Chapter 29
Chapter twenty-nine
Chesteria
“Brian McKnight in a Hoodie?”: The Night Adrian Sang, We Danced, and the Power Came Back On”.
We were still cracking up from that chaotic Uno match when Adrian leaned back and casually said, “I should play something. I mean, I do sing a lil’ bit… can play the piano, too.”
I shot my eyes at him. “Adrian, please don’t get kicked out of this damn cabin for lying… again.”
“Man, what I look like admitting to that if I couldn’t do it?”
I scoffed. “It wouldn’t be the first time you’ll be admitting to doing something that you really didn’t know how to do,” I had to remind him.
He sucked his teeth. “That was different.”
Isis eyed him dubiously. “So you can sing? Like... sing sing, or hum real hard in the shower, and you call it talent?”
Adrian smirked like he’d been waiting for that challenge.
“Nah. I can sing sing.” He pushed himself up from the couch, chuckling.
“Always gotta prove something to Black folks.” Then he strolled toward the upright piano nestled near the window that we bought strictly for decoration.
No one had ever used it. I was halfway convinced it wasn’t even tuned.
Isis followed him like she was judging an audition episode of The Voice, clutching her wine and side-eyeing every step he took.
“Wait… are you being serious right now?” she asked, almost afraid of the answer.
Adrian pulled out the bench and sat, cracking his knuckles like a man about to break generational curses. “Deadass. Watch me work.”
He adjusted his posture, pressed a few tentative keys, and just like that, the room went silent.
The laughter and playful roasting died like somebody hit mute on life.
Then he began playing and singing “The Only One For Me by Brian McKnight.
The first note had my mouth drop open like someone snatched the air out of the room.
Isis looked stunned, too. Her mouth was slightly parted as she leaned on the piano, like she was trying to steady herself for a good time.
With my wine glass midair, I slowly turned to Bryce with wide eyes. “Wait a damn minute. Is that Brian McKnight in his body right now?!”
Byrce hunched his shoulders. “That might just be his spirit renting space in that man’s chest.”
Adrian’s voice was buttery, soulful, and clean. He didn’t miss a note. Every run and every pause was flawless. His fingers glided across the keys like he was born doing it.
Bryce stood, extended a hand toward me, and tilted his head as if he was daring me not to take it.
“Come here, queen. I need this dance.”
I blushed but didn’t hesitate. I slid my hand into his like it belonged there. He pulled me into him, guiding me slowly across the wooden floor, our steps syncing with the music. It was just a sway at first—intimate, slow, and natural—but then he touched me.
Not aggressively… not even with lust… just thoroughly.
Bryce’s hand slid along my waist, up my back, and down the curve of my hip like he was reacquainting himself with what he already knew.
His other hand rested at the nape of my neck, his thumb brushing my skin so softly it gave me chills.
That moment wasn’t about sex; it was about something remembered, something missed, and something still there.
My eyes fluttered shut. The fire crackled low behind us, setting the mood perfectly.
That wasn’t a dance; it was a memory in motion.
When Adrian reached the final verse, he locked eyes with us, just as Isis had been doing.
“I want you still... I always will... 'cause you're the only one for me.” Bryce sang the last line straight to my ear… in perfect harmony… low and raw.
I looked up at him, my heart caught between my ribs. The room stayed still like even time knew not to interrupt. It was just music, memories, and the kind of vibe that makes love feel like a second chance.
After the music faded, me and Bryce slowly drifted apart.
Isis smiled like a bougie romantic movie critic. “Okay… this is the softest hood-ass love story I’ve ever seen, and I’m here for it!”
Adrian leaned back, cracking his knuckles again like he had just given us a free concert and reawakened a whole chapter of emotions. “Y’all better act like y’all know.”
Bryce, never looking away from me, grinned. “Oh, we know now.”
Laughter echoed around the room, and compliments flew out about Adrian being secretly loaded with talent.
That’s when we all heard a sharp click, followed by a hum that wasn’t the piano.
I flinched, holding on tightly to Bryce, who seemed to enjoy the closeness. “What the hell was that?”
Adrian’s eyes darted toward the kitchen where the noise came from. “Y’all… that better not be another damn bear. If it is, it ain’t my fault this time.”
Isis grabbed her chest and started pacing. “See, this is why I don’t do nature! The woods too quiet! You can’t hear your death coming!”
Bryce gently pulled out of our embrace, his voice steady and unimpressed. “Relax; that’s just the power. The lights came back on. I gotta go turn off the generator before it blows.”
He slipped out the door, leaving the three of us standing in the warm glow of actual, working electricity.
Isis practically jumped for joy. “Yes! Back in business! I can finally look like somebody again! I’ve been in hoodie purgatory for days!
I was trying not to outshine y’all, but since the power is back on, y’all might wanna squint!
Watch me go from storm survivor to somebody’s fantasy in fifteen minutes or less! ”
She disappeared down the hall with her phone in the air, already unlocking it, which left me and Adrian alone. He was still seated at the piano, fingers idly pressing keys, not looking at me, but fully aware I was still there.
I slowly walked over, arms crossed. “That was impressive. Why didn’t you tell me you could do all that?”
He shrugged, not taking it seriously at all. “You never asked.”
I tilted my head. “I also never asked if you was a damn Jedi. That don’t mean you keep it to yourself.”
Adrian chuckled. “Real talk? Ain’t too many folks I like sharing that side with.”
“You mean your talent or your humility?”
“Both.”
I studied him for a beat, my expression softening. “You know, if the drug business don’t work out for you, you’d make one hell of a church-singing side nigga. The kind that makes aunties leave they husbands and join the praise team just to hear you hit that one note.”
He laughed, then glanced down, smile fading into something quieter. “So… you and Bryce? Y’all working things out?”
“Are we back together? No. Is there a chance for reconnection? Yes. Things are just… complicated right now.”
Adrian gave a faint smile. “Good. I like seeing you happy, Chess.”
“And I like you showing who you really are, Adrian. That was… damn near magical.”
He smirked. “I got layers… like a hood-ass onion.”
We both cracked up.
“You’re a fool… but a talented one.”
“Don’t gas me up too much. I’ll be out here trying to open for Brian McKnight on tour.”
We laughed again, then Adrian got quiet.
“Nah, for real, I ‘preciate that. And I uh… I’m sorry, Chess, for all the lying. The little lies… the big ones and trying to act like I had more than I did. I just ain’t want you to see how lost I really was.”
I took a slow breath, letting his words settle. “I appreciate that, Adrian. And if I ever said something outta pocket, my bad… even though you probably deserved it.”
He grinned. “I did.”
“I ain’t always have to go for the jugular; sometimes I could’ve stopped at the collarbone.”
That had him laughing again, shaking his head. “I just wanna see you happy, Chess… even if it ain’t with me. You deserve real love… real peace.”
“Thank you.” I looked at him for a long moment before teasing, “So… what you think about Isis? I see the way you be looking at her.”
Adrian raised a brow. “You mean the way she be looking at me?” He smirked.
“Nah, she cool, though. Bougie as hell, but cool. Would I smash? Hell yeah. Could I see myself with her long-term? Nah. She a lil’ too uptight for a nigga like me.
Isis looks like the type to make me put lemon slices in the toilet water ‘cause ‘guests might peek in.’”
I giggled, then let my face settle into something softer. “Look, I know the streets been your way of life for a long time. But you got talent, Adrian… real talent. And you got kids. Don’t let them grow up only hearing you sing behind Plexiglass.”
“Damn.”
“You don’t owe the streets nothing, but you owe yourself a shot at something better, and a life that doesn’t come with an expiration date… or a mugshot.”
He looked down, voice quieter now. “You always was the one who saw more in me than I did.”
“I still do. So make it count. But not only for yourself, but for them babies. Which are how old, by the way?”
Adrian scratched his head. “Six… four… and a questionable one-year-old.”
I burst out laughing. “Not questionable. I’ma need for you to get a DNA test done ASAP!”
“Getting on that soon as I touched back to the crib. But I ‘preciate the advice, Chesteria. You always been a real one.”
“Well, you know I would say the same about you, but…”
We both laughed again.
Then I nudged him lightly, my tone dipping into something more sincere.
“You’re a good person, too, Adrian; you just gotta do away with the lying and lead with the version of you that isn’t scared to be seen.
You’re already halfway there; you just needed to hear it from someone who still believes you got time to rewrite your ending. ”
Adrian looked at me. His eyes were softer than usual, like the words hit deeper than he’d let on.
“You really think I still got time?”
I shrugged, preparing to leave. “As long as you’re breathing, you got time. But don’t play with it, ’cause second chances don’t always come with third warnings.”
I tapped the piano once, more habit than intention, then turned on my heels, only to stop short.
I had just remembered something.