SARIYAH MARTIN Atlanta, ga

"You really think you can run from me?" The man pressed the gun to Sariyah's head. For the first time, she felt fear—real, paralyzing fear.

"I'm sorry, Dre. For everything, really—"

"Shut the fuck up, bitch," he snarled, cutting her off. His voice was sharp, brutal. The roughness in his tone made her stomach twist as she fought to hold back tears.

"You think Kaelix wouldn't mind finding you dead? Maybe his whole family?" He smiled then, a cold, cruel curve of his lips.

"Please, don't."

The gun went off, the deafening sound tearing through the air and jolting her awake.

Sariyah sat bolt upright in bed, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. The room was dark, quiet except for her ragged breathing. She clutched at her chest, trying to slow the rapid thudding of her heart.

Beside her, Kaelix stirred. Usually a deep sleeper, he was quick to notice her movements, his instincts sharp when it came to her.

"Sariyah?" he mumbled, his voice rough with sleep but tinged with concern. He sat up, his hand brushing against her shoulder. "You good?"

Sariyah shook her head slightly, rubbing her palms over her face. "Yeah... yeah, I'm fine," she lied, her voice shaky.

Kaelix blinked, the haze of sleep leaving his eyes as he studied her. "Nah, you ain't fine," he said softly. His hand lingered on her shoulder, his touch warm and steady. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," she said quickly, her tone sharper than she intended.

Kaelix didn't flinch. Instead, he shifted closer, his voice low. "Sariyah. Talk to me."

She sighed, dropping her hands into her lap. "It was just a dream. I'm fine."

Kaelix frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. "The kinda dream that got you sweatin' and lookin' like you just ran from somethin'? Yeah, that don't sound like just a dream."

Sariyah turned her head to look at him, her gaze softening when she saw the concern etched into his face. "I said I'm fine," she repeated, though her voice lacked conviction.

Kaelix hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Aight. But if you wanna talk about it, I'm right here, alright?"

Sariyah didn't respond right away. Her chest still felt tight, the ghost of Dre's voice echoing in her mind. But Kaelix's words—his steady presence—gave her something to hold onto.

"Thanks," she murmured finally.

Kaelix leaned back against the headboard, his arm draped casually over his knee. He didn't push her, didn't pry. Instead, he let the silence settle, giving her the space to breathe.

"You want me to grab you some water or somethin'?" he asked after a moment.

Sariyah shook her head. "No, I'm good. Just... go back to sleep."

Kaelix watched her for a beat longer, his expression unreadable. Then he nodded, lying back down. "Aight," he said softly.

As he settled back into the blankets, Sariyah stayed sitting up, her gaze fixed on the faint light seeping through the blinds. The dream still clung to her, vivid and unrelenting, but Kaelix's quiet reassurance had eased some of the weight pressing down on her chest.

"You ain't gotta deal with everything by yourself, you know?" Kaelix said suddenly, his voice breaking the silence.

Sariyah glanced over at him, surprised by the gentle note in his tone.

"I mean it," he added, his eyes meeting hers in the dim light. "I got you, I promise."

Her lips parted as if to respond, but she closed them again, her thoughts jumbled.

"I know," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kaelix nodded once, turning onto his side. "Come on, go back to sleep," he murmured.

Sariyah laid back down, her back to him, her mind still racing but her body slightly calmer. His words lingered in her head as she closed her eyes, hoping for sleep to come.

-

The morning air felt crisp as Sariyah stepped out of the house, Malik's laughter faintly drifting from the backyard where he and Dede were playing. She zipped up her hoodie, glancing over at Kaelix's mom, who was locking the front door behind her.

"You ready?" his mom asked, holding up her car keys.

"Yeah," Sariyah replied, sliding her hands into her hoodie pockets. She still wasn't sure how she ended up agreeing to this. Grocery shopping wasn't exactly her thing, but Kaelix had been persistent.

"It'll be good for y'all to spend some time together," he'd said with a teasing smirk before practically shoving her out the door. He wanted his mom to know who was staying at her home. He didn't want her to think Sariyah was a stranger, so this was a perfect opportunity for them to spend together at least once.

It also had been three weeks and Sariyah was nervous about going out with her. But she had been in her house long enough to now that eventually she couldn't get out of not going anywhere with her.

It was time for them to bond...

So here she was, sitting in the passenger seat of his mom's car as they pulled out of the driveway.

"So," Kaelix's mom started, her tone casual but sharp enough to catch Sariyah off guard. "How long you planning on sticking around?"

Sariyah blinked, the question cutting through the silence. "Uh... I'm not sure yet."

His mom hummed, her eyes on the road. "Kaelix doesn't bring people around often. Especially not girls. You must be special."

Sariyah laughed softly, glancing out the window. "I think he just likes the company."

"Hmm," his mom said, clearly unconvinced.

The rest of the drive was quiet, save for the faint hum of the radio. When they arrived at the store, the parking lot was already bustling. Sariyah followed Kaelix's mom inside, grabbing a cart as they navigated the aisles.

"So, what do you do?" his mom asked casually, dropping a box of cereal into the cart. This was the second time she had asked this, Sariyah didn't know if she expected a different answer but she wasn't getting a different one.

Sariyah hesitated. "A little bit of everything."

His mom raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. "And what about Kaelix? What's he been doing since he left Atlanta?"

"Staying out of trouble," Sariyah replied smoothly.

"Good." His mom's tone softened slightly. "He's been through enough. Last thing he needs is more trouble following him."

Sariyah didn't respond, focusing instead on the rows of canned goods in front of her. She could feel his mom watching her, though, like she was trying to piece her together.

After a while, they fell into a rhythm—his mom tossing items into the cart while Sariyah pushed it. The tension eased, and by the time they were checking out, his mom seemed more relaxed.

-

Sariyah stood in the bathroom, slicking her hair into a neat bun as the faint, rhythmic sound of a basketball bouncing carried through the window. She knew it was Kaelix and Malik playing their nightly game before bed—something they'd started doing almost every night since they'd been here.

The day had been long but surprisingly pleasant. Spending time with Kaelix's mom at the grocery store had gone smoother than she'd expected.

They'd talked, laughed, and even bonded over baby pictures of Kaelix. Sariyah could still hear the way his mom had chuckled, flipping through the photo album. "He used to be so sweet," she'd said, shaking her head fondly. "Now he just tries to act like a hardhead."

Sariyah smirked at the memory as she adjusted the edges of her bun. Sweet, huh? She doubted that, but the mental image of a young, wide-eyed Kaelix was amusing.

The bouncing basketball outside suddenly stopped, and she heard the back door creak open. A few moments later, the bedroom door swung open, and Kaelix walked in, his fitted white tee clinging to his chest and damp with sweat.

He pulled the shirt over his head, tossing it onto a chair in the corner. "You good?" he asked, his voice low but teasing as he noticed her leaning against the bathroom doorframe, watching him.

"Yeah, I'm good," she replied, crossing her arms. "You?"

Kaelix grabbed a towel from the bed and wiped his face. "Yeah. Malik tried me, though. Lil' man was talkin' crazy out there."

Sariyah laughed softly, leaning her shoulder against the doorframe. "Sound like he was making your ass work."

Kaelix scoffed, shaking his head. "Never that. You know nigga can't guard me. Not even my brother"

Sariyah rolled her eyes, the corners of her mouth twitching into a faint smile. "So what, this the part where you act like you ain't sweating bullets?"

He grinned, draping the towel over his shoulder. "I'm a competitor, Sariyah. Comes with the territory."

"Mm-hmm," she muttered, her gaze drifting over him briefly before she pushed off the doorframe and walked past him toward the bed.

Kaelix watched her move, his brow furrowing slightly as if something had just occurred to him. "Hey," he called after her, his tone shifting to something softer.

Sariyah turned, one eyebrow raised. "What?"

He hesitated for a beat, then said, "You ever think about stayin' here?"

Her expression flickered with surprise. "In North Carolina?"

"Yeah," Kaelix said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "It's been quiet here. Peaceful. Ain't nobody found me yet."

Sariyah tilted her head, studying him. "You serious?"

Kaelix nodded, his fingers absentmindedly toying with the edge of the towel. "Back in Atlanta, I ain't have a reason to spend no money or even think about settlin' down. I was just... there. Alone."

Sariyah's gaze softened. She sat down across from him, her knees brushing his. "You think it's safe here? For real?"

Kaelix shrugged. "So far, yeah. It's going on a month, and ain't nobody come lookin' for me. Feels like I could actually breathe here, you know?"

Sariyah thought about his words, her eyes dropping to her hands. She'd spent so long running, looking over her shoulder, that the idea of staying anywhere felt foreign. But maybe... maybe it could work.

"And I'm not saying we gotta stay with my mom forever. I'm sure we could find a cool lil penthouse or sum" he shrugged.

"You could get used to this, huh?" she said quietly, glancing up at him.

Kaelix smirked faintly. "I think I could. What about you?"

Sariyah hesitated, her fingers brushing over her knee. "I don't know. I mean... it's nice here. Real nice. But..."

"But you still think they'll find us," he finished for her, his voice calm but knowing.

"Yeah," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kaelix leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he met her gaze. "Look, if they do? We deal with it. Together."

Her lips parted, but she didn't know what to say. The certainty in his voice, the way he said "together" like it was a fact, made her chest tighten in a way she wasn't used to.

"Yeah, alright," she said finally, her voice steadying.

Kaelix smiled faintly, leaning back. "Good. 'Cause I ain't tryin' to do this shit without you."

Sariyah rolled her eyes, but there was no hiding the smile tugging at her lips. "You always gotta be so dramatic."

Kaelix shrugged, the smirk on his face widening. "Of course, especially when I'm dealing with you"

She stood, pretending to brush him off. "Go take a shower, bro. You smell like outside." She wrinkled her nose dramatically. Kaelix laughed, standing and grabbing his clean clothes. As he passed her on his way to the bathroom, he paused, his hand brushing lightly against her lower back.

"You know I mean that, right?" he said quietly.

Sariyah tilted her head. "Mean what?"

"That l'm staying... if you are."

She blinked, caught off guard by the softness in his tone. Before she could respond, Kaelix leaned in, pressing his lips gently to hers. The kiss was brief but lingering, his hand settling lightly on her waist.

When he pulled back, his gaze locked with hers, waiting for her reaction. Sariyah, momentarily stunned, gave him a faint smirk to cover up the rush of warmth in her chest.

"Boy, go take that damn shower before I change my mind about staying anywhere with you," she teased.

Kaelix chuckled, shaking his head as he walked away. But the smile on his face didn't fade as he disappeared into the bathroom.

Sariyah stood there, touching her lips briefly, her thoughts a mix of confusion and clarity. For the first time in years, th a of staying somewhere didn't feel so impossible.

-

I know this chapter was lowkey boring guys! 😭

CHECK IN TIME : What do yall think about the characters? Sariyah? Kaelix? His mom? Siblings? Trey?

What do yall think that Sariyah is hiding??