chapter five

"At this point, your boo sees you more than we do at this office," Eliza said, leaning back in her chair and giving me a knowing look.

We were at my office in Press Pate, the PR firm I ran. Eliza, as usual, was by my side, my right hand in making sure everything ran smoothly. But at this moment, we weren't talking about work. We were talking about my boyfriend.

I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to hide the smile tugging at the corner of my lips. "You see me all the time, Eliza," I shot back.

I tried to sound annoyed, but the truth was, I'd been seeing a lot more of my man lately—and I wasn't complaining.

Eliza smirked, clearly unimpressed with my deflection. "Do he got a brother? A cousin? Hell, an uncle. You know I like them old."

I snorted, shaking my head. Leave it to Eliza to turn a conversation about work into a full-on matchmaking session. She was always trying to play cupid when she got even a whiff of something remotely serious in my love life. "You know his family is huge. We could find you, someone," I teased her.

Eliza's eyes lit up, the mischievous glint in her gaze saying she was already cooking up ideas. "Let me be careful, though, because if the men in his family got you, Tookie, and Reeva acting like this, I may end up eloping on the first date, pregnant and barefoot in a kitchen in a week, and you'll never see me again," she said, her voice laced with mock drama.

I burst out laughing. "Girl, have you meeting the family on the second date and then picking out baby names on the third date? Lord, if it wasn't for condoms, I would be pregnant right now," I said, wiping away the laughter that had come too fast.

Eliza eyed me critically, taking me in with that ever-judging gaze of hers. "I don't know, those hips look like they're spreading to me," she teased, her smirk stretching wide.

"You're a menace," I said, holding up my hands like I was surrendering.

"Hey, I'm telling the truth," Eliza said, her grin only widening as she leaned back in her chair, clearly enjoying herself.

"Girl, bye," I shot back, but I couldn't help but laugh.

Eliza and I had been through so much together, so her making fun of me in moments like these wasn't anything new. But at that moment, as I sat there in my office, I couldn't help but think about how much things had changed since I'd met Zilla. I was trying not to get too caught up in the whirlwind of it all, but if I'm being honest, it was hard not to.

"Anyway," Eliza said, leaning forward, clearly ready to get back to business. "You got four potential celebrity clients who want to meet with you."

I raised an eyebrow. "You already interviewed them, so why don't you pick the one we should work with?" I asked. Honestly, I didn't have time to handle every potential client coming through the door. Eliza was always on top of things like that.

Eliza hesitated, twirling a pen between her fingers. "Because one of them asked to speak to you only."

I looked up, intrigued. "Who?"

"OBJ," Eliza said, pausing for dramatic effect. "Odell Beckham Jr."

I froze, and for a split second, my mind went completely blank. Of all the celebrities to pop up on my radar, Odell Beckham Jr. was not one I expected—especially not in this way. I couldn't hide the immediate roll of my eyes. "No, thank you. He's been in my messages being thirsty."

Eliza frowned, clearly surprised. "I didn't know that. Do I need to call Zilla to handle that? Because OBJ is in the conference room waiting to talk to you."

I knew what she meant by handling that. If I let Eliza loose on any of my exes, current fling situations, or even just a man she thought was acting out of line, things could get real ugly real quick. I wasn't even sure if Zilla would be able to put out the fire before things got seriously out of hand.

"Matter of fact, I'll handle him," Eliza said, rising from her chair, clearly ready to march out of my office and confront the situation herself.

"No," I said, cutting her off before she could take another step. "Just send one of the associates to talk to him. We don't need this right now."

Eliza gave me a skeptical look, but I could tell she wasn't going to argue with me—at least not for long. She sighed, putting her hands on her hips before grabbing the office phone.

"Fine, but back to getting me a Samoan," Eliza said, voice softening as she returned to the topic at hand. "The next time you meet up with Zilla, tell him to send one my way. I promise you, I'll be a good wife and name my firstborn after one of you."

I rolled my eyes again, trying to push back the laughter that was building up inside. "You are a mess, Eliza. I don't know how I deal with you."

But I knew exactly how. Eliza had been my friend, my confidante, my partner-in-crime for years now, and nothing had changed. Not even when my life started to shift, when things with Zilla started getting serious when everything I thought I knew about love, dating, and myself seemed to get thrown out the window. She was there through all of it, cracking jokes, and making fun, but always supporting me in her unique way.

"Okay, okay," I said, finally relenting. "I'll talk to Zilla, but you gotta promise me you won't get yourself arrested over this. You know what your tactics look like."

Eliza grinned, the mischievous gleam never fading from her eyes. "If they get me arrested, you'll bail me out, right?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "What else am I supposed to do with you?"

Eliza winked before picking up the phone and dialing one of the associates. "Let's see what happens with OBJ, and while we're at it, let's also make sure you don't end up running off to Vegas to marry a Samoan. I need my best friend here to keep my life together."

I could hear her on the phone, already issuing orders to the team, but my mind was still reeling from the conversation about OBJ—and all the tension that seemed to come with it.

I leaned back in my chair, trying to gather my thoughts, but it was hard not to feel a little overwhelmed. I had a business to run, a relationship to navigate, and a ton of clients to juggle. But as much as I loved being busy, it felt like I was walking a fine line. At the end of the day, I needed to figure out what I wanted—and who I wanted to be in this ever-shifting world I found myself in.

Eliza hung up the phone and gave me a quick glance as if sensing the shift in my mood. "You good?" she asked, always able to read me like an open book.

I smiled, though I was a little more tired than usual. "Yeah, just thinking about everything. But I'll handle it."

Eliza nodded, giving me a supportive look. "You know I got you. Always. Now, go handle OBJ with an associate, and try not to let him end up in your DMs again."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I'll do my best. But if he starts sending me those stupid smiley face emojis again, I'm calling you to deal with it."

Eliza chuckled. "Deal. Now go. I'll make sure your office doesn't burn down while you're gone."

As I stood up and adjusted my blouse, I felt a little lighter, a little more grounded. Maybe it was the familiarity of Eliza's antics, maybe it was the way I could just be myself around her, but in that moment, I knew I wasn't alone in this whole crazy life.

And as much as things were changing, there were a few things that would always stay the same.