Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
He remained in the studio for hours, finishing one beat and putting down the foundations for another.
The hours spent allowed him to sober up enough to get home since he’d opted to drive his Trackhawk to WCMG that day.
After he’d finished packing up his laptop and headphones, he disconnected the electronics that needed to be then turned out all the lights before heading to the parking lot.
Just before reaching his truck, he noticed a red Nissan Altima pulling next to him.
He’d seen the car before and released a breath of annoyance because he was not in the mood to deal with Zahra.
“Bruh, what you want?” He questioned his tone showing his disinterest.
“Hey, I was hoping I would find you here. I tried calling your phone, but I haven’t been able to get through.
Because I blocked yo’ ass. “If you haven’t been getting an answer, that’s probably a good reason to stop calling me.”
“But I--- I was wondering…”
“Wondering what?”
“If you might be willing to talk to Onyx for me? I mean, he didn’t even give me a chance to explain myself. Him firing me because that girl was losing her mind out there is unfair.”
“Don’t bring her into this.”
“I’m just saying, I’ve done so much work with the label already. We’ve almost perfected the song we’re working on, right?”
“Hell nah.”
“Oh, come on, Kas, please don’t be that way. If Onyx lets me go, it’ll be one of the biggest mistakes he’s ever made. The last thing he’ll want is for another label to pick me up and make me a star.”
“How the hell would they do that?” Kas wanted to laugh because shopping at other labels wasn’t going to do shit, but get her feelings hurt.
If anything, another label would sign her just to market on the fact that she was pretty.
They’d jazz up her sound with studio tricks and auto tune, but her career would be over before it could even get started.
Either way, she was fucked because Onyx damn sure wasn’t going to sign her.
“Seriously! Why are you treating me like this all of a sudden? What? Is it that Yanna girl, because trust me, she is not worried about you.”
“Aye, don’t speak on shit when you have no idea what you talking about.”
“But I do, though. Just the other night, I saw her prancing around in the club delivering bottles, dancing, and flirting with niggas all night. She must’ve picked the one she really liked because I saw them leaving together all hugged up.”
Kas’ face twisted into a grimace so twisted it was almost painful. “What?”
“Yep, some fine ass nigga with a lot of hair. He was kissing all on her with his hands planted on her ass.” After she’d spilled the beans, Zahra crossed her arms matter of factly.
“Tuh, you did all that and you still ain’t getting no deal. Come on this property again, and they gone remove you forcefully. Move yo’ snitching ass out my way.”
Kas lightly pushed Zahra out of his way and jumped in his jeep, screeching tires as he made his way to Dinwiddie.
“I really needed y’all’s company tonight. I missed my girls so much,” Layla professed, popping a cotton candy grape into her mouth.
She’d called Yanna and Troi earlier in the day and requested their presence for one of their girls’ nights.
The girls happily accepted and showed up to her house with wine and snacks.
They were huddled around the sofa catching up on episodes of 911 and chatting while Blue rested on the floor in front of them.
“We missed you too. I don’t think we’ve done this since right before Onyx started the label.”
“Yep, everything got so crazy after that. My big baby.” Layla released a longing sigh. Her son not speaking to her caused more exhaustion than her cancer treatments used to. “I can’t believe he’s still not talking to me.”
“I mean, I can kind of believe it.” Yanna added.
“Grow the hell up, Yanna, I’m being serious. This is really taking a toll on me.”
“I’m sorry, you know I don’t know how to be serious.”
“She really doesn’t. And I know it doesn’t seem like it, but this is really taking a toll on Onyx too. He’s not just clingy with me… I be catching him staring out the window looking at your house.”
“Like a lost puppy.”
“Yanna.”
“Sorry.” Yanna lowered her head and shoveled grapes in her mouth to keep herself from talking.
“But yes, kind of like a lost puppy. He’s not himself. I asked him if he still wanted to go through with the wedding.”
Layla gasped loudly. “Now why would you ask my baby something like that? What did he say?”
“Baby… don’t ask me no dumb ass shit like that ever again,” Troi mocked Onyx, drawing a loud cackle from the girls.
“You know ain’t nothing stopping Onyx from marrying you, ladybug. I just hope I’m still welcome.”
“Mumma Lay, you know damn well I’d give Onyx his ring back before I let him ban you from our wedding.”
“He’d just blame me for that too.”
“And we’d jump his ass, simple.” Yanna chimed in.
“No, but for real, we’re going to have this squashed before the wedding. Your heart was in a good place, and Onyx knows that.”
“Well, I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”
Before either Yanna or Troi could reply, they were interrupted by the sound of Layla’s doorbell ringing.
Since her door was unlocked, she yelled for whoever was on the other side to come in.
Yanna’s heart stalled, and her breath hitched in her throat when the door opened and Kalil appeared.
It didn’t help that he was looking good as usual in a Nike short set, socks and retro 1s.
His smile lit the room as he stepped inside.
“What’s up, Auntie? Sup, Troi?” Both ladies greeted Kalil before he turned his attention to Yanna. “Yanna.”
Refusing to look his way, Yanna lowered her head and sipped the glass of wine Ms. Layla supplied.
“So, what brings you over here to see your aunt today?”
“Oh, I heard through the grapevine that you made Jambalaya, and you already know I’m not passing that up.”
“Should’ve known you only came over here to mooch. I fried some lemon pepper wings, you want some of those too?”
“You know I want some of those.”
“Ok, give me a minute, I’ll make you a plate to go.”
When Layla stood to head into her kitchen, Troi stood as well. “This is the perfect time for me to run and check on my baby. Onyx hasn’t texted me since I’ve been here, and I know they’re not sleep. He be calling himself not bothering me, but I end up coming home to a mess. I’ll be right back.”
Troi slid her feet into a pair of slides then jogged out of the door. As soon as the door was closed, Yanna picked up a throw pillow from the couch and beamed it at Kalil’s head.
“The fuck you do that for?”
“Why the hell are you here?!” She whisper-yelled.
“What you mean, why? This is my aunt’s house. You think I’mma stop coming around just because we—”
“Shut the hell up!” Yanna cut him off, throwing another pillow at him.
“I’m just saying, don’t be mad at me because you fucked another nigga while I was in the room.”
“What part of shut the hell up don’t you understand? What happened, didn’t happen, okay?”
Kalil picked the pillows up from the floor and brought them to the couch, taking a seat next to Yanna. “Nah. I was there, and I’m positive the shit happened.” He replied, prompting Yanna to punch him in his arm. “Aye, keep them hands to yo self.”
“Seriously, Kalil, forget it happened. It’s still fuck Kas, but I don’t want him or anyone else knowing what I did. What we did.”
Kalil was going to tell Yanna that whatever happened in the dark eventually made its way to light, but Layla walked in and interrupted before he could. They both jumped away from each other, drawing suspicion.
Layla’s brows drew together as she looked between the two. “What y’all in here talking about?”
“Nothing.”
“Aliens,” Kalil responded at the same time as Yanna. She tossed him a look that said, really nigga, aliens?
“Okaaay… here, Kalil. There’s like eight wings and enough Jambalaya for you to have leftovers.”
“Appreciate you, Auntie, love you.” Kalil stood and offered Layla a peck on the cheek before scurrying out of the door like he had the devil on his heels.
As he went out, Troi came back in, dropping onto the couch between the two ladies. “Well, I guess I was wrong. Onyx and Kian are actually in there sleeping. Now what were we talking about?”
“How we gone whoop Onyx ass if he try to keep Ms. Layla away from the wedding.”
“Right. I don’t know. Maybe I should make the first move since I technically was the one in the wrong. I just don’t want to have to slap the taste out his mouth if he talks to me crazy again.”
“And I’d follow up because one thing---”
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The sound of someone banging on Layla’s door startled the girls, making them jump.
Blue stood barking at the door, all of them anxious to know who was on the other side.
A few seconds later, the key code was being entered into the door before it swung open.
Kas stormed into the house with a twisted scowl on his face.
“Boy, why did you knock on the door like that when you have the code?” Layla scolded.
Kas held his hand up to his mother as if to tell her, not now before turning his attention to Yanna. “Jaiyanna… what nigga you left the club with the other night?”
“I know good and hell well you ain’t bring your ass in here questioning me.”
“A pretty nigga with a lot of hair. I’m hearing y’all was hugged up, and the nigga was kissing all on you before y’all dipped together.”
Yanna tucked her leg under her butt, smirking as she tossed a grape in her mouth. “You should’ve asked them what we did after we left.”
With the speed of light, Kas hopped over the coffee table trying to get to Yanna. He lunged for her, but Troi and Layla held him back.
“Kasra, have you lost your mind!”