weekend pt. 4

omaretta stood before me, a threatening aura about her, angry in her stance. her face had crunched up like she was about to spit at me. i just looked at her coolly, sure she wasn't gonna make a scene in a crowded club.

i was wrong.

"did you know," she said through clenched teeth, "that mark was MY man?"

i glared at her a second before looking over her shoulder at mark. the punk just stood there not saying a word.

"i had no idea he was YOUR man," i responded with forced indifference. this situation could get out of hand really quickly, and my temper has a way of not giving a fuck about the consequences.

"well, he is." she stepped closer towards me in what she thought was a menancing pose. i stared at her like she was crazy.

"look," i started slowly, aware i was dealing with a mentally challenged human being. "ownership of black folk ended with the emancipation proclamation."

a few snickers broke through the silence of the moment.

"not to mention the fact that your boy mark stepped to ME, not the other way around. if you've got beef, take it up with him, not me."

omaretta looked over her shoulder at mark before turning back to me. she actually looked like she didn't believe me. i raised an eyebrow at her as we continued to stare at each other. this is bullshit, i thought to myself.

"just stay away from him," she said finally before stepping back so i could pass her.

"for future reference," i stated in a low voice so only she could hear me, "step to me like that again and you'll be looking like an insecure idiot with a foot in her ass instead of just an insecure idiot."

she glared at me but said nothing. i stepped past her, glanced at mark who remained in his punk stance, then walked through the crowd until candice and i were on the other side of the club next to the dance floor.

finally i was able to take a deep breath. i fucking HATE moments like that, yet it's something sistas in atlanta get used to, especially here in atlanta. the perceived lack of quality brothas here means sistas are fighting over any guy who even appears to be decent.

i was starting to think the night was going to be a complete bust as i continued weaving through the crowd. the music was a lively calypso and i squinted through the dim lighting to observe brown bodies crowding the dance floor, shivering to the frenetic pace of the beat. i looked around for a table for us to sit at and locating one, tapped candice on the shoulder before pointing to it in the corner. we both turned and walked towards the table. before we got there, a brotha asked candice to dance. she handed me her purse and headed towards the dance floor while i walked over to the table and took a seat.

the corner was dark like the rest of the club, soft slivers of light coming only from the lone candle placed in the middle of the table before being absorbed and reflected by the blue walls surrouding it. i closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to force my body to relax after the drama from earlier. opening my eyes, i realized my view of the club was blocked by a tall silhouette. in fact, my face was level with his crotch, and from what the candlelight was showing me, brotha had a third leg in there. i lifted a brow as i slowly poured my eyes over the rest of him. his blue jeans were faded and worn, hugging his hips like a lover during the afterglow. his waist was trim, the flatness of his stomach obvious from the way the buttons fell down his white shirt in a straight line. his hands were placed on the table, dark brown and smooth fingers tapered at the ends and curved slightly so that only the fingertips touched the tablecloth.

i could feel his eyes on me as i continued my way up his form. his arms were long and leanly muscled, linked to a broad set of shoulders that curved into a neck that was actually both graceful and powerful at the same time. by the time i got to his face, my tongue was attached to the roof of my mouth as i fought to stop it from licking my lips.

and that was before i actually saw his face.

because that was a sight i won't soon forget. his full lips were curved into a lopsided grin, showing of shining straight, white teeth. a dimple was cutting through his right cheek and my gaze lingered there for a second. damn...he's got a beautiful smile.

i started up again, noting the broad make of his nose before finally settling upon his eyes.

his eyes...

i was suddenly immersed in twin pools of midnight sky, their depths reflecting the light of twinkling stars.

or in this case, they reflected candlelight, but at that moment, i wasn't really sure where i was.

and i sure as hell didn't know where i was going.