What's More Important?

"I don't know. Who is this guy?"

"He's new. I want you to meet him."

"He's not coming up in my house. I don't trust it. How did you guys meet?"

"You're like my mother." Candi said. "We met here in LA. You've probably seen him. You just need to meet him to tell me your throughts."

"Candi, are you getting serious with this boy?"

"He's not a boy, first of all. And maybe, but YOUR ass is never home. You coming to meet him or what?"

"Hmmm..." Nicki squinted her eyes and twisted her lips. "Double date?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, I'll talk to SB about it."

"Good! Meet him so I can pick out my wedding dress."

"What?!" Nicki's eyes got big before she realized Candi was joking by her loud laughter. "That's not funny, Candice."

"The government now?"

Nicki rolled her eyes and grabbed her cup off of the table. Nicki took a sip and looked over at Safaree and Jelani having a conversation with each other over away from everybody in the corner on the patio. Nicki put her drink down on the table before speaking up.

"I'll be back." Nicki stood up from her chair and made her way over to the area where SB and Jelani were sitting, taking a seat on SB's lap.

"Aye!" Jelani said referring to her interrupting his and Safaree's conversation. Nicki rolled her eyes at him while SB placed his hands on Nicki's waist keeping her in place.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Not you." Jelani spoke up. "This is grown men talking. Go have girl talk."

Nicki rolled her eyes and leaned into SB more while wrapping an arm around his neck. "Actually, I came over here cause I missed my baby." Nicki rolled her neck at Jelani and turned towards SB and puckered her lips. They met each other half way for a kiss and broke it when Jelani made a noise.

"Aye, cut that gross shit out. That's my sister, dawg. Ion wanna see that." He shook his head while drinking out of his cup. "And y'all see each other all day every day." he sat his cup down on the table. "Cut that shit out."

"You mad cause Keisha don't be on you like my lady be on me." SB said before he leaned up placing a kiss on Nicki's cheek and Nicki giggled.

"That's right, baby." Nicki agreed before placing another quick kiss on SB's lips before turning her attention back to Jelani.

"Nah, see." He shook his head. "We got that hood love. Y'all got that sappy shit."

"If that's what you wanna call it." Nicki said.

"That's what it is. SB always talkin about "my lady." He said putting air quotes around my lady. "And you always talkin about "my baby."

"Cause this is my lady."

"And this is my baby."

"Speaking of babies...when you gon be a man SB and give her one? Y'all bullshittin'."

"Oh, I'm a man. Trust me. Belee dat."

"Lani, we just got married." Nicki  grabbed SB's hand, intertwining this fingers and resting their hands in her lap.

"So? Y'all been together bout 30 years now."

"14." Nicki and SB said in unison.

"Same damn difference. When y'all gon have a baby?"

"Did you just come here to hound me?"

"Nah. I came here to spend time with my sister and brother in law who don't never have the time for us."

"Hey, I'm not the busy one. That's all right here." SB said while he pointed at Nicki. "I barely even see my lady anymore."

"Shush, you see me every night."

"That's it."

"See, Nicki." Jelani spoke up. "Yo, you need to slow down. You don't hear me though." he shook his head and grabbed the spades cards. "You and your husband was just away from each other for a month." he stared at Nicki and she stared at him back. "A MONTH. AND it was right after y'all got married??? Sis, you buggin."

"Me?" Nicki pointed to herself. "He's the one that had to go to New York." she then pointed her finger into SB's chest and he laughed. "For a freaking MONTH!" she said as she punched him in the chest with her tiny fist before rolling her eyes and turning her attention back to Jelani.

"Aye! All I know is y'all need to have kids. I'm tryna be a Uncle around here. If y'all don't want to I'll just talk to Micaiah."

"Jelani don't you dare corrupt my little lambchop."

"He's 17."

"So! I don't want him having babies."

"Oh shit."

"What?" Nicki and SB said in unison.

"He got Riyonna pregnant." Jelani said with a straight face. Nicki dropped SB's hand slapping him on the chest and gasped sitting up straight. SB put his hand over the spot Nicki just slapped him and shook his head. Jelani laughed and Nicki cut her eyes at him before leaning back into Safaree.

"Don't say that, Lani. It's not funny." Nicki said as turned around and looked back at Micaiah and his girlfriend Riyonna before turning back around.

"Hows the married life though? Niggas ain't seen y'all since the wedding." Jelani said before he pulled out a cigar. Nicki made a noise referring to that and he smacked his lips laying it down on the table.

"We're happier. Nothing's changed." SB said and Nicki smiled leaning into him more.

"When are you going to marry Keisha?" Nicki asked him.

"Man, nah. She already knows how I feel about marriage." He said before taking a drink out of his cup.

"And how is that?"

"It's better when y'all together and not married. Marriage is a curse."

"No it's not."

"It is. SB let me tell you. What you and Nic had before this.... that's as good as it's gonna get."

"You're crazy." Nicki said.

"This coming from you." Jelani said as he sat back in his chair and Nicki cut her eyes at him. "It's all love lil sis. Y'all gon be good. You better treat SB right."

"What? He better treat me right!" Nicki turned her head around to SB and made a pout. "Are you going to treat me right?"

"I always treat you right."

"You do, thank you." Nicki said before she leaned forward and kissed him. They held their kiss and snapped their heads in Jelani's direction when they heard his fist hit the table. "Boy."

"Y'all nasty."

Nicki and SB both laughed and Jelani shook his head.

 "SB when we finally gonna have that bike race though?"

---

"What did you think about what Jelani had to say?"

"What about it?"

"You know...about us having a kid." Nicki said as she continued to wash her face at the 'hers' sink while Safaree stood next to her removing his jewelry and the "his" sink.

"I'm ready." he shrugged while taking off his watch. "Whenever you are."

"How come you never said anything?"

"Should I?"

"Well yeah, SB. I want us to be on the same page." she looked at him through the mirror.

"You have to be ready though. I can put whatever I'm doing on hold, that's nothing. Are you ready to do all that?"

"I don't know." Nicki dropped the face towel into the sink and rested her hands on the sink. She stared at him as he began washing his face. "I just don't know if it's the right time." She stared at SB as he turned off the water to the sink and stood up. He and looked at her before he grabbed at the bottom of his shirt and raising it over his head. He took it fully off and tossed it over to the dirty clothes basket up against the wall. He looked down at Nicki as he turned around.

"There's never a right time, Nic." he said before walking out of the bathroom with Nicki soon following behind with her arms folded across her chest. "For anything. Whenever you ready. I'll be ready." he said as he walked over to his dresser. Nicki took a seat on the bed and stared at his back structure as he moved some things around on the dresser. Her eyes trailed up his back as he turned around to her before his hands grabbed at his sweats, pulling them up.

"Do you think it's too soon? I mean... we just got married."

She looked up at him as he stepped closer to the bed. He reached around her and grabbed his hat that he tossed on the bed earlier and walked it over to the dresser.

"I don't think so."

Nicki stood up and threw the cover back.

"I just don't want everyone to think it's too soon."

"Who cares what everyone thinks."

Nicki pouted while looking at him. He smiled as he made his way on to the bed and Nicki patted the bed space between her legs.

"Don't be mean to me, Faree."

"Alright, alright." He said as he laid between Nicki's legs and he laid his head on her thigh. "Just do shit on your own time. Don't worry bout what everyone else thinks." SB said as he grabbed the remote that was beside Nicki's leg and pressed play for the movie to begin. Nicki placed her hands on the sides of his face and caressed his cheeks while staring at the TV.

"We're going on a double date."

"Hmm?"

"Candi wants us to meet her new man."

"Ah."

Nicki continued caressing his face and stared at the TV screen.

"Is this the movie you wanted me to see?" Nicki said.

"Yeah. Still can't believe you haven't seen it. 'Just Go With It.' It's funny and got all that romantic stuff that you like."

Nicki smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Baldy."

"Meany."

"Sexy." Nicki said as he hands trailed from his face to his bare chest.

"Beautiful."

Nicki bent her head down and puckered her lips. He kissed her and she sat up trailing her hands back to his cheeks.

"My baby."

"My lady."