Page 14

. . .

Aku was on ten—sweating, sliding, and mouthing every bar like she wrote the lyrics herself.

The DJ spun all her favorite hood classics, and her body moved like it had been waiting for this moment.

She’d yet to even sit down—moving through the section, throwing her ass in a circle while rapping hardcore lyrics like she was a nigga and had indeed lived the life they so eloquently painted in their music.

Good thing her hair had been trained because the sleekness of the bob wouldn’t stand a chance when it came to her and dancing.

Ahvi wasn’t much of a dancer, but she threw her hands up whenever the beat dropped.

Let a track from the trenches play, and she was rapping right along with Aku because she had lived the life.

But when a Lunar song came on, she danced different.

Slow, sexy, and proud. Because that was her man and his voice made her feel like she was floating.

Lunar noticed too. He leaned back in the corner of their booth with a drink in his hand, but his eyes never left Ahvi. The kind of eyes that said “yeah, she mine, and I dare you to forget it.”

Bu caught it, his blunt perched between his fingers while a grin tugged at the side of his mouth. “Nigga, she ain’t gon’ disappear,” he said, dragging on the blunt before blowing smoke out slow.

Lunar smirked, his dimples digging into his face. “Just gotta keep eyes on her. Last time I blinked, nigga stole my girl.”

“Aye!” Bu’s head snapped back as he let out one of them deep, guttural laughs that came from the soul. “You my young nigga. I love you like a brother—but that’s my wife now.”

Pimp cackled so hard he almost choked on his drink. “Little Lunar, he said ‘ wife now .’ Will Smith-ass nigga. ‘Keep my woman’s name out your muthafuckin’ mouth!’”

Devonte hollered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Y’all stupid.”

The energy was infectious. The kind of laughter that made your stomach hurt and your soul feel light. Everybody in that section had earned their joy. Built themselves up from pain, from loss, from ashes even. So now when they laughed like that? It hit different.

Before Bu could clap back, Noodle appeared like magic, easing herself between his legs like she belonged there, because she did.

She ain’t say nothing. Bu wrapped his arms around her waist without a second thought, planting a kiss on her shoulder as she leaned into him.

That kind of love didn’t scream—it whispered and still made the world shut up.

Ahvi followed suit, curling into Lunar’s lap. Their bodies meshed together perfectly. Like even when they wasn’t doing nothing, they were still in sync.

Aku sucked her teeth playfully. “So this what we doin’ now? Boo’d up and boring?”

Pimp leaned forward with fake offense. “Boring?” His eyes sat low and his dreads were freshly retwisted and hanging down his back. Pimp looked like he was loved properly.

She gave him the side-eye. “You used to let me sit on your lap and play in your hair.”

He chuckled. “I got a grown-ass man now…”

“Don’t nobody care,” she mumbled under her breath, pretending to give Devonte the stink eye.

“But maybe,” Pimp drawled, tilting his head toward the front of the section, “you ain’t gotta be lonely tonight.”

Aku’s brow lifted, confused—until her eyes landed on him .

Devin walked in like he was the headliner. Hairline crisp, chain swinging, and that cocky grin on his face that she hated, now that he wasn’t hers to fawn over. Her chest tightened, her feet stilled, and her breath hitched just enough for everyone to notice.

The audacity.

Aku blinked then cut her eyes toward Bu. “ You? ” Her eyes pointed.

Bu threw his hands up, backpedaling like a guilty little boy. “On God, I ain’t invite him!”

“Then who did?” she snapped, her eyes scanning the section like she was tryna catch the traitor.

“I thought you might wanna talk to the nigga,” Pimp offered casually, sipping his drink.

“Oh, you thought wrong,” Aku muttered, turning her attention back to Devin, who was already headed in her direction, a calm smile playing on his lips like he hadn’t broken her into pieces she still hadn’t picked up.

He stepped to her slow, like he knew better than to rush her. “Aku.”

She didn’t respond at first. Just looked at him—really looked at him—and hated how fine he still was. That was the problem. Devin had the kind of pretty that made you forget how much he hurt you.

“What you doin’ here, Devin?”

“Came to see you,” he said like it was simple. Like it didn’t carry weight…like the air hadn’t shifted, the second he walked in and laid his eyes on her.

She folded her arms, tilting her head. “You coulda sent a text, or a carrier pigeon, or nothin’ .” Her almond eyes bucked, ready to cuss his ass out.

Aku didn’t understand why Devin thought popping up would be cool when she wasn’t answering his calls.

He grinned, not backing down. “You look good.”

She sighed. “Don’t do that.”

“I ain’t here to fight,” he spoke gently. “Just wanted to see how you was. It’s been a minute.”

“Been a minute since you told me you ain’t want no family,” she shot back, her voice low and sharp enough to cut through the bass in the speakers.

Devin’s jaw clenched as he nodded. “I was honest.”

“Yeah. And I was dumb. Thought I could love you into bein’ ready.”

“You weren’t dumb,” he said, stepping closer. “You just…loved me more than I could love myself.”

That line hit her in the chest. And it hurt because it was true.

Bu stood up, watching from the corner like a security guard on high alert. Devin glanced over, tension creeping back into the space.

“You got a minute?” Devin asked Aku.

She hesitated, then finally gave a slight nod. “One minute, nigga.”

They stepped a few feet away, just enough to talk low.

Devin spoke first. “You hate me?”

“No,” she whispered. “But I’m disappointed. I wanted you to be him so bad.”

He swallowed. “I wanted to be…still do, sometimes.”

Aku looked up at him, eyes glistening but no tears fell. “I’m not mad that you couldn’t be him. I’m mad that I kept tryna convince you that you already were.”

Devin’s head bobbed with a slow beat like he was in sync with the music. “You always deserved more.”

She smirked sadly. “And now I’m finally givin’ myself that.”

There was silence - heavy and loud.

Then he said it. “I still love you.”

She didn’t flinch, just looked him dead in the eyes.

“But you don’t love what I want. You don’t love the version of me that comes with babies and legacy and Sunday dinners and soft places to land.

You loved me when I was just yours. I need somebody that can love all of me—even the parts that ain’t arrived yet. ”

Behind them, Bu stood still, his arms crossed, eyes unblinking…protecting her from the past even if she didn’t need him to. Because real love don’t always show up in roses and poems, sometimes it look like a big brother not letting nobody backtrack into your life without consequences.

“This ain’t the time or place for all that shoulda, coulda, woulda, shit. I’m that girl…you fumbled me…ain’t no coming back from that. It’s cool though.” Aku walked away first, chin up, heart steady.

Devin watched her leave—again—and knew this time, it was for real.

The thing about knowing what the truth is, is if you’re going to do right by it.

Devin knew he should leave well enough alone. Funny thing about love and hearts— they did what they felt was right…never what was right.

Instead of leaving the same way he came, he got cozy.

Devin finally slapped hands with Lunar, Pimp, and Devonte. A subtle nod was all he could give Bu. Their relationship had been strained because Devin refused to leave well enough alone…like now.

Aku rolled her eyes, truly ready for him to go. As if she needed a distraction, she received a text from Malik.

Malik: I’m hella bored. What you on?

Smiling so hard her eyes tightened, ‘cause she could hear his cursive words and deep voice like he was close.

Aku: Dorothy is out.. Oz is kinda cool.

Of course, God sent her another distraction with Pimp feeling guilty and grabbing her hand to dance.

..and dance she did. Aku grinded on him with a smirk on her face knowing Devin wanted to be the one she threw her ass back on.

They’d had many nights in the club vibing and dancing without a care in the world.

That was the version of Aku he wanted for a lifetime, but Aku wanted more.

Late nights tending to kids, and times where the only fun she had was at a playground listening to children laugh and scream… her children.

She was a little girl raised in a house built on love and family.

Of course, it was what she aspired to have.

She was the daddy’s girl that wanted to marry her daddy because good dads were a little girl’s first love.

It was where relationships and love manifested for them…

where they decided a white dress was the end goal.

Love was all she knew. Family was how her family thrived in a world that would’ve rather seen them fail.

Love was where they all prevailed. It made long nights and hard days worth it.

“You gonna find your person, Aku.” Pimp whispered into her ear, his arms wrapped around her waist. “Be patient…if I can find it, I know you can.”

Flicking a tear from her cheek, she nodded. His words sat in her chest.

Malik looked at the time.

It had been hours since he sent that last text to Aku and she replied quickly like she always did. Playful, flirty, and slick at the mouth…then silence.

Now, he was in his zone. Shirtless, in his room with nothing but the glow of his monitor lighting up his face.

Fingers flying over keys, blue hoodie slung over the back of his chair, his thoughts dipped between lines of code and the sweet smell of za pouring from the suitcase cracked open behind him.