Just Listen

Chapter 42

KP's POV

I facepalmed when Uncanny raced up the stairs sobbing. It was embarrassing, my mother humiliated herself, and now I had to clean up after her.

"Why is Uncanny like that?" Vinyl asked.

I shrugged, "I wish I knew."

Dad and aunt Veronica excused themselves. I remained downstairs with Vinyl. "You said you had something for me?" I began.

"Ah! Yes. He'll be here soon enough," Vinyl responded, carefree as he sat on the counter. I made us both some good old coffee while we waited. He had me picking my brain for some time until the doorbell rang. Vinyl answered the door himself. The scent of Arthur Ford's 'superior' perfume hit my nostril. Panic washed all over me. There was only one person I have ever known who wore it as a signature scent. My palms were sweaty, and my mind raced. Could it be him?

"Angelo! Thank you for agreeing to this meeting," Vinyl spoke up, making me feel immobilized. Cerulean eyes came into view. Angelo sat at the opposite end of the counter, directly at me. Talk about awkwardness. I could not keep eye contact even though I could tell it was what he aimed to do. He had dressed casually, and his dark hair was messy; all I could think of was running my hands in it.

"Hi," his voice sounded like a melody, so distinct and heart-wrenching. I gave him a curt nod as a response while sneaking peeks at him. His eyes had been glossy, indicating that he was hiding his pain and tears.

Vinyl sat next to Angelo and cleared his throat, "You see, Kamilah, Angelo is an old friend of mine. He has told me all there is to know about you. I've known you way before I knew that we were family. I scheduled this meeting for the both of you to make or break up. With the little time I've spent with you, I could see right through you, Kamilah. You missed him. He missed you too, but neither of you wanted to take the leap of faith, so I had to be the mediator."

Damn, he made me so self-conscious. I pondered on the thought of whether he knew why we split up in the first place. I bit my lip to settle my nerves.

"I know you love each other. I don't want a situation where I'll need both of you guys' support, and you can't even bear to be in the same room. Either you talk things out and agree to be friends or fix things. It's all up to you. I'll give you the privacy you need. Fix this," he stated and disappeared into the next room.

Silence enveloped us. I had no idea what to say to him. So many nights, I wished I could talk to him and now that he was finally in front of me-I was clueless. He was the boy I had given my all to, and I ruined all of it by being obnoxious. "So," I tried to break the ice.

"Kamilah, I want us to fix things and this time for the better. I tried to move on, but the truth is all I ever wanted and needed was you. It took some time for me to realize it and come to terms with what happened with Drew. You're the one I trust. I never stopped loving you. Not a day passed by that I didn't stalk you on your social media accounts. We can do this. Us fixing our relationship is a way to say that we never broke up. You and I just had bumps on the road and, we want to work on it. I'm sorry about all that you had to go through when I wasn't there. Vinyl pitched to me about my cousin and Luu. I know everything, but that is not why I'm here. I want to be here because I want to be with you," he breathed, locking his eyes unto mine.

I felt butterflies in my stomach. I have only dreamt of the day we made peace and focused on the future. "Nothing happened between Drew and me, Angelo. I take responsibility for my lack of awareness, ignorance, and stubbornness. Admitting you did catch us in a compromising situation," I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"It's okay now; I'm ready to move on," he replied with a smile.

"Are you still my Daddy-G?" I asked shyly.

He chuckled, "As long as you are still my princess." We both gazed at each other, adrenaline taking effect. The blush was evident and, tension rose. "I better get going, but I am glad Vinyl brought us back together again," he purred as he stood up. I walked him to the door. A sudden wave of nervousness hit me; I became agitated. "What's wrong?"

"Ca-can I hug you?" I asked, fidgeting. Staring at him felt like a taboo. My eyes cast down to the marbled floor. Suddenly, huge-warm arms embraced me. I reciprocated on instinct. The hug was electrifying. Memories came flooding back in giving me life. He held me tighter; letting go felt so dreadful. Angelo gently lifted my chin, we both stared into each other's eyes while darting to the lips. I involuntarily licked mine as he did the same, a lump forming on my throat. He slowly leaned in, our temples touching, our lips just inches away from contact. Angelo ran his thumb against my bottom lip. At this point, I could tell we both wanted to do it. Our lips finally found their way home. The kiss was long and relentless as we held each other close.

He whispered against my lips, "Now this is familiar." I giggled as we pulled back. "We are on again, right? Just you and me?"

I nodded, kissing his palm. He blew me kisses as he walked out the door, taking my heart with him. A melodramatic clap of hands came from behind me. I turned around whereas, Vinyl grinned at me. I jumped him with so much glee. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" I exclaimed, suffocating him in a hug.

"It's no big deal. I had to do something. I'm rooting for you all the way. Just don't let it happen again-" I nodded in acknowledgment. "-And I won't be coming with you to see your grandparents, but believe me, you are going to love every bit of it. Kiss them all from me," he continued. Momentarily, our parents came back downstairs both of them held distraught faces. I knew right there and then that indeed Vinyl would not be present tomorrow. I wanted him to be there for mutual support.

Daddy explained why Aunt Vero and Vinyl could not come with us, and I understood. Not everything in life was not going my way, but at least meeting my grandparents would be a good start to something new and different, and perhaps towards a positive direction. I may return a whole new Kamilah.

You wish. You might find out some truths you never wanted to hear. Remember what Lucrecia or Lucinda asked that day at the hospital?

I bit my tongue to keep myself from screaming and terrifying everyone with my demons. Uncanny's were enough.