R&R

Cindy and Jazmine sat side by side at a nail salon early the next day. Jazmine insisted on a 'girls day' that included a mani-pedi session, and Cindy couldn't say no to her best friend. Cindy, however, was unusually eager to meet with Jazmine, and she wasn't surprised that Cindy was bursting with news about her sudden budding relationship with Riley.

Huey had gone off with Caesar again while she and Cindy sat in this large, expensive looking nail salon, in soft massage chairs that were beginning to lull Jazmine to sleep as Cindy rambled on about her and Riley.

So far, Jazmine learned that Riley was a basketball fan, like Cindy, and the two had long conversations about different teams, both women's and men's. He was younger than Cindy by a year, his birthday was in June, he liked to bake brownies in his alone time, he was a talented artist that specialized in abstract pieces and portraits, and he was halfway covered with tattoos. Some of the things she mentioned were information Huey had already told her, such as his current occupation as a drug dealer and that he barely finished high school.

"He's kinda troubled," Cindy admitted, leaning back into her seat. She, like Jazmine, had her feet dipped into a bubbling bowl full of warm water attached to the chair while her hands were being attended to by a female worker. Jazmine was currently getting her legs massaged, and it was helping her eyes droop as she tried to force herself to remain awake.

"But I think he's sweet." Cindy felt herself blush, and Jazmine managed to pick her head up, "Oh?"

Cindy nodded, "I know it's a little crazy I'm already dreaming about this guy I haven't even met yet."

Jazmine scoffed, yawning, "Not as crazy as what I'm doing."

Both girls chuckled, "How's that going, by the way?" Cindy asked casually, cocking up a brow.

Jazmine's face turned a shade of red that made Cindy burst into laughter, "I take it's going good?" She managed to say as she used her free hand to cover her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter.

Jazmine nodded sheepishly, smiling dumbly, "It's been going amazing." she admitted. However, the blush dissipated from her cheeks, and her smile fell into a small frown as she leaned back into her seat.

Cindy, now done laughing, noticed Jazmine's shift in attitude, "What's wrong?" she asked.

Jazmine thought for a moment, eyeing the people around them. She didn't know anyone here, they'd gone to a salon farther from where they would've normally gone, just to be on the safe side in case a conversation like this arose.

"I...I don't know what I'm doing." She tilted her head up to stare at the ceiling, "I really didn't think this through."

"Are you regretting agreeing to it?" Cindy prodded, concern in her voice.

Jazmine immediately shook her head, turning to face Cindy now, "No," she answered firmly, "I don't regret anything, but that's part of the problem."

"You still caught up over not feeling bad?"

"Well, maybe." Jazmine shrugged, "But it's more than that now."

She bit her bottom lip, as if unsure if she should continue. She decided to anyway, "I'm afraid of what's gonna happen...at the end of all this."

"You mean...at the end of this week," Cindy cocked her head to the side.

Jazmine nodded, "I know this deal was for this week only, but…,"

Her hesitation made Cindy gasp slightly, "No, you're not seriously thinking of…,"

"No! Well, I don't know," Jazmine groaned as she sunk further into her seat, trying to enjoy the rest of her pedicure, "I know this was supposed to be just 'business'...but it's not anymore, Cin."

"It's only been, like, a few days!" Cindy's manicure was finished, along with her pedicure. She was moved to a table in front of where they'd been sitting to place her hands and feet under a set of lights. She turned to look at Jazmine, who was finishing up with her pedicure.

"I know," Jazmine groaned inwardly. She paused as her nail technician finished up, helping her stand and waddle over to where Cindy sat. The two went simple; Cindy had all white on her hands and feet, while Jazmine had all red.

"I didn't think this would happen," Jazmine admitted in a hushed voice. Cindy leaned in closer to listen, "but...I don't know if I'm gonna be able to just end this in the next few days."

"Jaz, are you sure?" Cindy chewed on her bottom lip, "I mean, you know I'm gonna have your back no matter what, but are you sure?"

Jazmine hesitated to respond, mainly because of the lack of privacy. They received their tickets and paid at the front desk, promptly leaving and rushing to Jazmine's car so they could continue talking.

Once securely inside, Jazmine found herself staring at her steering wheel, as if lost in thought, "You okay?" Cindy's question snapped her back to reality.

"Yeah," she sighed, "I guess, to answer your question, the reason I'm so sure I won't be able to end it with Huey is 'cause...I need this." She turned to face Cindy, tears brimming in her eyes, "Cin, you have no idea what I've been experiencing these past few days with Huey. It...it's something I've never even experienced before." She sounded exasperated, "This whole thing was supposed to be me being liberated and getting back at Daniel, this was supposed to be me enjoying my life the way he obviously enjoys his, have my own fun."

"But, now…?"

"But...Cin...now I've caught feelings for Huey!" Jazmine threw her hands up in the air, careful to not damage her newly done nails, "I've been thinking about what's gonna happen at the end of this week and I'm dreading it, completely dreading it! I don't want to say goodbye to Huey, not just yet."

Cindy's jaw dropped slightly, "B-but what about Daniel? What are you gonna do when he gets back? Are you gonna make Huey stay here a while longer?"

Jazmine shook her head, "I can't get Huey to stay any longer than he needs to, that would be a bitchy move, and I still don't know what I'm gonna do about Daniel. I'm definitely not gonna tell him about any of this, he will try to kill me."

"Are you...gonna leave him?" Cindy's voice was almost hopeful, even though she already knew the answer.

Jazmine's silence, however, shocked her, "Well...are you?"

She looked up at her, biting her bottom lip slightly, "I…," she hesitated.

Cindy couldn't hide the smile from spreading across her face, "Are you gonna leave him for Huey?"

"That's the thing," Jazmine rubbed her temples, "I can't really use that as a reason because that would be weird for Huey. Like, he probably doesn't even like me like that, he's just interested in the sex. If I tell Huey I'm leaving Daniel for him, he'll freak out!"

"Well, how do you know he doesn't like you like that?" Cindy prodded.

Jazmine shrugged, "I'm just assuming, but I don't think he's caught any kind of feelings for me like that. He's got a whole life back in Chicago, he's probably got a few girls waiting for him to come home."

Cindy nodded, "Yeah, you could be right. Or…," she gave Jazmine a look, "or he could actually like you, and you don't know 'cause you're too afraid to ask."

Jazmine chuckled, shaking her head, "I don't know if I will ask," she admitted, "I just wanna enjoy this week with him. Besides...I still have feelings for Daniel, too."

Cindy groaned, "Why? What's so great about Daniel that you still like him?"

Before Jazmine could reply, Cindy's phone began ringing. She pulled it from her purse, a smile spreading across her face, "Oh! It's Riley." She turned to Jazmine, as if waiting for her to approve her answering the phone.

Jazmine nodded, "You can answer it, Cin." She turned her car on and backed out of the parking space, exiting the lot and heading back to her apartment.

Cindy beamed as she connected the call, which transferred into a Facetime, "Hey Riley," she grinned.

"Wassup Cin," Riley's voice was smooth and low, and even though Jazmine wasn't looking over at her, she knew Cindy was probably gushing.

"Something wrong?" Cindy asked, now sounding concerned.

"Why ya ask that?" Riley asked, but even Jazmine could hear his tone shift and become slightly rigid.

Cindy shook her head, "You look...upset."

Riley sighed loudly, rubbing his forehead with a hand, "Yeah, well, I guess I kinda am," he admitted, "Cin, ya ain't gonna believe this shit."

"What?"

"So I dunno all of Huey's business, but I know he can't handle his shit. Tell me why I started gettin' all these random ass calls from this unknown number, right, at like three in the mornin'! So I kept declinin' them, but they kept comin'. Finally, I blocked the caller, and then I started gettin' calls from another number." Riley's voice grew louder as he spoke, portraying the annoyance he was obviously feeling.

"Finally I decide to jus' answer it and figure out who the fuck callin' me up like that. So I do, and I couldn't believe who answered."

"Who?" Cindy inquired.

"That bitch Huey been fuckin' with, Eliza. Liz? Liza? Somethin' like that," Jazmine's ears immediately perked up at the mention of Huey, her face growing a little red as she listened.

"Anyways, she was on the phone fuckin' screamin' at me at three in the fuckin' mornin', askin' me where Huey was, why he ain't answered her calls or texts, blah, blah, blah. I'm askin' why the fuck she callin' me like I'm my brother's keeper or somethin', but she was goin' in." Riley whistled, "I mean she was pissed as fuck. I told her he been outta town for a few days, dunno when exactly he'd be back, but she needed to lose my number."

"What did she say?" Cindy pressed.

"She went on and on 'bout 'ya need to get him to call me!' 'put him on the phone right now!'" He mimicked a higher pitched voice as he mocked whoever he was talking about, "I mean she screamin' so loud my phone almost broke!"

Cindy glanced at Jazmine for a moment, and she noticed her face now a dark shade of red, "Did she leave you alone?" she then asked Riley, her attention back on him.

Riley nodded, "Yeah, I hung up on her and she called me back on a few more random numbers, but she eventually stopped." Jazmine heard him sigh, exasperated, "I dunno what Huey did, but she was pissed."

Jazmine took a moment to process this information, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter as she continued to drive, "You said this's Huey's ex?" Cindy prodded, wanting to get more information from Riley.

She saw Riley shrug, "Eh, she's not really an ex, at least from what Huey says. He says they hooked up a few times and she just won't leave him alone, but damn, I didn't realize she was that crazy!"

Jazmine inhaled sharply, coming to an abrupt stop at a red light that made Cindy lurch forward, "Damn, ya good?" Riley asked.

Cindy fixed herself and nodded, "Yeah, I'm okay," she smiled at him, "Who're ya with?" Riley questioned.

She glanced over at Jazmine, who immediately began shaking her head, "Oh, um, I'm with my mom!" Cindy answered a little too loudly, "We went for a mom and daughter day out, it was kinda spontaneous, but we went and got our nails done."

Jazmine groaned inwardly; her rambling was definitely not helping the situation. Riley, however, didn't press the issue further, "Aye, well, I'll call ya later," he said, "text me when ya home."

"Okay," Cindy blushed as Riley winked at her, and she hung up.

She turned to Jazmine to gush, but saw the perplexed look on her friend's face and remembered what Riley had just said about Huey, "Oh, yeah, what Riley was saying," Cindy's eyes widened, "do you think Huey really has a girlfriend back in Chicago?"

"He said they weren't dating," Jazmine's voice was a little sharp. She started driving again, "and I'm not surprised he's got someone back home."

"Are...you okay with that?" Cindy asked slowly.

Jazmine gave her a brief look, "Cin, I kinda have to be," she answered, "I mean, look at the situation I'm in. I have a fiancé! It would be hypocritical of me to be upset over Huey having a girlfriend or whatever back in Chicago when I'm hiding this whole entanglement from Daniel."

Cindy giggled, but she nodded understandingly, "I guess you're right." However, she knew Jazmine, and she knew by the way Jazmine was sitting up higher in her seat, her face rigid, her eyes trained on only the road, that Jazmine was definitely not okay with what Riley had said.

"Are you gonna ask him about it?" Cindy continued.

Jazmine shook her head, "He hasn't mentioned her to me, so I'm not gonna bring it up." She pulled into her parking garage, winding up the ramps a few times before parking. Finally, she turned to Cindy and gave her a small, but sad, smile, "I'm just the side chick, remember? We're in a fling, not a relationship."

Cindy nodded, "Yeah…,"

But Cindy could tell that it definitely meant something to Jazmine.

Huey unlocked Jazmine's door and stepped inside, exhausted. He and Caesar spent a few hours together at the park, shooting some hoops, and talking about Jazmine. Caesar gave him some advice on his current predicament, because Huey now found himself in a pickle.

The end of the week seemed closer, and Huey was dreading having to return home to normalcy and leave Jazmine behind. He couldn't explain it, but being here in Woodcrest was oddly relaxing. He felt at ease here, he felt calm and content.

But that was probably because he was here with Jazmine. If it'd just been him, he'd be here strictly for work, and he wouldn't bother with exploring the town or getting out to meet people. He'd probably be in his hotel room right now, watching TV or on the phone with Riley.

Instead, he was slipping off his shoes and walking further into Jazmine's apartment.

She was lounging on the couch in a black silk robe, her hair tied back into a bun. She was on her phone, scrolling through something on her screen. He walked into the room and her eyes immediately averted up to meet his gaze, and she smiled, placing her phone down on the couch beside her before standing, "Finally back from being with Caesar?" she asked, moving to greet him with a hug.

He chuckled, nodding, "Yeah, well, we were playing some basketball and lost track of time. How was your time with Cindy?"

"It was good," Jazmine bit back the urge to bring up the information she'd overheard Riley giving to Cindy, "we went to the salon, I got my nails done." She flashed him her newly manicured nails, "We went to get food, talked about life." Now, she chuckled, "Cindy couldn't stop talking about Riley."

Huey rolled his eyes, smirking, "My brother knows how to wine and dine 'em," he mused.

She nodded, stepping aside so he could sit down on the couch. She sat beside him, "He does," she agreed, "Cindy couldn't stop talking about how alike they are. She said he's very artistic; he showed her some of his canvas work."

"Really?" Huey cocked up a brow, impressed, "Huh, Riley's usually private about the artwork he does in his free time. It's usually a lot different from what he does publicly."

"How so?"

Huey thought for a moment, "Well, Riley's done murals and other pieces in public places, usually illegally. It's something he's done since we were kids. He started out with tagging places with his nickname, Reezy, in different font styles, and then he moved to spray painting pictures on brick walls. Eventually, he started doing full murals on random buildings. He got caught a few times," he smiled softly at the memories, "but that didn't stop him from going back out to do more."

"What makes his private artwork different, though?" Jazmine questioned.

"It's more emotional." Huey scratched his head, "Don't get me wrong, the pieces he does publicly are gorgeous. He's got the eye for doing art, and you can see it in his murals. But his private pieces," he thought back to the few he'd seen over the years, the progress Riley made thus far, "they're a lot more emotional. His murals express what he's tryna say, but his private pieces express how he feels. It's like he really pours his heart and soul into those."

"You've seen them?"

"Sporadically." Huey shrugged, "Riley's a private person, he usually doesn't show anyone his personal pieces, which is why I'm surprised he showed her some."

"How do you know that they're his personal ones?" Jazmine went on.

"Because those are the ones he keeps." Huey answered, "His murals and statement pieces are left at the scene, he doesn't really plan ahead on paper what he wants to do for those, he does it in the moment. The personal ones are the ones he has in his room, on canvases; those are the ones he goes back to and reworks and perfects. Those are the only ones he'd be able to show her a physical copy of."

Jazmine nodded, "I can tell you're proud of him."

Huey smirked, but he nodded, "I am," he agreed, "Riley has some serious artistic talent. He's been talented ever since we were kids. I just wish he put more thought into using his talent beyond murals and street work, into actually making a career for himself with it instead of resorting to drug dealing and whatnot."

"I understand," Jazmine nodded again. She reached over and began tracing a finger along his upper arm, "but you gotta let him figure that out for himself, you know. He's never gonna see that picture if you're forcing him to. It has to come to him naturally."

Huey now nodded in agreement, "That's what my granddad's always told me. He knows Riley's talented, and he believes Riley could really go far with it. But he knows nothing will come of it if Riley doesn't wanna pursue it on his own, without my influence or instruction."

Jazmine sighed softly, smiling at him, "I know he will," she said in a quieter voice, "it's just gonna take some time. He's still trying to find himself. You'll see."

Huey turned to look at her fully, gazing into her emerald eyes with his, "I hope you're right," he reached over and brushed a stray curl from her face. She smirked, "I usually am."

He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her lips, gently, as if she were too delicate to even touch. His fingers grazed her chin as he guided her face closer to his. She followed, pressing her lips deeper onto his. His mouth opened slightly, allowing her to touch his tongue gently with her own.

She felt her face heat up as she reached her hand over to cup the nape of his neck, pulling herself to sit on his lap. She straddled him, her knees supporting her on the couch as he adjusted himself underneath her. His hands dropped to wrap themselves around her waist, searching her back with a gentle, soft touch.

Their kisses became deeper as she ran her hands down his chest, letting one slip under his shirt to feel his bare skin against hers. One of his hands moved to push her robe up, toying with the straps of her underwear.

Jazmine's hands moved down to his pants, where she fumbled with the waistband of his sweats, trying to push it down. Huey lifted himself up just enough so she could shimmy his sweats down, bringing his briefs down with them so his manhood sprung out, rock hard.

He hooked his fingers around the band of her underwear and began pulling them down, helping her shift around so he could fully pry them off and discard them to the side. Their lips never broke contact throughout this, and he only kissed her more passionately as he situated her on top of him.

Jazmine moaned into him when she felt him enter her, her high pitched gasp making Huey chuckle lowly. She positioned herself better on top of him, spreading her legs wider so she could slide down more. His hands wrapped around her waist as he lifted her up slightly.

Jazmine started moaning as Huey began pumping himself in and out of her, picking up speed. She braced herself against him as he took long strokes, their lips finally disconnecting so she could bury her face into his neck. She heard Huey panting into her ear as he moved, completely focused on what he was doing.

Jazmine moans grew louder with each thrust, her mouth opening wider as she tilted her head back. She felt Huey's lips touch her neck in soft kisses as they continued to have sex, his lips trailing down to gently lick one of her exposed breasts.

After a moment, Huey slowed down, and Jazmine took this opportunity to start grinding into him, leaning back and propping herself up so she sat at an angle, her hips pushing back and forth. Huey moaned softly as he moved his hands up to encircle them around her breasts, tilting his head back against the couch.

Then, she leaned forward, and Huey began resuming his motions, wrapping his arms fully around her and pulling her as close to him as he could, his face buried in her chest as he resumed pumping in and out of her while she continued to try and grind into him.

Their moans grew louder as the minutes went by, the tension building in the pit of their bodies. Jazmine knew it wasn't going to take much longer before she reached a climax; she savored every movement and moan Huey gave her.

Finally, she felt a familiar, warm feeling bubble inside her as Huey began hitting a sweet spot, positioning her at a slightly different angle so he could reach it. Jazmine's whimpering turned into short, high pitched screams as this feeling boiled over into ecstasy, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as her body began shaking uncontrollably. Huey continued, smirking as he watched her head tilt back and her body convulse.

At the last second, right as he felt himself begin to climax, Huey pulled Jazmine off of him and released, his high clouding his mind and blurring his vision. He could feel warmth touch his stomach as he let out a low hiss.

Jazmine landed on the couch next to him, dazed. Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest, and she felt tingly and shaky all over.

She turned to look up at him; his eyes were slightly closed, his chest rising and falling heavily with each breath he took. She smiled softly before fixing herself and standing. Wordlessly, she headed into the kitchen to grab a napkin.

She came back and wiped Huey off, who was starting to regain his composure. Blushing, he helped her, "Thanks,"

She giggled at his flushed face, "You're welcome."

Then, Huey reached out and touched her face gently with a hand. Gingerly, he pulled her back into his lap and held her.

Jazmine felt the butterflies in her stomach swarm as she melted into him, savoring the warmth his body gave off. She could smell his body wash and cologne as she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

"You okay?" Huey asked, his arms wrapped around her.

She nodded, "Mm-hmm."

Huey's fingers trembled as he lightly held onto Jazmine. Her skin was soft and smooth, and she smelled lightly of coconut and lavender. He hugged her a little tighter, savoring the moment.

Finally, Jazmine pulled away, reaching over to grab her phone so she could check the time, "It's getting late," Jazmine noted. It was only five-thirty, but she was starting to get hungry.

"Yeah, are you hungry?" Huey asked.

She nodded, "Very. Let me go get dressed."

She stood up and stretched, smiling softly. Huey stood up with her, "I'm gonna shower real quick."

She nodded, and he followed her into her bedroom. She went into the bathroom first while Huey gathered up some things. He heard the toilet flush and the sink turn on, and by the time he'd entered the bathroom she was exiting back into her room.

As she passed him, Huey gently grazed a finger across her cheek, catching her attention. She stopped to kiss him, and he gave her a wink before heading to the shower.

Jazmine had freshened up in the bathroom and now changed into black leggings, an oversized black shirt, and some sneakers. She began fixing her hair at her vanity, pulling her afro into two twin buns, when she heard a phone vibrate

She looked down at her own on the vanity desk in front of her, but it was silent. She turned around; on the bed, she spotted Huey's phone. The screen was on, and she could see that there was a notification.

Jazmine glanced over at the door, waiting to see if Huey would come out, but he didn't. After a minute, the phone vibrated again, and then it went silent.

Just as Jazmine turned around to look into her mirror, his phone started up again. Now, she stood up and walked over to the bed, eyes on the phone.

She knew she shouldn't, but gingerly she picked up the phone. The screen flashed on, and to her surprise, she was able to see what the texts were saying without having to open the phone. Her eyebrow quirked up when she read the name of the sender: Caesar.

From Caesar: yo, I got word Daniel doing Jazmine wrong again.

Jazmine felt her face heat up in annoyance now; was it this obvious that Daniel was cheating on her? She thought that the incident with Ed was an accident, that Daniel wouldn't openly cheat out of fear for getting caught. But apparently, she was wrong.

From Caesar: I feel bad for Jazmine now, shits sad.

Jazmine now felt embarrassed; the last thing she wanted was a pity party from other people.

From Caesar: make your move on her now bro. Make it official.

Now, Jazmine felt the corners of her mouth quirk up into a smile. She clicked the phone off and rushed back to her vanity, her heart skipping a beat.

Meanwhile, Huey stood under a scorching hot shower as he stared blankly at one of the shower walls. He wanted to invite Jazmine in with him, but he knew she'd catch on that he was very obviously deep in thought, and he didn't want to have to lie to her by denying it.

His mind briefly thought back to his time with Caesar earlier that day, how he'd been firing Huey up to make a move and make things more serious with Jazmine. The idea sounded good in theory, it sounded amazing in Huey's mind, but now that he was somewhat back in reality, it sounded crazy.

How can I ask her that? He thought to himself as he washed his body. I can't possibly ask her to leave her city behind, I know she's not gonna wanna leave Woodcrest, and I don't wanna leave Chicago. Besides, I barely know her. She'll think I'm crazy!

Another part of him scoffed at the notion; Jazmine was already pretty crazy for agreeing to this affair, it was obvious that she liked him. It was obvious that she was willing to risk a lot just to spend this one week with him. But even with those signs, the logical, critical side of him kept rearing its ugly head.

Huey finished showering and turned the water off. He dried himself off and began dressing, fixing up his hair and slapping on some deodorant under his t-shirt and cologne over the rest of his torso.

He re-entered Jazmine's room and found her sitting at her vanity. He quirked up a brow; she was almost too perfectly poised, as if she was trying to look like she'd been doing something. She sat unnaturally straight, and it looked as though she hadn't really been doing anything until he'd come out of the bathroom.

She turned to him, smiling as her body relaxed, "Are you ready?" She stood up, fluffing up her twin buns with her hands as she moved to stand in front of Huey.

He nodded, "You okay?"

She sighed, leaning into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace, "I think we're treading in dangerous water." She spoke softly, but Huey heard her. His grip around her tightened at her words.

Gulping, he nodded, "I think you're right."

Now, she pulled back, looking up at him with confusion in her eyes, but she didn't say anything else.

She didn't know if she wanted Huey to try and make a real move on her. A part of her did, that wild, untamable side of her that longed for something more than the life she was living in Woodcrest. Being with Huey was so easy, it was like a natural part of her now. At this point, she felt like she couldn't remember what life was like before being with him.

But, the logical side of her, the boring, fearful side, made her hesitate. It made her question what she was doing, it made her fearful of even thinking about a life with Huey.

He was so easy to love, and that's what scared her the most.

"Is it crazy I already feel so comfortable around you?" Jazmine asked.

Huey chuckled, "Don't worry, I feel the same." He reached up and traced a finger along her jawline.

She closed her eyes as he did so, savoring his touch, "You are trouble, Huey Freeman." She teased, opening her eyes to wrinkle her nose at him.

He rolled his eyes, "Likewise."

Suddenly, Huey's phone began to buzz; he had an incoming phone call. Groaning, he stepped over to the bed to grab it; it was Riley, again. Now annoyed, he picked up the phone to answer it, "Yeah, Riley?"

"AYE!" Riley loudly answered. Huey winced at the sudden noise, pulling the phone away from his ear, "Damn! Riley, what the fuck?"

He could hear Riley moving around, and there were lots of voices in the background. It sounded like there was an intercom overhead, wherever he was at, but Huey couldn't make out what was being said, "Aye, so, I fixed my lil' problem," Riley sounded pleased with himself as he grunted.

"Problem?" Huey quirked up a brow.

"Yeah, the Cindy thing."

"You mean you not being able to see her?" Huey didn't like where this was going.

"Yeah! Since we doin' spontaneous shit now, guess where I'm headed." Riley sounded proud of himself for coming up with a plan he knew Huey wasn't going to like.

"No, you're not…," Huey groaned inwardly. Jazmine cocked her head to the side as she watched Huey's face drop.

"Hell yeah, I'm comin' to Woodcrest!" Riley practically yelled into Huey's ear.

"Riley! What about Granddad?" Huey now frowned, his voice getting lower as he tried to conceal his growing anger from Jazmine.

"Man, don't worry! I ain't that irresponsible or whatever, I called Aunt Cookie and asked if she could pay Granddad a lil' visit for a few days while I'm gone." Riley was definitely happy about this, "I just told Cindy I'm on my way."

As soon as he spoke, Jazmine's phone buzzed with a text message. She pulled out her phone to open it, and she smirked as Huey turned to look at her. She glanced up at him and flashed him her phone screen, "It's Cindy," she said softly, "she just texted me that Riley's coming."

Huey groaned outwardly now, "Riley, where are you gonna stay? How are you gonna pay for a hotel?"

"I got that covered, too! Me and Cindy splittin' a hotel room 'til she leaves. I offered to pay for everythin', but she said she wanna help since she tryna fuck." Jazmine giggled when she heard this, rolling her eyes.

Huey sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "When will you be here?" he asked.

"I'm leavin' right now, I should be there in a few hours." Riley answered, "I'll call ya when I land, ya better come pick me up nigga!"

Before Huey could respond, Riley hung up. Huey rubbed his head with a hand, dumbfounded. He turned to Jazmine, an apologetic expression on his face, "I'm sorry," he began, "I had no idea Riley planned on coming."

She giggled again, shaking her head, "No need to apologize," she assured him, "he's coming for Cindy, it's not like they're gonna be with us all the time. I'm sure she'll keep him…busy." He grimaced at the thought, and it made her laugh again.

"Still, it's just unbelievable he's doing this." Huey admitted.

Jazmine now scoffed, "Really? This doesn't seem that out of character for your brother, based off of what you've told me about him."

Huey shook his head, "No, I mean it's unbelievable he's doing all this for Cindy." He sat down on the bed, leaning back and propping himself up with his arms, "Riley isn't the type to try too hard, if I'm being honest. He knows he's got game, he knows it's not hard for him to bag a girl and dip. I've never seen him try this hard to be with someone before."

"Really?" Jazmine sat beside him, a hand reaching over to touch his chest.

He nodded, "Riley's never flown out to meet some random girl he's never met in person. In fact, he specifically avoids online dating because he doesn't want to go too far to find someone. I've never seen him connect with anyone online or over the phone before." He now looked at Jazmine, "Did Cindy do some unspoken girl witchcraft on him or something?"

The question made Jazmine snort, "I doubt it," she chuckled, "but she seems really into him, too. Maybe he's just into her more than you realize."

"How? They've never even met before!" Huey seemed genuinely surprised that Riley was willing to fly to an unknown city just to see a girl he met by chance over a FaceTime call only a few days previous.

"Why don't you ask him when he gets here?" Jazmine suggested. She then stood up, "Let's go, I wanna eat before we have to go pick him up."

"Are you sure you wanna go?" Huey stood with her, "He could always just get a taxi or something."

"He's your brother, I don't mind driving a little bit," she shrugged, "besides, I'm sure Cindy's gonna ask me if I can take her with us."

Huey sighed, as if defeated, "Alright, I guess."

Jazmine gave him a peck on the cheek, "You worry too much," she mused. He felt her hand interlock with his as she guided him into the living room so they could grab their things.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "I don't think I worry enough."

By seven-thirty, Huey, Jazmine, and Cindy were at Woodcrest Airport, wanting for Riley to let them know he was there. Cindy sat in the back of Jazmine's car, and she seemed nervous and excited all at once.

They parked and exited the car, heading into the airport to wait for Riley there. Jazmine noticed Cindy got dressed up for the occasion; she wore a pair of fitted jeans and a blue, long sleeved one piece with her favorite pair of sneakers: blue Air Jordan 1's. She even did her makeup and styled her blonde hair into waves.

"Are you nervous?" Jazmine asked as they sat down on a bench inside the airport.

Cindy fidgeted with a strand of hair, looking around. Finally, her eyes fell on Jazmine, "Hmm?"

Jazmine chuckled, "You're totally nervous!"

Cindy blushed a pinkish red color, "Is it that obvious? God, I don't wanna seem too much. Is this too much?" She gestured to her outfit.

Jasmine shook her head, "No way, you look great!"

Huey leaned back into the bench, sighing. He couldn't hide his annoyance over the situation anymore, but neither girl seemed to notice. He glanced at his phone, still waiting on a text from Riley, but there was nothing yet.

Finally, his phone buzzed with a message from Riley. He read it, "He's here somewhere," he announced to the girls.

Cindy's face reddened again as she popped to her feet, "Where?"

Huey took a moment to read the messages he was getting, "He's saying he just got off the plane, I'm pretty sure he's getting his luggage now."

Cindy started walking away, further into the airport, and Jazmine followed her, "We should just wait with Huey," Jazmine placed a hand on Cindy's shoulder, trying to get her attention. Cindy was focused on the new crowd of people coming in from the terminals, searching for a familiar face.

"Yeah," she finally agreed. She turned to Jazmine, "we probably should."

The two started back towards Huey, but Cindy felt a hand grab her shoulder to stop her, and it wasn't Jazmine. Gasping, she whirled around, catching Jazmine's attention and forcing her to turn around as well.

Cindy's eyes fell on a tall, dark skinned, mischievous looking young man with slicked back cornrows and a playful gleam in his wine colored eyes. He had a smirk on his face, his platinum white teeth visible and practically glowing. He wore a pair of baggy sweatpants and a hoodie, his feet covered by red Nikes. He carried a black backpack on one shoulder and a duffle bag in his free hand; his other hand was still on Cindy's shoulder even after she'd turned around to look at him.

He looked her up and down, his eyes scanning her entire body, "Lemme guess," his rich, warm voice sent a chill down Cindy's spine, "Cindy?"

His eyes were focused on only her, and she gulped, "Riley?"

Before he could say anything, another voice spoke from behind Cindy, "Riley!"

Huey came into view, stepping up to greet his brother. Riley released Cindy and gave Huey a fist bump, "Wassup man? Miss me?"

"You wish I did." Huey rolled his eyes. He noticed Riley look away from him, his eyes now glancing between the two girls.

"Riley," Huey elbowed him as he gestured to both girls, "this's Jazmine," he pointed to her, and she waved politely as Riley gave her a nod of acknowledgment, "and this's-,"

"Cindy," Riley repeated, finishing Huey's sentence, "in the flesh."

Cindy blushed, and instead of replying, she was only able to nod, "I didn't think you'd come all the way to Woodcrest," she admitted sheepishly, "are you…ready?"

"Baby, I been ready," Riley handed his duffle bag to Huey and took a step closer to her, now only an inch or two away. Cindy quirked up a brow as she giggled, amused by his playful grin and obvious flirting.

"Save it for your room," Huey gave Riley a push with his shoulder and tossed his bag back to him. Riley rolled his eyes, but he nodded, "Yeah, yeah I hear ya."

The four strolled back outside; Jazmine and Huey walked together, while Cindy and Riley were a few feet behind them. They found Jazmine's car and piled inside, Riley placing his bags in the trunk before sitting next to Cindy in the backseat.

"Man, I'm starvin'," Riley announced from behind Huey, "What y'all got to eat out here?"

"Hmm," Cindy thought for a moment as Jazmine began driving, "there's a pizza place nearby, Chinese, a wing bar-,"

"Wings? Wing bar?" Riley sounded intrigued, his eyes lighting up at the thought of mouthwatering, savory hot wings. Huey had to admit that it sounded good to him as well, and he felt his stomach give a low growl.

Jazmine smirked, "Yeah, I know what you're talking about," she glanced over at Huey after coming to a stop at a red light, "you wanna get something to eat with them?"

Huey nodded, "Sure, sounds good to me." He gave her a look, "Are you sure you should be out with me like that, though?"

Jazmine blushed: this was going to be the first time she and Huey sat down at a restaurant together. Up until then, the two had only ever ordered take out, and only one of them would actually go into the restaurant to pick up the order. Jazmine was still on high alert trying to be careful.

But then, her mind wandered back to the text messages she'd read from Caesar on Huey's phone. Daniel was openly cheating on her now, or maybe he'd always been doing that. Either way, it wasn't too difficult to determine Daniel's infidelities, he obviously wasn't being careful...so why should she?

"Yeah, it's okay," Jazmine assured him.

"Damn, y'all ain't even doin' 'friendly' lunch dates?" Riley prodded from the backseat.

"It's because of Daniel, Riley," Huey snapped, glaring at him through the rear view mirror, "he's pretty well known around Woodcrest, and in case you forgot, this's something that requires secrecy."

"It's okay, though," Jazmine repeated, pulling into the restaurant parking lot, "it shouldn't be that big of a deal since it's a group of us together."

Huey nodded, reaching over to grab Jazmine's hand. He gave her a gentle squeeze, and she grinned, blushing as she squeezed his hand back.

Riley caught this and quirked up a brow, glancing over at Cindy. She only shrugged in response.

The four exited the car and entered the restaurant: Welson's Wings & Bar. It was a sports bar; the inside was decked out with football and basketball décor, and there were multiple TVs mounted to every other available blank space on the walls. Currently, they were all turned on to different sports channels, and there was a different game playing on each TV.

There were several people inside already seated at the bar, many of whom were watching a football game on one of the TVs. The four opted to sit at a booth near the back, away from the majority of the crowd; Huey and Jazmine sat together on one side, while Riley and Cindy sat together on the opposite side. Their waitress, a young looking brunette, took their drink orders and bounced away to another table. However, both Huey and Riley noticed her eyes linger a little too long on Jazmine, who wouldn't meet her gaze.

"So, what's my brother been up to in Woodcrest, huh?" Riley spoke first, breaking the awkward silence.

Jazmine giggled, "Oh, he's been busy." Her answer made Huey blush slightly, and Riley let out a cackle.

"What about you?" Huey prodded, catching Riley's attention.

"What about me?" Riley shrugged.

"Why're you here in Woodcrest?" The moment Huey asked, Riley's face began to redden, and he only shrugged again, "What, I can't do spontaneous shit, too?" He demanded, but Huey knew he'd taken Riley by surprise with the question.

"I guess you just don't do it very often." Huey replied indifferently.

Riley scowled, "Man, I been dyin' to take a lil' trip outta Chicago for a minute, and what better trip to take than this one?" He now smiled slyly, turning to eye Cindy, who blushed.

"Oh, is that it?" She asked teasingly.

Riley casually stretched his left arm out, letting it rest behind Cindy. She rolled her eyes, but she didn't say anything. Jazmine began giggling as Huey groaned inwardly, "Save it for y'alls room, please." He made a face at Riley.

The waitress came back with their drinks and took their orders. After she left, the four resumed talking, "Ya been stayin' with Jazmine, right?" Riley asked Huey.

Huey nodded, "Yeah, why?"

"Ooh, and y'all ain't been caught yet?" Riley cackled as Huey nearly spit out his drink. Jazmine blushed as Huey coughed, "Man, why you gotta talk about that right now?" Huey demanded. He scowled at his younger brother, who only laughed harder.

"I'm surprised no one's said anything to you," Cindy admitted to Jazmine, "I didn't realize your neighbors minded their business that much."

Jazmine shrugged, "I don't really see my neighbors a whole lot anyways, but even if someone has noticed, they haven't said anything."

"I don't see why they would, ya grown." Riley commented.

Cindy chuckled, "This isn't a big city like Chicago. People around here talk, especially if it has to do with Wuncler, and Daniel's associated with him now."

"Who is Wuncler?" Riley genuinely asked, "I been hearin' about him but know nothin' on him."

Both Cindy and Jazmine sighed together, as if they were already overwhelmed. It made Riley's eyes widen a bit, and Jazmine answered: "Well, where could you start?" It was a rhetorical question, and Riley knew not to answer, "Wuncler is only the biggest name in Woodcrest, hell, probably in Maryland."

"He's this super rich businessman that owns so many companies, I don't think he remembers them," Cindy added, "His family's been living in Woodcrest for generations; Wunclers are known to have always done something to better the city, but it also always pulls Woodcrest further into debt to them."

"And they're all pretty cruel, in their own rights." Jazmine went on, "The only one Cindy and I were able to befriend was Ed III, Wuncler's grandson. All the other members of his family are intolerable."

"How big is his family?" Huey asked.

"It's not that big, but there's a few relatives here and there," Jazmine thought for a moment, "Ed III is an only child, but his dad, Ed II, has a sister, Emilia. She has a daughter named Rachel, who has a son named Edison and a daughter named Emily. Emily recently got married and has a son, Edward."

"I think Wuncler's wife died before Ed III was born," Cindy scratched her head, "and I don't think Ed II was even married when he had Ed III, I've never known what happened to Ed's mom."

"Anyways, Daniel works for Wuncler. He's one of his top salesmen in the company. Daniel's always going out of town for work, and he leaves for weeks at a time." Jazmine unknowingly moved the conversation to Daniel, "That's where he is now; he went to some other state for a 'business deal' for Wuncler."

"If ya don't like him like that, why ya stayin' with him?" Riley asked.

He was met with silence, and Huey kicked him from under the table, causing him to let out a short yelp. Even Cindy seemed uncomfortable by the question, but she didn't say anything.

Jazmine was staring at the table, as if really thinking about what Riley had said. Huey sighed, "Jaz, I'm sorry," he apologized for his brother, "Riley can be a loudmouth, and he just says whatever comes to mind."

"No, it's okay," Jazmine turned to smile at him softly, her eyes softening, "it's just a question." She now turned to Riley, "To answer it, I guess...it just feels wrong to leave. I know we're obviously not the best for each other...but I've already put so much into my relationship with Daniel. It feels wrong to just leave him."

Riley nodded, glancing between her and Huey, "So, y'all strictly no strings attached?"

However, neither Huey nor Jazmine replied.

xoxo, Queen