Page 15

Krys sat at her desk, fingers hovering over the keyboard, not typing a damn thing.

Her mind was too loud. Too busy replaying the moment she handed Kenyatta that salaried position, the way she introduced him to the staff, how she positioned him with more authority than she needed to.

She knew why she did it. She didn’t like the way Zahir tried to downplay her man’s position.

Wait.

Krys’ stomach tightened. Did she just… call him that?

Her eyes fluttered shut as she exhaled sharply.

No. No, no, no.

This was strictly business. She was a strategic woman, and this was nothing more than optics. But the way she let Kenyatta step into a higher role, the way she made it clear he wasn’t just some random maintenance worker she plucked off the street to fix pipes and unclog toilets?

She was doing too much. And she knew it.

Her phone buzzed, breaking her thoughts.

Sydnee.

Krys stared at the name for a long second, jaw tightening before she answered. “What?”

Sydnee sighed dramatically. “Girl, you always answer like you got beef with me, and I ain’t even did nothing to your funky tail.”

An unspoken tension was held between them, but it never interfered with their sisterly vibes. They were cousins, but Krys had a closer connection with Sydnee than she did with her own sister, Ray. Partly because they were the same age and grew up together before Ray came along. If anyone ever asked, Krys would say that Sydnee was definitely her sister. Her ace, her ride or die, her bestie, her keeper. Sydnee was often her voice of reason, and they often bumped heads on certain matters. However, they looked beyond their differences and stayed loyal to one another.

“What do you want, heifa?” Krys finally asked.

Sydnee cleared her throat. “I’m calling because my mom wanted me to personally make sure you were still coming to the graduation ceremony and the cookout at her house.”

Krys had almost forgotten about that.

Sydnee’s brother, Trevor was graduating pre-med from Bayview University, and of course, the family was going all out for the celebration. A ceremony, followed by a cookout. A lot of family would be there. And of course, so would Zahir.

Krys groaned at the thought. “And let me guess… he’s coming?”

Sydnee paused for a fraction of a second. “Of course, he is. Trevor invited him. And you know he’s not turning the opportunity to be around us down.”

Krys did know. That’s exactly why Zahir would always be around. He was practically family at this point, a parasite attached to her world, lingering a little too much.

Sydnee continued with a quiet hesitation. “Which brings me to my next question…are you bringing your new man?”

Krys twirled a pen between her fingers, her smile deepening. “Why? You finally want to interrogate? I saw you sizing him up the other night.”

Sydnee let out a soft chuckle. “Well, you know I have to do my assessment. This one…He’s fine, if I have to say so myself.”

“Oh, where’s your girl? Don’t let her hear that,” Krys teased, then caught herself. “Oh, my bad. Are those the pronouns she’s still using?”

“Panda is still going by she and her as of now. We’ll make sure to politely let you all know when that changes.” Sydnee redirected the conversation, not letting Krys off that easy. “But that’s not why I’m asking.”

Krys flung her arms in defeat. “Damn it! I thought you were going to move on.”

Sydnee laughed. “Nice try. Let’s spin the block back to Kenyatta. No one knew about him until couple’s night; not even me.” Sydnee’s voice was smooth, observational, but not pressing. “And I find that interesting.”

Krys knew what this was; Sydnee was trying to get a read on her.

Sydnee was many things, but one thing she wasn’t was messy. She didn’t do the loud, dramatic back-and-forths. She wasn’t one to start unnecessary problems. She was quiet, observant, and careful with her words.

“Where’d he come from?” Sydnee asked casually. “How come no one knew about him before? Not even Ray.”

Krys leaned back in her chair, stretching her legs out. “What can I say? I like to keep certain things private.”

Sydnee let out a quiet laugh. “That’s one way to put it. But let’s be real, Krys. You’re a collector.”

Krys’ brows lifted slightly. “A collector?”

“Yeah.” Sydnee’s voice was light but knowing. “You collect men. Keep them around for a while. Play with them. Then when you get bored, you throw them away.”

Krys rolled her eyes. “And?”

Sydnee sighed, almost exasperated. “Is this one different?”

Krys went quiet for a beat. Then, without hesitation: “Yes.”

Sydnee hummed. “You always say that.”

Krys didn’t respond right away. She knew Sydnee was right, but she didn’t want to admit to it. What Sydnee clocked was something Krys had always said. And she had always meant it until she didn’t. She would get what she wanted, got her fill, and walked away because the men were no longer “different”.

But perhaps Kenyatta was truly a different story. And as soon as Krys confirmed it, Sydnee would likely be the first to know.

Sydnee must have sensed the shift in Krys’ energy because her voice dropped slightly. “Look, I know I’m the last person who should be giving you advice, but…”

Krys’ lips curled into an amused smile. “You sure are.”

Sydnee ignored her. “…Just don’t toy with him if you’re not sure. He doesn’t seem like the type to take that lightly. Besides, it’s toxic and trauma inducing for you as well.”

Krys arched a brow, something in her chest tightening. “You got a lot of thoughts about my love life, Syd.”

“I always have.”

Krys heard it. That slight edge in her tone. That little something beneath the surface. And just like that, her smile faded.

Because this wasn’t just about Kenyatta or some make believe deal. Sydnee had been watching her for a long time and trying to understand her for years. Maybe even wanted to be like her because Sydnee knew a Krys that many didn’t know.

This was a perfect moment to shift the conversation. Krys’ voice dropped slightly. “You ready to join the team yet?”

A long pause.

Sydnee exhaled sharply, her voice lowering. “Krys, don’t start.”

Krys smirked, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re still thinking about it, though.”

Sydnee didn’t confirm or deny it.

Another pause.

Then finally, “I’ll see you at the graduation.”

She hung up before Krys could say anything else.

Krys sat there for a moment, staring at the phone screen.

Then, slowly, she let out a deep exhale.

Sydnee was so close. She just didn’t know it yet.

But as far as this graduation was concerned, she needed Kenyatta.

Again.

Krys leaned back in her chair, the thought making her stomach dip. She was aware she was playing a dangerous game. She should cut it off now, but instead, she exhaled, already mentally preparing to make the call.

One more time. Just one more time. It couldn’t hurt anything.

Right?

**********

Kenyatta had just settled onto his couch, stretching his legs out, when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, already smiling before he answered.

Krys .

He let it ring once more, just because he could, before answering. “Damn, Bae, miss me already?”

Krys exhaled loudly. “You are so annoying.”

Kenyatta chuckled, shifting the phone to his other ear. “Yeah, but you still called.”

A pause. He could hear the faint tapping of her nails against something, probably that damn glass desk in her office.

“I need you for something.”

Kenyatta’s smirk deepened. “What’s new?”

Krys ignored that. “There’s a graduation celebration next weekend. Big family event. I need you to be there.”

Kenyatta exhaled, rubbing his chin. “Damn, already? What happened to a break?”

“This is important.”

He could tell by her tone that she meant it.

“Alright,” he said slowly. “What’s the dress code? You tryna match again?”

Krys scoffed. “We are not doing that again.”

Kenyatta chuckled, but then his face sobered as reality settled in. “Aw damn, Bae…I would, but I can’t.”

A pause.

“Excuse me?”

He sighed, leaning forward. “I’ma have my lil girl that weekend. I can’t just put her off on my mama again. It ain’t right.”

Silence.

At first, Kenyatta assumed Krys would be irritated, maybe even frustrated that her plans weren’t falling into place. Instead, she let out a short, surprised laugh.

“Wait…you have a kid?”

Kenyatta frowned slightly. “You sound shocked.”

“Because I am. You don’t give ‘baby daddy’ vibes.”

He smirked. “The hell does that mean?”

“I don’t know. You just don’t seem like one of those dudes with kids all over the city, being useless.”

“Damn. You really don’t like men, huh?”

Krys didn’t deny it. “Most of ‘em, no.”

Kenyatta chuckled. “Good to know I made the cut.”

She ignored that. “How old is she?”

“Eight.”

That made her pause.

After a few seconds, Kenyatta said, “Hello?”

Snapping out of it, Krys replied, “For some reason, I assumed if you had a child, it would be something more recent, like a toddler from an ex that still wanted you back, or a situation where the mother was always trying to reel you back in. But eight? You’ve been at this thing for a minute. I mean…you know…fatherhood.”

That made him chuckle. “Why is that shocking?”

“It’s not. I’m intrigued. Just didn’t picture you as the type to be actively involved, but the fact that you’re not willing to just drop your daughter off somewhere for convenience says a lot.”

Another thoughtful pause of silence.

She finally asked, “You really serious about this, huh?”

“Of course, I am. She’s my child.”

He could sense she was processing everything. She had expected this to be a simple request. But now, she had a new layer of information.

He could hear her drumming her nails against the desk again.

“Alright, then bring her.”

Kenyatta blinked. “What?”

Krys repeated, “Bring her. Your daughter can come too.”

Kenyatta sat forward, brow raised. “Now, I know you playing.”

“Why would I be?”

“Because Krys,” he said, voice slower now. “This is supposed to be pretend, remember? You tryna be a fake stepmom now?”

Krys’ voice laced with amusement. “Why not? You said it yourself, I’m committed to the role.”

Kenyatta stared at his phone, trying to figure out if she was joking.

She wasn’t.

“You sure about that?” he asked. “You know what type of message that’s gonna send?”

He heard the wicked smile form on her lips. “Exactly the message I want to send.”

Kenyatta exhaled, shaking his head. “Man…you really don’t like losing, huh?”

“Not even a little bit.”

He ran a hand over his face, still trying to process. Krys was serious. She wanted him there. Wanted Kaliyah there. This was wild. Krys playing the doting girlfriend and stepmother figure?

If getting people to talk was what she wanted, then this was going to have people talking. And Kenyatta wasn’t sure how he felt about that. But what he did know was this woman was dangerous and determined; and he had no business being this amused by it.

“Alright, Krys. We got’chu.”

Satisfied, Krys replied, “Good.”

And just like that the game just got deeper.