"Have you heard from Nat?"

Susan shifted in her seat. "Nope."

"Are you lying?" Makayla lifted an eyebrow.

"What we gonna eat?" Susan gasped and quickly snapped her head to Makayla. "Actually, you know what? Let's try that new Columbian place that just opened!" She pointed behind her.

"What are you talking about—," Makayla turned her head, but something caught her eye before she could finish. "Is that Nat?" Slack-jawed, she drawled the next words. "And is that the same white boy from Harlowe's?"

Susan averted her gaze. The patrol car slowly parked into an available spot in front of a store. They stared at Nathalie walking cheerily alongside Grant, occasionally laughing and bumping against each other.

"I knew something was up! No wonder she wasn't able to go out the last couple of times. And why half the time she didn't answer the damn phone! You knew about this?!?"

"Umm, not necessarily, buut I might've kinda, somewhat ... suggested it?"

"Susan! You-you didn't?!? What were you thinking?"

She observed Grant for a moment. "I don't know, he seems like a N.O.R.P.?"

Makayla's head whipped to the side. "Susan, baby, are you on something right now? Normal, ordinary, responsible, person? Really? Are we looking at the same guy here?"

Exasperated, Susan breathed in forcefully and squinted at her wife.

"Just look at them clothes, they ain't the kind you buy at Home Depot. Hell, you can probably sell everything he's wearing, buy everything at the place and STILL have enough for a vacation."

"Home Depot's selling clothes now?" Susan snorted. "Out of all the places, that's the one you chose?"

"I don't know! It was the first thing that came out. This whole thing's messing with me!"

"Well, it's an exaggeration and you know it. Besides, wasn't talking about his threads, I meant him as a person."

Makayla scoffed.

"Seriously, beyond all that, he actually seems nice."

"All I see is some rich white boy that's probably looking to have some fun with a poorer black girl and end up breaking her heart."

"You do you, but she looks happy. Don't let your feelings cloud your judgement, or you'll be the one hurting her and not him."

Her expression softened as Nathalie passed them from across the street. She leaned over and kissed Susan on the cheek. "I promise I won't kill him. Yet."

"So, what? Are we gonna case them now or something?"

Suddenly, she grabbed the back of Susan's head and pushed it onto her lap. "Get down!" She draped herself over her.

"Have you lost your damn mind?!?" She struggled to lift her head.

"Shhh! Stay down."

"Don't you shush me. Makayla, if you keep bobbing my head onto your lap this way, we'll definitely attract attention!"

They broke out into boisterous laughter, but were interrupted when someone knocked on a window. When Makayla noticed Nathalie outside, she rolled her eyes and mumbled, "here we go."

"You wanna tell me why you're nine-twenty-one-ing it over here?" Nathalie crossed her arms.

"Technically, not car prowling. Just sitting here and you just happened to be in the area. What you doing with that guy?"

Waving sheepishly at Nathalie, Susan remained quiet and lowered her gaze.

"What's it look like I'm doing? Walking down the street."

"Are you dating him?"

"None of your business." Nathalie gyrated her head.

"Maybe so. But if Gabrielle hears word, she'll go running to tell dad. How long you think you're gonna be able to keep this from him?"

"I'm a grown woman, Makayla! Do I really need to keep reminding you?"

"Just telling it how it is."

"It's not like I haven't been thinking about it every single day!" Nathalie sighed. "I think you should go about your own damn business and let me worry about that. I'm gonna go. Bye!"

"Don't you walk away from me! Tsk, there she goes with her crazy self. What the hell she thinking?" Makayla leaned out the window. "Fine! Keep walking, don't come crying to me later!"

Nathalie shook her head. "Now all of Sunset Boulevard knows what's up."

There was no escaping it, she had to tell her parents before one of her sisters went running to her father. Grant watched her approach him. Having clearly heard Makayla's loud yelling, he reached out and caressed her arms. After Nathalie explained everything and that she'd tell her parents about him, he couldn't help but smile despite knowing how difficult it was for her.

He reacted without thinking. The words rolled out unfiltered as he happily mentioned introducing her to his parents. When her shoulders immediately tensed in response, he noticed his mistake.

The Williams household was a quaint three-bedroom house with meagre landscaping that resided on North Kenmore Ave. She sat on the dining table, tightly clenching her fists and determined. After hearing her father's infuriating remarks, followed by a rant about how the media is brainwashing today's youth to propagate the extinction of black people while waving his hands in the air like a madman, she remained silent. He was a bulky, six-foot tall imposing man, but she wasn't relenting.

He breathed in heavily. "Listen, I've got nothing against him being white. Don't give me that look! It's true. We're progressive—,"

From the kitchen, her mother cut in. "No, you don't. Don't include me in ... whatever it is you're gonna say."

"I'm progressive and hip with the times. Even the gay thing. Gay pride! Read my mug, says it right here," he raised his coffee mug. "It's not only about color. Susan? But at least she's in law enforcement!"

"Took seven years. She's also mixed, so you're kinda pushing it?" Nathalie retorted.

Her father ignored her, muttering to himself, "a rich white boy! What the hell am I gonna talk about with some pasty-ass rich white boy? Pâté? Huh? Those little," he gestured to the palm of his hand. "How do you pronounce those little foods?"

"Appetizers?"

He tsked. "No! Jada, what're those foods rich people always eating at parties?"

"Hors d'oeuvres?" Her mother asked.

"That! Converse hors d'oeuvres?" With a solemn expression, he held Nathalie's hands. "Baby girl, did I do something wrong? Or to you?"

"Why even ask that?"

"'Cause clearly, you're trying to kill me!"

"Maybe you should've gone into acting?" She smirked.

"Excuse me?" Placing a fist over his hip and pointing at her, he nervously tapped his foot.

Her mother stood next to him and placed a hand over his shoulder. "Raimy, go watch your game. I'll talk with her."

"I'm not done."

"Yes, you are. Go on now."

"But—,"

"Wanna sleep in your bed tonight?"

"Damn, woman! So that's how it's gonna be?"

"If you keep it up, it will be." She glared at him.

He quietly considered it, absentmindedly running a hand over his white shirt. "Alright then, I'll be watching the game if anyone needs me. Because I want to, not because someone's telling me!"

"Hoo, child! Sometimes that man drives me crazy." She shook her head and sat next to Nathalie. "Although, he's on to something."

Nathalie grimaced. "Really?"

"Maybe not with this Grant fellow, but his family. You really believe his parents are gonna welcome you with open arms? They're from a different world and don't see things the same way we do. They're gonna see a threat. Maybe even a gold-digger."

Despite all of Grant's reassurances, Nathalie had considered the possibility. They can't be that bad if they raised a guy like Grant though. Right?

********************

***[1258]
That was quite a lot to put into that word count! He's somewhat unintentionally pressuring her. Next, there will be a short segment with her family and it will focus primarily on his.***