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THIS WAS LONG OVERDUE, Shareef thought to himself from where he sat next to Ayoluwa on the cocoa brown couch positioned by the piano on the first floor of the brownstone she shared with her boyfriend, Joshua.
The walls were decorated with hanging blue footprints resembling a baby's steps and streamers, and above the front door held a banner that read 'Congrats, Ayo and Josh!' Ayoluwa's grandmother Camille held Nasir, the two-month-old, with a grin.
"He's so beautiful," Imani, Ayoluwa's sister, made grabby hands towards Camille from where she was sitting on the hardwood floor near her husband Jamal, "My turn."
"Girl..." Camille warned, her smile still turned towards the baby. Lounging by her sock-covered feet was a black German Shepherd with a periwinkle collar, lazily chewing on a toy, the squeak intermixing with the conversation.
"C'mon grandma," Imani continued the gestures.
"You just gon' have to wait your turn," Camille replied sharply.
"There's enough of him to go around," Ayoluwa chuckled as she propped her elbow on the arm of the couch to rest her hand against her face, "Just let me know when the time hits one. He'll need to eat then."
"How often do you feed him?" Camille inquired.
"Every three hours. I'm up most hours of the night anyway, and that's not even talking about when he wakes Josh and me up crying," Ayoluwa released a yawn towards the end of her sentence, patting her mouth in quick succession.
"I was wondering about that. You do look tired," Jamal commented, and Shareef shot him an annoyed look, "Bro, what is wrong with you?"
"My bad. I'll be quiet," Jamal raised his hands in defense, and Imani shook her head, pushing back her locs before muttering something in patois.
"It's okay," Ayoluwa patted Shareef's knee twice with a sleepy-looking smile, "I am tired, but I've never been happier." Although she had removed her hand, Shareef could still feel the sensation of her warm palm pressed comfortably against his leg, and he had to take a slow but silent breath.
"Motherhood suits you," Camille murmured as she began to rock the child.
At the sight of Ayoluwa's smile, Shareef could feel his heart beat a little faster, his face redden just a tad, and he had to force himself to keep breathing.
When Shareef removed his gaze from where Ayoluwa's hand had been, he raised his eyes to see Imani smirking at him, both eyebrows raised. When their eyes met, Imani nodded her head to the kitchen, indicating that he should follow before rising and walking into the kitchen area.
Shareef paused momentarily, stilling his entire body before rising from the couch and dusting off his sweatshirt, "Imma get some food."
Once Shareef was in close enough proximity to where Imani was behind the marble island, scooping baked mac and cheese onto a paper plate, she spoke without looking up, "So, I guess you being in love with my sister is still a thing."
Shareef's heart dropped to the soles of his feet, and he gripped the counter's edge with both hands to avoid hyperventilating.
"You... You know?" He stammered.
Imani snorted as she moved on to the Swedish meatballs, "Of course I know. You've been mooning over her since before I was pregnant with Lauryn. I'm surprised she hasn't figured it out herself yet."
He didn't know when he had started to fall in love with his best friend, but he learned that he was stuck and had been for a while now.
Her smile was infectious, and she was kind and patient. Oozing at the seams with talent and grace, how could he not fall in love with someone like her?
Shareef felt all of the blood flush from his face, and when Imani finally looked up at him, her haughty face softened a little, "Relax. I'm not going to tell her."
"You're not?" Shareef felt practically choked by the amount of relief he felt.
"No," Imani sighed as she plopped three forkfuls of salad onto the plate, "It would cause more harm than good. She's never going to leave Josh, and Josh is never gonna leave her."
"Never say never," He managed to retort quietly, his gaze now on where he could spot Ayoluwa laughing at something Jamal had said.
"Reef," Imani's tone was firm, and her eyes were now steely with resolve, "I like you a lot. You were there for my sister when I was too dumb to be, so I'm only going to say this once. Ayo loves Josh, and say what you want about Josh, but that car accident changed him. He loves my sister, and only Jah could tear them apart now. Don't get hurt chasing after someone who's already been caught." Imani gently spread Shareef's oversized hands before placing the paper plate onto his palms and walking back into the living room.
Shareef felt a sharp jab in his abdomen, Imani's words cutting him open and exposing his heart like he was being critically examined. With difficulty, he reached over to snatch a plastic fork off the counter, tore off the plastic wrapping, and half-heartedly shoved some salad into his mouth, ignoring the tang of the red and green lettuce.
"Okay, y'all," Imani now stood in the middle of the room to ensure she had everyone's attention, "This is a little tradition that Ayo started. When I was with Lauryn and Miles, she sang this to me twice, and even though she's not pregnant anymore, I wanna return the favor."
"Sister, you've been on my mind, sister, we're two of a kind. So sister, I'm keeping my eye on you," Imani launched into the first verse of Miss Celie's Blues, planting both hands on either side of Ayoluwa's beaming face. Her voice was a tad deeper and richer than Ayoluwa's singing voice, creating a smoky-like tone that matched Camille's speaking voice.
"I'm something, I hope you think that you're something too," The older sister continued to serenade Ayoluwa, throwing one arm around her and letting the younger woman rest her head on her shoulder, their eyes now closed.
As Imani persisted in the song, Shareef couldn't help but refocus on the serenity on Ayoluwa's face. Her eyelids were still fastened shut, and she was slightly rocking to the melody.
Just by looking at her, the wound that Imani's verbiage left began to sew itself up, scab, and then close completely.
This was the woman he loved, and another man be damned, he was going to fight for her.
