chapter 18

Riani Nalani Brown | Riri

Singing to Party next door as I was cleaning my counter.

I was tidying my house since I never really had the chance to. Just as I grabbed my broom I heard a knock on the door making me raise my brow as I had invited no one over. Turning the music down a little bit on my living room tv, I open the door looking up as I had met Kiaris eyes.

"What the hell you doing here?" I laugh a little cause he didn't even have to pop up like thatt.

"No hey? I miss you? Where my kiss at?" He openly invites himself in my house and shutting the door.

"Your never kissing me, but hey? I mean you just popped up." I shrug.

"Your cleaning?" He asks motioning to the broom in my hand.

"Well I was bout done." I say sweeping the rest of the trash in the dustpan.

"I brought food." He holds a wingstop bag up making me smile.

"Omgg thank you, I was hungry to." I snatch the bag from him looking inside it.

"You welcome."

"Wait what you here for?" I question walking up to my room which he follows behind.

"My retwist. I got things to do tomorrow so I need it." He says.

"Retwist? Why didnt you come earlier bra it's pushing 7." I roll my eyes sitting on my bed.

"Because I had things going on but I'm here now and want it." He says making me huff.

"Ok but can I eat first?" I say and he nods as I take the food out.

"Your shit nice." He looks around and then goes into my bathroom.

"Tuh have you seen yours." I say putting fries in my mouth.

"Kiari come eat." I say cause what the hell he in there so long for. He comes out sitting on my bed making me side eye him.

"I know them aren't outside clothes on my bed."

" I washed and changed before I came here. I haven't been no where but my car." He says pulling his food out making me hum.

Feeling eyes on me, I look his way see he was staring at my neck making me start glaring at him and he chuckles.

"How many tattoos you got? Ian even know you had this one." He pushes one side of my hair behind my ear as there was a tattoo behind my ear that trailed down a little to my neck, which explained why he was looking at my neck because it showed a little but my hair was covering it.

"Ok so I have a tattoo behind my ear obviously, One on the inside part of my arm by my wrist, and one on my side." I show him my tattoos smiling cause I just loved them. Even though they were small and mostly cursive sentences, I still loved them. Just how I love my piercing like my double nose studs, my belly piercing and my dermal piercings.

"Oh and also imma get a spine tattoo." I smile nodding.

"Spine tattoo? For what?" He raises his brow.

"Because it's cute." I shrug.

"Oh that's the only reason? Just cause it's cute." He eyes me making me laugh. He don't even need to know that other reason forreal.

"Duh. Stop thinking dirty before I put you out."

"Ian even thinking like nothing." He says eating.

"How many you got?" I question him because he actually had a lot of tattoos.

"One on the side of my neck, my two sleeves, chest, and then my hands." He shows me his tats other than the one on his chest.

"Are you thinking about getting more?" I ask.

"I don't even know. I think I got enough." He laughs making me laugh with him.

"Ok come on so I can start on your hair." I say sitting my food on my vanity and going to wash my hands.

Once I finish I sit back on the bed and snatch his nike ski mask off which he was wearing as a beanie. "You don't have to snatch my shit off like that." He mugs me.

"Do you want your hair washed?" I ignore him. His hair didn't stink so I wasn't sure if he wanted it washed or not.

"Do it need to?" He asks and I shake my head.

"Ok then?" He starts getting smart making me push him away.

"Ok figure out how your hair gone be looking tomorrow then since you wanna be smart." I shrug grabbing my remote and turning my show on.

"I was joking bra. To my hair."

"Say pretty please." I grin at him making his face drop and he just straight faces me.

"Ok put a pillow on the floor next to my vanity chair and that's where your going to sit." I say walking inside my bathroom and grabbing the loc n twist gel, clips and comb.

"You sure got everything. I think you be doing other niggas hair." He kisses his teeth.

"I just brought everything with me from my house and I can do what I want im single." I shrug sitting on the chair and pulling him down between my legs but he was also facing the tv.

"Ok bra." He waves me off going on his phone.

"When is yall next game?" I question. "Next week." He says.

"Next week?" I raise my brow.

"Yeah but it isn't a home game." "Mm ok." I nod starting on his hair.

"You gone be there?" He asks.

"Maybe." I shrug.

"I want you there." He says.

"Why?" I raise my brow.

"Because I just do?" He raises his eyebrow back at me making me purse my lips then it goes quiet.

"Riani."

"Yes."

"Have you ever been in a relationship?" He ask serious but curious.

"No." I shake my head.

"You never had a boyfriend." He says confused.

"You said relationship not a boyfriend. And if you count middle school me then yes."

"Why haven't you ever been in a relationship?" He ask going back serious.

"I told you I don't do them demons."

"Yeah but why."

"You really want to know why?" I look down at him and he nods.

"Because men- well boys these days don't try to actually get to know me or my personality. They just see a girl with a body. Nothing more and nothing less."

"So you only get seen for your body?" He ask.

"Mhm. I guess my so called looks would attract them but once they notice a body they see nothing else." I say because it's the truth and really my body isn't even the baddest shit in my opinion.

"I don't see you for only your body and I'm a man. I may make my little sexual jokes but that's all it ever is. I wouldn't ever use you or no girl for they body because I have a sister and I know if another man was to do that I wouldn't like that shit." He says genuinely but I was confused.

"I hear you Kiari and I believe you, but why are you telling me this?" I question not out of rudeness though.

"I just wanted you to hear that from me." He shrugs.

"Well you don't like me so I hope I would never have to worry about that." I laugh going to another section of his hair.

"Would if I did?" He says making me stop.

"Kiari stop playing with me fo I stab you with this comb." I roll my eyes going back to what I was doing and he laughs.

"Alright I'll stop." He says.

I needed him to because honestly I was beginning to like him. I don't know why but I just feel it starting to happen and him making them jokes about him liking me or even his little sexual jokes are starting to form in as well and I just didn't want to get my heart broke if he didn't feel that way.

And I don't think he will.

A lot of the girls he talks to never fits my description like his Ex, Aaliyah for an example. She was lightskin, mixed, dark green eyes, tall with long legs..she was really beautiful and all the other lightskin or mixed girls he talked to were also beautiful. I'm not saying I'm not beautiful but I just don't think I fit his preference in dating.

"Riani." Kiari snaps me out my thoughts.

"Hm?" I furrow my brows.

"I asked about your future. Where and how do you see yourself doing in the future." He says making me smile.

"I see myself with a husband, still doing my content creating, being a realtor just like my mom, with a dog, and I really see myself with children. I love kids and baby's so if I don't have one or my husband doesn't want any that would really break me."

You love kids huh? How many and what genders."

"I really see myself with two children and three is definitely my limit. And I don't really care to much about gender but definitely one boy and one girl."

"I see myself with three kids and two boys and one girl. Or just all boys." He shrugs.

"All boys is wild. You really want your wife being the only woman in the house? She would get frustrated." I laugh.

"You right so maybe one girl, but that's it because I need basketball or football stars."

"She could be a track star or even basketball." I say.

"She could." He shrugs.

After some time I had finished and I felt Kiari starting to get sleepy but i still wasn't about to rush my work.

"Kiari I'm finished." I say standing up.

"Help me up." He says reaching his hand out and I playfully roll my eyes but help him up anyways.

"Had me sitting on my ass for long I don't feel it anymore." He says walking into the bathroom.

"Ou shit. These nice Riani." He says looking at himself in the mirror.

"Yeah these look good." I nod my head at my work.

"You my new hairstylist." He says making me laugh.

"I don't mind." I shrug.

"How much you want for it?" He pulls his wallet out from his pocket.

"Um I'm so used to doing them for free so it really don't even matter." I shrug and he hands me six hundred.

"Kiari...this is to much." I try handing him it back but he just pushed it back to me.

"It's only six." He shrugs.

Of course that's something someone with money would say.

But this was a lot to me.

"Ok. Picture timeee." I pull my phone out and drag him to a spot in my room.

"Just like hold your head down to show the parts and then turn around for the whole 360." I say starting the record and he does as I say.

I then stop it and look back at the video. He so fineeee.

"You looking at me or the actual video?" He raises his eyebrow.

"Mind your business." I mug him clicking off of it.

"I think I want to spend the night here. I'm to sleepy to drive back." He says.

"You just want to spend the night." I side eye him going into my bathroom.

"I do." He bluntly says.

"Put this bonnet on." I throw him one and then start wrapping and tying up my hair.

"Ian wearing no bright pink ass bonnet bra. Stop playing with me." He throws it back at me.

"Kiari wear the damn bonnet." I roll my eyes at him.

"No nigga."

"You want my black one and I just wear the pink one?" I say and he nods so I just hand him that one.

"You more extra than me like forreal." I mumble washing my face.

"I dont care." He mumbles back.

"When I put you out you will." I say walking back in my room and see him on my bed on his phone.

Getting a text on mines I grab it seeing it was Zeno making me smile. We have been texting and calling and he even asked to hang out sometime.

Even though I did like Kiari, as I said before I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me back so it's not like I'm about to just not talk to anybody else just because of a silly ass crush.

"Why you smiling at your phone?" Kiari says making me look over at him.

"Well...I haven't told anybody yet but I've been sort of talking to this guy I met at the party." I smile expecting him to be happy for me but by the look on his face he didn't.

"What guy? What's his name." He raises his brow.

"I can't tell you yet but he nice to me and he just asked to take me out tomorrow." I say hopping on my bed and laying on my stomach.

He just hums looking back down at his phone.

"Why you looking upset." I ask.

"I'm not, just sleepy." He says turning his phone off and getting under the covers.

"You should be happy." I say.

"I'm not." He mumbles.

"Why." I tilt my head but he just ignores me closing his eyes.

"Kiariiii." I laugh coming closer to him but he just plays sleep.

"Stop ignoring me." I get closer to his face.

"Come closer to my face and imma kiss you." He says making me smack my lips at him, but that wouldn't be such a bad idea forreal.

"Stop playing." I tilt my head at him.

"Come closer and you'll see." He says and I see a small smile break onto his face but his eyes were still closed.

"I'm right infront of your face and you didn't do anything. If you open your eyes you'll see how close I really am to your face right now." I say, feeding into his little games.

He then opened his eyes a little shocked but started smiling and then kissed my cheek.

Knew he was playing.

"Ok bra." I push him away laying back down making him laugh.

"You wanted me to kiss you so bad huh."

"Nope. I knew you were bluffing, that's why I played along." I shrugged. He stared at me for a bit before finally saying something.

"Nah, I just don't think I would be able to stop at just a kiss with you."

______