Kingston Hines

"I'm not tryna tell you what to do or anything... but Julissa, really?" Oshane watched me through the mirror as I sprayed a bit of Dior Sauvage on my neck. "Julissa, you know... the Julissa that broke your heart; just in case you need a reminder?"

"I know who Julissa is Oshane and yes, really."

"I get that you're hurt but nothing should ever be able to push you that far. My nigga... Julissa?!"

"Mhmm." I nodded, walking back over to where my phone was plugged in, waiting to see if she had texted me to let me know if she was here or not. The screen however, was still blank so I had to wait it out a bit more. "We should pregame..." I suggested, sliding my cellular into my pocket.

"No, what we should do... is talk." Oshane's brows lowered, "I'm your bro, let's talk about this. I'm not about to just watch you get tangled up with that mess of a girl again."

"People change. It's been years and you're also thinking too deeply. I only called Julissa because she works at club Paragon now, we need a move and she's our person."

"Could've just driven up there, my guy. I got a rental, you got a car. We don't need no hookups to get in, we got enough money. So, cancel Julissa and let's go down ourselves if that's what you want to do."

"Uh, nah. I'm feeling for her company anyways."

"You're trying to heal but not in the right way, Kingston. Julissa is easy access but you gotta ask yourself; what comes with opening that can of worms?"

"You know what..." I pointed in his direction, "you are my bro, I should be able to talk to you when things are bothering me."

"You should!" Oshane nodded.

"Alright, so... Kira."

"What about Kira?"

"Get rid of her for the night..."

"Wait, hold on." His brow raised. "Kira's my girl."

"Kira's Shai's friend. I just want to go out tonight and not be reminded of her."

"So you want me to just kick Kira to the curb?"

"For now," I shrugged, "yes."

"Now Kingston, I know you're really trippin' cause you'd never ask me to do something like that. Especially after seeing me finally get serious about someone. Kira is cool people, if we're going to the club, she can come."

"Trust me." I placed my hand on his shoulder, "getting serious with someone is a waste of time. It's better you run while you can."

I removed my hand and opened up my room door, walking down the hallway I rolled my eyes at the sound of my parents conversing in the kitchen. I just don't understand why they didn't get the message, why they didn't understand why their presence was no longer needed. It may have been their stubbornness or my mother's consistent controlling demeanour, whatever it was; it was beginning to annoy me. Kira also sat on the couch on her phone, but hopefully not for long.

"There you are, Kingston!" My mother exclaimed, "Have you taken some time to calm down? Are you ready for us to talk? Everyone's pretty much gone, we can go out on the balcony and have a conversation on what happened with Sh-."

"There's nothing to talk about mom." I muttered while walking over to my fridge, I opened up the door; retrieving the chilled bottle of Jack Daniels which I placed on top of the island. I let out a deep exhale before looking in her direction. "With all due respect, I really would appreciate it if you and dad could leave as well. You're my mother and I love you more than anything, but the fact that you of all people knew and didn't tell me; isn't sitting well with me."

"Now son, Shai told you that she specifically asked your mom not to tell anyone. All your mother was doing was respecting that young girls wishes. After all, with what she went through; your mom doing that was the least she could've done." My dad spoke.

"Yeah meanwhile watching her son basically suffer!" I scoffed, "how does that sound to you? Hearing it out loud? Does it sit well with you, knowing that I was here for months, mourning the death of someone that YOU knew were alive this entire time?"

"Kingston, honey. It's complicated." My mother's voice was calm, as she spoke she tried to walk over to where I was but I couldn't do this with her. I stepped aside and played it off, by opening up one of the cupboards and taking out two glasses for myself and Oshane.

"Sorry guys, maybe we can talk another day." I placed the glasses on the island and popped the top of my Jack Daniels, "tonight I just need to really allow everything I've heard to internalize. There's no telling how I'll feel in the morning, but for now; I know this isn't the time for me to talk."

"Fair enough." My dad let out before my mother could press some more. I could see it in her entire body language that she had a lot more persuasion in her and usually, I'd fall for it. Usually, I would confide in her because I lived for her wise words and sound advice. But tonight, of all nights; I just wanted her out of my sight as bad as it was to say. For the first time in a very long time, I really questioned whether or not my mother was someone I could even trust. To think that she would put the way a stranger basically, felt before her own son was crazy to wrap my head around.

My father took my mother's hand into his and she gazed up at him with nothing but fury in her eyes. "We will head home and give you some time to cool down... but trust me when I say, this isn't getting swept under the rug. We still need to talk." He said, while keeping his eyes on her.

Eventually, she looked away from him as well; mustering up the strength to flash me a fake smile. "Yes. What your father said." She added. "But before I go, I just want you to understand that I love you more than life itself King. I don't want you to think for a moment that I would ever hurt you, especially not willingly. You're smart and you know your mother. So take your time to process things, but while you do that; don't overlook the part where you remind yourself of who I am and why I would ever do such a thing as this."

Oshane walked into the room, clearing his throat. All our attention turning in his direction as he proceeded to cough. "My bad," he said, covering his mouth as he coughed again. "I don't know if it's the air or something, but I've had this annoying itch in my throat..."

"Yeah, well maybe you should go back to Jamaica." My mother shot at him. Quickly, I looked over at her, confused at the sudden animosity. "You seemed to be just fine with the air over there, better than fine actually."

"Mom?!"

"Serena?!"

"I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, huffing out a sigh. "The fact that you as his 'best friend' are okay with him calling up a woman that nearly destroyed him, is very telling of your character."

"I'm not okay with it!" Oshane defended, "I've been in there trying to persuade him that this wasn't a good idea."

"Let us not forget that I'm a grown man!" I laughed, bringing the attention back to me. "I make decisions for myself at the end of the day. My apologies if it isn't what any of you would like to see..."

"Kingston, please if we could jus talk. Just for a moment." My mother's eyes grew sad and her lips curved into a frown. "Before you make a mistake and invite that woman back into your home. We could just ta-."

Suddenly, my phone began to ring; the entire room grew silent meanwhile I pulled it out of my pocket. The contact 'DO NOT ANSWER' displayed on the screen and despite said instructions, I slid the toggle over and placed the phone against my ear.

"Hey, you're here?"

"I am. Just checking in with concierge now."

"Alright, when you get here it's the 17th floor. Door 1722."

"Sounds good, I'll be up in a minute then."

"See you soon." I ended the call and placed the phone onto the counter, then glancing back up at my parents. "Like I said, can we just do this another day?"

"Today is thanksgiving..." my mother tried.

"Once again, can we just do this another day?" I shot my dad a knowing look and watched as he squeezed my mother's hand.

"Let's go sweetie..." he said, giving her a soft tug.

"Remember what I said..." She directed her words at me. "You of all people, know who your mother is."

I hung my head down for a moment meanwhile she grabbed her things. The two of them collected their food, said their goodbyes then finally made their way out the door. Once it shut, I ran my hand down the side of my face as a needed groan escaped my lips.

Oshane waltzed across the room, joining Kira on the couch while I took down another cup after remembering that Julissa was on her way up. I poured the drinks, then placed the bottle back into the fridge just in time to hear a knock on the door. My heart dropped just a tad but I kept my poker face on, instantly getting it together so that I could open the door for my invited guest.

I, eagerly undid the locks and took a deep breath just before opening up the door to see the familiar face that stood in my door frame. Once her eyes landed on me, a grin that she had no business fighting appeared on her face. "Look who it is." I bit my bottom lip while sizing her up.

"The one and only," she said while holding up a bottle of Jacks. "I also come bearing gifts. Your fave of course."

"You know me so well, even though all you really needed to do was bring yourself." I stepped to the side, prompting for her to come inside.

"That's no fun, especially before going to Paragon. We gotta keep the pregaming tradition alive."

"I'm down with that idea. I, got a few drinks on the island; ready to start us off." I pointed while locking back up. Julissa stepped out of her shoes and placed them in their desired place before she continued into the kitchen.

"The more the merrier!" She said with enthusiasm meanwhile taking the chance to look around at my place also. The last time I had seen Julissa, I was living in my parent's basement so there was no doubt that this was a step up from what she was used to. "You did a great job with this Kingston... the decor from the entryway alone... it brings so much character to the pl- Oh... okay, you have guests." She said once she caught glimpse of the two on the couch.

"That I do," I placed my hand against the small of her waist, guiding her in further. "You remember Oshane," I pointed.

"How could I forget?" She smiled while he rose from his seat to greet her. "Long time, no see." She let out while embracing him.

"Yeah... never thought I'd see the day." He responded.

"Likewise." She shot back.

"And, this is Kira." I pointed, "we met her in Jamaica."

"Hi Kira!" Julissa also being the over friendly girl she was, hugged Kira out of respect.

"Kira is also my girl." Oshane chimed in, "since Kingston forgot to leave out that detail."

"My apologies, bro." I smirked, "Uh, but Kira was just leaving anyways... so..."

"Oh?" Kira's face dropped and her brow raised, "I... was?" She asked, looking over at Oshane. "I thought we were going to the club."

"Kingston." Oshane's flashed me a dirty look, "Really?"

"What? Don't you think Kira would much rather be with her friend that suddenly rose from the dead?" I questioned.

"Wait, what?!" Julissa laughed. "Someone rose from the dead."

"I'll explain it all after." I replied, while taking note of the way Oshane was acting. I could tell by his expression alone that he had no desire to send Kira home, that he wanted to be around her. I knew that expression far too well because three months ago, Oshane was me. "You know what bro?!" I chuckled, "you can actually go... Julissa is more than in terms of company. You should go with Kira, we'll catch up tomorrow or something."

"Kingston, c'mon." He said through a sigh.

"Nah, i'm deadass. It's okay. Julissa, we're good. Right?" I looked down at her and asked.

"Of course, we are."

"So, with that being said Oshane. Go ahead and enjoy your evening."

"I can go," said Kira as she stood to her feet. "You said you needed your boy, so don't let me get in the way."

"Babe." Oshane also got up, placing his hand against her waist.

"Nah, it's okay Kira. Spend the night with your man, Oshane spend the night with your woman. I am alright, I promise. It was rude of me to ask that favour of you, you had plans before. I will just talk to you in the morning." I stated once again, "Kira, it was nice having you. I hope you enjoyed as much as you could. My apologies if this wasn't the thanksgiving you were looking forward to, but you know how life with the Hines' goes. Everyday, another trip."

"Trust me." Julissa laughed, "It aint for the weak."

"Look at you, giving advice." I nudged her and said.

"Been around long enough, I could write a whole book at this point." She smiled, "memories like that will never leave my head."

"Well then we did our job." I returned the smile before stepping back and gesturing towards the kitchen, "I think we should get on those drinks." I pointed, then raised my head. "Oshane, talk soon. Kira, be safe." I winked, just before guiding Julissa back into the kitchen area.

Together, the two of us downed what I had already poured. I took two cups while she took one and once we had finished, we refilled with the fresh bottle she had brought over. By the time we got to our third round of shots, the lovely couple had left the building leaving just the two of us be.

I killed the shots and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand before peering across the island and Julissa. "You look good." I said, while watching her grimace from the taste of hers. "Still can't handle a shot, I see."

"I can of white liquor that is. This brown stuff, will never be for me." She pointed towards the empty cup, then sighed. "Anyways, you look even better."

"Impossible."

"Possible. Those instagram pictures do not do your justice. You've bulked up a lot, your skins clearer... voice got deeper which I didn't think was even humanly possible." She smirked, "I would be a hater if I said I wasn't regretting ever single decision right about now."

"Well thank you for making my head bigger than it needs to be." I chuckled, "but I can't stand here and take all the compliments. You look amazing yourself, thicker than I remember, beautiful which isn't new but still deserves mentioning. Truth be told, I can't wait to see what's under that dress of yours."

"Oh yeah?!" She laughed out loud, "and what makes you think you'll be seeing what's under this dress?"

"Because you and I both know what we're capable of. To deny me access would be a shame."

"Kingston, please." She waved me off. "Let's 'wooosah' and refocus. First of all, how have you been?"

"I've been good and yourself?"

"Great. i'm actually so glad that you returned my phone call because I wanted to congratulate you on your internship."

"Why thank you."

"Don't mention it, it's good to see that one of us actually made it."

"You say that as if it's too late for you. You're still young."

"You always say this." She laughed, "I'm older than you."

"Not by much."

"But by enough. To start over again would mean years on top of years in school and unfortunately, that is not the move anymore." She shook her head, "plus, I'm happy where I am as silly as it sounds. Being a bottle girl has a certain look to it; but I'm making my money!"

"I see you," I rubbed my hands together while listening to her speak. "Just as before, I don't judge. It's about what makes us happy at the end of the day."

"It truly is." She nodded and said, "which is another reason why I wanted us to meet up and talk." She cheesed, "I finally, bought a house!"

"You did?!"

"Yup! Paid in full and all mine."

It was heart warming to see the excitement on her face. "Congratulations Ju! I'm so happy for you!" I walked around to where she was and pulled her into a hug. "Nah we gotta drink to that! If I had known I would've popped out the champagne instead."

After letting her go, I opened up my fridge once more and took out the bottle of Chardonnay. I wasn't much of a champagne dinner but this was one of the many bottles that were gifted to me after my graduation. This was also one of the ones I had yet to get around to. I guess it was for a reason.

"Wow, pulling out the fancy stuff for little old me." She eyed the bottled in awe.

"A moment like this deserves nothing but the best, especially since I know more than anyone else how much you've been dreaming about buying your own home." I headed for the cupboards to take down a couple of wine glasses, placing them onto the table. "Is it everything you wanted?"

"And so much more. It was in the process of being built when I saw it, so I was able to customize the interior to my liking without having to wait years."

"Nice." I grinned as I quickly popped open the bottle, "have you moved in as yet?"

"Not yet! They got a bit more work to do in the backyard and since my lease isn't up for the next couple of months; I figured I'd wait it out. I have been going there though, every now and then just to look at it and really let it sink in, that it's mine!"

"A typical Ju thing to do." I laughed, pouring the two of us a good amount. "But I don't blame you, not one bit. This is a big deal. I'm really proud of you."

"Thank you! I'm proud of myself!" She exclaimed, "and the crazy part about it all, is that the moment I got my key... the only person I wanted to share the news with... was you."

"Me?!" My brows raised as I placed the cup down before her, "Let's go sit on the couch with these." I suggested, taking her hand so that I could help her get down from the bar stool she sat in.

I took a seat on my couch and Julissa settled with the space right next to me. With the lights low and the fireplace on, the ambience was set alongside the perfect view that I lived for. It was one of the things that I loved most about this condo, that view of the city line for some reason always made me calm, it brought about a form of peace that I couldn't explain. I wasn't sure why, but it really did it for me.

"Cheers!" I announced, tapping my glass against hers. "Cheers." She repeated.

I sipped on the champagne as she did the same, once we both had enough; I signalled for her to continue. "You were saying..."

"Oh yes. You!" She took another sip before putting the glad onto my coffee table, "The