October 7th, 2023 | Saturday

Josiah's eyes were laced with admiration watching three cars fly past her, each one coming to a smooth stop after finishing the laps each driver behind the wheel had done. Swiping her hair from out of her face, she moved it behind her ear and her diamond earring shone brightly.

"Yessss, what the fuck!" Jordan sounded excited like every other time his cousin finished doing what he was doing. He clapped his hands together, blowing out a breath as if he were relieved because for the first time in a long time he had actually doubted Paris and his well known skills.

Tre laughed as Jordan embraced him as if he were the one who had just come first, but in a way it did feel like he won because of the simple fact that he had just made his own lump of money. "Yo ass was acting like you was scared to press the fucking gas tonight, fuck was up wit you."

Paris laughed underneath his breath, running his hand down his face because his friends were right. His mind had been clouded the whole time and he had come very close to losing his winning streak. "I was in my head for real this time." He admitted, shaking his head feeling relief that he hadn't let his mind go too far.

His eyes trailed over to Josiah, watching her avoid Micahs hold as Justice tried to push her towards Paris. "You did super good, why haven't you been let me come!" Josiah exclaimed, nudging Justice off of her as she spoke to Paris just like the rest of them did, congratulating him.

He shrugged his shoulders, but the answer was loud and clear and tonight proved a point he never wanted to prove in the first place. She distracted him without even trying, so he couldn't blame her. He knew it was him in his head, but the fact that Micah was there with her made it worse. "Still don't want you here." He was being honest just like she wanted him to, no matter if she liked what he said or not.

Her jaw dropped in offense, but his face didn't falter at what he had said. "It's illegal, Siah." He shook his head watching her fight the frown that wanted to etch across her face from his words. He only shrugged because it was the truth and he would rather be transparent now that she was already in the position.

Her eyebrows creased deeply, almost touching each other. "You suck, and you lame." She retorted and he only smacked his teeth with a head shake.

"I'mma be right back." He announced to the group, wasting no time before he departed with them, needing to desperately get away so he could breathe for a second. He stuffed his hands in his pockets because it seemed like he was always wearing a hoodie or a jacket no matter what the weather happened to be.

He looked around noticing Lilah had left, and he was beyond pleased. "Where is he going?" Josiah asked out loud, rubbing her eyes in the process. It was like she could feel how far he was getting away from her, and it was scary. Almost like an ache somewhere in her body, craving for his proximity like it always did.

"Collecting his cheese, it's only gon' be a few minutes." Tre left a pat on her shoulder while she stared at his back, crossing her arms over her chest in a waiting manner. "He either gon' wanna go to Waffle House or IHOP after dis, yall down or you staying at yo nigga hotel tonight?" Tre extended the offer.

"Why one of those two?" She frowned. She didn't have a problem with going anywhere with them, but out of those two options she found they went there a lot.

"Dice love Waffle House so we just go there to celebrate his win. Its a tradition." He shrugged his shoulders implying it was a simple question that deserved a simple answer. "Nothing special."

Josiah nodded because she already knew about Paris's unhealthy addiction to Waffle House, especially when he was high. She never cared though, as long as he ate she wouldn't monitor things like that unless it became concerning. "Oh okay, yeah we can come. And by the way, I'm not staying with him." She referred to Micah.

Tre tilted his head, furrowing his eyebrows. Micah almost had the same exact perplexed look on his face, confused as well. "Wait, you not coming back wit me?" He was really starting to believe that Josiah knew about his infidelity. It was the only answer, she had never been so distant.

Her eyes trailed over to him, then looked back to Paris. She swallowed, seeing he was still turned away from them. "I wanna sleep in my bed." It was the truth, but it didn't make sense for anyone in her position.

He frowned deeper, "Can we talk in the car real quick?" He pondered, reaching down for her hand which she allowed him to grab although he didn't have her full and undivided attention. "Like I just feel like we need to talk before we continue tonight." He felt like he had to fix whatever was wrong before he left Monday morning.

Her eyes shifted all over before she nodded, allowing him to pull where she had parked his rental. He had rented the car but she was doing most of the driving since she was slowly but surely getting used to the area after navigating herself so much. "C'mon." He muttered while she followed along.

Her shoes crunched the grovel beneath their feet as they made it to the car, and instead of getting in the driver seat—she got on the passenger side forcing him into the driver seat as well. As soon as he closed the door, he turned towards her just in time to see her folding her arms over her chest.

"Baby, what's wrong? The fuck did I do? Let me know something cause I'm confused and it's like you don't even want me here." His voice sounded as if he were pleading. He didn't know what she knew, but he wasn't going to snitch on himself just in case she didn't actually know what he thought she did.

Her eyes trailed him up and down, desperately trying to find in him what she had fallen for originally, but she couldn't even pinpoint what made her say yes when he asked her to be his girlfriend. "Why do you love me?" Her words fell from her lips, and her eyes widened because she didn't mean to say it out loud. She had only been thinking it.

He was confused on how that correlated with anything. Out of all the things she could've said to him, he didn't expect that. He was so shocked that he didn't even know what to say as he tried to rack his mind for the perfect answer that would have her swooning over him again. "Why is you even asking me this?" He said instead.

Her head tilted to the side, and she darted her eyes towards where she left her family, and she could see Paris with his hands digging in a black backpack, his eyes shifting every once in a while. She didn't even realize she was what he was looking for, but he wouldn't say it outloud. "It's normal for girlfriends to ask their boyfriends questions like that along with reassurance."

Paris was looking for her.

She hated that she knew if she would've asked Paris he would e had the perfect answer, that would make her heart thump.

"Yeah but since when have I ever made you feel like you need reassurance?" He sounded stupid, but he didn't realize nor see it that way. He never had to worry about this stuff because Josiah always had his attention, but Kenzie had filled her shoes and Josiah didn't know that.

"Right fucking now." She snapped lowly looking at him weirdly.

She needed him to assure her she wasn't making a mistake by staying with him, when she knew she was. She wanted him to change her mind, but it was quickly becoming useless. Their time was coming to an end and she could feel it deep within her. "Like what kind of question is that, Micah?" She continued.

"I'm confused as fuck. You the one that's been acting distant with me the whole time I been here, even though I took the time to surprise you here. If that ain't reassurance of how much I care about you, then I don't know what is." He argued back, being sure not to raise his voice.

She scoffed at his choice of words because they sounded like manipulation to her, but she wasn't sure. She didn't know because when Paris manipulated something, it wasn't something he would say or do. Micah was putting the blame on her, like she was the problem. "What are you even talking about? That doesn't prove reassurance because you were here because of the simple fact that we've had distance between us in the first place. 'Cause of you may I add." Her face was turned up.

"You pulling shit out yo ass."

"Stop fucking talking like that!" She didn't know how many times she had to stress it, but she was going to continue to correct him because she wasn't there for it. He hadn't even started talking like that until about seven or eight months ago because he was hanging around Devin and his own homeboys for a change.

Micah blew out a large breath, proving that he was frustrated. "Okay, I hear you, fuck." He sounded annoyed but she didn't feel any different so they were in the same boat. "Im sorry you feel like I was distancing from you." His words meant nothing anymore. She wanted them to be over, and she had to figure out if she wanted to end it now, or when he went back.

Ending it now would've been harder because he would've just used his time there to try and win her back.

"No, I don't feel like that. It's true, you were." She corrected, and he licked his lips, needing her to calm down so he could plead his case.

"Okay, relationships have problems, but you over here being strange to me in front of yo brother got him lookin' at me weird like I did you sum. Nigga probably think all types of shit wit us when it aint even like that." He stressed, and she smacked her teeth, not believing that was the only thing he was worried about.

"Micah this argument is pointless and isn't getting us anywhere. I'm confused. This is the most unsophisticated disagreement I have ever had in my life." She insulted him, and felt insulted as well. She couldn't admit that when she and Paris disagreed, he often read her to filth, but she somehow liked it.

He had such a way with words that she wanted to hear him argue, and she never thought she would be admitting something like that. He continued to stare at her, a perplexed expression mirroring his feelings. "You fucking wit another nigga?" He had resulted in projecting, knowing there was another female.

"You are the definition of projection right now. How would you even come to that conclusion if you weren't doing dirt on your own." Now she was manipulating him because there was someone else, and she felt so bad about the fact alone. She didn't know what to do. He had called her out, and she didn't know whether to lie or come clean.

He gulped, swallowing his words. "You turning this around on me?" He quizzed trying to catch her line of sight but she wouldn't even look him in the eye, feeling guilt. She had been carrying on like Micah didn't exist , and he came and unknowingly burst her bubble.

Rolling her tongue over her teeth, she closed her eyes momentarily. "Can we pick this up another time because I'm done talking about this shit." And when the time came she would just have to break it off. She wasn't happy with him, and she couldn't do it anymore.

Aggressively she pushed her door open and out and he hurried to move. "Damn, all this cussin' I really pissed you off huh." He called out to her back and she didn't even look back let alone reply to him.

Their end was coming, and it was very near.

Making her way back over to her brothers, she spoke to her older brother first. "I'm riding with you guys." She announced, twisting her diamond ring around her finger to calm her nerves. She couldn't even pinpoint exactly what she was angry at.

He looked at her strangely, obviously wanting her to divulge into why she was all of a sudden riding with them five minutes away when her boyfriend was there. "Yo nigga still coming?" He asked only to receive a non-caring shrug.

Tre nor justice didn't think they had actually seen her with a real attitude before so it was concerning. "Okay what the fuck just happened then." Treyvon turned his body, not caring that he was prying in his little sister's business.

She licked her lips avoiding eye contact with him. Crossing her arms over her chest, she cleared her throat filling their silence, forcing him to realize she wouldn't answer. "It's a couple thing, I'm not telling you unless it gets out of hand." It wasn't the answer he wanted but it got him to ease up like she wanted.

He smacked his teeth at her response as Jordan scoped everything in order to report back to his cousin where all his loyalty lied. "Yeah aight," Tre decided he would keep an eye on the two of them. Things could get domestic quickly, and he knew first hand due to how his ex never hesitated to slap or hit him over the smallest things.

Paris was taking strides back over to them, a neutral look on his face the entire time. His facial expressions were so hard to understand at times. "Yall ready to hit it?" His deep voice sliced the thick tension.

Everyone quickly agreed, ready to go and move on before things got worse. Justice made his way to Josiah, dropping his arm around her shoulders comfortably as they walked side by side. "You riding wit me?" Paris looked over at his cousin. He had arrived by himself so he didn't know who would be going with him.

Jordan nodded because they needed time in the car to go over what he had just picked up on anyway. "Aight, we gon' meet yall dea." Paris spoke out loud, realizing Josiah was heading towards Tre's car as well instead of where her boyfriend was. He shook it off, and he and Jordan walked side by side until they made it over to the widebody.

Both of them pulled the car doors open in sync and slid into the car. It took Paris no time to start the roaring engine back up, and pull away form the crowded area. People were dumb to loiter around under the circumstances, but he wouldn't be caught dead. "Aye, you know why Jojo riding wit Tre instead of ha nigga?" He quizzed, weaving and bobbing between cars like it was nothing.

Josiah had never admitted it to him, but he could see the glimmer in her eyes when he did it. She loved the exhilaration he brought upon her.

Jordan smacked his teeth, feeling salty about the whole ordeal. Especially since he made a decision he didn't like Micah after their dinner talk. "Nigga ion know, ask yo cuz, he was looking for you." He sounded bitter, and he didn't care that he did either.

Paris dipped his eyebrows. "Who Dev?" He referred to his favorite cousin on his fathers side of the family. Jordan looked at him in disgust because Paris really was either clueless, or hard down on not claiming Micah as a family member of his and it was hilarious.

"Nigga no, Micah?"

"Oh shit that's his name? I forgot." Paris shrugged his shoulders with a low voice.

Jordan wasn't buying it, but continued to move on. "Fuck yes, his pussy ass came in my ear talkin' bout where cuz like im cool wit da nigga and some mo' shit." Jordan sounded frustrated by the whole ordeal, even though he wasn't trying to be. He was being biased, but it was in his blood.

Paris chuckled a bit, his shoulders shaking in the process because Jordan sounded real life hurt. Jordan was his only cousin on his mother's side so they were more like siblings. They didn't like sharing each other outside of the outer circle."Calm down, ion even know dat nigga." He would never claim Micah because someone of that caliber could never associate themselves with him.

"Well yeah, ion know exactly why she not riding wit him, or how the fuck he plan on getting there without her but I think they got in a argument." He disclosed out loud, reporting the observations he made while Paris had his back turned. Paris only raised his eyebrows in response.

"She seemed mad or sad?" His question didn't shock Jordan. Paris was trying to see how she really felt about Micah through what she portrayed, wondering if he had just wasted his time for the past few months.

Jordan only shrugged before saying, "Pissed the fuck off."

It was all in her body language and her tone. Whatever had went down between them, had her fuming on the inside and she had to get away from him in order to release the steam. "Fuck it," Paris had been battling with himself but he finally decided to call Devin.

Jordan watched him reach for his phone all while still skillfully handling the wheel like he had been doing since a young teenager. His thumb padded across the screen before the ringing from the ongoing phone call could be heard throughout the entire car due to car play.

It only rang a few times before it came to a halt. "Yeah," Devin answered the phone like he normally would for anyone who wasn't his mother, or girlfriend.

"Aye Dev," Paris uttered out, his eyes now shifting across the highway they had made it on to, where he had even increased the speed of the car a little more.

He heard Devin's voice strain like he was stretching from just waking up. "Wassup Dice, ian even peep this shit was you 'fore I answered the phone, G." Devin peeled his eyes open since they had been stuck together from the eye crust. That's how well he was sleeping.

Paris laughed because that sounded like him, but Jordan could only smack his teeth. "Aye, who dis Micah nigga?" He had cut straight to the chase, but it shocked Devin.

He was so happy Micah was gone for a few days because he was ready to cut him off. He grew more annoying everyday with his shenanigans and Devin wasn't there for it. "Our cousin, why you asking bout him." Devin hadn't put the pieces together yet so he was confused.

"Cause he down here, he go wit my homeboy lil sista, but he keep forcing dat shit on me, Ion know kid ass like dat." Paris complained, his nose crinkling in the process showing just how annoyed he really was with the boy.

Devins eyes shifted back and forth. "Yo homeboy lil sister is Jojo?" He quizzed, before Paris heard the water to his bathroom flick on.

Paris got off on the exit and made his way towards the waffle house, deciding he wanted it over IHOP for the night. "Yeah, she been here since july." He didn't go into details too much about the true nature of their relationship, not knowing how Devin would react.

"Damn, my OG always said the world was small but this shit way too small." Devin shook his head before sticking his toothbrush in his mouth to brush his teeth like he always did after a nap. It didn't matter that it was after twelve in the morning, or technically eleven pm for devin since they were an hour back from florida.

Paris nodded because that was an understatement. How could he have known that Josiah's boyfriend was related to him? He wasn't even that much in touch with his fathers side of the family. It was big, and they lived all over the United States so he could never keep up.

"You real cool wit Jojo?" Devin asked after spitting toothpaste from his mouth and rinsing.

Paris shifted in his seat as he parked waiting for everyone else to arrive. "Yeah," Was his only response to such a loaded question on his end. He was beyond cool with her.

"How she doin' ?" Devin went on asking questions as if it were a trivia which alerted Paris in a way. He didn't like too many questions about her, but he would give his cousin the benefit of the doubt.

"As good as she can be with all this shit goin' on around ha'." His answer was vague, but good enough for Devin to accept and continue what he was going to say.

Even though they couldn't see each other, Devin nodded his head. "Can't even imagine my OG going down like dat, den dat nigga Micah probably aint makin shit betta' he been tweakin'." This was news to Paris and he was soaking it all up, knowing Devin wouldn't hesitate to keep it real.

"Between me and you bro, he be loyal to ha?" He didn't know what his point in asking was. He always preached how he hoped that Micah was giving her the loyalty she believed she was breaking in between the two of them, so he wanted to know.

Devin smacked his teeth with a huff. "Fuck no, shorty ass been on some otha shit im tellin' you. Den he fucking the most dirty bitch roun' here." He shook his head feeling disappointed every time he thought about it.

Paris and Jordan made eye contact, seeming to be thinking the exact same thing. "Currently?"

"Yeah, nigga goofy ass bein' bogus. I can't even get down wit dat shit." Devin ranted. "The way he been movin', he lucky ion got Jojo number or instagram or no shit cause I woulda been put ha up on game." Devin muttered, in his kitchen by now deciding what he was about to eat.

Paris tucked his lips in because he wanted to know if he would be the right messenger for something like this, especially with the role he played in her life. "He movin' dat reckless?" Paris wondered to what extent everything he was doing went.

There was silence. "His ass damn near got something," His words made Paris pause, his lips parting. "No weird shit, don't let him fuck her bro, G shit."

Paris went to respond, but a knock on the car window pulled him and Jordan from the phone conversation. "Aight, imma hit you back Dev." He saw it was Josiah and he couldn't risk her hearing what Devin was saying.

"Aight, hit me back, for real." Devin hung up right after, leaving Paris to turn his car off, opening his car door.

"Why you guys just sitting in the car?" She stepped back enough for him to exit the car, his eyes roaming all over her body. Her outfit was very cute, he honestly couldn't get over her style and how it fit her so well. She looked so classy in such simple wear.

He was sandwiched between her and the car towering over her, but not too much since she was tall. "Was on the phone wit Devin." He disclosed lowly, watching the white rental car finally pull into the waffle house figuring he used GPS or followed Tre's car so he wouldn't get lost on his own.

She smiled sweetly at Devins name, he was always nice to her. "Really what did he say? It's crazy you guys are cousins..." She trailed off as he hit the locks on his key fob.

Paris tried to figure a way to say it nicely because he cared about her feelings, then there was another part of him that was jealous and possessive over her. "You fucked dat nigga, Josiah?" He stepped towards her, their chests basically touching from how close they were.

She quickly shook her head no, her mouth dry from the thought. He didn't even arouse her, and she knew because he had been trying to all day, nothing would work. "No I didn't." She rushed out in an utter, hoping he believed her.

His eyes peered into hers. "Don't."

It was the best warning he could give her.

Its going down next chapter, get littyyyyyy OMM

Thoughts about Micah and Josiah's argument?

Paris and Devin's dynamic during their phone call?

Predictions on the next chapter that is very juicy 🌚?

See you Tuesday, kisses 💋

M.O.🫡