Still

05.

Chapter Five

For Maia, today was a big night. She would officially allow Zakari to see her outside of their work environment. The two had been texting back and forth all day to ensure that their respective work wouldn't get in the way of things. With the way their careers went, anything could happen. Thankfully, they were both able to make their escape.

As she entered her home, Buck met her at the door happily. Mai still had not heard from Jourdan's mom in regards to when she would be collecting Buck from her, but at this point, she was fine with keeping him for a while. She just needed to make the proper arrangements.

"Hi, Buddy," she coed and immediately put her things down after petting him. She did a quick check of her apartment to ensure that he hadn't made any messes. Once they were in the clear, she grabbed the black leash, attached it to his harness, and they were on their way to walk the trail that went through her complex.

Usually during these walks, she took the time to check through her messages and any emails that she may had missed. She'd been reaching out to her dad per her mother's request and things were going good. They were trying to make plans to see one another, but her father's schedule was just as busy as hers.

From Asia: Hey, whenever you're free, can we talk?

Maia frowned as she read the text message from Asia that she'd received earlier. It wasn't like Asia to ask her to talk. Her conversations with Asia were usually sharing pictures, updates, and things they'd purchased for Olivia.

To Asia: Yeah, is everything okay?

From Asia: Yes! I just want to have some girl talk - desperately need!

Mai smiled a bit and made a mental note to get her schedule in order to squeeze her in. She knew how important friendship was. Without her friends, she honestly didn't know how she'd cope with a lot of things. Truthfully, the time she spent in Paris away from the crew happened to be the worst time ever.

After her walk, Maia went back home to feed Buck and begin getting ready for her outing. Tonight, she had conflicting plans, but she had a bit of hope that she would be finished with Zakari before she needed to be with the friends.

When Malik said that Brianne wanted to have an outing, she hadn't been prepared for it to be so soon and last minute. Mai took a quick shower to rid herself of today's dirt. She applied the cocoa butter to her soft skin before slipping on the lace black bra with matching thong. She'd already decided on what she wanted to wear, so her prep time was cut in half. It only took her a few minutes to complete her soft makeup before she was slipping on the tan colored button down mini dress. Lately, this has been her go-to style. She slipped on a hair of block heeled sandals and paired it with a hat with minimal accessories.

"Alright, Buck, I'll be home late. Don't tear up my house," she said before giving him a pat on the head along with a treat for the road. Mai was out of the house and walking into the parking lot, where she'd asked Zakari to pick her up.

"Hey!" She happily greeted as she entered his black Dodge Charger. It was the same exact type of car that he used for work.

Zakari looked over to her and smiled brightly. He'd put his dreads up into a high bun. Tonight, he wore an all black ensemble, keeping it pretty simple with gold accessories himself. While Mai knew that he looked damn good in an uniform, the brotha could've definitely pulled her in his v-neck alone."Hey," he greeted. "You look beautiful."

Mai gushed. "Thank you. You look aight."

Zakari chuckled softly before driving toward their destination. "Aight? Girl, I look good," he boasted proudly. "How was work, though?"