𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐢'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

i woke up confused and dazed on a sunny saturday morning. i scratched my head as i sat up on my bed and caught my reflection, causing me to do a double take.

why do i sleep so rough? i look like a demented pixie. i patted my hair down as i stumbled out of bed, in an attempt to flatten it. i took my phone off charge to scan through my messages. i quickly responded first to the urgent messages before contemplating how i was going to reply to christain's message.

christain

yo skai, want to go to this party tonite? |

| no thank u i have a listening party to go to and im in nyc x

yea ik youre in nyc i am too |

| hold on a minute how do u know?

dont ask questions |

| okay??? well i cant soz

not even after the listening party?? |

at this point i decided to leave the boy on read. the one thing i didn't like about christain is no matter how many times you tell him that things are casual and that he shouldn't read too much into everything, he does the exact opposite!

anyways about the listening party, remember when i vouched to myself that i will be leaving my exs alone? i must have been lying because one of dani's crew members who i am friends with and have kept in contact with from time to time let me know that they'll be releasing an EP and wanted to know if i can make it.

at first i was going to decline because i haven't been around dani's friends since our firestorm of a breakup. never become friends with your partner's friends, because they will ultimately always chose your partner, no matter how much you connect with them.

we used to have some good moments since the 070 crew used to do gigs all around the country, so whenever i was able to link up with them, and it created some very fond memories.

i understood that it is hella awkward to be hanging around with your friend's ex, and that none of them meant any harm in not speaking to me anymore but i couldn't help but take it personally since i felt like i was part of the friendship group. only trenice called me from time to time and asked how i was doing, so after remembering this i really wanted to show up for her and attend the event.

trenice also reassured me by letting me know that dani cancelled last minute as she had a shoot in LA, which placed me at ease more.

after contemplating on my options i chose a chic brown fitted dress that was made from a soft, ribbed fabric, hugging the curves i was blessed with in all the right places. i loved how the rich, chocolate hue complemented my warm, dark skin beautifully.

to complete my look, i made sure that my makeup was both natural and radiant, with a dewy foundation and wore a caramel-toned eyeshadow that made my eyes shimmer. my lips were glossed in a soft brown and nude lip combo, adding a subtle shine that completed the overall look. i hummed along to songs that was playing on my speaker as i got ready, seemingly very happy in the present moment.

i hopped downstairs and called my driver to take me to the event in queens. i didn't know what put me in such a good mood, but i was vibing the whole ride there. once we arrived at the art gallery, i stepped out onto the pavement and watched the car drive away.

i didn't want to get too drunk because i had a vogue shoot tomorrow and having a hangover would be less than ideal, but i was excited to reunite with old faces. besides its been four years and i hoped that the tension would be gone, we're all adults now.

the moment i entered the venue and admired the decoration, a familiar voice calls my name.

"skai denise thompson is that you?" trenice also known as treee greeted me warmly. i hugged her quickly before holding her at arms length.

"hold on, is this your track playing right now?" i asked as i looked up at the speaker. trenice nodded looking proud and i grinned. "that's a straight up banger!"

"stop with the compliments please." she smiled before linking our arms as we walked towards the section with the others.

"oh shoot, i just remembered that i forgot your gift." i mumbled in frustration.

"it's no problem, i'll still be here tomorrow so give it to me then."

"okay." i say smiling back at her, excited to see her after so long. as we approached the group i prepared myself for any type of reaction, however i was pleasantly surprised to get a similar warm reception from the others.

"yo skai how have you been?" talib greets as he dabs me up.

"miss skai thompson is in the house y'all." phi laughs as he greets me into a side hug.

"hi y'all, i've been good." i smiled and was met with familiar bright smiles. malick and ralphy were the more reserved members, which i understood as they had fierce loyalty to dani.

i didn't mind as much since i found myself vibing and debating with sebastian, their in house producer, as well as cine the crew's trusted cameraman who couldn't help but gush at me as he asked me a few questions.

"just send me your resume and i can see what i can do." i promised as cine asked if i can link him with annie leibovitz who i will be having a photoshoot tomorrow.

"that's so cool man, thanks." he grins but before he could say more he looks behind me and his face brightens. "yo guys, dani made it after all!"

i could have literally shat my heart out of my ass that very second.

i spun in surprise to see dani causally strolling in, a subtle bop in her steps as she rubs her hands together exaggeratedly before opening her arms wide to greet trenice.

she wore a tailored, charcoal grey blazer as a slightly relaxed fit, underneath she had opted for a black turtle neck. she wore her well known dog chains that sat comfortably on her top.

"fuck outta here! that's your song playing?" dani yells excitedly over the music as she dapped up her friends once she reached the platform. "it's too dope."

she engulfed trenice into a hug before hyping her up, suddenly i felt like an outsider looking in. this made me suddenly wish that i came with a plus one. thankfully everyone was too busy greeting dani to notice me quietly back away and walk to the bar on the other end of the space.

"ballantine's neat please." i asked almost as a sigh, a finger raised in the air to get the bar tender's attention. i couldn't help but feel ambushed by dani's sudden arrival after i was told that she cancelled. however it was too late to leave now, it'll look weird.

so instead i put on my big girl pants and ordered a whiskey. perfect plan.

"hey skai." trenice's voice says behind me. i spun around on the stool, my drink in my hand and tried my hardest to plaster on a natural smile. "i'm so sorry about dani, she told me that she lied that she was busy so she can surprise me, i don't know how that makes you feel."

"hey, don't worry it's okay. at the end of the day i'm here to support you." i reassure her even though i did feel a tiny bit annoyed.

"are you sure?" i nodded and gestured that i'll stay at the bar for a bit. trenice hesitantly walks back to the stage where she started speaking into the mic and introduced her latest project.

as i watched from the bar, feeling more at ease to be at a distance, i couldn't help but feel eyes on me. and i knew exactly who the owner was.

dani was resting on the armchair of the long couch tucked in the corner of the room, which she was sharing with her friends. from the corner of my eye i saw her glance back towards me but i remained focused on trenice as she started performing.

my phone began to ring and i took it out of my bag and saw my mom calling. i declined the call and brought my phone up closer to type out a message to call her later. since all my attention was on my phone, i didn't hear the sound of someone sitting on the stool next to me. my spatial awareness wasn't restored until a familiar raspy low voice called out their order.

"can i get a whisky sour?" dani asks politely, her sickly sweet smile plastered across her beautiful features. her dark eyes turned to me and she waved. unsure if she was genuinely off her head or if was messing around with me, i couldn't help but smile awkwardly and wave back.

"is this the part where you say your corny line?" i asked as i raised my eyebrow.

"what, hello stranger?" she responded with her usual husky voice, grinning back at me. i was unsure what was going on with her as she seemed calmer than usual and just assumed that she smoked on her way here.

"mhm." i hummed as i took another sip of my drink.

"love." she says as she thanks the bar tender and takes her drink. i could feel her eyes burning the side of my face, and i started to feel self conscious. "why you here all on your ones?"

"i'm enjoying the view from here." i lied. i didn't know whether you was going to greet me or give me the dirtiest look so i placed myself far away.

"it does have a nice view here doesn't it?" she says in a low tone, i looked towards her direction and felt her piercing brown eyes flicker towards me in a fleeting manner.

i couldn't help but take in her tattoos, she seemed to have way more than i remembered. there was something about her sleeve of tattoos, that was randomly placed all over her arms and somehow my eyes ended up leading all the way to her adams apple which was strangely turning me on...

let me behave myself

i averted my eyes away like a scolded schoolboy and gazed straight ahead.

"you always did have a way of finding the best spots," dani said, her raspy voice a mix of amusement and something deeper. "remember that time in brooklyn, when we snuck onto that rooftop?"

i chuckled, the memory and alcohol washing over me, allowing me to ease my body. "how could I forget? it's not too far from here as well. it felt like we had the whole city at our feet. but then we got into a lot of trouble after"

"yeah we got caught by security." she laughed softly, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. we actually also nearly got 'caught' doing something else, so i felt almost taken aback that she mentioned that night so causally.

"yeah, i remember them wild young days," i echoed, feeling the weight of the unspoken words between us.

we sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. dani's presence was magnetic, pulling me in despite the emotional walls i had tried to build.

"so, what are you up to these days?" i asked, trying to steer the conversation into safer territory.

"i am preparing an album. it's intense but exciting. i can't wait to hit the road with a tour as well." she leaned in slightly, her eyes never leaving mine. "what 'bout you? any new projects?"

"thinking about releasing some new music," i replied, feeling a mix of pride and vulnerability. "it's been a while."

"i'm sure it'll be chart topping." her voice was sincere, and the intensity in her gaze made my heart skip a beat. i took that moment to gaze into her brown eyes.

"thanks, dani." i looked down at my drink, swirling the amber liquid.

"come on," she said, standing up and extending her hand. "let's get your antisocial self back with the others."

"who said i was being antisocial." i asked stubbornly leaving her hand hanging.

"like you didn't move all the way over here because i showed up. i don't like it when people are left out, so get up and let's go." she said matter of factly.

i hesitated for a moment before getting up and allowed her to take a hold of my wrist, which was dangerously close to my actual hand. the warmth of her touch was both familiar and foreign, and it took everything in me not to read too much into it. we walked back to the group together, and her hand dropped almost immediatly as we approached the group, the unspoken tension between us lingering like a charged cloud.

as we rejoined the party, the energy shifted. trenice had finished her performance, and everyone was buzzing with excitement. once the party was over, the group soon decided to head to a nearby nightclub to keep the night going. i hesitated at first, trying to find an excuse to go home early but i was met with boos so the peer pressure got to me and i ended up hopping in an uber with dani, ralphy and trenice.

dani and i stayed close but kept a respectful distance, each of us navigating the complex emotions of being near each other again.

once we arrived at the venue, everyone was out of it, either drunk or high. life started to feel like a dream. a good one. i didn't want to wake up...

...i stepped out of the car, feeling a hand lightly hold the small part of my lower back helping me out of the car as i was struggling a bit, but only for a slit second. dani was sat next to me in the middle of the car so it had to be her. but for tonight i didn't seem to mind...i don't need to mind, overthinking is long.

i grinned a toothy smile as i stumbled onto the pavement and looked upwards at the blazing neon lights of the club. i don't even know what my unserious ass was doing gazing up at the lights like that.

i suddenly was pulled out of the trance by a sharp tug at my arm. i looked towards the offender and saw dani's serious face staring back at me, pulling me towards her.

"come on let's go girl." she says, her jersey accent coming out strong. i allow her to lead me towards the entrance of the club as we walked past the lines and into the vip back entrance, just so we wouldn't get spotted.

t-pain's buy u a drank was blaring inside the venue as we entered. dani had long removed her hand off my arm but i couldn't help but hold onto the empty spot. the music was loud and the lights were dim.

the atmosphere felt electric, the perfect setting for getting lost in the moment. i didn't know if it was just the alcohol or more but all i knew is that i felt so happy. i couldn't help but feel nostalgic as i bantered and sang at the top of my lungs with dani and her friends.

all humans chase is a sense of belonging at the end of the day...

despite the crowd and the noise, i could feel dani's presence, a constant reminder of the unresolved feelings between us. we danced, we laughed, but despite my weak attempts to keep a distance, we always managed to end up near each other.

at some point, i felt myself getting dizzy from all the jumping, and mid dance i stopped abruptly holding my head to stop the room from moving around as much. i felt a cold strong grip on my arm pulling it down from my face to reveal dani's semi-serious face. i giggled at her serious demeaner but she didn't seem to share the same sentiment.

she motions her head towards the seats and leads me off the dance floor. i follow her, however it didn't seem like i had a choice. once we were away from the crowds, she leans down to whisper in my ear, her soft brown locks brushing against my lips.

"you alright? you need air?" she shouts but not too loudly, only so i can hear over the music. she pulled her face back to see my facial expressions and i shook my head. i may be drunk as hell but i am not going anywhere alone with the devil, it'll end up with mistakes, especially in this touchy, light mood that we both seemed to be in...

"no it's okay, i just need to sit down, i'm dizzy!" i shout back near her ear. she nods and leads me, still holding onto my wrist. we make our way up the stairs, before she stops and faces me as she places her hands on my waist lightly to push me forward and take a seat.

"thanks!" i yelled as i sat down. she took a seat next to me and raised a hand up to a passing bar tender to get some water for me, our knees barely touching. i couldn't help but feel warm from how much she was taking care of me.

...she's probably just being a good samaritan.

i felt my eyes flutter slowly, a wave of tiredness rushing through me and hitting my body like a ton of bricks. knowing myself well, this was the stage of a drunk night where i'll be catching zs.

"dani? dani...." i muttered in an attempt to get her attention.

"hey, don't worry i'm here." she says softly as she reaches out to collect the glass of water from a staff member. when she sat back in her previous position against the sofa, i felt my head slowly settle on her shoulders. her head snaps towards me.

"i'm getting tired dan dan. night night." i feel her body tense up but she doesn't move or say another word.

i smiled as i felt my vision slowly disappear. i was still half conscious of what i was doing and found it weird that i was placing my full trust on my ex to get me home safely...not to mention i blurted out my old nickname i used to call her...but that seems like a problem for future skai to worry about...as in a couple of hours future...

...for now, let me just rest my eyes for a little while....

𓏲𝄢 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝!