34. Kayori
Chapter Thirty-Four
KAYORI
My next-door neighbor and his sister stood outside with me in front of my house, laughing hard about the game of Uno we had just played.
Icella and her brother, Carlos, were down to earth and really cool.
At first, I was not fond of making new friends, especially since Carlos came on strong to me.
He didn’t hide the fact that he liked me and didn’t care that I was with child.
Once I made it clear that I wasn’t interested, he respected me, and we all started hanging out from time to time.
I got a little close with Icella, although we were like day and night.
Icella was real ratchet and ghetto as hell.
She had a heart of gold, though, which is why I hired her to clean my Airbnb property.
She was heavyset like me and really pretty.
Both she and Carlos mixed with Mexican and Black making up their DNA.
Icella’s hair was jet black and curly as hell, stopping at her waist. Carlos’s hair was tapered on the sides and cut short in low tight curls.
He was handsome as hell, a pretty boy. They both moved in around the same time as I.
I could tell they had hard lives, but they both were real genuine.
I didn’t hang with Icella and her group of friends, though.
They were crazy as hell, always arguing, and had drama going.
It felt good to have new people in my life.
I was always tight with just me and Meshalay.
It was hard for me to trust, but I took to Icella and Carlos easily.
“So, I need my bread, Mami. I whooped y’all asses three times!” Carlos chuckled as he pulled a blunt from behind his ear.
Icella rolled her eyes as I rubbed my stomach. Feeling my son move always made me happy. He was a busy body inside of me. He moved so much that it started to hurt. My baby was all out of space inside of me, and he let it be known too. I couldn’t wait for him to be born.
“Carlos, shut yo pretty boy ass up. I’ll Cash App you yo funky hundred when I get paid on Friday.”
“It wouldn’t be a funky hundred if you had won three rounds.”
Laughing at that because I knew it was true, I shook my head at both of them as they went back and forth with one another. These two always debated and argued over little things.
“I’ll send your hundred as soon as I get relaxed, Carlos. Y’all give me a hug, my feet are swollen, and I need to shower and lay down.” I smiled as Icella embraced me first.
She always smelled so good. Every time I asked what her fragrance was, she would just smile and wink.
She didn’t want any other females smelling like her.
She told me that she created her own body fragrance.
Next, Carlos hugged me and placed a kiss on my scarred forehead, which made me cringe a little.
The gesture made me think about Praise, and my stomach got butterflies just thinking about him.
I forgot to text him back hours ago. He claimed he was out here and ready to talk.
It made me nervous, but I knew it was something that had to be done.
Our baby was literally due any day now, and we desperately needed to be on the same accord.
“See you next week, pretty girl.”
I blushed and looked away. Carlos was a charming and polite type of man.
He was a natural flirt without trying to be.
Turning around to unlock my door, I heard Carlos exchanging words with someone.
When I heard that someone’s voice, my stomach dropped, and my hands became so slippery that I left my keys inside the lock and slowly turned around to face the voice that made me weak in the knees.
Carlos was smiling as he dapped up Beast. I assumed they knew each other from their interaction. Carlos didn’t know Beast on the intimate level I knew him on, which is why he didn’t see the dark look in Beast’s eyes as he smiled sinisterly.
“What you doing out this way, boss man?” Carlos spoke excitedly as Beast’s facial expression lacked zero emotion.
“Here to see my baby momma.” He nodded his head my way.
Both Carlos and Beast looked at me. Carlos looked shocked and started to explain our closeness, but Beast cut him off and smiled.
“I ain’t tripping, young buck. She fine as fuck, don’t ever touch her again, though.”
Icella snickered as she waved her hand goodbye.
I knew she was going to call me later and ask a million questions.
I wasn’t ready to be alone with Beast, and I wished she could stay.
Shifting my weight to my good leg, I sighed.
There was no point in asking Beast how he found me because he would always know where I was, even if I didn’t want him to.
He didn’t even give me a chance to respond
“Stone is outside. You should go holler at him before he takes off and leaves.” That was Beast’s way of dismissing Carlos, so he could get to me.
I took in his appearance; Beast was sinfully fine as fuck.
His rough, bad boy appearance could turn any woman in near sight on with one look.
He gained more weight, and it was all toned well with his tall frame.
His muscles were on display even with his shirt and shorts on.
He rocked a Celine white shirt with white sweat shorts.
You could tell his all-white Air Force Ones were fresh out the box.
His crispy line-up and seasick waves made me damn near drool on myself.
A thought crossed my mind of him being booed up with that mixed model-looking chick, and jealousy took over me fast. Beast belonged to me, no matter how we were at that moment. This fine ass man was mine.
“Open the door, Kayori, so we can talk, pretty girl,” he mocked Carlos as his cologne invaded my nostrils.
I wanted to feel some type of way about him calling me by my name and not my nickname, but I understood we weren’t on that level right now.
His gray eyes looked into my soul, making it hard for me to turn around and open the door.
Praise Brownston was here in the flesh, and his powerful aura nearly choked me.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and let us both in. The scent of lavender invaded my nose, instantly calming me down. Seconds into being inside my house, Beast’s cologne took over the living room area, and he was forcing me to focus on only him.
“Would you like a beer or water?” I asked nervously.
“The fuck you got beer in ya house for? Carlos?” His jaw clenched as he placed his eyes on me, daring me to say yes.
“He and Icella come over from time to time. They both like beer, so I try to keep some for my company.”
“Good hospitality.” He smiled as he took a seat on my leather sectional.
“I’ll take a shot of Remy.”
“I don’t keep hard liquor here.”
“Bet.”
We stared at each other for a couple of seconds too long.
Walking away, I went to the kitchen to grab him some water.
I willed myself to myself calm down. I needed to put my big girl panties on and gain some sort of control.
I couldn’t read Praise; he was confusing the hell out of me.
I didn’t know if he was Beast or Praise, which was new.
I could always tell which one he was. This person in front of me seemed cold and distant.
He was holding a grudge against me. I needed to break the ice.
Walking back into the room, Praise sat comfortably as he texted and smiled at his phone. Clearing my throat, he still didn’t look up. I placed his water on the coffee table and started to speak.
“Look, Praise…”
“You can call me Beast,” he spoke unfazed, never looking up from his phone. I could feel the anger rising up in me. He knew what he was doing.
“Well, your real name is Praise, so I’ll call you that for now.”
“That’s cool too, Kayori. We’re the same nigga anyway, ain’t no more separation.
I am Praise, and Praise is Beast. I would just prefer people that I’m no longer close or intimate with to refer to me as Beast.” He smiled, making eye contact, and hurting my feelings at the same time.
It was good to know he was working on himself, but the way he was acting towards me had me deep in my feelings.
“Okay, Beast, I just wanted to say…”
“Matthew, Matthew Praise Brownston, I want that to be my son’s name.”
I felt myself wanting to curse his rude ass out. He kept cutting me off, and that was a big pet peeve of mine.
“Mattea and Matthew sound good to me. I want my kids' names to kind of sound alike. What do you think, Kayori?”
I took a seat across from him and opened the bottle of water that I had originally brought out for him.
I took a sip from the bottle and put it back in front of him.
He looked at the bottle of water as if it had a disease.
I leaned back in my seat and rubbed my stomach.
It seemed like every little move I made these days had me tired.
Putting my game face on, I refused to let this nigga see me sweat.
“Look, Beast, I wanted to apologize to you face to face. I was wrong for shooting you and not hearing you out.”
“What else you wrong for?” he challenged. This time my pride got involved.
“I’m wrong for shooting you and acting off emotions.” I wasn’t sorry for shit else, so he could kiss my ass.
“I guess that makes you a sorry ass bitch then.” Shrugging his shoulders, then placing his focus back on his phone like he ain’t just disrespect me in my own home.
“Nigga, you got me fucked up! Get the fuck out of my house!” I was livid. The back of my neck throbbed as I balled my fist up.
“I was about to move around anyway. I already texted Stone five minutes ago.” He stood to his feet and walked right up to me.
His tall frame towered over my short frame, and the look he gave me was lethal. I watched him breathe in through his nose and out with his mouth. He was trying to control his temper.
“You a sorry muthafucka, Kayori, but it’s all good.
I ain’t gone hold yo ass to it. I’m used to people like you…
can’t take accountability for shit you do.
Like running off pregnant with my son after shooting me was cool.
Starting a whole new life that excluded me from y’all lives was cool to you too.
It’s all good, though, ‘cause I ain’t letting no bitch keep me from my kid.
No matter how much I love you. I ain’t even mad at you, though.
You gotta live ya life the best way you see fit.
My seed is involved now, too. Just remember that shit. ”
He walked away and made his way into my kitchen as I followed right behind him. Hot tears fell down my cheeks. I watched him open my refrigerator and grab a fresh bottle of water. I was insulted that he felt like he couldn’t drink behind me. He acted like I was contaminated.
“Beast, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was protecting myself, and I’m sorry!” I sniffled as he closed the refrigerator and took big gulps from the water bottle.
“You good, Kayori. There ain’t too many women can handle a nigga like me.”
Leaning up against the island for support, I rubbed my stomach as his eyes fell on my protruding belly.
No words were needed. He made his way towards me, causing my heartbeat to thump fast and off pace.
Bending down on one knee, he placed his ear softly to my stomach and rubbed as he talked lowly to our son.
His actions made me even more emotional.
It made me feel like shit that I did, in fact, run away not thinking about Praise's feelings.
Running was all I knew how to do when things got hard.
Our baby started moving and kicking fast, causing Praise to give a big smile as he laid his head softly on my stomach and kept talking.
It made my heart flutter. I wanted my man back.
I just didn’t know how to get him back. I never chased a man in my life.
I was stubborn and prideful. He came with a lot, but that’s what got me pregnant in the first place and made me attracted to him.
Standing to his feet, he looked at me for a couple of seconds before he spoke, “Text me your schedule for the week. I want to stop by tomorrow to drop some things off.”
“Where will you be staying while visiting?” I asked curiously.
“At a hotel until my assistant finds me some property to buy out here that’s kid-friendly. I’ll be out here for a while to help you out with the baby, and then we can plan out a good schedule that works for both of us. I’ll be back and forth from here to Vegas.”
Nodding my head sadly, he turned to walk away. It was so much more I wanted to say, but I couldn’t find the words. Following him to the door, he opened it and turned to look at me with those piercing beautiful eyes.
“I forgive you, Kayori. You and I are just too toxic for each other. I hate that we ain’t in a good space ‘cause if we were… when I first saw you, I would have picked your fine ass up and ate my favorite juicy fruit that’s between them thick ass thighs.”
Kissing me on the forehead, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of his lips pressed against my skin.
My pussy throbbed, and my nipples ached.
Having him so close and smelling his scent made my hormones jump like crazy.
The words he spoke didn’t make things any better.
I was now horny as hell and wanted Beast to take care of me sexually.
“We’re not toxic, Beast. We just moved too fast, and I got scared.” I tried to backpedal his own words and keep the conversation flowing, so I could get what I wanted.
“Understood, lock up.” Winking his eye, he walked away with my heart dragging behind him.
Beast was back, and he was trying to make me suffer for walking away from him.
Little did he know, just how he went after me and didn’t accept no for an answer, I could do the same shit.
I wanted my man back, and I planned on getting him back.