I deemed the rest of this Saturday a "me day." Michael dropped me off at mine during the middle of the day and immediately changed into comfy clothes. I wanted a day where I didn't have to ponder on what Jeremiah was hiding from me, especially with the new revelation that we actually come from the same world. That was an issue for tomorrow. That's why I was standing over the stove as I danced along to music playing on my TV in an oversized T-shirt. Nothing screams "lazy day" like your boyfriend's shirt and no pants.

A call vibrated my phone, Sienna's contact on the screen. "What's up girl?"

"I'm double-checking you and J are still coming to King's party today," Sienna answered.

I paused, my lips puckering as my eyes widened. Amid all the drama, I totally forgot that there was still another party for King's birthday, and it was anything but lowkey.

"Ara, do not tell me you forgot," Sienna said after a few moments of silence, her mouth opening in slight annoyance.

"No, of course not," I denied before plating my food. "We're gonna be there."

I made a point of smiling into the camera, Sienna's skeptical gaze on me. She knows I'm lying and that I for sure forgot about the extravaganza she was throwing, but I think she let it slide.

"I need you and J there at eight because I'm bringing King at nine-thirty, and I need everything to be ready before we get there," Sienna directed.

"Don't even worry about it," I assured as I sat on the couch.

Although I had planned for my day to be spent by my lonesome as I did who knows what, that entire plan changed once Sienna reminded me of the party. Not only was it my bad for forgetting about it in the first place, but I knew she wanted to make sure King's party went off without a hitch, and I was one of the people she trusted to ensure that happened.

I continued, "We will make sure everything goes perfectly. You think Jeremiah would help you plan this whole thing for it to go up in flames?"

Sienna narrowed her eyes at me before she nodded. "Okay. And don't be on some colored people time, I mean eight."

After a few more minutes of me convincing Sienna I know all my responsibilities for tonight, I finished up my lunch. I wanted to spend the little time I had left to myself on the couch with good food, a show I enjoyed lightening my mood before I had to let Jeremiah know what the plan was.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard as nerves kept me from typing a message to Jeremiah. I shouldn't be this nervous to send a text to my boyfriend, the man I spend most of my free time with, but after last night...

I didn't know if Jeremiah was waiting by his phone for me to reach out, if he was battling with sending a message himself, or if he wanted nothing to do with me right now. I walked away from him after he all but pleaded for me to stay, after all. If the roles were reversed, I would feel at least a little of hurt, and I didn't know if I'd want to deal with him. But I knew him. I knew he wasn't dreading the thought of a text from me; he was manifesting it.

"If you don't just send this text..." I uttered to myself before my fingers began typing away, relaying everything Sienna told me about tonight.

A quick conversation followed the initial text, but we could sort out the details fairly easily. It was weird texting Jeremiah and having every message deal with nothing but business. No flirtatious messages, no questions of how we're doing, just party business.

I huffed to myself in the mirror as I prepared to leave out for the party. My makeup was pristine, a subtle purple applied to my lips to match my sequined gown. Seeing Jeremiah tonight was going to be awkward and I'm not even sure if I'm ready for him to be in my face yet. I gave a pep talk to myself as I flipped a piece of my straightened hair over my shoulder before heading on my way.

I stepped into The 101—the event space Sienna chose for the night—and bodies were bustling around as they prepared for the evening. There were a few photographers scattered around the room as they took test shots, while the videographer walked around and captured footage of the preparation. The caterers from a few of King's favorite restaurants were setting up their dishes on the wall right next to the prep kitchen, while the bartender on the opposite wall took inventory. The servers working for the night were weaving through the tables as they placed custom made centerpieces. Looking around, all I could think was Sienna really went all out.

I whipped around at Jeremiah's unmistakable voice calling my name from the entrance. He was clad in a black three piece slim fit suit; the fit showcasing nearly all his muscles. It took everything in me to not flash him a smile and capture him in a kiss.

Jeremiah walked towards me before his attention was pulled to an empty table set up next to the entrance. His eyes found me again, a conflicted expression on his face. I could tell he wanted to come over, but I could also tell something was wrong with that table in the way his eyes kept flicking over to it. I encouraged him to deal with it with the nod of my head, and he did just that as he grabbed a server's attention.

While I promised Sienna that everything would be in place before she and the guest of honor arrived, Jeremiah dealing with some missing items was the perfect excuse for us not to interact. At least for right now.

It seems everything went left after Jeremiah occupied himself with fixing what was wrong with the table. They left one of the dishes being served with no plate when a platter turned up missing, the violinist was running back and forth from the bathroom with morning sickness, and the bartender can't find the thing he needed to mix drinks with. Because of all this, Jeremiah and I were rushing around the place as guests began arriving.

Fifteen minutes before the guest of honor was set to arrive, I finally found a moment to catch my breath. I was nursing a drink in my hand as I leant against the bar, my eyes surveying the crowd in case there was another emergency. My eyes landed on the table, stuffed gift bags resting on the surface. So that's what was missing.

"Good to finally catch our breaths, huh?" My hand found my chest as I jumped, my eyes finding Jeremiah standing next to me.

"You scared me," I noted with a humorless chuckle. "But yeah. I've already broken a sweat and the party hasn't even started yet."

Jeremiah called his drink order over his shoulder before saying, "You look gorgeous, nonetheless."

A tiny smile quirked my lips as I thanked him. I took a shy sip of my drink and peeked at him through my lashes, unsurprised to find his eyes already on me. In the split second that his attention pulled from me to the bartender, I noticed he looked just a little less put together. It was in the small things, like how his collar wasn't properly folded in the back, and how his golden cufflinks were missing.

My eyes floated to the drink Jeremiah ordered, his regular champagne nowhere to be found. Instead, he took a sip of a dark liquor, ice clinking against the glass. I nodded towards his hand a joked, "Drinking the hard stuff today?"

"Thought it'd match how my night went," Jeremiah replied, no hint of joking to his tone.

My lips parted as I took in a sharp breath. I searched for what to say, my eyes darting across his face. Why was my mind empty right now? There was so much I could say, starting with how my night was nowhere near a walk in the park.

Just as I fixed my lips to respond, a text chime cut through the air. I sighed as I grabbed my phone from my clutch, a text from Sienna reading they're about to arrive.

"And so the chaos continues," I said as I waved my phone before getting the guests ready for the surprise.

The party jumped into full swing once Sienna and King arrived. Guest were mingling and enjoying the food, King making the rounds with his girlfriend on his arm. I could see the praise he was throwing her way in his animated motions as he presented her to guests, and I smiled to myself.

I was ecstatic to see the love that King was throwing Sienna's way. She deserved it, especially after throwing this extravagant party that you can see he's living for. But at the same time, seeing them love out loud and be these perfect partners was something I envied right now. The most contact I've had with my man the entire night was barely a conversation.

I caught my breath by the bar, my eyes scanning the room before they settled on Jeremiah. He was engaged in conversation with a couple I'd never met before; they're probably some of his secret friends. He had a radiant smile on his face as the trio laughed about something. I sighed to myself and took a sip of my drink.

"Kiara Suns!" King called, his arms open wide and a welcoming smile on his face.

I matched his energy as I returned, "King Courtney!" I handed my drink to Sienna as he engulfed me in a hug.

"How are you enjoying this amazing party that this beautiful woman next to me planned and threw?" His arm snaked around Sienna's wrist, a sweet smile on Sienna's face as she gazed up at me.

"I'm gonna need you to keep introducing me like that," Sienna said as she basked in King's praise. "But Ara already knows how clutch I am at party planning."

"She's right; she threw my sweet sixteen so I know all about that," I agreed with a sip of my returned drink. "But I'm having a great time! The food is to die for and the quartet is flawless."

I nearly missed the narrowing of Sienna's eyes as she smiled and placed a hand on King's forearm. She suggested he go talk to some other guests before turning to me. ""The food is to die for" Ara, really?"

"What?" My eyebrows raised as my eyes widened, my lips parting in confusion.

"I know what it sounds like when your head's not really here, don't even try it," Sienna combatted. "What's wrong?"

"Si—"

"Kiara, don't. You've been a little off since last night and I can see it again tonight." Sienna placed my drink on the counter before taking my hands in hers.

Sienna may be just a little in her own world all the time, but she will never not notice when something is wrong or off; she's very perceptive. And she is not the type to just let it go at the first "it's fine" that hits her ears.

"It has something to do with Jeremiah, right?"

"Si—"

"Don't try to hit me with that "we're fine" bull either, okay? I've seen the longing looks you two are throwing across the room, yet you're still on opposite sides..." Sienna shook her head at a loss. "What happened last night? Are you guys okay?"

I sighed deeply as I squeezed her hands. "We're not gonna do this tonight. I will tell you all about it, but not here. Not when we're celebrating, okay?"

In all honesty, I don't think I'd be able to tell Sienna everything without the harsh reality crashing down on me. I've been able to avoid thinking about it all day, but being in the same room as Jeremiah and being able to feel the divide from one conversation reminded me that we weren't okay.

Sienna began saying something, but I completely tuned out when I watched the Diamond's step into the party. Of course, Jeremiah's parents would be here the day after we got into a fight. As if they didn't dislike me enough, now they'll get to watch us ignore each other all night. That'll be enough to fuel his mom, at least.

Sienna snapped, bringing my attention back as she said, "You're not even listening to me."

"I'm sorry, it's just..." I trailed off as I watched King greet them and then gesture in our direction. "Jeremiah's parents are coming," I continued with a terse smile.

"Oh yeah, J invited them," she explained with a dismissive wave. "They're basically second parents to King. I didn't expect them to be three hours late, though."

Before I could say anything more, King had ushered them over and began introductions. They greeted Sienna with kisses on the cheek, rare smiles on their faces. I watched as they effortlessly fell into conversation; Sienna received none of the tension or judgement they met me with.

"Kiana, I didn't expect to see you here," Miss Diamond said as her way of acknowledgement. "And without my son, no less."

That smug smile on her lips made it hard for me to keep my facial expressions in check. I plastered on a close-lipped smile, the group's eyes on me as they waited for a response.

"Kiara," I corrected, "And Sienna's like my sister; I couldn't image being anywhere else."

Miss Diamond raised her eyebrows. "Oh, you two are close?"

Sienna missed the sheer surprise in her voice as she responded, "Ara and I grew up together."

"Goes to show that growing up together doesn't mean you'll end up in the same places in life," Mr Diamond spoke offhandedly.

I nodded my head before my gaze fell to the ground. It's amazing how these two people managed to make me feel so small, yet I knew nothing about them and vice versa. One passive-aggressive statement, one wrong letter, one shortening of a word to remind me I'm not up to their standards. And that rarely bothers me, but they know how to make it personal.

King and Sienna excused themselves to meet with another guest who had just arrived, leaving me and the Diamonds all alone. Not the ideal situation, what with Jeremiah nowhere to be found and their disapproval radiating off of them in waves. I just knew they were about to get under my skin with their calculated words.

"Kiara, where is my son?" Miss Diamond asked, something on her face telling me she knew I didn't know the answer.

"I'm not sure, but why don't I go try and find him?" I suggested, trying to escape this conversation as fast as possible.

"Just like him," Mr Diamond scoffed. "Not even present at his own party."

My foot stopped in its escape route. I closed my eyes and took a beat before plastering on a tense smile. "It's King's party, and Sienna—"

"If something were to go wrong, he wouldn't even know it. If he can't even keep his focus on this little party he planned, how can he—"

"Sienna helped plan," I interjected. "She's making sure—"

"Kiara sweetie, my husband was saying something. I see you're trying to be a good friend and—"

"Girlfriend." A muscular arm wrapped around my waist as a kiss was pressed to my forehead.

"What honey?" Miss Diamond blinked. She was clearly taken aback that her son was correcting her.

"Kiara is my girlfriend, not my friend," Jeremiah corrected once again. "And don't call her "sweetie," you do that when you're being patronizing."

"Jeremiah, I'm not patronizing her. I'm just letting her know your father was talking," Miss Diamond said with a scoff.

"But you are, Mom. And you're..."

I tuned out of their exchange as Jeremiah's body warmed me from the inside out. Even during whatever we're dealing with, he knew I needed him when it came to his parents. He knew they would dismiss me without being anywhere near the conversation, which says a lot more about them than him, honestly.

But what's even better is that Jeremiah heard me that night after dinner because here he was, causing a scene with his mom. He corrected her knowing what that would bring, and he did it anyway. And that told me a lot at this moment.

"Jeremiah, I will not stand here and let you accuse me of disrespecting her!" Miss Diamond lamely gestured in my direction. "You always do this. Make me look like the bad guy when you're starting arguments. You are twenty-seven and still trying to find issue where there is none."

Jeremiah shook his head as she stomped off to the door she entered not even fifteen minutes prior. Mr Diamond fixed his son with a look before heading off after his wife.

"You weren't kidding when you said she would make a scene," I spoke after they left.

"Eh, let her," Jeremiah shrugged. "You're worth the scene."

I smiled to myself. "Thank you, though. I know that wasn't the easiest thing for you." I took his hand from my waist and placed a lingering kiss before placing it back at his side.

Jeremiah's eyes fell to his limp arm as he asked, "Ki, why do I feel like you're 'bout to run to the other side of the room?"

"You know the answer to that," I responded, my eyes picking out a corner of the room to seek refuge in. "I appreciate you having my back, but I can't stand to be here with you when I'm really not."

"What does that mean?" He sighed before whisking us away to the bathroom to have a conversation away from prying eyes.

"We're not gonna keep doing this. You know what that means." I fixed Jeremiah with a glare before excusing myself.

The night passed as I mingled with guests, smiles thrown around as often as glances over to Jeremiah. The part of me that wanted to be next to him couldn't help but to steal glances throughout the night. He would laugh, and all I wanted was to be next to him to hear it. He would greet a guest and I'd want nothing more for than his hand to be on the small of my back, like it always was.

But then there was the other part of me that didn't want to hear anything he had to say unless it was the truth. I could think up a million different scenarios in my head with the information I have, but I couldn't think up what really happened; Jeremiah is the only one who can give me that.

"I'ma head out," I said as I found myself in front of King and Sienna. "I hope y'all enjoy the rest of the night."

"You good?" Sienna asked, a hint of worry in her tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I wrapped King in a hug as I wished him a happy birthday once again. "And don't worry, Si. I'll call you tomorrow."

After I took my leave, I found myself at a bar that was just down the street. And, little did I know, going to that bar would lead to more than I thought.