And If... {completed and edited 2024}

And If... You tell me what is going on ?

"Come, you can put these outside. Appetizers on the first table and main plates on the second one." Nǎinai mentioned for us to follow her, what we did.

"Mommy, this morning me and daddy woke up super early and we ran for three hours." RJ started telling me.

"Baby, it's daddy and I. And you really ran for three hours ? Three ? You must be tired."

"No, I'm fine. I'm an athlete, you know." I knew he'll be knocked out super fast tonight though. It was cool because it won't take me long to send him to bed, he'll go by himself.

For the next thirty minutes, we helped Nǎinai with the food and to get the garden ready as more people arrived. By the time everything was ready, I think another hour went by.

"Hey, y'all ! " Richard greeted us.

"Finally ! " I exclaimed, putting my hands on my hips. How was he late at his own party, which was happening at his own house ?

"I'm not here for this, so you can complain to somebody else." He fanned me off.

"I can complain whenever and to whoever I want to, you're not my boss." I replied with attitude. He had a talent to get on my last nerves and super fast, it was insane.

"Not in my house."

"Well--"

"No, no, no ! Not here. RJ can hear y'all." Nǎinai said as her accent came out a little. Richard had Chinese heritage from his mother's side.

"Sorry, Nǚwáng. It won't happen again, we're going to be nice to one another, at least for the rest of the day." He said, calling her Queen in Chinese. She quickly rolled her eyes, then nodded and went about her business.

"You changed your hair ? " He asked, trying to touch it.

Usually I was wearing weaves so I could protect my hair, and it usually was brown or black hair going until the middle of my back and they were straight or wavy. I was sometimes letting my natural hair out, but it wasn't happening too often because my hair was hard to deal with and I didn't have time to struggle with it every day. After we finished college though I died my hair, going from my natural brown color to a blond ombré which was going so well with my kalahari sand skin tone. Right now, my natural hair was out, which was reaching my shoulders, and I had a curly bangs which was making me look five years younger according to my girls.

I slapped his hand away, "yes."

"You look--"

"Please, shut up. I don't even want to hear it." I cut him off, knowing he was going to get me angry. Anything he was doing was getting on my nerves.

He chuckled, "I was just about to say that you look like the young Tinashe. Been a minute since I last saw you with your natural hair out."

"Oh..." I didn't know what to say now.

"Yeah, oh. I like it though, you look beautiful." He complimented before to walk away. I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows as he was going towards RJ to help him to get the toys out for him and the other kids that were coming.

"Thank you."

RICHARD'S POV:

It was almost 2:30 PM and my little party was finally starting. I knew if I said the party was starting after twelve, people were going to show up at four and I wasn't going to wait that long to eat. I was glad to see everybody here though and was ready to have a good time with my people. My teammates were presented and they came with their own families. My family and my closed friends, that I didn't see for a long time, got to show up as well. With all the people that were in my house, it didn't really look like a little get-together, but it wasn't really bothering me.