“Jakayla.”
“Exactly! She’s the one who stepped up even when she didn’t have to,” she replied. “I know you’re scared, but Zee,thatwoman loves you. She loves your daughter.” She smiles softly before patting me on the shoulder. “My ex never did half of the stuff that Kay does for you, and you two aren’t even a couple. You deserve to be happy, sis, and I know in my heart that she’s the one who can help with that. Just talk to her, if not for you then for me, so I can live vicariously through you.”
“You’re such a trip.” I chuckle, shaking my head. “I promise, I will. Just not today. I have to take these types of things at my own pace.”
“And I respect that, but when y’all do finally get past this will they, won’t they bullshit, please make sure I’m the first one to get an invite to the wedding, okay?”
“Girl, get out of my face,” I laugh, pushing her away from me gently. She laughs too. “Now, come on and let’s go back out there before she thinks we’ve run away.”
She chuckles as I finally start the machine, then we exit the laundry room. When we make it back to the kitchen, Jakayla is nowhere to be found, so we share a look of confusion. After a few minutes of searching, we find her out back in the small garden, picking some flowers. Zaiyre winks at me before heading back inside. I shake my head as I walk over to where Kay is.
“Hey, we were looking for you,” I said once I was beside her. She turns to me with a smile, handing me a small bouquet of wildflowers. “Thanks, but what’s this for?”
“Just because,” she shrugs. “You’re loved and appreciated, you know that, right?”
“Of course I do.” I nod.
“Good, because I don’t want you to ever think otherwise. I know that Sasha triggers unwanted memories and feelings, but just know that I’ll always be in your corner to help you get through them, okay?”
“Yeah, I know, Kay,” I chuckle. “You’ve been such an amazing friend all of these years, and that in itself means so much to me. Thank you for being there for not only me, but Sera as well.”
“Always,” she chuckles, placing her hands on my hips and pulling me closer. My breath caught as I stared up at her perfectly round face, perfect smile, and perfectly dimpled cheeks. I wanted to kiss her so bad right now. “Y’all are my family, Zee. I’d do anything to make sure that you and my Princess are well taken care of. Even when you get married again one day, I’m still gonna be there to support and love y’all. That’s how much y’all mean to me.”
I don’t reply as I let her words sink in. I knew that there were just innocent, friendly promises, but a part of me couldn’t help but think that they had so much more meaning. I wanted to ask her about them, but I could feel that anxiety bubbling up in my stomach. What if I was misreading this whole situation? I couldn’t take any more heartbreak, so I decided to leave it alone for now.
“Thank you,” I say once more before pulling away. For a second, it almost seemed as if she were sad about it, but Ididn’t dwell on it. “Dad should be back by now, and I know he’s gonna want help in the kitchen. How about we go see how he wants to put us to work, hm?”
“Yeah, sounds good,” she replies with a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes like it usually does. She took my hand in hers and let me back inside.
The rest of the night was pretty uneventful, but I couldn’t help but notice how quiet Kay was instead of her upbeat self. When I asked if she was okay, she admitted that she was just tired, so I let it go. But I still had a sinking feeling that I’d done something to upset her…or maybe it’s because Ididn’tdo something?
CHAPTER 7
Movies And Confrontations.
Jakayla - October 14th, 2023
My mind wouldn’t stop playing the interaction that I had with Zseyah in her dad’s garden a few days ago. Partially because she’d been so close and smelled so good, that all I could think about was kissing her until I couldn’t kiss her anymore. But also because I’d attempted to lay my heart out on the line. Granted, it wasn’t the most straightforward attempt, but I thought that maybe she’d still be able to pick up on the looks and smiles, yet she didn’t.
Or maybe she did, and she just didn’t feel the same?
Either way, I’d felt bummed since I was too chicken to tell her how I felt. This has been a constant for years now, but I thought I could change it that night. Oh, but the way she looked at me as if I were the only woman in the world, and the way she let me hold her, was enough to make my head spin. I wanted her in more ways than one, but if I kept going how I was going, I’d never have her.
“Ugh, this is stupid,” I grumbled to myself as I mixed a batch of the new soap we were releasing soon.
It was a grape and apple scent that didn’t seem like it should work, but it did. It was heavenly, and I already knew that it would sell out as soon as we posted about it.
“Damn, okay chemist,” Morgan says as she enters the room. “You got it smelling delicious as hell up in this bitch.”
“Thanks,” I nod, barely looking up. “I finally got the perfect mix so that the grape doesn’t overpower the apple.”
“And they said it couldn’t be done,” she said dramatically. “And by they, I mean me, because who the fuck thinks to mix those two scents? It shouldn’t work, but of course, if anyone could figure it out, it’s you. You know, you probably should’ve majored in chemistry as well. You’ve always been good at science.”
She wasn’t wrong. Ever since I was young, I’d always been fascinated with science. It, along with math, was my favorite. I loved everything from the equations to the formulas to everything in between. I’d won awards in both subjects throughout middle and high school, and my moms still had some of the framed ones in the office back at their house.
I used what I’d learned over the years to mix glorious scent combinations and even cultivate the crops. I learned years ago that farming and agriculture are a science. It was beautiful and rewarding. And it was my calling.
“I’ve actually been thinking about going back to school to get my master’s in chemistry, just so I can further my knowledge a bit more,” I say. “I know South State has an excellent online program that I could enroll in.”
