Sanaa Lathan as KeZiah
(

kuh•zye•yah)

April 11, 2021

"See, she got all this hair everywhere looking like somebody shaved Chewbacca or some shit," DeVanté said pointing the phone at KeZiah and away from the top of his head like he usually has it.

KeZiah turned to DeVanté irritated that she had to stop to push the camera away from her. "DeVanté, get that damn camera outta my face." She laughed.

"No, they need to see this. I just cleaned the bathroom this morning and you over here messing it up." He told her.

"You gon' do my hair or pay for it to get done?" KeZiah asked him.

"No, that's how we got in in this predicament. You getting your hair did." DeVanté turned the camera back to him.

"I thought the fuck not. Who is that anyway?" She questioned. "Yo mama!" She said joking.

"ACTUALLY..."

DeVanté looked at her while trailing off and her heart sped up because she had cursed and DeVanté had told her of his parents being strict religious people. She had never physically met his parents. KeZiah was introduced to his parents via video chat during quarantine. He has yet to meet her parents yet at all.

"No." She said scared.

"It's the boys." He laughed. "Got yo dumb ass! Looking all scared and shit!"

"Get out!" She pushed him out of the bathroom and slammed the door, laughing.

"She mad, huh?" Dalvin asked his brother.

"She gon' be a'ight." DeVanté waved it off then opened the bathroom door again to mess with KeZiah again.

"DeVanté, I said get out! I don't even have no clothes on!" She yelled at him with laughter.

"Yo, chill... I know. I ain't showin' all that no ways. I'm not stupid." DeVanté said looking at her.

"Aye, but if you want to, feel free. All bodies matter." K-Ci laughed.

Mary slapped K-Ci across his face making him drop the phone in the process. The fella couldn't stop their laughter.

"What the hell? See... It's 2021 and men still tolerating violence from women?" Dalvin asked through laughter.

"I'm sure to ass getting hit all the time with these women catching onto yo BULLSHIT!" JoJo laughed walking into another room.

"That's social media for you. If you gon' fuck around, be smart about it. SOMEBODY is destined to find out from the comments you get." DeVanté chuckled.

"What you say?" KeZiah dropped her hands from her head. "Repeat that shit."

"I ain't say nothin', baby!" DeVanté laughed.

"Ahe-he my ass!" She yelled, snatching his phone.

"Ahh, shit! My nigga done fucked up!"

KeZiah looked directly at the men. "He just MIGHT be able to call y'all back."

"What the fuck you me-" KeZiah hung up before Dalvin could finish.

"What you doin'?" DeVanté frowned.

"What the fuck it look like I'm doing?" She said turning around with her back to him.

DeVanté rolled his eyes with a sigh and grabbed her arm. "You not gon' find shit."

"Aht!" She pushed him away. "Then why you fightin' it?" She asked him. DeVanté stood back with his hands in his pockets as she checked through his phone. "You must been deleting shit."

"Oh my goodness. You must don't trust me?" He asked her.

"I did before you made that SMART ass comment on the fucking phone." She rolled her eyes then continued scrolling.

"I was just saying this social media shit gets people caught up." He shrugged at her.

"Does it now? Let's see will it get you caught up." She checked his finsta account. She didn't find anything on his finsta. She checked blocked people and all.

"You done?" He asked her.

"Nope." She said still scrolling through his phone.

"Well, when you get done, you can catch me in the dining room getting some work done." He said before walking out.

She stood in the same spot, searching all through his phone for a good thirty minutes and stilt found nothing. "He probably was tellin' the truth."

She went into the living room where DeVanté was playing the keyboard, making beats. KeZiah sat his phone on the computer desk where he sat then walked out. She was still pissed though just because of that comment.

"Thanks." He replied and noticed he didn't get a response, so he just left it alone for time being.

DeVanté wasn't doing anything, he kinda just stays to himself like always. He does have a finsta, not in the aspect of a fake account, just a private one. He has another Instagram account that isn't so private but it's STRICTLY for business purposes. People try to holler at him very often, but he just doesn't reply. He accepts the compliments and keeps it pushing.

KeZiah and DeVanté met right before the pandemic turned into a pandemic which is the year is the year of 2019 and the month of December. She and Mary J. Blige are best friends and they're women who like to have fun. Their definition of fun is going out to party. It just so happen that Dalvin, JoJo, and K-Ci dragged DeVanté to the club and that's where they met.

Mary hadn't spotted K-Ci yet, she just thought it was them and she introduced her and the rest of her girlfriends to the men. Mary was there to have fun, but K-Ci was there for fun and OTHER purposes. Long story short, Mary spotted him whispering in another woman's ear and went off, leaving her friends with the fellas. That started a whole new relationship between KeZiah and DeVanté and a DIFFERENT kind of relationship between Dalvin and a friend of the girls, Tionne.

Speaking of Tionne and the other girls. "Hey, babes!" KeZiah said enthusiastically answering her phone.

"Hey. What y'all asses up to?" Tionne said sounding lively.

"Well, Mary was over there beating K'ci's ass the last time I saw!" KeZiah said laughing and setting up her phone so she can continue doing her hair.

"Because niggas love to get disrespectful. I had to show his ass who he fuckin' with." Mary rolled her eyes.

"Chile..."

KeZiah rolled her eyes because it's always the same story with K-Ci and Mary. He always being disrespectful and she always ends up doing something in retaliation.

"How you doin' girl?" KeZiah asked Tionne who's currently in there for sickle cell AND Covid.

"I'm getting better and getting fatter." She chuckled.

"Girl, you fine." All the girls said to her.

"I'm feeling better though. I'm just tired of being here by myself." She sighed.

"Girl, I feel you." Mary shook her head. "I'm glad you're good."

"Right. We love you, girl, and can't wait to meet up again so we can all have some fun." KeZiah smiled.

KeZiah didn't even mention what Dalvin had said because Tionne is going through enough and Tionne is also well aware of what he does when she isn't around. She will tell her eventually but now isn't the right time. If she doesn't one of the others will.

"Thanks, how y'all doin'? Y'all still got it?"

"Who? Bitch you know I ain't EVER catch that shit." Mary told her.

"I mean Kizzy." Tionne rolled her eyes.

"We good. We're still testing positive but don't have symptoms anymore. The few we did have." KeZiah revealed.

"DeVanté ass was being dramatic as fuck!" Mary said laughing.

"I'm telling you!" KeZiah agreed with the roll of her eyes.

"That's most men for you!" Lauryn shook her head.

"All because his nose was hurting. Was over here talking about it might fall and shit." KeZiah said laughing. "His NOSE! Covid don't do that!"

"When K-Ci had it, he complained about his big toe. I had to tell his ass that it's from wearing those shoes with those damn Freddy Krueger finger toes!" Mary said laughing.

"Girl, not Freddy!" Eve said laughing her ass off.

"She ain't lying a bit!" Tionne laughed and shook her head as she spoke. "I saw them bitches for my damn self!"

"Shit, me too!" Lauryn told them. "Gave me AND Freddy nightmares and shit."

"I can't stand y'all!" KeZiah laughed so hard that she had to stop doing her hair.

The girls spoke on the phone for a while, until somebody's phone was about to die.

"I'm gon' call y'all back later, my phone is about to die," Inga told them.

"That's them DAMN iPhone's for you!" KeZiah screamed. "Android GANG! Our batteries last for a long ass time!"

"Fuck them cheap ass phones," Tionne replied to KeZiah.

"Cheap to y'all! My shit IS expensive!" KeZiah fluttered her eyelashes at them. "Fuck I look like paying all that money for a damn-"

Inga's phone hang up before KeZiah could finish what she had to say. "Welp! Our point exactly! We rest our case." Lauryn said in agreement with KeZiah. She too had an Android phone.

"A'ight, I guess that's our sign to get back to what we need to do," Mary said to the other.

"Yeah, imma let y'all get back to whatever y'all was doing. It was nice talking to talk though." Tionne told everyone.

"Alright, bye." Mary hung up.

"Love y'all!" Lauryn hung up.

"I love y'all too," Tionne said about to hang up and do absolutely nothing.

"If you want to, we can still talk. I'm still doing this head of mine." KeZiah offered knowing that Tionne didn't have anything to do in the hospital.

"You sure?" Tionne asked her.

"Yeah, it's fine." KeZiah nodded just as DeVanté walked back into the bathroom.

Tionne saw her head turn then started speaking. DeVanté opened the lid of the toilet and started peeing. KeZiah turned off her camera and muted herself. Tionne wouldn't be able to see DeVanté from where the phone stay, but still...

"You really gon' do that? You see I'm on the phone, DeVanté." She squinted at him.

"I gotta take a piss." DeVanté turned to KeZiah. "I waited long enough because y'all asses was on the phone for a good minute. Didn't they say bye?"

"Not everybody did. Tionne is still on the phone." She rolled her eyes. "You could've just asked me and I would've told you and walked out. Ain't that what I do to you? Ask if you on the phone."

DeVanté sighed heavily, shook himself, wiped then tucked himself back in. He flushed the toilet, then walked right up to her, leaving NO space, and tilted his head.

"You happy now?" He asked her in his low and deep voice.

She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, then he walked out without washing his hands. "You not even gon'-"

"Hello?" Tionne asked.

KeZiah unmuted her phone. "Yeah, girl. I'm listening." She replied turning her camera back on. "Nasty ass..." She mumbled lowly to herself about DeVanté.

"What?" Tionne asked KeZiah.

"I said what are they feeding you there?" KeZiah chuckled.

"Bullshit. It's worse than SCHOOL cafeteria food." Tionne laughed. "AND I'm STILL in here gaining weight like crazy when I'm barely eating. That's the crazy part. It's this damn medication they feeding me."

"You can't help that. You need that medicine. Health over everything." KeZiah told Tionne.

"Health over everything? You think me gaining weight is healthy?" Tionne asked her. "Shit, that causes pain in joints too. My body ain't used to this weight."

KeZiah didn't reply because she just didn't know how. She isn't in that situation, so she can't speak for Tionne. Tionne is the only one who knows what Tionne is experiencing. They spoke for about twenty minutes longer before Tionne's doctor came in.

"Girl, imma get back to you another time. I love you!" Tionne told her.

"I love you too! Smooches!" She said then hung up.

It just so happens that KeZiah has one more braid left. Luckily she's the type to braid each braid all the way down so she wouldn't have to go back. She would've been pissed if she had to go back. When she was done, she went to the kitchen and boiled some water in a kettle so she'd be able to dip her ends. She turned around and leaned into the counter.

KeZiah felt kind of bad for accusing him of doing something, but she also wasn't going to be a fool and stay quiet about his comment. Oh NO! She's will question someone right then and there if it doesn't sit right with her and if it has anything to do with her. She wants to see people's body language and facial expressions.

"You just gon' stare at me?" DeVanté spoke up.

It's an open kitchen. The dining room, living room, and kitchen are all open. KeZiah could understand why DeVanté would believe she was looking at him. After all, she is facing the man. She did give him a quick glance about a minute ago, but she's was sure it was quick enough that he didn't catch it. Apparently not.

"DeVanté, I'm not even paying attention to you." She rolled her eyes.

"DeVanté, I'm not even paying attention to you." He mocked. "That's how the fuck you sound." He laughed.

"You're not funny." She said walking away.

"Kizzy, how the fuck you STILL mad when you ain't find shit?" He asked her. "I'm not understanding."

"Your slick-ass comment is why." She said turning to him again.

"My slick ass comment ain't have nothin' to do with us. This was about Dalvin." He told her.

"So if I was talking to one of my girls and they said the same thing JoJo said and I replied with what you replied with, you wouldn't develop ANY doubt?" KeZiah asked him with folded arms.

DeVanté was stuck for a few seconds, then he decided to be honest. "Okay, I would be curious, BUT I wouldn't still be mad after but finding anything."

"I'm not mad at that. I'm mad that I haven't heard NOTTA NAN apology from you." She replied.

"You ain't apologized either. If we gon' talk about something, how come I ain't met NONE of your people? Huh? You met my brother, all my friends and you met my parents online, but you still met them! That shit was last year! We in our second year and I ain't NOTTA NAN person on your half but your RATCHET ass friends!"

Her jaw dropped. "MY friends are ratchet!?" She placed her fingertips against her chest with a scoff. "At least my friends ain't hoes. Let's talk about THAT! All they do is fuck different people. ALL of them!" She said over the whistling kettle.

"That was a comment that I ain't need a answer for. I want to know why I ain't met your people?" He said speaking in his normal voice again.

"DeVanté, I ain't got time for this." She said through with the conversation.

"Nahh... Kizzy, I wanna know. It's an easy ass question. You ashamed of me or some shit?" He stood up to walk towards her.

"You know it ain't about that." She said turning off the whistling kettle. KeZiah grabbed a bowl to pour the water in.

"Please, DO tell." DeVanté crossed his arms in front of her. She ignored him and continued with what she was doing. "Kizzy?" He grabbed NOT gripped her arm and she turned to him.

She got loose from his slight grasp. "What? I'm trying to finish my hair." KeZiah told him.

"Fuck the hair, Kizzy. You can do this later. I been wanting to know this for a while and have been questioning you. It's always been a question that was pushed over as if it ain't matter." DeVanté said with his patience running thin.

"I NEED TO FINISH MY HAIR, DEVANTÉ." She said enunciating her words slowly.

"Well, you can go." He said stepping back. "It's evident that you don't trust me and you ain't as serious as I am and as I thought you were. Bye."

"What?" KeZiah's voice slightly cracked. It didn't crack as much because she's still able to control it. "You said it yourself, you would feel the same way if I did what you did over the phone."

"I did. Just as you flipped the script on me about that phone- social media- WHATEVER the fuck the situation was! I can flip this too. How would you feel if you ain't met my people this far into a relationship with NO explanation? You don't really have to answer that because I KNOW the answer to that shit. You're dismissed." He went back to his seat and sat down.

"You're serious?" She asked him. "We been doing this for over a year and you're ready to quit JUST because of something small like that?"

"Small? Ain't shit small about that situation!" He shrugged.

She shook her head, but sure enough, grabbed a few things from the bedroom and put them in one of his suitcases. She grabbed the most important things then made her way to the front door. The unlocking of the door made DeVanté look her way. KeZiah turned around to DeVanté and DeVanté sat there looking at her and thinking is she really about to leave instead of answering a simple question? That left DeVanté feeling hurt, but he didn't like to wear his heart on his sleeve, so instead, he just stared at her.

"I want my suitcase back too." He said breaking the silence and trying to be petty.

"You know I'm adopted and my parents won't accept me with people who look like me and you. I'm grown, but to be disowned a second time isn't something I want. They took me in and I grew a bond with them. I grew a bond with you as well I love them and I DO love you but it's a different kind of love ." KeZiah said before turning to leave and closing her door on the way out.

DeVanté sighed and got up to lock his door. He didn't know or expect that. He REALLY just thought she wasn't serious. Could she be making this whole thing up? All she ever did was speak positively and passionate about her family. How could this just come out of nowhere?

They have been quarantined together for a while now. When they'd get tired of being together at one house, they'd go to the other person's house. At least they didn't have to feel completely stuck.

KeZiah put her suitcase on her passenger side then got into the driver's seat. She turned her car on and drove away to her house. Sure, she felt like crying, but she was driving. When she FINALLY did make it home, she laid down in bed until she fell asleep. She didn't have the energy to cry or anything, but her chest was feeling heavy. Her fathers' words repeated in her head, "You win some, you lose some, but you'll live. Because some will want to off you when you lose them."

She was always told to listen to the message and not the messenger. While the words are true no matter what culture, race, color or creed that person is part of, she couldn't help but realize who the messenger was. She also couldn't help but realize who they only apply the message to.

April 14, 2021

"You mean to tell me that shorty just dipped on you?" K-Ci asked DeVanté. "Baby, you need to talk to yo girl!" K-Ci yelled out to Mary.

"That's not exactly what happened, but you get the picture." DeVanté told them.

"No." The three men responded to him almost in sync.

"Why the fuck am I getting advice from y'all anyways?" DeVanté laughed.

"Nigga, I'm the relationship condenser, the expert." K-Ci told them, showing his face for a brief moment.

"Connoisseur, K-Ci. Connoisseur!" JoJo said laughing.

"Whatever the word is I'M IT!" K-Ci told them.

"Then why Mary be going whoops upside your head?" Dalvin asked him.

"The same reason Tionne be doing the same to yo ass!" JoJo said laughing.

"Whatever negro. My brother tryna vent and y'all playin'!" Dalvin yelled at them.

"Thank you, Dalvin. I appreciate you wanting to get the topic off yourself." DeVanté chuckled.

"No, but for real. If that wasn't the case, what was it?" JoJo asked him.

"Nigga, what do you want?" The boys heard Mary on K-Ci's end of the phone.

"I said speak to yo girl. She tripping and making my boy feel all bad." K-Ci said to K-Ci.

"Ain't nobody ask you to tell her!" DeVanté said to K-Ci.

"What the hell are you even talkin' about, K-Ci?" Mary asked him seemingly confused.

"I know you had to talk to her ass today..." K-Ci trailed off.

"No, I ain't. What's goin' on?" Mary grabbed K'ci's phone. "DeVanté, what you do to my girl?" Mary asked him with her face in the phone.

"I ain't did shit but ask a general question that's been passed off for a while now." DeVanté rolled his eyes, only Mary couldn't see because DeVanté didn't have his camera on.

"Yo, he ain't even get to finish speaking!" JoJo butted in.

"Mary, can you like... Leave so his ass can finish?" Dalvin asked her.

"A'ight, I'll leave." Mary rolled her eyes and gave K-Ci the camera.

Mary held her finger over her lips, telling K-Ci to not say anything. Yes, she stood right there but closed the door to make it seem like she did leave. Mary hadn't spoken to KeZiah since the other day. They've all been busy and sometimes are unable to speak. Mary has been busy going to Zoom meetings all day and KeZiah has been doing the same to keep herself busy and out of her head.

"Back to yo ass, so it wasn't exactly like that? Elaborate, negro." JoJo repeated once again.

DeVanté usually is private with his relationships, but he wanted advice. Not forgetting who he's coming to get advice from, he still kept an open mind.

"She gon' tell me she adopted as if I ain't know that shit. Then her ass finally say RIGHT before she left like she was in some stupid ass rom-com. She turned around at the door-"

"Nigga, get to the fucking point!" K-Ci said irritated that he's explaining what K-Ci thought was every detail.

"Shut the fuck up and let his ass talk!" JoJo yelled at his brother.

"Right, we in quarantine. Ain't shit BUT time." Dalvin co-signed.

"So, I asked her is she ashamed of me or some shit. I needed some kind of explanation! I'm just left in the fucking dark. She avoided the question about her people and kept talking about other shit. Her a- she was quiet up until she was about to go. She gon' say some..." DeVanté trailed off then continued. "My family don't like me saying people who look like me and you. So you already know what that means." DeVanté sighed.

The boys were kind of irritated that DeVanté had to repeat the whole story when he could've just finished where he left off. Then again, K'ci's big mouth ass could've been why he had to start over. DeVanté probably forgot where he left off, so they didn't trip too hard.

"Her parents ain't black are they?" Dalvin asked.

"No, but that don't make no difference. Some black people the same damn way. Box us all in one. I know that black femicide and that domestic violence shit been on the rise since this shit started, but that ain't me. I ain't on no crazy shit and I got myself together. Living WELL above the poverty rate. I'm used to that shit coming from other races of women I dated, but not from somebody from my own race." DeVanté shook his head.

"Okay... Those other races of women be feeling the same way a lot of the time. The same damn way as their parents. They just better at hiding that shit." JoJo told him. "They get around they people and talk just as much shit."

"Yeah... And what else?" Dalvin asked DeVanté.

"That's it." DeVanté told them.

"Nigga, you broke up with her for THAT? It ain't like she said it or feel that way." K-Ci said to DeVanté.

"Right. There gotta be more to this." JoJo said now showing his eyes in the camera.

"I ain't expect her to just leave like that. You know what I'm saying?" DeVanté told them with his eyes watering.

Just as a reminder, they can't see DeVanté due to his camera being off.

"You LITERALLY told her to leave!" Dalvin laughed. "Talking about you ain't expect her to leave." Dalvin shook his head.

"I was just about to say that shit. If somebody tells my black ass that they wanted me out they shit, I'm bouncin'! You ain't gotta tell me twice!" JoJo chuckled.

"The fact that she rather leave than explain that shit to me, which doesn't even sound right by the way. They got a WHOLE black daughter!" DeVanté told them.

"Is she supposed to be half a daughter or some shit?" K-Ci said laughing.

Mary grabbed the phone from K-Ci. "DeVanté, we ain't even met her parents and we been friends for years. We know why and don't give a fuck because we STILL tight and that's my girl." Mary told him. "You a bit dramatic. She loves her parents because they DID take care of her. They got a fucked up mindset, but we understand that shit."

"I thought yo ass left the room?" JoJo asked her.

"Yo ass wasn't even supposed to hear this and it don't matter. She still ain't have the balls to tell me what the fuck was up. So you sayin' it's true?" DeVanté asked her.

"Aye, De?" Dalvin asked.

"What?" DeVanté said with irritation in his voice.

"If she had some balls, you wouldn't even want her." Dalvin said laughing.

"Hell naw!" JoJo answered for DeVanté. "I sure and the hell wouldn't. I don't care what kind of phobics people call me. I'm attracted to who I'm attracted to just like anyone else."

"Why would you ask me some shit like that? But Mary, you sayin' that shit true?" DeVanté asked again.

"Yeah. Again, you think we- her friends give a fuck?" Mary asked him.

"Apparently not, Mary." Dalvin laughed.

"So why should De?" Mary asked.

"Mary, me and you? We two different people with different minds." DeVanté sighed at her.

"Two different people in similar situations. Y'all just happen to be in a romantic relationship- well WERE and we have a different kind of relationship. That's my girl and as long as she don't do anything fucked up and unforgivable, I got her. I'm leaving for real this time." Mary said handing the phone back to K-Ci.

Mary DID leave the room, she just stood outside the door ear hustling.

"Did she leave?" JoJo asked K-Ci. "I mean for real this time."

"She left," K-Ci said doing a 360 on the whole room.

"A'ight," DeVanté replied. "Good with her nosy ass."

"Aye, don't be sayin' that about my girl because you mad. If it wasn't for her it wouldn't have been confirmed." K-Ci told him.

Mary was on the other side of the door cheesing because her man was doing the bare minimum.

"So to summertime it all up, he broke up with ol' girl and when he didn't find out what really was the problem he ain't stop her. Mm-mm." K-Ci shook his head at his friend.

"But I ain't necessarily break up with her. I just told her to step." DeVanté shrugged.

"Nigguhhh, that's the same damn thang," K-Ci told his friend.

"What you gon' do?" JoJo said.

"Who? Me?" K-Ci asked.

"No, I mean De," JoJo replied.

"I don't know...." DeVanté trailed off.

"Man, go handle yo business." K-Ci told him.

"Yeah, go handle yo shit. You said it's been a whole three days." JoJo told him.

"You know what, I ain't even catch when he said it. I was too nosy about knowin' what it is that happened." Dalvin chuck.

"Hang the phone up fuckin' phone!" K-Ci yelled at DeVanté.

"A'ight!" DeVanté laughed then hung up.

Mary walked away from the door once DeVanté hung up to call her girl. KeZiah had her phone on silent and pressed the red button when she saw her phone light up. The discreetly grabbed her phone and put it out of the cameras view.

She pressed the quick automatic message that says, "Can't talk, I'm at a meeting." Before sitting it back in the desk.

"Bitch, why you ain't tell me yo and yo man broke up!" Mary texted her.

KeZiah saw the light of her phone again but didn't bother to pick it up.

"YO MAN IS ON HIS WAY!" Mary texted her friend again.

KeZiah didn't see those two messages. "Ms. Conner, are you able to take on the task with Mrs. Hardy?"

"Uh, yes ma'am. I could definitely do that." KeZiah nodded with a smile.

"Okay, this meeting is adjourned." Her boss told them.

Everyone pressed the end button after saying their goodbyes, so KeZiah exited from the Zoom app. She won't be working for this company too much longer because her business that she took a risk to start in 2020 is doing WELL. It was hard staying consistent, but she found her motivation to continue.

Mary, on the other hand, kept checking her messages every five to ten minutes to see did KeZiah read them. After the meeting, KeZiah immediately grabbed her phone wondering why she kept getting text messages. She knew that it was most likely Mary again, but wasn't too sure.

KeZiah opened the messages and read them. "YO MAN IS ON HIS WAY!"

KeZiah didn't reply. Instead, she hauled ass to change into something better than what she had on. She currently only had a blazer and a blouse, no pants whatsoever. She changed into something regular, but also not too lazy. She took out a turtleneck and some leather pants.

Mary called KeZiah when she had noticed her friend read her message about nine minutes ago and it made it look like KeZiah wa still typing, but she just left her phone open on the text entry.

"Hello?" KeZiah answered.

"You couldn't respond to me?" Mary snapped.

"Girl, I am getting ready!" KeZiah said jumping into her pants.

"You could've at least said thank you." Mary laughed.

"A'ight. Imma get with you later." KeZiah hung up her phone.

As soon as she caught her breath from rushing to out clothes on, her doorbell rang and she looked at her ring camera. She let it ring about two more times before she put the speaker on.

"Hello DeVanté. What do you want?" She questioned spritzing perfume on her clothes.

He looked into the ring camera. "Uhh, I- uhh made the mistake of ordering two meals instead of one. I forgot you weren't at my house." He chuckled holding up a bag of food.

She smiled then walked to the door. She opened it to where her head was only sticking out. "So you're telling me that you came all the way over here to give me some food that you mistakenly ordered?" She questioned.

"Uh- hunh. It's true." He nodded with a smile trying to convince her. "It's your favorite too."

"Leave it on the doorstep. I'll get it later." KeZiah said pretending she was about to close the door.

"Wait, I came here to talk- to apologize." DeVanté said placing his hand on the storm door handle.

KeZiah opened her door, then unlocked her storm door. "Come in." She said walking away from the door to sit on her couch.

DeVanté opened the storm door and entered her house. He closed and locked her door. He sat the food down on her coffee table before taking a seat himself.

KeZiah took a deep breath. "I wanna start off by saying I'm sorry." She exhaled. "I probably should've been said something instead of avoiding it as a whole. What is it that you need to get off your chest?" She asked DeVanté grabbing her coffee and taking a sip.

"I'm sorry about everything." He told her. "I'm sorry for not believing you too."

"Wait, you didn't believe me?" KeZiah asked him.

"Nope."

She frowned. "Why not? I had no reason to lie to you and nor do I ever."

"Well, when I first heard it, it sounded like bullshit due to your circumstances. You know them adopting you who's black." He told her truthfully.

"And what made you change your mind?" KeZiah asked him.

"I- I thought about it and- AND-" he emphasized, "Mary."

"Mm... I see... Which came first, Mary or you thinking about it?"

"Mary. After she and the fellas said shit that made sense, I thought about it and decided to make my way over here." He explained.

"So if Mary hadn't confirmed it, you would still be in doubt and believe that I'd lie to you about something as serious as that?" She said getting upset. "You're also telling people of our relationship- excuse me, PAST relationship?"

"Why you being like this. Don't say that, Kiz. Technically, we ain't break up. I just was upset about it."

"We ain't break up? Then what the hell you call kicking me out if your house? That is breaking up. Then after I did explain it to you AND apologize before leaving. It's been THREE days, De."

"Two days and a half. Today is the third day." He corrected her.

KeZiah sat back in the couch with her legs crossed and arms folded. "Three days!"

"Yeah, but you also gotta understand that you explained all that shit on your way out. I ain't know how to react and I ain't wanna seem desperate or some shit. That ain't me."

"But you desperate other times? Like in bed for instance." She sat back up.

"That's different and you know it." DeVanté laughed.

"No. You were too prideful then but ain't other times. It doesn't make sense." KeZiah told him.

"Are you not hearing me?" DeVanté asked her. "I swear what I say is going in one ear and out the other. I ain't know how to react. I ain't know what the hell to say and I ain't expect you to go..." He told her.

"You told me to." She replied.

"Kizzy, I tell you to do plenty of things and you don't do them." He chuckled. "Yo stubborn ass."

"Yo prideful ass. Look, it's clear that you ain't trust me for THREE damn days until you spoke to the HOMIES." She mocked. "Telling people's business and all."

"I needed the advice. Don't act like you don't do the same thing with your girls." He told her resting his elbows at the top of his knees. "Besides, it ain't like we together, huh?"

"Right." She agreed, but DeVanté was joking. "You broke up with me, remember?" She sipped her coffee.

The amusement that was evident on his face, no more than thirty seconds ago dropped into a more serious expression. "You can't be serious, right?"

"But I am, you told me to leave AND that you wanted your suitcase back that I wasn't going to give back by the way. I was just going to send you money in cash app." She explained to him.

"Yo, you really serious, huh?" His tone picked up. "You really breaking up with me."

"I ain't did shit. You did that. Why stay with someone who does not want you?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Now I'm unwanted?" He asked her.

"I believe its the other way around." KeZiah smiled.

"Oh, my goodness. God! Why are you so difficult?" He asked her. "Everything was going good until I mention your people. I understand it now, but DAMN IT, I'm talking about US now. Fuck them people you call family!"

"Watch your mouth, they are still my parents." She pointed to him.

"Your parents? If they won't like me because of my race, what makes you think they like you?" DeVanté asked her, sitting all the way up and looking her in the eyes.

Anger rose in her body. "Get the fuck out!" She said standing up.

"You being so damn sensitive all of the sudden. What the hell happened? You ain't normally like this. You know I ain't mean it like that." He said with his voice cracking.

"DeVanté, OUT!" She barked, pointing to the door.

"A'ight, DAMN! Imma let you cool off and we gon' hash it out some other time." DeVanté said, walking out the door. "I love you. Bye." He said closing the door.

His chest felt heavy. He felt it was over, but he still had faith. Come on, they have been together for over a year. They have been with each other throughout quarantine and enjoyed it. There are married people who ended up divorcing because they couldn't stand their spouse.

DeVanté, on the other hand, enjoyed it every bit of being around KeZiah with a few minor arguments and discussions here and there, but NEVER too serious. This one wasn't that serious when it had started, but it escalated. KeZiah leaned against the door before locking it with tears streaming down her face. She knew how DeVanté meant it, it was just his delivery was wack. She also knew that what he said held some truth.

"Fuck me." She said sliding down the door dramatically.