Yours Truly ❁ n.k.h

• chapter thirty one •

All that reverberated through the house was the sound of pots and pans and cabinets opening and closing. It was Sunday dinner, and more importantly, Sunday dinner with me, Dinah, Xochitl, and Ricky. We dropped Angel off with Milika for a few days just to get some reprieve from all the tension. It wasn't fair having her in the middle of it and honestly the downtime has been good for us.

Dinah insisted on cooking, and she was driving me a little crazy with the task of being her sous chef. Between her demands and Tamia flowing through the house, I think it's pretty safe to say my attention was split.

"Um, can you find the chili lime for me?" She asked just then, sifting her spatula through the vegetables in the skillet.

Ricky said something in the group chat about craving stir fry so we're having teriyaki.

"Cholula or the seasoning?"

"The seasoning. Uh... the Trader Joe's one."

I combed past small canisters until I found the one she wanted. She mumbled a thank you, throwing her hair over her shoulder before sprinkling some onto the food.

"They should be here within a few minutes, can you turn the music down a bit?"

I wordlessly moved to the aux to lower it a few decibels until it was a steady hum in the house. Then I busied myself with random tasks that she requested of me. I was just finished with sweeping and taking the citrus fruits out of the fridge when the doorbell rang.

The smallest bumble of excitement hit my stomach. I had a feeling the night to come was going to be fun. I smoothed my hands down my joggers and went to open the door.

Instantly, Ricky's voice filled our ears. "Hi, babes!" She sang, prancing through as if she lived here. There was a bottle of Vitacelli in her hand. She kissed Dinah on the cheek before running over to me and engulfing me in a hug.

Xochitl followed behind with a pack of Coronas in hand, directing a sloppy smile towards their girlfriend and hugging Dinah in the process. They plucked a hand through my wife's ends with a teasing smile. "Rough day?"

"Shut up, I didn't get to do it." She laughed, taking the beers from their hand. "We have lemons and limes on the counter. But y'all are cutting them because I'm having wine with Ricky."

"Ooh, teriyaki!" Speak of the devil. The aforementioned woman was hunched over the pot, smiling widely and reaching out for Dinah. "You know I love you, right? Because I really do."

They were exchanging giggles and I love yous as Xochitl sighed. We both playfully rolled our eyes and leaned against the wall.

"What's up, man?"

"Chilling, killing."

They grinned. "Nah, deadass."

"What's up with you?" I smiled, following their gaze again at both of our partners. The two were in a heated discussion about Rihanna and her latest outfits.

"I'm good. She's been talking about this all week, shit was driving me crazy."

"The things we do for love, huh?"

"Yeah. But I love seeing her happy so I don't mind."

I nudged their arm. "Look at you being in love. Y'all fucking corny. Come cut these limes with me real quick." I leaned in towards Dinah as I passed her. "Don't forget the food."