Chapter 14
Killian
I pulled into the parking lot of the bar downtown.
It was Thursday night, and I was taking a much-needed mental break from work.
Most days, I brought it home with me, so there was rarely a time when I wasn’t working.
After being nose deep in paperwork all day, I needed to get away from work and my house.
I’d originally called Kadeem to see if he could meet me, but he and his wife were having a family night with their baby girl.
I couldn’t be mad at that. One of these days I hoped to have a family to do nights like that with. A wife and a few babies to come home to was one of my biggest goals. I could already see me spoiling the whole family and then complaining about it later.
After locking my car, I headed inside to the bar area. It wasn’t too busy for a Thursday night. I took a seat at the bar and motioned for the bartender. When I got her attention, she smiled and switched over to me. She leaned across the bar, exposing an ample amount of her cleavage.
“What can I get for you, handsome?” she asked, batting those long eyelashes.
“Let me get a Jack and Coke and an order of hot wings and fries with extra ranch.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oooo, a man with manners. We don’t get too many of you in here. You must be a good boy. Your mama raised you right, didn’t she?”
I chuckled. “Yes, ma’am. She did.”
“I like that. I’ll put your order in and get right on that drink.”
“Appreciate it.”
I tuned into the game on the flatscreen above the bar. The basketball game was in the second quarter, and one of my favorite teams was playing. The bartender came back with my drink, and I took a sip.
“Good?” she asked.
“Perfect.”
“What’s a handsome guy like you doing here all by your lonesome?”
“I just needed to get out the house for a minute.”
She gave me a flirty smile. “So you came to see little ol’ me?”
I smirked and shook my head. She was cute—beautiful even—but I’d never had a thing for thirsty women.
“I get off at ten if you want to meet up later.”
“I’m good, love.”
She looked taken aback by my decline. With a slight frown, she walked away, leaving me to my drink.
I paused watching the game momentarily to look around the space.
My eyes landed on the door, and a smile spread across my face.
Alayah walked in behind the woman from the mechanic shop.
She looked a little nervous and slightly out of place, but man was she beautiful.
Tonight, she was wearing a white fitted tee, a pair of distressed jeans, and a pair of sandals. Silver accessories adorned her neck, ears, and wrists. Her curls were pulled up into a tight topknot, drawing focus to her beautiful face, including those freckles.
She looked around the space until her eyes landed on me. I could see the breath of relief leave her chest. She motioned for me as her friend lead them to a table. Grabbing my drink, I slid off the stool and made my way over.
“Good evening, ladies.”
“Hey, Killian. This is my friend Londyn. Londyn, this is my…this is Killian.”
I extended my hand. “It’s nice to officially meet you.”
Londyn shook my hand. “Nice to meet you, too. I’m gonna give you two a few minutes to talk while I go grab a drink. You want something, Alayah?”
“Maybe a soda or some water.”
Londyn rolled her eyes. “Okay, girl.”
She walked away, leaving us alone.
“I’m so happy to see a familiar face. I don’t know why I let her talk me into coming here. I feel so out of place, Killian.”
“You’ll be fine, Layah. This is a chill spot. Not much happens. Outside of it getting a little loud during games, this is a relaxed crowd.” I reached out and covered her hand with mine. “Don’t worry. You’re safe with me.”
She offered me a slight smile and squeezed my hand. “I know.”
We shared a momentary gaze before Londyn sat back down at the table. She looked between the two of us as she placed a canned soda in front of Alayah.
“Am I interrupting something?” she asked, dropping her gaze to our hands.
Alayah quickly pulled her hand way. “No. I told you, Killian and I are just friends—newly reconnected friends at that.”
Londyn shrugged. “So there’s really never been anything there?”
“No.”
“Well…”
Alayah and I answered at the same time. Her head jerked in my direction.
“I…uh. I might have had a crush on you in high school.”
“I knew it,” Londyn exclaimed. “My radar is never wrong.”
“Wait,” Alayah said. “Are you serious?”
I nervously rubbed the back of my neck as I nodded. “Yeah.”
“You never said anything.”
“I didn’t think there was ever a right time to say anything. You always had a lot going on, Alayah. I cared too much about you to complicate things further. Besides, your…Kennedy would have never allowed it. It was a wonder she let me come over to study.”
She thought for a moment. “I guess you have a point.”
“I did almost ask you out once. Remember when you asked why I didn’t have a girlfriend? I told you I had my eye on someone, but I didn’t think she would feel the same.”
“I remember that.”
“I was talking about you.”
She thought for a moment. “You asked me if I would date you.”
“And you said maybe if I were into you, but I wasn’t and that we were just friends who studied together.”
Londyn cackled. “Sir. That was your in right there. You should have said something.”
I shook my head. “I know. I was scared, okay? I was your Average Joe, and honestly, I thought she was out of my league.”
“You two would make a beautiful couple,” Londyn professed.
“I’m just happy to have my friend back,” I said. “I want her to be happy. This is a new start for her. That’s what I want her to focus on.”
“Awww! He’s considerate!”
Alayah rolled her eyes. “Londyn, please don’t start.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll dial it back.” She turned to me. “I can be a little extra from time to time. I’m a girl’s girl. I’ve only known her a few weeks, and I love her already. She deserves a happy ending after all she’s been through.”
I nodded. “I agree.” I lifted my glass, and Londyn followed suit. “To happy endings.”
“To happy endings,” Londyn repeated.
Alayah hesitated for a moment before she grabbed her soda and clinked our glasses. “To happy endings.”
I ended up sitting with them for a little while—that was until the bar started playing music and Londyn wanted to dance. She spotted someone she knew and dragged them out onto the dance floor leaving Alayah and me alone.
“She is quite the character,” I said, watching her dance.
“She is,” Alayah agreed. “She reminds me a lot of the girls back in prison. They were very lively in spite of their circumstances.”
“Did you consider them friends?”
“No. They were family. We looked out for each other. My den mother, Carissa, she protected me from day one. She never let anybody get too close to me or threaten me. Even when I woke up the whole block with my nightmares, she never let them give me too hard a time. She was proof that not everyone conforms to their circumstances. Prison could have made her hard, but she was the most loving person there.”
“You sound like you miss her.”
“I do miss her. Next to Aunt Penny, she’s the closest thing to a mother I’ve ever had. I loved her.”
“I’m sure she loved you, too.”
“She did. I can’t violate my parole by having contact with her though.” She grew quiet for a moment before taking another sip of her soda. “So, is this typically how you spend your Thursday nights?”
“Nah. I’m usually face deep in work I’ve brought home. If I ever go out anywhere, it’s with Kadeem.”
“Kadeem…Kadeem Lynch? From school? You two are still friends?”
“We are. We spend a little less time together these days, though. I’m busy with work, and he’s married—”
“Married! Kadeem, the boy who had a different girlfriend every week, got married?”
I laughed. “Don’t do my boy like that. He’s a changed man. Yes, he got married. They have a beautiful five-year-old little girl, and they’re expecting a baby.”
She smiled softly. “Good for him. And he’s faithful?”
I chuckled. “He is. Kyah doesn’t play that. I guarantee she would have his balls if he ever cheated. He knows he has a good one. I think you two would make good friends.”
“Let me settle into this friendship with Londyn before you pass me off to another female. Look at her.” She pointed to the dance floor where Londyn was twerking on some man.
“How different would I have been if we’d been friends in high school?
I can see her being the pretty, outgoing popular girl and me being her quiet, shy, introverted best friend.
She would have dragged me to every party and danced on me just like that. ”
“And I bet you would have had the time of your life.”
She circled the rim of her drink with her nail. “If things had been different, I would have. I feel like I missed out on a lot of life, you know? Not just the last ten years, but in general. Maybe something crazy like get a secret tattoo or piercing.”
“Oh, so you wanted to live on the wild side?”
She giggled. “Maybe for a moment. Just to feel normal.”
I nodded as I motioned for the server to bring us our tab for the night. She returned a few seconds later with the receipt. I reached for my wallet and handed her enough to cover the bill plus a tip.
“Keep the change,” I said, standing.
“Where are you going?” Alayah asked, brows furrowed in confusion.
“We’re about to get out of here. Come on.”
“Where are we going? I can’t just leave Londyn.”
“I think she will be fine.” I motioned to Londyn in a corner of the bar, tonguing down the guy she was dancing with. “Just send her a message and let her know you’re with me.”
Alayah looked around me before pulling out her phone. She tapped away on it for a second before tucking it away and standing. I extended my hand, and she took it, allowing me to lead her out of the bar. We headed to my car, and I opened the door for her.
“Don’t get me into any trouble, Killian.”
“I won’t. I promise. We’re gonna have a little fun.”
“What kind of fun?”
“You’ll see.”
She eyed me skeptically but got in the car.
I rounded the driver’s side and climbed in.
Pulling out of the parking lot, I headed to the other side of town.
She said she wanted to feel normal, so why not give her a little slice of that?
When I pulled into the parking lot of the tattoo parlor a friend of mine owned, Alayah’s eyes widened.
“You’re really taking me to get a tattoo?” she asked.
“You said you wanted one.”
“I–I was just talking. I didn’t think you’d actually bring me here.”
“Well, we’re here now. What do you say?”
She laughed. “Killian! I don’t even know what I would get.”
“Something meaningful. What means the most to you right now?”
She thought for a moment. “Freedom.”
“I’ll get one with you.”
“Matching tattoos?”
“What better way to commemorate our friendship?”
“You know Londyn is gonna be jealous, right?”
I grinned. “She’ll live. We were friends first.”
She smiled. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
We got out of the car and headed inside. Micah, my friend, was standing at the counter looking at the computer. When he saw us, a smile spread across his face.
“Killian, my guy!” He came around the corner to slap my hand. “How you doing, man?”
“I’m good. Can’t complain.”
He looked over at Alayah. “And who is this beautiful sistah?”
“This is my friend, Alayah. Alayah, this is Micah.”
“Nice to meet you, Alayah.”
He went in for a hug, but she took a step back the same time as I extended my arm.
“She doesn’t like people in her personal space,” I said.
“I apologize. I grew up in a hugging ass family. Please forgive me.”
“It’s okay,” she said softly.
“So, what brings you here tonight?”
“Alayah wants to her first tattoo,” I answered.
“Ahhh! An ink virgin. What were you thinking? Small, big, medium?”
Alayah thought for a moment. “Um…probably something small. I don’t know how much pain I can tolerate. Maybe a few words?”
“Did you have an idea?”
“Something that celebrates freedom. I, um…I recently came home from prison.”
Micah’s eyes widened. “Oh! Well, that’s certainly something to celebrate. I won’t get in your business, but this seems like a personal tattoo, so I want it to really mean something. Most people I know that went to prison did something that was their last resort. What pushed you?”
Alayah swallowed hard. “Fear.”
Micah nodded. “I got you, beautiful. Come on over here.”
He led us to his workstation and settled at his desk.
While he sketched out something, Alayah and I looked around at his work.
My boy was talented. He was a few years older than me, and I met him one summer when I came home for break.
My sister and I randomly decided to get tattoos and came to his shop.
We hit it off, and he’s been my go-to guy ever since.
“All right. What do you think?”
Alayah and I turned to look at the sketch he’d drawn. It was a quote that read, Beyond fear is freedom with a few butterflies. She smiled and reached out to touch it.
“It’s perfect,” she said softly.
“Where do you want it?”
She looked down, contemplating a spot for a moment before holding out her arm and pointing to the inside.
“Right here.”
“I got you. Just let me trace this onto the transfer paper, and we can get started. You can have a seat. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
She took a seat on the bench and got comfortable.
“You need me to hold your hand?” I jested.
She playfully smacked my arm. “No, I don’t, but be on standby.”
I grinned. “I got you, love.”
“You’re gonna get this too, right?”
“I’m gonna pass on the butterflies—”
“Aht aht! You said matching. That includes the butterflies.”
I chuckled. “Fine, man. I’ll go let Micah know.”
I was happy to see her smile. I had far too many memories of her doing anything but that. If there was any way I could make that happen for her, I would.