Hey yallll🩷 I'm on spring break so hopefully I can push out a few chapters this week. 😁😁
Chicago, IL📍
Sunday, December 11th
2am
"So what does your mom look like? Do you get your looks from her?"
Kaliyah sat comfortably on the leather couch in Von's studio at his place. Von sat right next to her, their bodies facing each other as they talked. They had spent the last hour listening to a bunch of songs off his unreleased album.
"I'd like ta think I look like my mother. I mean... she is my Mom."
The sarcasm in his tone was pretty evident as Kaliyah playfully rolled her eyes.
"You know what I mean Von."
She giggled.
"Nah but for real doe, I prolly look like a good mix between my Mom and pops."
He pointed. She watched as he reached over, grabbing his phone off the little table that was next to them.
"I'm finna show you a picture real quick."
He began. Kaliyah nodded, chewing the inside of her cheek while keeping her eyes on him. It was nearly 3am. They had spent the entire night together, and they both were surprisingly not tired of each other. If anything, Kaliyah felt blissful whenever she was around Von. She had been assessing her own feelings about him all night long, and it was clear that she wasn't over him.
"See look, this my pops."
Von began, turning the phone so she could see. Kaliyah tore her gaze from him, instead looking at the cute photo of both Dayvon and his two parents posing together.
"Oh wow..."
She muttered. It was pretty clear that Von did get his looks from both of his parents.
"Your Mom is gorgeous. You definitely have her eyes for sure, but the rest of your face belongs to your Dad."
She stated. Dayvon's father was a pretty handsome man. He looked super tall in the photo, standing next to a short 8 year old Von.
"But I don't know where you get that big head of yours from. That seems to be a mystery-"
"Aiight Kaliyah. Enough."
Kaliyah immediately began to laugh, just as Von snatched his phone back. He kissed his teeth, giving her a playful glare.
"Im just messing with your easy ass."
She snickered, quoting his exact words from earlier.
"You wanna be me so bad huh. I'm noticing."
He pointed.
"I do not want to be you Von."
She waved him off. She smiled, the two both gazing at each other once again. His eyes were fully focused on her entire being. The way he looked at her made it seem like she was a gem of some kind that needed to be studied. It made her heart rate pick up, and her chest feel warm.
Kaliyah couldn't think of anyone else that looked at her the way he did. It made her feel special.
"It's 3am. You not tired of me yet, Von?"
She finally spoke up, breaking the silence. She could see his eyes were a little low, and his voice was growing raspy from it being so late.
"No, never."
He responded.
"You not tired of me, Kaliyah?"
He questioned, raising his eyebrow slightly. Kaliyah found herself looking down at his lips. She had been catching herself staring at them ever since he showed up at her doorstep tonight.
She kept getting flashbacks of how they used to kiss, which was only 5 months ago. Part of her wished that she could kiss him again without it meaning anything at all, just so she could feel his lips on hers. But, she knew she would be lying if she said there wouldn't be any feelings attached to their kiss.
"I'm always tired of you."
She finally spoke, not really meaning those words. His lips curled into a small smirk, knowing that she was just joking. He watched as Kaliyah began to yawn, breaking their gaze.
"Come on lil folks. Since you so damn tired of me."
He chuckled, getting up off the couch. Dayvon reached out his hand for her to take before helping her up. They were now face to face, Kaliyah looking up at him as her hand was linked with his.
"Can you carry me?"
She blurted out, not really meaning to say that. She could see him raise his eyebrows up, almost as if she had given him a challenge he just couldn't deny. Before she knew it, he leaned down, scooping her up bridal style. Kaliyah just gasped, letting out a small giggle.
"I was just kidding, Von!"
She laughed. Yet, he began making his way out the studio, heading straight up the steps with her. She just wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes still planted on him. She truly admired all of his handsome features, which seemed to reel her in. She wanted nothing more but for Von to just make a move on her first, and kiss her.
Kaliyah had it made up in her mind that she wouldn't be mad if he did. The only reason she couldn't find the strength to do it herself, was simply because she was scared. She still had no idea if he was the same old Von, or if he had changed these past few months.
Was Rubi still in the picture? Did he still have side hoes? Did he even really want me anymore?-
"Keep lookin' at me like that and sum might happen."
His low voice interrupted her thoughts, snapping her right back into reality. By now, Kaliyah hadn't even realized that they finally made it up to his bedroom. She could feel her cheeks warming up as he gently put her down onto the bed.
He leaned forward, putting his hands on each side of her as she sat at the edge of the bed. His face was so close to hers, she could practically smell his minty breath blowing against her lips. Dayvon knew good and well what she wanted. He could see it all over her face.
He just couldn't bring himself to do her like that. He wanted to respect her requests on being platonic. That was the only thing holding him back. Although, he wanted nothing more than to have his way with her. Dayvon knew that he'd been personally working on bettering himself these last few months. Kaliyah just didn't know it yet; and Von didn't know when the right time would be to tell her.
For now, he still liked teasing her though. His eyes fell down to her lips as he nibbled at his own. Kaliyah could feel her own breath hitching, just waiting for him to kiss her. She was so sure that he would, with how close they were at this point. Her eyes stayed fixed on his as he admired her face for a few seconds, before suddenly pulling away.
"You uhh, need anything before I go?"
He spoke up, clearing his throat. Kaliyah could feel her heart instantly dropping as he began making his way toward the door.
"You're leaving?"
She frowned. He paused, scratching the back of his neck before turning to face her again.
"You thought I was finna sleep in tha bed witchu?"
He said, his question sounding a bit harsher than he intended. Kaliyah seemed taken aback slightly, unsure on how to even respond.
"I didn't think that, Von."
She snapped lightly.
"Then what did you mean by your question?"
He rebutted. He watched intently as she looked away from him. Instead, she got up off the bed, making her way towards her bag. He could see the small knot forming in between her eyebrows, signaling that she was annoyed now.
"Nothing. Good night."
She mumbled.
He just pressed his lips together, watching as she took out her pajamas from the bag before making her way into the bathroom. She shut the door firmly, making sure it slammed a little right behind her.
"Shit.."
Dayvon muttered underneath his breath. He let out a low sigh, running his hand down his face tiredly before exiting the room.
***
Chicago, IL📍
Sunday, December 11th
8am
Pushing herself into her apartment, Kaliyah let out a dragging sigh, closing and locking the door behind her. It was 8am now. She had woken up a bit early at Von's house, and called herself an Uber home.
Why did she do that? She truly didn't know. The entire night Kaliyah couldn't get an ounce of sleep without thinking about Von. Granted, he was in the other room down the hall from her, although he was secretly living rent free in her mind. She lowkey had a feeling that he would be upset about her leaving without saying anything to him at all.
Part of her just couldn't seem to face him anymore. Every time she was near him, she was reminded about how strongly she felt for him. Those feelings for him never dying not once within those 5 months of them just being friends. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to admit that out loud.
Kaliyah just absentmindedly seemed to be looking for some sort of change in him. Von was a womanizer. He treated women terribly. He didn't know how to love. He in fact said those exact words to her once before.
So why can't I get over him?
She thought to herself. Moving through her apartment, she made it all the way to her room just as her phone began vibrating in her bag.
Please don't be him.
She thought quietly to herself. Her heart dropped a little, hoping and praying that it wasn't Von calling. Pressing her lips together, she rested her bag onto her bed before digging for her phone. Pulling it out, she immediately could see that it was only Leilani.
Leilani had actually sent her a text, seeing if she was down to go shopping later for graduation tomorrow. A huge wave of relief washed over her, thankful that it wasn't Von.
Sending her a quick text back, Kaliyah decided to plug her phone into the charger, letting it rest on her night stand before climbing into bed. She figured she had a few hours to just catch up on some sleep, before heading out later with the girls.
Just a few hours to clear my head of Dayvon.
Ugh.
***
4 hours later
"So let me get this straight... you got mad at Von because he didn't kiss you? Let alone sleep in the same bed as you? Bitch do you know how silly that sounds?"
Kaliyah let out a frustrated sigh, hearing both Leilani and Shay cackling behind her. They were all in a random store at the mall, shuffling through racks of clothes in search of an outfit for tomorrow.
"I'm never telling yall my business again."
Kaliyah huffed annoyedly.
"Ahhh I know exactly why you been so uptight sis."
Shay pointed, smirking. Kaliyah refused to look at her, instead pretending to be interested in a random plane looking dress as she pulled it off the rack. The price tag read about $400, yet the dress looked horrendous.
"Miss Kaliyah hasn't had dick in 5 whole months. That's why she's acting up like that-"
"Uhhh, wrong."
Kaliyah immediately snapped, feeling her face turn hot.
"Oh, so you was giving Von such a hard time last night for nothing then?"
Leilani pointed.
"I wasn't giving him a hard time-"
"Then why did you Uber yourself home? You left his house without saying anything? You're basically moving funny."
Leilani went on.
"I'm not moving funny- I'm just..."
Kaliyah's voice trailed off, not really sure on how she was feeling. She knew damn well that her friends were right. She had no place to be getting upset with Von, simply over the fact that he didn't make a move on her last night.
"Look Kaliyah. You told Von you wanted to be strictly platonic with him. He is just simply respecting your wishes. If anything, you should be happy about that."
Kaliyah huffed once more, shoving the dress back onto the rack.
"Then how come I don't feel happy? I haven't been happy ever since we fake broke up."
She grumbled.
"Awww, not the fake broke up."
Leilani chuckled. Kaliyah just waved her off.
"This is why I don't do situationships, especially if I am in love with the person. Shit can get really sticky quick."
Shay said.
"Y'all act like I intended for this situationship to happen in the first place. I never wanted this in the beginning. I was really trying my best to stay away from Von all together-"
"And yet you two ended up falling for each other in the most fucked up way possible. He had a girlfriend at the time, and that girlfriend just so happened to be yo cousin."
Leilani stated.
"And when shit hit the fan, you guys came to an agreement that it wasn't working out. Yall decided to be just friends... which you clearly don't seem too happy about."
Kaliyah chewed the inside of her cheek, listening intently to her friends words.
"How come you didn't just tell him how you really felt last night, instead of suffering in silence?"
Shay questioned. The two girls just stood there, looking at Kaliyah as they waited for her to respond.
"I don't really know. I was just... terrified."
She admitted.
"I love him, but I don't know if he's good for me. Part of me doesn't care if he is, but another part of me just can't take going through heart break again. Especially not after what I went through with Duke."
"Eww speaking of Duke, do he still be sending you flowers?"
Leilani snickered. The girls began walking through the store, skimming through the aisles some more.
"Yes. I don't know how to fully get rid of him either. He just doesn't seem to take no for an answer."
Kaliyah grumbled.
"Just have Von beat his ass. That'll show him."
Leilani smirked.
"I feel like Von would do way more then beat his ass. Didn't he go to jail for attempted murder back in high school?"
Shay said, just as Kaliyah sucked her teeth.
"Y'all are too much. Can we leave this store? It's nothing in here anyway."
She began. The girls all agreed, deciding to just leave the store. They were now walking through the slightly crowded mall, not really sure where their next destination would be.
"Kaliyah, all I'm saying is you should just be straight up with Dayvon. Tell him how you really feel. It's been 5 months, I'm sure Von has definitely been working on himself. After all, he did say that he loved you."
"Shay's right. You gotta just be real with yourself. I mean, what's the worst that could happen-"
"Kaliyah?"
An unfamiliar female voice sounded, coming from ahead of them. Kaliyah looked up, seeing as there was a group of girls walking right in their direction. Kali didn't seem to recognize most of the girls that were in the group, until her eyes landed on a particular lightskin girl who looked all to familiar.
"Uhhh... ain't that the Rubi girl Von was messing with? Aww hell naw.."
Leilani whispered. It only took a few seconds for Rubi to approach them with a huge smile on her face, showing off her pearly white teeth. Kaliyah had to admit, the Rubi girl was literally perfect. She could see exactly why Von would go for someone like her.
She had a nice body, with her small waist seemingly non-existent. Her skin was a perfect shade of tan. She had long curly hair that nearly touched down to her ass. She wore a pair of dark washed booty shorts that left little to the imagination.
"Hey Kaliyah, you're probably thinking that this is so weird right now. Like how do I even know you type shit."
Rubi spoke, still smiling as she stood in front of them. The 3 girls just stared back at her, not really sure where this conversation was going at all.
"I actually follow you on instagram. I heard your like the hottest stripper in Chicago- practically every man's dream. I'm Rubi by the way. Rubi Rose."
Kaliyah watched as Rubi stuck out her hand to shake. Trying to just be polite, Kaliyah shook it back. In all honestly, Kali felt like there was no real reason to hate this girl at all.
I mean, me and Von were never really together. Nobody really knew about us, and I'm sure Rubi had no idea I was messing with him either. If anything, Von was probably just messing around with her the same way he was messing with me.
Typical fuck boy shit.
She thought quietly to herself.
"I had no idea you followed me on instagram?"
Kaliyah finally spoke up, giving her a slight smile.
"Girl yess. I'm trying to become a stripper in Atlanta, and I sort of went and followed all the well known strippers across the city just to get some tips. I actually came across your page through Asian, your cousin."
Rubi revealed.
"Wait, you know Asian?"
Leilani spoke up suddenly. Rubi looked over at her before nodding.
"Yeahh- and who are you?"
Rubi pointed, curiously.
"Oh, this is Leilani- and that's Shay."
Kaliyah introduced. Both Shay and Leilani didn't really smile much, instead having resting mugs on their faces.
"How do you know Asian though?"
Shay questioned.
It was like the tension in the air grew thick amongst the girls. Kaliyah couldn't help but feel a slight bit awkward. Yes, it was weird that Rubi claimed to have known Asian; given the fact that Asian was the one to share with Kaliyah that Von was messing with Rubi in the first place...
"Well me and Asian are cool. We hang out with each other back in Atlanta."
Rubi revealed. Leilani raised her eyebrows up, while Shay just cleared her throat a little. The girls couldn't help it but think how it was so odd that Rubi was all of a sudden in Chicago, right around the same time Von had flown in.
"Okay, so you stay in Atlanta? What brings you to Chicago then? You visiting?"
Kaliyah began questioning.
"Oh yeah. I flew in last night with my boo. He has business out here, and I decided to just tag along."
She spoke so nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders. Kaliyah could just feel her stomach turning, still trying to put the pieces together.
Did Von fly in with Rubi last night? And then had the nerve to come see me??
I mean, it would make sense that this boo she mentioned would be Von. Rubi seemed to be like a nat, constantly around Von no matter what; and frankly it was beginning to annoy the hell out of Kaliyah.
"Anyway, are y'all doing anything tonight? Me and my friends were thinking about going clubbing later, but we don't know of any good ones in the area."
Rubi stated, changing the subject. At this point, Kaliyah wanted to be done with this conversation. Her mind was already racing, along with her heart which felt like it was dropping through her chest.
"I actually work tonight, at the club-"
"Well that's perfect actually. We'll come see you tonight then. I need to work on my dancing anyway, so I'm sure I can get some tips from you."
Rubi beamed. Kaliyah couldn't tell if this girl was being fake or what. Especially with the fact that she claimed to hang out with Asian, which seemed suspicious.
The girls chatted for a few more minutes having fake conversation, before Rubi and her posse finally went on their marry way.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Because that shit was weird as fuck."
Leilani blurted out, once the coast was clear.
"Ain't no way Rubi is just randomly here in Chicago without Von being involved."
She went on.
"You think so?"
Kaliyah frowned.
"Hold on now, let's not jump to conclusions here. Maybe Rubi is just crazy. Maybe she knew Von was coming here, and decided to follow him."
Shay pointed, trying to be reasonable. Yet, Kaliyah just couldn't seem to believe that at all.
"I mean, you said it yourself that you went to Von's place last night. Were there any signs of any other females being there besides you?"
Shay questioned. Kaliyah just thought for a moment, before shaking her head no.
"I mean, he could've easily gotten her a hotel to stay at. You can never trust these niggas fully."
Leilani pressed on.
"Come on. Let's just leave the mall. I'm over this."
Kaliyah muttered. Both Leilani and Shay could see the slight defeat on Kaliyah's face. It broke their hearts, because it was clear that Kaliyah still had feelings for Von.
"I don't entirely believe that Von brought Rubi here. I think this is just one big misunderstanding."
Shay whispered, nudging Leilani with her elbow. Kaliyah had begun walking a head of them, only a few steps away.
"And the whole Asian and Rubi being friends? You don't think that's weird?"
Shay went on.
"Of course it's weird! I never trusted Asian at all, period! Plus, I'm tired of this Rubi bitch popping up everywhere. Something's got to give."
Leilani scoffed.
***
OOP? This chapter ended reallll messyyyyyy lmaoooooo👀😂
Y'all think Von came here with Rubi? Or is she just crazy obsessed with him?