Chapter Forty-Eight

I finally get home after picking up everything I need for the night, and to be real, I’m legit trying to find a way to summon some extra energy to handle people later. It isn’t that I don’t want to do people, but it’s certain people I don’t want to be around. I’m a bit wary of whether Ian can keep his word—all signs are pointing to no—but I’m not about to let that ruin my good mood.

If anything, I’m leaning toward the extrovert side of my personality tonight. It feels good, too, no cap.

I lay the garment bag with my tux on my bed, making a beeline to the bathroom so I can freshen up and get this fit together. There’s a stunning beauty who’s expecting me to flex so she can watch the other girls be high-key irritated that the spotlight will be focused on us. I even mixed a special batch of oils to have the desired effect.

Yes, I want her to swoon even more than she already does.

I check my phone before I jump in the shower, grinning as I see the text from Zahra. She leaves a series of flirty emojis and a “I can’t wait for you to see what type of dime you have on your arm” message that has my imagination on tilt. She’s been secretive all week, not even giving me a hint of what her dress looks like. All she would say when I asked was that I won’t be able to wipe the smile off my face the minute she comes down the stairs.

She rarely disappoints, so there’s no need for me to worry that it won’t be something that’s ripped off the runway. She’s particular like that, and I love every bit of it.

I’m about to start getting ready when Unk knocks on the door. “You good, kiddo? I wanna make sure you don’t rush out before I can get some pics for your nana and Lennox.”

“Yeah, I’m good, but wait… Where’s Ms. Lennox?” My senses are tingling. I smell a setup. “I thought she was already here to hang with you tonight.”

When he opens the door, I shake my head in disbelief. He’s in a pair of suit pants and a button-down dress shirt, and I already know where this is going before I can say another word. He leans against the doorframe with this smirk that lets me know the fix is in.

I groan as I continue to apply the oils on my skin. “Let me guess, y’all are chaperoning tonight at the ball. You couldn’t give your nephew the heads-up or nothing, right?”

Unk chuckles as I pull my pants on and reach for my shirt. “Sorry, I had to keep this one under wraps until the last possible minute. We’re not gonna be there the entire night, just long enough to see y’all rock this trap waltz I’ve been hearing about.”

Man, the relief that comes over me when he says that… Yeah, I can roll with that part. “Okay, but I need y’all gone the minute it’s over, real talk. I can deal with adults being there to make sure things are cool, but I need y’all to be somewhere else enjoying the night without worrying about me.”

“I’m always gonna worry about you, Ya-Ya,” Unk utters while helping me with the tie that I obviously don’t know how to handle. “After what you told me happened at the park last night, I want to make sure that things go smoothly tonight. I don’t need you getting caught up in any more drama that you didn’t create.”

“I feel that, but I got tonight on lock,” I tell him, stepping in front of the full-length mirror on my closet door to make sure everything is in its place before I put on the coat. “I mean, there’s nothing that could pop off with all the grown people around to keep us from really getting lit.”

“That’s a good thing, young’un, because I was concerned about whether to let you do this tonight.” Unk sits on the bed, his solemn expression throwing me off a bit. “I mean, Ian and his crew are gonna be there tonight, too.”

“And I got backup, so the odds are even,” I counter, not really wanting to bring Ian’s name into the mix. I’m in a good mood, and I’m not about to let that fact mess things up. “We’ve called a truce, so I’m not tripping about anything popping off.”

“Do you think he’s gonna keep his word?”

“If he doesn’t, he won’t like how that ends.”

“Yeah, that’s what has me worried,” Unk remarks. His expression hasn’t changed at all, which puts me on edge a bit. “Thanks to that TikTok, the Grove knows you got hands, and that isn’t exactly a good thing.”

At this point, I’m irritated, and I’m trying to keep Gamba on the low. “Unk, you know there are two ways I don’t go with anyone, and that’s back and forth. If he tries to start anything, I’m gonna end it. Self-defense is still a thing. Good vibes only, you know?”

Unk picks up the suit coat and helps me put it on, then looks at the finished product in the mirror with a satisfied grin. “Good vibes only, I feel that. But if you get to a point where you need to handle yourself, do what you have to do. I got your back regardless.”

I smooth out the coat, taking a lint roller to get rid of any dust. I do a last-minute check of it all, and I like the way the suit hangs. Yeah, this will work. “I appreciate that, seriously. Now, I need to get on the road so I can pick Z up and set this night off right.”

…

“Yo, I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Kyle says, leaning against his truck with this perturbed expression on his face. I can relate; when Kendyl and Zahra get together, things tend to take a lot longer than they should. I don’t know what happened, but it can’t be good. Although I guess I can take it as a compliment… She must’ve really wanted to blow my mind if she asked for her best friend to come over at the last minute.

I tap fists with him and match his body language for a few moments. He’s irritated, but I can tell he’s not trying to look like it. “I don’t know what you’ve done to my best friend, but she’s literally frantic over the phone with my girl, getting her to sweet-talk me into coming over here to help her get ready.”

I shrug. “I have no idea what I did, or if I even did anything. I haven’t even talked to her today.”

“Well, you’re about to get the whole experience, that’s for sure,” Kyle says just as the door cracks open. Someone’s hand motions for us to come inside the house, and I can only assume it’s Kendyl because Zahra’s mom wouldn’t be that dramatic. “Yep, that’s our cue. Time to check out the show.”

I rub my hand over the length of my face as we trudge up the stairs. Only Nyati knows what’s about to happen right now. If this is what I have to look forward to when prom season comes around, I’m in for a long night.

We slip into the foyer, and Kendyl stops us in our tracks. We’re at the base of the staircase, and it’s a curved descent from the upper floor to where we’re standing. I can already feel the drama building as Kairo saunters in from the great room and acknowledges us with a handshake and a warm smile.

“Good evening, sir. I hope you’ve been doing well,” I say to Kairo, trying to suppress my nervous energy. I know we’ve technically gotten all the pleasantries and “getting to know you” stuff out of the way a while back, but he is still her father. “I take it the ladies are upstairs handling last-minute preparations.”

Kairo laughs as he leans against the wall, glancing up toward the second floor, and shakes his head. “Boys, you know how women are when it comes to gala events like this. Get used to it, because it does not get any better.”

Great. Prom season is going to be a whole production if what he says is true. I’m all for getting dolled up and black carpet ready, but it’s not like we’re going to a celebrity-studded event or anything. Oh wait, maybe I shouldn’t speak too soon.

“Yeah, Anniversary Week is huge for the town, bro,” Kyle adds his perspective the best way he can. “The only reason that this year is so over the top is that it’s the Bicentennial. Next year should be much less spectacular.”

That’s not making me feel better, bro. In fact, it’s really giving me “you’re doing the most for no damn reason” vibes, but I can’t really say that out loud. “If they want us to get there on time, we’d better get rolling in the next ten minutes, or they’ll be blaming us for not getting a good table.”

Kesi appears out of nowhere while we’re talking, clearing her throat as Kendyl seemingly glides down the stairs to join us at the base of the landing. She smiles at me and does this subtle wave before she checks behind her as though she were waiting for her cue to begin. “Ladies and gentlemen…her.”

Okay, let me find out Mrs. Assante knows about some of these TikTok trends. But that’s not what has my attention now.

The vision of pure, exquisite, radiant beauty descends the stairs, and I swear everything and everyone fades to black. The only thing I see…the only thing I can see…is as close to a real-time rendition of what I could’ve imagined Zahra to look like if I created a painting of her in the dress she’s wearing.

My gaze never leaves hers, and I’m in complete swoon mode, almost forgetting to breathe. To say she looks stunning doesn’t do her justice. I’m trying to find the words, and honestly, that’s not gonna happen. Nope.

Even Gamba finds his way to my conscious mind to peek for himself. “By Nyati, she is goddess-level gorgeous. It’s like the goddesses put the finishing touches on her and allowed her to borrow their glow for the evening.”

Man, he takes the words right out of my mouth, and he’s probably said it much better than I ever could. I’ve never seen her look more beautiful than in this moment, and I’m fumbling over every word that I want to speak for fear that it might insult her.

I’m so frozen in space and time that it takes a sharp elbow to my side from Kyle to shake me out of my daydream. He leans over and whispers, “This is the part where you take her arm and slip the corsage on her wrist, my boy.”

I blink a few times to remind myself that I’m in the here and now, and I reach out to take her hand and lead her to me. I pull the corsage from its container and—I don’t remember giving the box to Kyle, okay, but I think that’s what happened—I stare into her eyes for what seems like an eternity. “You look… You’ve taken my breath away, Z. It’s like Ashanti placed her touch against your skin and gave you her glow tonight.”

“Did you really just steal one of my lines?” Gamba says with a laugh. “What you know about that, godson?”

“You’re here to help me,” I remind him. “And that line was boss-level epic.”

Zahra blushes as I finally slide the corsage onto her left wrist, then offer the crook of my arm for her to take. “I was hoping you would approve of the final touches. I begged Kenni to get over here to help with that. It was a two-person job to get what I was looking for.”

I kiss her cheek, still unable to tear my eyes away from her. “All I can say is thank Nyati for the both of them. I’m…I still have no words right now.”

“Oh, I have a few words. Soooooo, now that you two have had your magical moment, can we get to the ball before all the good seats are taken?” Kendyl taps her foot against the hardwood floor, giving every bit of attitude she can, much to the amusement of everyone in the room. “Mama, come on down so we can get the pictures together and get up outta here, please?”