Chapter Five

"What you doing?" I looked up from my laptop to Kamryn standing in my doorway.

"YouTube." I smiled innocently as she released a chuckle.

Everyone that knew me knew I could watch tutorials, vlogs, and hauls all day long, it was definitely one of my guilty pleasures.

"Can you flat iron my hair?" She smiled in an attempt to butter me up.

"For what? Where you going?" My eyebrow rose in wonder. Don't get me wrong, flat ironing Kam's hair was the norm, because she loved to keep up appearances, but her beat face definitely caught me my eye.

"I can't just want my hair done?" She sighed shifting her weight from leg to leg.

"No, so where you going thickums?"

"I'm going to dinner if you must know nosey." She flicked the top of my nose, finally stepping into my bedroom.

"Dinner? With who? Bitch are you going on a date?" My eyes bulged as my mind ran wild at the thought of Kam on a date.

"It's not a date Sage." She rolled her eyes in a bored manner.

"Is he picking you up?" I continued to fire off questions as I plugged in my flat irons.

"Yeah." She shrugged in a nonchalantly.

"Girl bye, you're going on a date."

"Bye Sa." She waved me off, her chocolate cheeks beginning to blush.

"Mhmm, but gon' head wild out tonight boo, order the lobster!"

"I was gon' do that anyway, because that's just how I am." She batted her mink lashes at me.

"Ooop well come on boo." I motioned her to sit down before me.

"You and these long ass inches." I ran my fingers through her black tresses. Kam's hair stayed laid but it was to be expected, her mother Karmen was one of the baddest hair stylist's to step foot in Atlanta.

"I need to go see mama asap, I miss my bundles."

"You know she's going to chew your ass out right? You haven't been to the salon in months."

"Trust me I know." I sighed parting her hair into sections.

I was trying something new by wearing my natural hair as it was. I hadn't put a flat iron to my hair in months and while it was rewarding to see my curls flourish, the maintenance was overwhelming. Wash day alone left me in tears.

"So back to you, who's taking my good sis out tonight, do I know him?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." She looked back and winked at me.

"Remember I'm the one with the flat iron sis." I threatened her playfully.

"Bitch play with my edges if you want to."

"Whatever, I'm just happy somebody is taking your mean ass out.

"I am not mean Sage."

"Kamryn." I scoffed at my best friend as she spewed her lies.

Kammy was by far the meanest person I knew aside from Solé & Smoke. Standoffish was an understatement if there ever was one, she was a true ice queen. Kam wasn't a bitch or anything, but she was far from being friendly.

"I'm not, just don't come around me with the bullshit."

"Mhmm, well either way I'm excited for you, because Lord knows you don't give anyone the time of day, so he either got money or he's fine.

"But you knew that sis." She wagged her tongue.

"Isreal!" I shook my head hearing Nadia's voice fill our apartment.

"Well look who's home." Kam and I shared a chuckle, knowing my room was about to increase by two at any second.

"Hey y'all." Nadia waved, stepping into my bedroom, her boyfriend Izzy right behind her.

"Wassup." Izzy nodded before taking a seat next to Kam on the floor, laying his head in her lap.

"Sis, get your friend, she stressing a nigga." His light brown eyes begged.

"Uh uh, that's between y'all Isreal." Kam caressed his head amused at the two.

"Y'all giving me a headache and y'all ain't been here a minute yet."

"That's her bro." Izzy smacked his lips in annoyance.

"What's the problem?" I asked, getting a eye roll from Nadia.

"She too damn friendly, all in the waiter face." Isreal shook his head in frustration.

"Nigga, I asked for an extra lemon, calm your ass down."

"I could've got you a lemon."

"Izzy you are not serious." I clutched my chest as I fought to hold in my laughter. He was entirely too overprotective, and even though Nadia complained about it, I knew deep down she loved it.

"Exactly!" Nadi exclaimed as she laughed at her unamused boyfriend.

"You are truly your daddy's child, just stupid."
Kam shook her head at her older brother.

Isreal and Kamryn were half siblings, sharing the same father. However, that made no difference to them because nothing could make the pair closer. For as long as we could remember every few months Izzy would fly down from Philly to visit Kam. It wasn't until our sophomore year in college that those visits turned from monthly to every few weeks. Eventually we realized that while Kam was his sole purpose for visiting, Nadia became a deciding factor as well. For months they tried to keep it under wraps because if it was one thing Kamryn didn't play about it was her brother, but eventually Kam caught wind of it and all hell broke loose. It wasn't the fact that her best friend and brother were dating, but that they had lied to keep it a secret. Eventually they talked it out, but it damn sure took some time.
Both Nadia and Isreal were both known to be players so the fact that the two took interest in one another scared the hell out of Kam.
In her opinion, their union was bound to end in flames, but here they were still pushing through.

"Hol' up, where you going, why you got on makeup and where the fuck are your clothes?" Izzy squinted his eyes together as he zoned in on Kam in her robe.

"Why are you all in my face?"

"Stop playing with me." He sucked his teeth tugging on her robe.

"Isreal move!" She swatted away at his hands.

"Let that nigga know I just cleaned my gun too." Izzy continued to pester her, a mischievous glint shone in his eyes.

"Nadia get your mans." Kam pleaded.

"It's ok, me and that nigga gon' have a nice little talk."

                         ______________

"Nadia!"

"I'll be back." Nadi declared as she went to see about Kam. After helping K get ready for her date we found ourselves settling into the living room and watching a movie as we waited for her date to show.

"Why is he here?" I overheard the two whisper amongst one another.

"How should I know?"

"Girl I don't know, that's your people." The two continued to go back and forth in front of our home's company.

"Y'all gon stop talking about me like I'm not standing here." Smoke's baritone voice sounded throughout our home.

"He's here for me, I invited him." I left my spot on the couch to greet him at the door.

"Excuse me?" Both of their necks snapped toward me.

"I bought you some food mama." Smoke smiled sidestepping past the two, holding a greasy brown paper bag.

"Thank you Rah." I took it gladly, the aroma of the juicy burger filling my nostrils.

"What the hell is this? What y'all got going on?" Nadi pointed between the two of us.

"Mind ya business nosey." Smoke flicked Nadi on the forehead playfully.

"Boy she is my business and so are you nigga."

"Go on somewhere Nicole." He chuckled addressing her by her middle name.

"Whateva, y'all not grown remember that." Nadi pointed between her best friend and god brother.

"Well we'll leave you two alone." Kam smirked as they retreated back into the living room.

"Come on." I motioned for him to follow me to my bedroom.

"Welcome to my palace!" I twirled as we entered my favorite place to be. I wholeheartedly loved my room and if I could I would never leave. I was what some would call an introverted extrovert. I enjoyed being in the company of others, but I was my happiest in the comfort of my own home.

"You still think you a princess huh? Little brat." He chuckled as he plopped down on to my bed.

"I'm a queen sweetheart." I sent a wink his way before focusing my attention on the contents of  the greasy brown bag before me.

Since our heart to heart Smoke and I have been working on mending our relationship. We were friends before anything and as much as I hate to admit it, I missed his friendship.

We were reconnecting with each other and honestly I was enjoying it.

"Ooh onion rings." I squealed popping one in my mouth.

"Phat phat." He bit his lip and I immediately clenched my thighs together.

Mending our friendship was an easy feat, but trying to control myself around him was proving to be a struggle. I was managing, but
Smoke was now a grown man and his boyish looks were now that of a handsome man. From his beard to his plump lips he had flourished tremendously and the thumping between my thighs agreed wholeheartedly.

While my mind never strayed too far away from Gio I constantly reminded myself that technically I was a single woman so these wild thoughts that plagued my mental were inherently harmless.

"I got something on my face?" Smoke's smoldering voice awakened me from my heated thoughts.

"You have resting bitch face." I blurted out quickly, embarrassed that he caught me staring.

"The fuck is that?" He furrowed his
eyebrows in confusion.

"You always look like you hate the world, who hurt you sis?" I chuckled as he eyed me intensely before his scowl turned into a boyish grin.

"Chill out ma." He chuckled stealing one of my onion rings.

"That unibrow doesn't help either boo."

"Oh you full of jokes tonight huh?" He nodded his head slowly. His face remained solid, but a hint of amusement glazed over his eyes, egging me on to continue.

"Just stating facts, over there looking like an angry caterpillar." I shrugged my shoulders as he licked his lips, watching me intently.

"I'm this close to hurting your feelings little girl." He stood tall, his full height towering over my petite frame, sending a nostalgic shiver down my spine.

"Let me wax it." I licked my thumb and placed it between his eyebrows.

"Ok ok I'm done, I'm sorry." I laughed as he scooped me into his arms before I was thrown on my back, his well sculpted body hovering mine.

"You like that rough shit huh?" He whispered into my ear causing my breath to hitch as his hands soon found my hips.

"My phone." I spoke barely above a whisper, the vibrations of my phone caught my attention, however my buzzing phone was the least of my worries as Smoke bore his eyes into mine.

Gio 🤬💕: You home?
Gio 🤬💕: I'm about to slide through.

"You on my time right now, they can wait."

               _____________________

WHAT ARE YALL THOUGHTS?
The Girls?
Izzy?
Smoke?
That text?

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• Izzy (24)
• Smoke (25)

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- until next time✨