Page 26 of All The Smoke

After spraying on cologne and grabbing my wallet and phone, I bounced.

My car was freshly washed and detailed because I didn’t want her to get in no dirty shit or smell weed because a nigga definitely always blowed in the car.

Kaori smoked too, but she wouldn’t be doing it while carrying my kid and potentially afterward because I hoped she would be breastfeeding.

I spent the majority of my ride to her crib talking to Solo.

I’d told him about the baby the night before and he was excited about being a big brother.

I left out who I was having a baby with because I knew it was only a matter of time before he told his mother.

The last thing I wanted or needed was Bri pressing Kaori.

I did promise to introduce them soon though.

Solo was gon’ be too lit when he realized it was Kaori because for whatever reason he loved her ass.

Lil nigga had only been around her a few times and swore they were locked in forever.

I thought about texting her and telling her I was there then meeting her at the door but decided against it. She already thought I was going to let her drive and meet me for a fucking date.

After knocking, I stuffed my hands into the pockets of the Adidas track pants I wore and waited. I looked the restaurant up to make sure a nigga didn’t have to dress up and was glad to see people wore normal shit.

“Damn,” slipped out quicker than I intended when Kaori opened the door looking as beautiful as ever.

She wore a blue jean Ed Hardy skirt with a matching olive screen top with the brand name in orange letters along with the army olive and orange Jordan 5s on her feet. Her pretty ass was glowing like a mothafucka too. My baby looked good on her.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said, breaking me from the trance she had me in.

“You should,” I admitted, pulling her close into a hug. “You look good as fuck, baby.”

“Thank you.” She blushed, pulling away so she could close then lock her door.

Silently, I walked her to my running car, pulling her door open to help her inside. I waited until we were on the way to the restaurant to address her text message.

“Ya last nigga used to have you meet him places when y’all went out?”

I didn’t really care about their relationship at all, but I needed her to know I wasn’t shit like him and if he did, that was hoe shit.

“Sometimes, but that was mainly because I hated riding in the car with him. He drove like a mad man and…”

“I only asked because that ain’t ever going on with me.” I glanced her way briefly. “He might’ve been cool with you driving yourself on a date and shit, but I ain’t.”

“Noted.” She smiled. I could hear the shit in her voice. “I just didn’t want to inconvenience you.”

“I’m the one that asked you out though.” I chuckled. “Plus, you fine with good pussy. I don’t mind you inconveniencing me.”

“Or I’m carrying your little human.”

“Add that to the top of the list.” I smiled. “Naw, but I told you that you can worry me about whatever. I’m a stubborn ass nigga and some people say I’m mean, but you got my seed, so bug a nigga. Aight? Fuck up my plans and shit.”

She giggled. “You say that now.”

“I mean that.”

“Okay, well, Bernard says you’re having another pool party this weekend so I may want to come over there and lay in your bed while that’s going on.”

I chuckled and shook my head because that was news to me. Truthfully I didn’t care if she went over there or not. I was barely in that mothafucka so it would do good for someone to put my money to use and sleep in the bed.

“Them niggas might be having a party but I damn sure ain’t.”

“Why?”

“That ain’t my thing.” I shrugged. “They be having them low budget ass bitches from The Manor and Ridge over that bitch acting high maintenance and begging. I ain’t with all that.”

She chuckled. “You are a very hard man to impress.”

“Cap.” I smirked. “You left a mark on me from the jump,” I admitted. “Both figuratively and literally.”

“Shut up.” She shoved me a little while laughing. “I am kind of that girl though.”

“No doubt.” I agreed.

Outside of her being pretty as hell, she was cool as fuck too.

Her personality was bubbly as hell but laid back too.

When we talked, conversation flowed easily and she always had some shit to talk about.

I was interested in her outside of the baby, that went without saying, but I didn’t know if she felt the same.

That was the only thing that fucked with me.

She asked me shit about me and my son just like I’d asked her, but it was just hard to gauge if she was feeling me outside of her just being pregnant with my baby.

We made it to the restaurant and got seated quickly due to me making reservations. It was my first time there and all of the shit on the menu looked foreign as fuck to me, so I let her order my drink.

“He’ll do the Cherry Bouquet Ginjo.”

“Glass or bottle?”

“Bottle,” she answered. “And I’ll do a Pom De Replay please as well as waters for us both.” The waiter took it all down as well as the two sushi rolls she asked for before excusing herself.

I scanned all over the menu for what she’d ordered because I’d never heard of the shit, plus I wanted to be sure her ass wasn’t ordering no bullshit or alcohol for herself. I didn’t think she was that kind of girl, but I could never be sure.

“Boy, the drink is nonalcoholic.” She laughed and took the menu from me so she could look at the food.

“How you know what I was checking for?”

“That big ass vein poking out of your forehead,” she teased. “I wouldn’t drink alcohol while I’m pregnant, Smoke.”

“Call me Solomon,” I requested. For some reason hearing her call me by my street name didn’t sit well with me. “And you gotta forgive a nigga. This my first time at some shit this fancy for real.”

Tearing her eyes away from the menu, she gave them to me and smiled. “Mr. Chow’s is not fancy, first off, the other places you named for a date were much more expensive. Secondly, your first time? That’s interesting.”

“How?”

“Your parents are very wealthy and well put together, at least I assume they are, so I would have thought you ate at places like this often.”

Tossing both of my arms onto the booth beside me, I slouched just a bit in my seat and replied, “Bishop ain’t always been as wealthy as he is now. We stayed in The Ridge and shit when I was a little nigga. It wasn’t really until he became Bishop that the money and shit came.”

“Yeah, but that’s been since I was a little girl.”

“Word, but by then I was knee deep in the streets and doing my own thing.”

“How do they feel about that?” she asked. “Bishop and First Lady are okay with their son…” She leaned in a little closer and whispered, “Being the plug.”

Tossing my head back a little, I laughed.

“Shit a nigga wish I was big time like that. I’m not on ya pops level and shit, but I do okay for myself.”

“I don’t need you to be like my father.” She shrugged then a sad look took over her face. “As a matter of fact I hope you never are because I don’t want our baby to go through what I am.”

“Ay,” I leaned forward and took one of her hands into mine. “Ain’t gon’ be none of that shit, aight? My kids gon’ always have me and you too if you want me.”

I didn’t know where that last part came from, but I did want her to know that. She had a nigga’s nose wide open since the first time I laid my eyes on her little ass, so I wanted her to know the ball was legit in her court and this shit with us would go however she wanted it to.

“You can’t promise me that.” She pulled her hand away while shaking her head. “My daddy promised me and my mama he would never leave us and…”

I cut her off. “And that nigga still around. Might not be there how y’all want him to be, but he got eyes on y’all and still making sure y’all good.”

“You act like you know him.” She rolled her eyes playfully.

“Nigga a street legend.” I chuckled. “And he a solid ass nigga. I don’t have to personally know him to know he stand on big business about y’all.”

The streets talked and word had been buzzing since I was a snot nosed little boy about how solid and real of a nigga K-Dot was.

He was so real that he put his lil protégé back in the day on and left the entire empire here in Crescent Falls to him before packing up and starting fresh in a brand new city from.

It was the famous scripture he quoted all the time that had me like I was when it came to my family.

But if a man makes no provision for those dependent on him, and especially his own family, he has disowned the faith and is behaving worse than an unbeliever.

I had that shit tatted on my back and I lived by the shit and took it seriously.

It was why I made sure my brother was always straight, would give Bino and Scoot the shirt off my back, and hell, even made sure Bri was good.

He and his word were all the way righteous to me.

Really on the same level as Noah’s for real.

“Speaking of, he wants to meet you ASAP,” she said and rolled her eyes. “I’m going to visit him next weekend; you should come with me.”

“I can dig it.” I nodded and moved my hand from the table so the waitress could set the sushi down. Kaori went right to eating with her greedy ass.

“Are you guys ready to order?” the waitress asked, looking between the two of us.

“Yes,” Kaori answered as she covered her mouth since she was still eating her sushi. I’d already given her the green light to order for me too as long as she didn’t have them bring me anything still alive to the table. After the waitress walked away she pointed and asked, “You want to try some?”

I shook my head. “I ain’t really into raw shit.”

“This one is cooked.”

“What’s the pink and green shit?”

“Wasabi and ginger.”

“Why it’s on the side and not inside the roll?’