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Her grandmother lived on the first floor, so when I stepped through the door, it felt like home.

I’ve never been anywhere that felt like home, and this place legit felt like it.

The family pictures of everyone covered the walls and, the leather sofa with a nana blanket draped over the back with pictures of Greene and Navy.

I noticed her love for plants came from her grandmother because she had the same plant that Navy did. Except hers was wrapped over the kitchen counter and around the kitchen window.

“What you want to eat?”

“Anything… starving,” I guzzled the rest of my cup and sat it down. She tossed a towel over her shoulder and grabbed my cup to fill it up.

“Wanna take a shot?”

“Yeah.”

She poured us a shot into two small plastic shot glasses and handed one to me. Standing in front of me, she looked up. “You alright?”

“Feeling that drink.”

“I bet.”

“Don’t look away from me, either. Can’t fuck up that good fucking you got, right?” I was wild for even saying that shit to her in her grandparents’ kitchen, but I was feeling nice.

Actually, it was her grandparents’ fault for giving me more on top of the already strong ass drink. “I guess we can’t, right?”

We cheered and took the shot back without breaking eye contact. “Give me those noodles.”

“Chow mein?”

“Yeah… I always get it from the Chinese spot near my house.”

“Oh, you ain’t never had this chow mein,” she smirked, and loaded the plate up with different food. “Once you have Guyanese food… you don’t go back.”

“And you know how to cook all this?”

“Yep… me and Greene. My grandmother taught us everything like she taught our mothers and uncles.”

I stood behind her as she fixed my plate. “You gonna cook it for me?”

“If you act right.”

I slapped her ass, watching it jiggle in those shorts. “You know I don’t ever act right.”

“Another shot?”

We took another one before I returned out there with her family. I sat dogging my food while her grandfather poured me more rum. “That nigga feeling it… he feeling that shit.” Her uncle Joseph laughed and squeezed my shoulder.

“Chill, I’m good,” even my speech was slurred.

I lost a good four hundred dollars talking shit and thinking I could beat her grandfather. Old man whooped my ass and sent me on my way. Me and Navy sat on the stoop across the street, and she finished her drink and leaned her head on me.

“You alright?”

“Shit feels nice.”

“The drinks?”

“Nah, your family… welcoming.” I took another sip of another drink I was handed. Greene and her mother were across the street dancing with her grandmother.

“Yeah, I think this is the reason I never take social media seriously. They are what keep me grounded and remind me that this is what I have once I turn my camera off or come back from a brand trip… I’m going to retire my family.

My uncles and father own a small contracting business they do on the side because it doesn’t pay the bills, they never have time to pour into it.

My grandparents won’t have to worry about their kids paying their bills because I’ll be paying it all. ”

“You too good.”

“Yeah, so I’ve heard.” She smiled at me.

Her eyes were so low that I could tell she was fucked up. “Navy, you got a dollar… please?” Two kids ran over toward us.

“Didn’t hear excuse me?”

They smiled. “Excuse me, Navy… can we have a dollar… a piece?”

I dug into my wallet and peeled off what I had left after losing most of my money. Their eyes grew wide. “A hundred dollars?” the second one said.

“And bring his change back.”

“Nah… split it and share with everyone else.”

“Thanks!” they were so excited they ran off and all the kids took off toward the corner store at the end of the block.

“You’re too good.”

“Yeah, never heard that.”

“I can say it in your ear when I’m riding you.” She blushed; her eyes were nearly closed with how low they were.

“Lowkey need that sometimes,” I looked over at her and she smiled.

“Will you tell me more about your family?”

“Yeah, I got you.”

“Okay.”

Greene came running across the street barefoot with shots in her hands. “Shottttts. Poppa is sharing his rum.”

Me and Navy looked at each other. “Fuck it, we ball.” She laughed and accepted the drinks.

My fucking head felt like someone slapping the shit out of me and wouldn’t stop.

As I leaned up, my shirt was around my head and my sneakers was kicked off to the side on a carpet.

It smelled like coco butter and musk as my eyes tried to focus on where the fuck I was at.

The last thing I remembered was doing shots with Navy and Greene.

Greene kept challenging me and I wasn’t backing down from a challenge—ever.

Her grandparents were no better cause they kept hyping me up to take the shots with her.

It had been a minute since I had let loose and had fun.

Half the shit I didn’t remember doing, but I know I picked Navy up and raced her uncles.

I ran track in high school, so I smoked his ass while carrying her.

“Got you some coconut water, ginger tea, and some water crackers,” I heard Ro’s voice, but didn’t see him.

“Why you screaming?” I winced as I spoke, because everything felt amplified this morning.

He chuckled. “Nigga, I’m whispering so I don’t wake up Avril and Navy.”

I finally followed his voice, and he was sitting in the dining area, while putting on his work boots. “How are you even up? And where am I?”

“You’re at my house. When you and Navy started placing bets on who could walk to the Brooklyn Bridge, Avril grabbed her, and I grabbed you and walked ya’ll back to our apartment.” He chuckled. “And I have no choice but to be up. Got a family to provide for.”

I respected a man that provided. I didn’t have a family, but I knew it was a conscious choice to show up as a husband and father every day.

There were niggas every day who chose themselves, and after the night that we had, Ro could have been in bed sleeping his hangover off.

Instead, he was lacing his work boots up and had even considered the fact that I would be fucked up and made me something.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. She’s my entire world, Don… my angel in life, and she deserves happiness.”

“I agree.”

“Antwan, he’s a good kid. They’ve been connected at the hip since school, but I would be a fool to say that I knew they wouldn’t last. The minute Mamas decided not to go away to college with him, we knew the relationship wouldn’t last.”

I stretched and walked over toward the table where he was sitting. The tea was still hot, like he just poured it before I found myself waking up on his couch. “I’m not in the business of having beef with homie. Also not trying to rush her into something she’s not ready for, you feel me?”

“I feel you. She looks at you different, though… seems different with you. I think the long distance and always trying to get right with each other took a toll on her. She changed a bit, became withdrawn, but wanted to pretend so we wouldn’t notice. I noticed.”

I nodded and took a sip of the strong ass tea. “Ro, there’s rum in here?”

“Hell yeah. How else you get over a hangover?”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I sipped the hot ass tea.

“I want to get to know her the right way. Navy is different, and being completely honest, she got my ass gone. Never met someone like her before… she knows who she is. In a world where everyone is trying to be someone else, that shit is refreshing for me. I’m not here to tell you that we have a future because only she knows that.

I’m saying I’m here to know your daughter and continue to laugh with her. ”

“Ro, why didn’t you wake me up?” Avril came shuffling into the kitchen, and then she paused. “The way you ran with my baby on your shoulders… don’t ever do that again.” She laughed.

“I’m sore, like I just worked out for twenty straight hours.”

“Yeah and would have been even more sore had we allowed you two nuts to walk to the Brooklyn Bridge.” Avril kissed Ro on the head. “Have a good day, Lovey. Call me when you get a chance?”

“Always.” He stood up and held his fist out toward mine, and I bumped fist with him.

We all turned our head when we heard someone clearing out their nose. “Morning Daddy… have a good day at work.”

Navy hugged her father. “See you later, Mamas… I made some tea and have coconut water in the fridge.”

“Thanks. One day I’m gonna retire you, you know?”

He smiled. “Until then, we keep moving forward, right?”

“Always forward,” Avril affirmed, and I assumed this was something the three of them shared between each other.

Avril walked Ro downstairs, and Navy walked around the table, kissing me on the cheek. “Morning, Don.”

I pinched her ass in the leggings she wore. “Why you playing with me?”

“So, are you busy today?”

“Got some work to handle.”

Corleon was the head of cyber security when it came to all things related to the Caselli family.

While I handled finances, I was also the second line of defense for the cyber security for Case House.

Core’s ass always did some wild shit that made it look like we were hacked to see if I could solve the problem.

He did the same shit to Skyler and Aimee, too, because he claimed he was building us up. I mean, I understood because the man was a genius and did this shit in his sleep. The reason Case House and everything involving the Caselli name was so damn powerful was because of Corleon D. Bruster.

“Okay.”

I pulled her closer to me. “You can come chill with me.”

“I do have work to do, so I guess I should do the same thing.”

“Do it over my house.”

“Sure?”

“Yeah… and after, let me cook us dinner and eat on the terrace.”

Navy slid into the seat across from me. “Yeah?”

“I can cook, Bleu… throws down in the kitchen.”

“Never denied it… um, how we getting to your house? I love the train, but I don’t have the energy to walk home and then to the train to your house.”

“Don’t worry about it… want me to carry you down the block?”