1996'
The warm water from the shower rod ran through Miyoko's hair falling onto her back. Her back was turned to the water as she tongue kissed Arlante who stood in front of her. Their heads moved in sync her breast pressed against his hard chest before he gripped her backside and picked her up pushing her back against the wall. The blue bathroom lights beamed on their melanated kiss the couple glowing and glistening.
He aligned himself at her entrance before slowly pushing his way inside. Miyoko moaned lowly, the sounds of the water falling filling her ears. She wrapped her hands around his neck, pressing her lips against his as he moved her up and down on his dick with his hands. She moaned into his mouth while sucking in her stomach.
Their love life was going way better than how it was two months ago. They were communicating better and because of how their relationship was flowing in the right direction it opened up more room for their sex life. They had sex more often than before. Miyoko was in love with Arlante and he did no wrong. Before being with him she couldn't care less about sex. She probably could go without it for a long time but once she got with him he made it more enjoyable.
He was a great boyfriend and even more of a great man. He did things that made her want to have sex with him all the time. That's how it should've been. He didn't have to ask her for sex and vice versa because it flowed smoothly for the both of them.
"Right there, baby." She moaned as he held both of her legs, fucking her against the wall. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, holding on to his shoulders.
"Right there? That's your spot, baby."
"Yes!"
Arlante smirked as he looked down at the mess. He watched as he brought her up and down on his dick her juices coating his hard penis. He used his thumb to rub over her clit in a circular motion. Miyoko moaned loudly, throwing her head back against the wall in ecstasy.
The feeling of his dick moving in and out of her plus him playing with her clit was sending her to another dimension. She grabbed his arm, holding onto the one playing with her clit. Arlante held onto her waist with one hand and used the hand that played with her clit and moved it to the back of her head slightly tugging on her wet hair.
"What I tell you bout that? Move it. Okay?"
"O-okay." She whimpered, biting down on her bottom lip. He went back to toying with her clit as she shut her eyes tightly feeling an orgasm coming.
Her body shook viciously as she came on him. She laid her head on his shoulder, scratching at his back as he continued to fuck her. Her toes curled while he continuously hit her spot. She couldn't do anything but take it, listening to her own wetness as he moved in and out of her.
The couple ended their shower and Miyoko laid on the bed with her towel wrapped around her. Arlante hovered over her, his towel wrapped around his waist. He placed kisses down her face along her jawline. He rose her towel up, standing in between her legs. She held her legs opened with a smile on her face as she watched him undo her towel latching onto her hard and chocolate nipple.
They had got out of the shower but he wasn't done with her just yet. He un did his towel and held his erect penis directed in veins at her opening. He slowly began to penetrate her, her wet folds allowing him to slip in at ease.
He hissed and she moaned at the same time. He started off slowly stroking her at a steady pace. She listened to him growing licking her lips and looked down to watch the mess. Her cream instantly coated his hard penis.
His full length fit inside of her as she whimpered feeling him deep inside of her. He hovered over her again, sucking on her neck. She shivered, feeling him suck on her sensitive spot. She clenched around him hearing him grown slightly into her ear.
"Oh, I love you..." Miyoko moaned, her mouth gaped opened.
"Fuck." He huffed, gripping the sheet. The feeling of her walls clenching around him made it impossible not to but prematurely. He had to hold in there a little longer.
Miyoko gasped, holding her legs up when he started thrusting into her faster. His balls repeatedly slapping against her ass. He sat up staring into her brown orbs. She kept eye contact with him as he watched her love faces. He watched in lust as her breast bounced at the same pace as him.
She cried out as his strokes didn't let up. Right as she was cumming, so was he. Except he pulled out and ejaculated on her thigh. They panted heavily coming down from their high. He planted a kiss on her cheek before walking to the bathroom to get a rag to clean her up.
Right after they finished having sex they fell asleep. An hour later she was waking up to Arlante getting dressed. She fluttered her eyes opened and sat up with the sheets covering her since she was naked underneath. He heard something and turned looking at her. He walked up to her and kissed her.
"Where you going?" She questioned, blinking her eyes trying to wake up. She looked at the alarm clock that sat on the dresser next to her that read 8:00am.
"I got a meeting with my label for 9."
"Oh okay." She nodded. She wasn't aware since he hadn't told her but she wasn't tripping.
"You got anything planned for the day?" He asked, walking into their closet.
"Um.." She moved her wild hair to the right side of her face. "I'm gonna stop by the mall and then I have my photo shoot for source."
"Oh yeah." He walked out of the closet, remembering about her photo shoot. "You excited? Muthafuckas' heads gone be spinning when they see you on there."
"I am excited." She cheesed. She dreamt about this day ever since she was a little girl. "Are you getting Imani today or is Monica bringing her?" She questioned since it was his day. Some times he'd either get her or when Monica had the time she'd bring Imani before going to work.
"I'm actually gonna get her from her grandmother tomorrow morning."
"Why tomorrow?"
"I got the shit with my label and I gotta drive down to LA and handle some business." He didn't disclose the exact business he had to do since it involved Leon and he hadn't told her about his plans with him just yet. It was still being kept a secret. "And don't even try to cancel your plans. Go do your shoot and I'll get her first thing in the morning, aight?"
Miyoko huffed, twisting her lips to the side. She had missed Imani and it was never nothing to cancel what she was doing to make it easier on Monica by picking Imani up. "Fine."
"I wanna take a trip with y'all down to Disneyland. I wanna make up for her birthday and do something. You know she be scared of the cartoons and shit but she'll be fine if we with her."
"When? This weekend?"
"Yeah." He nodded his head, grabbing his cologne off the dresser spraying it on himself. "As soon as we get her tomorrow. I already told her mom about it so she'll be dressed and ready to go."
"Oh okay." Miyoko exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "Now I'm really excited."
"You a big ass kid you know that." He chuckled.
"So I've heard."
She was only twenty one. A fresh 21 at that. Of course she was still a child at heart. She was mature for her age but she had her childish moments.
"Imma see you later." He grabbed her face, kissing her passionately. "Don't make me have to come looking for you later."
*****
Miyoko held a bunch of clothing items in her hand as she scrummage through the racks of clothing. She was in a boutique that sold baby clothes. If they were going to Disneyland she wanted to buy Imani a few items that matched the theme. She was going to go to another store to buy a few matching items for her and Arlante to match the baby.
There was a cute minnie mouse set that she picked out in two different colors. It was red and white and then the other was pink and white. It came with a headband that was decorated into a bow.
She checked out of the store and walked up to Boogs handing her the bags. He insisted since it was his job. Boogs was her security that her boyfriend sprung on her at the last minute because he didn't want him wandering the city by herself. She wasn't a regular person who could just walk to the corner store. She was a face and name that everyone knew of.
If she had declined he would have made a big deal out of it. Boogs was a tall and muscular man standing at 6'3. He had brown almond eyes that pierced the hell out of a person. He was dressed down in a suit and tie which drew attention to Miyoko and himself. His bald head shined from his clean wax with no signs of any hair. He intimidated Miyoko by the mug he kept on his face but she eventually got used to him.
He was mute for the most part. He did not speak unless spoken to. Miyoko found that odd because it felt like she was walking around with a robot.
"What do you think about this one?" Miyoko questioned as she sprayed the designer cologne in the air allowing him to get a whiff of it.
While walking through the mall she stopped by stands that sold different brands on cologne. She was stopped by a consultant who wanted to show her a variety of mens cologne from Versace. The cologne was strong and had a fresh and spicy scent. The smell was okay to Miyoko but she wanted a male opinion.
"It's okay, ma'am."
She felt weird sometimes when he called her ma'am. She knew it was his way of keeping it professional but she wasn't even old enough or older than him for him to keep using the term.
"Okay?" She glanced back at him, chuckling. "You don't like it do you?"
"Nah."
Deciding to take his opinion on it since he was a man himself they left the stand and decided to look around for new cologne. She wanted to buy something for Arlante. He wasn't big on cologne but thought it'd be nice if she bought something for him.
As they continued walking through the mall, Miyoko stopped in her tracks a billboard catching her eyes. She looked over the Armani campaign as the black male sat in the ring with white gauzes on both of his hands. He leaned over the ropes with a bottle of the cologne in his hand. She stared into his intimidating brown eyes, a small smile forming on her face while her dimples sunk into her cheek.
Miyoko was deep in her thoughts as a flashback that night of December 1995 flashed through her mind. His orbs staring into hers, his soft lips on her neck, their warm bodies colliding with each other. The sound of Boogs voice snapped her out of guiltiness. She blinked her eyes and turned to Boogs wondering what was wrong.
"Everything alright, ma'am?" Boogs inquired, wondering why she stopped so sudden and just stared at the Armani campaign.
"Oh I'm sorry. I was just trying to remember if I turned the alarm system off before I left." She lied, coming up with something quick on top of her head.
They walked around the mall and eventually she found a minimum of two colognes she was going to bring home to Arlante. The smells were fresh, woody and floral. She hoped he would like it since she had help from Boogs.
Miyoko and boogs decided to stop to get food at the food court. It was weird sitting down and eating since she got stares from a lot of people. she figured they either knew who she was or they were trying to figure out who she was because of the man in black next to her. She didn't see the big deal though. It wasn't like she had a bunch of men scattered around her which she should've but she didn't want to be extra and draw more attention to herself.
"Is it weird?" Miyoko played with her food with the plastic fork before looking over at her security that sat across from her. "Leaving your family to look over another person?" She questioned. She hoped the question was rude or too personal for him to answer, but she couldn't help but to wonder. You'd always see on television these same men around these celebrities for years and she wondered how it worked.
"Weird, no. Difficult? Maybe."
Miyoko nodded. "Okay. Well can you explain to me how it works for you?"
"So..for my wife she did find it weird. I have to leave all hours of the day and night to take watch over another person while leaving my family. I'm a navy veteran so I had to explain to her it was sort of like me being away. I'm doing this all for her and our two daughters. The benefits of this job is what keeps a roof over our heads so eventually she got used to it and so have I."
"And no matter what day or time Arlante calls for you, you have to come? Even if you're somewhere with your family where you're needed?"
"Basically."
Miyoko pursed her lips as she nodded her head. She felt bad. Even though it was the job and life he chose she still had a heart and felt bad for him. She shouldn't but she did.
"I'm sorry." She apologized, feeling like she needed to.
"For what?" He raised an eyebrow, grabbing his cup of lemonade taking a big sip.
"Having to leave your family." She felt for his wife the most. She couldn't imagine not seeing her husband for most of the time because he had to travel around with another couple or person to look after their wellbeing.
"Don't be."
They held eye contact for a few seconds, Miyoko noticing how serious he was. She nodded her head and continued to eat her food.
*****
Amirah had to admit when she was at fault. She judged Juicy based on he say, she say but hanging out with her wasn't so bad after all.
They were going to Bones away game that he was having out in LA. Miyoko was the one who insisted that they hang out outside of her so that way they could get to know each other better. They were a friend group after all and Miyoko wanted juicy and Amirah to be friends because they had some of the same characteristics.
Amirah would've been with Miyoko helping her get ready for her photo shoot but the people who operated the source magazine already had the theme and look they wanted to do for Miyoko. Amirah found that weird but instead of pressing the issue like she normally would've she let it go. She could use the day off. She wasn't used to working so hard after being dependent for so long.
Even though her independence started when she moved out of her parent's house on her own she was being funded by Oscar. Her old sugar daddy who evicted her from that apartment back in 1994. That was where the problem laid.
She had depended on Oscar for everything thinking he was a gullible man she could fuck over. Though he may of been gullible he had a brain. He was tired of Amirah not giving up the sugar when there were millions of other girls like her willing to. The last straw for him was when she had the nerve to bring a nappy headed boy into the apartment he funded.
He wasted no time kicking her to the curve to move on to bigger and better things.
Honestly it was an eye opener for Amirah. Don't ever bite the hand that feeds you. Moving back with her parents was depressing for her. She wanted to look independent and show her parents she didn't need them for shit. Though she worked at Blue Streak it wasn't paying her enough to afford a luxury apartment like the one Oscar had leased for her.
Audrey her mother had told her there was always an assistant spot open for her at her job. Working at blue streak was cool but she needed extra money. She accepted the job from her mom as an assistant and had worked there during the day and worked at Blue streak during the night.
From the job in the day and the job in the night Amirah was exhausted. She hated working. She wanted to opt out and just find a good man she could cook and clean for. It was easier finessing a dude her age than it was finessing the older ones.
But a call from Miyoko one day turned her whole life around. There was no time wasted once she hopped her ass on that flight to California. She never looked back after that day and she had been striving since then.
"You okay?" Amirah asked, watching as Juicy hissed while carefully coming inside of the car.
"Yeah. I think my arm fell asleep or something. I need to stop sleeping on it so much."
"You sleep on your side?" Amirah turned the car engine on before locking the doors.
"Yep." Juicy flipped her blonde weave over her shoulder to look at Amirah. Her face was free of makeup just lipgloss coating her lips.
Amirah squinted her eyes leaning over getting a good look at Juicy. She frowned. "What the hell happened to your lip?" It was a light purple color that mixed in with her natural pink lips.
Juicy swallowed, waving Amirah off. "Nothing. I accidentally bit down on it too hard."
Amirah blinked her eyes a few times, trying to push her thoughts to the back of her head. "You sure?" It was a thing to bite down on your lip too hard and it'll draw blood from inside of your lip. Juicy's side of her lip was more so bruised.
"Yes!" Juicy exclaimed, holding her head back looking at Amirah. "You ain't never bit your lip before?"
"Nah. My tongue maybe but not my lip."
"Kudos to you."
Amirah felt her skin crawl as she gripped the steering wheel. Something was on her mind and she needed to get it off. Like she had told Miyoko before she didn't care because you couldn't help a person who didn't want to be saved. But knowing for sure if it was happening or not would kill her curiosity. Juicy was blunt so maybe she'd tell the truth, maybe not.
"I hear the way he talks to you." Amirah managed to say, glancing over at her friend. She wasn't trying to be nosey, she genuinely wanted to know what was going on.
Juicy's body tensed before she sighed. She picked up on what Amirah was trying to say. She shook her head to the side and said, "No, okay. He may be verbally abusive and manhandles me from time to time but physically." She shook her head again. "No, aight."
"Okay."
Amirah left the topic alone. Whether she was lying or not it was her business. She was a grown woman and she made her own choices.
The car ride was decent as they jammed to the music playing from the radio. Amirah was excited for the game. She didn't know much about football but she'd learn something from the game today. Only thing she really hated was watching her man get hit by other players.
The fifteen minutes to the first quarter began. Amirah and Juicy laughed making fun of some of the players on the field. It was fun teasing them. Juicy and her had similar traits so that was a good thing. Juicy knew how to have a good time and she wasn't a lame. She lived her life like no one was watching.
"Touchdown!" They yelled in unison standing up to jump around as they watched Bones get his first touchdown six minutes into the game. They cheered for bones as he and one of how co-workers did their traditional touchdown dance.
This was both of their first times attending a football game. Amirah had a list of things on her bucket list that she wanted accomplished that year. It was a requirement to go to one of her brother Ste'ces matches, she wanted to temporarily dye her hair blonde, attend two of Bones games whether it was in or out of town and she wanted to go zip lining in another country.
Being that lately she had been on her grind, working day and night she wanted to celebrate herself. She wasn't used to working and getting things on her own so she was proud of the changes she made. It had been a long time since she had asked either her mom or father for money. She was wearing her big girl panties and doing adult duties.
Her relationship with Bones was one so different from any other she had been in before. He was gentle and treated her like a human being. They were still in the honeymoon phase so no arguments or disagreements had occurred. They were getting to know more about each other each and every day.
It was both of their first times doing long distance. Bones would've opted out of that a long time ago but he really connected with Amirah. She was a hard cookie but she had a sweet side to her. She knew how to melt into his masculinity.
"Run, baby!" Amirah stood up her eyes full of anticipation as Bones caught the ball thrown by the quarterback. There was a lot of defense players on him as he ran down the field. He was tackled to the ground by one player as a bunch of them piled on top of him. Amirah cringed watched the collision.
Bones stood up and dropped the ball as he jumped for joy as his teammate pushed him. Amirah didn't understand football all the way but it must've meant he did something right if his teammates were hyping him up. She automatically thought once they were tackled, the ball was turned over.
30 minutes was up for the game which meant it was halftime. Amirah and Juicy had left real quick to refill on snacks. They made it back to their seats and talked for a while.
"You know," Amirah started, turning in her seat to look at Juicy. "You really know how to have a good time. I gotta take you to the strip club with me the next time I go."
One time she and Miyoko had gone and Miyoko acted like she was scared to touch the strippers. It was hilarious but Miyoko was so stiff and she'd never go back with her. Juicy on the other hand would probably be down for the cause. She was unapologetically her and didn't care if she got crazy stares from people.
"Me and Deshawn go to the strip club all the time. You should definitely come out with us one night."
Amirah gave Juicy a look and she got the memo and laughed.
"Or me and you are just fine."
*****
Miyoko made it back home just in time to freshen up and change to get ready for her photoshoot. It was 3:00pm and the drive there would be an hour and a half. She was going to drive there herself instead of using their chauffeur Leroy. She felt like a kid sometimes having to be chauffeured around like a troubled child but she understood why.
She had gotten there and was greeted by the owner of the magazine. David Mays. He had created the source back in 1988 as a Harvard undergraduate. She was excited to be working with him and couldn't wait for what he had in store.
So far it felt like she was an independent artist. Yes, she was signed to a label and had a manager but that was the thing. Harvey was more focused on U.N.I.T.Y and his other clients. He put one on a pedal stool over the other. He was supposed to be here himself with her at the photoshoot but he wasn't. He felt he had gotten her the magazine shoot and his job for that was done.
It was a lot of managing more than one person but it was his own fault. That was the job and life he chose.
In the room where she would be taking the photos stood a lot of people. They each had a job that pertained to the photoshoot but Miyoko kind of felt shy with all the eyes on her. Sort of like predators scouting their prey.
"Let's get Miyoko here in the first look for the day please." David told the lady he would have styling Miyoko.
When Miyoko went to change she looked at the outfits that were displayed out for her. The outfit was kind of raunchy as she looked over the outfit the stylist picked out for her.
It was a white bikini with matching white bottoms. The bottoms were more shaped like boxers but they were tight fitting. She was a little uncomfortable being half naked in front of all of the people out in the area but it was a part of her job so she sucked it up.
Before the shoot could start she had to do her hair. They glued in blonde tracks that were about 28 inches long. The style would be half up and half down.
A makeup artist came in to touch up her face. Miyoko requested light makeup since she didn't want to go overboard. Her hair in total took about two hours. She didn't understand why or how it had to take that long. While doing that she had been trying to page Arlante for the past 45 minutes but he hadn't returned any of her calls.
He must've been busy if he hadn't gotten back to her by now.
So far the photo shoot was amazing. The creative directors and people involved with the shoot were nice and respectful. They were professional and did their job well.
Miyoko could remember her conversation with Amirah 2 years ago. They were discussing about her being in xxl and vibes magazine. The source was just as big and she knew the opportunities of being in those other magazine companies were coming very soon.
She wasn't expecting so early on for her career to pop off within a few days. It took time and dedication. There were times were artist popped off early than those who have been trying for a long time but it didn't mean you were any less better than them. It meant that it was their time to shine and yours would be coming very soon. Whatever was destined to be would happen.
*****
Steele stood outside of the national bank watching the time on his expensive watch. It was 6:00pm and he stood there with a flower bouquet in his hands. He had been standing for about ten minutes and after a while decided to take a seat on a bench a few feet away from the bank.
He was anxious and nervous at the same time. He was waiting on a girl he had been friends with for a while. He had actually met her at the same bank. She was dark skinned with long black hair that stopped at her mid back area that she always kept in a high ponytail.
Her name was Kelly. She was quite the opposite of the girls he usually talked to. She was tall standing about 5'8 and she was really outspoken.She reminded him of those nerdy smart kids back in highschool he was cordial with. She talked a lot for her own good and didn't realize it. He never minded because it let him know she was comfortable with him.
Before trying to make any moves on her, Steele realized she wasn't the easy going type. She was more reserved. It even surprised him when she told him she went to church faithfully every sunday.
She didn't listen to any rap or hip hop music. She took more to gospel and soul music. Her favorite singers were Aretha Franklin, Eartha Kitt and Bebe & Cece Winans. Steele knew of them because his mother Drea would play their music throughout their house whenever she did her weekend cleanings. He hated the music but tolerated it because he had to.
While only being friends with Kelly Steele had grown feelings for her. A nigga like himself never even thought it was possible. He wasn't the relationship or settling down type. He liked to have his cake and eat it too. It went well especially when you were single. You had no ties to anyone. You were free to do whatever and nobody could be mad.
He was waiting for Kelly to go on her lunch break. He hadn't heard from her in two days which wasn't normal. He wasn't tripping and since they had already pre planned for lunch on her break he thought he'd surprise her with flowers. He was going to ask her about her strange behavior. With their friendship it wasn't like her to go more than a few hours without talking to him.
Steele stood up and opened the bank door walking inside. The cool fresh air from the air conditioner hit his skin as he looked around. He scanned the lines and the workers behind the counter but didn't see Kelly. He figured she had gone to get her belongings to leave her for a break. She usually gets a break around 6:15.
He licked his lips holding the flowers behind his back. A small smile krept on his face when he noticed her coming out from behind the counters. She was looking down searching for something in her purse. She was wearing a white blouse shirt, a black pencil skirt and red bottom heels. Her usual work attire.
Kelly finally looked up noticing Steele. She looked like she had seen a ghost as she slowly walked up to him.
"Steele," She gave him a small smile before tucking in her bottom lip. "What are you doing here?" She was obviously caught off guard by his sudden appearance.
"Wassup." He smiled. Usually she gave him a hug no matter what but this time was different. He didn't bother to comment on it though. "I ain't heard from you in a few days. Had to make sure you were straight. Nah mean?"
"Yeah," She nodded, stroking her ponytail with her hand before folding her arms across her chest. "I had been catching up on a lot of work and bible study." She narrowed her eyes from him towards the door.
He furrowed his eyebrows for a second wondering why she kept putting her attention on the door outside. He nodded his head understanding.
"Did you forget about the lunch plans? I know I probably should've called but..." He shrugged, his hands still behind his back not revealing the flowers behind her back.
Steele looked over her facial expression as her eyes widening looking at something that was behind him. Before he could turn around to see what had her eyes so widened he heard...
"Kelly, what's taking so long? Are you ready?"
Steele turned to the side making eye contact with the man standing next to him. He had a caramel complexion, a low fade haircut and no facial hair. He was dressed down in a casual navy blue suit with dress shoes. The man looked at Kelly and noticed she had been having a conversation with Steele.
Not wanting to be rude, the unknown man said, "Hey, wassup, man." He said, being polite since he was obviously interrupting their conversation.
The man moved from next to Steele and over to Kelly. He leaned down kissing her cheek, his hands finding their way to hers. Steele looked between the two, a small frown forming on his face.
Kelly looked embarrassed. She looked down at the ground and looked back over at Steele. "David, this is my friend Steele and Steele this is David." She said introducing the two.
"David, her boyfriend. Nice to meet you."
"Boyfriend?" Steele looked from the man whose name was revealed to be David at Kelly. When he had met her he was aware that she had no boyfriend. He was utterly confused.
"Yeah." David furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he looked from Steele to his girlfriend.
"Cool." Steele nodded his head.
"Wait, Steele!" Kelly called out after him when he turned on his heel leaving out of the bank. Kelly felt horrible and as a christian woman she couldn't let him leave upset with her without at least explaining herself.
She excused herself from David who understood as she followed after Steele calling his name. Not wanting to be an asshole Steele stopped and turned around to hear what she had to say. He didn't care for the explanation but he'd hear what would come out of her mouth.
He stood there with his arms behind his back. She hadn't noticed the flowers. He squinted his eyes, the sunlight shining right in his face. He looked straight ahead not wanting to look at her.
"I should've told you." Her soft voice spoke as she stood in front of him. She swallowed, biting the inside of her cheek. He looked down at her when he hadn't heard anything else come out of her mouth. "I'm sorry."
"You should've told me?" He repeated, licking his lips. "When I met you, you told me you were single."
"And I was," She nodded. '"We were broken up over something so stupid and you came along and you took my mind off of that. You were a great person to be around after what happened between me and him. A great friend. I did catch feelings for you but then he came back and—"
"If I ain't come today you would've never told me?"
Kelly blinked her eyes, thinking of what to say. "I don't know." She watched as he scoffed before turning on his heel. She grabbed his arm and stood in front of him not wanting him to leave yet. "You have to understand, Steele! Please. I've known David since I was eight. I couldn't stay mad at him forever over a silly mistake. I'm sorry if you feel that I lead you on but every moment we've spent together was real."
Pulling the flowers from behind his back he held them out to Kelly. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she looked at him before staring at the flowers. She took the flowers out of his hands and bit her bottom lip out of uncertainty.
"I'm sorry too."
Kelly's shoulders dropped as she watched Steele walk away. He didn't even bother to turn around.
*****
Miyoko had just pulled her vehicle into the driveway of her home she shared with Arlante. She was feeling great after her successful photo shoot for her cover of the source magazine. It was late at night around nine o'clock when she made it back from her night out with Amirah and Juicy.
Her photo shoot finished early than she anticipated so she called Amirah and Juicy wondering if they were still free to hang out. It had been a while since they all hung out as a whole so Miyoko suggested a paint and sip.
It was like a dream come true when it came down to the photo shoot. She could remember sitting on the phone talking with Amirah for hours about one day being on the cover. Amirah practically manifesting that one day she'd be one of the artist featured. Her hard work was paying off and she had no other to thank but herself.
The past couple of months had been eventful and put a lot of stress on her but she was able to get through it. Hard work paid off eventually and she was finally witnessing that. She never complained because the days always got better no matter what.
Miyoko closed the door to her 1995 Mercedes Benz. It was all black just how she liked it. It was a gift the previous year from Arlante on the success of her debut album. She didn't care for materialistic things since it was Arlante's thing, but she was still thankful. It came in handy and had a way better upgrade from her first 1992 Acura.
She clicked the lock button on her car keys walking towards the house. Her heels clicked against the pavement as she held her keys in her hand. As she got closer she blushed lowly recognizing the man sitting on the one step of their house. It was great to know he was okay since he still hadn't returned her messages.
It was cute how he always worried about her and no matter what he always made sure she made it inside safely. This time it was different since he had been waiting for her outside. Usually she'd get inside and he'll be laid out of the sofa. He hated going to sleep without her whenever he didn't stay out late.
"What're you doing outside, babe? Were you waiting up for me?" She teased, smiling as she got closer to him. "You're such a big baby." She joked knowing how much he loved being up under her. She never mind because it let her know exactly how he felt about her.
As she got closer to his frame her smile slowly faded. Arlante had his head buried in between his legs holding a phone in between his left hand. He hadn't replied to anything she had said previously.
"Arlante..." Her eyebrows furrowed as her head tilted.
She watched as he wiped up his nose with is hand, bringing his head up holding it back while shaking his leg. He bit down on the bottom of his lip rocking back and forth. This alerted Miyoko because she never saw him like this before. She bent down in front of him now worried.
"Lante, what's going on? What's wrong?" Concern laced in her voice scared at how he was acting. She wasn't prepared for what would come out of his mouth. She couldn't tell if these were happy tears or not. She was concerned because she'd never seen him cry. No matter how sad, upset or happy he was.
His leg shook viciously as she waited for a response out of him. Miyoko watched him in silence. She wouldn't rush him because she didn't know how serious or unserious the situation was. When he looked at her she caught a glimpse of his face.
"Imani." Arlante said already choking up from his sentence. The pain was so surreal he felt like he couldn't even speak. His throat was closing in on him. Telling Miyoko about the news he just received made him realize that it was his reality. "My mama just called me. Monica got the word out to her first. She dead."
Miyoko stopped in her tracks her face turning up in agony at hearing the word dead. She cleared her throat, trying to remain calm not sure what was going on. Her heart beat sped up at an unusual rate as her stomach churned.
"Who's dead?" Miyoko questioned, her face screwing up in confusion. "Imani?" She inquired, blinking her eyes a few time waiting for confirmation. She could feel her eyes watering and her hands shaking.
Arlante slowly nodded his head.
Miyoko gasped so loud she was sure the neighbors heard it. She covered her mouth, looking at Arlante to make sure he wasn't joke. "What? No." She repeated in disbelief not believing him. "What do you mean? W-what happened?" The questions flew out after one another.
"That punk mufucka' Monica was messing round with shot up her car. Stray bullet killed her on the scene."
Monica was strapping the baby into her car seat when she realized she had left Imani's diaper bag on her porch. She was on her way to take her to her mothers house. She had ran back to her porch to collect it. By the time she walked back to the car gunshots rang off as she ducked for cover. She realized she had left Imani's car door opened. That's when she ran for cover to protect her baby girl not caring if a bullet hit her or not.
By the time she had got to the car, the vehicle firing the shots had swerved down the street. Monica called out for help when she realized Imani had been shot.
She died later on that day at the hospital on arrival. The doctors tried all they could at the request of Monica but the injuries were too fatal to come back from. Monica stayed at the hospital all evening waiting to hear back from the doctors. Her first call was made to Claudia. She sobbed her heart out to her telling her what happened. She couldn't face Arlante to tell him that Imani died in her care. He would blame her. He would hate her and she couldn't inflict that pain onto herself. Claudia had to be the one to tell him.
Miyoko's lip quivered, tears falling down her face just thinking about a situation like that. She felt for Monica. She was Imani's mother after all and she couldn't imagine how she was feeling. To have people blame you for another persons death because of something you may of caused and could've possibly prevented.
Imani she was just a little girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. It crushed Miyoko because she knew how much Arlante loved her. She was the reason he worked so hard to be in the position he was in. She gave him a purpose to continue to grind and go after what he wanted. He strived to give her the life he never had.
He wouldn't be able to attend any of her graduations, prom, walk her down the aisle, he wouldn't be able to even meet his grand children. It was all taken from him.
"It was my week, Goldi." He cried, looking at her with blood shot eyes. He punched the inside of his palms with the phone not caring about the pain. He had been fucked up ever since he found out not too long ago. Miyoko shook her head at him. "Nah." He shook his head not wanting her to try and come up with excuses for him.
"Lante..."
"I was supposed to have her today and I canceled over some bullshit." His voice and body shook in anger as he stared ahead. "This shit hurt. Fuuuck!" He tossed the phone in his hand onto the concrete floor in anger shattering it.
"I'm sorry." She dropped her keys and purse wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so sorry." She broke down silently listening to him cry into her shoulder. He tugged at the bottom of her shirt, gripping it and she pulled him closer comforting him.
Little did Miyoko know this moment would change their lives for good.