"This cute?" Kash asked her best friend, Aryn, as she exited the dressing room in a two piece set. Aryn rotated her finger, and Kash spun around.

"Oop, it's the ass for me, friend," she smirked, and Kash shook her head playfully. "You should get this one! You haven't bought anything for yourself, Kash," she pouted, as she was holding two bags from previous stores.

They had been out for about an hour and a half now, just to get Kash out of the house. Aryn was sad that her best friend was so broken-hearted, she felt like maybe getting her some fresh air —and a good bout of retail therapy was a good way to help her.

Aryn and Kash met in their first semester at Clark Atlanta, in Statistics. Aryn was not very good in that class, and it seemed like Kash was just breezing through, so she asked her for help. Tutoring turned to lunch dates and lunch dates turned to sleepovers, and before they knew it the girls were inseparable.

Aryn and Kash were slightly similar in small ways, but in big ones, they were polar opposites. While Kash was the outgoing social butterfly, Aryn couldn't be bothered to speak to people so freely and try to force conversations. She had a small group of people she was close to and she preferred it that was—at least in her friend groups.

Romantically, the girls were completely different as well. Kash hated to date around and entertain more than one man, but Aryn was open with many options, she didn't like to be tied down to one man. While she was more introverted than her best friend, she was extremely charming, and had a way of words that made her basically irresistible.

"Nothing feels right on me, Bug," she sighed, turning to the side to look at the dress on herself. Aryn could tell from a mile away that Kash's typical glow was dim, she wasn't as smiley, she wasn't as vivacious and not nearly as talkative.

"Well you look beautiful, sis," Aryn smiled slightly. "Get it as a 'just in case' dress. You never know when you'll need it," she tried convincing her.

"Well...okay," she nodded. "Maybe I'll wear it to the anniversary dinner," she nodded. Her dad and Anaya's wedding anniversary was approaching and this year they were throwing them a surprise dinner—and she had yet to shop for it.

Sadé shopped for every occasion. If there was a party coming, she needed a new outfit. She was going out to dinner, she needed new shoes. There was always a reason to shop for Kash. She was sure that was an inherited trait from her mother and maternal grandmother—as well as a result of her being spoiled nearly rotten her whole life.

Thankfully, her parents had a good disciplinary hand with she and her siblings, so she learned to never take things for granted and to always be polite, along with her manners. She was never one to throw temper tantrums when things didn't necessarily go her way—but most things went her way anyway.

"Okay! What to eat," Aryn scrolled her instagram timeline as they sat in her car after their shopping trip. "You hungry, pooh?" she wondered.

"A little," Sadé shrugged. "What did you want? I'm open," she said, eyes glued to her own phone.

"Sadé...delete whatever you're looking at," Aryn spoke seriously and Kash's jaw dropped. "I'm serious, I see you starting at the phone sad, let me see,"

Sadé hesitantly turned the phone to her best friend, showing one of the photos she was having the hardest time deleting. It was a month before the breakup, they were at his apartment. She was in the middle of a selfie session in his bathroom mirror and he snuck his way in, snaking two arms around her waist.

She remembered exactly what he whispered in her ear, and how it resulted in the look she was giving him in that photo.

"It's gon be me and you forever like this, Dae. I promise," were the words that made her look at him like he was the only man in the entire world. He was her entire world, it seemed like back then.

Then suddenly—it wasn't. She noticed small changes in him, from the speed in which he replied to her text, to the bigger changes of him suddenly having so much more to do on the weekends. But never would she have thought it simply took one month, thirty days to fall out of love with her.

Every day she wondered what it was she said. What did she do? Where did the spiral begin and how did it end this way? How did it just...stop?

"Sadé," Aryn sighed, deciding against lecturing her at the moment, because she could see the tears in her eyes. "It's gonna be okay," she softly grasped her other hand.

"When?" she muttered. "W-when is it gonna be okay? I'm so-I'm so tired of feeling like this! I just—I want it to be gone. I want it to be over! But every single day I'm reminded, my mind won't let him go—I hate it! I want to be okay," she explained, trying her best to navigate through the cold deep sea of emotion that she was forced to swim in every day.

Before Aryn could offer even a shred of advice, tears were rolling down Sadé's cheeks, and her lips were tucked in. Aryn quickly got up from her seat and went around to the passenger side, squeezing her way in beside her best friend and just hugging her. Giving her the shoulder she needed to cry on, not caring that it was the middle of a crowded parking lot.

"I'm home," Sadé spoke softly, closing her front door behind her. She primarily stayed with her father, her mom's house was farther away from school.

"Hey Brat!" she heard her brother call and it made her smile. Out of everyone, Khy had to deal with her the most. He saw her cry the most, he heard her blasting sad music all day long, he watched her walk around like a bum all day and she was appreciative of him.

"Hey Bubs," she waved, turning around and seeing her living room full of people. Luckily she was presentable now. "Hi y'all," she waved again.

Ava—her brother's girlfriend, Donny, some other girl she didn't recognize and Kasiah as well as Ava's friend Camille sat in the living room watching some movie she didn't recognize.

"My baby," Ava cooed, jumping up to hug her. "How are you?"

"I'm okay, Ava, thank you," she smiled again, hugging her back. Ava was a very energetic girl and usually, Kash could keep up, but as she was now, Ava was a whole lot.

"Wanna watch the movie with us?" Khy asked, nodding his head toward the tv. She contemplated saying no for a solid moment, until she looked at Donny and Siah, who were basically begging her to stay with the looks on their faces.

Siah watched Kash raise her eyebrows and he said a silent prayer that she'd stay. He and Adonis figured out that Ava had some weird friends and once again they were basically trapped while KB and Ava cuddled all night.

"Uh—yeah sure," she nodded. "Can I change or—"

"You gon miss the best part!" Donny cut her off, knowing good and well he'd never seen a James Bond movie a day in his life. "Come sit, sis," he waved her over.

There wasn't really space near her brother on the loveseat, so she squeezed herself between Kasiah and Donny.

"Siah, move over," she grumbled. "You too big to be taking up all this space!"

"Don't be mad at me, li' tiny ass," he shot back.

While Siah didn't speak much, if there was one thing he did do, it was argue with Sadé, constantly. It'd been that way since they were children when he and Khy first became friends. He wasn't the nicest considering what he had just been through—but at ten years old Sadé didn't know that, she just thought he was a mean kid.

So, when Kasiah said something rude, or sarcastic, she clapped back immediately with a smart remark and it was always that way. Sometimes Siah would start it, sometimes Sadé would but there was always arguing.

"Kasiah move!" she whined, pushing at his arm.

"Aye! Don't start y'all shit na'! Siah move over, damn and Kash you'on need that much space," Khy intervened like he always did and they both stared at him before rolling their eyes, and doing what he said.

When he played the movie again, Kash pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head against them, staring ahead with a short sigh.

"Aye, you straight?" Siah poked the side of her head and she cut her eyes at him.

"Yes," she replied simply, even though he could easily tell she was lying. "Why y'all make me stay down here anyway?" she whispered, even though the movie was pretty loud.

"Ava keep tryna push this damn girl on me," he whispered back, and Kash cracked a smile. "What's funny?"

"You're a dickhead," she chuckled. "Why don't you just say that you don't want her?"

"Nigga I have! Repeatedly," he whispered harshly. "Neither of they ass get the hint," he rolled his eyes. They were so close together nobody could hear them whispering or else they'd—he'd be in trouble.

"I'll get you out of it but you owe me," she squinted.

"Man, owe you what, Sadé?"

"Fifty," she cheesed and he thought for a moment if it was worth it or not when he felt a hand touch his arm.

"Bet," he nodded quickly and she nodded, looking over at her brother, seeing that he was half sleep with Ava, and he wouldn't wanna leave which made it all the more perfect.

"Bubs, can you take me to the store?" she asked, and he could tell she put on her best sad voice.

"Kash, I'm tired man, whatchu need?" he grumbled, barely even lifting his head from Ava's stomach.

"We could take her," Donny spoke up, immediately catching on. "Ain' nun," he shrugged.

"You sure? I don't wanna take y'all away from your movie," Kash looked between Siah and Donny.

"You straight, come on, so we don't take forever," Siah said, standing and stretching. Donny and Kash followed, and Khy thanked the two of them. "No problem, bro. We gon be back," and he took a deep breath as they finally left the house.

His job was done, he told Camille how he felt and Ava, so at this point if her feelings got hurt that was not his problem. It wasn't his problem to begin with, but he was trying to be nice. At least once.

"Aight where we finna go?" Donny laughed once they got in Kasiah's car. They hadn't really figured that part out yet.

"I don't care," Kash shrugged, getting comfortable in the back.

"How you want yo' money, Sadé?" he pulled off, actually planning on taking her to the store. For what, none of them knew. "Cash or what?"

"I was just joking, Siah, keep it" she waved him off, pulling one of her legs up in the seat.

"Money? Hell I'a pay you for getting me outta there with her weird ass," Donny shook his head. "She kept tryna put her fingers in my nose, like my nigga what do that do for you? What is in there for you?" he ranted. "She bad though, I might gotta let her do her so I can—"

"Adonis. Please stop," Kash piped up from the backseat.

"My bad, sis," he laughed and Siah just shook his head.

"Hey, Mimi," Siah waved to his grandmother over the phone. "How you been?" he asked, leaning back. It was his lunch break at work the next day and he noticed he missed a call from his grandmother, he wanted to be sure to call her back.

He had a very close relationship with his maternal grandparents, his Mimi and Pop. They remained that way even though he lived in Atlanta now, and they were back in Houston. They were, in fact, one of the only family members that weren't upset with their sudden move, they completely understood.

"Hey my baby," she smiled. Her smile always made him feel so warmed up on the inside. Clarabelle Atkins was one of the kindest women that he knew, she never failed to male his day better. "How you doin'?" she wondered.

"I'm alright, Mimi. Just on my lunch break at work, whatchu doin' out there?" he wondered, drinking some of his water. It was May now, and Atlanta was starting to heat up as they drew closer to Summer.

"Out here with your Paw, he tryin' again with these tomatoes," she chuckled. "You been workin' hard, son?"

"Hard as I can," he nodded. "Got bills to pay,"

"My baby so grown up, chile. I can't believe you out hea' payin bills! Got your own car, a nice li' job and everything," she cooed, placing her well manicured hand on her chest dramatically. "You know what would just make your old Mimi so happy?"

"Mimi, I'm not ready for no kids," he chuckled, knowing she was going there.

"Well you need to get ready, I'm ready for some great grands," she pointed playfully.

"I need to find somebody to have the kids, Mimi. I'on got not girlfriend," he told her and she clicked her tongue at him. "I don't!"

"You expect me to believe my handsome grandbaby don't have no girlfriend?" she raised her eyebrows and he laughed.

"No, ma'am," he shook his head. "When I find me one worth keeping and having some kids by, I'll make sure to let you know,"

"Mhm, don't make me wait forever boy," she smirked, looking just like his mother, instantly making his heart swell.

Clarabelle and Savannah were like twins, he was always in awe of just how much his mother favored her own mother. They both always told him beauty never skips a generation. Another reason why he was 'so handsome'.

"Clara! You tellin that boy ta' have kids again?! He ain't nun' but eighteen!" he heard his grandfather fuss, coming on to the porch where she was and looking in the camera. "Hey, boy!"

"Hey, Pop. And I'm not eighteen, I'm twenty two," he laughed.

"Boy what?! Since when? I could have sworn one of y'all kids was eighteen," he furrowed his brows.

"Auntie Lacey son just turned eighteen—his name Taylor, remember?"

"Aw hell, all y'all look the same anyway," he waved Siah off and he laughed again.

"Jebediah please sit down," Clara giggled. "When you comin' to see us, sweetheart? Hopefully before the reunion in September,"

"Yes ma'am, I'm gon try to make my way down for ya birthday," he smiled and a grin grew on her face. He was about to say something else when he realized what time it was. "Mimi, Pop, Ima have to get goin, I gotta get back to work," he sighed, already tired.

"Alright now, sweetheart. You have a good day," she blew a kiss through the screen. "We love you,"

"I love y'all too, speak to you soon," he waved.

Once he was off the phone, he groaned, throwing his head back before getting up and disposing of his water bottle and making his way back into the garage, where he saw Khyren arguing with one of their coworkers.

"You're a dumbass, if you girl all in some nigga notifications likin all his damn pictures back to back after she just followed his ass you gon feel some type'a way! I'm not sayin' likin' girls pictures is bad, that's what instagram for, but you makin' yourself look thirsty," he fussed.

Khy was the resident relationship guru, as he'd maintained the longest relationship in the garage.

"Mane, she just trippin! I'on want that girl," their coworker—Calvin shook his head.

"Aight, keep thinkin' she just trippin, she gon trip her ass right out yo bed into somebody DM that's been waitin on yo' ass to slip," he pointed. "Right, Siah?"

Siah simply nodded, yawning, ready for the day to end so he could finally nap.

hiiiiii!

first i wanna say thank you so much for all yall love and support on the first chapter! it means so much 🥺🥺 im so glad yall love it!

so let's get into this one!

we met kash's best friend aryn, and she had a little bit of a sad moment 🥺 hopefully her sun is coming soon.

we got to see a little more about siah's family! lol his mimi said she want some great grands 😭

what was y'all favorite part of this chapter?? lmk!

thank yall again for all your feedback 🥰

till next time ❤️