She sighed. “You make everything sound easy.”
“I don’t try to,” I said. “I just don’t think that hiding it makes it any better.”
The truth was, I wasn’t afraid of Yana knowing we loved each other. I wasn’t afraid of her seeing two people who cared deeply and weren’t ashamed of it. Princess tried to protect her, and I respected that, but I wasn’t going to run. That was why I was so relaxed. For once, I wasn’t lying to myself about how I felt. I was willing to stand in the truth and see what came next.
The music from the kitchen turned from my first album to smooth R&B, almost as if it were right on cue.
Princess and I exchanged looks. I smiled first and reached for her hand. She gave me an uncertain look before she walked back to the bed and took it.
I sat at the edge of my bed, with Princess standing in between my legs. With her hand still in mine, I pressed my lips together and met hers with them, sealing a kiss.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s get ready to face the music.”
We put our clothes on and walked down the hallway, toward the kitchen. When we reached the doorway, Yana stood at the stove in one of my hoodies with her hair in a high bun like she’d thrown it together at the last minute. She flipped a pancake, and the sizzle of the batter spread through the room. Syrup, butter, and fruit sat out on the counter next to a cutting board and knife.
She glanced over her shoulder, took one look at us both, then turned back around like she was trying not to laugh.
“Mm-hmm,” she mumbled.
Princess, who stood behind me, sighed and stepped around me. “Yana?—”
“Don’t,” she said, her back still to us. “I don’t even want to know. That’s just nasty.”
I burst out laughing. Princess, who was halfway in the room, closer to Yana, turned around and shot me a look. I didn’t stop laughing. Yana’s fiery and playful personality was something she inherited from me.
“Yana, listen to me.” Princess stood beside Yana at the stove. “We’re just?—”
“Y’all think y’all slick!” Yana cut her off. She scooped sausages out of a pan and plopped them onto a plate that sat on the counter.
Still laughing, I walked into the room and sat on a barstool at the counter. “You been rehearsing that, huh? You was just waiting on it, huh?”
“Yes,” she said. “Everybody been waiting. Auntie Kennedy. Uncle Kam. The whole universe knows. Y’all the ones been playing.”
Princess shook her head. “See, you too damn grown. You doin’ too much.”
Yana held out the plate with sausages to her mother. “Here is breakfast, Mom.”
Princess smiled and took the plate. “I can’t deal with you.”
Princess walked to the counter and sat next to me. Yana followed shortly after and slid a plate in front of me. Pancakes were stacked perfectly with strawberries on top. Syrup drizzled down the sides like she was presenting on a Food Network show.
“You trying to flex on us?” I asked.
“I’m just happy for my parents,” she shot back through a smile. “Just happy we are all here.”
Princess and I met each other’s gaze. Neither of us said anything.
“Umm, hello? You’re welcome!” Yana interjected. “Enjoy!”
She blew a kiss to both of us and then turned back to the stove.
“She got your attitude, that’s for sho,” Princess said through gritted teeth as she bit into her sausage.
The day unfolded easily after that. We were all showered and dressed by noon, and somehow, I was convinced that shopping on Melrose was a great idea. It was something about a woman’s love for shopping that I would never understand. By midafternoon, I found myself sitting on benches and chairs while Yana and Princess tried on different outfits. I had become the professional bag holder and guardian of the purses. I didn’t mind it too much, though. Their smiles were worth it. And foronce in a long time, I found myself enjoying free time without a thought or pressure about work.
Yana dragged us into stores she didn’t need anything from. We got ice cream. We sat on a curb and laughed about nothing. She even made us pose for a picture in front of a mural with bright colors.
“Y’all look like a before-and-after photo,” she said.
