☆ KENTRELL ☆
"Did yo ass know Nardo was over that camp?" Kentrell demanded an answer from Nick who avoided his eye contact, and face entirely.
He sent Kaydence off to a bath and to get ready for bed banishing her from hearing the confrontation.
"........."
"I know you hear me talkin' to you!" He continued moving around the island counter to stand in front of Nick.
"Maybe I did, I maybe didn't-" The dread-head admitted sheepishly, his roommate groaning loud.
"Nick, bruh what the fuck!?"
"You the same one that said you wanted to mend bridges!"
"Yeah with my best friends not one of my fuckin' exes?"He sighed in exasperation, "Who you finna spring on me next, Joe? Ne Ne? Fuckin' Dominique?"
"Now we both know Dom was a fling-" Nick added in only to be cut off.
"That ain't the point, Nick. I was not ready at all to face Horace, to see him."
"I honestly was thinking in yo best interest." Nick said honestly, his face apologetic.
He wanted to stay mad at his best friend, he really did but he knew Nick meant well and his anger just wouldn't stick.
"Next time nigga don't,"Kentrell rubbed at his eyes to try and scrub flashbacks of his ex, "He got the nerve to be looking good as fuck too."
The way Nardo conducted himself, the grill he had in, his fresh linen smelling cologne was practically burned into Kentrell's memory. His yearning for the man to be his again was becoming a tiny flame his conscious kept blowing out.
"How good scale one to ten?" Nick asked with a slick lip-bite leaning towards Kentrell.
'A thousand' He thought immediately, before shaking the thought away.
"Shut yo messy ass up,"Kentrell replied flicking his friend's forehead."I'ma grown ass man with a kid thinkin' about him like this is childish."
"Your therapist would not want you talking like that." Nick clicked his tongue disapprovingly, his friend twisting his mouth in response.
"I think she would actually-"
"Let's ask her then." Nick said reaching for Kentrell's phone who snatched it back.
"Can't, it's after her hours ."
"Didn't she say you could text whenever you needed her?" He inquired, Kentrell's phone beginning to buzz from a FaceTime call.
"You know what I can't even finish this conversation my baby mama callin'!" He answered the call with a smile,"Hey Mesh-"
"Where my daughter at?"
"You free to speak back first, you know that right ." Kentrell spoke, Mesha rolling her eyes with a laugh.
"I'll talk to you after I talk with my baby."
"Kay Kay, yo mama wanna talk to you!" He yelled then hearing the pitter patter of his little one's feet. She took the phone out his hand gently grinning at the sight of her mama.
"Hi mama!"
"Hey beautiful."Mesha cheesed back, "You been taking care of yo daddy like I asked?"
"Mhmm, I make sure he get 3 meals and water a day."
"Treatin' me like a dog, bruh I swear." Kentrell said in the background, walking away so they could talk alone. Both the girls laughed, Kaydence getting on the couch so she could get a better look at her mother.
"How has summer camp been goin'?"
"It's been goin' good, I made a friend!" She said excitedly, Mesha beaming with pride.
"What's their name?"
"He said it was JuJu,"Kaydence began to ramble,"At first we were in different groups but now we finna be in the same one and I'm excited cause that mean we can be on the same teams too."
"Didn't I tell you were goin' to make some friends down there?"
"Yeah you were right mommy,"She suddenly frowned her lip beginning to wobble,"I miss you." Kaydence began to get overstimulated, her wish to be with her mother physically beginning to weigh on her.
"Mommy miss you ten times more and she don't wanna see you cry."
"Okay, I won't." She replied with sniffles wiping at her eyes as fast as she could.
"We can talk for hours tomorrow baby but you gotta get to bed, I love you." Mesha spoke softly and sweetly, Kaydence nodding in sadness.
"I love you too." Kaydence hopped down from the couch handing the phone back to her daddy.
"You done?"
"Mhmm." He leaned down so she could place a kiss on his cheek.
"Aight, I'm finna tuck you in, me and yo mama gotta finish talkin' first," He brought the phone back up to his face,"How yo classes goin'?"
"I just aced my first pop quiz so I'd say pretty well."
"Okay set the bar witcho studious ass." He praised as Mesha flipped her hair over her shoulder.
"I don't ever call to talk about me though Trell, how you doin'?"
"The job goin' good, I'm glad I finally got a place that's appreciatin' me. Everythin' else though-" He hesitated unsure of how to word his sentence.
"What's wrong?"
"Mesh, could I ask for some unbiased advice?"
"Ain't that what you payin', miss lady for?" She questioned in response with a raised eyebrow.
"Man-"
"I'm just playin' bruh go head." She said with a head shake and a smile.
"It's this person....I was 'you know' with."He sighed heavily, "Nick basically set it up to where we forced to talk but after all the shit we been through I don't know if I'm ready for that?"
"Well, Why you not ready for it?"
"We were...a-lot and I feel like the conversation would be a-lot." Kentrell spoke simplifying the situation in the best way he could
"Who said it had to just be one conversation, and who said it had to be on the past?"
"It feels like it'd be ignoring all that happened if ain't mentioned."
"Honestly, Kentrell y'all know what happened you were both there, and rehashing that shit just gonna make it feel worse,"She advised, "How about you focus on the present, see what they doin' now?"
"Not the lil psychology class you taking being put to work." He responded with full intent on putting what she said to use.
"Good night Kentrell." She said laughing about to hang up.
"Wait- Thank you Mesh."
"Anytime, night for real though."
"Night, night."
He and Mesha weren't always on good terms, there had been a point time when Kaydence was the only reason they weren't ripping each other's throats out.
They'd grown so much and the trust Mesha was putting in him was a testament to how their relationship had finally come to a good place.
********
It took a week but Kentrell finally got the courage to talk to Nardo again this time mentally prepared for the conversation.
Knocking onto Horace's office, Kentrell snapped a rubber band against his wrist the urge to smoke a cigarette deeply ticking at his brain. He was anxious as anxious could be hoping the conversation would go well.
"Hi." That same cologne hit his nose and he struggled to keep his composure.
"Hey."
"You free to talk?" Horace wordlessly nodded to a chair, Kentrell accepting the seat. " I wanted to check on Kaydence progress since the group switch before I get her."
"She making strides, just from what I've seen the big kids slow her down and match her energy when need be." He updated concisely, Kentrell smiling gratefully.
"Good."He found his opportunity deciding to clear the air,"Nardo, I know a few days ago was kinda awkward-"
"Kinda, nigga?"
"Aight, a whole lotta awkward but I don't want it to be that way." He confessed, Nardo's guard slipping slowly.
"Neither do I."
"Okay so let's start over then." Kentrell suggested Nardo's face clouding in thought.
"I'm not doing that corny reintroduce myself shit, Trell."
"Nobody was asking you too, Nardo."He responded, coming to a conclusion, "How about we play catch-up then?"
"I could do that."
"I see that framed degree behind you, I ain't know you had a brain up there." Kentrell said playfully tapping his forehead.
"Don't do me nigga." Horace bit back laughing, wiping imaginary dust off his accomplishment.
"I'm just playin', I'm proud of you genuinely."
"Thank you, I don't know how the hell I did it but I did."He shrugged bashfully, "I see you been busy bein' somebody daddy, how's that goin'?"
"Great, Kaydence teach me something new every single day."He beamed with happiness at the thought of his kid, "She just taught me how to make toaster strudels yesterday." They both laughed at that, the two growing back back comfortable with each other.
"Where's her mama at, if you don't mind me askin'?"
"In California."
"Y'all good?" Horace asked, wondering if they were together.
"Yeah, we weren't always but we are now."
"She must've been right after me." He deducted frowning up a bit, in slight realization. Nardo did the math in his head on Kaydence, her age adding up to be a few months after they broke up for good.
"No offense but it was a whole bunch of people after you,"Kentrell said scratching the back of his neck, "She's just the one that ended up sticking around."
"I mean she kinda had too."
"Even when she didn't have too she did. To be honest I was a real asshole to Mesha, fucked her when I felt like it and only called when I needed somethin."Kentrell spoke truthfully and maturely,"I knew it was wrong and ain't care because I figured if she was allowin' it, it was okay."
From what he was hearing somehow Kentrell had became even more toxic after their relationship.
"If that's the case then how y'all good now?"
"This might sound cliche but when Kaydence came literally everythin' changed." Kentrell explained, placing his hand over his heart.
"It was an a-ha moment, huh?"
"Basically."
"What sealed it?"
"When I looked into her eyes, she ain't look at me with fear or disgust."He smiled fondly heart warming up at the memory, "It was just love, like she knew I was hers and she was mine, she'd love me no matter what I did. I could be a monster but I'd still be her daddy."
"That's so-" The word sweet stayed still on his tongue, Nardo not allowing himself to say it. "Nice." He settled on keeping his head straight.
"But back to me and Mesha, while my whole perspective changed what I had done in the past hadn't and she was immediately guarded up about me having Kaydence and bein' in her life."
"So what'd you do?"
"I fought for Kaydence, I fought for that guh a lot."He shook his head,"At first I was resentful as fuck because at least I was tryin' to be there until I realized I wasn't there for her pregnancy, I spent the whole time denying her so why all of a sudden would she trust me now?"
"I wouldn't trust yo ass either honestly."
"Of course you'd say that."
"Keep talkin' bruh." Horace encouraged ignoring his statement, Kentrell cackling.
"Long story short her mama trying school again and I've worked hard prove to her that I can take on the raising while she finishing up, not her granny,"Kentrell smiled with a nod,"I ain't ever been happier a day in my life then when she said KK could come with me."
"You done been through a lot of stuff."
"It feels like I'm always going through somethin' bruh." Kentrell said laughing, Horace laughing with him because it was true.
"I know you said you ain't wanna do the reintroduce ourselves thing but-"
"But?"
"Technically we gettin' to know new versions of each other."He held his hand out for a dap, "So, I'm Trell." He stared at the hand before deciding to humor his ex.
"Fine-"He clasped their hands together,"My name is Horace but I prefer you call me Nardo."
As their hands touched, their eyes met and they could both see their hearts in each other. The hearts were shakily glued together after being broken but they were still there, big and unmovable in a sense. Just as fast as they looked they broke the gaze unable to handle how stuffy things had gotten.
"Uh, it was good catchin' up, Kentrell." Horace said, Kentrell's heart thumping harder each time he said his name. He stood up because he knew Kaydence would be ready to be picked up.
"Ditto."
the updates gonna be consistent y'all, i promise. you stuck with me until i type the last word for this series😤😤
anyway thoughts on the chapter? a lil insight on kentrell's relationship with his baby muva and how that's gonna work out with him and Horace.
how y'all feeling so far too, are things going too slow?
thank you so much for reading my lil book, please be safe in these times and happy pride!!!