Affinity

Chapter 17: The Night Wears On

" Ima kill him. Matter fact ima let daddy do it." Jazmine was clearly still riled up as she paced within her living room mumbling to herself. After Hakim left she'd called both Raheem and Trey back to the house, apparently I wouldn't have been able to convey the urgency to my man as well as she could. Sarcasm implied and executed within my own head..perfectly.

" You really wanna bring them into it?" I could feel the defeated tone I was using as I sat on the couch staring at her, but her side eye back was enough to let me know I should've kept my comments to my damn self.

" They created that monster, maybe they can end him too." I didn't even need to wonder if there was pun intended in her statement.

" So why'd you let him in the house if he was just gonna say that bullshit, you could've told me that Jaz." I was still missing the part that explained why exactly she'd allowed this man to talk to us at all, just a day ago she was bent on not having any kind of contact with him.

" He showed up at my door and said he wouldn't explain anything unless we were both here. Ya important ass. Hence the whole, kidnap ya little behind from school routine." She was truly irked by Hakim's emission and I couldn't figure out how in the hell that was my fault, I was just as baffled as her.

Before I could respond the door opened and Trey bust in with a sleeping James in his arms.

" Baby you good? Sis?" He threw his arms around Jaz before coming and kissing me on the cheek, we both nodded that we were fine.

" Abla." Raheem entered quickly thereafter and picked me up from the couch and hugged me tightly, his long arms brought the kind of familiarity that allowed me to finally relax, I sighed heavily.

" I'm ok baby, look I'm in one piece." He smiled down at me before kissing me then turned his attention to my sister and Trey. He hugged Jaz and kissed her cheek before dapping up with Trey.

" Ima go lay him down and ima be back out. We gon talk this through ard?" Trey related to us the previous and we all shook our heads in agreeance.

 " Oh yeah, I called Jaelyn, he bout to slide through." Raheem spoke up quickly on his afterthought and Jaz piggy backed off of it, "Yea he just hit me about it." I'd given her his number the previous night as a fail safe for just in case scenarios, I didn't know they were already utilizing that privilege though. How things had changed in 24 hours. 

" Damn, did I miss the fucking memo", I do believe I was the one Jaelyn was supposed to look after.

" Check your phone weirdo." Jaz retorted and I could now confidently tell she was more than halfway irritated with me.

" Where my phone?"

"Go check in the kitchen, I think he left it in there." I heeded her words in reference to Hakim's placement and walked towards the kitchen, sure enough my purse was sitting on the counter next to the microwave. I found my phone and saw that Jaelyn had called me three times and shot me two texts.

" Aye Ab lemme holla at you a minute." Trey waved me over to the kitchen table as he entered the room, I locked my phone and walked over. Trey was around the same height as Rah, hovering slightly above six foot with a medium brown complexion and dark brown eyes; his son's likeness swam in his features most days.

" This whole thing with this Jaelyn character...the fuck is up with that?" I internally sighed on the strength that I was tired of explaining Jaelyn to everyone. I 'd had this conversation way too many times, with way too many people, I wished in this moment that some things were self-explanatory.