The Ties That Bond | Chapter Three (unedited)

“I don’t like that look on your face,” Iniko observed, frowning at Kenyon from her place at the corner when he strolled in. He’d gotten in so late the night before that she was already asleep, having stayed up as long as she could to wait for him. And because he’d had such a late night, he’d slept in while she was already up and preparing for her day.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her to him, kissing her cheeks, forehead, and lips before responding. “And what look is that?”

“Stressed,” she emphasized, offering him a piece of fruit.

“I’m cool.”

“Kenyon,” she raised an eyebrow, shooting him a knowing look.

“A’ight, a’ight. I won’t lie. Last night was a little intense. But everything is okay. For the moment, anyway.”

“Tense how?”

Kenyon took a few seconds to respond, determining how much of the previous night’s events he wanted to share. “Your dad is working on getting things back under control after everything that happened with Jermaine. I forgot how different he is when he’s in that mode.”

“He’s been lenient for so long that I’m sure it’s going to throw a lot of people off that he’s not as laid back or forgiving.”

“Agreed,” Kenyon sighed, lifting her onto the counter. “But yesterday was yesterday. Right now, I don’t want to focus on anything besides me and you.”

“Well, you’ll have to wait for that because I want to talk to you about something.”

One of Kenyon’s eyebrows shot into the air. “What’s that?”

“If you plan on rebuilding your life here, Ken, you can’t keep avoiding the one thing you know you have to handle.”

“Nik.”

Ignoring his tone, she kept talking. “Your parents have been just as in the dark about what happened to you as I was. And I can only imagine how painful an experience it was for their child to disappear. You have to talk to them.”

“And I will.”

“When?” she urged.

“Why are you pressing the issue so hard?”

“Because if I don’t, you’ll only continue pushing it off until you look up and another year has passed. I know how hard this is for you, but—”

“Respectfully, Nik, you don’t. There’s no good enough reason for me to give them for me disappearing the way I did. And telling the truth will only result in them likely disowning me or never looking at me the same. I have no idea what to do with that situation, and there’s no way to fix it until I do.”

“All I keep hearing is you talking about a lot of you, you you. You’re clear about what you want, how you feel, and what you’re afraid of, all of which are valid. But I’m not hearing enough of you considering the feelings of the people who love you or you attempting to see things from their point of view. Imagine if we had a child who disappeared for years and then came back but still wouldn’t contact you or attempt to give you an explanation as to what happened to them. How would you feel?”

“Believe me, Niko, I’ve thought about all of that. And as soon as I feel I can tackle the situation how it needs to be, I will. Okay?”

“Okay,” she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “And I want to be clear that this isn’t me pushing or trying to force you into it. But part of moving forward is correcting the past, and I wasn’t the only one affected by your decisions.”

“I know. I don’t think you’re being inconsiderate or pushy. We both know I’ll avoid shit for as long as possible if I can.”

“Exactly,” she tittered.

“But speaking of avoiding shit,” Kenyon began in a tone that made Iniko groan. “We still haven’t talked about our living situation. The penthouse has been cool, but that was a temporary situation. I never planned to make it a home. If we’re supposed to be fixing things, we should at least start discussing what that looks like.”

“I agree,” Iniko sighed. “But I’m not convinced that requires us jumping right back into life without taking time to feel it out first. Yes, I’m open to giving you another chance, Kenyon, but the type of hurt you caused isn’t something we can sweep under the rug and jump back into a normal routine. It’s going to take work for me to trust you again.”

“I hear you, Iniko. And trust me, the last thing I want is for us to pretend as if the past few years of our lives never happened. Though, if that’s what you want to do, I won’t go against it,” he joked, making her playfully roll her eyes.

“In your dreams, negro. You have to work for things to get where you want them to be. I’m not making it easy for you. If I do, you’ll think it’s okay to repeat the behavior and it’s not happening.”

Kenyon squeezed Iniko’s thighs tightly to ensure he had her full attention. “Nik, I know I fucked up. And I don’t mind spending the rest of my life making it up to you. The only thing I want is for us to be on the same page moving forward.”

“And we are,” she assured him. “But you don’t get to rush me into what you want. I’ll get there when I get there. And if the day comes when I’m not moving fast enough, we can have another conversation about where that leaves us.”

“Together. ‘Cause I’ll be damned if I lose you again.”

“Then I suggest you fly right this time around, Mr. Alexander,” Iniko poked him in the chest, hopping off the counter. “Because there are no more chances after this.”

“I hear you, Mrs. Alexander.”

“I hope so. Anyway, I hope you’re satisfied with fruit for breakfast because that’s all I had time to put together before my shoot. And don’t forget I’m going to dinner with Shai tonight.”

“Cool,” Kenyon replied, kissing her gently. “Be careful, and I’ll see you when you get home.”

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you too.” 

***

“Hey, beauty,” Iniko waved, approaching the table where her best friend already sat waiting.

Shai stood to embrace her friend, smiling as she did so. “Hey, girly. You look amazing as always.”

“As do you. Did your order already?”

“Just appetizers. I got you the chili garlic shrimp.”

“A woman after my heart,” Iniko sighed, sinking into her seat.

“Uh-oh, I know that sigh. What’s going on? Don’t tell me there’s trouble in paradise already?”

Iniko playfully rolled her eyes. “If Kenyon doesn’t do anything else, he’s going to get on my nerves.”

“You lie like a rug. I see nothing but love in your eyes.”

Brushing her hair out of her face, Iniko shook her head. “There is something wrong,” she admitted. “But it’s not necessarily Kenyon. We absolutely have our issues, but lately, something else has been weighing heavily on me.”

“What’s going on?”

“I think something is going on with my dad. He’s been …different lately. But I know even trying to talk to him about it will get nowhere.”

“Different, how?”

“I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something off. And he could easily brush it off and blame everything that’s been happening recently, but I don’t know. Knowing him as well as I do, it just feels deeper than that. I’m worried about him. And concerned that he might have or might be getting himself into something he can’t easily get out of.”

“With everything you’ve told me has happened, your fear is completely justified. Hell, there was an attempt on his life in a room full of police officers.”

“Right? Not to mention, he’s been harder to get ahold of lately. Unless, of course, it’s Kenyon. Then he’s ready and available. Something else that bothers me because I have no clue what they’re up to.”

“Honestly, Nik, do you really want to know?”

“I’d rather be prepared than caught blind.”

“Well, that I can understand. Have you shared all this with Kenyon? Given the history between you two, I’d think he’d be reluctant to keep secrets from you again.”

“I have, briefly, but we haven’t had a moment to truly sit down and hash it out. I made it clear last night that under no circumstances do I want him to lie to me about anything that transpires.”

Shai shot her friend a sympathetic glance. “You know I won’t even pretend to know what you’re going through, but my best advice would be to talk to both of them and drive your point home. Hopefully, it’ll sink in, and they’ll both be more open to keeping you in the loop.”

“I know, and I will. But I can’t shake the gut feeling that things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.”

“Well, I’m praying that’s not the case, friend. You’ve already been through a lot. If anyone deserves a moment of peace right now to enjoy life, it’s you.”

“Thanks, Shai,” Iniko flashed a smile, opening her menu. “But anyway, enough about the bad.”

“Yes, let’s move on to better things. I want to know how life is going now that you’ve been reunited with the husbanddddd,” Shai sang, tongue out as her shoulders shimmied. “The proper way, of course.”

Iniko chuckled. “You are annoying. But it’s a process. There are things we have to re-learn about each other, and we’re taking them day by day. He thinks we should go to marriage counseling and even has a list of things for us to talk about when we do.”

“He is annoying,” Shai cackled.

“You have no idea. He’s even vocalized, very loudly, mind you, that he wants us to find a new place to call home. Specifically, because Casimir has been around.”

“Honestly, I can’t even blame bro for that one. I wouldn’t want to live somewhere Mr. Bad Energy has frequented either.”

“Whose side are you on, ma’am?”

“Not Casimir’s, that’s for damn sure. Kenyon has his shit with him, but one thing I can never take away from that man is how much he loves you. Now, the other one…”

“I don’t even know why I bothered bringing him up.”

“I don’t know why either, but since you did, have you heard from him?”

“No, and I plan to keep it that way. I like my life, and I’m not about to lose it behind Casimir and his ego. Plus, and I would never admit this to Kenyon, but having him around again reminds me of just how little I accepted from Cas. Like literally, the bare fucking minimum had me out here losing my damn mind.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself about it, Nik. We all make stupid decisions. Yes, you wanted more and entertained him longer than you should, but you came to your senses. That’s all that matters.”

“I have no clue how I convinced myself that that man ever cared about me. He was definitely only out for himself the entire time we dated. If you want to call what we were doing dating.”

“It happens sometimes. Especially when we’re lonely. We want something so badly that we’ll settle for fulfilling that void, even for a minute. And even if it’s from someone, we shouldn’t have filling it.”

“Yeah, well, Casimir was trying to fill a void for me and every other woman he met.”

“Boy was definitely on his ‘I just want to fuck every girl in the world,’” Shai snickered.

“Alright, you don’t have to rub it in, ma’am,” Iniko playfully rolled her eyes. “I wish I could say if I had the chance to go back, I’d keep it moving and never look in his direction but fucking around with him taught me a lesson I definitely needed to learn.”

Shai eyed her friend questioningly. “What do you mean?”

“As stupid as it sounds, dealing with Cas made me face the insecurities I tried so hard to bury. After things went left with Kenyon, I was so determined to act like his disappearance didn’t bother me and that I didn’t want or even need love or companionship. But I did. My whatever you want to call it with Casimir brought that to the forefront, and now that I’ve acknowledged that, it makes things easier with Kenyon in a way. Which sounds even more stupid now that I’m saying the words out loud.”

“No, I think I get it,” Shai smiled softly. “You had to be forced into a position to be vulnerable with the man you need to be soft with. It sucks that you had to get your feelings hurt in the process, but I think it’ll be worth it in the long run.”

“I hope so, too. Pending Kenyon and I can get past our mess.”

“I’m more than sure you two will. Have you and Kenyon spoken about your whole situation with Casimir?”

“Not in detail,” Iniko shrugged, clearing the message thread before tossing her phone aside. “We’re still in a weird space, and I don’t want to ruin what little progress we’ve made by completely delving into the past. But he knows enough. Enough to steadily talk shit about it,” she snickered, rolling her eyes.

“Has he dealt with anyone since you two separated?”

“I haven’t asked, but I doubt it. If anything, it seems like he kept himself trapped in his own personal hell as payment for his perceived sins.”

“Whew,” Shai released a long breath. “Yeah, you two have a lot to work through.”

“Tell me about it.”

Their conversation was momentarily interrupted when their server dropped off their appetizer and took their orders. They continued talking only when they were alone again.

“And I don’t want to be pessimistic about things,” Iniko licked her lips. “But it’s hard not to. It’s easy to get caught up in the nostalgia of something and fool yourself into believing it will work because, at one point, it did, but I can’t help but think that he left me once, so what’s to stop him from doing it again? Do I even want to spend my time getting reinvested in this marriage if it’s just going to end up in disaster?”

“I need you to stop thinking about all the negatives of the situation and focus on something positive,” Shai fussed. “Kenyon fucked up. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about that. But when it came down to the wire, and he had to decide what was important, he chose you. He always chooses you, or at least what he thinks is best for you.”

“And that right there is the problem. He chooses for me and not with me.”

“Well, I guess that’s one of the things you two should discuss in marriage counseling.”

“Girl, do not get on my nerves,” Iniko snorted. “But anyway, enough about me and my drama, catch me up on what’s going on with you and Mr. Man.”

“If by Mr. Man you mean Raleek, nothing is going on. At least nothing out of the ordinary. I’m taking it very, very slow with him.”

“Are you still skeptical about the Camila thing?”

“Extremely. I try not to mention it often because I don’t want to come off insecure, but I have eyeballs, and I’m not stupid. I can see her blowing his phone up when we’re on dates, and I know she’s the only one desperate enough to call him in the middle of the night and wake us up.”

Iniko released an almost obnoxious guffaw as their drinks arrived.

“Oop, you better use those plurals, friend.”

“Nik,” Shai snickered. “Shut up, I’m serious. I really like him, which says a lot since we’ve only known each other for a short time. But I don’t want him or that woman thinking I will tolerate whatever drama she tries to bring my way.”

“I mean, it is what it is at the end of the day. You’re not a pushover, and one would have to be an idiot to think otherwise. But I also don’t want you blaming Leek or holding Camila’s actions against him. He has no control over that.”

“I know, but if it does come to a point where she starts stepping out of line regarding me, it would be because of him.”

“I hear you. And you’re right. I view it two ways. Yes, Camila and her drama may spill over into your life because she can’t let go of the man you’re now involved with. However, I also think that by allowing her to dictate your moves, you’re letting her have control over your happiness. Leek may be sweet, but he’s not a sucker, and it can get ugly when you push him to his breaking point. I don’t think Camila understands that,t which is why she keeps testing him.”

“Ugh,” Shai groaned, reaching for one of her eggrolls. “What are the odds that when I find a good man, he comes with a shit ton of unexpected drama?”

“Well, you could have found a terrible man that came with a shit ton of unexpected drama,” Iniko joked, sipping her lemon drop. “And you can’t lie and say his drama doesn’t also include the cutest package.”

“I know!” Shai’s full afro shook as her head moved back and forth. “Melody is the most adorable baby I’ve ever seen. I have to tell him to stop sending me pictures of her and making my ovaries act up. I’m way too busy for one of my own.”

“Says you. But if God puts it in the atmosphere for you to have that man’s baby, then sis, I have news for you…”

“Iniko, kiss my entire ass.”

As the two share a laugh, the unnerving feeling that she was being watched crept down Iniko’s spine, wiping her smile from her face.

“What?” Shai inquired, immediately picking up on the mood shift.

Iniko glanced around, wondering if she was losing her mind, when she realized no one in the restaurant was paying them any mind.

“Nothing,” she cleared her throat, trying to shake the feeling. “I’m tripping.”

“Nik,” Shai sang warningly. “Don’t do that. What is it?”

The last thing Iniko wanted to do was bring her friend into her mess, especially with Shai as far removed from her lifestyle as she was. But she could not deny that something felt amiss.

“Do not freak out because I could be imagining things, but it felt like someone was watching me just now.”

Shai’s eyes widened as she poorly attempted to survey the restaurant discreetly.

“Girl,” Iniko couldn’t help but crack up laughing. “Please don’t ever attempt a life of crime. You would fail horribly at being sneaky.”

“Hey, cut me some slack,” Shai playfully pouted. “I’m new to this.”

“This isn’t something I ever wanted you to be exposed to at all. Are you sure you want to remain my friend? I’d fully understand if you kick me to the curb.”

“Girl, we’ve been friends entirely too long for me to try to find a new one. Plus, you have no control over these things. You didn’t ask for this life, and you shouldn’t have to feel lonely and abandoned because of decisions made long before you were born. You’re my girl, and I’m here for you. Just don’t ask me to hide a body because if the police question me, I’m folding like a cheap tent.”

“Shai, please shut the hell up,” Iniko snorted.

“I’d rather you know up front that you do not have a ride or die in your corner if the Feds threaten me with jail time,” Shai shrugged, laughing to play off her nervousness. However, Iniko didn’t miss her glancing around the room again, and she didn’t blame her. She did the same. Only this time, Iniko locked eyes with a stranger she’d never seen yet somehow felt connected to as if they’d known each other their entire lives.

The dimly lit restaurant gave him an advantage. He was tucked into the shadows, preventing her from getting a good look at his face. However, she could make out his eyes very clearly. There was a sense of familiarity that she couldn’t put a finger on, and it chilled her to her bones.

And then, it was over. He was gone as quickly as he’d appeared, leaving her rattled without having uttered a single word.

“Nik?” Shai’s voice was full of concern as she reached across the table to grab her hand. “What happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Um,” Iniko’s hands shook as she reached for her phone to text her Rock, her father, and Kenyon. She’d learned the hard way that nothing was a coincidence, and she, indeed, wasn’t equipped to handle things alone. Her days of playing an independent superwoman were behind her. She needed her father and her husband, and she needed them immediately. “I’m not sure. Something weird as fuck. Is Raleek on shift?”

“No, not tonight.”

“Do you mind texting him and asking him to meet us here?”

Shai didn’t hesitate to reach for her phone. “Of course not. But what’s wrong?”

“I have no idea, but just humor me.”

No more than ten minutes passed before Kenyon arrived at Melvin’s, sporting a murderous expression that made Iniko immediately regret her decision to text him. She should have known when he read her message and didn’t respond that nothing but trouble was sure to follow.

“Hey, Shai,” he nodded at her before focusing on his wife. “Where is he?”

Iniko scanned the restaurant but didn’t see the mystery man anywhere. “I don’t know. I don’t see him anymore. He was there one minute and gone the next.”

“Who was there one minute and gone the next?” Shai questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“What does he look like?”

“Um, tall, tattoos on his arms. I really couldn’t get a good look at him. He was tucked off in a corner.”

“Uh, hello,” Shai waved a hand. “Still waiting for you to let me know what’s happening here.”

“Raleek was only a minute or two behind me, so he should be here in a second. Don’t move. I’ll be right back. Your dad wants us at his house after I handle this. It was hell trying to convince him not to come down and handle it himself.”

“Oh, God,” Iniko groaned, palming her face.

“Excuse me,” Shai interrupted again. “Only child over here. You two have known me long enough to know how dramatic I can be when ignored. Now, can one of you tell me what’s going on, please?”

“Nik will fill you in,” Kenyon replied, stalking away.

“Iniko, what the hell?”

“It’s nothing, Shai. I’m probably just being paranoid. I thought a man may have been staring at me. Now Kenyon is about to terrorize the whole restaurant looking for the culprit.”

“One, don’t ever downplay your feelings. If you felt weirded out, you felt weirded out. Two, I’m glad you have a man who wouldn’t hesitate to save us. Three, was he cute?”

“Shai,” Iniko managed to laugh despite her embarrassment.

“What? There’s a method to my madness. If he was cute, he may have thought you were cute, and that’s why he was staring.”

Niko briefly sank her teeth into her lip. “Nah, it didn’t give me that type of vibe. He didn’t scare me, but it also didn’t give I’m trying to bag you energy either. It was more of, I’m watching and want you to know I’m watching. Now, as to why he wanted me to know he was watching, I have no idea.”

“Nik, I love you, and please don’t take this the wrong way, but how the hell have you managed not to have a stroke from all of this drama?”

Snickering, Iniko covered her mouth to try to stifle her laughter. “I’ll credit that to my father keeping the true nature of his lifestyle away from me for as long as he did. I was pissed at him when I found out when I should have been thanking him. I’d give anything to go back to when I thought life was normal.”

“Yeah, but then you’d be living a lie,” Shai pointed out as Raleek finally approached their table.

“What’d you two get into this time?”

“I beg your pardon?” Shai whipped her head in his direction. “What makes you think we’re the problem?”

“The dynamic duo is always the problem,” he chuckled, sinking into the seat next to her and kissing her temple before turning his attention to Iniko.

“You good?”

“Yeah,” she shot him a soft smile. “Thank you for coming. Hopefully, you can keep your cousin from embarrassing me too badly.”

“Oh, you’re on your own with that one. You knew who that man was when you married him.”

“You ain’t shit,” Iniko shot back. A round of laughter chorused between the three as Kenyon made his return, claiming the seat beside his wife.

“Nothing seems out of place, and the owner isn’t in, so I can’t ask him to let me review the restaurant tapes until tomorrow.”

Covering his hand with hers, Iniko shot him an unapologetic look. “I’m sorry I interrupted your night for nothing.”

“Protecting you is the reason why I breathe, never an interruption.”

“Awe,” Shai cooed, elbowing Raleek in his side. “You never say anything romantic like that to me.”

Raleek delivered an exasperated look to his cousin. “See, why you over there saying shit that fucks up my happy home?”

Kenyon chortled, snaking an arm around Iniko’s shoulders. “It’s not my fault you aren’t in touch with your inner romantic,” he smirked. “You need me to teach a class?”

“Uh,” Iniko shifted her head to look at him. “You just got back in my good graces, relax.”

“I’m adding this to our marriage counseling list. We’re supposed to be united in front of company.”

“Oh, my God. Here we go.”

The night’s mood had been lifted considerably, if only for an hour or so. Iniko knew that once dinner was over, they’d be back into the reality of their lives and potentially on the cusp of a new problem to solve.