New To This

Sing to me

Daya's POV

Due to my dads burnt fried chicken Vince is out getting food with Vicki, and I'm flipping through old photographs of me as a toddler on the swing chair Dani got for her birthday. I found the slightly dusty album when cleaning my room, and the cover picture of me trying to eat my feet caught my eye.

I'm looking at a picture of me in a poofy pink dress with my curls bouncing and my hand holding my mom's when my phone begins to ring. Felicity fills me when I see its Ziyah calling and I immediately put the phone to my ear.

"Hey what's up," I say into my phone, but I'm only greeted by silence and heavy breathing making me press my knees to my chest. "Zi?" I ask as my voice is laced with worry.

Finally I hear his voice. "Daya, I ... can I come over?" He asks and the slow tone of his voice makes my teeth slightly chatter.

Without any consideration of the people in my place or a question I say, "Yes, yes." And I repeat again when his shaky voice asks me if I'm sure. I don't even feel nervous about my decision as I walk into the living room to see my dad sitting on the couch reading to Sawyer.

"Uhh dad is it ok if Ziyah comes over?" I ask.

He looks up from the book and into my eyes. Sawyer does the same with her small little arms crossed. "Let-" my dad pauses and stops talking in his baby story time voice. "Let me guess you already told him he can come over without thinking about the person who pays the rent here," my dad says along with a knowing look I've seen him give Vince too many times. I nod while he shakes his head, and Sawyer follows his lead as if she knows what's going on. "Oh my kids are getting old, sure he can come tell me first next time, and change out of those shorts," he says and gestures to the forever 21 biker shorts I'm wearing under my Justice and Lucky t shirt.

I flash my dad my usual good daughter smile and he goes back to his baby voice with Sawyer as I change into my mom jeans. I also clean up a little before Ziyah texts me saying he's here and there's a knock on my door. I open it, and my words get all stuck in my throat as I'm face to face with Ziyah whose face goes with the voice I heard on the phone; emotionless and stoic. My poor Zi.

My dad comes behind me just seconds after I open my mouth. "Ziyah my guy nice to see you a little later than usual but still nice to see you," he says and shakes Ziyah's hand with his usual firm grip. He looks from Sawyer  to Ziyah's depressed visage, and then ends on my confused one with an unsettling smile as he closes the door behind Ziyah. He must sense Ziyah's change in his mood because he begins to scratch the top of his dreads.

He looks back at Sawyer who's playing with her bear. "Well Sawyer and are going to finish our read of Dr Seuss in my room, aren't we Sawyer?"

Sawyer nods her head with her eyes on the bear. "Yeah." With the floorboard making a considerable amount of noise as my dad and Sawyer head into his room right after my dad utters, "no funny business," to me which is something that's meant for a girl who's Latch-keyed and doesn't have a bunk bed.

I get closer to Ziyah. "Zi what's wrong?" He continues to just look at me and the floor underneath his sneakers, and I realize what he needs. I wrap my arms around him, and he practically collapses into them clutching me tighter than he ever has before. I stroke or rather play with his dreads, and we stay in this very close embrace that's quite soft because of his navy blue sweatshirt.

When Sawyer whines too loudly through the thin walls we slowly separate, but only to continue our tight hug in my room which I'm glad I cleaned. Sure there is a pair of bright pink underwear hanging out of my dresser, but Ziyah is too engulfed in me and sad to notice what surrounds us.