Page 9

Six Weeks Later…

“I think it’s time, best friend,” Vari whispered from behind me while holding my hair back.

For the last week, I found myself constantly feeling nauseous to the point of vomiting.

I couldn’t keep anything down, and I was feeling more fatigued than usual.

Vari noticed first after I kept getting extremely winded during my workouts.

I was typically the type to push through, having a real love for the burn that came from lifting weights.

This week, I was giving “fuck this, fuck you, and fuck doing all of that.” I didn’t know, but I might’ve actually said those very words once or twice…

I sniffled, trying to contain my tears but they slipped into the vomit in the toilet bowl.

“I’m scared,” I admitted hoarsely. With a deep breath, I backed away from the toilet to plop down on the floor, resting my back against the wall. Vari flushed the toilet then came to sit next to me. His arm went around my shoulders, pulling me deep into his side. That’s where I broke.

“I can’t be pregnant, Vari. What the fuck am I going to do with a baby?”

He gave my arm a comforting squeeze. “I don’t know, but at least you will know the truth so you can decide on how to move forward.”

I gulped, knowing what he was saying was true. There was no point in pretending something wasn’t off with me. I was at least two weeks late for my cycle and needed to get this taken care of as soon as possible. I was not going to be anyone’s baby mama, especially not for Kianis Kinga.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” I cursed, seeing the words pregnant in digitized letters on the tiny screen of the pregnancy test. My fears had materialized right before my eyes.

“Bitchhh,” Vari said excitedly from behind me. He jumped up and down, clapping his hands. I could literally feel his joy and it sickened me. “I’m going to be an uncle.”

I couldn’t stop staring at the word on the screen.

Nothing would be the same after this. I was either having a baby, getting rid of it, or losing it.

Any of those scenarios would surely change me for the rest of my life.

Not knowing what I wanted to do turned my mind into mush that was impossible to sort through.

When the ringing in my ears became too much, I burst into tears.

“Aww, come here, baby.” I was pulled into Vari’s arms. He soothingly ran his hands down my back. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Is it really? My mama is going to kill me, and if she doesn’t, her parents surely will.”

“Forget about them. This is about you. No matter what you choose, I’ll have your back and love you the same.”

I pouted, lifting my head to rest my chin on the center of his broad chest. Looking up into his chestnut-colored eyes helped to calm my nerves.

“Thank you, best friend. I was hoping for anything but this.”

He cracked a smile. “It’s not the worst thing in the world, Charmony.”

I shook my head as I stepped away from him. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one that’s going to be ripped a new asshole in the media if this gets out. They are already on my ass about every little thing. They are going to eat this up, especially once they find out who the father is.”

Kianis’s dimpled smile appeared in my mind, releasing a dose of oxytocin into my bloodstream. I shuddered as I remembered his hands on my body… his lips dragging across the surface of my skin… the look in his eyes when he was stroking in and out of me with expertise…

“Fuck him for being so damn fine and irresistible with good dick.”

Vari burst into laughter while wiping away my tears. “Those hormones are already turning you every way but loose.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know how this could’ve happened. We were careful.”

“Girl, the only thing you were careful about was making sure you were on the tip of that dick every night. You know exactly how this happened and probably remember how good it felt when he was putting that baby in there.” He started whining his hips all dramatically.

“You probably was like ‘Ouuu, Kinga. Yessss… Fuck me… Put a baby in me.’”

He just kept going and going, reminding me of exactly how I’d sounded since that trip to Punta Cuna. We couldn’t get enough of each other, and anyone close to us could see it.

I gave Vari the finger and stuck out my tongue because what else could I say? He was right. I knew what I was doing, I just wasn’t expecting to have to face any consequences for doing it so soon, especially nothing long term like a baby.

“Are you going to tell him?”

Almost on cue, Queen Naija began singing the chorus of “Butterflies” from inside of my bedroom.

Vari gave me a knowing grin because we both knew who it was.

I’d created a ringtone just for him, considering how often we saw each other over the last month or so.

This was our karma for fucking like we’d just discovered it for the first time as horny teenagers.

I figured it was now or never. Marching into my bedroom, I picked up the FaceTime call just in time.

“What?” I snapped while plopping down on the bed.

Kianis bent down so he was centered on the screen. “What’s wrong with you, baby?”

It looked like he was in his kitchen making himself something to eat. I’d been all up and through his penthouse, so it was easy to pinpoint in his background.

I rolled my eyes, hating how gentle he was with me. He never paid my attitudes any mind because he claimed he always had a remedy for them. I shot to my feet and headed back into the bathroom. I flipped the camera as I picked up the test to show him the result.

“I need money for an abortion,” I said without shame.

Kianis hissed before he cursed. I glanced down to see he was so busy trying to look at the phone screen that he’d placed his hand on the hot stove. He picked up the phone in the next second.

“Oh, shit. You having my baby, Charmony?”

The biggest smile appeared on his face, nearly melting the ice around my heart. He propped the phone up and began doing the Dougie. I would’ve laughed if I wasn’t so miserable.

“Can’t you hear good? I said I need abortion money.”

He stopped dancing and frowned. “No.”

My head jerked back as I flipped the camera so he could see me. “Um, what do you mean no?”

He leaned down on the counter to begin eating his food. “If that’s my baby, you’re pushing him or her out of your good pussy. Why the fuck would I pay you to get rid of my child? That shit don’t even make sense.”

His use of the word if rubbed me the wrong way. I was honestly a little surprised by his reaction. I was expecting him to agree without hesitation considering who he was and how much hiding we’d been doing. But no, this man actually looked happy about this turn of events.

“ If it’s your baby?” I shook my head. “Well, it’s a good thing I have my own money. Bye.” I hung up the call before he could say anything else.

Vari was sitting at my vanity, touching up his makeup. He turned to look at me over his shoulder.

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do, baby?”

I flopped back on the bed staring up at the ceiling.

I always told myself I wouldn’t have children out of wedlock.

While the thought of being a mom was a little exciting, I wasn’t ready to give up my current life of freedom, partying, drinking, smoking, and whatever else I wanted to do.

No, I had to get rid of this baby. Kianis was already skeptical of it being his.

I wasn’t putting up with anyone else’s doubt about who I let have access to my body.

“Yes. I can’t keep this baby. It’s not time.”

Vari sighed then said, “Okay. You know I support you.”

I picked up my vibrating phone to see another call from Kianis coming through and chose to ignore it. Sitting up, I placed the phone beside me and focused on Vari.

“This has to stay between me and you.”

He spun around so fast I was surprised he didn’t fall out of the chair.

“Oh, you know this information is not leaving this room.”

My phone stopped vibrating, only to start back again seconds later. Vari eyed my phone.

“What you need to be worried about is the man blowing up that phone.”

I waved a hand not even bothering to glance down at it. “I’m not worried about him. Talking about some if… Nigga, I told you because I know it’s yours.”

I rolled my eyes then shot to my feet when I heard my mother’s voice. Rushing to the bathroom, I grabbed the test and stuffed it under the sink just as she was walking into the room.

“Why aren’t you getting ready yet?” she asked once she saw that I was still in my pajamas and bonnet.

I placed a hand over my stomach. “I don’t want to go, I’m not feeling well. I just want to lie down and get some sleep.”

She stood in the middle of the room with her hand on her hip and her lips poked out.

“What? You need some aspirin or something? This shoot is our highest grossing collaboration for this month since you fucked up the NAKED deal. You have to be there.”

My phone began vibrating on the bed. She walked closer to see who was calling.

“Humph. Maybe if you stopped spending so much time with that ball player, you wouldn’t be so tired.”

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms over my chest. She was the one who encouraged me to entertain him in the first place, yet now, it was frowned upon to be talking to him.

“You’re the one who said it was a good idea.”

She shrugged. “Maybe if you two were in the blogs, but this sneaky, secretive shit you’re doing isn’t beneficial.

You’re going to fuck around and end up pregnant.

” She paused, tapping her chin while my heart dropped to my toes.

“Might not be the worst thing in the world, though. We would be set for life.”

My mouth swelled with cotton listening from the way she talked.

Now I knew for sure that I couldn’t have this baby.

Kianis wasn’t some come up scheme, and if I had this baby, she would turn him into one whether I wanted it or not.

I glanced over at Vari, who happened to be eyeing me at the same time.

He gave me a thumbs down, causing me to snicker.

I got ready to reply to my mama when the constant ringing of my doorbell cut me off.

“Who is that?” I wondered while heading out of the bedroom. When I made it to the living room, I could hear him yelling my name. “Oh my God…”

I snatched the door open to find an out of breath Kianis standing there. He was wearing a black sweat suit with slides. You couldn’t tell me he hadn’t just run the fifteen-minute distance between his condo and mine.

“I need to talk to you,” he blurted the second his eyes landed on me.

I felt my mama and Vari walking up behind me and slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Not in front of her,” I whispered.

Stepping into the hallway, I closed the door behind me.

“Charmony! You need to be getting ready, not sneaking off with that boy,” my mama said through the door.

I took his hand in mine then led him to the elevator. We took it up to the roof of the building. Thankfully, no one was lounging up there. I released him and crossed my arms over my chest. My eyes fell to his tattoo, and I almost became distracted from the task at hand.

“Talk.”

He stepped closer to me with a genuine expression. I gulped when he reached for my hand. He intertwined our fingers.

“Are you really going to get rid of my baby?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Uh, because I could’ve sworn I said not to.”

“You did, but I’m grown, and we’re just sneaky links.”

He pushed my head to the side playfully. “Girl, what are you talking about? I am your man.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. I tried to swallow my smile, but how could I? Kianis always knew exactly what to say. He pulled me into his chest then wrapped his arms around my waist. I couldn’t look away from his brown eyes.

“Since when, Kianis?”

“I’ve been claiming you as mine since the first day I saw you. Correct me if I’m wrong.”

I tucked my bottom lip and glanced away. He’d definitely said it more than once, but I always figured he was just talking. He hooked my chin and forced me to look back at him.

“I guess a nigga gotta do one of those corny ass girlfriend proposals for you to take me seriously, huh?”

I blinked up at him through my long lashes. “How else am I supposed to know you’re serious?”

“Touché.” He bent down and kissed my lips gently. “Please, don’t get rid of my baby, Charmony. I’m begging you.”

His lips went to my jaw next. I tried to focus on his words, but it was hard when he slowly inched his way toward that tender spot on my neck that always made me lose my mind.

“I know we didn’t plan it or nothing like that, and you’re probably scared, but I’m going to take care of y’all.”

His arms snaked around my body to my grip my ass cheeks. I loved being in Kianis’s arms. They were strong and big. It felt like I was being swallowed from the world. It was safe there and always so warm. Even the racing rhythm of his heart had a way of sedating me.

My breath came out in short spurts the further he kissed down my neck. I nearly crumbled when his lips grazed over my spot. He knew exactly what he was doing to me. I moaned when he started to suckle on my flesh.

“You going to keep my baby, Charm?”

His grip on me tightened sucking the trapped oxygen from my lungs. I nodded.

“Promise me.”

“I promise,” I whispered, becoming lost in his magnetic essence.

He smacked me on the ass, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “Mm, good. Now, go get ready ‘cause I know your mama down there talking shit about me.”