It's amazing how fast things change.

One minute Josiah was prepared to apologize to Grace, and in the next moment, Grace was preparing to go apologize to him after he left without hearing what she was trying to tell him.

Racing back upstairs to get her shoes and keys, she looked at Haiden who was casually on her phone, "You're a real piece of shit. There was literally no reason for you to say that."

"What did I say wrong?" She asked innocently, "He's cute, and he's a felon."

"I'm glad you think it's funny to make fun of someone's mistake. This is what I'm talking about when I say we're nothing alike."

Haiden slid off the bed, shaking her head, "Oh spare me the bullshit "I've grown up" speech. We're exactly alike, but since you're fucking him, you don't want to talk about the fact that he's a pedophile and a murderer."

Grace was exactly like Haiden. They'd spent plenty of hours making fun of people's misfortunes, slip-ups that they may have had.

It just was never the people Grace cared about.

"You know where the door is." Grace called over her shoulder while walking out, "Don't be here when I get back."

Haiden shouted something but Grace ignored her, only focusing on explaining to Josiah that she didn't disclose anything to the girl still in her room.

Though she wished he had stayed to listen to what she was attempting to tell him, Grace didn't blame him at all for leaving in a rush. He'd been hesitant to tell her about what he'd done, and now a complete stranger told him he was 'cute for a felon'.

The irony in her expecting Josiah to listen to her when she didn't extend to him that same courtesy wasn't lost on her.

She had always preferred to shut people out when she was hurt, and that was a habit Mason had told her repeatedly she needed to let go of.

Grace drove above the speed limit the entire time, eventually arriving to his apartment, and sighing heavily when she didn't see his car.

Hoping he'd answer if she called, she reached for her phone, jumping when somebody knocked on her window.

To Grace's surprise, it was Josiah standing there. Rolling down her window, she asked, "Did you wanna get in? So we can talk?"

He had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from asking her why she felt like she was able to dictate when they talked, and when they didn't.

It would give him a chance to explain his side of what happened with Brielle as well as apologize, and in the same sitting he could figure out why the white girl was all in his fucking business.

Climbing in the backseat, he shut the door and stared at Grace quietly through the rear view mirror.

He wasn't helping her start the conversation this time, not out of spite, but out of recognition for the fact that he may be doing more harm than good by allowing her a way out when she couldn't seem to express herself.

"Where's your car?" Grace asked.

"Hassan went to take Faelyn to get some fried pickles, or some shit like that."

"You can't fry pickles?"

"Ian in the mood to fry no pickles Grace." He responded calmly, still watching her from the backseat.

She broke the contact to stare at the dashboard, "You shouldn't have left. I would've put her out."

Josiah's reply was dull, "For what? That's your friend."

She wanted to assure him that they weren't friends anymore, because in her mind, they weren't.

At the same time though, if Haiden needed her help, she'd drop everything to do it.

Just as Haiden had done for her.

Her finger went to its signature place, "I didn't tell her about you. She asked a friend of hers to look you up."

"So y'all some stalkers? Got it."

Josiah actually believed her. She hadn't done anything to give him a reason not to.

Haiden looked like a nosy ass person anyway, he thought.

Grace was confused by the lack of emotion he was now showing since he seemed to be angry at her house, "I thought you were mad at me?"

He looked confused by the thought of her thinking he was mad at her, "What I'm mad at you for?"

"Well why would you leave like that?" She asked turning in the seat to face him.

"So I wouldn't curse that fuckin' girl out. It really ain't have shit to do with you, but I was a few seconds away from calling my sister to come beat her ass."

Grace continued to look at him like she wasn't sure if he was telling the truth, "You couldn't have said that?"

"I like to remove myself from situations I'm not tryna be in as soon as possible. If ole' girl would've gone flying through the roof, that would've been my fault right?"

"The roof though?" She asked with a laugh, "That's some pent up anger."

"You really don't even know."

It got quiet again, and Josiah took that as his cue to apologize, "I shouldn't have brought up what Brielle said. I'm sorry for that."

She didn't have anything to say, so he kept talking, "Ion think she was on no messy shit though Grace. I really think she was looking out for you."

"By telling my business to someone who barely even knows me?"

"Nah I was tryna figure out how to ask you to only fuck with me-"

He was still talking, but Grace had stopped listening, only concerned with the fact that he wanted her to 'only fuck with him".

Did that mean sex? She wondered, Where is Hassan when you need him?

"It was never for no pussy though," Josiah insisted, his words becoming clear again, "Ian tryna' be rude but we were already fucking and it ain't seem like you planned on stopping."

"You make me have a lot of orgasms. Of course I didn't plan on stopping."

He laughed slightly, "I'm being serious right now. You stopped talking to Celina over some shit I said 'cause I was mad."

"No." Grace corrected, "I stopped talking to her because she didn't value our relationship enough to not tell her daughter things about me."

"It's her daughter. Why wouldn't she tell her?"

Grace thought about the times Celina had spoken to her about things Brielle was going through or doing, only it wasn't in a manner that she was necessarily gossiping, but more so that she needed someone to rant to.

She would never dream of telling someone about those conversations. So maybe Celina wasn't to blame, but Brielle instead.

"I'll figure it out." She stated.

"So we cool? You accepting my apology?"

"Are you accepting mine?"

Josiah shook his head, "I just told you that you don't have nothing to apologize for. Your friend a nut but that ain't got nothing to do witchu'."

"I wish I could be as understanding as you are."

"I'll show you one day." He opened the door, "You hungry?"

Grace grabbed her keys, getting out with him, "If you wanna cook for me king, just say that."

"Yo do you be referring to me as a king, or are you saying my last name?"

They ascended the stairs to his door, "Both. Do you like it?"

"It ain't too much shit you can call me that I won't like."

Neriah looked up at her brother and a giggling Grace as they walked into the living room, "Hey."

They spoke to her before going into the kitchen, "Would your sister really have come to fight Haiden?" Grace questioned curiously.

"If Mason call you 'cause a girl fucking with him, you ain't pulling up?"

"We'd just call our lawyer."

Josiah laughed as he began pulling out bread, "I'm finna make my signature dish."

Grace eyed what else he was getting, "Josiah I know you're not about to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

"Peanut buttè and jellè." He responded with a fake french accent, "You can't get this shit no where else baby. Be thankful."

"So very thankful for you King."

_______

if grace is accepting apologies... should she accept celina's?

thanks for reading 💕