37. THE BONE MAN
"I'M SORRY," ALIYAH'S voice is patronizing as she shuffles through the fridge, just a towel wrapped around her chest, "How do you have time to eat right now?"
Elijah's eyes widen in surprise as he turns to her, "I'm sorry," He mocks, "Would you rather I starve? Plus, I gotta get my energy up since you sucked everything out of me. Also, I'm the only one dressed right now."
"Okay," Aliyah holds up a finger, "I did not suck ━" She stops as she looks at the playful smirk on Elijah's face. Flipping him off, she rolls her eyes and goes back to her mission, "You're annoying."
"You love it," He chuckles, "What are you even looking for anyway?"
"I'm on cake duty ━ which is a bad decision on my mother's part, but," Aliyah huffs, finally pulling the cake from the fridge. She rests it on the island in front of Elijah who's looking at the icing on top with furrowed eyebrows, "At least it's a cake."
"Kyree?" Elijah reads, "That's it? See, a normal person would've just written 'happy birthday'."
"It's a cake," Aliyah repeats, her eyebrow raised as if daring him to say something else. "Which you will be carrying for me since you wanna act like a child."
His jaw gapes open, dropping his spoon into the bowl of cereal, "What I do?"
Aliyah ignores him and walks into the bedroom, quickly moving around to get her clothes on. She pulls on her bandeau top and black and white vertically striped flare pants. Adjusting the material under her arms, she scans herself in the mirror.
All that she can think about is the moment that happened between the two in the shower. She doesn't know what came over her, but she wouldn't mind it happening again.
Don't think about it, don't think about it, she tells herself ━ she would rather not leave the house to see her mother while horny. That's not the most comfortable feeling in the world.
She throws her hair up into a messy but cute bun, allowing her ECO Styler to lay her baby hairs. A pair of hoops and a spritz of Coconut Passion later, Aliyah is rearing and ready to go. She grabs her bag and exits the bedroom only to see Elijah's back facing her, hunched over the cake container.
He speaks when he hears her step out of the room, "You could've at least put some ballo ━" He turns with his words, only to pause, taken aback by her beauty, "Damn, you make it so hard not to kiss you."
Aliyah's cheeks radiate heat as she smiles at him, "I would've stopped you anyway ━ we're late and this gloss is expensive."
"WORD OF WARNING," Aliyah hisses as the two stand on the steps of the Pryce household, "Kiara Pryce don't play games. She will deadass beat my ass in public and she not scared to beat yo ass too."
"Uh ━"
"And don't look her in the eye. You'll turn into stone."
"Lee ━"
Aliyah whips around to face the man, her eyebrows raised in question, "Yes?"
"Are we gonna go in?" He tilts his head down to look at the beautiful woman in front of him. Needless to say, Elijah can't stop looking at her ━ she's absolutely beautiful. Damn, she's beautiful without trying ━ her bonnet on or her shower cap or even when she's asleep, she's beautiful.
Aliyah returns the sentiment. Elijah is so handsome that she wouldn't mind just skipping the party all together just to stare at him in this moment. The way his blue eyes stare her down, no fear or regret in them.
She knows he's absolutely sure about them ━ she's sure about them.
And as much as some part is telling her not to be, she can't help herself. She's waited ten years for someone like him ━ it's almost luck or a plain miracle for him to arrive at just the right time.
Ignoring the flutter in her stomach ━ don't think about it ━ she sends him a small smile before turning yet again and pushing the front door open.
Behind her, Elijah adjusts the cake in his hands before following her into the beautifully decorated house.
"Mommy!" Aliyah calls as she walks into the kitchen. She takes the cake from Elijah's grasp and places it in the fridge before closing it and seeing a note on the fridge. She grabs it and holds it out to Elijah.
Elijah huffs, amusedly, "I can't even read this and I'm a doctor."
Aliyah laughs, "Kyree has that effect. Alright, we gotta meet them outside."
Elijah nods and falls into step behind her as she leads him to the back of the house. He can't help his gaze that strays to her ass looking mighty fine in the striped pants. Before she pulls open the sliding door, she turns to him at the last minute and sends him a warning glance.
"Don't stare at my ass in front of my mom, please," She purses her lips into a smile, pressing her hand against his chest, sweetly.
Elijah rolls his eyes with a scoff, "I'm a gentleman, if you didn't know."
Leaning into his hold, she whispers, "Oh, I know."
And with that, she slides open the door to be met with Kendrick Lamar blasting from a speaker in a corner, a table full of burgers, hotdogs, chicken wings, and just about everything possible, along with a backyard full of family members and friends.
"Oh, lord," Aliyah mumbles under her breath as she looks out at the crowd of people. For a second, she wonders why there are so many people in the backyard of a seventeen year-old's birthday party, but she doesn't even have a minute to answer her own question.
Because the words that interrupt her seem to bring the sharks out of hiding.
"Yo, Liyah!" Kyree yells from his spot in a group of friends, "You brought the bone man!"
Behind her, Elijah's eyes widen at his words, "Is that my name now?"
She sends him a sympathetic smile before patting his cheek and turning back to her approaching brother.
This cannot be happening.
AHHHHHHHHHHH LMFAOOOOOOIO
this chapter lowkey short tho