“Have you been writing lately?” I asked while resting my head on his chest.
“Always. I’ve been thinking about booking some studio time, but I’m not sure yet.” I tilted my head to look up at him.
“What is there to think about? You have notebooks full of songs just taking up space in your room. You need to stop playing and record your music. What’s the point of having a gift if you aren’t going to use it?”
“I don’t know. The music shit kind of took a back burner because I needed some money. Things are fucked up on the home front, and I’m tryna get my shit together so I can get myown car and crib. Rapping won’t bring in the kind of money I need right now, so it’ll remain a hobby until I can afford to invest in myself.”
“Speaking of money. I noticed you pulled a bankroll out of your pocket earlier. It seems like a lot of money for someone who is only working odd jobs around the city.”
Keynauri wrapped his arms around me, but he didn’t say anything right away. The longer he remained silent, the more nervous I became.
“I broke my promise,” he murmured. I tried to break free from his hold, but he held me closer.
“Keynauri, you promised. You said you weren’t going to follow in your father’s footsteps, and that’s exactly what you’re doing!” I yelled, forgetting that everyone else was downstairs. Keynauri dropped his head as I folded my arms around my chest.
“I know, and I don’t plan on doing this long-term. However, I need the money. Tone has been playing games lately, and I can’t rely on him to take care of my sister and me. Hell, we aren’t his responsibility, and I’m not about to beg another mothafucka to do shit for me. I ran into Gunna a while back, and he offered to front me some work to see how fast I could sell it. He was impressed with my hustle, so he’s been looking out for me. I know I promised I would never sell drugs, but I gotta do what I gotta do for now. I need you to trust me.” He cupped my face in his hands, peering into my eyes. I tried to wipe my tears, but they wouldn’t stop falling. His mind was obviously made up, and there was nothing I could do to change things.
“Stop crying, love. You know what that shit does to me,” Keynauri whispered while I buried my face deeper into his chest. Many boys in our neighborhood resorted to the streets to take care of themselves. The problem with that was that they were often killed or ended up in jail.
“Look, I don’t want you to worry about me. I’m being careful, and I don’t plan to do this forever. I need to save up enough money for me to get a place and a car. Once I secure everything we need and stack up for a few months, I’m gonna find a way to invest in my music. Right now, I have to make sure we’re straight.”
“I don’t like this,” I admitted. Keynauri was one of the few people I could count on in the world, and I wouldn’t know what to do if I lost him.
“I get it. This wasn’t a part of the plan, but I have to make sure you, Lyric, and I are taken care of. My momma has been drinking more and more lately, and shit at the house ain’t been right in a while. I’m tryna prepare for the worst because I don’t know what’s gonna happen next.” His reasoning made all the sense in the world, but it did nothing to make me feel better.
“And you promise you’re gonna stop once you save the money you need?”
“You have my word.” Keynauri’s word was bond, so I would accept it for now, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t gonna be praying he quit sooner rather than later.
“I love you, Keynauri. Don’t do anything stupid that could take you away from me.”
“I won’t do that. I could never live without you, so I’m gonna do everything in my power to make sure I’m wherever you are.” I nestled deeper into his arms, allowing him to rock me to sleep. I had never felt so secure with anyone in my life. It was deeper than friendship. In my mind, Keynauri was my soulmate, and no one could convince me otherwise. Even if we never became anything more than friends, no man would ever love me or protect me the way he did.
My eyes fluttered, and I drifted off to sleep with so many thoughts in my head. I trusted him to keep his promise to me, but there was still a lingering feeling that things weren’t gonnago as planned. I shook those out of my head, allowing my dreams to take over. In my dreams, our lives were perfect, and we never had to worry about anything. Maybe one day those dreams would become a reality.
A Few Weeks Later
“Umm, baby. Your dick feels so good in this pussy. Shit.” Shamya cried as I fucked her from behind. I was only supposed to be here for a few minutes, but once she started sucking my dick, all bets were off.
“Shut up and take this dick,” I commanded, gripping her braids in my hand while I fucked her hard. Her pussy wasn’t the best I ever had, but it was decent. The plus side was that she was a freaky bitch. She never complained about what position I put her in, and she let me fuck her in every hole.
“Shit, I’m about to nut. Throw that ass back on this dick!”
“Yes, daddy. I’m cumming too. Fuck.” Her moans were sexy as I watched her fat ass ripple with every stroke. My eyes closed,allowing the feeling to take over, but I made sure to pull out once my nut began to rise.
“Fuck!” I pulled the condom off and skeeted all over her back. Lil’ mama flopped down on the bed while I got up to clean myself off. Logic, East, and I were supposed to meet up in twenty minutes, so I needed to bust a move.
I stepped back into the room to grab my pants. Shamya was gossiping, talking to her friends on speakerphone. She was a pretty, caramel cutie with a figure most women would have gone under the knife for. Most of the niggas in the neighborhood thought she was one of the baddest bitches around, and I had to admit, she was fine as hell. The only issue I had with her was that she lacked ambition. All she talked about was being a trap queen to a street nigga. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, necessarily, but I wasn’t interested in a woman with no goals. Plus, I had no intention of being in the streets long-term. It was simply a means to an end.
My future wife would never have to worry about bills, but I wanted her to have her own source of income. Something with her name on it so that she would be proud of it.
“Yeah, girl. My man just gave me that dope dick, and I can barely keep my eyes open.” I paused at her calling me her man, then hurriedly pulled my pants up. I fucked with her heavily, but we weren’t in a relationship. Hell, there was only one woman on this planet that could ever get a relationship out of me, and it damn sure wasn’t her.
“Yeah, I’ma call you back. I need to talk to my nigga before he leaves.” The ladies on the other line said some smart shit about her being delusional, but she hung up on them without responding. I chuckled as I placed my watch back on and grabbed the keys and phone. The first thing I noticed was a text from Cocoa Puffs. She hated it when I called her that, but it was the perfect nickname for my chocolate beauty. Her skin wasradiant and rich. Since she wouldn’t let me call her Hershey, I thought Cocoa Puffs was a good compromise.
Cocoa Puffs:Are you coming over tonight? Mom’s doing a double.
Me:Yeah. I’ma slide through after I pick up Lyric and Keyami. Do you need anything?
