Page 7 of All The Smoke

K aori.

“Babe,” I whined. “You said no phones right now.”

He finished typing whatever on his phone before locking it and pushing it into his pocket then tossing his arm over my shoulder and pulling me into his side. “Just handling a little business while you were in the bathroom.”

Intertwining my fingers with his, I smiled and laid my head on his arm as we walked toward the bar. We’d just gotten done seeing a movie and were getting food and drinks before heading home.

Jamal pulled my chair out and waited for me to sit before sitting next to me. We lifted our menus and looked over them.

“Can I start you two with something to drink?” the bartender asked when she approached, placing a white napkin in front of me then moving toward Jamal to do the same, but she froze a little, confusing me. Both noticed me looking at them so they snapped out whatever trance they were in quickly.

“Y’all know each other?” I asked. I wasn’t going to wait for her to leave and ask him because his ass would lie in a heartbeat.

“Naw,” Jamal answered, shifting in his seat. He was lying.

“N-no,” the girl stammered. “He just looked a little familiar.”

She sounded like she was lying too. I wanted to probe further but I promised to turn my crazy down some and start trusting Jamal’s word instead of reacting instantly. I promised to think before flipping my shit on him.

My family wasn’t happy at all when I told them I was going to give him one more chance to get it right.

I knew they wouldn’t be. He had done too much for even me to see past, but I loved him so I was going to try.

The most challenging part was accepting the baby.

I didn’t know how I was going to get over it, but I was trying.

I did tell him, however, that the child couldn’t come around me.

I wanted no parts of being in the child’s life. At least not right away.

“Right.” I eyed them both skeptically. “Let me do a strawberry long pour, please.”

“Salt or sugar around the rim?”

“Sugar, please.”

“And you, sir?”

“Double Henny on the rocks and bring us both water.”

Nodding, she rushed to the other side of the bar to prepare our drinks, leaving us alone again. It wasn’t until then that I noticed it was only us in the restaurant area of the theater.

“You sure you don’t know her?” I asked, eyes narrowed and fixed on his.

He sighed. “I already said I didn’t, KK.”

“Well why is she all fidgety and shit?”

“Probably because you were staring a hole in her ass, intimidating the fuck out of the girl.”

“I was not.” I frowned. “If I was looking a way it was because she was staring at me first, acting all nervous and suspicious.”

“Baby.” He laughed and ran a hand down his fade. “What are we even still talking about that shit? I don’t know her ass and I’m out with you.” He turned in his seat so he was facing me and turned me toward him. “We’re having a good night. Don’t ruin it with your overthinking, please.”

“Okay.” I sighed and closed my eyes briefly before kissing his lips. “You’re right, I’ll let it go.”

“Good.” He smiled and pushed some of my freshly straightened hair behind my ear. “Have I told you how good you look tonight?”

I blushed. “Too many times for me to count.”

It was hot out so I had on a pink, suede, two-piece skirt set I got from Passion and paired it with pink J Marc leather sandals and the matching leather bucket bag.

He matched me with the pink too. We hadn’t matched on a date in years.

It was kind of adolescent in a sense but still cute and I loved it.

It gave me all the feels he used to give me when we first met as kids.

The bartender returned with our drinks and took our food order. We ended up going with wings, fries, and fried pickles, which were my favorite. As we ate and drank, we talked. Jamal and I were at each other’s necks so much that we didn’t ever really sit around and talk.

I filled him in on work, school, and my father.

Even though they didn’t like him, he loved my family and always showed genuine interest when it came to them.

Anytime my granny needed work done at the house, Jamal would send some of his friends to do it so she didn’t pay a whole lot of money for someone else to do it.

“One more shot before we go,” he suggested and pecked me on the lips.

“I’m already a little tipsy, babe. I probably shouldn’t.”

“Just one.” He smiled, bottom lip tucked between his teeth, looking super sexy. Jamal was easy on the eyes. His caramel complexion blended perfectly with the hazel eyes, tattoos littering his skin—my favorite being my name above his eyebrow—and the nose piercing. He was just fine.

Not having much of a choice considering he had already ordered them, I agreed. We took the shot, grabbed our boxed leftovers, and headed out hand in hand.

“Ms. KK?” I heard a little voice call out behind me.

Spinning on my heels and seeing who the voice belonged to, a wide smile invaded my face. “Solo?”

My heart swelled a little when he hugged me around my legs.

Kneeling down, I pulled him in for another hug and asked him where his parents were since he seemed to be alone.

He pointed and got ready to answer just as the smell of Bond No.

9 crept into my nostrils. I knew that scent because my father loved it and wore it all the time.

“Solo, you know better, bruh,” Solomon Sr. fussed as he approached.

“But I saw my dentist, Daddy.”

“I don’t care, Solo. You know better than to leave me.

” He continued to chastise his son, not even looking my way at first but when he did it was electrifying.

Butterflies instantly swarmed my stomach and my hands felt clammy as he peered down at me.

“What’s up, beautiful?” He finally spoke to me and extended a hand to help me up which I accepted.

“You look good,” he complimented, looking me up and down. “Damn.”

“Ay.” Jamal pulled me back roughly.

“Ay, what?” Solomon took a step forward. “And quit fucking jerking on her and shit.”

“This my bitch,” Jamal snapped, catching me off guard because he had never addressed me as a bitch. “I’m gon’ handle her how I want to.”

“Not in front of me, nigga,” Solomon responded. “You gon’ get ya fuckin’ hands off of her right now or get ya jaw broke. Your choice.”

The two men stood in a stare off before I felt Jamal loosen his grip on my arm moments later, then tell me it was time to go. I walked away with him, but Solomon gently grabbed my hand to stop me.

“You good?” he asked when we locked eyes.

I nodded. “Jamal is harmless and he’s my boyfriend, so I should go.”

I tried pulling my hand away but he wasn’t having it. He looked past me, frowning at Jamal, who was waiting for me at the door.

“I don’t like that nigga.”

I chuckled. “You don’t even know him or me.”

“I want to know you though.” He smirked, tucking his lip between his teeth.

Lord, this man is fine as hell.

Solomon Sr. had rich chocolate skin littered with tattoos with the prettiest set of straight, white teeth, and the dimples in his cheeks were the icing on the cake for me.

He had sort of a rugged look but a baby face at the same time.

He was dressed nicely as well, in a yellow Nike T-shirt with an orange and green design, green Nike shorts, and matching dunks.

The cutest thing to me was both times I saw him and his son they were dressed alike.

His son was neat, clean, and happy; he was clearly a good father.

“KK, let’s go, bruh,” Jamal barked from behind me, causing me to look over my shoulder at him. He wasn’t pleased.

“I should go,” I said to Solomon, successfully able to pull my hand away that time. “See you around, Solo.” I tapped his little cheek and smiled.

“And I’ll see you around, KK,” Solomon said and smirked before taking his son’s hand and walking in the opposite direction.

I wanted to spend more time watching them but Jamal was already pissed so I turned and walked in his direction.

He walked out of the door first, not bothering to hold it for me.

When we made it to the car he didn’t open the door for me either.

Those were things he always did, so I knew he had an attitude.

He turned the music up to the max and drove like a bat out of hell when we got on the highway. He was silent all the way to my place and didn’t pull into a parking space when we got in front of my townhouse.

Turning the music down, I asked, “You’re not staying?”

“Got moves to make,” he mumbled.

My brows furrowed. “Since when? We had plans…”

He cut me off. “Since you was all in that nigga’s face. Rico called me about some business shit, so yeah..”

“I was not in a nigga’s face.” I frowned. “And that can’t wait? Rico can’t handle whatever business y’all have? You know I don’t have much free time these days.”

“And that’s my fault?” he quipped. “I don’t got shit to do with ya free time being damn near nonexistent now, that’s ya mother’s doing. Talk her head off about it.”

“Oh wow,” I replied, completely shocked at his response. He was really being an asshole.

“Yeah, so hop out so I can peel.”

“Okay, Jamal, what’s your issue for real? I get that Solomon was a little…”

“Solomon?” he cut in. “You and the nigga on a first name basis.”

“His son is my patient.”

“We ain’t talking about his fucking son.”

“Then what are we talking about, Jamal?”

“You were legit holding hands with this nigga, carrying on a conversation after he just disrespected me, Kaori,” he snapped. “If that would have been me, you would have tweaked the fuck out.”

He was right. If he would have done what I had done it would have for sure been a problem. Damn, Kaori.

“Okay,” I sighed. “You’re right. Even though I don’t know him and it wasn’t anything between us, it wasn’t cool, so I apologize.”

“Yeah,” he mumbled.