“You’re the first squad to arrive.”
Squad. I was in a squad now. I waited for the anxiousness to find me. It didn’t. I smiled at Ty as he took off his backward-placed cap and bowed deeply before us.
“So glad the Blackwell Baddies are here to save me from these barbarians.”
I quirked a brow. “The Blackwell Baddies? Is that what we’re called now?”
“Well that’s what Shanti referred to you guys as when I asked what time you’d all be getting here.”
Ty was generous with his smile but he gave more of it to Shanti as he took in her cute, curve-hugging, pink athleisure co-ord. It was clear he wasn’t as concerned about our group’s arrival as he was about hers. She smirked and smoothed a hand over her sleek ponytail. “Our presence is a present—”
“Kiss your ass?” He paraphrased the end of the Kanye bar with a twinkle all of us caught.
Shanti’s response was an expertly cool gaze. She passed Ty her overnight bag. “Where does your dad keep his scotch? Don’t cheap out on me, Baptiste.”
She swayed past him, and Ty followed her through into his own house, entranced.
Aminah, Chi, and I were exchanging smirks when Kofi appeared with a tray of libations. “Welcome to the Chateau, ladies.” He nodded at Aminah as she took a tiny glass of clear liquid. “You alright, mate?”
Aminah almost choked on her shot, eyes wide at Kofi’s impressive pettiness, but he’d already turned to me. “Keeks, Malakai’s been in a mood since we got here. Whatever is going on with you lot, fix it. You don’t want to lose me in the custody battle.”
“Nothing is going . . .”
Malakai emerged from the wide hallway, and my words stumbled and fell down my throat at the sight of him in his basketball shorts and hoodie, the scruff on his jaw. His casual fineness was quite unconducive to my plan of extricating myself from my feelings. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him in a few days, and the shape of him instantly fell into a space I hadn’t known was there. I felt the inexplicable need to climb on him. His hand flew to the back of his head, his eyes soft, hesitant. I downed my shot, hoping the alcohol would push my heart back to its proper position.
Kofi gave me an unnecessarily pointed look before ushering everyone to the living room. When Malakai reached to take my overnight bag, our fingers brushed; a streak of heat shot through me. Unhelpfully, it seemed the other night had only made me more physically sensitive to him, a drop of water driving a parched desert wanderer rabid.
“Hi.” Probably detecting that I was a horny monster he stood back, for his safety.
I swallowed. “Yo.” Yo?
“You didn’t show up at FreakyFridayz last night.”
I shook my head. “I got caught up with work. My bad.”
He held my gaze and I held my breath, the quiet sitting awkwardly between us. Thankfully, somewhere in the house, the group started to play a game.
I raised a brow and forced myself to speak. “Did I just hear the words ‘tequila pong’？ It’s twelve p.m.”
Malakai released a quarter smile. “You know how bars are open at six a.m. at the airport? That’s what this place is like. Time doesn’t exist. Anything goes. Ty’s already insisted on a barbeque, doesn’t give a fuck that it’s ten degrees. He’s calling this party the Blackwell Bacchanal. After I Googled ‘bacchanal’ I got kinda shook.”
The straightness of his face bypassed the tension and tickled a sexy snort out of me. His eyes sparked in surprise at my pig-in-heat giggle and his smile widened a little before he paused and took a half step closer to me. “Listen, I know this weekend might be a lot for you and it isn’t your thing, so if you ever wanna bow out or take a break, just shout me. I’ll make an excuse and we can go somewhere.”
The newly re-erected protective bars around my heart bucked and bent. He’d disarmed me so swiftly, I never saw it coming. I needed to see it coming.
“Thanks but I’m good. I got my girls. Besides this is a relationship-cementing outing. We have to be here together, because which self-respecting Blackwell woman leaves her man alone at a Ty Baptiste party? Especially if that man is Malakai Korede?” Something in Malakai’s eyes flickered and I cleared my throat. “I gotta play it smart.” I took my bag from his grip and stretched a smile on my face. “Go join them. I’ll drop this in the room.”
I tapped his arm in what I hoped was a casual and friendly manner and moved toward the stairs.