CHAPTER 2
HOW THE FUCK Y’ALL KNOW EACH OTHER?
“How the fuck you know my sister’s name?”
Samaria looked from Kavon to Zaviyah.
Then back to Kavon.
Neither one said shit.
That made it worse.
Samaria’s eyebrows lifted.
“Hello?”
Zaviyah grabbed her tequila and took a swallow.
Wrong decision.
The shit went down like fire.
She coughed.
Samaria stared at her.
“Bitch, why you choking?”
“I’m not.”
“You clearly fucking are.”
“I swallowed wrong.”
“Apparently.”
Kavon still hadn’t sat down.
He was staring at Zaviyah like he was trying to figure out whether she was actually sitting in front of him or if somebody had slipped something in his drink.
Zaviyah refused to look directly at him.
She could feel him though.
His confusion.
His questions.
His fucking eyes.
Samaria touched Kavon’s arm.
“Baby?”
He finally looked at her.
“What?”
“How you know Viyah?”
Kavon glanced at Zaviyah.
Zaviyah gave him a look.
Don’t.
She didn’t know if he understood it.
She prayed he did.
“We met before.”
Samaria went still.
Zaviyah closed her eyes.
Fuck.
Samaria slowly sat down.
“Met where?”
Kavon finally slid into the booth beside her.
Zaviyah sat across from them.
Worst fucking seating arrangement in history.
Kavon looked at Zaviyah again.
“Tampa.”
Samaria turned toward her sister.
“Tampa?”
Zaviyah shrugged.
“Yeah.”
“When?”
“A while ago.”
“When is a while ago?”
“Couple years.”
Samaria frowned.
“You never told me you knew him.”
“I didn’t know I knew him.”
Samaria stared.
“Bitch, what?”
Zaviyah immediately realized how stupid that sounded.
“I mean I didn’t know your Kavon was this Kavon.”
Samaria looked at Kavon.
“How do you know her?”
Kavon’s jaw tightened.
“We met at a hotel.”
Zaviyah kicked him underneath the table.
Hard.
His face didn’t change.
But his eyes moved to her.
Samaria caught it.
“Did she just kick you?”
“No,” Zaviyah said quickly.
Kavon said, “Yes.”
Zaviyah stared at him.
Samaria stared at both of them.
“Okay.”
That one word scared Zaviyah.
Samaria leaned back.
“Why the fuck she kicking you?”
“I didn’t kick him.”
“Viyah.”
“My foot slipped.”
“Your foot slipped into his fucking shin?”
“I got long legs.”
Samaria looked underneath the table.
“You five four.”
“Five five.”
“Bitch, please.”
Kavon almost smiled.
Zaviyah caught it.
So did Samaria.
Her head snapped toward him.
“What’s funny?”
“Nothing.”
“Ain’t shit funny to me.”
Kavon rubbed his jaw.
“I’m just surprised.”
“About what?”
“Seeing her.”
Samaria looked at Zaviyah.
“Why?”
Zaviyah’s stomach twisted.
Because the answer was sitting at Malissa’s house probably asking for juice.
She took another drink.
Slow this time.
“We met on vacation.”
Samaria looked at her.
“I know. We established that.”
“Okay then.”
“Don’t okay then me.”
“Girl, what you want me to say?”
“How y’all met.”
Zaviyah looked at Kavon.
He looked back.
Neither spoke.
Samaria laughed.
“Oh, this some bullshit.”
“Mari.”
“No.”
She held up her hand.
“I asked a simple ass question.”
“We met at the hotel bar,” Zaviyah said.
Kavon nodded.
“That’s it.”
Samaria looked at him.
“That’s it?”
He hesitated.
Zaviyah wanted to kick him again.
“Basically.”
Basically?
This motherfucker.
Samaria caught that shit immediately.
“What the fuck does basically mean?”
Kavon rubbed his beard.
“We hung out.”
Zaviyah nearly dropped her glass.
Samaria turned slowly toward her.
“Hung out?”
Zaviyah laughed.
Too loud.
“Girl, yes. Damn. We was on vacation. Everybody was hanging out.”
“Who is everybody?”
“People.”
“What people?”
“Why the fuck you interrogating me like Fort Lauderdale Police?”
“Because my sister and my man sitting here acting weird as fuck.”
“We’re not acting weird.”
Kavon looked at Zaviyah.
“You’re acting weird.”
Her mouth fell open.
“Nigga.”
Samaria’s head snapped toward her.
Zaviyah corrected herself.
“Kavon.”
“No. Don’t change it now. Why you talking to him like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you know him.”
“I do know him apparently.”
“You just said you barely know him.”
“I said I met him.”
“This shit not adding up.”
Zaviyah sighed.
It was already going left.
They hadn’t even ordered food.
Kavon leaned toward Samaria.
“Baby, relax.”
Zaviyah immediately looked away.
Hearing him call her sister baby made her
stomach do something ugly.
Not jealousy.
Hell no.
At least she didn’t think it was.
It was just weird.
This man had been a memory.
A body.
A face she had occasionally thought about when Kyren did something that didn’t remind her of anybody in her family.
Now he was sitting across from her rubbing her sister’s thigh.
Samaria looked down at his hand.
Then back at Zaviyah.
“So y’all met in Tampa.”
“Yes.”
“Two years ago?”
Zaviyah swallowed.
“A little over two.”
Kavon’s eyes moved toward her.
She knew exactly what he was calculating.
Kyren was two.
Fuck.
Samaria nodded slowly.
“Was this before Kyren?”
There it was.
Zaviyah’s chest tightened.
“Yeah.”
Kavon looked at her.
This time he didn’t hide it.
Samaria noticed.
“What?”
Kavon blinked.
“What?”
“Why you looking at her like that?”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I didn’t know she had a kid.”
Zaviyah looked at him.
Samaria frowned.
“Why would you?”
Kavon’s eyes stayed on Zaviyah.
“I wouldn’t.”
Samaria reached for her wine.
Zaviyah could see the wheels turning in her sister’s head.
She needed to get control of this shit.
Fast.
“So how y’all meet?”
Samaria looked at her.
“What?”
“You and Kavon.”
“Why?”
“Because we done talked about me for ten damn minutes.”
Samaria’s face softened a little.
“At a birthday dinner.”
Kavon nodded.
“My cousin knew her friend.”
“Which friend?”
“Jalisa.”
Zaviyah nodded.
She knew Jalisa.
Not well.
But enough.
Samaria smiled despite herself.
“He kept staring at me.”
Kavon looked at her.
“You kept staring at me too.”
“I did not.”
“You did.”
Samaria smiled.
There.
That was better.
Normal.
Zaviyah exhaled quietly.
Then Kavon looked at her again.
That was not better.
She picked up her phone.
“I gotta use the bathroom.”
Samaria frowned.
“You taking your phone?”
“Yes.”
“To pee?”
“I might need entertainment.”
“Bitch, go.”
Zaviyah stood.
She could feel Kavon watching her walk away.
She didn’t look back.
She made it inside the bathroom, pushed open a stall and locked herself inside.
Then she called Malissa.
Malissa answered on the second ring.
“Girl, this lil boy done woke back up asking for pancakes.”
Zaviyah pressed her hand against her forehead.
“Listen.”
“What?”
“I need you to keep Ky tonight.”
Silence.
“You going home with somebody?”
“No.”
“Then why you whispering?”
“Because I’m in the bathroom.”
“Okay?”
Zaviyah closed her eyes.
“I found him.”
“Found who?”
Zaviyah didn’t answer.
Malissa went quiet.
Then gasped.
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Malissa.”
“KY DADDY?”
“Keep your voice down!”
“Bitch, I’m at your house!”
“Oh.”
“YOU FOUND KY DADDY?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Zaviyah squeezed her eyes shut.
“You’re not gonna believe me.”
“Try me.”
“He’s Samaria’s boyfriend.”
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
“Malissa?”
Still nothing.
“Hello?”
“Bitch.”
“I know.”
“BITCH.”
“I fucking know!”
“The Kavon?”
“Yes.”
“The flower sending, vacation taking, Samaria wanna marry him Kavon?”
“Yes!”
“Oh, you fucked.”
“Thank you. Very helpful.”
“How the fuck you ain’t know?”
“I never saw him!”
“Samaria never showed you a picture?”
“Not a clear one.”
“What you mean not a clear one?”
“I don’t fucking know! She showed me shit. I wasn’t studying her man’s face.”
Malissa went quiet.
Then whispered, “Does he know?”
“No.”
“About Ky?”
“No.”
“Does Samaria know y’all fucked?”
“No!”
“Does he know you know he’s Ky daddy?”
“I don’t even know if he knows he’s Ky daddy.”
“Bitch, what?”
“I’m saying he hasn’t said anything.”
“Because y’all sitting with your sister!”
“I KNOW!”
Malissa started laughing.
Zaviyah’s mouth dropped open.
“Why the fuck are you laughing?”
“I’m sorry.”
“You ain’t sorry.”
“I’m trying.”
“This ain’t funny.”
“It’s not.”
Malissa laughed harder.
“You a raggedy bitch.”
“Okay. I’m done.”
“Wait, wait.”
Malissa got herself together.
“What you gonna do?”
“I don’t know.”
“You gotta tell Samaria.”
Zaviyah’s stomach dropped.
“I know.”
“Tonight.”
“Hell no.”
“Viyah.”
“Not tonight.”
“When?”
“When I figure out what the fuck to say.”
“There ain’t no good way to say, hey sis, before you met your man, I rode him like a stolen bike and had his baby.”
Zaviyah covered her mouth.
“BITCH!”
“I’m just saying.”
“You’re not helping.”
“I’m being realistic.”
Zaviyah heard the bathroom door open.
Female voices.
She lowered her voice.
“Just keep Ky.”
“I got him.”
“And don’t post him.”
“Why would I post him?”
“I don’t fucking know. Just don’t.”
“Go handle your mess.”
Zaviyah hung up.
She sat on the closed toilet lid.
Think.
She needed to think.
She could tell Samaria tonight.
Absolutely fucking not.
She could pull Kavon aside first.
Also dangerous.
She could leave.
Tempting.
Very tempting.
A knock hit the stall.
“Occupied.”
“Zaviyah.”
Her heart stopped.
Kavon.
She jumped up.
“What the fuck?”
“Come out.”
“This the women’s bathroom!”
“I know.”
“Then get the fuck out!”
“I need to talk to you.”
“You need to get out before somebody call security.”
“I’m not leaving until we talk.”
Zaviyah opened the stall so fast he had to step backward.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Kavon stood near the sinks.
The bathroom was empty now.
He looked good.
Too fucking good.
That irritated her even more.
“You disappeared.”
Zaviyah stared at him.
“What?”
“In Tampa.”
“That was two years ago.”
“Two years, three months.”
Her stomach dropped.
He remembered.
Exactly.
Kavon stepped closer.
“I woke up and you were gone.”
“My flight was early.”
“You gave me a fake number.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“I called it.”
“My phone fell in the pool.”
“That doesn’t make the number fake.”
Zaviyah frowned.
“What?”
“The number you gave me belonged to some old lady.”
Her face fell.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.”
“I must’ve typed it wrong.”
“You typed it into my phone.”
“I was drunk.”
“I noticed.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Whatever.”
“I looked for you.”
Zaviyah froze.
“What?”
“I looked for you.”
“Why?”
Kavon stared at her.
“You know why.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Stop.”
“Stop what?”
“Acting like that weekend was nothing.”
Zaviyah’s heart started pounding.
“It was a vacation hookup.”
“Was it?”
“Yes.”
Kavon laughed softly.
“Okay.”
“What the fuck that mean?”
“It means okay.”
“You always did that shit.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“Always?”
Zaviyah realized what she said.
Fuck.
Kavon smiled.
“There she is.”
“Don’t.”
“You remember me.”
“Unfortunately.”
He stepped closer.
Zaviyah stepped back.
“Back up.”
“I’m not touching you.”
“Still too close.”
Kavon stopped.
Then his expression changed.
“Who’s Kyren?”
Zaviyah’s entire body went cold.
“What?”
“The picture on your phone.”
“That’s my son.”
“I figured that.”
“Then why you asking?”
“How old is he?”
Her mouth went dry.
“Why?”
Kavon stared at her.
“How old is your son, Zaviyah?”
“That ain’t none of your business.”
His jaw tightened.
Something changed in his eyes.
“When’s his birthday?”
“Kavon.”
“When?”
“Why the fuck are you asking me about my
child?”
“Because I know when we were together.”
“So?”
“And I saw his face.”
Zaviyah stopped breathing.
Kavon stepped closer.
“Who is his father?”
She said nothing.
“Zaviyah.”
“Go back to my sister.”
“Who is Kyren’s father?”
“Not your fucking concern.”
His eyes narrowed.
“That sounds like an answer.”
“It ain’t.”
“Then give me one.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t get to walk into my life after two years and start demanding shit.”
“I didn’t walk into your life.”
His voice hardened.
“You walked into mine.”
Zaviyah laughed.
“Oh, that’s rich.”
“You’re my girlfriend’s sister.”
“And whose fucking fault is that?”
Kavon stared at her.
“Definitely not mine.”
Zaviyah couldn’t argue with that.
He looked toward the bathroom door.
Then back at her.
“Does Samaria know?”
“Know what?”
“That we slept together.”
Zaviyah’s eyes widened.
“Keep your fucking voice down.”
“So she doesn’t.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t know you were you until ten minutes ago!”
Kavon stared.
Then nodded.
“Okay.”
“And you’re not telling her.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“Excuse me?”
“I need time.”
“For what?”
“To figure this shit out.”
“What is there to figure out?”
“A lot!”
“Like whether your son is mine?”
Silence.
Zaviyah felt every bit of blood leave her face.
Kavon saw it.
His expression changed immediately.
“Holy shit.”
“Kavon.”
“He’s mine.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“You don’t know anything.”
“Then tell me I’m wrong.”
Zaviyah opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Kavon stared at her.
“Tell me that little boy isn’t mine.”
She couldn’t.
His eyes filled with something she couldn’t read.
Anger.
Shock.
Maybe hurt.
“Zaviyah.”
The bathroom door opened.
Both of them turned.
Samaria stood there.
Her eyes moved from Kavon.
To Zaviyah.
Then to the space between them.
Her face changed.
“What the fuck are y’all doing in here?”
Nobody answered.
Samaria stepped inside and let the door close behind her.
Then she looked at Kavon.
“What little boy ain’t yours?”