Kenyon
I tried to focus on the dice in my hand, but my mind kept wandering to Zara. The cookout was in full swing, yet all I could think about was her.
Zara wanted the truth, but even I couldn’t give that to her. That left me confused about how the fuck I would get out of the dog house. I crouched down and tossed the dice onto the concrete, watching as they bounced and settled.
"Seven!" Slim called out, and the crowd cheered, but my mind was elsewhere.
Nolan slapped me on the back, grinning. “Yo’ ass gonna’ fuck around and leave here broke if you keep playing like this.”
I watched Zara’s hips sway to the beat, how she threw her head back and laughed with Rajah and a woman I was sure she had just befriended.
I forced a laugh, trying to shake off the gnawing thoughts. “You better be worried about your own. Shit ain’t looking too good for you either.”
“Naw, Babygirl, got your head fucked up. That’s why you can’t focus,” His laugh told me he had been waiting to get that joke off. Nolan was my right hand. He saw everything and spoke on little until the time was right.
I threw the dice again, not even watching as they rolled.
"Eight!" Tony shouted, breaking my reverie, “Pay up nigga!”
Tony boasted because he had never come up off me like this before.
“Enjoy it nigga. It’s not happening again,” I warned.
“Shit, you might need shorty to blow on the dice,” Nolan clowned as they tumbled out of his hand.
“I am the good luck. Fuck is you talking about?” I jokingly rebutted.
“Yeah, okay. We’ll see,” he nodded behind me. I turned around to find Rajah dragging Zara along and headed our way.
It was apparent this was Rajah’s idea. Zara was annoyed being this close to me, toying with the ring on her finger to calm her nerves. When it circled back to my turn, I held out the dice and smiled hopefully.
“You better move your hand before I spit in it,” she growled.
Her harsh rebuttal garnered an elbow to the side from Rajah while some laughed and others held their breath, waiting to see how I tolerated her disrespect.
“Shana taught you better than that,” I insisted, moving my hand closer. It was risky as fuck, and inside, I was nervous a little. “I’m struggling. I need my good luck charm.”
“Watch this nigga! He be cheating!” Slim interrupted.
Zara looked at me for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. I thought she might just walk away for a second, but then she stepped forward.
“This doesn’t change anything,” she sighed, rolling her eye and exhaling on the dice.
Throwing them to the ground, they tumbled and bounced, everyone holding their breath as they came to a stop.
"Seven!" Nolan shouted, and the crowd erupted in cheers. I couldn't help but laugh as I peered over my shoulder, winking at her irritated face.
With each roll, I glanced at Zara until they got tired of watching and left until the cookout began to wind down. Leaving things as is was out of the question. I wasn’t sure if I could fix it. But I had to try, moving across the park to their table.
“Let me holla at you,” I insisted, pulling her from the folding chair.
Her eyes narrowed, and I could already tell she wouldn’t make this easy walking to solitude.
“What?”
Raking my bottom lip between my teeth, I plucked her birthmark.
“Tell me what you’re really upset about so I can fix it.”
“You ushered me home with a bodyguard and didn’t even have the decency to call or text. I was scared. I didn’t know what was going on. I still don’t, and you expect me to be okay with that!”
Handling business reminded me just how bad of an idea pursuing her was. I didn’t live a normal life and never would. She had big dreams that didn’t need to be complicated with my shit, so despite needing to be near her, I chose to detox.
Hearing Zara admit to being scared made me regret that.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Are you patronizing me?”
I chuckled, throwing my hands up to surrender. “I’m not wrong often, but when I am, I’m man enough to own it. I should’ve checked on you, so let me fix it. Come home with me tonight,” I suggested, copping to the only thing I could.
“Did Syd’s invitation get lost again, or is she coming too?”
“It’s just me and you tonight, Zara Nicole. Unless you want me to call her.”
“Absolutely not, and I’m not fucking you tonight,” Zara replied, setting the record straight.
“Tomorrow?” she sucked her teeth and tried to walk away. “I’m fuckin’ with you. Nobody wants your pussy anyway, girl.”
“Good! You’re not getting it.”
“For now. Let me holla at Nolan. Then we can dip.”
“Okay.”
Whenever shit hit the fan, I was usually the first call but not tonight. Nolan was under strict orders to call Kross first because something told me I’d be busy earning my way out of the dog house. Before we left, Rajah delivered a final warning to take care of her baby, as if I needed that reminder.
The ride to my crib was quiet. It wasn’t a comfortable silence between two people in the same space. It was the opposite, clawing at my chest from the inside.
“I need a favor,” I stated, strumming my fingers against her exposed thigh while she shifted toward me, “Retwist me.”
Zara rubbed her nails against my scalp before looking down at her fingers. “You need a wash. Your scalp is dirty.”
“So you got me?”
“Oh, that’s why you wanted me to come over. So you could get some free labor out of me?”
“Not the only reason.” I let the corner of my mouth curl into a playful grin, “Sit me between your legs and handle it.”
“You’re such a pervert.”
“That’s all you. I’m just trying to get my hair done.”
She shook her head and made herself comfortable in the passenger seat. We stopped at the store to get the supplies. I followed Zara like a puppy up and down the aisle, picking up products, reading the labels, and returning them if she wasn’t satisfied. It was one of the things I enjoyed most. Zara had standards and never wavered, depending on who stood on the other side.
Finally satisfied, we arrived at the crib, and she hopped in the shower. As bad as I wanted to join her, I decided to wait until after my appointment between her thighs. I strolled into my office to grab something, and it wasn’t long before Zara and her two pigtails wandered inside.
“Why is this one special?” she asked, her voice intrigued with the model car sitting on the bookshelf.
Zara's fingers traced the sleek, black lines accented with metallic silver, giving the design a futuristic aesthetic. Inside, the soft black leather seats had detailed stitching on the headrest, showcasing high-quality craftsmanship.
“You’re never beating those nosey allegations.”
“You could’ve let me go home.”
“No, I couldn’t, and how do you figure it’s special?” I asked, searching for a loophole to change the subject.
“All your other car stuff is in the garage, and then there’s her , so it must mean something,” Zara explained.
“ She ,” I said, snatching it from her hands more aggressively than I intended, "is nothing you need to worry about.”
Her brow furrowed, and she snatched it back, scratching my wrist with her nails. “It doesn’t look like nothing. It looks like a dream. Did you make this?”
It was likely the small emblem—a silver "K" surrounded by wings on the hood that gave it away.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I eased on the couch. "Yeah, a long time ago.”
She stepped closer, eyes softening with genuine interest. "You’ve always loved cars?”
I hesitated. The idea of someone seeing this side of me felt too intimate, too exposed. But there was something about how Zara looked at me.
“Yeah, something my grandfather passed down to my father than me.”
“What about Kross?”
“Cars aren’t his shit,” I chuckled because he couldn’t stay off a field or court long enough to play with anything else. If there was a ball around, he would find it, but that was never me.
“You put all this time and effort into it.” She finally released the car into my hands, but her eyes never left mine. "Tell me about it.”
I cracked my knuckles, watching Zara lower next to me. Strumming her leg, my defiance melted, being this close to her.
“I made the principals list, so my father surprised me. We spent hours in the garage, designing and building it from scratch. It was supposed to be the prototype for my car brand.”
The memory of that day was etched in my brain. That day, there were no arguments that Mom had to diffuse.
“The Keyes Thunder GT,” I smirked, and Zara leaned closer, her mouth slightly ajar, hungry for more details. Unfortunately, there weren’t any more that I could share. We had plans for the Quantum S model and the Blaze V8, but a war with the Black Vipers occupied Pops for the next few months.
“I like that. Maybe you can name the next one after me.”
Leaning over, I grabbed Zara by the waist, pulling her onto my lap. “Now, why would I do that?”
“A thank you for reminding you how incredible these are. You've got a real talent, . Why are you wasting it managing an apartment complex?”
I shrugged, smirking at Zara’s explanation of what I did for a living. "Life got in the way. You know how it is.”
She slumped further into my lap, resting her head on my chest. “I understand, but you shouldn't give up on it."
Her words hit me harder than I expected.
“Thanks, Zara Nicole.”
“You’re welcome, Keyes.”
“Is your nosey ass ready to do my hair now?”
“Just a few more minutes,” she mumbled, nestling against my chest.