Chapter 13

𝙻𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚢𝚗

Brunch was loud as fuck—unnecessarily loud, like the universe was tryna kill my peace. Plates clinkin’ every two seconds, Britney laughin’ like she ain’t got no home trainin’, and Khalil fightin’ for his life with the waiter over extra syrup.

I sat there with my glasses perched low on my nose, iced coffee in hand, judgin’ everybody in silence like the mature individual I am.

“Why yo pancakes look like that?” I asked, leanin’ over just enough to inspect Britney’s plate like I was the FDA.

She paused mid-bite and turned her head slow. “Why yo business always in somebody else’s?”

“Nah, ’cause that look dry as hell. You eatin’ cardboard, Brit.”

Imani snorted into her drink, shoulders shaking, while Khalil let out a loud, disrespectful “DAMN.”

“Don’t get me started on you, Khalil,” I said, pointin’ my fork at him like I was about to issue a citation. “Syrup on eggs? Shame.” I shook my head in disappointment while Imani fully lost it beside me, cacklin’.

Across from me, Aries hadn’t said a word. She just sat there, calm, hoodie up, watchin’ everything like she security for the damn diner too. Her eyes moved around the room, slow and observant, before landin’ on me… and stayin’ there a second longer than necessary.

I rolled my eyes, feelin’ the heat hit my face. She was lookin’ at me like she could see right through me. Right through the part of me that was still thinkin’ about the way she held me in the dark last night. It was fuckin’ with my head. 

“Stop starin’,” I muttered, not even looking at her.

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You weird as hell.”

She huffed quietly and leaned back in her chair, unbothered as ever, that little smirk sittin’ on her face like she knew something I didn’t. I hated that look. Like… actually hated it.

“So,” Imani said suddenly, clappin’ her hands together once like she was ’bout to ruin somebody’s life. “I need a favor.”

Immediate silence.

And it wasn’t no soft quiet silence, either. It wasn’t peaceful. This was that “hurry up and say it so I can tell you ‘no'” typa silence.

Britney grabbed her phone like she just got the most important text of her life. Khalil started drinking like his life depended on it as if he’d been lost in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights. I leaned back in my chair and took a slow sip of my coffee like this had nothing to do with me. ‘Cause it didn’t.

“I need someone to watch my sister for two days,” Imani blurted out.

“Oh, hell no,” Khalil said instantly, no hesitation, no shame.

“Yeah, I got work,” Britney added, still not looking up from her phone like she was in the middle of closing a business deal.

“I’m not even good with kids like that,” Chelsea mumbled, barely audible but loud enough to count.

“Y’all fake as hell,” I said with a snort before quickly clearing my throat. “Yeah… I got work too.”

Imani turned her head slowly. Real slow. Directly at me. “Bitch, you the only one here unemployed.”

I gasped like she had just slapped me in front of my ancestors, while Aries lowered her head, shoulders shaking as she tried to hide her laugh.

“You a fool,” Khalil wheezed, and I sucked my teeth hard.

Imani pointed at me as if she was presenting evidence in court. I paused mid-sip, narrowin’ my eyes. “Imani… don’t look at me.”

“Lo, You not doing nothin’.”

“First of all—”

“She right,” Khalil cut in, pointing at me like he had been waiting to jump in. “Yo ass be bored.”

“Khalil, shut the hell up.”

“I’m just saying—” he raised his hands in mock surrender, but that grin on his face said he wasn’t sorry. Not one bit.

“Shut up.”

I looked back at Imani, already irritated. “Why it gotta be me??”

“Because I trust you,” she said simply. “If I give her to Khalil, he gone lose her the second he look away.”

“That sound like a personal problem to me.”

Before I could even start vouching for my freedom, Aries finally opened her mouth. “We’ll do it.”

My head snapped toward her so fast I damn near got whiplash. “You’ll do what? “

“We’ll watch her sister,” she repeated, way too calm—like she didn’t just sign my whole life away.

I blinked at her. “We??? “

She looked at me, still real chill, as if this was just common sense. “Well, you ain’t ’bout to let me do it by myself, are you?”

“I sure as hell am??”

The table erupted into laughter, loud and immediate, like everybody had been waiting for us to get into it.

“Yeah, nah,” Britney said, waving her hand. “That’s a duo assignment.”

“I ain’t sign up for shit,” I grumbled, already knowing I was ’bout to get dragged into this anyway.

Imani smiled. Real big. Too big. The kind of smile that meant my day was officially dubbed. “Great. I’ll drop her off in an hour.”

“IMANI—”

She was already grabbing her bag like she had somewhere important to be, leaving me sitting there, betrayed, unemployed, and apparently booked for babysitting against my will.

About an hour later, I was standing outside the house like I had personally signed up for the worst decision of my life. “Why am I here?” I sighed, crossing my arms real tight over my chest while Aries leaned against the pillar like she got all the time in the world.

“Because you ain’t say ‘no’ fast enough.”

“I did say no. You just had to open your big mouth.”

“You still here, though.”

I sucked my teeth, already irritated. Right then, the car door opened and a lil’ girl stepped out, backpack on, looking way too observant for my liking. She looked at Aries first… then at me… then back at Aries again like she was putting pieces together in her head.

“…y’all together?” she asked.

“No,” me and Aries said at the same time—real fast.

“Oh.” She blinked, taking that in, then shrugged. “Y’all act like it.”

My jaw dropped immediately. “Little girl—”

Aries turned her head, clearly trying to hide a laugh, and I caught it. Yeah, I saw that shit. Don’t piss me off.

“Come on,” she said, pushing off the pillar. “Let’s go.”

The girl walked past me and leaned toward Aries, trying to whisper, which wasn’t really a whisper at all, ’cause she was loud as hell. . “She listens to you.”

“I do not—” I shot back instantly.

“Yes you do,” she said, already walking into the house like she owned the place. She gasped the second she stepped inside, looking around with wide eyes, her hands gripping the straps of her backpack as she took everything in at once.

I stood there in disbelief. “Who the hell raised her???”

“Imani,” Aries replied simply, closing the door behind me.

“That explains everything,” I muttered under my breath with a huff.

“Anyway, my name is Zaria,” she said, turning to face us like she was introducing herself at a business meeting. Me and Aries both nodded, side-eyeing each other at the same time.

“She might be a problem…” I leaned toward Aries and whispered.

“I’m Londyn—”

“We know,” she cut in, and my jaw dropped for the second time. my head snapped toward Aries, who fully cracked and started laughing before covering her mouth.

“What’s your name though?” Zaria asked, pointing at Aries.

Aries cleared her throat, still trying to compose herself. “Aries.”

Zaria nodded in approval, then walked right up to us and grabbed both of our hands, standing in the middle like we were her assigned parents for the day. She started walking, dragging us along with her, and we both followed, glancing at each other like, yeah… this ’bout to be a long-ass day.

“I wanna see around,” she announced, already on the move. So we showed her around. Or more like, she dragged us around while we supervised and I tried not to lose my patience.

The first hour? Terrible. Absolute trash. Who would’ve thought taking care of a six-year-old would be this damn hard? And with Aries of all people? Yeah, nah.

“What she finna eat?” I asked, scrollin’ through my phone and searchin’ for the easiest possible answer—somethin’ that didn’t involve me standin’ over a stove. ‘Cause I can’t cook for shit.

“Something real,” Aries replied, her voice still somewhat stuffy.

I stopped scrollin’. “The fuck that even mean??”

“Not candy, not chips.” She glanced over at me the second I lifted my head, her eye’s lockin’ onto mine with that intense, soft look that was still fuckin’ with my head.

“She’ll be fine,” I said, rollin’ my eyes. “Kids are resilient.”

“She’s six, Lo. She needs a full meal, not no damn snack.”

“I turned out fine.” I shot back, lookin’ at her like she was the one reachin’.

Aries didn’t even say a word. She just looked at me. Complete silence. Blinkin’ slow.

I paused, the silence gettin’ too damn loud. “…okay, that’s besides the point.”

From the livin’ room, Zaria spoke up as if she had been listenin’ the whole time. “I don’t like that.”

I spun around, lookin’ at this child like she just filed a disrespectful complaint. “Girl, you ain’t even seen it yet??”

“I can tell,” she said with a shrug, her attitude lookin’ way too much like a mini-me for my comfort.

I looked back at Aries, pointin’ toward the livin’ room. “Take her back. Immediately.”

Aries chuckled under her breath, shaking her head. She was out here enjoyin’ me gettin’ checked by a first-grader.

“Also, I’m—”

“You hungry. I know,” she cut in.

I blinked. “I wasn’t—”

My stomach growled loud enough to betray me. The room went dead silent. I felt the heat hit my face, lookin’ at her like she just read my search history out loud.

“Don’t do that,” I said, pointing at her. “Don’t clock me like that. That’s disrespectful”

She smirked, her eyes getting’ low. “You predictable.”

“Yo—”

“Can we get fries?” Zaria asked, marchin’ into the kitchen with her tablet as though she had final say.

I pointed at her immediately, lookin’ back at Aries with a smirk. “See? She on my side.”

Aries sighed, shakin’ her head at the both of us. “Both of y’all…just”

“Fries it is,” I said, a satisfied smile slippin’ out before I could stop it. I grabbed Aries’ keys off the counter then walked out of the kitchen, stopping mid-step and leaning back, lookin’ at her over my glasses. 

“And wings…?” I asked, hopeful.

Aries just looked at me, that intense, yet soft look flickerin’ in her eyes again. She didn’t even say no. She just let out another sigh and nodded, pushing off the counter and lifting Zaria into her arms.

We made it all the way outside, the humid-ass air hittin’ us, before we both froze at the same time. I looked at the backseat of Aries’ other car, then at Aries, then at Zaria.

No car seat.

“Ain’t no damn way,” Aries huffed, her voice soundin’ stuffy and stressed.

I let out a loud groan, draggin’ my hands down my face like I was tryin’ to erase the whole day.

“She tiny… her head ain’t over the window, right?” I said, my teeth clenched as I glanced around the driveway like that somehow made it legal. I was lookin’ for a sensible workaround, but sense clearly took a day off.

“Have her in your lap. I’ll buy one on the way,” Aries said, already movin’ toward the driver’s side. She didn’t even wait for me to argue, she just shifted into parent mode, locatin’ the nearest store to solve the problem.

Great. Now I’m gonna have the brat in my lap for the whole ride.

I looked down at Zaria, who was lookin’ up at me like she knew she just won the lottery. This child was way too unserious for my lifestyle.

“Don’t even think about kickin’ me,” I muttered, openin’ the door and shiftin’ into the seat.

I caught Aries lookin’ at me in the rearview mirror. She smirked while I sat there gettin’ squished by a six-year-old.

By the time we got to the fast food joint, we were all sitting and eating, and I swear this girl was watching us like we were part of a documentary series she was narrating in her head.

Out of nowhere, Aries reached over and snatched a fry from my cup. I turned to look at her slowly, my lips parted and my hand lifting like I was really about to mush her in public—right there in front of the kids and the cashiers.

She just kept eating like nothing happened, her hoodie still up, lookin’ unbothered.

“…that was mine,” I said, starin’ her down while she casually reached over again and took another one.

“I know.”

I blinked. Surprisingly I didn’t even argue. Lately, I didn’t really have it in me to go back and forth with her like I used to. I just… let her be.

From across the table, Zaria spoke up, pointing her finger like she was callin’ out a high-level injustice. “That’s her food.”

“I know, right? So greedy,” I muttered, leaning back and tryin’ to look like the victim for once.

Aries glanced at me, that same little smirk playing on her lips, and I swear I hated this girl. Bad. It was looks like this that be throwin’ me off, making me feel like she knew exactly why I wasn’t fighting her for that fry.

By the time we got back to the house, Aries and I were exhausted. Zaria had asked at least fifty questions in the damn car, clocked both of us at least ten times, and somehow made me feel like I was the child in this situation. The ride back was a mental drain, and Aries was just driving, looking decent in all black while I got interrogated by a six-year-old.

“Don’t look at me,” I muttered as we hit the driveway, catching Aries’ glancin’ at me as we headed inside. “This child is a lethal interrogator and you just letting it happen.”

“Why she always telling you what to do, then?” Zaria asked, looking at me.

“She don’t—”

“You do,” Zaria said, spinnin’ around to face Aries. This child was out here callin’ fouls like she the ref at State Farm Arena, and she wasn’t even tall enough to reach the damn microwave.

Aries shrugged. “She just don’t listen, you know?” Her smirk came right back, like she was enjoying every second of this.

“I do listen,” I snapped, lookin’ between the both of them.

“You don’t.”

“I do.”

“You don’t.”

“Y’all annoying,” Zaria muttered, rollin’ her eyes and walkin’ right past us like she was done parentin’ for the day. She headed for the livin’ room, leavin’ the air deadlocked behind her.

I stood there, genuinely offended. My jaw practically hit the floor. “She just disrespected both of us.”

Aries laughed. Not that quiet little smirk laugh she always does either. A real one. The same one from the night the power went out. I went quiet for a second, just watchin’ her. The way her eyes crinkled and the way she looked in the low light of the foyer. I rolled my eyes, lookin’ away fast before my face could heat up.

“It wasn’t that funny,” I muttered, focusin’ on anything but the way my heart was skippin’.

“Yeah, aight,” she said, still smiling.

I didn’t say nothin’ else. I just stood there in the quiet, realizin’ that for a split second it didn’t feel like she was just doin’ her job. Aries was off the clock for real, and this safe space felt a whole lot more like home than work.

Once 8:00 P.M hit, I was over it. Not even on some dramatic shit either, I was genuinely tired. Mentally, physically, spiritually… all of it. Every version of tired you could think of had clocked in for me. That little girl STILL had questions for days, opinions on everything, and continued to clock me every five minutes like she was getting paid per observation.

And Aries? Aries was enjoying this shit. I could tell by the way she kept looking at me every time I got irritated, that little smirk tugging at her lips like I was the entertainment for the night.

“You think this funny?” I asked, leanin’ against the kitchen counter, lookin’ at Zaria on the couch like she was the one payin’ the mortgage. She was flippin’ through channels, her attitude lookin’ way too unserious for someone who didn’t have a job.

“A little bit,” Aries admitted, grabbin’ a bottle of water from the fridge like she wasn’t part of the problem.

I sucked my teeth, my jaw practically locked. “You got jokes now.”

“I always had jokes. You just don’t listen.”

I sucked my teeth and folded my arms. “Don’t start. Aries.”

Before she could reply, a small voice cut through the room.

“I’m tired.”

Both of our heads turned at the exact same time.

“Then go to sleep?” I said, lookin’ at her as if that wasn’t the most obvious solution in the world.

Zaria looked at me like I was slow as hell, her eyes rollin’ so hard you’d think I offended her spirit. “I don’t know where I’m sleeping???”

Silence stretched between the three of us.

“Oh.”

Right…my dad didn’t have a designated area for a six-year-old. I looked at then couch, then I glanced over at Aries, who was already looking at me like figure it out.

“She can’t sleep on the couch,” Aries muttered, lookin’ at me like I was about to suggest somethin’ stupid as hell.

I looked at her, then at Zaria, feelin’ the pressure rise. “So what, we all just gonna huddle up in my bed like a pack of sardines?”

I’m not sleepin’ next to Aries. Absolutely not.

“Guest room,” I said quickly, pushin’ myself off the counter. “C’mon.”

She followed me upstairs, draggin’ her little backpack behind her with her tablet clutched in the other hand. I helped her get settled, turnin’ on a small lamp so the shadows didn’t start lookin’ like some monsters. She climbed into the bed like she’d done this a hundred times before.

“You need anything?” I asked, reachin’ for the light. She shook her head, then paused, her eyes moving between me and Aries, who was standing by the door.

“Y’all staying together?”

“No,” I said it immediately, my voice shootin’ up like it was tryna hit a Mariah Carey note

“Yes,” Aries said at the same time.

My head whipped toward her, my neck nearly flatlinin’ from the speed. “What??”

“She not finna be here by herself,” Aries said, her voice sliding into that soft‑but‑serious mama tone you don’t talk back to. “Door stayin’ open and all.”

The girl nodded like that made perfect sense—like it was the only correct answer and I was just catchin’ up. I stood there for a second, then let out a quiet huff. “Whatever.”

We waited a little while, just long enough for her breathin’ to even out into somethin’ soft and steady. Aries stepped in quietly, adjustin’ the blanket over her without wakin’ her. 

Her movements were careful… gentle. I leaned against the doorframe, watching. She didn’t even notice I was looking. Or maybe she did and just chose not to say anything. Either way, something about it made my chest feel… weird.

Not bad. Just… unfamiliar.

We stepped out and left the door halfway open. The house got quiet after that. Too quiet. Like all the noise from earlier had packed up and left without warning.

I made my way downstairs and dropped onto the couch, lettin’ my body sink into it like I was finally off the clock. Aries sat on the opposite end, remote in hand, flippin’ through channels until she landed on somethin’ random.

Neither of us said anything. For once. No arguin’. No slick comments. No back and forth. Just… quiet. And the crazy part was, it wasn’t awkward. It felt right.

I shifted a little, pullin’ my legs up under me and glanced over at her. She was leanin’ back, one arm stretched along the top of the couch, eyes on the TV but not really watchin’ it.

I took a slow breath, the scent of vanilla and cocoa reachin’ me even from across the cushions. My heart did that stupid jump-rope thing again, and I realized the “Safe space” wasn’t just about the house anymore. It was about her.

“You always this quiet?” I asked after a minute, the silence finally gettin’ a little too stuffy for my liking.

“Only when you not talking,” she replied.

I rolled my eyes, shiftin’ my glasses. “So I talk too much now? That’s a disrespectful observation if you ask me.”

“I didn’t say that, Londyn.”

“You implied it. I can hear the subtext.”

She huffed softly, shakin’ her head like I was talkin’ out my ass. “You be putting words in my mouth.”

“Maybe you should say what you mean then.”

She finally looked at me. And that was my first mistake. Because now it felt like the room got smaller. Like everything slowed down just a little, like the air itself was paying attention.

“I do,” she said quietly.

My mouth opened. Then closed.

I looked away first, clearin’ my throat as I leaned back into the couch, tryin’ to act like my face wasn’t gettin’ hot enough to fry chicken. “Whatever,” I muttered, lockin’ in on the TV like it was my emotional support screen.

Silence settled again, heavier this time, but still not uncomfortable.

I started picking at my nails, not really thinking. I just needed something to do with my hands before I started jitterin’ like a cheap Bluetooth speaker

“You ever think we could—” I started, the words slipping out before I could catch them.

I stopped.

They sat right there, on the edge of my tongue, but suddenly they felt too big. Too real. Like if I said them out loud, everything would shift and there’d be no going back.

Aries didn’t say anything. She didn’t rush me either. She just… waited.

I shook my head quickly. “Nevermind.”

She watched me for a second longer, her eyes moving slow like she was trying to piece together the encrypted message I’d almost sent… then she leaned back again, her arm stretching along the couch.

“Aight.”

And somehow… that made it worse.

𐃯

The next morning? Way different.

Not dramatic. Not loud. Just… smooth in a way that didn’t make sense.

I woke up to voices drifting up from downstairs and the smell of food curling through the air, which immediately confused me because I knew for a fact I didn’t cook. Ever. Not voluntarily.

I dragged myself out of bed and down the stairs, squinting from the light only to see Aries at the stove and Zaria sitting at the island, legs swinging like she had nowhere else to be.

“You cook?” I asked, heading straight for the fridge and grabbing a juice.

“You still ain’t ever asked.” Aries shot back without missing a beat.

I paused mid-step, the realization hittin’ me like a truck. “…you got a point.”

Zaria looked over at me, her eyes movin’ between us like she was narratin’ another chapter. “She been up.”

“I see that,” I muttered, takin’ a sip of juice as I leaned against the counter.

Aries slid a plate over to me without even lookin’. I blinked, lookin’ down at the spread—pancakes, bacon, and eggs—then back up at Aries.

“Youn even know what I want.”

“It’s pancakes, bacon, and eggs. You love ’em,” she replied simply, lookin’ too unbothered while she handled the spatula.

I stared at her, my heart skippin’. “Yo, stop doing that.”

She smirked slightly, finally glancing over at me. “Doing what?”

“Knowing things. It’s weird. It’s a privacy violation.”

“Again. Predictable.”

“I’m not predictable.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

From the island, Zaria chimed in like she had been waiting her whole life for this moment. “You are.”

I pointed at Zaria immediately, my eyes narrowing over my glasses. “Don’t jump in grown folks business.”

She shrugged. “Just saying.”

I looked back at Aries. “Imani needs to come collect this child.”

She let out a quiet laugh under her breath, turning back to the stove. And somewhere between that moment and the next…We just started moving. Naturally.

She handled the cooking. I made sure Zaria actually ate instead of treatin’ her plate like a playground. She packed snacks without being asked. I grabbed drinks like it was already understood. She checked the doors. I made sure Zaria had her tablet and her attitude in check before we stepped outside.

There was no arguing this time either. Just… working. Like we had been doin’ this for years.

We ended up outside later, the morning air finally givin’ us a break. Zaria was runnin’ around like she had a sponsorship deal, threatenin’ to take out every piece of lawn furniture we owned, while I sank into a lounge chair.

I was scrollin’ through my phone, pretendin’ I wasn’t also watchin’ her—silently roastin’ her sprint form like a judge on a bootleg track show.

Aries stood nearby, arms folded over her chest. She was watchin’ Zaria the way she always watched everything… except this time it was softer. Less tense.

I caught myself watchin’ her watch Zaria, and my heart did that fuck‑ass jump‑rope thing. She looked a little too good in the sunlight, and for a second, Aries didn’t look like a bodyguard at all. She just looked like… her.

“You better today,” Zaria said, walkin’ up to us with her hands on her hips like she was conducting daily evaluations.

I looked up at her over my glasses. “Don’t get used to it.”

“She like you,” she added, noddin’ toward Aries as if she was statein’ a verified fact.

My head snapped toward her so fast it almost hurt. “Girl—”

“She do,” Zaria continued, unbothered, like she ain’t just throw a grenade into the conversation. “She watch you more than me.”

Aries let out a quiet chuckle, shaking her head like she wasn’t about to confirm or deny anything.

I stood up immediately. “Okay, you talking too much now. That’s a lotta commentary”

I started headin’ toward the door, but my face felt warm. And I hated that more than anything.

By the time Imani came back, I was clocked out. Every version of me was done.

“How was she?” Imani asked, pullin’ Zaria into a hug like she hadn’t just loaned me a whole child and shifted my worldview for 48 hours. She looked at me, expecting a full report.

“Take her,” I said before she even finished the question. My voice was gone. My will to parent was gone. Everything, gone.

“She was good,” Aries said at the exact same time.

Zaria looked between us, slow… calculatin’… like she was finalizin’ her notes for a documentary. Then she smiled. Big. Too big.

“They like each other!” she announced to the whole damn neighborhood.

My soul left my body, grabbed its essentials, and said “yeah, I’m good.” like it had an Uber waiting

“BOTH OF YOU GET IN THE CAR,” I snapped, pointin’ straight at Imani. She was part of the problem too.

Imani burst out laughing instantly, doubling over like she’d just heard the funniest joke of the year. Aries turned her head slightly, lookin’ away to hide her smile—but I saw it. I saw the amusement in the way her shoulders shook.

Of course they thought this was funny. Of course they did.

I rolled my eyes so hard I swear I saw memories I didn’t even live yet. My ancestors were probably in the back of my head shakin’ they heads at this.

“This was a one-time thing,” I muttered, brushing past Aries like that settled everything.

“Yeah, aight,” She said from behind me, her voice low, amused in a way that irritated me more than it should have.

And I don’t know what pissed me off more…The fact that she didn’t deny it.

Or the fact that I didn’t either.