“Yes.”
“And you just admit that shit like it's nothing?”
“Uh, yea. What am I supposed to do? Pretend as if I don’t like you?”
Once more, Kas was stunned to the point of silence. It shouldn’t have been out of the ordinary for a woman to admit she liked him, but Kas was used to Yanna doing everything in her power to deny her feelings.
“Come through,” he stated. His inebriation making him blurt the offer before he could even think about it.
“To the studio?”
“Nah, to the crib. I’ll send you my lo.” Once again, before he could even think about what he was doing, Kas disconnected the call and sent Zahra his location via text.
Once he sent the pin, Kas wobbled his way to his kitchen and grabbed another bottle of some sort of brown liquor. He’d gotten halfway through another bottle and one more blunt before he heard his doorbell sound off. On shaky legs, he made his way to the door and pulled it open. A smiling Zahra stood on his doorstep, looking way too eager to be in his presence. Kas stepped to the side and let Zahra in, allowing himself a glimpse of her frame as she treaded inside. He was trying to control himself, but Yanna not answering him in his time of need, the liquor and weed he consumed, mixed with the fact that Zahra was thicker than the plot of an Ashley Antoinette novel, had him on one. As she padded her way into Kas’ home, Zahra’s eyes roamed the space, taking in the décor she knew had to have been done by a woman. She wondered if it had been Yanna but figured it more likely to have been his mother. Kas trudged past her and lazily dropped onto the couch. Sensing his high state of inebriety, Zahra took a seat next to him and scooted in as close as she could.
“This is really nice. Who do the other two houses belong to?”
“My mumma and my brother and his fiancée.”
“Oh, wow, that is so neat you all live on your own little compound kind of. I know Munroe loves it over there with her man and extended family. I can’t wait until I have a man to build a life with like that.”
Kas chuckled, not believing the huge contrast between Yanna and Zahra. Yanna would never express her desire to build a home, even if she wanted to. Even though thinking of Yanna’s indeterminacy angered him greatly, he still found himself going to her contact and texting her. Figuring his text would go unanswered, he called her. Zahra leaned over, catching a glimpse of his screen. Her eyes rotated into her head, hating that Kas had her right in his face but was still stuck on Yanna.
“Does she like you as much as you like her?”
“Huh? What kind of shit is that to ask?”
“I mean, I’m just wondering why I’m here and she’s wherever she is, not answering your phone calls.”
“She does a lot at the label, so she’s probably just busy,” Kas offered as an excuse, but knew Yanna’s phone was never far from her grasp.
Seeing the wheels turning in his head and wondering why he had enough weed and alcohol for a small party, she grabbed his hand, becoming ecstatic when he didn’t push her away.
“What’s wrong?”
“Shit, what ain’t wrong? I’m having a bad fucking day. Like… shit can’t get no worse than it is right now.”
“Oh no, do you want to talk about it?”
“Hell nah.”
“Okay, well, we don’t have to talk. How about I help you feel a little better?”
Without waiting for a response, Zahra mounted Kas and smiled in satisfaction when she placed his hands on her ass, and he didn’t stop her. Going in for the kill, she leaned forward, briefly glaring into his brown eyes before pressing her lips to his.
A chicken with its head cut off. That was exactly how Yanna felt running from floor to floor of WCMG’s headquarters. She’d been there since earlier that morning but was elated to finally be finished with all her tasks. Not wanting to hear Onyx’s mouth, she made sure all unnecessary lights and electronics were off before she exited the building, locking the doors behind her. She had a hankering for an iced coffee from Starbucks and stopped by the one down the street, ordering a few frappes for her and Kas. Once back inside her car, she pulled her phone from her pocket. She didn’t want to be distracted while she was inside, so she’d put it on do not disturb. Looking down at the iPhone, she noticed she had several missed calls and messages from Kas saying he needed her. Yanna wasn’t sure what was going on, but she pulled out of the parking lot and headed directly for the highway. It was only about twenty minutes or so between the label and Kas’ house. Doing 70 miles per hour, Yanna ended up making it there in about fifteen minutes. She grabbed her and Kas’ drinks from the passenger seat and started her trek towards the house. She couldn’t remember a time when she was more excited to see Kas, but the smile she couldn’t contain was evidence she’d missed him. Things between them had been good since the mixer, and she was pleasantly surprised. Maybe it was time for her to stop giving him such a hard time and agree to finally make things official. Just as her smile seemed to grow wider, it faded when she noticed a car in the driveway that she was positive she’d seen parked at WCMG before. Coaching herself not to jump to conclusions, she swallowed down her ill thoughts and trekked to the house. Balancing the drinks in her left hand, Yanna used the right to punch in the code. A smileplayed on her lips as she stepped inside, eyes scanning for Kas. The smile faltered when she sawthemon the couch in the very spot she and Kas usually had their illicit fun. Kas and Zahra were entwined on the couch, their bodies meshed, their faces one. Yanna froze, the coffee cups trembling in her grip. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, the sound roaring in her ears, drowning out everything else. For a moment, she couldn’t move, rooted to the spot by the weight of the scene before her. The air felt thick, suffocating. Her breath hitched, and she blinked rapidly, trying to clear the sting of tears forming. She’d be damned if she let Kas see her cry. Finally, Kas’ head snapped up, eyes wide with shock and guilt. Zahra pulled away when Kas released her bare breast from his grasp, attempting to pull her clothes back on with shaky hands. Yanna took a step back, the liquid in the cups sloshing over the rims and wetting her fingers. She barely felt it.
Her throat constricted, making it hard to swallow. The room blurred around her, face hardening as she changed course, taking a deliberate step forward. Her hands, trembling with a mix of hurt and fury, hurled the sugary drinks one by one at Zahra then at Kas. The cups exploded on impact, the cold liquid splashing over them both. The shock on their faces would’ve been satisfying if it wasn’t for the feeling of her heart coming undone.
“Oh, my God!” Zahra bellowed, wiping the caramel concoction from her face, the sweet taste seeping into her mouth.
“Shut the fuck up, you stupid, tone deaf bitch!” Turning on her heels, Yanna rushed to the front door with Kas wobbling on her heels.
Just as she made it outside the door, Kas gripped her wrist. Spinning, Yanna mustered all her strength and slapped Kas across the face. The sound of the slap reverberating off the treesmatched the stinging of Kas’ skin, an instant red handprint showing on his fair skin.
“Get your fucking hands off me!”
“Gotdamn, Jaiyanna, calm yo ass the fuck down.” He tried to grab her hand again when she raised it but was too slow. She slapped him across the opposite cheek, producing a sting as powerful as the last. Kas’ inebriation and the stun from Yanna slapping the hell out of him a second time caused him to stumble onto the porch.
