Page 39

. . .

Floor fourteen of the Barnette Building. The sunlight spilled in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, shining over the vintage rugs and velvet chairs that looked like they were stolen from a movie set.

This was her zone, her temple, and even though she didn’t spend much time in it because stylists were always on set…she made sure it felt like her when she stepped off the elevator.

“Did you eat today?” Niah called from across the room, flipping through garment bags. “And don’t lie ‘cause I watched you inhale that protein bar and call it lunch.”

Aku looked up from her laptop, legs tucked under her on the tufted pink couch, her oversized Balenciaga shades sliding down her nose. “Girl, that protein bar had chocolate in it. Don’t discredit the nutrients.”

“Girl bye.” Niah tossed her a water, hitting her thigh. “Hydrate or die-drate.”

They’d slowly crawled into the friendzone when Aku walked in with wet eyes and a sad smile. Niah wasn’t mad at it either, ‘cause it felt organic - especially since Aku was starting to give her more range within the business.

“Okay, TikTok generation,” Aku laughed, sitting up and stretching.

She had on a white button-down shirt half open, dress pant style shorts, gold bangles, and her signature designer bracelet stack.

Of course, her hair was effortlessly styled in a loose wave pattern, like she hadn’t just been crying over Malik less than forty-eight hours ago.

The front door buzzed.

“Somebody let a legend in the makin’ in?” Noodle’s voice crooned before she even appeared.

She stepped inside in a green two-piece set with her natural curls down to her butt, iced out from wrist to ankle. Her energy filled the space like a live concert. “What’s up, ladies?!”

“Act famous one more time and I’m taking your name off the schedule,” Aku warned, standing and hugging her tight.

“Girl, please. You can’t afford to lose me,” Noodle grinned, laying her purse across Aku’s desk.

“Facts,” Niah agreed, sipping a green smoothie. “Noodle is your walking billboard, or should I say Jacory?”

“And a billboard I shall be, ‘cause I was a mess before my bestie started stylin’ me,” Noodle said, fluffing her curls. She was in a great mood. After touching down last night, Bu broke her back in so she could walk lighter today. “Now, tell me why you look so fine but sad.”

“Malik,” Niah and Aku said in unison, laughing.

Noodle let out a dramatic sigh and plopped down in one of the velvet chairs. “If it ain’t always them fine hood boys with too much trauma and too many reasons to pretend they’re unlovable…”

Aku dropped back down onto the couch, pressing her hands to her face. “I ain’t even mad at him. I just…I’m tired of watching somebody I care about bleed when they don’t have to.”

“He’s scared,” Noodle said plainly. “And I say that as a wife to a man who used to think ‘I love you’ meant he had to die for me. Bu was willing to go out behind pride before he ever even learned how to stay for love.”

Her journey to love wasn’t hard but it was different for the both of them. Noodle was probably the more broken one and Bu came in like her hood knight in shining armor to make everything go away—even her own self-doubt.

Aku looked up, expression open but heavy. “So what’d you do?”

“I met him where he was,” Noodle said. “Not where I wished he’d be. And then I stayed long enough to show him he deserved softness. And now? That man washes my hair and prays over our food.” You could see the love all over Noodle.

Niah snorted. “I love y’all so much.”

Aku stared at the floor, twisting her bangle. “I just don’t wanna lose myself tryin’ to prove I’m worth loving.”

“You won’t,” Noodle said, reaching over and squeezing her hand. “That’s the beauty of the love we choose. If it’s real, it fills you up…doesn’t drain you. Just don’t try to be his savior… be his safe space.”

Aku nodded. “That’s what I want, but I also want to slap the Crescent out of him sometimes.”

“Then do it, with love,” Noodle shrugged. “You been a wild child, what’s stopping you now?”

Laughter bounced off the high ceilings as Niah brought over a tray of accessories and started laying out looks for Noodle’s upcoming press run. They moved like clockwork. Aku adjusting a jacket here, Niah re-pinning a hem there, Noodle posing mid-mirror selfie for the next campaign drop.

“Okay now, we’re doin’ four looks - casual bad bitch, Grammy interview realness, press conference femme flex, and ‘my man just dropped an album’ cozy.”

“You mean Ahvi’s man?” Aku raised a brow, teasing.

Noodle gave a smirk. “Little Lunar’s mine in spirit.”

“Does Bu know that?” Aku asked with her hand on her hip. “Cause I love me some Bu but I will take him out about My Lunar.”

Noodle waved her off, face red - about to crack up. “Of course Bu knows…and it ain’t like that, but Little Lunar is my labelmate and we have so much love between us. Plus, I like to tease the internet from time to time when they come up with these Jacory and Nar fan fiction romances.”

“I have seen those,” Niah interjected. “It’s always so cute but if they only knew…”

Aku nodded. “They don’t understand how love works. You and Little Lunar love each other but found your soul mates in other people. Personally, I don’t think the two of y’all were ever meant to be more than work husband and wife,” she shrugged.

“If they only knew the way my heart smiles with Bethune and how he caters to me, allows me to be clingy…he’s so perfect for me.” Her eyes teared up thinking about how much she loved her husband. He saved her when no one else heard her drowning. No one would ever be able to compare to him.

Aku cooed. “Aww, Noodle, Doodle… I love how love looks on you.”

Noodle pinched Aku’s cheek. “It looks even better on you.”

They hug for a few seconds before they got back to work.

Noodle adjusts the pearl cuffs on her wrist. “Speaking of, me and Lunar got offered our own streaming app—some exclusive behind-the-scenes content, live drops, studio sessions, all that. It’s supposed to be big – Black-owned, independent, real niche.”

“That’s fire,” Aku said, her eyes lighting up.

Noodle grinned. “I was thinking…if we do it, we might need somebody to build the backend from scratch. From the soil…in the family .” Her brows rose, the anticipation of it all flushing her skin. Then she slid a look toward Aku.

“Malik.” Noodle gave a cheeky smile.

Aku blinked, not sure if what she was hearing was what she was hearing. She knew Bu wasn’t a fan which meant, Lunar and Pimp wouldn’t fall in line until then. So, she never thought Noodle would want to give Malik an opportunity like this.

“You trust him with your heart,” Noodle said, standing and adjusting her diamond anklet. “Why not our business?”

“You sure?”

“I love whoever you love. Point blank. Period. I been like that since we had matching backpacks. Not even Bu can make me switch up on my bestie/niece.”

“Even if he a little dusty?”

Noodle rolled her eyes. “So was Bu. You just gotta love ‘em through the rinse cycle.”

Aku laughed so hard she nearly fell off the couch.

Her phone vibrated on the desk.

She picked it up on speaker. “Hey, Daddy.”

“I don’t like that nigga.” French’s smooth, deep southern voice blasted through the speaker.

“Daddy—what?”

Noodle snickered.

“I don’t like him. I been prayin’ on it, and I talked to the Lord about it. He said, ‘French, your instincts are never wrong.’”

Aku sighed, falling back into the couch. “You don’t even know him.”

“I know enough. I seen enough...He ain’t ready for you.”

Noodle and Niah were giggling across the room.

Aku groaned. “Goodbye, Daddy.”

“I’m serious. I’ll fly out tonight and pull him to the side like a real nigga and tell him, he ain’t enough for you.

” French was serious. He’d felt a way ever since his baby girl rushed on a plane to be there for a nigga who didn’t know when it was time to leave the streets alone.

He knew he was a hypocrite but he’d take the award when it came to his kids.

She hung up before he could continue, shaking her head. “Y’all see what I gotta deal with?” she said, laughing, cheeks pink even though his words didn’t make her feel good. No girl wanted to disappoint their father—especially not one who meant the world to you.

“Your Daddy gon’ love him the moment Malik says, ‘Yes, sir’ and opens the car door for you.”

“Nah,” Niah said. “He gon’ love him the moment he see Malik cry over Aku.”

Aku smiled faintly at that, rolling her lips inward. “I don’t even know what we are right now.”

“Something real,” Noodle said. “Just walk it down, bestie. One moment at a time.”

Aku looked around the space—her racks, her wigs, her women, her life—and felt the ache of having everything in order except the one thing that mattered most.

But today?

Today she was standing in the beauty of her mess, surrounded by people who saw her, loved her, and reminded her that softness could still survive—even here.

Aku didn’t say anything for a long second, just nodded like she was listening, even though her chest had gone tight again. She craved love as a safe space, love that filled. Love that didn’t ask her to bleed for it…she wanted that, she really did.

But wanting something and getting it were two different beasts.

Her gaze drifted toward the oversized window overlooking the city—the sun just starting to melt into the skyline, casting gold across the hardwood floors and glass tables.

This view was everything she dreamed about at seventeen.

She used to sit on her bedroom floor back in Emerald City, clipping photos out of Black Excellence Magazine and drawing out her imaginary office space on notebook paper.

Big windows, messy inspiration boards, racks of couture.

A place where dreams and business could co-exist… and here she was - living it.

But she hadn’t expected it to feel this lonely.