Chapter 32 Ocean
OCEAN
The minute Skye walked outside, I felt the shift.
That silence that wasn’t really silence. Just heavy air, everybody trying to act normal, forks scraping plates.
I was sitting at the table doing my best to keep my cool, but my focus was split between the front door where Skye had disappeared and her mother sitting across from me, giving me a look.
She didn’t say anything for a second, just wiped her mouth with a napkin, eyes steady on me. Then—
“So, Ocean...” she started, her tone casual. “When we met, did I tell you how much I like your name?”
I cracked a half-smile. “Not directly, but I got the feeling that you did.”
“It makes you sound mysterious.”
“Yeah, my mom chose it. She said she wanted me to have calm energy. I’m still working on that part though.”
She chuckled. “So, where do things stand with you and my daughter? What exactly is...this?”
I leaned back, knowing that was coming. “We’re figuring it out,” I said, honestly. It was clear she wasn’t buying us just being friends. “I’m respecting whatever pace she wants to go at. But just so we’re clear, I’m not toying with her in any way.”
Her eyebrow raised. “You sure? Because Skye’s been through her fair share of—”
“I’m well aware,” I cut in gently. “That’s why I move careful with her. I’m not trying to hurt her.”
The table got quiet. Even Kory, who’d been pretending to scroll his phone like he wasn’t eavesdropping, finally looked up. I could feel his smirk before I even saw it.
“Is something funny?” I asked.
“Yeah, you,” he said, chuckling. “Niggas kill me with all that poetic shit. Every man says he’s not trying to hurt a woman when he’s trying to get some.”
Her mother’s lips pressed tight, but I stayed calm, reminding myself what type of shit I was supposed to be on.
“Nah,” I said slowly, meeting his eyes. “You must got me confused with yourself.”
His smirk faded, just a little. “You don’t even know me.”
“Trust me, I know enough.”
He laughed, leaning back in his chair. “You really think you know everything based off of some bullshit Skye told you? She got you walking in here like you running something. But you not running shit. You in my house. Let’s keep that clear.”
Before Skye’s mother could step in, I was already standing.
“First off,” I said quietly, “watch your tone when you talk to me. Second, don’t ever get it twisted. I don’t need to run nobody’s house to recognize disrespect when I hear it.”
The air got thick...real thick.
Skye’s mother stood. “Kory, you need to hush before you write a check your ass can’t cash.”
“Nah, you need to tell that to this fool.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the front door opened.
Skye walked in, her eyes flicking around the room immediately. She could feel the stress hanging in the air.
“What’s going on?” she asked cautiously.
Leera trailed into the room, KJ in her arms. “Yeah…what’s happening in here?”
Before I could answer, Kory was blurting shit out of his mouth. “Your boy here got a slick mouth. Came in my house disrespecting me.”
I barked out a laugh before I could stop it. “Nigga, you the one started talking sideways. I just matched energy.”
Leera frowned, clutching the baby closer. “Skye, get your...friend to calm the hell down. This is our home. We’re not going to tolerate disrespect.”
“Then maybe your husband should learn how to not dish the shit out,” Skye shot back. “Shit, maybe if he knew how to have even an ounce of respect, we wouldn’t even be in this situation.”
“Oh, please, don’t start with that shit again.”
“What? The fucking truth?” She snapped. “See, that’s the problem, Leera, you never want to hear the truth.”
“No, I don’t want to hear your truth.”
Kory laughed. “Yeah, don’t nobody want to hear that bullshit.”
“Kory, if you don’t shut your mouth—”
“Mama, stop defending her!” Leera snapped. “You always take her side! This is my house, and if they can’t respect it, then they can leave. Every time her and Kory are in the same room, it turns into something. I’m sick of it.”
Skye blinked fast, her voice trembling but steady. “He’s the reason it turns into something. He’s always lying, always twisting things, and you—”
“Skye,” Kory interrupted, smirking again. “You still mad I turned you down back in the day? Is that what this is really about?”
Skye’s eyes widened.
“Nah, we not doing that,” I cut in. “You not going to flip this shit around tonight. You know what’s up. You know what really happened.”
“Man, you don’t even know what you’re talking about!” Kory snapped, stepping up to me like he forgot who he was dealing with.
Skye’s mother moved fast, getting between us. “Enough! Both of you!”
I took a step back, breathing through my nose. My fists were tight, my jaw locked, but I wasn’t going to give this nigga the satisfaction.
Skye was shaking. Not out of fear, but out of anger. “You’re disgusting,” she told him, her voice breaking. “You came on to me, tried to fuck me, and then made my sister believe that I mistook your so-called kindness for something else.”
Kory laughed again, hollow and defensive. “That’s crazy talk. You’re really going to stand here and lie like that in front of everybody?”
Leera’s eyes filled with tears. “Get it out,” she screamed. “Get out!” She stormed toward the hallway, the baby crying against her shoulder.
“You heard what she said.” Kory smirked, his arms folded over his chest.
I wanted to knock that shit right off, but I knew I wouldn’t stop there.
The silence that followed was loud.
Skye remained still, breathing shallow.
I placed my hand against her arm. “Let’s go.”
She didn’t argue. She just grabbed her purse and headed for the door.
I followed her out, closing the door behind us.
Her mother’s voice was loud and clear as she went off on Kory for his behavior.
Skye stopped at the bottom of the porch steps. She looked up at me, eyes glassy. “I just want her to believe me.”
“I know.” I stepped closer, cupping her chin gently, forcing her to meet my eyes. “You can’t force people to believe some shit they don’t want to see. All you can do is stand in your truth. You did that tonight.”
Her shoulders dropped. Then she fell against me, her face pressing into my chest, quiet sobs shaking through her. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her like I was anchoring us both.
After a long minute, she whispered, “Thank you…for having my back.”
“Always,” I mumbled. “Ain’t nobody going to play with you while I’m around. Ever.”
She looked up, her expression soft but exhausted, eyes shining with something deep...love, maybe, or relief. “You’re dangerous when you mean that,” she said quietly.
I smirked. “Then I guess you’re safe.”
We stood there for a while, the night swallowing the noise from inside, the weight of everything still hanging between us.
And even though everything had gone left, I knew one thing for sure...she wasn’t standing in that pain alone. Not tonight. Not ever again.