KAELIX MCGILL North Carolina

Kaelix watched Sariyah pace around the large penthouse, her bare feet padding softly against the hardwood floors. She held up one of the million paintings she'd ordered off Amazon with his card, her head tilting slightly as she looked at the wall.

"Okay, but don't you think it would look best right here?" she asked, holding up the canvas with shaky arms.

"Yeah, it looks good there too," Kaelix mumbled, barely looking up from the instructions for assembling the desk she'd made him buy. His tone was laced with half-hearted agreement, but he was more focused on figuring out which screws went where.

Sariyah glanced over her shoulder, her eyebrows raising at his lack of enthusiasm. "You didn't even look."

"I'm lookin' now," Kaelix said, glancing up briefly. His gaze skimmed over the painting before settling back on the mess of screws and tools in front of him. "Yeah, it looks good."

Sariyah narrowed her eyes, walking over to stand in front of him. She leaned down, blocking his view of the instructions. "Kaelix."

"What?" He leaned back slightly, smiling up at her.

"You don't care where I put it, do you?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Kaelix shrugged, tossing the screwdriver onto the floor. "Not really, but I know you do. So wherever you want it, that's where it'll look best."

"You're so annoying" she rolled her eyes playfully, before he pulled her into hug having his hands on her lower back.

"And you're expensive as hell," he shot back, pointing toward the stack of unopened Amazon boxes piled in the corner.

"Excuse me?" Sariyah gasped, mock-offended. "Last I checked, you were the one who said, and I quote, 'Get whatever you want.' So, really, this is your fault."

Kaelix chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, alright. I ain't complaining."

"You better not be," he didn't respond in words but decided to kiss her instead.

Kaelix pulled back from the kiss, his hand resting lightly on Sariyah's waist. She smirked, brushing him off with a playful shove. "You can't just kiss me to win an argument, you know."

"I just did," he said, grinning as he reached for the screwdriver again.

Sariyah shook her head, walking toward the kitchen island where her phone buzzed with a notification. It was Kaelix's mom, asking for pictures of the new place.

"Your mom's been blowing up my phone," she said, scrolling through the messages. "I think she's more excited about this apartment than we are."

Kaelix chuckled, not looking up from the desk he was assembling. "I bet she is"

"I'm about to send her pictures," Sariyah said as she took pictures of the living room. "She's probably gonna want us over for dinner again."

Kaelix sighed, leaning back to inspect his progress. "Yeah, we can't keep avoiding her. Malik been saying she think we ghostin' her."

—

Later that evening after the two got tired of fixing things in the apartment, they decided to get food and go over to Kaelix's mother house.

It had been a month since the cookout and two weeks since they moved out. Those whole two weeks they had been so focused on getting the place together that they hadn't been over to his mom's house much.

Plus Kaelix just didn't feel like being nice to Trey now since he wasn't living in his home anymore.

Kaelix was currently sitting on the couch with Malik watching an ongoing basketball game. While Sariyah was helping his mom out in the kitchen and talking about the pictures that she had sent her.

The atmosphere was quiet, since Dede was upstairs sleeping. It made the house seem unusually peaceful.

"Look at this! See how Curry just pulled up like that? That's game right there, KJ. You ain't got that kinda range," Malik said.

Kaelix scoffed, tossing a pillow at him. "Man, don't ever disrespect me like that. Winning against you or curry ain't no probably."

"Yeah, aight," Malik shot back, laughing.

Meanwhile, Sariyah was in the kitchen, helping Kaelix's mom prep dinner. The two women stood shoulder to shoulder, his mother cooking while Sariyah just watched.

"Your place looks real nice in those pictures," his mom said, glancing at Sariyah. "You got a good eye for decorating."

"Thank you," Sariyah replied, smiling. "Kaelix likes to take all the credit, but he ain't pick out not one thing."

Kaelix's mom chuckled. "Sounds about right."

The house felt unusually calm with Dede upstairs asleep, and for a moment, everything seemed perfect.

That was until the door swung open, and Trey walked in, carrying a six-pack in one hand. He let the door slam shut behind him, making Malik glance up from the game.

"What's good?" Trey said, his eyes scanning the room.

Kaelix didn't bother to respond, keeping his focus on the screen. Malik gave a half-hearted nod, muttering something under his breath.

Trey set the beer on the counter and grabbed one, popping it open before looking toward the kitchen. "You in here putting her to work already, huh?" he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he nodded toward Sariyah.

Kaelix's mom glanced at him, her expression flat. "Trey, leave them alone."

"I ain't messing with nobody Brenda," Trey said, leaning against the counter. "Just calling it how I see it."

"Glad you got her in here doing something"

Kaelix's jaw tightened at Trey's comment "yo, what you say?"

"You heard what I said. Your little friend don't do nothing but eat and stay in my house—"

"Aye nigga watch yo mouth." At this moment he felt he needed to crash out. He had been holding his tounge long enough.

"I ain't watching shit" Trey spat back holding a half empty bear that he had just opened. "Yall should've pulled some weight when yall stayed here if you ain't want me to run my mouth"

"Bitch, watch who you talking to nigga" his tone was laced with anger. He stood up and as soon as he did so did Malik.

Trey didn't flinch. Instead, he leaned back against the counter, taking a lazy sip of his beer before smirking. "You heard me. Y'all was freeloadin', eatin' up food, and now you got the nerve to act like you run somethin'?"

Malik laughed dryly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Man, you don't even do shit but drink beer and sit on your ass. Talkin' like you a whole provider or somethin'."

Trey's smirk dropped, his expression hardening as he pointed his beer bottle toward Malik. "Watch your mouth, lil' man."

"Or what?" Malik shot back, his chest puffing out slightly. "You gon' do somethin'?"

Kaelix's mom appeared in the doorway, her face a mix of frustration and exhaustion. "Trey, that's enough," she said firmly, stepping into the living room.

Sariyah stood silently beside Kaelix before she touched the side of his hip softly. Trying to calm him down in her own way "it's okay Kaelix, come on—"

"Nah, Brenda, your sons think they can just come in here and talk to me any kind of way," Trey snapped, his voice rising.

"And you think you can talk crazy to my family like that?" Kaelix fired back, his tone cold. He ignored Sariyah who was beside him. His anger really wasn't allowing him to calm down right now.

"you lucky I ain't beat your ass already. Thank ma for that shit"

Trey barked out a laugh, stepping away from the counter and facing Kaelix fully. "Boy, please. You ain't built like that."

Kaelix took a step forward, his fists balled tightly at his sides. "Try me, nigga."

"Kaelix stop" Sariyah stepped up grabbing his arm firmly since the softness she tried to use before only made him go harder. "The fuck is wrong with you right now."

"He don't know when to shut the fuck up," Kaelix muttered, his gaze still locked on Trey.

"And you don't know when to let shit slide," Sariyah countered, her tone firm. "We not doin' this. Not here."

Kaelix's mom moved between the two men, her hands raised. "That's enough! Both of you!"

The commotion had drawn the attention of a neighbor, who appeared on the porch, peering through the screen door. "Everything alright in here?" they called out cautiously.

Trey's gaze flicked toward the door, his smirk returning. "Yeah, we good. Just a lil' family disagreement."

Kaelix let out a bitter laugh, stepping back slightly. "Bitch we ain't family"

"Kaelix!" his mom scolded, her voice sharp.

Sariyah grabbed Kaelix's arm, her grip firm. "Let's go," she said, her voice low but insistent.

Kaelix hesitated, his chest rising and falling heavily as he stared Trey down one last time. Finally, he turned, muttering under his breath as he stormed toward the door. Sariyah followed closely, throwing an apologetic glance at his mom.

_

Kaelix shoved the door open to their apartment, the sound echoing in the quiet space. Sariyah followed close behind, slamming the door shut with enough force to rattle the frames on the walls. The tension between them was heavy, neither saying a word as they stepped inside.

Kaelix dropped his keys onto the counter, the metallic clink cutting through the silence. He leaned against the edge of the island, running a hand over his face, his earlier rage simmered down to quiet frustration.

Sariyah, on the other hand, was only just getting started. She threw her bag onto the couch, crossing her arms as she glared at him.

"So that's how you handle shit now?" she finally snapped, her voice sharp.

Kaelix didn't respond right away. He tilted his head back, exhaling slowly before looking at her. "You really mad at me right now?"

"Yes, Kaelix. I'm mad," she shot back, her words coming fast and heated. "What you did back there was reckless as hell. You ain't think about nothing."

Kaelix frowned, pushing off the counter to face her. "Man, Trey was outta line. What you wanted me to do? Just stand there and let him talk crazy about you? About us?"

"In any other situation, and if it wasn't the man your mom is in love with, no. But it's Trey. And the police could've been called. We both don't need them coming to look for you or me."

"No one is coming to look for us, Sariyah—"

"And how do you know that, Kaelix?" she quickly cut him off, stepping closer to him. Her voice was firm, almost shaking with frustration. "You can't know that. And what you did tonight could've put a target back on us. What if Trey wants to make a bigger deal outta this just to be petty? What then?"

Kaelix clenched his jaw, shaking his head. "Trey ain't built like that. He all bark, no bite."

"It doesn't matter!" she yelled, throwing her hands up. "What matters is you didn't think. You let your pride take over, and now we gotta sit here hoping this don't blow up in our faces."

Kaelix leaned forward, his tone sharp. "I ain't finna let nobody talk about you like that, Sariyah. I can't just let shit slide when it's about you."

"And I get that," she said, her voice softer but no less intense. "But you gotta know when to keep your cool. You think this was about me? This was about him trying to piss you off, and you played right into his hands."

Kaelix didn't say anything, his chest rising and falling with controlled breaths. Sariyah's words were hitting harder than he wanted to admit.

"You gotta move smarter, Kaelix," she continued, her tone low now. "Not just for me but for yourself. We got something good here. Don't let someone like Trey ruin it."

He rubbed the back of his neck, his head dropping slightly as he leaned against the counter. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't know what's on the line? I'm just..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"Just what?" Sariyah asked, stepping closer.

"I'm just tired of feeling like I gotta prove myself to everybody, every fuckin' day," he said, his voice raw. "I don't want him thinkin' he got one over on me. I'm tired of biting my tongue."

Sariyah softened, her arms dropping to her sides. "Kaelix," she said gently, reaching out to place a hand on his arm. "You don't gotta prove yourself to anybody, especially not Trey. You're already doing everything right. Look at where we are. Look at us."

He glanced at her, his jaw still tight but his eyes softening. "I'm just tryna make sure you're good. That you know I got you."

"I know that," she said, her tone steady. "But me being good means you being good too. And this shit? Letting people like Trey get under your skin? That ain't it."

Kaelix nodded slowly, exhaling deeply. "Aight. You right. I'll chill next time."

Sariyah smirked faintly, stepping closer and resting her hand on his chest. "You better. 'Cause I'm the one that gotta bail you out if you end up in cuffs."

Kaelix chuckled, the tension in his body finally easing. "I'm good, ma. I promise."

"Mhm" she mumbled as he stepped closer to her.

"You know I love you right?"

"I would hope so"

Kaelix let out a small laugh, his hand moving to rest lightly on Sariyah's waist. He pulled her closer, his voice soft as he said, "I'm serious, though. You mean everything to me"

"I love you too Kaelix"

__

What do yall think about chapter 13?

Thoughts on Kaelix and Sariyah?

Thoughts on the book so far?