CHAPTER 3
WHAT LITTLE BOY AIN’T YOURS?
“What little boy ain’t yours?”
Zaviyah felt her asshole damn near fall through the floor.
Samaria stood inside the bathroom with her arms folded.
Kavon looked at Zaviyah.
Wrong fucking move.
Samaria saw it.
“Why you looking at her?”
“I’m not.”
“Yes the fuck you are.”
“Mari.”
“No. Don’t Mari me.”
She stepped farther inside.
“I come looking for my man because he been gone too damn long and find him in the women’s bathroom with my sister.”
Zaviyah grabbed her purse.
“Let’s go back to the table.”
Samaria laughed.
“Bitch, fuck that table.”
“Mari.”
“What little boy?”
Zaviyah swallowed.
Kavon rubbed his beard.
“Samaria.”
“What?”
“We need to talk.”
Samaria stared at him.
“See, that right there.”
“What?”
“That we need to talk shit.”
Her eyes moved between them.
“Anytime somebody say we need to talk, some fucked up shit coming behind it.”
Nobody said anything.
Samaria laughed without smiling.
“Exactly.”
Zaviyah stepped closer.
“Can we please not do this in the bathroom?”
“Do what?”
Zaviyah said nothing.
Samaria’s face changed.
“Oh.”
She nodded slowly.
“So there is something.”
“Mari.”
“Stop saying my fucking name and tell me what’s going on.”
Kavon exhaled.
“We met in Tampa.”
“I know that already.”
“We didn’t just meet.”
Zaviyah closed her eyes.
Fuck.
Samaria looked at him.
“What does that mean?”
Kavon said nothing.
Samaria turned toward Zaviyah.
“What does that mean?”
Zaviyah’s throat tightened.
“It was before you.”
Samaria went still.
“What was before me?”
Silence.
Her eyes widened.
“No.”
Zaviyah stepped toward her.
“Mari.”
Samaria backed up.
“No.”
“It was before y’all even knew each other.”
“You fucked him?”
The question came out quiet.
Way too quiet.
Zaviyah hated that more than if Samaria had screamed.
“Mari, listen.”
“You fucked my man?”
“Before he was your man.”
Samaria slapped her.
The sound cracked through the bathroom.
Zaviyah’s head snapped sideways.
Kavon moved immediately.
“Samaria.”
“Don’t fucking touch me!”
He stopped.
Zaviyah slowly turned her face back.
Her cheek burned.
She looked at her sister.
“I’m gonna let you have that one.”
Samaria laughed.
“Let me?”
“Yes.”
“You fucked my man and you gonna let me have something?”
“BEFORE YOU!”
“I don’t give a fuck!”
“Well, you need to because that fucking matters!”
Samaria stepped toward her.
“You sat across from me for eight months listening to me talk about this nigga.”
“I didn’t know it was him!”
“You never saw a picture?”
“Not a clear one!”
“Bullshit!”
“It ain’t bullshit!”
“I sent you pictures!”
“You sent me pictures of fucking flowers and food and the back of this nigga head!”
Kavon frowned.
“The back of my head?”
Both sisters turned.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”
Kavon lifted his hands.
“Damn.”
Zaviyah turned back to Samaria.
“I swear on Kyren I did not know Kavon was Kav.”
Samaria frowned.
“Kav?”
Zaviyah immediately wished she could grab the word and shove it back in her mouth.
Samaria looked at Kavon.
“She called you Kav?”
He said nothing.
Samaria laughed.
“Of course she fucking did.”
“It was three days,” Zaviyah said.
Samaria looked at her.
“Three days?”
“We were on vacation.”
“You spent three days with him?”
“Not like that.”
Kavon looked at her.
Zaviyah pointed.
“Don’t.”
Samaria saw that too.
“Not like what?”
“Girl, I met him at the hotel.”
“And?”
“And we hung out.”
“And fucked.”
Zaviyah sighed.
“Yes.”
“How many times?”
“Mari.”
“How many fucking times?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me!”
Kavon stepped forward.
“Samaria, you don’t need details.”
She turned on him.
“I’ll decide what the fuck I need.”
He went quiet.
Samaria looked at Zaviyah.
“How many?”
Zaviyah folded her arms.
“I’m not answering that.”
Samaria laughed.
“That many?”
“No.”
“Then answer.”
“Why the fuck would I sit here and count how many times I had sex with your boyfriend before he was your boyfriend?”
“Because I asked!”
“Well, I’m not answering.”
Samaria stared at her.
Her eyes were wet now.
That took some of the fight out of Zaviyah.
“Mari.”
“You should’ve told me.”
“I didn’t know.”
“When you walked in tonight and saw him, you knew.”
“Yes.”
“You could’ve pulled me aside.”
“I was trying to figure out how.”
“You could’ve said, Samaria, I fucked your man.”
“In the middle of the fucking lounge?”
“Yes!”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“Because look at you!”
Samaria laughed through her tears.
“Oh, so this is my fault?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You basically did.”
“I was scared.”
“Of me?”
“Yes!”
That stopped both of them.
Zaviyah’s voice dropped.
“You’re my sister.”
Samaria wiped beneath her eye.
“Exactly.”
“I knew this shit was gonna hurt you.”
“So you lied.”
“I panicked.”
“You lied.”
“For twenty fucking minutes!”
“After eight months of me talking about him.”
“I DIDN’T KNOW!”
Kavon stepped between them slightly.
“Both of y’all need to calm down.”
Samaria looked at him.
“You wanna know what you need to do?”
“What?”
“Get the fuck away from me.”
His face changed.
“Samaria.”
“Go.”
“We came together.”
“I’ll Uber.”
“You’re not Ubering by yourself.”
“Watch me.”
Samaria pulled out her phone.
Zaviyah reached for her.
“Mari.”
Samaria jerked away.
“Don’t touch me.”
That hurt.
Zaviyah dropped her hand.
“Fine.”
Samaria looked at Kavon.
“When did y’all fuck?”
“Samaria.”
“Date.”
Kavon thought.
“September.”
“What year?”
He told her.
Samaria looked at Zaviyah.
Her expression changed.
Zaviyah knew why.
She could practically see the math happening.
September.
October.
November.
Kyren’s birthday.
Samaria’s eyes widened.
“No.”
Zaviyah’s stomach dropped.
Kavon looked between them.
“What?”
Samaria stared at her sister.
“Kyren was born in June.”
Zaviyah said nothing.
Kavon went still.
Samaria looked at him.
Then back at Zaviyah.
“Oh my fucking God.”
“Mari.”
“No.”
She covered her mouth.
“NO.”
Kavon’s voice dropped.
“Kyren was born in June?”
Zaviyah looked at him.
“Stay out of it.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“Stay out of it?”
“Yes.”
“If what I think you’re saying is true, I’m very fucking much in it.”
Samaria looked at Zaviyah.
“Is Kavon Kyren’s daddy?”
The bathroom suddenly felt too small.
Zaviyah could hear music thumping through the wall.
Women laughing outside.
Water running from one of the sinks.
Normal shit.
While her whole fucking life was blowing up.
“Mari.”
“Answer me.”
Zaviyah’s eyes filled.
“I don’t know.”
Samaria stared at her.
Kavon looked like somebody punched him.
“What the fuck you mean you don’t know?” he asked.
Zaviyah turned.
“It means I don’t know.”
“Was there somebody else?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“The fuck it ain’t!”
Samaria laughed.
“Oh, now y’all arguing like a couple.”
Both of them stopped.
Zaviyah looked at her.
“That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it?”
“I don’t fucking know!”
Samaria grabbed her purse.
“I gotta get out of here.”
Zaviyah followed.
“Mari.”
“Leave me alone.”
“No.”
“Viyah.”
“No. You’re mad, fine. You wanna cuss me out, fine. You got your slap in, fine. But you’re not walking out of here thinking I intentionally did some shit to you.”
Samaria stopped at the door.
“You knew Kyren’s daddy was some nigga named Kav.”
“Yes.”
“You knew my boyfriend was named Kavon.”
“Yes.”
“And that never crossed your mind?”
“Do you know how many niggas got nicknames?”
“Kav is literally in Kavon!”
“I KNOW THAT NOW!”
Samaria stared at her like she was stupid.
Honestly, Zaviyah felt stupid.
Kavon spoke behind them.
“Did you try to find me?”
Zaviyah froze.
Samaria slowly looked over her shoulder.
Kavon’s eyes were on Zaviyah.
“After Tampa.”
Zaviyah swallowed.
“Yes.”
His face changed.
“How?”
“Social media.”
“You knew my first name.”
“I knew Kav.”
“I told you my full name.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did.”
“When?”
“The morning you left.”
“I was half asleep!”
“You asked me.”
“I don’t remember that.”
Kavon stared at her.
“I gave you my number.”
“And I lost it when my phone got fucked up.”
“You could’ve gone back to the hotel.”
“I DID!”
He stopped.
Samaria looked between them.
Zaviyah’s voice cracked.
“I called that hotel after I found out I was pregnant.”
Kavon went quiet.
“I asked if they could give me your information.”
“What happened?”
“They said no.”
“You could’ve left a message.”
“I did.”
Kavon’s face fell.
“I never got one.”
“Well, I fucking left one.”
“When?”
“November.”
He stared at her.
Zaviyah wiped her face angrily.
“I wasn’t trying to keep shit from you.”
Kavon’s voice softened.
“You knew you were pregnant in November?”
“Yes.”
“And you thought it was mine?”
Zaviyah looked away.
“I thought it could be.”
Samaria laughed bitterly.
“Could be.”
Zaviyah looked at her.
“Don’t.”
“So there was somebody else.”
“That’s not your business either.”
“It became my fucking business when the possible daddy started sleeping in my bed.”
Kavon rubbed his face.
“Jesus Christ.”
Samaria opened the bathroom door.
Zaviyah grabbed her arm.
“Wait.”
Samaria looked down at her hand.
Zaviyah released her.
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
Samaria’s eyes filled again.
“For what part?”
Zaviyah had no answer.
That was the problem.
Samaria nodded.
“Exactly.”
She walked out.
Kavon started after her.
Then stopped.
He looked at Zaviyah.
“When can I see him?”
Her whole body tightened.
“You can’t.”
His face changed.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“If that’s my son.”
“IF.”
“Then we find out.”
Zaviyah shook her head.
“You don’t get to decide that tonight.”
“I’m not waiting.”
“Well, you fucking are.”
“Zaviyah.”
“No.”
She stepped closer.
“You got a relationship with my sister that’s currently blowing the fuck up because of me. My son is not about to get dragged into this shit tonight.”
“He might be my son too.”
The words hit differently.
Zaviyah hated that they did.
She looked away.
Kavon’s voice softened.
“I saw that picture.”
“That doesn’t mean shit.”
“He looks like me.”
“Every brown little boy with curly hair does not belong to you.”
“That ain’t what I saw.”
Zaviyah grabbed the bathroom door.
“We’ll talk later.”
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
“Tomorrow.”
“No.”
“Tomorrow, Zaviyah.”
She turned.
“Stop telling me what the fuck I’m gonna do.”
“Then stop acting like I don’t have a right to know.”
“You didn’t know he existed an hour ago.”
“And now I do.”
Silence.
Kavon stared at her.
“If Kyren is mine, I’m gonna be his father.”
Zaviyah’s chest tightened.
“You don’t even know him.”
“That’s not my fault.”
That one landed.
Hard.
Zaviyah’s eyes narrowed.
“Be very fucking careful.”
“I’m not blaming you.”
“It sounded like it.”
“I’m saying if you tried to find me and couldn’t, that ain’t your fault.”
He paused.
“But me not knowing about him ain’t mine either.”
Zaviyah said nothing.
Because as much as she wanted to be mad at him, he was right.
And she fucking hated that.
Kavon walked past her.
Then stopped.
“One more thing.”
“What?”
“Who else could be his father?”
Zaviyah’s face changed.
Kavon noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“That wasn’t nothing.”
She opened the door.
“Go find my sister.”
“Zaviyah.”
“Goodnight, Kavon.”
She walked out.
Samaria was gone.
Zaviyah checked her phone.
One text.
SAMARIA
Don’t follow me.
Her stomach sank.
Another text came through.
MALISSA
Ky sleep again. You good?
Zaviyah stared at it.
Then another message.
A picture.
Kyren sleeping with his little mouth open.
One hand tucked underneath his cheek.
Zaviyah smiled through her tears.
Then Kavon came up behind her.
She tried to lock the screen.
Too late.
Again.
He saw it.
This time he stared longer.
At Kyren’s nose.
His eyebrows.
The little dimple in his cheek.
Kavon touched his own cheek.
Same fucking dimple.
Zaviyah’s heart dropped.
Kavon looked at her.
His eyes were wet.
“That’s my son.”
Zaviyah shook her head.
“We don’t know that.”
Kavon stared at the picture again.
Then back at her.
“Nah.”
His voice cracked.
“I know my fucking face.”