“Pretty as hell,” Myesa cut her off, examining her. “Those freckles…you know they’re good luck?”
“Ma,” Malik leaned against the wall. “You just be makin’ up shit.”
She rolled her eyes at her son. “How you gon’ tell me? I know what I was told ‘cause I used to want freckles so bad. Gran Betty told me they were magical.”
Gran Betty nodded.
Aku pursed her lips. “I accept it.”
Myesa raised a brow. “And what y’all was doin’? Just sleeping?”
“Yes,” they both said too fast.
“Alright,” she said, eyeing them both. “Next time, I want to meet you before you in my son’s clothes.”
“I’m inmyclothes,” Aku mumbled under her breath.
“What was that?”
“Nothing, ma’am.”
Gran Betty grinned. “I like her.”
Aku waved as Malik walked out the house behind her.
Before they could make it to her jeep, a few little boys ran up to him. “Key, you said you was gonna throw the ball with us.”
Malik looked down at Aku, even though there wasn’t much of a height distance when she was in heels. Even without heels, she was tall and her head lined up with his chest, matching his six foot plus frame. “I gotta handle something with Ms. Aku.”
One of the boys wagged his brows. “I see you, Key…she some fine shit.”
Aku snickered.
“Watch yuh mouth. You know what - hand me that ball, whichever one of y’all catch it gon’ be the quarterback today,” hechallenged them as they lined up to run down the tattered street. “Go long,” he waved his hand out as he lined up, snapping back and letting the ball fly through the air.
Aku’s heart and ovaries did a weird thumping, watching him show up for the little neighborhood boys. She could tell they adored and admired him.
They all screamed, talking shit like they were twice their age. The smallest one out there caught it - doing a little dance after.
“You up, Jo’King,” Malik hollered as he walked around to the driver’s side to let Aku get in.
“That was sweet,” she flirted before getting behind the wheel.
“I’m a sweet ass nigga, Dorothy.”
When they pulled up to the beach house, Aku spotted Fink and Ben, Noodle’s security, which meant she was already getting back to work. Aku sighed, thinking about how much their lives had changed in so little time. She missed having her best friend around. Now, Noodle was a full-fledged singer and someone’s wife.
She would always cheer for her and be happy, but Aku wouldn’t lie and say a little of her didn’t feel incomplete. Not envious or jealous, ‘cause Noodle was her family. But seeing everyone else so happy and living life to the fullest, made her feel like something had to be wrong with her.
Malik could see the longing in her eyes. It all started to make sense to him. Aku’s heart was so big, she wanted to share it with someone.
He would like to be the man she shared it with, but time could only tell. He was in no rush to make permanent decisions—last time he did, it went south.
“You cool?” he asked, his hand landing on her thigh, grounding her.
Aku forced a smile. “Yea,” she half lied.
He only nodded before grabbing his gun, to make sure it was tucked at his waist.
