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thatssonanii · 6 months ago

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Chapter Sixteen

A/N: I've written and started this chapter over so many times because it just wasn't flowing right but I finally got. They never have a happy chapter so this is it, minus one part lol. Reblog, Share, Comment and Like! That's the only way my writing gets seen by more and more is if you guys reblog and everything. Help me get my art out! FYI I CHANGED JAYDEN TO BRAYDEN!!

Warning: Cursing, Mentions of Death, implied smut EXCUSE ANY TYPOS, 18+ ONLY MINORS DNI

DO NOT POST MY WORK ANYWHERE ELSE AND/OR CLAIM IT AS YOUR OWN!

Masterlist

Chapter Fifteen

As soon as the guys got Toni’s call, they rushed out of the performance center after clearing it with Shawn. Bronco followed Zilla to the apartment, both parking crooked in front of the complex. Toni met them at the door, a sad look on her face. They huddled in the living room, speaking quietly.

“What’s wrong? You said it was a emergency?” Zilla asked itching to get to his girlfriend.

“The little girl, Nia, she came back in. She was rushed into surgery but she didn’t make it. She cried all the way here,” Toni informed them, grabbing her bag, “She fell asleep not too long ago. I doubt she’ll get any sleep tonight.” The men cursed under their breath. “Yeah so I’ll stop by when I get off work to check on her. If you can, do not leave her by herself.”

He nodded, giving her a quick hug. “I got you. Thank you fa bringin’ her home.”

She waved him off, throwing out a goodbye to him. Bronco and him had a quick, short conversation before he followed his girlfriend out the door.

Zilla made sure the door was locked and leaned his back against it, taking a few deep breaths to collect himself. Although he was thankful that she wasn’t hurt physically and nobody in her family was hurt, he hated that this is what was happening. The way she would talk about the little girl, how attached she had gotten since the little girl’s first visit and now she had passed away. Zilla knew and understood how big his girlfriend’s heart is so he knew how much this was affecting her.

Seeing her curled up in a ball on their bed broke his heart. He eased onto the bed carefully, trying not to wake her up and pulled her onto his chest. Moriah started to stir against him and lifted her head. Watery eyes met his.

“Zay,” she sobbed.

“I know, beautiful. I know that shit hurtin’ you bad but I got you. I ain’t goin nowhere.” He assured wrapping her in his arms tighter. “Get it out, baby.”

She cried for a few minutes before pulling herself together enough to talk to him. “She was doing so good and then I guess her body couldn’t take it. All he needed was three more minutes. Just three.” Zilla hummed softly, letting her know that he was listening. “It just happened so … freaking fast, Zay. One minute she was okay, the next she was … she was,” Moriah paused unable to bring herself to say the word.

He kissed her head and her face as she cried softly. “I got you.”

“And when we went to tell her parents, the scream her mama let out … I’ve never heard anything like it, Zay.” She admitted softly. “Her scream is still echoing in my head, I’ll never be able to get that out of my head. And I tried to console her but she just pushed me away. She looked at me like I did it.”

He sighed. “She know you didn’t do it but she was in shock, Fat. Don’t let that bother you, aight? That’s that grief.”

“I just … Nia is … was so full of life. She was energetic, she was happy and now she’s gone.” Moriah spoke sadly. “That was my first and it was a little girl.”

He rocked her gently trying to soothe her. “It sucks, bae and I don’t know what I can do to fix that and make it hurt less. But I got something you can think about that might make you feel better when you get sad.”

“What?”

“Nia not here no more but she up there in them clouds with Pops and Angel. And you know they takin good care fo her.” He smiled seeing her smile a bit. “Angel know all spots for the lil ones and he gon take her to em.”

After another couple hours, Moriah went back to sleep. Zilla waited until he was sure she was in a deep sleep before getting up. Going out to their living room, Zilla flopped on the sofa with his phone to his ear.

“What’s up, nephew?”

“What’s good, Auntie Kami?” He greeted her in a soft tone. “You busy?”

“Nope, I’m on break. What’s up? Why are we whispering?” She asked, laughing.

He chuckled, leaning back against the sofa. “Rye in there sleep, ion wanna wake her up. I need a favor if you don’t mind.”

Kamille took a moment to turn her music down before responding. “You know I don’t mind doing anything for you two, Zay. What’s up?”

“I uh,” he paused to make sure he didn’t hear his girlfriend getting up. “Fat had a ill girl die on her today and she not handlin’ it well. Can you make sure you check on her when you can?”

“My baby,” she cooed. “Of course, Zay. I can take time off and come there if she needs me.”

“Not right now but I’ll let you know. I think ima drive her up to Georgia to see her dad. I think that might help. What you think, Auntie?”

Kamilled laughed a bit. “Of course that would help.”

Anybody who knew Moriah and Hassan knew that their bond was something special to the two of them. Moriah had been a daddy’s girl since the first time she laid eyes on him in the delivery room. Throughout her life whenever she was going through something, needed advice or just wanted to chill Hassan was always there. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her and there was never anything any more important than his babygirl.

“Can I ask you something?” Zilla asked quietly.

“Shoot.”

“How is Nadine? I know Fat cut her off but it’s been too quiet. She never really listens to Fat anyway so it’s a little weird to not have her pop up in some way.” He explained further.

The older woman sighed on the other end of the phone. “Nadine is still Nadine. The reason you haven’t heard anything from her is because Hassan is takin the heat off of you two.”

“What that mean?” He asked quickly.

“When you go see him, you ask him. I know he’ll tell you.” She responded quickly. “I gotta go back to work but you know you can call or text me if you need me.”

“Aight, Auntie. Zilla love you.”

“Auntie loves you too.” She laughed.

Getting off the phone with Kamille, Zilla went back to lay with his girlfriend. When he pulled her closer to him this time she didn’t stir or wake up, she just took her place on his chest. As she slept, he made plans in his head for their drive and what he would need to do.

That night as promised Toni and Bronco came back to the apartment to check on Moriah and brought Javi along. The five of them had dinner together, giving Moriah the support she needed without mentioning the elephant in the room. Afterwards, the boys went out to get dessert for them, leaving the ladies alone for a little while. They were sitting on the floor in front of the sofa drinking wine.

“Bronco told me that girl sent Zilla videos and tried to act like it was an accident.” Toni rolled her eyes taking a sip.

Moriah groaned, pulling her glass away from her lips. “Girl, Ima get pissed just thinking about it again cause what the hell was she thinking. She so lucky I like my job and my family out here cause if I didn’t I would’ve beat her ass already.”

“She need her ass beat, if you ask me. What did Zilla say to you about it?”

She rolled her eyes with a grimace. “He said that he would handle it, that a queen shouldn’t come off her throne to address anybody buuut I really don’t care about that. I wanna beat her ass. She keep inching further and further over the line like I won’t kick her frog eyed ass back over it.”

Glancing at the door, Toni slid a little closer to her and spoke softly as if somebody else could hear her.

“So you know how Dr. Miller had to go out of town for that funeral last week?” She paused, waiting for Moriah to nod. “I was scrolling on instagram and saw he had posted some family pictures and in the midst of looking through them, guess who I saw.”

“Frogger?” She answered immediately.

Toni laughed loudly, covering it with her hand. “Yes, Frogger. I did a little snooping and found out that Frogger is his little cousin. They don’t seem to be that close cause the other pictures he has of her are clearly at family functions.”

Moriah hummed, internalizing the information. “Oh really? You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Pump Dr. Miller for info next time we’re at work?”

“That part,” Moriah grinned. “So tomorrow we get em.”

Toni’s smile slightly faltered. “Don’t you think you should take tomorrow and try again on Thursday?”

“I promise I’m fine,” Moriah protested sitting her glass on the coffee table, “I don’t need to take any days off, T. I’ll be there tomorrow morning bright and early.”

Eyeing her friend, Toni rolled around the words she wanted to say to convince her to take the day. When she got back to the hospital, she went ahead and put Moriah off Wednesday and debated if she should do Thursday as well to give her a longer weekend to recuperate. Ultimately, she decided against it going with the one day.

“Just take the day, Rye. Please.”

She shook her head stubbornly. “I don’t need it.”

“About six months into my first year running Lakeland ED, I had a really good group of nurses working under me. But I had one favorite, Alicia.”

Moriah frowned. “You had a favorite before me? I don’t like it but continue.”

Both laugh,Toni pushed her shoulder playfully.

“Anyway, Alicia was pretty much my little second in command at the time like you are now. That girl was something,” she laughed. “Dr. Harris used to try to take her from me all the time. I think about her every day, I miss her smartass.”

“I never saw her on pediatrics with him so I’m assuming she’s at another hospital,” Moriah speculated.

Toni took a sip of her wine before answering. “Nope. One night there was a six car accident on the highway, there were some pretty bad injuries and some minor ones. She handled one of the minor ones with me and a doctor, it wasn’t major but it wasn’t minor. We thought the patient would be okay, they were talking and just needed a minor surgery to set a few things. Next thing we knew the patient had a heart attack.”

Moriah gasped. “Oh no. That’s awful.”

“Definitely. It happened so quick, we couldn’t get em back. The doctor told her to go home, that was her first but she fought him. I told her to go home, me and her fought for about two hours before I just let her have it but kept watch.”

“Soooo?” She asked.

Toni pinched her arm. “Impatient. A couple weeks passed and she was okay but I could tell something was bothering her so I pulled her to talk, she assured me that she was seeing a therapist so I let it go.” She paused to clear her throat and fight back tears. “She missed two shifts without calling in so I went to check on her since I had her spare key. I found her, I thought she was sleeping but she was so cold. There was a letter, she couldn’t get that night out of her head and she wished she’d taken time to deal with it.”

Moriah poked out her lip as tears fell. “I’m sorry, T. That’s … I’m sorry.”

The friends sat in an embrace, crying on each other's shoulders expelling their grief onto one another. Time would heal their wounds but in this moment Toni knew what an extra day would do for Moriah. It would be a lie for Moriah to say that she wasn’t still reliving the day’s events in her head over and over especially when it got too quiet but she didn’t want to be weak. She wanted to be strong like everybody thought she was.

Pulling away from the hug, Toni used her thumbs to wipe her friend’s tears away. “Rye, please take another day.”

“Okay, okay,” she conceded softly. “I’ll stay out tomorrow.”

“Good because I was gonna have to undo your PTO and that’s too much work.” Toni joked, making them laugh.

Being in Atlanta put a big smile on Moriah’s face the closer they got to Hassan’s house. Zilla let her sleep after her Friday shift to nap before their 3 am drive. He chose that so she would sleep most, if not all of the drive because he wanted to surprise her. She slept until the last thirty minutes, when she got her bearings Zilla saw that sparkle in her eyes again. He laughed seeing her bounce giddily in the passenger seat.

“You ain’t ever been this excited to see me, Fat.” He joked. “What I gotta do to get you that excited for me?”

She laughed, moving her attention from out the window to him. “Be my Daddy.”

“Shid, I’m already that, ain’t it?”

“Shut up,” she laughed harder, “Be Hassan DeBreaux and you knew that.”

He shrugged playfully. “Either way. You like your surprise?”

“I do. Thank you. How’d you know I been missing my Daddy?”

He snorted. “You always miss him, it ain’t a secret. You my Fat but you a Daddy’s girl before that. And I got you always but I figured having both of us would help you more.”

Moriah poked his cheek playfully. “My Zilla being sweet. I love you.”

“Only fa you, Fat. Zilla luh you too.”

When they got to the house, Moriah jumped out of the car and ran to the porch ringing the doorbell repeatedly. Zilla hung back a bit, getting their bags and her purse out of the backseat. As soos as Hassan opened the door, Moriah jumped into his arms excitedly squealing.

“Babygirl,” Hassan laughed as he held onto her, “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Neither did I. Zay surprised me. I missed you!” She squeezed him tight one more time before he put her down. “Did you miss me?”

“I always miss my babygirl and my son in law.”

“I said me, not hard head, Daddy.”

Zilla stepped on the porch, knocking into her playfully with his duffle bag. “I shoulda let you carry ya own stuff.”

“He’s my Daddy not yours, hard head.”

Hassan chuckled, stepping in before they could argue. He took Moriah’s bag from him. “Alright, alright. You know my babygirl is an only child so sometimes she doesn’t like to share, Zilla.”

“Oh I know she don’t know how to share. She don’t share food, drinks or me.” He laughed, stepping into the house behind her. “So I know she ain’t gon share you.”

Hassan and Zilla sat their bags near the stairs then went to the living room to sit, Moriah pushing her boyfriend out of the way when he tried to sit beside Hassan. Laughing, he went to sit in the love seat.

“Be nice, Rye, Zilla, you can come sit on the other side of me if you want.”

“Nah, I’m good. She gon beat me up later if I do,” he joked. “You need to talk to her about keepin her hands to herself and about bein mean to me.”

Moriah stared at him. “I’m no mean to you. Take it back.”

“See,” Zilla laughed. “Look at how she lookin at me. When you not lookin, she gon hit me, mane.”

“I’ll just hit you now then.” She sassed, reaching over.

He swatted her hands away laughing. “You can’t reach me anyway with them short ass arms. Stay over there, stubby.”

“Daddy! He called me stubby, get him.” She complained pointing at her boyfriend.

Hassan laughed, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He sat back, responding to a few messages. “Is this what the two of you put Lee through? I’m not playing referee, I will call Lee on you.”

“Dang you gon do us like that?” Zilla asked.

“Right. Just gon get us in trouble like that.” Moriah pouted. “That’s not nice.”

Looking up from his phone, Hassan looked between them chuckling to himself. “This is why I’m not playin referee with you. I say one thing you yall turn on me. Did yall surprise me to argue or did you just come to see me?”

Zilla glanced at his girlfriend then got up from his seat. “Ima take our stuff upstairs and check on Mama. Let yall talk.” He kissed her head before leaving the room, not giving her a chance to pull him back.

Sitting his phone aside, Hassan gave his daughter his undivided attention, noticing the tears in her eyes. His mind immediately went to the worst but he silently talked himself down. The tick tacking of Moriah’s nails hitting one another filled the momentary silence until Hassan reached out to take one of her hands.

“Hey, whatever is going on you know you can talk to me about it, kid.” He softly reassured her.

“You remember that surgery I helped out with?”

“The little girl, of course I remember. What about it?”

She took a deep breath to try to calm herself down. “She came back in a few days ago with complications. Did another surgery to fix it but,” she paused to wipe her face and take more breaths. “She didn’t make it, Daddy.”

With no hesitation, Hassan pulled his daughter closer and into his arms. He rocked her, letting her cry on his chest. The thought obviously crossed his mind that this would happen eventually and he wished there was some way he could prevent it from happening but he couldn’t. But he would always be there to catch her.

He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back soothingly. “Daddy is sorry that you have to deal with this. You know you did everything that you could to help her and the rest of it was in the Lord’s hands. He needed another angel. Just know she isn’t in any pain anymore.”

She nodded, finding solace in his arms. “She was so little. I just hate that we couldn’t save her.”

“The Lord saved her. He got her, kid. And think about this,” he paused to lean her back so she was looking at him. “She’s up there keeping Angel company. I’m sure he’s a little ladies man.”

Moriah laughed, wiping her face. “He better not be. He better be a good little angel.”

“Mmm, I know my grandson handsome like me so I dunno.” He joked.

She blew playfully sitting up a bit more. “Daddy, you just like Zay. He said the same thing. How’s my stepmom?”

“Stepmom?” He chuckled. “Tamara is alright. She asks about you all the time.”

“Give her my number, I don’t mind. Am I gonna get to see her while I’m here?”

He nodded, taking his phone back out. “I’ll send it to her. Yeah, I’m actually supposed to meet her kids tomorrow. You know she met your grandparents and auntie and everybody.”

“Yeah, you know Grandma called and told me about it. Sooo,” she drug out smiling. “Can me and Zay go too?”

“You don’t have to ask, you’re welcome anywhere I am.” He sat back against the sofa, stroking his beard. “Have you spoken to your mama?”

“Nope,” she answered quickly. “And I’m okay with that.”

“If it’s making you happier and causing less problems between you and Zay then I support it. I know dealin with her ain’t easy.”

“It’s not and with all the problems she’s already caused, I don’t need anymore, Daddy. I don’t want anymore.”

That evening after dinner, Hassan stepped out for a little while to visit Tamara leaving Moriah and Zilla alone. The couple made a pallet on the floor in the den, eating their dessert and watching a movie.

“You got the same ice cream that I got. Stay out my bowl, girl.”

Moriah reached her spoon back in his bowl. “But yours tastes better.”

“How?”

She shrugged, eating the ice cream she took from him. “Cause it’s yours. I like anything you have.”

He leaned over to kiss her, when he pulled away he noticed her spoon in his bowl. “Fat,” he laughed, “Mane, just take it. Here.”

Giggling, she took his bowl and gave him hers. He looked at her bowl then back up at her and shook his head. “You lucky I love yo ass,”

“Very lucky.” She winked. “Sometimes I think about what life would be like if you didn’t go to prison.” He nodded for her to go on. “And sometimes I think that we would have Angel and be happy still but sometimes … I think about it and I don’t know if we would be this happy.”

“I’m right there witchu. Sometimes I wanna think that we’d be happy, me, you and Angel and maybe another one but then … then I don’t think so. I’m like aight it’s two this would go.”

“Which are what?”

“One way is that I kept at that bad shit and you wouldn’t stick around. I know you woulda got tired of the constant trouble especially knowin we was havin a son. You wouldn’t want him to have me in and out his life with that trouble. It would drive us apart.” He shrugged quickly eating another spoon of ice cream. “The other way is that you would stay even though you know you should leave and you would accept all the shit I did and give up on what you wanted in life because you gotta raise Angel and step up while I was in and out. Angel would see that and think it was okay and wanna be just like me. And even though we’d still be together, you wouldn’t be you anymore. Either option, I lose you, you lose me and we lose each other.”

Serious conversations for Moriah and Zilla didn’t happen as often as other couples but when they did, each of them spoke openly and honestly. Moriah liked that he had grown to a point where he could put his thoughts into words without being flustered or embarrassed. Coming from where they came from as children, both of them had made much progress in sharing their feelings and thoughts.

“I … yeah, you’re right. It sounds kinda fucked up but you getting locked and us losing Angel was probably the best thing for us.” She admitted softly, sitting her bowl aside.

He thought it over for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, Fat, I think so too. I know I wouldn’t have changed if I was in and out, all that time gave me time to get myself together. I hate that I had to learn that away from everybody I loved but it needed to happen. You also needed me away so you could go to school and all that. You wouldn’t have went off to school if I was out.”

She chuckled a bit. “I would’ve made you come with me. Daddy would’ve gotten me an apartment or something so you could stay.”

He laughed loudly at that. “Ya spoiled ass. But that’s exactly why I ain’t need to be around. If I woulda went witchu your ass wouldnt’a graduated, Fat. I woulda known that from jump but I still woulda went if you asked me too.” He admitted lookin gin her eyes. “When you wanted to run away when we was like 12, I was packed and ready.”

“I remember that. But why would you do all that? Especially knowing it wouldn’t be a good ending.” She asked, tucking her legs under her.

He ate his last bit of ice cream so he could sit the bowl aside and give the rest of the small part of his attention that she didn’t have to her. “Fat, Ion think you understand how much I loved you back then or how much I love you now,” he admitted caressing her cheek. “I’a do anything you asked me to do if it made you happy or made you feel better. Nobody else, just you.”

Biting her lip, she tilted her head eyeing him with love in her eyes. Obviously she knows that Zilla loves her and she knows how much he loves her but hearing it from him warmed her heart. It gave her butterflies every single time.

“Kinda dangerous. No?” She asked teasingly to which he shrugged. “And what would Dr. Barnes say about that?”

“Don’t know but I’a ask em for you next session.” He laughed, leaning to kiss her cheek, “You talked to your mom?”

Moriah stared at him, “Hell no. You know I have clear boundaries and I’m no contact with her.”

“Just askin, Fat. You miss her?”

“I mean yeah, she’s my mom. It feels like I’m grieving for her but she’s still alive.” She huffed. “Are you mad at me for missing her?”

He shook his head. “Nah, Zilla wouldn’t be mad about that. The only thing that would make me mad is if you let her back in our lives without talking to me. I don’t want her back but everybody deserves a chance if they do the work.”

Moriah smiled wide at him, “Ooooh that therapy is working, Isayah! Listen to you. I’m so proud of you.”

He laughed, pushing her hands away from his face. “Chill. Dr. Barnes gon be happy to hear that though.”

“We gotta get him a gift or something,” she suggested excitedly.

Zilla stared at his girlfriend, happy to see her back to herself. Even if it’s for just this moment. No matter what happened, Moriah always had a giving heart. Zilla both loved and hated it because he didn’t want anyone to try to take advantage of her heart. But if it happened, he would take care of it.

“So uh at my last session, Dr. Barne gave me a list of like 4 fertility specialists we can pick from to go see. Or we can see em all. I mean if you want to, it’s all up to you.” He watched her shoulders slump slightly at the mention and a slight frown take over her smile. “Fat, we don’t gotta talk about it. My bad for bringin it up.”

She shook her head quickly. “No, no, I’m okay. It just caught me off guard. We can do that, Zay.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” she whispered, “I’m just a little scared that they can’t help us and if they can’t help us, I don’t wanna disappoint you and your family.”

It was his turn to frown. “Baby, hell nah. You ain’t gon disappoint me or our family. Don’t think none of that negative shit. Whatever happens we gon keep tryin till you wanna stop. Aight?” He waited for her to nod before he cracked a smile. “Somethin else I gotta tell you that me and Dr. Barnes talked about.”

“You know you can tell me whatever, babe.”

“I know it’s just … ion want you to take the shit the wrong way, aight? It ain’t nothing you did.” At his words, she frowned but told him to go on. “You know how you mentioned before that since we got rid of the condoms that we don’t have sex as much as we used to?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“I know I told you its cause I’m tired with everything starting to pick up for me but that ain’t it. And it ain’t that ion want to cause I do,” he admitted looking into her eyes, “I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

He huffed, trying to get his words together without upsetting her. “Whenever we’re goin to or I think about it my shit just don’t work. It won’t get up.”

“So you’re turned off by me now?” She asked scooting away from him, slapping his hand away from her when he tried to pull her back. “Don’t touch me, Zay and answer me.”

“I ain’t turned off by you, Fat. I still think you beautiful, pretty, fine as fuck all that but when I think about not needing a condom and what your mama did, I get mad and it ruins everything. It’s not you, it’s what she did, Fat.”

On the verge of tears, Moriah thought back to all the moments where they were going to have sex or she planned on them having sex and he was either tired, always sleeping or came home after she was already sleeping. But then she thought of those moments where they would randomly have sex and that gave her pause.

“So what about in your backseat, on the sofa those few times and all the others?”

“I can explain that, Fat. You was catching me off guard getting mad as shit about stuff and my brian overlooked the other shit,” he spit out quickly. “Ima tell you like I told Dr. Barnes, that shit sound toxic as hell but you bein mad did some shit to me. Ion know. It was enough for my mind to blank that other shit out.”

She scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. “So me being mad turned you on but just me being me doesn’t?”

“Nah, nah, nah. That ain’t what I said. I’m tellin you that them times I wasn’t expectin you to get that mad so I didn’t have time to think about shit else but fuckin you. Them other times I knew what to expect so it gave my mind time to think about way too much. It ain’t you, Fat. I swear it ain’t. If it was you, I wouldn’t get up at all no matter what.”

“So you tellin me if I grabbed your dick right now, it won’t get hard?” She asked, squinting at him.

Feeling the anger radiated off of her, Zilla knew what would happen as soon as she touched him. Knowing that she was upset, what Nadine had done was far from his mind at the moment. If he was being honest with himself, she probably ain’t have to touch him for the shit to happen.

“If you grabbed my dick right now, it would get hard cause you pissed and I can see that shit. My brain short circuited like a muhfucker, Fat, knowing you pissed.” He admitted shamelessly. Seeing her eyes move from his face to his lap, told him she noticed it. “See? I told you, bae. I’m attracted you, the blood just don’t leave my head fast enough when you ain’t pissed.”

Blowing loudly, Moriah moved her stare to the ceiling for a moment then back to him. “Are you serious right now? I’ve been pissed all those other times and I’m pissed right now and all you can think about is fucking me? Seriously?”

He stared at her trying to concentrate. He heard every word she said but he couldn’t formulate a response. Feeling her push his shoulder, he shook his head trying once again to focus.

“Yeah, bae?”

“I’m talking to you! Stop thinkin about whatever you’re thinkin about and focus. Cause there is no way I’m fuckin you right now.” She fussed poking him in his chest. “You got some nerve!”

“Baby, shit,” he complained softly as he pulled her into his lap grinding himself into her, “I promise I hear you but I got just enough blood in this head up here to convince you to change your mind.” Staring at her for a moment, Zilla licked his lips noticing the flare in her nostrils and the fire in her eyes. He kissed her lips a few times then moved to her neck, still grinding against her.

“Zay … Zay,” she mumbled out, trying to push at his shoulders, “I’m still pissed at you and I wanna talk about this. I wanna talk about this right now.”

He bit down on her neck then pulled away to look at her. “And you know how to multi-task, Fat. So ride this dick and tell Zilla all your thoughts. Aight, beautiful?”

She moaned softly. “But I dunno when my daddy is gonna be back. I don’t want him to catch us.”

He kissed her lips again before standing with her in his arms. “Ain’t no problem, Fat. Zilla got you.”

A few hours later, Zilla had the overwhelming urge to pee so he carefully slid Moriah off his chest and onto his pillow then out of the bed. After taking care of his business, he pulled on his briefs and shirts to go downstairs for something to drink. Getting downstairs he found Hassan sitting at the island on his laptop with his back to him, bobbing his head to the music coming out of it.

“Rye was right, you do slide your feet when you walk.” Hassan spoke without turning around, making Zilla laugh a bit.

“Can’t help it,” he shrugged, grabbing a water from the fridge. “What you doin up this late?”

Hassan looked at the time on his screen. “It’s only 1am. I’m usually up this late when I’m workin on something. Surprised she let you get up, sleeping next to her is like sleeping with velcro.”

He took a long swig then laughed. “I learned how to maneuver her so now she don’t notice when I get up.”

“Smart man,” Hassan smiled and offered Zilla a seat next to him. “You and her didn’t fight anymore after I left, did you?”

“Nah, no fightin. We just talked. Why you ask?”

“I kept getting notifications about movement from my camera in the den. Since it wasn't a fight,” He slid his phone over, “Go to the blink app and delete whatever videos. I don’t wanna know. My phone password is Rye birthday.”

Zilla laughed doing what he was asked. “It wasn’t nothin bad, not all of it. We really was just talkin, you prolly don’t wanna hear the last part though.”

Hassan glanced at him with a smile on his face. “Didn’t I say I don’t wanna know? Just delete, son.”

“My bad, my bad.” He laughed as he deleted videos. “This is goin way better with you than it did that night Nadine was in the kitchen when I went downstairs.”

“Oh yeah? What happened?” He asked going back to his work on his computer.

Zilla finished deleting the last few videos before answering. “She was cryin, said she had just had a argument with you. She asked if me and Fat argued and if I put my hands on her, tryna like say that you did that to her. I know she was lyin.”

“She was but go on.”

“And then she offered to pay me to break up with Fat. Told me to name my price.”

“I wanna say that I’m surprised but I ain’t. I can assure you that this is not gonna go anything like that.”

“Shit, I know,” he admitted bringing his bottle back to his lips, “I was talkin to Auntie Kami the other day and asked her about Nadine, ya know about her being quiet and shit. She said you had takin the heat off us and to ask you what that meant.”

Hassan asked him to give him a few minutes to finish what he was working on. The younger man sat quietly watching the older man finish whatever design on his computer while he waited. When it was done Hassan saved his project then turned his attention to his guest.

“A little bit after the whole fall out I sent Gabi to see Nadine to check her temperature a little. And let me tell you, son, that shit was high as hell on yall so she did what I asked her to do.” He explained. “She informed Nadine about my relationship with Tam so the temp she had with you two turned to me and Tam. Nadine was hot, you hear me?”

“Damn. That’s all it took?”

“Nah, there was more. She called me like I knew she would to confirm what Gabi said and I did, that set her off even more. And after that it ended up working out that Tamara wanted to meet Didi.” He paused to make sure Zilla was following him. “We went to meet her. She wasn’t happy but it ended with her thinking she has the upper hand and that’s what I want her to think. As long as she’s focused on me and what I’m doing, you and Rye don’t have anything to worry about.”

Zilla whistled lowly. “Damn. That … you sure you gon be able to handle the shit she do?”

Hassan waved him off. “I’ve known Didi for well over 20 years, I know all of her moves before she make them. She think in charge of all of this but I’m just stringing her along.”

“I appreciate you doin that for us. I’m also sorry that you have to deal with her. I know that ain’t easy.”

“Difference between me and Rye is I ain’t Didi kid. I don’t feel obligated to do anything for her or listen to her.” He shrugged. “I talk to her enough to keep her attention over here and that’s it.”

The men moved their talk to the living room. They went back and forth trading work stories for another half an hour.

“When you found out Fat was pregnant were you mad?”

“A little but me and Lee already saw it coming. We noticed the time you and Rye spent together and how it went from being friends to something else.” Hassan replied. “You think we didn’t know about the locked doors and what you two were doing on the sofa?”

Zilla rubbed down his face, laughing. “In our defense, we wasn’t doin nothin most of that time. My mama said the same thing though.I’m sorry about all that though.”

“Sorry about what?”

“Getting Fat pregnant that young. We shouldn’t have been doin none’a that.”

Hassan shrugged. “You don’t need to apologize about that, Zilla. Yall were young but you were still human. Like I said, we knew it was coming and mistakes happen.”

“It’s so crazy to me how you so cool about shit and so easy to talk to yet Nadine in … that.”

He shrugged. “She wasn’t always the way she is now. Or I suppose it was always in her but she made an effort to put her best foot forward all those years.Back to happier things, what’s next for you and Rye?”

“I been lookin for a realtor. Wanna find some houses to look at. Nothin big but like a townhouse, we outgrew that apartment already, mane.”

“Tam is a realtor, if she can’t help you then I’m sure she can find you someone who can.”

“Yeah definitely, I suck at tryna find one. Fat think you gon get married again.” He shared softly. “She mention it a lot.”

“My sister thinks so too. It’s still a little early to go ring shopping but I know I’d like to have her around for a long while.”

“I hear that. I get it.”

“But not too early for you to go ring shopping,” Hassan smiled.

Zilla laughed. “Every time we talk you bring that up. You dyin for us to get married?”

“Just wondering why you putin off the inevitable is all. Everybody know it’s comin. You scared?”

“I mean nah … I wouldn’t call it scared.”

“Nervous then?”

Zilla nodded, rubbing his hand over the top of his head. “Yeah that sound about right.”

“Nervous that gettin married is gonna change things or nervous that you’re gonna mess it up?”

“Both but more of the second one.” He admitted.

“Marriage is gonna change things but for the better, no need to be nervous about that. It is a big commitment but the two of you can handle it. Look at how well you’re doin now?” Hassan gave him an encouraging pat on the back. “And you not gon mess it up. Neither of you is perfect but as long as you try and your honest, you have nothing to worry about. You’re a good guy, don’t let anybody tell you any different. You hear me?” Zilla nodded letting the words digest. “Good. Go on and get you some sleep. We can talk more tomorrow.”

“Aight, Po…Hassan. Good night.”

Hassan ignored the slip, letting him continue on. He knew they would talk about it soon enough. Hassan got up to shut everything down before following Zilla upstairs to turn in for the night as well.

Finally time for the meet up, Hassan drove them to Tamara’s house. He noticed the two extra cars in her driveway, taking note that her kids were already there. He shot her a quick text after parking.

“No need to be anything other than yourselves, kids. She knows all about you two and I’m sure she’s told her kids about you. They’re around your ages so yall should get along.” He told them making sure he had all of his things before he got out. “But … no fighting. Keep your hands to yourself if they’re not nice touches and no arguing. Got it, kiddos?”

“That’s him always starting with me, Daddy. Tell him.” Moriah pouted in the backseat.

Zilla sucked his teeth. “Sound like you the one startin. All you had to do was say aight like I was bout to.”

Hassan held his hand up silencing them. “Cut it or I will personally fly Lee out here to get yall together. We clear?”

“Crystal,” the couple mumbled.

Moriah and Zilla followed Hassan to the porch, quietly pushing each other and arguing thinking he couldn’t hear them but he just ignored them laughing to himself. While he waited for Tamara to answer the door, he turned around to give the two of them one last look. When she opened the door, she had a big smile on her face and pulled Hassan into a tight hug, kissing his cheek until they heard kissing sounds coming from behind Hassan. They pulled away laughing.

“You remember my daughter, Moriah and this is my son in law, Isayah but we all call him Zilla. Zilla, this is my lady, Tamara.”

Moriah pushed Zilla out of the way to hug her. “Me first. Hey, Tamara. You look pretty and this house is nice.”

Tamara laughed and thanked her. “You look pretty too. Nice to meet you, Zilla. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Zilla thumped Moriah’s ear to get her out of the way and hugged Tamara. “Nice to meet you too, ma’am. Ignore fat head over there.”

Hassan stopped Moriah before she could hit him and made them follow Tamara inside the house. She led them to her den where her kids were doing some bickering of their own. Discreetly she tried to stop them until she realized they weren’t listening so she popped both of them making them hiss.

“Ow, aye, what you hit me for? She started it, Ma.”

Tamara stared at her son. “Don’t care, I finished it. Our guests are here.”

“So act right, ugly.”

Tamara snapped her fingers stopping them once more. “Hassan, these are my kids Brayden and Sade. Sade and Brayden, this is my boyfriend, Hassan. And that’s his daughter, Moriah and his son in law, Zilla.”

The kids waved at each other.

Hassan smiled. “Nice to meet you two. Your mom talks about you all the time.”

“This ya man, Mama? I like em cause yo been nicer since you been datin him. What’s up, man?” Brayden shrugged his mom’s glare off. Ain’t she been nicer, Sade?”

Sade had zoned out for a moment staring at Moriah and Moriah stared back. “What? Oh yeah, she has.”

“Anyway, San, come help me get the snacks form the kitchen and leave these four to talk junk about us.” Tamara suggested.

He nodded. “Lead the way. Yall have a seat and get comfortable.”

After sitting down, Zilla noticed Moriah and Sade kept staring at each other and he made eye contact with Brayden who also noticed. Both tried unsuccessfully to get their attention, left feeling confused.

“You look real familiar,” Moriah admitted.

Sade nodded. “Yeah, you do too. I swear I know you from somewhere. Uuuh you went to school in Dekalb county?”

Moriah shook her head. “Nope. You ever lived in Houston?”

“Nah, never lived there.”

“You were on a dance team when you were younger? One that traveled.”

“Nope. Never had the time.”

Not being able to figure out where they knew each other from was frustrating each o fhte young women and confusing the men.

Brayden cut in after thinking for a second. “You was in Houston for a minute until they caught ya lil ass. You probably don’t remember cause Mama whooped ya ass when you got back here.”

Sade jumped at him. “Shut up. I do remember that but I don’t think that’s it.”

“You look like this girl I met, Dreka, I met when I went to juvie in Houston.”

Zilla sucked his teeth. “You sayin that like you did hard time in there. You was in there one day and Hassan picked you up the next morning.”

“Either way I went. Shut up.”

“Wait .. wait,” Sade called out snapping her fingers, “You are who I thought you were, girl! I used to go by middle name back then, it’s Shaundreka. You was the girl I had helped that night!”

“Yes, that was you that helped me! Oh my God! I was waiting on you to call me when you got out,” Moriah laughed. “Zay made fun of me cause I was sad.”

“Oh she ain’t call cause my mama ain’t let her ass do shit when she got back to Georgia. She was lucky my mama let her take her ass to school.” Brayden laughed. “Thought she was bad till my mama put that belt to her ass.”

Sade scrunched her face at him and rolled her eyes. “Oh shut up before I tell her that it was you that smashed her window and not that neighbor boy.”

“Awwe ya lil juvie friend back, Fat. That’s cute.” Zilla taunted laughing.

“Forget them. Let’s go in the other room and talk away from them. They just jealous.” Sade suggested getting up from the sofa. “And don’t try to follow us either, uglies.”

Brayden laughed out loud. “What yall gon be some runaways again? This time don’t tell nobody where you goin so Mama don’t catch you again!”

“Is that the one you got put in juvie for?” Sade asked as they were leaving the room.

“Mmhm, that’s him. Mistakes were made,”’ she said loud enough for him to hear.

“Love you too, Fat!” He yelled out still laughing.

In the kitchen, Hassan and Tamara were laughing softly with one another happy that all four were getting along. They weren’t exactly worried about it but they knew there was a slim chance that they could bump heads.

#aao #zilla fatu #Zilla & Moriah #the bloodline #the Samoan dynasty

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