Ross laughed.
“We’re practicing social distancing. Remember?”
“Of course, and I’m nowhere near as drunk as I was that night. Hold on. Will Amber be with you?”
“No.”
“Just. . .Jade. Your sister’s hot friend.”
“I know what you’re thinking and it’s not that.”
“Hmmm. Sounds like you’re hiking the Appalachian trail.”
“What?”
“Pulling a Bill Clinton.”
“You’re losing me, Ross.”
“Golfing a Tiger Woods. Creeping. Stepping out. Outsourcing the sexy.”
“You mean cheating?”
“Exactly, Navi.”
“I’m not cheating on Amber. We’re not together anymore.”
“Since when?”
“Three hours ago,” I grumbled.
“No way.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Just be ready. Jade and I are heading to T& T within the hour.”
“Okay, Mr. Lance Armstrong.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“He cheated by blood doping during all of his tour de France victories—”
“I’m hanging up right now.”
“See you soon, Navi.” Ross made a kissing sound and ended the call.Chapter 3
JadeQuarantini
Heading outside had been a big ordeal. Although the weather was nice, we both put on light jackets. The theory was that any germs would go on them instead of our shirts. We would take them off when we got home and place them directly on the balcony. We both put on our individual masks and plastic gloves.
The whole time we suited up in our hazmat-like gear, I wondered if Kamal feared this virus as much as me. Additionally, I hoped this wouldn’t be the habit of the rest of this year. Under my leather jacket, I wore a simple shirt and jeans.
Ten minutes later, Kamal drove us out of Brooklyn. He had his mask half off and hanging on the other side of his face. “Put on your seatbelt.”
“Yes, big brother.” I took my mask off, put it on my lap, grabbed the buckle’s end, and then connected it. “With the way this car looks, I figured it would buckle me in itself.”
He chuckled.
“Nice car. What type is it?”
“2020 Jaguar F-TYPE.”
“And in your favorite color—orange.” I scanned the sleek interior. “I like it.”
“I’m surprised you remember my favorite color.”
“You always wore orange in high school.”
“I like your mask. It’s as top-notch as my car.” He drove us onto the highway. “Where did you get yours?”
I touched my black and white mask, complete with filters for breathing. “I’m a huge Japanese animation fan. This is from my favorite show Shaolin Assassins. The character even wears a similar jacket.”
“I remember your love for all things Japanese in high school. You look like a superhero. I love it.”
“It appears with this pandemic my anime craze came in handy.” For some reason, a silly grin spread across my face. “I already had a huge collection of masks in my apartment. When I took the plane for the wedding, I wore this one.”
“Others had on masks?”
“Not many.”
“I bet. When you head back, others will.”
“That’s if I get to go back to Cali anytime soon.”
“That’s right.” He grimaced. “I didn’t think about that. You may not be able to take a plane out of here.”
“Oh and I forgot to mention this, but your sister and Corey are stuck in the Maldives. The island canceled all flights until further notice.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Does she need any money?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll have to call her.”
Yep. And you should probably mention that you’re also staying at her apartment.
He tapped his finger on the steering wheel. “This virus is affecting everybody.”
“Yep.” I gazed out of the window. Cars whipped by. I was surprised to see so many. I almost expected a ghost town. “So, we’re going to your friend’s clothing shop?”
“Yeah. I knew him from UCLA. We both moved to New York together. We were even roommates for a few years.” Kamal cleared his throat. “You met Ross at the wedding.”
“Oh.” I blushed. “Yes. Ross.”
Kamal glanced my way. “He said he kissed you.”
“Yes, but it was a small one that came out of surprise with no tongue. Just a smack on the lips and he grabbed my butt.”
He turned back to the highway in front of him. A serious expression covered his face. “Did you enjoy it?”
I laughed.
“I’m serious.”
“It was barely a few seconds and came out of nowhere. We were on the dancefloor doing all the moves to Beyoncé’s Drunk in Love and then right at the end, he screamed, pulled me to him, and gave me a big smack on the lips.”
“And the ass grab?”
“During the kiss. It was no big deal. We had been partying and drinking the whole time. It’s hard to find proper single buddies at a wedding. Almost everyone has a date.”
“I’m glad you didn’t feel violated.”
“No. We had been partying for a good couple of hours before it happened. I was so drunk, I probably had been handsy with him too. He is a good-looking guy even though he’s clearly not interested in women.”
“You found him handsome?”
“And fun.”
“Interesting.” Kamal maneuvered us into another lane. “Beyoncé makes him crazy. He’s an official member of the Beyoncé’s fan group—the beehive.”