Chapter 14 TONI ROC
Greystone City
For the past two days, me and Kay’Lo had been spendin’ time in my city.
He had us laid up in a big four-bedroom Airbnb with a pool in the back, and he’d been spoilin’ the hell outta me.
Every day it was somethin’ new. If I said I wanted it, he made sure I had it.
We’d been shoppin’, hittin’ the spa, and layin’ up makin’ love like two people that ain’t had each other in months.
Every night before I went to sleep, he told me he loved me and called me beautiful, and it wasn’t just words.
I could feel it in the way he looked at me, touched me, and made me laugh.
I ain’t never been loved like this before, not in no loud or performin’ way, but in a way that made me feel safe.
Today was my cousin Sha’Nelle’s twenty-sixth birthday, and she decided to throw somethin’ at the park.
That was so like her, to do somethin’ different but still ghetto fabulous.
She wanted balloons, music, and barbecue smoke in the air, and that’s exactly what she got.
Me and Kay’Lo pulled up in his rented black Corvette with the top down, music bumpin’ and the wind hittin’ my hair while I held onto his arm.
He always made an entrance without even tryin’.
Decorations was everywhere, plates stacked up, foil pans filled with ribs, baked beans, and macaroni. It was a real family function that was messy, loud, and full of love at the same time.
When we got out the car. Kay’Lo grabbed my hand.
He had on a crisp white tee that hugged his chest, light jeans, and his jewelry shinin’ every time the sun hit him.
His chains shined, his watch caught the light, and his dark shades made him look untouchable.
He had that type of energy that made people look twice, and it wasn’t even just his looks, but it was also his presence.
He had that confidence that said he was somebody, and it showed in every step he took.
I could feel eyes on us while we walked across the grass.
Some of Sha’Nelle’s friends paused their conversation just to watch.
A few smiled at him, the type of smiles bitches give when they see somethin’ they know they can’t have but still wanna look.
I felt that lil’ wave of jealousy rise in me, but it wasn’t loud.
I just squeezed my nigga’s hand tighter and kept walkin’.
When I spotted Sha’Nelle, I lifted my voice. “One time for the birthday bitch!”
She turned around grinnin’, already drunk off tequila. “Aye, my cousin Toni done showed up!” she hollered, throwin’ her arms out. We hugged tight, both of us laughin’.
She looked at Kay’Lo and smiled wide. “What’s up, Cuz? You still treatin’ my girl right?”
Kay’Lo gave that half grin that made every woman melt. “You know I am.“
Sha’Nelle smiled. “Come get y’all some food. Aunt Reesie made her famous ribs.”
We followed her over to the tables, and I could feel the tension before I even sat down.
Some of my cousins gave me them fake smiles while lookin’ at my nigga a lil’ too long.
My long distance family whispered low to each other, and I knew what it was.
They wasn’t expectin’ me to pull up with no man that looked like Kay’Lo.
My family had always looked at me like the wild one, the black sheep.
But sittin’ next to him now, drippin’ in diamonds and designer, I could feel they envy mixed with confusion.
Kay’Lo ain’t pay that shit no mind, though.
He wrapped his arm around me, kissed my cheek, and nodded at whoever made eye contact with him.
He wasn’t tryna impress nobody, but was just bein’ him, and that was what made him stand out even more.
I sat on his lap, leanin’ back into him while he rolled a blunt.
The smell of barbecue, cologne, and weed mixed in the air.
We’d been here for about thirty minutes before I noticed somethin’.
My stomach dropped the second my eyes caught my uncle Darnell’s face.
He was sittin’ under one of the canopies with his sons Daze, Kion, and Deuce, laughin’ and eatin’ ribs like he ain’t have demons.
My cousins looked older, bigger and louder than I remembered.
They was my age now, all in their early twenties, and all full of that same cocky energy that came from the men in our family.
Kay’Lo must’ve felt me tense up ‘cause he stopped what he was doin’. “You good, baby?” he asked, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
I nodded, then leaned in and rested my chin on his shoulder. My voice dropped to a whisper. “That dude that just walked past,” I said softly. “That’s my uncle Darnell. The one I told you about.”
Kay’Lo froze. His hand, the one holdin’ the lighter, stopped mid-air. I could feel the change in him right away. His energy shifted like a storm movin’ in. He ain’t say nothin’ at first. He just looked in the direction I glanced, and I knew what he was thinkin’.
I slid my hand up his arm. “Kay’Lo,” I whispered. “Don’t, please.”
He turned his head just a lil’, his jaw flexin’. “You tellin’ me that nigga right there?” he asked low.
“Yeah,” I breathed out.
He took a slow breath and looked away, but I knew it wasn’t over.
Kay’Lo was calm, but it was that type of calm that made me nervous.
After almost a year of being together, I knew my nigga.
I knew how loyal he was, and how protective he got when it came to me.
I could already see it in his eyes that this wasn’t somethin’ he was just gon’ let slide.
I tried to act normal, and tried to smile when one of my cousins came over to say hey, but my mind was everywhere.
The thing about black families was they could know exactly what happened to you and still pretend like it didn’t.
That’s what they did with Darnell and his brothers.
They knew what they did to me when I was a lil’ girl, but instead of callin’ the police, they called a family meetin’ and told me to forgive and move on.
“That’s your uncle,” they said. “He didn’t mean it. ”
A part of me wanted to believe they meant well, but that kind of hurt never really went away. You just learned to live with it. You smiled through holidays, kept your distance at barbecues, and told yourself you was fine even when you wasn’t. That was how I survived it.
But Kay’Lo wasn’t built like that.
He came from a family that actually loved each other out loud, a family built on loyalty, morals, and real principles.
His people moved with pride, not secrets.
They had money, but more than that, they had a bond that couldn’t be broken.
If one person hurt, they all felt it. If somebody crossed one of them, it was up for whoever did it.
His family didn’t sweep shit under the rug; they faced it, handled it, and stood together through it all.
Kay’Lo was raised on respect, protection, and accountability.
That’s why he didn’t play about me or nobody he loved.
When it came to the people he cared about, his heart was big, but his temper was dangerous.
He wasn’t the type to talk about what he’d do; he’d just do it.
And sittin’ here with my uncle in the same park, I could already tell that side of him was startin’ to surface.
He leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “You sure you want me to chill?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “Please, baby.”
He nodded, but I could still feel the anger radiatin’ off him. His arm stayed around my waist, but his eyes kept movin’ toward that canopy where my uncle sat.
Sha’Nelle came over a few minutes later, drunk and loud again. “Toni, come take a shot with me!”
I smiled, tryna keep everything normal. “A’ight, let’s do it.” I looked at Kay’Lo. “You want one?”
He shook his head, his eyes still on Darnell. “I’m cool, baby. I need to stay alert.”
I knew then that this night wasn’t gon’ end easy. Kay’Lo had that look in his eyes that said he was fightin’ with himself not to react.
I touched his hand again, slid my thumb across his skin, and whispered, “Don’t let him take you there, please.”
He looked at me, his voice low and calm. “I hear you, baby,” he said, his eyes still locked in that direction. “But just know, I don’t let shit slide too long.”
I knew he was right, and I knew that kind of chill didn’t last long.
Even with the music blastin’ and the laughter floatin’ through the air, I could feel the tension hangin’ between us. It wasn’t loud or obvious, but it was there, sittin’ right in his chest while he watched my uncle from a distance.
I leaned back against him and tried to breathe, tellin’ myself this was just another family party, and just another day I had to survive. But deep down, I knew better.
Kay’Lo was too calm, and when a man like him went quiet, somethin’ was bound to happen next.
As the day went on me and Kay’Lo was still at the park chillin’, and watchin’ my people act a fool like always.
The sun had started to slide down behind the trees, and the whole sky was that orange and purple mix that made everything look soft and warm.
The music was still loud, smoke was floatin’ through the air from the grill, and a few people was playin’ spades under one of the pavilions.
Kids had left with they parents hours ago, so now it was grown folks everywhere with red cups in they hands and somebody laughin’ too loud every other second.