"Mimi, I'm gon be down there for Auntie Charlie's birthday in like two weeks," he chuckled.  His Mimi called him on his lunch break at work and was complaining that he had been gone too long. 

"Well you need to call me, Kasiah," she fussed.

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry," he said. He knew he was slacking on calling his family, he was usually much better at remembering. "Well, Ima see if I can bring my girlfriend to Auntie cookout," he said, knowing the news would cheer her up.

"Girlfriend?! Lawd, I been waitin' on this chile," Clarabelle clapped her hands, and Siah simply shook his head—he was surrounded by dramatic women, he learned to love it. "What's her name, son?" she wondered.

"Her name is Sadé, she's 21," he told her. "I'm gonna ask if she wants to come soon, you got extra room for us?" he wondered, already knowing the answer.

"Boy, of course I do! Tell your lovely girlfriend that your Mimi wants to meet her, I'm sure she'll come then," Clara nodded.

"Okay," he laughed.

"Clarabelle!" he heard his grandfather call. "Clara—I know you heard me calling you, Clarabelle," he said, and Siah tried his best not to laugh.

"All of Houston Texas heard you calling me, Jebediah. What do you need?" she chuckled. "Your grandson is on the phone,"

"I need you to taste these greens, you out here wit' a sweet tea while I'm sweatin' in that kitchen," he fussed. "Hey, boy!"

"Hey Pop," Siah laughed.

After he finished talking to his grandparents, he checked his phone for texts—mainly from Sadé. He didn't text anyone else with a sense of urgency besides his girlfriend.

peanut💕: i misssssss youuuuuuu papa bearrrrrrr 🥺🥺
: i miss you too
peanut💕: that was very unenthusiastic.
: i miss you too, love of my life, most beautiful girl in the world, the light of my life
peanut💕: better 🥰  can you come get me
: yes baby 💀

He shook his head, putting his phone up and going back to work, thankful that he got off at 6 instead of 8 like he was all last month. His body could not handle any more overtime.

"You tryna go to Waffle House after this?" Khy yawned. When they first started working here, Waffle House on Friday's was a tradition. It'd slowed down now, life got in the way a lot, but some weeks they still made it work.

"Hell yeah," Siah nodded. Khy, a lot of times, also used their Friday's to talk. Khy was in a very expressive household but he needed conditions to be met for him to disclose anything going on—and him being comfortable was one. Siah knew, since he randomly brought it up, something must be going on.

"Thanks for eating wit' me, I need outside food," Khy chuckled as they ordered. "You been straight bruh? Apartment treating you good?" he wondered.

"Yeah, I been fine. Apartment's cool, my couch finally came so y'all can come over now," he chuckled. "How are you?" he wondered, raising his eyebrow.

"Man," he huffed, and after a short silence, began to speak. "You think moving in with your girl like a fuckin dream cone true, you know? Shit been hell the past few weeks, we argue like we can't stand each other my nigga I hate it," he confessed.

"Argue?" he raised his eyebrows. As far as he knew, Ava and Khy never argued.

"Yeah," Khy sighed. "It's-it's like nothing's the same, there's a disconnect. It's so weird in the house now, the shit hurts. I can't even explain, it's like I don't know where we stand anymore. We don't click like we used to and it's confusing me man," Khy explained. "We in the same book on two completely different pages and I'm frustrated because I—I'on know where to go. I love that girl to the death of me but...I'm stuck. I'm trying, I can tell she trying but it's hard bruh," he explained, and Siah could see that he was really hurting behind this.

Siah was never one to sugarcoat things. He told his friends what they needed to hear, and while he wasn't disrespectful and rude with it, he was very straightforward in his approach. Khy knew that. If he wanted to be babied and told that everything would be okay eventually, he wouldn't have come to Siah—they both knew that.

"Are you in love with her?" Siah asked, causing Khy's head to shoot up. "I'm serious, Khyren. This happens all the time, people grow apart, and the shit sucks bad. But you—no you and Ava need to sit down and talk about whether this is what y'all still want or not before the arguments and the fighting destroys the bond y'all got established as friends before anything. If y'all don't want this anymore—you're beating a dead horse and somebody is gonna come out of this hurt, but if you do, y'all need to seriously take some steps back and look from the outside at what got y'all acting like this," he explained.

Khy sat for a moment, taking in everything Siah was saying. He knew it was right, but the reality slapping him in the face like this was something he was completely unprepared for.

"W-what if...what if we not in love no more? What if she wants to move on?" he mumbled. He could only be this vulnerable around specific people, Khy and Donny being the main ones. "What if I want to?"

"Well...we gon handle it when it comes. It's gon hurt, I know is is but you got people behind you—as does she. Whatever decision y'all make gotta be for y'all individually and together. If y'all think y'all time is up, life gon have to go on, Khy. We gon be here for the hurt, but you can't hold on to something holding you down, you gotta let it go even if it hurt" Siah said, and it hurt him to even have to say.

The look in Khyren's eyes was enough to tell him what may come of this—but he'd wait it out, and whatever happened he'd be here to help him stay standing. He and Adonis, they were his brothers and that's what they were there for.

"Either way, Khy, you gon be aight. You always gon be good," he assured him. "We gotchu,"

"Hey, fat head," Siah yawned as Kash got in his car. After he and Khy got finished at Waffle House, he came straight to get Sadé so he could take her back to his apartment. He would have had her drive, but she had to pay for parking at his apartment, and he didn't want to have her do that.

"Hi handsome," she grinned, leaning over his console to kiss his cheek. "I missed you,"

"Did you really? That lil baby ass kiss," he sucked his teeth and Kash laughed. "You think I'm playing wit'chu,"

"Here! You big baby," she grabbed his face and pressed a kiss to his lips. "And you say I am spoiled,"

"You are. Don't play me," he chuckled as they sped off.

As they drove, Kash told Siah about her week and all the different things she was doing at work. Whenever she told him about the work she did, he was intrigued, although he knew absolutely nothing of what she was saying. She looked excited about it though—and that made him happy because she'd been looking forward to it for so long.

Plus, when he talked about cars, she smiled and nodded like she knew what was going on—he appreciated that.

"You hungry, Peanut?" he asked. They passed lots of food on their way back to his apartment, and he didn't feel like cooking a thing.

"Yes, very. What are we eating?" she looked up from her phone.

"I'm not eating nothing, me and Khy went out to eat earlier. Whatchu want?" he glanced over at her.

"Wow! The betrayal," she gasped and he shook his head at her dramatics. "Not only my man, but my brother! This is too much," she shook her head.

"Sadé, stop being dramatic and tell me what you wanna eat," he chuckled.

"I'll eat my disappointment," she said and he sucked his teeth before pulling in a Wendy's.

"Kasiah!" Kash hollered from the kitchen as Siah played Call of Duty in his room. "Kasiah I know you hear me calling you!"

"Hold on—huh?!" he called back as Donny and two of his cousins snickered over the headset.

"You drank my juice?! Again?!" she asked, obviously irritated, and his eyes widened. He completely forgot that was hers, he just saw it in the fridge and went for it.

"My bad, P," he called back and he heard her little feet stomping toward him.

"I'm gon beat yo' ass, Kasiah, I swear. You keep drinking my shit! All I wanted was a cup of cran apple juice and some of my hot cheetos and its gone!" she fussed.

"Who ass you gon beat?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Yours! You gon have to run me money or run me a new gallon—how the hell do you finish a gallon of juice that fast?!" she continued, stomping back out of the room to the kitchen.

"I think you made her mad, bruh," Donny chuckled.

"Shut the fuck up," Siah tried not to laugh because she was actually annoyed—but Adonis always said the wrong thing at the right time. "Baby! Come back," he called her.

"Now we gotta listen to this nigga cake and kiss ass," Phoenix sucked his teeth, and Siah yet again told him to shut up. He took his headphones off and jogged to the kitchen where Kash was cracking some ice cubes out of the tray, looking annoyed—but she was pouting.

He felt bad for thinking she looked cute.

"Baby, you mad at me?" he asked, leaning against the counter while she poured some minute maid fruit punch in her cup. "I made you mad, stank?" he smirked and she rolled her eyes, trying to fight off a smile.

"Yes you made me mad," she said. "You got hella juice in there!"

"My bad, baby. I forgot, I'm serious!" he defended when she sucked her teeth. "I'm sorry, mama, gimme kiss," he grabbed her free hand and she was still trying not to smile, he could tell because she wouldn't look at him. "Babyyyy, gimme kiss," he dragged out and she quickly turned around and pecked his lips before taking her snacks and going to sit on the couch in front of her laptop.

"She dramatic as fuck," he chuckled to himself before going back in his room.

After she was done eating, he was still on the game, of course, and yelling like he was in the war himself. She quietly stepped in the room, creeping behind him and into the bed. She was used to it—her brother did the exact same thing and it only started irritating her once she was sleepy.

"Baby, you want me to lay down?" Siah looked back.

"Go head and play," she chuckled. "Don't mind me I was just cold," she said, snuggling under his blanket, which comforted her since it smelled like him.

He looked at her a little longer before speaking. "Well I wanna lay wit'chu," he said, and she instantly started grinning like a little kid.

"Aw pooh! Come here," she opened her arms and he took his headset off, laying basically on top of her in the sheets, which was funny because he was literally 6'2. "You're so cute," she chuckled, playing with his ear.

"I guess," he chuckled. "Baby I gotta ask you something," he said, reaching under the covers. She sat there silently for a moment as his hand weaseled it's way into her shirt.

"Do you have to touch my boob while you ask?" she raised her eyebrows and he just nodded. "Okay, Papa. Wassup?"

"You wanna come to Texas and meet my family?" he asked, and her eyes widened. "My aunt's birthday is in two weeks and I promised my Mimi I'd ask you to come," he continued to explain.

"Well u-um," she started. It's not like she wasn't expecting it sooner or later, but for some reason him asking had her nerves bad. "You told your grandmother I was coming?" she asked.

"I told her I would ask, baby. You don't wanna come?" he looked up at her.

"I mean yeah, I'd love to meet them, but it kind of makes me nervous, especially because you have such a big family," she explained. "I want them to like me when I do meet them, you know? Make a good impression,"

"I understand. But truthfully, don't get me wrong I love my family, but I'on give a fuck what them people got to say about me, and especially about you. Not one, never have. Only people you ever had to worry about impressing was my Mimi and my Pop," he chuckled. "And they gon love you,"

"You think so?" she asked, with a short smile.

"I know they will. I done told you, you act like my mama sometimes. My dad see it, so I know they will, you got a good heart baby, that's all that matter. And if you willing to give Mimi some great grandkids," he chuckled and she laughed.

"I'm very willing once I get a ring, pooh," she winked and he nodded, making a note of that. "But...okay, I'll come. Just lemme get a ticket," she smiled and he returned it, leaning up and repeatedly kissing her.

"She gon be excited as hell," he chuckled. "But uh...I'm finna go to sleep, niggas tired," he yawned.

"Not on top of me you not...Kasiah I know you hear me. Get yo hand out my shirt, Kasiah,," she patted his back, knowing he'd literally sleep there all night. "Alija—"

"Shh, mama. I'm sleep damn,"

"I'm gon fuck you up,"

"You talked to Khy?" Donny asked the next day. He invited both the boys over, but told them different times—just so he could talk to Adonis.

Kash was still there—just sleeping. For whatever reason, she got no sleep the night before while he slept like a baby, and she was catching up on her rest now.

"Yeah," Siah nodded. "I was finna ask you the same thing. He fucked up behind this," he said and Donny nodded in agreement. "What'd you tell him when he told you?"

"Man," Donny sighed. "I just told him, you know, if he not feeling the same spark, if he not feeling like the relationship is going in the direction he wants they need to address that shit, quit the arguing and sit they asses down and talk about it like adults. But if he don't see it going nowhere—"

"I said the same thing," Siah sighed. "What you think he gon do?"

"I can't tell, for real. I ain't ever think this shit was gon happen," he replied and Siah nodded in agreement. "But if it go bad, we just gotta be there for him,"

"Hell yeah," he nodded. "He gon need it,"

Kash woke up a few minutes ago, but was just now getting up to wash up. Siah told her Donny and Khy were there so she didn't plan on leaving his room until she was hungry. She had his speaker, his ps5, and her laptop. She honestly didn't need to leave.

She got back in his bed after her shower, and she turned the Playstation on to look for something to watch, when her phone started ringing, and it was her cousin, making her smile slightly. She hadn't talked to Nevaeh in a little bit.

"Hello?" Kash answered, but her smile dropped when she saw her face all puffy and her eyes red. "Vaeh what's wrong?! What happened?" she sat straight up.

"I-I just really need to talk to you," she sniffed, wiping her nose. "Are you at your dad's?"

"No, baby, I'm at Siah's apartment. Where are you? I'll come right now," she said, already standing up to find some appropriate clothes to wear out.

"I'm at Tete's house, I spent the night," she sighed and Sadé's eyes widened.

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can, love," she replied and Vaeh just nodded before they got off the phone.

To say she was worried was an understatement. It had been two weeks, almost three since Valentine's Day when Kash first started to worry, and it seemed to reach a pinnacle now, and it had her way more than worried.

As she started looking for her keys, she remembered she didn't drive and let out a frustrated groan. She was about to get an uber when she had an idea, hopefully it went as planned—with little to no convincing.

"Baby," Kash said, poking her head out the door, seeing him smoking with Khy and Donny. "Bubba!" she cheesed, stepping out fully. She hadn't seen him in a while, they barely talked these past two weeks so she was kinda sad—she missed him.

"Hey Fat fat," he smiled slightly. He seemed really tired, she thought Mr. Frank must have been working them really hard recently.

"Whatchu need, P?" Siah asked.

"Well—I need to see Vaeh, she called me crying and I'm worried, but y'know, I didn't drive," she said, hoping he'd get the hint, then remembered he was almost high. "So...can I take your car?" she smiled widely.

"My car?! Baby, I'on know 'bout allat, you drive crazy," he said.

"I do not! I'm just going to my mama house, I'm gonna be really careful and bring it back before you know it," she tried to plead her case. "I promise! Please, Papa," she gave her best puppy dog face to him to try and seal the deal.

"Man," Siah sucked his teeth.