Grayson 'Ace' Valentine III
[ fri, nov 17th 5:52 AM ]
Town Square Apartments
It was going on 6:00 AM, and Ace was laid out on Zolina's couch while 'Entergalactic' played from her TV on a low volume.
The slow rise of the sun outside of her windows created a rosy-like hue on the east horizon, which displayed the promises of a new day. But the other side of the sky still grasped on to the mysterious, dark blues of the previous night.
Ace rubbed his face tiredly and looked over at his girlfriend, who was stationed in front of her golden easel.
Zolina had been up all night painting, and since he was too worried to take an eye off of her, neither of them had gotten any sleep.
She was in the middle of applying vigorous brushstrokes to the background of her canvas, when he heard her let out a low yelp and start to rub at her shoulder.
When it was clear that she wasn't going to take a break, he stretched his long limbs and stood to his feet.
"Baby?" He rested his chin on the top of her head once he stood behind her. "Can you chill for a second?"
"I need to finish this." She continued to hold her shoulder as she forcefully dipped her paintbrush into a bottle of violet paint.
"And you will." He stood in front of the canvas now, blocking it off. "Later. You been at this since last night."
"Grayson." She glared at him. "Move. Before you end up with this oil paint on you."
"Paint me all the fuck you want, Mama." He ran a hand down his white t-shirt. "You crazy if you think imma just let you overwork yo'self when I can see you in pain."
Zolina rolled her eyes and walked away from him and her easel. She picked up a prescription bottle from her side table and dry swallowed a couple of pain pills before sinking down into her loveseat sofa.
"You shouldn't take those on an empty stomach." Ace sat on a chair, facing her. "Can I order you sum'n to eat? Or I can go pick sum'n up."
"I'm not hungry." She flipped her braids over her shoulder and scrolled through her phone.
"Word?" He chuckled dryly and rubbed his jaw. "What you eat since yesterday?"
She stayed quiet.
"Aight." He nodded his head and turned off her television. "Well you ain't said a word 'bout what happened with Zorion. So you either gon' talk to me, or eat sum'n. Pick one."
"Pick one?" She looked up from her phone and squinted at him. "I'm not doing this with you."
"What you mean you ain't doin' this?" He mugged her. "A nigga been biting his tongue and tryna be delicate with you 'bout this whole thing, but I ain't just gon' let you fuck up yo' health. Mental or physical."
"I'm fine." She closed her eyes and sighed.
"No." He shook his head. "No, you not, Lina."
Zolina got up and walked to her kitchen, opening the fridge and staring blankly inside. Ace knew that there was nothing in there that she wanted, she just couldn't handle being the subject of his laser-like stare.
"I swear, I ain't tryna stress you out." He promised, his voice now behind her. "I just wanna help—"
"I don't want your help! Okay?!" She snapped, slamming the fridge closed and turning to him. "You've known your family your whole life, right? So how the fuck can you help me if you don't understand?"
Zolina's eyes widened at her outburst.
The low buzzing from the fluorescent lights above them, was currently the loudest sound in her apartment.
Ace twisted his mouth to the side and looked away, trying to hide how much her statement had bothered him.
"Aight." He cleared his throat, keeping his eyes downward. "You right. My fault."
"Grayson..." She whispered, moving quickly around the island so that she could stand near him. "I— I'm so sorry—"
"Nah, it's cool, Ma." He grabbed his car keys off of the counter, and leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead. "I love you. Imma see you later."
XXX
[ 8:42 AM ]
Spade Realty
After the little blow up at Zolina's apartment, Ace set up a business meeting with Lucas in an attempt to focus his mind on something else.
They were in his office at Spade Realty, with sheets of paperwork pertaining to Estelle's new restaurant between them.
"Your mom really doesn't wanna budge on these liquid propane ranges." Lucas tapped a finger on the kitchen catalogue that was open on Ace's desk.
Ace was relaxed with his feet up, "What's the problem?"
"Well, they each have six burners and two ovens— which is a plus for sure. But we're still gonna need like four or five of 'em for the kitchen space." Lucas mentioned.
When Ace didn't respond, Lucas spoke again.
"...They're $15,000. Each."
Ace didn't flinch when he heard the price, nor did he open his eyes that were covered behind a pair of dark, Bulgari frames.
"Lemme ask again, Luc. What's the problem?"
"Nothing, I guess." Lucas chuckled. "After the $20,000 on those custom curtains she ordered from Milan, I thought maybe I could cut down on some costs for you."
"You'n need to do that." Ace took his glasses off. "Order whatever she wants. Put it under our expenses."
Lucas typed away on his computer, "Got you."
"Renovations?" Ace asked.
"Going well." Lucas checked his phone. "It's mostly cosmetic, so everything should be done by mid-January."
Ace nodded, "Cool."
"Is she still thinking about May for the grand opening?" Lucas wondered, looking at a calendar for 2024. "The second Sunday, right?"
"Yeah." Ace yawned and ran a hand down his face. "Her birthday."
Estelle's birthday was on May 12th. Luckily for her, it meant that every few years it would also land on Mother's Day. She thought that it would be the perfect day for the grand opening of Mama V's.
"You good, Ace?" Lucas picked up sheets of paper and started to neatly stack them back into their respective folders. "We don't have to do all this business shit right now if you're not up for it."
Ace sighed heavily and leaned his elbows on the desk, appreciative that his friend picked up on his mood.
"Mir told you what's goin' on?"
"I got a lil' summary. I know Zo met up with her brother." Lucas smoothed down his beard. "That's some heavy shit. How's she doing? Is she alright?"
"Don't seem like it." Ace rubbed his temples. "She won't talk to a nigga right now. I'm tryna give her some space."
Lucas blew out a breath, "Wish I could give you some advice, but this isn't really a subject I know anything about."
Yeah, me neither. Clearly.
"What I do know, and what I'm 100% sure Zo knows, is that you care a lot about her." Compassion shined brightly through Lucas' blue eyes. "Just be there for her when she's ready, Ace."
XXX
[ 1:28 PM ]
Vertex Condos
Ace stared through the rain droplets on his condo windows, down at the string of traffic on the busy streets. He watched people in their cars going to or coming from point A to point B, all while he smoked on his second blunt.
When he heard his elevator doors, followed by the light patter of footsteps nearing closer and closer, he felt a huge sense of relief.
"Hi." Zolina said from behind him, her voice soft and unsure.
He glanced at her from over his shoulder, letting smoke slowly trail out of his lips.
"Wussup?"
"Um. I went over to the shooting range looking for you." She fidgeted with the ends of her braids. "Then your office. But Luc said you'd be here."
He took another pull and then turned around, "You coulda called if you were looking for me."
She put her head down, "I honestly didn't know if you'd answer."
He lightly scoffed, "Imma always answer for you."
Ace outed the blunt in the ashtray that was on the floor, before raising up to his full height again. He noticed that Zolina was in one of his flannel shirts, which reached just below her knees. Her legs and face were a little bit damp from the rainfall.
He nodded his head at her, "C'mere."
She didn't budge, though; acting as if the UGG boots on her feet were the most interesting thing in the world.
"Come here, Z." He said a little more sternly.
She took apprehensive steps towards him, not moving as fast as he would like. When she was close enough, he wrapped an arm around her body and drew her to him.
"Gon' head." He pushed some braids out of her face and kissed the scar on her eyebrow. "Talk to me."
She looked at her hands, "I was really rude to you today."
He sighed, "Lina—"
"Let me finish." She spoke up. "Please?"
He nodded and stayed quiet.
"I was holding everything in, and I blew up. I didn't mean what I said to you. You've been here for me through this whole thing." She said remorsefully. "I'm really sorry, Grayson. I was wrong."
What Zolina said earlier, had affected Ace a little more than he thought it would. Surprisingly, his father was the main thing that kept plaguing his mind.
He had neglected trying to fix their relationship for so long, while on the flip-side of things, his girlfriend had been desperately searching for any type of parental relationship to build.
She was right; he really couldn't understand. All he knew was that she was hurting, and he wanted to make it better.
"Look at me, Mama." He said delicately, waiting until their eyes connected before he spoke again.
"Maybe yo' delivery coulda been better, but you wasn't wrong. A nigga really don't get what you goin' through. It's just..." He tilted his head back and sighed. "Every emotion you go through, I feel it too. I ain't mean to push so hard, I just been worried."
Zolina put her arms around his torso and squeezed Ace into a hug, which he returned. He moved the flannel out of the way and slipped his hands under her tank top, rubbing her bare back as they listened to the deep thunder that rumbled outside.
"It's her." She said after a while.
"Who?" He asked, confused.
"Remember that last prospect I told you about? The one that didn't want shit to do with me?" She recalled, her voice muffled in his crewneck sweater. "The one who wanted to focus on her new man and new kids? It's her. My mom."
He immediately pulled away, bewildered, "What? Are you... You sure?"
Ace's thoughts went back to a year ago.
He was driving Zolina home from her old barista job when she got a phone call, and remembered watching defeat take over her soft features. It had been the first time she told him that she was searching for her birth mother.
And he felt the same way now, that he did back then; useless.
"Zorion told me her name." Her face was in a daze. "Zamirah fucking Rhodes. The same name on that stupid one-page file that took me so fucking long to tell Amelia to get rid of. Should've asked her to burn it."
"Fuck." He whispered, watching her try to fight away her sadness with anger.
"She didn't want either of us, I guess." Zolina's frown faded, and her lips trembled.
"I'm sorry." Ace mumbled, holding her close to him again.
Sadly, his words were just a catalyst to her tears. He didn't know what else to say, or do. He just knew that he was so sick of seeing her cry.
"I'm so fuckin' sorry."
XXX
Omniscient
[ wed, nov 22nd 12:32 PM ]
Dragonfly Sushi - Restaurant
"Dr. Miller said I must of repressed all those memories."
Zolina poked at her chicken fried rice with her chopsticks as she spoke. She was currently indulging in the weekly lunch meet up with her girlfriends, and providing them with all of the new information.
"A defence mechanism. Most likely from going through something so traumatic at a young age."
After meeting up with her social worker, Zolina also finally had a sit down with her therapist. Both of whom were shocked when she told them about who she had recently met for the first time in 18 years, and the details that she learned about her mother.
Amelia confirmed that she was never made aware of her brother's existence— that there was no note of any siblings on file when Zolina's case had been transferred over to her.
It only further proved just how much the system didn't care about the children that they were meant to look out for.
Dr. Miller instructed to give herself plenty of grace and patience while she continued to process things. She advised that it was perfectly normal to want to move at a snail's pace with Zorion, and to remember that he was still probably dealing with traumas of his own.
Some traumas that may be similar to hers, and some that could be vastly different.
"Do you wanna build a relationship with him?" Trinity asked.
"It's gonna take me some time, but yeah. I do." Zolina nodded. "We both deserve that. Besides y'all and the guys, he's the only real family I know."
She knew that it wasn't her fault, but Zolina felt bad for not being able to remember Zorion. Especially when he made it known that she was an important piece in his life.
A waitress popped in to collect their empty dishes, while another followed behind; steadfastly pouring out their refills and serving a large bowl of teriyaki chicken that they had all decided to share.
"So..." Miracle played with her chopsticks nervously. "What about... Your mom?"
"You mean Zamirah?" Zolina corrected, feeling all of her anger and annoyance rise to the surface again. "Fuck her."
Zolina got the file back from Amelia, but it was only so that she could share it with her brother— if he was even interested. He was entitled to the information just as much as she was.
Personally, though, she was still set on leaving that part of her life— and that person— in the past.
"Well, I hope we get to meet Zorion." Indigo smiled small, changing the subject. "When you're both ready."
"Of course." Zolina grabbed the small bottle of soy sauce for her spicy tuna roll. "Can't keep family away from family."
"Is the nigga cute, though?" Gwendolyn sipped from her iced tea, adding in her sprinkle of comic relief.
"Gwen." Zolina was mid-chew and had to cover her mouth as she laughed. "You did not just ask me that."
"Listen, I gotta hear about you and my brother fucking all the damn time." Gwendolyn flipped her red locs over her shoulder. "It's only fair. The people wanna know, Sis."
"If he looks like Zo? Definitely." Roxanne winked.
"True." They all agreed, breaking out into laughter.
A head of curly brown hair belonging to Lucas, suddenly poked through their curtain.
"Knock, knock." He said.
"More like peekaboo." Phoenyx showed his face next and looked around. "How come this bitch ain't got no doors?"
One by one, the men piled through the limited barrier and struggled to make themselves comfortable on the small pillows.
"Oh, no, no, no." Miracle protested, seeing their private booth become overcrowded.
"Wh— Excuse y'all." Roxanne looked at them, scooting closer to her girlfriend to make room. "This is a ladies lunch."
"And?" Demetrius sucked his teeth. "We crashin' it."
Zolina watched as Ace took a seat next to her. He smiled before peppering her face with kisses, which made her giggle.
"But why though?" Indigo whined.
"What you mean? We hungry, too." Phoenyx sat in the last free spot, which happened to be beside Gwendolyn. "Hi, Babygirl."
"Hi, Nyxie." She smiled at him, making him smile back.
"We don't care." Trinity argued. "That's what sports-bars are for."
"Damn. We can't enjoy fine dining like y'all?" Ace took a piece of sushi from Zolina's plate, his face souring when he realized that he had ate something raw.
"With fine women like y'all?" Demetrius winked at Trinity, taking her fork and feeding her more noodles from her plate.
Trinity rolled her eyes but accepted the food, "Where are my sons, Demetrius?"
"With they grandma." He grabbed the pillow that she was sitting on and slid it closer to him. "Gimme some love, Mamas."
"Okay, so which one of you niggas—" Indigo paused. "—Or Lucas, is paying the bill?"
Lucas chuckled and took out his wallet, "I got it."
"Seriously, though." Zolina blushed as Ace discreetly licked down her neck. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We figured y'all can't be spending hours gossiping 'round this lil' table, when you need to start packing." Phoenyx picked up the tablet and tapped on the random food that he saw on the screen, screwing his face up. "Fuck is this shit? They don't have a regular menu, or sum'n?"
"Packing?" All the women said at once.
Miracle raised her eyebrows, "Packing for what?"
"A trip." Lucas answered, putting an arm around her.
"Uh-uh." Indigo drummed her fingers on the table. "A trip where?"
"Somewhere." Ace carefully inspected another piece of sushi before he ate it. "Out the country. It's a surprise, though."
Roxanne jumped in, "When did you guys plan all this?"
"Well..." Demetrius snatched a hair tie from Trinity's wrist and put his locs into a ponytail. "It was all Ace. He was just gon' take Twin on a lil' getaway—"
Zolina pouted and looked at her boyfriend.
"—But we figured we could all use a vacation." Demetrius finished saying.
Ace wrapped his arms around Zolina and whispered in her ear, "Spend Thanksgiving overseas with me, Ma."
"That's cute." Gwendolyn looked at all of them. "Hope y'all have a good time."
Phoenyx broke his neck to look at her, "What? You not coming?"
"I don't wanna miss out on any clients." Gwendolyn said casually, scrolling through her phone.
"But... We ain't even gon' be gone for a full week." Phoenyx contested.
"It ain't like you need the money, anyway. Damn." Demetrius turned his head in Roxanne's direction. "Roxy don't offer time off, or sum'n?"
"My artists make their own schedules." Roxanne shrugged. "It's completely up to Gwen."
Gwendolyn rested her forearms on the table, "I dunno. This shit kinda seems like a couples thing."
"If it was, Nyx's lonely ass wouldn't be tagging along." Lucas said, causing the group to start snickering.
"Shut the fuck up, Luc." Phoenyx mugged him, tossing the tablet down. "Ain't nobody lonely."
"Maybe you can invite Theo?" Zolina suggested.
Gwendolyn pondered, "Maybe—"
"Fuck no." Ace, Phoenyx and Demetrius all said at the same time.
"Hell no. We ain't buy no ticket for that nigga anyway." Demetrius added.
"Alright, alright. I'll think about it." Gwendolyn promised.
"Well, the flight's tomorrow mornin', Cheeto head." Demetrius teased. "Better think fast."
👻
- Zo's mom ends up being the same woman who wanted to leave her past life... in the past
- the group is going on vacation! 🏖️
- thoughts?
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