Page 239 of When a Soul Cries

“You could at least say, ‘Thank you, little brother, for saving our multimillion-dollar contract.’”

“You almost told Desmond to go fuck himself in front of legal counsel.”

“But I didn't.”

“Barely.”

The elevator opened.

I stepped out first. “That's called personal growth.”

---

Two nights later, Zari sat across from me in a dim restaurant near downtown Crestmont looking entirely too good for somebody claiming this wasn't a date.

She caught me looking. “What?”

I could've told her the truth—that I'd been thinking about how different this felt from the women I usually dealt with.

Instead, I smiled. “I was thinking about how Halo likes me better than you.”

Her fork paused. “Khalil.”

“I'm fucking with you.”

“Good, because I was there when that baby was born. You don't stand a chance.”

“Aight, damn. You win. But Rome cheating anyway. That baby wouldn't leave him alone when I saw her at his house.”

Zari's face softened. “She loves him.”

“I can tell. The way Rome going, Halo gonna own half the damn city before she turn five. I'm finna start being nicer to her. Might need a loan one day.”

Zari laughed before her expression softened again. “I'm glad they have him, though. Especially Sol.”

The way she said Sol's name told me everything I needed to know.

“That's really your sister, huh?”

“That's my family.”

I nodded. “Family don't always mean blood.”

Her eyes stayed on mine for a moment before she looked away.

I'd noticed that about Zari. She could joke and talk shit all night, but whenever something got too personal, she'd pull back.

“You get on my nerves,” she said.

“You like me.”

“I tolerate you.”

Three dates, late-night calls, damn near daily texts, and one night driving around Crestmont for two hours because neither of us wanted to go home said otherwise.

I let her have it.

“And you still claiming this ain't a date?” I asked. “We dressed. There's food. I paid.”