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“Good. Something we can agree on.”
He gave little to no thought to my declaration. His comfort made me smile within. He didn’t dwell and neither did he try to convince me of anything. Both were responses that garnered respect from me and led me to believe it wouldn’t be an issue between us. Nothing was established, yet so much was established.
Banging on the door startled me. I slid from one end of the room to the other, causing Makai to muffle his laughter to spare me the embarrassment.
“What?”
“Any further and I’d need a boat to fish ya shaky ass out the fucking water out there.”
“It was pretty random. Won’t you admit that, at least? I wasn’t expecting anyone to pound the door.”
“I got it,” he assured me, reaching over and twisting the handle.
I wasn’t sure who stood behind the door, but it didn’t take long to find out.
“What the fuck you want?”
“Move ya special ass out of the way. We’re not here for you. And the proper way to greet a guest is, hello.”
“Not one that’s uninvited. Everybody else can come in. You, though, you stay out here. Tell ya nigga to come see me if he got something to say ’bout it.”
“Boy, move.”
Pushing Makai aside, Kleu made her way in.
“It’s not time for dick, yet, boo. We’ve got shit to take care of.”
“Kiss the man goodbye and come with us,” Nature instructed.
“Please,” Aeir begged.
I looked over at a silent Halo, knowing not to expect many words. However, her eyes said all she wasn’t willing to.
“Makai, I—”
“Here, Kiwi,” he said, interrupting my speech to hand me a large knot. “The currency is interchangeable. Every US dollar is one Case.”
“Case?”
“Yes. Same as a dollar in the US, Mommas. Let’s use the brain in that big head, aight?”
Nodding, I chuckled, not taking offense.
“All pretty bit—women have big heads, boo. Don’t sweat it,” Kleu sassed with a smack of her lips. She guided me toward the door as everyone followed.
“I’ve heard.”
Before we crossed the threshold, I couldn’t neglect the deep, expansive urge to see his face once more. To feel his presence in my world. To be undone again. To linger in the agony that his dark eyes held. To soothe the achiness that accompanied visions of him –in reality and in my head.
On cue, and as if he needed the same, our eyes met. Unmoving, he stood so many feet away, watching as I separated us. Suffocation must’ve been a breeze in comparison to the misery I faced, gasping for air as if someone had knocked every bit of it from my lungs.
My brows raced to meet my hairline, unsuccessfully, while I pushed out the tainted oxygen and inhaled the fresh air of the island. Despite the mess Makai was making of me, everything was beautiful. Everything was incredibly beautiful.
* * *
It had been months since my smile stuck to my face. My jaws hurt from laughter. My belly burned from doubling over as I cackled loudly and genuinely. Pretty, perfect smiles lined the table on both sides.
“You all right over there, Halo?” Kleu yelled.
