pressed against Ayoluwa's eyes couldn't stop laughing.

"Where are we going?" Ayoluwa asked for the umpteenth time, "What's going on?"

The person remained quiet only prodding Ayoluwa forward.

She stumbled into something wooden, jamming her foot against it, "Ow!" Ayoluwa gritted her teeth.

There was rustling and then Ayoluwa could see again.

She blinked a couple of times to properly take in the scene before her.

"Surprise!" A myriad of voices called out.

Ayoluwa's living room had been decorated for a party with balloons tied to the back of the kitchen chairs. The room was dim with the candles of a sheet cake lit up.

"Wow. What is this?" Ayoluwa laughed as the person, Levi, moved to stand behind the cake with the rest of the group.

"This is your You-Got-Signed-And-We're-Proud-Party!" Giovanni exclaimed.

"The contract isn't done yet but-." Ayoluwa started to say.

"Stop being so negative!" Nicholas rolled his eyes.

Ayoluwa grinned then slid over to stand near her grandmother and take Lauryn from her grip.

Lauryn was noticeably sleepy, quiet as she gripped onto Ayoluwa's neck with both arms and resting her head on Ayoluwa's shoulder.

"I got champagne. Don't tell your parents." Camille pointed at all of the boys then turned to Ayoluwa, "You're drinking tea. I can't believe my baby is gonna be a recording artist!"

Camille grinned and then visible tears flickered into her brown eyes causing Ayoluwa to make a somber face, "Oh, no. Don't cry, grandma. If you cry then I'm gonna cry."

"I'm fine," Camille wiped her left eye, "Your mom would be so proud of you. You're such a star."

Ayoluwa could feel tears wet her irises at the compliment, "Oh, no. I'm crying now."

With a laugh Ayoluwa flicked away her tears with her free hand.

The sound of Lauryn's soft snoring filled Ayoluwa's left ear and she pressed a finger to her lips to indicate that everyone should be quiet.

Ayoluwa tiptoed to Lauryn's bedroom, making sure that she opened the door with no sounds.

She laid the toddler in her bed, lifted the covers on top of her body then crept out again.

When she went back out to the hallway, everyone was still silent.

"She's asleep but you can talk now." Ayoluwa took the cup of black and lemon tea from Dior's hand gratefully, "Let's cut this cake."

"More than ahead of you," Shareef replied, holding the drawer open while Quincy searched for a knife substantial enough to cut through the thick cake.

"It's red velvet right?" Ayoluwa asked in an excited tone then took a lengthy sip of her tea in preparation for her first studio session tomorrow.

"First, a toast." Camille finished pouring the rest of the champagne into champagne flutes then stood back with her own while the boys each clambered for one.

"To you! Next is the Grammy's!" Levi lifted his glass and the other quickly followed suit, touching rims of glass to Ayoluwa's ceramic mug.

The door opened to reveal Imani and Jamal.

"Damn, we missed the surprise?" Imani shook her head.

"Did you know that the neighbor is waiting out on the porch?" Jamal asked, "Asked for Ayo."

Ayoluwa's eyes bugged out and she almost choked on her hot tea.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ayoluwa could see Shareef, Dior and Nicholas pass each other confused expressions.

"It's probably the Carter's on the left. Their daughter babysits Lauryn sometimes. I'll be back." Ayoluwa said, both hands on her mug.

Ayoluwa stepped out into the humid California air.

The neighborhood was dark, except for the street lights and the moon high in the sky.

Joshua was on the porch, his hood up and his expression unsure.

Ayoluwa let out a sigh, "I'm having a really good night. I don't need to hear how much you can't be with me right now, okay? I got the message."

Joshua quickly shook his head, "That's not it. I came here to say... I want..."

Ayoluwa lifted one eyebrow then took another sip of her tea, then another, waiting for Joshua to finish his sentence.

"I just wanted to see if any of the people I sent that video to reached out. I was wondering about that." Joshua mumbled.

Ayoluwa scoffed, "You came here to ask about something I already told you wasn't your business? I'm going back inside."

Joshua lightly took her hand, "Wait, wait. That's not it. Just listen. Please?"

There was a rush of desperation in his voice that made Ayoluwa stop and look back at him.

"I- Fuck, this is so hard to say." Joshua says.

"Just say it." Ayoluwa pressed.

"I think that I love you." Joshua mumbled.

Ayoluwa's heart stopped.

It was exactly what she had wanted him to say since they had left the lake house.

So why did she feel no differently?

"Josh... No, you don't." Ayoluwa said in a low tone.

"I do. I know now that I do." Joshua responded.

"Love is shown. What have you done to show me that you love me? Saying it isn't enough for me." Ayoluwa took a gulp of her now lukewarm tea.

"Me being here isn't enough?" Joshua asked.

"No. It's not. All you've been telling me is how much we can't be together and then when you finally decide that you're ready you expect me to be on the same page. I'm still so fucked up from that conversation in your room. I was a dumb ass who asked, no damn near begged, for you to give this a chance and you still said no. So, no you driving here isn't enough. I need you to show me that you love me. I need effort. I deserve effort."

Joshua's expression was saddened and Ayoluwa licked her bottom lip, "I'm going back inside, now. Have a nice night."

Ayoluwa stepped back into the warm house and met the gaze of all of her loved ones, minus one.

"Was it the Carter's' daughter?" Nicholas asked.

She avoided Imani and Jamal's gaze, "Yeah. Everything's fine."

think imma finish this story today bc why not🤧

vote & comment, porfa!