𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐑𝐓

30

I NEED TO SEE YALL INTERACT WITH THESE CHAPTERS OR IMA STOP DROPPING CHAPTERS AND I DONT LIE ABOUT THAT😭

                       ᴀᴜʙʀᴇʏ 'ᴅʀᴀᴋᴇ' ɢʀᴀʜᴀᴍ

"You like your cut, Omari?" I asked, watching as he turned the small handheld mirror back and forth, inspecting Jay's work. A huge grin spread across his face as he nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! I can't wait to show my mommy!" he said, hopping down from Jay's chair as the barber brushed loose hairs off his shoulders.

Jay laughed, shaking his head. "That kid loves a fresh cut."

Omari didn't waste a second. He darted toward the door, yelling, "Mommy, look at my haircut!"

I chuckled, leaning back in the barber chair. "He's hype as hell. Gotta love it."

Jay smirked, grabbing his clippers. "You ready, man? Saying goodbye to all this hair, huh?"

"Yeah, it's time. Back to the waves," I said, settling in as he started shaping my hair. The buzz of the clippers filled the room as Jay worked carefully, making sure everything was precise.

"Big switch," he said. "Waves gotta make a comeback for something special, right?"

I just shrugged, smirking. "Nah, just tired of dealing with it. Waves are clean, low-maintenance."

As Jay continued cutting, I could hear the voices faintly carrying from downstairs. Omari's excitement was impossible to miss, and I caught a bit of Ava's giggles mixed with my mom and Onika's voices.

My mom met Onika officially today, and hearing them all vibing together like that made me feel good.

Jay glanced toward the door, grinning. "Sounds like everything's all good downstairs. Onika and your mom getting along?"

"Yeah, they clicked right away," I said. "Ava's probably acting like the little host, too. You know how she is."

He chuckled. "For sure. That's gotta feel nice, though. Everything coming together like that."

I nodded, smiling faintly as I listened to the laughter and chatter from downstairs while Jay wrapped up my cut.

"So y'all all going to the Raptors game tonight?" Jay asked, turning my chair slightly to check the angles on my cut, making sure it was sharp.

"Yeah," I nodded, unlocking my phone and scrolling through my messages. I had a few people I forgot to respond to, so I started typing back. "Ava's been on my case about it for weeks. Plus, Omari's never been to a basketball game, so it'll be cool for him to experience it."

Jay grinned, stepping back to inspect his work. "Man, that's gonna be lit. Kids are gonna love it. Courtside?"

"Of course," I said, smirking. "Only way to do it."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Big baller Aubrey. I see you, man."

I glanced up at him, smirking. "You already know. But really, it's about them. Ava's been counting down for this, and I figured Omari should have that memory too."

Jay started brushing loose hairs off my neck and shoulders. "That's dope, bro. Making those moments with them while they're young—it matters."

"Exactly," I said, standing up from the chair and taking a final look in the mirror. The waves were back, and the cut was sharp. "Appreciate you, Jay. You killed it."