Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? #7
I understood her position since I was in a similar boat but it still bothered me that there was a difference in how they were treated.
“You weren’t going to be playing the role of broke college student for your whole life.
Things could easily have been gifted to you and then put in a vault.
Hell, our family has a bunch of jewelry that we’ve counterfeited over the years and kept the originals.
There’s even a tiara if you want it. It converts into a necklace. ”
I was doing too much. Blurring lines that needed to stay crisp but seeing them looking so expensive and Asha being more simplistic it bothered me seeing her be othered.
She smiled and shook her head as though the thought of a tiara was ludicrous. “That’s a bit much.”
“Don’t say that. You saw that Xerxes got one for his wife. And you know that Nevaeh custom-made it for her along with all of her bridal jewelry. The Consortium is going to keep her in the black for the next few decades.”
“Again. Much. Vanya’s an actual princess now. I’m… me.”
I shook my head unable to speak on the situation without revealing too much. Asha had a way of speaking that always seemed to downplay who she was and it was pissing me off. “I’m going to leave that alone.”
“Why?”
“Because I never thought I would hear you be self-deprecating and I need to sit with it for a second.”
She opened her mouth and closed it before she ran her hand through her hair. Halfway through the crown she paused briefly and brought her hand down in front of her face. Her eyes were on the ring that I’d placed there and she looked past it to focus on me as she shook her head. “This is weird.”
“What is?”
When Asha hesitated I tensed wondering what she was going to say next. “We haven’t argued in hours.”
I relaxed when I should’ve been even more on guard. Her assessment was correct and I was unsure what that meant for us. Instead of allowing it to deepen into something that might have us doing something that we would regret and then run away from later, I lightened the mood as best I could.
“We’ve been in enemy territory. You needed someone to have your back, I was the person for it. Once your nervous system regulates after being there with them, I’m sure you’ll find a reason to get pissed off at me again.”
She rolled her eyes as she lowered her hand. She avoided eye contact and looked around the immaculately organized closet as though she were looking for an excuse to move away from me. Since there was nothing out of place she didn’t have one and stood her ground.
“You speak as though you’re looking forward to it.”
“Would you think I was crazy if I said I was?”
Our eyes locked and the space between us seemed to shorten the longer our gazes held.
“No. There’s a way that we’ve begun to coexist. I wonder why you’ve kept something more distant than others.” The smile that had been on her face faded slightly as her eyes landed back on her ring.
“You mean why I haven’t tried to sleep with you?”
A quick nod, one that showed how she was attempting to be open but was also guarding herself. The air had shifted, which made me wonder if she felt like I didn’t desire her. Why that would be the case was beyond me since it had been obvious. “That.”
“Because there are things I feel like we need to work through. Get on better footing. Despite the chemistry between the two of us, I don’t want what we build to be only on that. It’s the easiest way for us to have cracks overlooked in what it is we’re building.”
“So you want to learn one another before we sleep together again.”
“Eager to get back to your ladder?”
“You already know that but again, I’ll follow your lead.”
Her words solidified something in me in the ease in which she’d spoken those words. I knew they had to be difficult for her but she’d given them to me. “Trust?”
Her smile was rueful and she stole glances at me from beneath her lashes as she absentmindedly ran her hand along the fabric of her silk and cashmere scarves.
“You haven’t given me a reason not to. I promised you’d have it until you did.
I’m a woman of my word, just like you’re proving to be a man of yours. ”
“Does that shock you?” I leaned against the white lacquered cabinet of her closet, continuing to study all her mannerisms. Despite her openness, there was still something she was keeping from me.
“More of a pleasant surprise. I’m sure you’re going to pace the house or whatever it is you do when you don’t want to sleep.
I’m going to shower.” She stood up straight, our conversation seeming to have settled something within her.
And she was content with how the evening had played out.
I’d rather have every rung buried in her depths to end the night perfectly but now wasn’t the time for that.
“Thank you for agreeing to the dinner. Glad it went better than you expected.”
“And just so you know, I know a few things about you. Your favorite color is black. Your birthday is New Year’s Eve when the entire world is celebrating.Your middle name is Akoni Franklin and I know the tattoos on your arm have special meaning but they mean something different to everyone.
Whenever you want to share I’ll be happy to listen. ”
Like all of her declarations she didn’t give me a chance to say much before she turned and walked away leaving me wondering again how I was going to keep myself from breaking my fiancée’s heart or the ever-increasing possibility that she would break what was left of mine.
To distract myself from the words Asha had spoken, I made my way to the domain I’d claimed in the penthouse: the library.
Sitting down on the sofa, I dialed the number that had been attempting to reach me for months.
I didn’t know what had caused her to want to talk to me but this sudden reappearance with so many other things in my life changing had me on alert.
I didn’t believe in coincidences. I was still sitting on the information that Hakeem had provided me until I could fully check it out for myself.
I’d taken it to Jemma Marie and she agreed to get back to me to confirm everything Hakeem had said.
Until then, I wasn’t going to talk to Pappy about anything without proof.
I didn’t need to tell Jem to keep it between the two of us because she knew what this information would mean.
It would mean that the Franklins could be completely withdrawn from the Consortium since they were technically dead weight and my grandfather could fully move into their empty seat with no strings or asterisks by his name.
I wanted it to be true. Knowing how he’d grown up and the racism he’d faced on Hawai’i for not being fully native.
This acceptance into the Consortium, even by marriage, had earned him a lot.
Being a part of it by blood would mean a lot to him even if he would deny it.
Pappy let a lot of disrespect slide because of gratitude.
I would be happy to gift him the ability to stop giving a fuck and move how he wanted.
The phone only rang once before the line connected and a voice that I could conjure up instantly came over the phone.
“Ori.”
I gritted my teeth at the way she didn’t seem surprised to hear from me but I could tell it brought her joy. Joy she didn’t deserve but I couldn’t start out being an asshole to her.
“Faith.”
It wasn’t a jab but I wouldn’t feel right calling her anything else. Instinctively I knew Mrs. Nakoa would be too formal and Mother was too false. Mom for damn sure wasn’t happening because the last time I called her that it was as she walked out of the door leaving me with Pappy.
The soft intake was almost too silent for me to hear but I did. I prayed she wasn’t on some emotional bullshit that would force me to end this call before it got started.
She cleared her throat trying to mask the pain not realizing I’d already heard it. “I’m happy you called.”
“Why have you been trying to reach out to me?” I folded my legs on the ottoman listening out to hear Asha’s footsteps in the hall. I didn’t care if she heard this conversation but I knew she might have hope for this relationship where there was none.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“About?”
“Word got back to me that you will be taking your place soon. I’m proud of you, Ori. No matter what you might think. You’ll be far better at this role than I or your father would ever have been and I know I have your grandfather to thank for that.”
“Among other reasons.”
“You’re right. He was a better parent to you than I was. At least toward the end.”
“You were better in the beginning?”
She grunted her outrage at my words. “You know the answer to that. Despite the hardness you have for me, you wouldn’t be on the phone if you didn’t think there was something salvageable about me.
I know you, Ori. Raised you for almost twelve years and you had a strength about you even in the womb.
Tore my damn ribs up frequently. I knew I was giving birth to greatness. ”
Her words warmed me in a way they shouldn’t have and I would never reveal to her.
Asha was making me soft.
“Things got bad with him. That had nothing to do with me.”
“It had everything to do with you. But that’s a story for another day.”
It must have been a familial trait with dropping nuggets and then not explaining yourself. “Why?”
“You’re not ready to hear it yet and I don’t blame you for that. My call was to reach out and see if you would be okay with me being around.”
“What does that mean?”
“I wanted your permission to move back to DC.”
Knowing that she hadn’t been in DC all this time hiding from me made me feel… something. Relief wasn’t the word but she’d invoked some type of emotion.
“It’s not my place to determine how you move. Ask Pappy.” I wasn’t about to decide based on our relationship but I didn’t want my anger to keep her away.
“I already have and he gave me the okay along with a multitude of threats, which I appreciated.”
I folded my arms trying to decipher what her motive was. “So why come to me with any of this?”
“Because your opinion is the only one that matters to me.”
“So if I tell you to stay out of the area you’ll do it?”
“I’d do anything for you, Ori, but that’s a story for another day.”
I had questions. It was only right that I did because none of what she was saying made sense. I prided myself on being intelligent but it seemed both sides of my family were keeping me in the dark And I needed to know why.
“You are free to move however you need to, Faith. I wouldn’t think to place restrictions on a grown woman. That’s not how I operate.”
Her asking me for permission irritated me because it seemed she still hadn’t grown a spine.
Of course, knowing how the Consortium worked she knew well that we were dangerous but no matter how much time had passed she was still a part of the organization.
That meant the Elders had to decide if she could be harmed without retribution.
They focused on keeping order and since most of them were my mother’s peers I doubted they would allow anything bad to happen to her.
Even if they might want to curse her out for how she left.
“Thank you. When I get to town I’ll give you the information on where I’ll be. Until things are settled I don’t want to interrupt your life by running into you and causing you stress.”
“Impossible. But thanks for the heads-up.”
“You’re welcome. Hopefully, we can talk again soon.”
I gave her a noncommittal sound before I hung up the phone.
No matter how bad things were between us my mother was another responsibility on my plate.
I knew blood between her and her brother was bad and her waltzing back in with open arms while he was still on the outs would mean that the bad would only get worse.
Being near me at all put a target on her back, probably one larger than was already there.
I was itching to get away from government work but the politics of the Consortium might be what did me in.