"Okay, Cameron." I leaned back and sunk into the couch cushions, one leg crossed over the other as my ankle shook rapidly. "Are you sure Malcolm is going to be up for this, though? It's been over a week, and he's still not in the right headspace to even tweet something."

"You've talked to him?"

"Every single day I've been pressing him," I confirmed. "He keeps telling me that he has no words." I released a sigh and hunched my body forward, an elbow resting on my knee as my thumb and forefinger stretched out to massage my temples. "Kobe is who made him want to be a shooting guard. Hell, Kobe is who made him start playing basketball!"

"Look, Kiara, I know he lost his biggest idol, but people are starting to take notice that he hasn't said anything about Kobe's death, not even a rest in peace." Cameron sighed in the same defeated nature as me. "It's getting to the point where you're going to have to release the statement for him, Kiara."

I let a silence fall between us as a finger slid over my eyebrow and trailed the side of my face. As Malcolm's publicist, it was entirely within my job to release statements for him to make sure that his reputation stays intact. Still, I felt that this specific situation should be spoken on by Malcolm and Malcolm only. It shouldn't be within my job to push him to put his grief out onto the internet, and I know it shouldn't be me who does it all together.

But on the other hand, it's been nine days since Kobe Bryant's unexpected passing, and it's been complete radio silence from Malcolm on all social media platforms. It was getting to the point where something has to be said from him, especially because he's mentioned before that Kobe Bryant was the player that he aspired to be. The basketball world is waiting on this teenager's response to this tragedy, whether he's ready to speak on it or not.

"I know that you're right. I'm going to give him one more day before putting something out on my own, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan," Cameron confirmed. "I'll get back to you in a couple days, okay?"

"Okay. Talk to you soon."

I hung the phone up and sunk back into the cushions, the gray fabric surrounding me matching the energy level I was at. I sighed one last time before wandering to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. I heard footsteps clinking down the stairs as I rummaged.

"Everything okay, baby?"

I grabbed a bottle from the fridge and shut the door, and Jeremiah posted up against the wall next to me. "Malcolm still hasn't said anything about Kobe dying yet," I began. I moved so that I was standing at the end of the kitchen counter before leaning back against it. "And now Cameron just called me to let me know that Malcolm and his team—" I took a second to point towards myself "—are invited to Los Angeles to attend his memorial."

"And that's a bad thing?" There was a crease between Jeremiah's eyebrows as the tiniest of frowns pulled his lip corners. His arms were crossed over his chest tightly, and his head was cocked slightly to the side.

"That's the issue. We don't know." I uncapped my water bottle and took a few sips, the cold liquid sliding down my throat and offering a burst of instant refreshment. "I don't know if the boy is angry, sad, hopeless, all of the above..."

"Sounds like you're the hopeless one here." I looked up for a split second and met Jeremiah's piercing gaze.

"I'm not hopeless, just stressed. I know this will cause a major shift with all things Malcolm. And, Cameron, Malcolm, and I were finally settling into a groove! Now Kobe's dead, and who knows how Malcolm feels about basketball anymore."

"You think he's gonna quit?"

"No, I don't think he's gonna quit, but I'm worried this will really disrupt the road we're on." My face slid into my hands as all the possibilities swirled through my head. I took a deep breath, my nostrils flaring as I released. "I need to take a step back for a second. Do something to distract me."

As if she were in the room, a text chimed through my phone from Adrienne requesting an audience with me immediately. A chuckle of relief worked its way past my lips, yet the crease in my brow remained to cement the feeling of worry I had. "Perfect timing."

"Who's that, Babe?" He peered forward just enough so that his nose could be in my business.

My hand found his face and pushed against him. "Mind your business, nosey."

"Why you always gotta do that?" He muffled into my hand, his arms flying up in exasperation. "You're making it seem like you got something to hide in there."

"It's nothing in my phone that I wouldn't want you to see," I rebutted. "But still, you don't need to be in my business. How many times am I going to have to smush your face for you to get that?" My hands found my hips as I bore my weight forward.

"A million more cause I won't believe you have nothing to hide until you stop smushing my face!" Jeremiah now had his arms crossed over his chest, the naturally mischievous glint to his eye replaced with one of annoyance. "Like forreal, Ki, you got somebody texting you that you don't want me to see?"

I shifted my weight so that it was even between both legs before fixing my face with an incredulous look. I eyed Jeremiah up and down as my mouth quirked in irritation. "Don't you ever say some stupid shit like that again," I shut down. I turned my phone so that he could read the message. I kept my gaze on him so I could watch his expression of angered confidence morph into one of embarrassment.

"Adrienne wants to—"

"Yeah, Adrienne wants to see me, fool." I clicked my tongue as I shook my head at him. "I'm sorry for pushing your face out of my phone; I could've gone about that better. But don't you ever try and accuse me of doing some sneaky shit again because you know that's not me."

"I know, and that's my bad." One of his hands found his chest, while the other found the curve of my jawline. "I'm sorry for accusing you of doing anything, and I'll try and keep my nose out of your business."

A faint smile stretched my lips before I flipped onto the tips of my toes to place a brief kiss on my man's lips. "I'm glad our arguments are over in a snap because it would've been real awkward asking for a ride." My lips found his once more before I asked, "So can I get a ride to Ri's?"

He rolled his eyes playfully and captured my lips in his once more, them lingering against mine for a moment before he gave me one more peck. "Let's go, baby girl."

I smiled before making my way over to the couch where I had kicked off my shoes. "And this is why you're the best boyfriend ever."

Jeremiah followed close behind me, his keys sitting on the coffee table. I heard the jingle of his keys before a response. "Yeah, yeah," he grumbled.

"Don't be upset, Boo. If you're cool with it, I can come back when I'm done at Adrienne's. All I gotta do tomorrow is Malcolm's statement and make arrangements for the memorial."

"And how are you gonna get back here?"

After stepping into my second shoe, I looked over my shoulder to find Jeremiah with a smug grin on his face, his eyebrows raised in anticipation of my answer.

I straightened up and turned so I was facing him, a blank expression on my face as I responded, "I guess I'll walk home instead, then." I started towards the door as I continued, "I thought it'd be nice to spend some time together since you've been so busy, but-"

Just as my hand wrapped around the door handle, two strong arms wrapped around my waist, a scruffy chin settling into the space between my shoulder and my neck. I smiled as Jeremiah's warm breath tickled my neck, and I began to instinctively lean into him. "Nah, you're gonna be coming back here." His teeth nipped my neck.

"Nah," I denied, "Now you'll just have to see how I feel afterward." I wiggled out of his grip and walked out the door, rushed footsteps following after me.

I was the last one to get to Adrienne's. When I walked into the living room, I was greeted by the faces of all of our friends. I threw them a confused glance while I lowered myself onto Adrienne's couch. "So, why are we all here?"

"A great question," Sienna responded from next to me. "Adrienne?"

The room's attention fell to Adrienne, who was standing in front of the five of us. "I promised all of you that you'd be the first to know when Ricardo and I got engaged. So, instead of breaking my promise, I decided to tell you all at once." A smile played on her lips as she watched our reactions.

I donned an astonished smile while Sienna looked at her in shock. Desiree and Hannah squealed in delight, and Cindy hopped up from the couch and rushed her cousin, engulfing her in a hug.

"How are you gonna try to slide over your engagement like that?" Desiree exclaimed as she followed Cindy, her arms wrapping around the two of them. "When did he propose?"

"Congratulations, my love," Hannah spoke, a coy smile settling on her face. "How did he propose?"

"Obviously, I want to see the ring." Sienna got up from the couch and searched for Adrienne's hand in the group hug. "And congratulations!"

I stayed back as our friends huddled around Adrienne, congratulations continuously flying her way amongst requests to see her ring. I'm not even sure that she noticed I wasn't one of the friendly faces ecstatic for the happy couple.

My best friend was getting married, so of course, I was excited. But, even through the joy that I felt, a pang of sadness struck through my chest. My best friend was engaged, which meant that she was getting married, which meant that she was moving to Barcelona. I knew that this day had been a long time coming, but that didn't make the reality that she was moving five thousand miles away any more manageable.

When the excitement died down, I plastered on a white smile. I didn't need any of my friends questioning why I wasn't excited, seeing as Adrienne and I have been planning her dream wedding ever since they began talking about marriage.

"He proposed last night. He picked me up from my shift, and when I walked into the living room, there were candles everywhere and rose petals on the floor. I turned around to ask him what the meaning of this was, and there he was, on one knee with an engagement ring." Her smiled broadened the more she spoke, but it really reached its peak when she held her hand out to us to show off her ring.

My eyes took in Adrienne's smile. I didn't even know that somebody's lips could stretch that far. But, in seeing that smile on Adrienne's face, the fleeting feeling of sadness that plagued me was eradicated entirely. Her being engaged was all that mattered; everything else could take the backseat while we celebrated this together.

"Do you love it?" I asked as I nodded towards her engagement ring. The gold band blended with her skin, the small emerald cut diamond shining elegantly under the light.

"I do," she gushed. She brought the ring in front of her face and smiled, adoration gleaming in her eyes. "Ugh, I can't believe I'm getting married! Kiki, can you believe I'm getting married?"

"Girl, yes," I answered with a chuckle. "Do you know how many times we've talked about you moving to Barcelona, which always led to you complaining about how Ricardo hadn't proposed yet?" I quirked an eyebrow in her direction, her lips pulling to one side as she frowned at me. "What?"

"'No, Ri, I can't believe that he finally popped the question' was all that I needed from you, Kiki."

"You know me way too well for you to expect that to come out of my mouth," I deadpanned. "But forreal though, I am happy for you and Ricardo!"

"Same. So, when's the wedding?" Sienna flatly asked. "Y'all gonna do it soon? Or you gonna be engaged for a minute so you can plan?"

Adrienne began to nod as she replied, "Oh, we're definitely gonna do it soon." She looked around the rest of us as she continued, "Why wait?"

Another wave of emotion passed over me, the small smile on my lips faltering for a moment.

"Plus, the sooner we get married, the sooner we can take our asses back to Barcelona!"

"I forgot you guys were moving after you got married," Hannah revealed. "Have you already started looking for places?"

"Oh, we've already found a place," she readily responded. "We're eager to get our lives started, you know?" Adrienne looked to her cousin next to her and grabbed her hand before saying, "And, Cindy decided to move back with us, so it's not gonna be Ricardo and me lost in Spain."

"Yeah, I only planned on being in America for school, anyway. This gives me the perfect reason to go home."

My eyes found Desiree as she yelled out, her head shaking vigorously and her hands waving in front of her. "Are y'all telling me the Stethoscope Sisters are breaking up?"

Adrienne and Cindy exchanged a look before their attention fell on Desiree, who had an expectant look in her eyes. They carried on a hushed conversation in their native tongue before turning back to their friend. "The Stethoscope Sisters are breaking up."

"OOOOOOOOHHHH, I can't believe y'all!" Desiree's hands flew into the air alongside her outburst. "'Don't worry, Dee, we're gonna get through nursing school together.' 'Don't worry Desiree, we're all making it through the hell that is clinical together,'" she continued with a mocking tone. "You two are liars!"

"We are not liars!" Cindy defended. "We thought that we were gonna get through clinical together, and we still can!"

"Yeah!" Adrienne backed. "We're finishing school in a different country, not cutting off all communication!"

"You might as well be with how busy clinical keeps us, you stethoscope traitors." Desiree's arms folded over her chest as she turned from the two, her nose stuck up in the air.

"Are you guys the Stethoscope Sisters?" Hannah asked in confusion as she looked between the three of them. "And why are you called that?"

"Yeah, we're the-"

"The Stethoscope Sisters are dead," Desiree said as she cut Adrienne off, to which Adrienne scoffed at her dramatics. "But that's our name because, on the first day of nursing school, the three of us were the only ones who showed up in full gear—I'm talking scrubs, white coats, and stethoscopes."

"But, we only needed our scrubs and ourselves," Cindy continued. "I don't even remember who was in charge, but when we were getting shuffled around to our assignments, we were referred to as "Stethoscope Sisters—"

"—And the name has stuck to this day," Adrienne finished.

"I'm lost on how we went from Adrienne's engagement to this," Sienna revealed. "Because I still need to know when this wedding is; King is going to be my date, and I need him to actually be in the state."

"It's gonna be small, so most likely no later than the beginning of next month." It seemed the excitement of the Stethoscope Sisters' tragic news had passed. "Wait, you and King are already at the bring him to weddings level?"

"Sis," Sienna began, a lazy smile influencing her lips corners. She loosely gestured with her hand as she continued, "When I met that man's parents, he introduced me as his girlfriend."

Sienna's mouth kept moving, but her words escaped me. She and King have known each other barely two months, and already she's met his parents? I've been Jeremiah's girlfriend for five months, and I'm not even sure I know Jeremiah's parent's names!

The conversation around me continued, yet I couldn't pull myself from my thoughts. Jeremiah has met my parents more than once, but not once had he offered for me to meet his. The only family members that I had met were his brothers, but that was once for a night, the bulk of that night being spent drunk.

I tried to convince myself that not meeting Jeremiah's parents was no big deal, but I was doing a terrible job of it. It was a huge deal, because why does he not want me to meet his parents? And, before I could stop myself, I blurted, "Why doesn't Jeremiah want me to meet his parents?"

Although I had tuned out the conversation, I knew it came to a halt at that moment. I removed my thumb nail from my teeth's grip as my eyes rolled over the women in front of me. The looks they were giving me were utterly confused, probably because I was eons behind the conversation.

"Sorry. Ignore me." I dismissed my question with the wave of my hand, an ingenuine quirk of the lips accompanying it.

"Yeah, we're not ignoring you." Sienna shifted so one of her legs curled under her, her elbow resting on the back of the couch. "Are you saying that you and Jeremiah have been dating for months, and you've never met his parents?" I nodded. "Have you at least spoken to them?" I shook my head.

"Kiara." Hannah's comforting hand reached over the coffee table that separated us and settled on my knee. "Do you know anything about his parents?"

I took a beat before I revealed, "Not even their names." I exhaled a breath and let my head fall into my hands. "He's met mine. Hell, he's even met most if not all of my family!" My hand rubbed at my cheek as I asked once again, "So, why haven't I met his parents? Why doesn't he want me to?"

"Just because you haven't met them yet doesn't mean he doesn't want you to," Hannah offered. "Maybe he has a good reason."

"Or maybe it does," Sienna grumbled from next to me.

"Si!" Cindy reached across the coffee table and smacked her on the thigh. "Why are you being negative?"

"Not negative, just realistic," she countered. "Jeremiah's met her whole family more than once, so it's not like he doesn't know they're way past that stage." My head fell into my hands once more. "Kiara, you gotta get in his ass about why he's hiding you."

"He's not hiding me," I snapped. She flinched back at my harsh tone. "I wouldn't have met his brothers if he was hiding me, Si; don't be stupid."

Sienna collected herself before beginning, "But how many times have you met them? His brothers?"

"He's not hiding me, Sienna!"

Her hands raised in defense as she scooted away from me on the sofa, a physical demonstration of her backing off. "Okay, Ki. My fault."

A tense silence followed for a moment, it dissipating once Ricardo bounded down the stairs and announced he was taking Chinese food orders.

As the girls placed their orders, I escaped into my own mind for the second time that night. I didn't want to believe that Sienna could be right, but at this moment, I didn't have any reason not to. Why have I only met his brothers once? Why have I never had even one conversation with his parents? Why do I know next to nothing about his family?

My phone rang through with a text, and I immediately pulled it out, welcoming the distraction from my own thoughts. However, the distraction was short-lived as I read Jeremiah's message, asking if I was ready to head back over to his place.

"Kiara?" Ricardo called. I turned to the real distraction, a curious look on my face. "Shrimp lo mein and General Tso's chicken, right?"

"Right on the nose, Ricky," I chimed, a warm smile present on my lips.

"Everything good?" Adrienne questioned as she gazed at me, her eyes flickering to my phone.

I let my gaze fall to my phone as well. I heaved a sigh before I nodded, my phone finding itself back on the table in front of me facedown. "It will be when this food gets here."