“Kayla, I know you ain’t bring yo ass up in here and not speak to your favorite sister-in-law!” Zaiyre yelled, and I chuckled to myself, shaking my head. I headed back down to where they were, and the closer I got, the more I could hear Zee fussing at her for playing too much. “What? You act like I’m not right! I’m just predicting the future. You and Kay are gonna end up married one day, just watch!”
“Ree, PLEASE,” she groaned, covering her sister’s mouth as I entered the kitchen. She cut her eyes at her, and I chuckled to myself. They were a trip.
“Whatever, Zee,” she waved her off.
“I’m sorry about her. You know how she is,” Zee chuckles nervously, and I shrug.
“It’s cool. I don’t mind,” I reply, taking a seat on the bench in the breakfast nook. I reached out to grab her by the waist and pulled her onto my lap like I always did when we were relaxing. I wrap my arms around my waist and look up at her, but she tries to avoid my eyes. “You avoiding me, Zee?”
Her eyes connect with mine, and she uses one of her fingers to push her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. I always thought she looked so damn fine in her glasses,and I loved that she wore them instead of contacts. They brought out her beautiful, chocolate eyes and round cheeks. Plus, she had the kind where you can change the frames, so every time she changed her hair color or outfit, she got a new one to match. It was adorable.
“No, I’m not avoiding you,” she replied. “Why would I be?”
“You look tense. Want me to give you a massage later?” I ask. It was a genuine and innocent offer, but by the way her body froze, you’d think I asked if I could go down on her or something. My eyebrows furrowed as I squeezed her thigh gently. “Hey, are you good?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine!” She said, quickly getting up from my lap.
Well, she wasn’t wrong.
“Uh, I’m going to go throw your game clothes in the washer. I’ll be right back.”
Before I could reply, she damn near bolted out of the kitchen, and I was left sitting there looking dumbfounded. I scratched my head before turning to look at Zaiyre. All she did was shake her head, sighing deeply before exiting the kitchen as well.
Had I done something wrong?
Zseyah -October 7th, 2023
“Smooth,” Zaiyre said when she found me in thewashroom. I didn’t even look up, but I rolled my eyes because I already knew what she was talking about.
That hadn’t been the first time I’d run from Kayla’s affection, but I knew that it wouldn’t be the last. She was a physical-touch type of friend, and I loved it because, secretly, so was I. However, every time she touched me, I hoped it was more than just a platonic friend type of thing. Sometimes my thoughts ran wild, and all I could do was fantasize about us together.
“Earth to Zseyah,” my sister called as she waved a hand in front of my face.
“Huh? Oh, uh, did you say something?”
She rolled her eyes before hopping up onto the laundry table. She didn’t say anything as I tossed Kay’s clothes into the washer and added a capful of detergent. The whole time, I was thinking about how her hands had felt on me once more. Damn, I was such a lost cause.
“So, are you ever going to tell that woman that you’re in love with her?” Zaiyre asks, breaking the silence. I look up at her with mock confusion. She sighs deeply, rolling her eyes. “Zee, everybody in the world can see how gone you are for her. It’s been obvious as hell since the first time you introduced her to us. You remember that, right?”
Oh, I remembered, alright. How could I ever forget it?
It was that first Christmas after we’d all moved into the shared house, and everyone was heading home for Christmas. At the last minute, Kay’s plans got canceled because her moms had won a two-week cruise that had to be cashed in before the end of the year, so Kay told them to go enjoy themselves and that she’d be fine. Yes, I may have beeneavesdropping a bit, but only because she talked so loudly whenever she was on the phone.
Anyway, when she hung up, I was rolling my bag down the stairs, but she stepped out of her room just in time to help me. We got to chatting, and her canceled plans came up, and before I knew it, I’d invited her to come spend the holidays with me. To my surprise, she accepted without hesitation and even offered to drive us.
When we arrived, my family instantly took a liking to her, and vice versa. I think that was also the moment I realized that my feelings for her were way beyond platonic. I hadn’t admitted to anyone at that point, but my sister had picked up on it and hasn’t let it go since. She has always been team Jakayla, even when I was with Sasha. Now that we were no longer together, of course, those feelings had been blooming again, but I was once again too scared to do anything about them.
“I remember,” I finally admit with a sigh. “It’s different now, though.”
“The only difference now is that y’all are both single, and y’all have been for a while,” she points out. “So, why not see where this goes? Y’all are already a happy little family. What’s so bad about making it official? Don’t you want that?”
“I do.” I nod, crossing my arms over my chest. “God, I want that so much, but just the thought of things turning out the same way they did with Sasha gives me pause.”
“First of all, let me stop you right there, Zseyah Shanae Morris,” she says, a serious expression on her face. “You know good and well that Kay isnothinglike that woman, and she has never given you a reason to think that’s even remotely the case.”
“True, but-”
“Zee, when you were with Sasha, you dedicated all of your love and time to her. You always gave her one hundred percent, yet she took that for granted, but who was the one who has been by your side this whole time?”
