I eat. I know I'm not the only one like this.
"Carter, I'd appreciate it if you didn't start," I say jokingly as I hold my hand out for the box of Chinese he got me knowing straight away that he got me the 3 piece fried chicken and fries that I love so much.
Carter was my partner in crime and co-editor. He was the editor before me until I got promoted and now we share the job. We used to butt heads a lot, mainly because he was outraged that he had to share the job with me after working for three years to get the promotion. He was also annoyed at how young I was even though he was only 28. Afterwhile we realized that we worked better together than apart so after the promotion we had a heart-to-heart and reconciled.
He raises his hands in surrender before pulling out the chair that's across from me and sitting down, "I'm just bringing lunch to a friend who I know would not leave the office if I asked her to get food with me so I brought the Chinese place to you."
I'm glad that I chose to wear a safe color, as my entire pantsuit had been black. I can get a bit messy when it comes to how I eat this, I look at him and pout again, "Since I'm so stressed out do you mind working on the Billie Eilish article for me?" I smile widely and he rolls his eyes looking down at his lo-mein and picking up his chopsticks, "I would do it but I have to work on my questions for one of the members of the Kardashian-Jenner clan."
"Oh! The Kylie Jenner thing. I've been hearing that she and that football player aren't really an item anymore. It seems like she and Travis could be back on." he says and I snort
"Were they ever really off? I mean they went half on a baby and she's Kylie Jenner. I wouldn't let her go either. I'll ask if Stormi is finally getting a sibling soon. Of course, the question will be phrased more professionally."
He grins at me, "You focus on these questions and I guess I'll take the Eilish article off your hands." he tells me and I squeal loudly thanking him repeatedly, "How was she anyway? I didn't get to meet her."
I smile widely at the memory of meeting Billie briefly when she walked into the building, "She's even prettier in person. She kept calling me 'mama' though. I was busy thanking God that I have darker skin and that I can't blush because whew! She could get it." I say fanning myself and leaning back into my seat with a smile as her face comes into my mind
Carter laughs loudly clapping at how giddy I was over her, "Don't tell me she turned you out already." he says jokingly
I stop sipping on my sprite and take the straw out of my mouth, "I don't play for that team, sir." I laugh loudly, "I'm not sure if she does either but if she did, I may consider it." I joke. Well, half-joking.
Carter shakes his head, stirring his low-mein with his chopsticks, "As long as you still play for my team." and I raise an eyebrow at his response but I brush it off continuing to talk about what we both had planned for the day.
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[A/N] THE END OF THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE SEQUEL
Thank you for coming along on this journey with me again!