Sydney Bay Janes

"Delaney!" I yelled from my bedroom.

She rushed in, toothbrush in her hand. "You know, I really wish you'd call me Aunt-"

"Have you seen my purse?" I asked, frantically searching the room.

Her arms flailed. "Well, no. Have you looked in all the boxes?"

"I had it last night! The Dior one? Ugh." I whined in my bath towel, plopping onto the bed.

"Sorry, lover. Retrace your steps," she suggested, twirling out of the room.

"UGH!" I muffled my scream with a pillow.

The ends of my hair got wet in the shower so I put it into a bun. After doing my brows, light shadow, and mascara, I threw on a cropped white top with puffy sleeves and a pair of light washed denim high-waited shorts. I paired them with square toe block heel mules that would've looked great with my Dior bag.

Once ready so early, I went into the kitchen where I searched high and low for the first designer bag I purchased myself.

"--Tony Becker has been admitted into the hospital," I heard the news reporter talk on the kitchen television.

"Turn that off," I hissed at Delaney.

"Why, not a fan?" she asked, clueless.

My phone ringing thankfully got me out of that conversation.

"I'm on my way, Chy," I rushed on the phone. After all the years we've spent together, I knew she was calling to rush me.

"Girl, I had to make sure," she talked. I could hear she was on the road.

"I'll be there soon. You going straight to the hotel, or want to get food?"

"You treating?"

"Yes, of course," I giggled, grabbing my other purse.

On my way out, I waved to Delaney and ran down the driveway to the Uber.

***

"Girl, you look so good, I can't get over it," my best friend hyped me up.

I blushed, pushing the newspaper away. "Stop, that's all you. Thank you again for bringing my car-"

"Didn't I tell you to stop thanking me? You're my girl, it's what I'm for," she smiled.

I swirled my iced coffee and pushed the wavy brown hair behind my shoulder.

"Mm, your Dior bag would've looked so cute with this outfit," she noted.

I bulged my eyes. "I know! I lost it."

"No, you never lose that bag, girl," she stated.

"That's why I'm pissed it's gone. I don't know, I went out last night, then... poof. It's gone."

"Excuse me?" she coughed.

"What?" I looked around her face.

Chyna smacked her thick lips. "You not about to just skip over that like you didn't say you went out last night. With who? Where?!"

I rolled my eyes. "It's nothing, really."

"Then why ya cheeks touching your ears? Spill. Who is he? God, you didn't take your aunt's boyfriend, did you?"

My face straightened, annoyed, she would even think that of me. "Tom? No! God, Chyna, I'm not a hoe-"

"A little bit. I mean, a homewrecker, hoe... same thing."

"I'm not," I claimed in a low grumble.

"Whatever. Who's the new meat?"

"Uh, just this guy. I met him at the store and we went out and just got drunk."

"Just like that?" Chyna asked, looking shocked.

"Yeah, I know, it was crazy."

"Welp, I suppose the liquor store is as good a place as any to find rebound dick," she joked, biting into her croissant.

I shook my head.

Sometimes Chyna's "realness" gets to me. It's like, to her, just because she's telling the truth -- or thinks she is-- she cam down right belittle me. Usually she is right, but it's how she says it, not what she says. I didn't like being called a hoe, even if women think that's empowering these days, because I'm not a hoe. In some cases, she brings the Tony thing up, knowing that whole situation is different than most, and triggering to me.

"Anyway," she sighed. "you said you got drunk last night? Maybe your rebound stole it."

Later that day, after a nap from our food comas, Chyna and I unpacked the rest of my things at Delaney's place.

"This is cute, though," she said about the Nevada home. "I don't know why I assumed all of Nevada was Vegas, but."

I laughed through my nose as I folded some jeans. "I thought that when I was like, ten. You probably think Texas is still a desert."

"I really did up until a few years ago. Megan Thee Stallion from Houston, I knew the hot girl wasn't from no damn desert," Chyna cackled.

"You're a mess," I told her.

Chyna went over to the far wall to put some things on my z-rack. There, she looked out of the transom window and peered through it.

"You didn't tell me Aunt Delaney had some fine ass men working for her," she leered.

"Oh, the landscapers? Yeah, uh, the guy I went out with is working."

"You're dating the landscaper?"

I furrowed my bushy brows. "Don't say it like that, but no, I'm not."

"Which one is he?" she asked me, trying to guess herself.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Hold on," I told her, excusing myself from the room.

Chyna followed me anyway, though, to the kitchen where the knocking was coming from.

My Crocs carried me to the sliding glass door where I saw Will and a co-worker.

"That's him?" Chyna whispered in my ear.

"Yeah," I quietly let her know before letting them in. "don't be weird."

"Who is his friend, mm?"

After making it awkward enough, I pulled the door back.

"Hey," I let Will speak first.

"Hey," I shot back.

"Sup," his friend greeted Chy and I.

The friend was Chyna's type to a t. He had muscles and was tall, taller than Will, even. His hair was shaved and he had tattoos plus a brand from I assume a frat on his bicep. Had he been in a different career, she'd probably take him more serious.

"You forgot this in the Uber last night," Will said, surprising me with my favorite Dior bag.

"Told you he stole it," Chy exclaimed.

I sucked my teeth at her then stepped outside with them.

My eyes lit up, I couldn't believe it.

"Oh my gosh, thank you! I was starting to think someone did steal it. Uh, not you, of course," I babbled.

Get it together, Syd, you were cooler last night, I thought in my head.

Saving me from my mouth-diarrhea, Will's friend spoke up.

"I'm Damian, don't give Will the credit for this whole operation," he teased.

"I literally pay you," Will joked back.

"Ooo girl, let's trade guys," Chyna whispered in my ear. I shooed her back.

"Well, Delaney's gonna be proud whenever it's finished," I noted.

We all started kind of strolling around all the yard work.

"Are you not staying here for long?" asked Will.

"Uh, I don't know. I just wanted to visit," I lied. Well, partially.

All the while, Damian and Chyna hit it off a few feet behind us.

"Thanks again for my bag, it's my favorite," I enthused, clutching it to my chest.

"Yeah, why do you like that bag so much? I mean, I know it was expensive, but still," he wondered.

"So, it's the first big designer purchase I ever made myself. Err, one of the first."

Will looked over my head easily and nodded and I looked at his neck again. It was oddly attractive to me, his Adam's apple.

"And what about that new car out there, huh?"

I blinked away, remembering how I got that car. Or, from who, I should say.

"Oh, boy," I laughed it off. "You ask so many questions. My turn: when will all this be done so I can get my beauty sleep?"

He chuckled so cute. "Yeah, you need it. But I dunno, depends. Your aunt has a lot of ideas."

"She's not my aunt," I mumbled, stopping at the fence door.

See, after losing my parents and enduring Tony, I always felt like my loved ones could be taken from me. It was part of the same reason why I didn't like getting attached to other guys, because he'd make them go away. I never knew my extended family, not that I had much anyway. Delaney was all I had, blood or not, and I didn't want to call her aunt and make it real just for her to leave me or worse. That's just one of my irrational fears from the accident.

"Plus we need an excuse to see you ladies more often," said Damian.

"How about tonight?" Chyna prompted.

Damian sent a crooked smile her way and made her chew her glossy lip.

"Can't," Will disagreed. I looked up at him, wondering what the grand excuse would be.

He clasped his hands together. "Hunter has a thing, I needa be there."

"Then tomorrow night," Chyna pushed.

Damian wiped the sweat from his brow bone under the heat and licked his brown lips.

"Bet," he agreed.

I could see in their eyes this would lead to a happy night's ending for them, and I was okay with it. In fact, I admired the way they were both forward and went for it. Meanwhile, Will was looking so good in his white tank top and athletic black shorts. Half of his dusty brown hair was held back in a ponytail with two face framing strands. I liked his lips, they looked soft and good enough to kiss. His tan was perfectly bronzed and I was worried about the serious tan lines from his high socks and six inch inseam shorts. All that plus his god-like muscles and strategically placed artistic tattoos...

"Sydney, Chyna, I have groceries!" Delaney hollered from inside. Embarrassing.

Chyna and Damian laughed at me.

"We'll see y'all tomorrow," she talked. "Nice meeting you, Will, was it?"

"Yeah, see you," he said kindly.

I dropped my head. "Damian?"

"I didn't catch your name, my bad?"

I smiled. "Sydney."

"Cindy?"

"Sydney," Will and I emphasized at the same time.

Will cleared his throat, squinting away while I tried to contain my grin.

"Well, I have a thing too, so," I faltered, walking away with Chy.

"I like them," she said in my ear. "Will's cute! Sure you don't wanna trade?"