I was meeting up with Makayla and my mother for breakfast. We were going to one of my favorite restaurants, Waffle House. I chuckled at how much my mom adored Waffle House better than iHop. You wouldn't expect her to be at these places given that she could be a little uppity. Nonetheless, she was humble, somewhat. I was interested to see how breakfast go with those two since dinner didn't go so well the other day.

Parking my car in the nearest parking spot, I got out of the car and headed into the building. I wanted to be comfortable and cute today so I wore a grey, oversized sweater with black skinny jeans and a pair of black combat boots. I placed a comfortable scarf around my neck with a Michael Kors watch and sunglasses. Once I stepped in the building, I glanced around not seeing my mother or Makay.

"Welcome to Waffle House, how many will be seated?" The waitress asked.

I gave her a smile. "Three."

She nodded her head, leading me to a booth. I was grateful because I hated tables for some odd reason. I slid inside as she placed the menus on the table. She didn't say anything as she left. The woman didn't ask me was I ready to order. I shook my head as I placed my keys and shades into my purse. My phone buzzed signaling to me that I had an email. I quickly checked it and noticed that it was my International Theory's professor emailing homework.

I rolled my eyes at her courtesy. It was Saturday morning. Does she not have a life? Placing my phone back on the table, I stuck my head into the menu trying to guess on what to order. I made up my mind on pancakes, eggs and bacon with orange juice. At first I wanted coffee, but I quickly changed my mind. I didn't want to crash because today was supposed to be a long one.

Elgin had invited us all to a house party later this evening and I was more than happy to go. I needed an excuse to not study for my Government test that was coming up Monday. I was sure to regret it, but I had my mind made up. Closing the menu, I spotted Makayla and my mother walking in. They both shared a look of anger which frightened me. Makayla immediately spotted me and stormed towards my direction with mother right behind her.

She plopped down in the seat beside me, making me lift my eyebrows up at her. She avoided my gaze and I looked to mother for answers as she slid in on the other side. Taking her purse off of her shoulders, she placed it beside her. I cleared my throat the two because they were acting extremely childish. I hated being in the middle of this. I came here to eat breakfast with my family, not to be ignored.

"Hi sweetheart, how are you?" My mother greeted in her perky voice. She leaned over, placing a kiss on my forehead. I smiled at the gesture.

"I'm good, I mean I'm well. Just a little beat from school that's all." I said. I pulled Makayla in for a hug because I was sure she needed one. She didn't protest it, she embraced it. I knew she was tired of Mom being very inconsiderate of her feelings. Dancing was Makayla. It wouldn't be right if she didn't do it. I was sure that it was the reason for their...situation. It was the only thing they disagreed on.

"Do not let it stress you." My mother replied to my statement. "Things will become better. Just think about it, you're almost finished with your freshman year. Just a few months to go. Finish strong."

"Thanks mother. I'm sure I will." I said. "How are you?"

My mother looked at Makayla before looking back at me. "You know me. I'm well. Work is busy as usual, but I cannot complain. And I won't because God has been too good to me for me to complain." She moved a lone stray of hair out of her face.

"Well, that's good mama. I'm glad to hear that. I should take on that mantra." I chuckled. I found myself complaining more and more which wasn't good. I needed to fix that, as soon as possible.

"Trust me, it helps. It keeps the stress down. It's why my black hasn't cracked." She joked. I laughed at her comment and could only agree. She was youthful for her age and I only hoped to look as young as she is at her age. "How are your friends, Randy, Danielle, Elgin, and Kaleigh?"

I smiled at the mentioned of their names except Elgin. "They're well. I really couldn't ask for a better set of friends." I didn't mention Khari because I wasn't sure that we were friends or not. He was just someone a few of us. However, he seemed to be a good friend. At least to Randy and Danielle.

"That's good. I want you to invite them over for dinner tomorrow. After church, of course." She said.

I nodded. "Yes ma'am."

She read over her menu, making me turn to Makayla. "And how are you pretty girl?" I asked in a cheerful tone to perk up her mood. She gave me a half hearted smile before it faded away into the distance. Before Makayla could open her mouth to answer, the waitress had made her way back to the table.

"Are y'all ready to order?" She asked.

"Yes, I want pancakes, eggs and bacon with orange juice." I said quickly. I was hungry and I wasn't going to wait on anybody else. Not even my mama or my sister. She nodded as she wrote down the order. Her eyes fell on my mother and Makayla. They placed their orders and she gathered the menus, leaving us to silence.

"What were you going to say?" I asked Makayla.

She sighed lightly, before sitting up in her seat. "I'm ok, I guess. School is good." She said simply.

"Well. That's good to hear." I said. "No problems in Calculus?"

She grimaced at the mention of it. "Right now I have a low B, but I think I can handle it. Hopefully I can find a tutor or something."

"Just let me know if you do. It's plenty of math geeks at Georgetown. It's how I passed Stats because I really hate Stats." I said, chucking to myself. Kaleigh was good in math, but Randy was a genius in it. With those two, I could pass anything. I was grateful for them.

She nodded her head as she played with her fingers. "Okay."

Not wanting silence to win, I kept the conversation going. "You recital is next Wednesday, right?"

Her eyes landed on our mother's which caused me to look between the two. Makayla glanced at me then back at her fingers. "I can't dance anymore. I'm ready to graduate so I can leave. I'm growing tired of being here and not able to express my feelings like I would like to."

I sighed heavily, placing my hands in the bridge of my nose. I was growing tired of this argument. I really didn't understand mother's issue with Makayla dancing. She was keeping her grades up, staying out of trouble, and doing something very productive. She wasn't getting pregnant or anything like that. However, she made it seem like Makayla was sinning.

"What's the problem with Makayla dancing, mom?" I asked.

She looked at me as if I had the audacity to ask her such a thing. "Because I said so. I'm her mother, you are not."

"Just because you said so doesn't make it right." I retorted.

She shook her head at me as if I was out of place. Maybe I was, but seeing Makayla get scorned for ballet dancing was baffling. I could see if she was out here shaking her ass and titties for the world to see. But, it's ballet dancing. The most graceful type of dancing.

"If I don't want her to dance, I just don't want her to. I don't have to explain my reasons. Not to you or to her. She is ordered to stop the dancing or she will be on punishment until I'm tired of seeing her on punishment. She needs to choose a more reliable career. Like you or Maya."

"That's not fair!" Makayla yelled. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over at us. I reached to calm Makayla down, but she wasn't having it. "I'm not Malia or Maya. You can't force me to do something I don't want to do!"

"Who are you hollering at young lady?" My mother looked at her, daring her to yell again. "Dancing is not an option. Deal with it, and choose another career." She said in finality. "I don't want to talk about this again, do I make myself clear?" She looked at the both of us.

Makayla wiped her tears off her face and all I did was nod my head. By this time, the waitress had come back with our food. Once we were settled, we ate in silence. I could hear Makayla's light sniffles which broke my heart. My little sister was hurting and there was nothing I could do about it.

I could hear the door opening and closing. Out of the corner of my eye, a tall figure that resembled Khari appeared. I looked in the direction and sure enough it was him. Everything around me stopped as I admired every inch of him. My breath hitched. He was looking really handsome, more handsome than ever.

It looked as if he had went to get a trim up this morning. His blonde top was really curly. His full beard was trimmed immaculately. He sported a pair of fitted, ripped blue jeans with an olive green shirt that mildly showed his muscular figure. He threw a khaki jacket over it to match the timberlands he wore. Seeing him in an outfit not named Nike was refreshing. It was a sight to see.

"What are you looking at, Malia? You look flustered." Makayla asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. Hearing my name, he turned to see me and I quickly returned my attention to Makayla.

"Could you not??" I retorted as I rolled my eyes. Makayla only chuckled. "Seems like Malia has a new beau."

My mom looked in the direction that I was looking in with confusion on her face. "Who's that, sweetie?"

"No one." I mumbled before continuing to stuff my face.

"Nonsense. Not just any man got my sis this flustered." Makayla said as she broke her neck to get Khari's attention. I tried to grab her arm, but it was too late. She'd called him over causing me to cover my face in embarrassment. "Sheesh, he's a cutie." Makayla whispered.

Once he made it to the table, he flashed a smile causing me to melt in my seat. What was up with me today? I'd never gotten this effect from Khari. "Hey Malia." He greeted.

"Hey Khari." I said, clearing my throat. "This is my mother and my sister, Makayla." I motioned toward the two. I watched as he extended his hand to my mother and she politely shook it.

"Nice to miss you Mrs. King." She looked impressed which was shocking. "I see good looks must run deep in this family. From the mother to the daughters." He said as he looked between us three. Makayla blushed and my mother laughed like it was so funny causing me to roll my eyes.

"Well, aren't you the gentleman." Makayla flirted making me kick her under the table.

"Ow!" She slit her eyes at me. My mother looked at the two of us like we were little kids. Well, that's what she felt like we were acting like. This whole gathering was just making me uncomfortable. I wasn't sure why. This felt more than a friend meeting her parents.

"Do you attend school with Malia?" My mother asked.

He nodded his head. "Yes ma'am. I recently enrolled this past week."

My mother looked at him curiously which made me a little nervous. "You don't sound like you're from here. Is that a New Orleans accent I hear?"

"Yes ma'am. I was born and raised in New Orleans. Ninth ward." He stated.

It seemed as if Makayla's eyes lit up once he made that statement. "Can you say the word 'baby?'" Makayla asked. I glared at her and in return, she smirked. "What? You can't lie like you don't like their accent.."

I looked up at Khari with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry.. You don't have to. You just go on and do what you came in here to do.. Eat." I looked at my mother. "Right, mother?"

"Oh child, I'm sure it won't hurt for him to say it one time." She turned from me to him. "You don't have to if you don't want to." She chuckled, hitting his arm. I mentally groaned, rolling my eyes. My little sister and mother were sitting up here flirting with a man I barely knew myself.

He let out a laugh before getting his self together. "Well Mrs. King, from what I've seen so far, you raised your babeh over there well." He pointed in my direction. All eyes turned to me and I could see Makayla smirking really hard. I had to turn away so no one could see that I was blushing. It was the simplest compliment, but it was very effective. The way he said 'baby' made my knees weak, also.

My mother smiled as she looked at me then back up at him. "Why thank you, Khari. I raised all of my girls to be the best person they can be."

"Well, I hope they can continue to be the people you've raised them to be." He looked at his watch. "If you can excuse me, I need to get something in my belly so I can head out." He nodded as he started to walk away.

"Oh no sweetie. You can eat breakfast with us." My mother said as she moved down so he could sit beside her. "We're not going anywhere."

He looked to me to see if I had a problem with it. I just nodded because my mother wasn't going to let him get away. He shrugged his shoulders lightly before taking the seat beside her. He slipped out of jacket showing off his muscles and I shook my head in awe. Why was I suddenly so attracted to him? I wasn't sure.

All I knew was that this breakfast just got a little hotter.

~

We pulled up to the party and it was already lit at 10pm. The music was thumping loudly and we all rushed out of the car. The guys rode with each other while the girls and I came a little later. You know how that goes. We were taking too long for them, I guess.

We walked in immediately dancing to the music. Kaleigh spotted Elgin and the guys so we headed in their direction. As we approached them, Randy grabbed Danielle's hand whispering something into her hand making her blush really hard. Kaleigh and Elgin cuddled up, leaving just me and Khari to ourselves.

He was bobbin his head rappin to a song that I wasn't familiar with. He'd changed out of his attire he had on earlier. He was in a casual ripped, white tee with a pair of gray ripped jeans. He wore a grey fitted hat to the back with a pair of gold chains. Until now, I was oblivious to his many tattoos. He just really looked good.

"You vibin?" He asked, looking at me. I smiled pushing my hair behind my ears. He was close enough for me to smell his cologne which was delightful.

"Yeah." I nodded as I glanced around the place. "I'm vibin."

"You're looking real beautiful. As always, though." He shrugged his shoulders lightly. I looked down trying to conceal my blush. He had a brown skinned girl red as ever.

"Thank you." I finally mustered up the courage to look at him. "You're handsome." He'd been handsome all damn day lord. I was lusting which was a sin. I had to calm down.

"Your family is crazy." He said yelling over the music, moving closer. I laughed at his realization. My mother and Makayla had given Khari the blues all day at Waffle House. Makayla flirted with him more than anything else. I know she was growing up, but sheesh. Could she not flirt so openly?

"They're not always that crazy. They're more reserved than anything. I'm surprised that you actually got my mom to talk and laugh. The conversation seemed effortless." I said talking into his ear.

He unconsciously placed his hand on my lower back. It was a simple touch, but it had my body doing flips. It was way to close to my butt, well, the butt I did have. "Y'all just alike so it was easy. They're cool though." He said.

Randy tapped his shoulder causing us to break away. It was then I realized that I was holding my breath. I let out a sigh of relief and fanned myself momentarily. I could see Randy handing him a Corona. I didn't see him as a beer man. More of a Hennessy type of guy. He popped the top open, taking a sip before returning his focus back on the party.

I was trying to muster up some courage to ask him to a dance. All We Do by Trey Songz had come on and everyone was grabbing a dancing partner. Before I could say anything, Karmen approached him. I could see his eyes lit up once they laid on her and her outfit.

Karmen had a bangin body with very toned legs. I understood why he would be attracted to her. She wore a red satan dress that hugged every curve on her body. Her long legs did her so much justice. The nude heels she wore complimented the dress very well. I nodded my head at her choice of attire. I'd never seen her outside of the gym so it was a bit of a shock.

"Hey Khari.. I'm glad you made it." She greeted. He nodded his head at her as he took another sip of his drink. She spoke to the rest of the crew before her eyes landed on me. "Oh hey Malia! You're looking gorgeous!" She complimented.

"Thank you, so are you." We embraced each other in a short hug before pulling away. "I love that dress."

"Thank you. It's just something I got out of the closet. Nothing too serious." She said waving off the compliment. "Can I steal Khari for a minute? I don't want intrude..."

I quickly shook my head. "Oh no! He's all yours."

"Whew! I thought he was taken. Isn't he fine, lord." Karmen groaned slightly. I chuckled, nodding my head in agreement. I turned and looked at him as he laughed with Randy and Danielle.

"I think fine is an understatement." I said more to myself than to Karmen.

She walked back over to where he was, whispering something into his ear and getting him to go on the dance floor with her. I mentally sighed at myself for allowing her to beat me to the punch, but I quickly shook it off. As if Kaleigh could sense my stress, she handed me a drink and I quickly downed it. She then lead Elgin to the dance floor.

"If looks could kill..." Danielle said as she came to stand beside me. I rolled my eyes at her and scanned the room for any potential suitors. No one was worth looking at and my eyes found their way back to Khari and Karmen. She was really grinding her hips into his pelvis really hard. I was sure that she was trying to have sex with him on the dance floor. Khari was handling it, though. He seemed to be enjoying it too.

She turned around to whisper something into his ear and lead him out of the party. My curiosity got the best of me which killed my hopes. He turned to get Randy's attention that he was heading outside with the lovely girl.

"He about to tear that ass up." Danielle mumbled.

I surely hoped not.

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