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I dragged my feet under me as my mom and I exited the hotel.

"Do you have everything?"

I sighed. "Yea."

My mom looked down at me as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't. Instead, she continued the walk to the car with one of my suitcases in her hand and I followed behind her with my other suitcase and my carry-on bag on my shoulder.

"Listen, Audriana." My mom started as we pulled on our seatbelts. "I know you want to stay here, honey, and I would love to keep you here, but I don't want this to interfere with your school work and job."

"I know..."

She grabbed my hand. "Today is Thursday and you'll be back on Tuesday, it'll fly by. And I'll keep you updated with anything, I'll three-way call when Kenz calls me. It'll be just like you're here."

"Okay."

She sighed, giving up with conversation and pulling out of the hotel parking lot.

My mom was able to get another two weeks off for work, but she was sending me back to Florida to stay with my aunt so I could go to school.

I wasn't upset with her about it, necessarily. I was just upset about this entire situation. It just isn't fair.

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Once Angel didn't reply, I put my phone down and tuned into the conversation that my mom was having with Detective Wisden.

"Yes, I am dropping her off at the airport and I will be on my way there. Okay. Of course. Okay, thank you Detective. I'll see you soon. Okay. Bye-bye."

I didn't even bother to ask what happened because it would only make me more upset that I had to leave. Who knew what could happen from now until Tuesday.

All I knew was that whatever did happen, I wouldn't be here for it. I would be hours and hours, miles and miles away.

It's bullshit.

After an hour and a half of checking my bags in and finally finding somewhere to eat, I was alone. My mom was on her way back to the station and I was on my way back to Florida.

My phone vibrated against the table. Seeing that it was Angel FaceTiming me, I slid the green button to the left. A few seconds later, he came into view.

"Why the long face, ma?"

I shook my head. "I just hate this."

"Hate what?"

"All of this, Angel. This shit sucks."

"Breathe, mama." He instructed once he seen that i was starting to get overwhelmed. "You gotta think positive, baybeh girl."

"I'm trying, but it's hard. What if-"

He shook his head. "Na, ain't none of that 'what if' shit. We prayin' and hopin' fa' the best. That's all we doin', ya hea' me?"

"I hear you."

"Look at me." He demanded.

Looking up from the blue table I was staring at, I looked him in his eyes through the phone. "What?"

"I love you, aight? No matta' what, I'm hea' fa you."

"I know." I let out a breath. "I love you too."

"Good, now turn that frown upside down."

I giggled. "Shut up. Why are you in bed and not at school?"

"I left early."

"Of course you did."

"I told you this shit borin' wit'out you hea', mane. Me and 'Mere ain't got no classes. Dayna don't fuck wit' me nomo' cause'a you."

I gasped. "Nooo, that's because of you."

"Nah, you took me from her now she'on like me."

"I did not take you from her. Nicole took you from her, not me."

He smacked his teeth. "Mane, chill out. Me and Nicole ain't got shit goin' like that."

"Yea yea yea." I stood up from the seat I was in. "I have to pee."

"Go pee then."

"Why do you think I got up?"

Maneuvering through people, I looked back down at Angel through my phone only to bump into someone.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, picking up the guys' wallet that fell out of his hand.

He shook his head, looking up at me. "It's str- oh shit." His entire demeanor changed. "You look familiar as fuck."

"Uh, I used to live here?"

His eyes widened. "You T daughter?"

"Yea." I felt my heart drop.

Nobody who isn't family never mentioned my dad to me. It felt... weird.

"Do I know you? Like, are you family?"

The guy shook his head. "Probably not."

"Then how do you know my dad as 'T'?" I chuckled lightly. "Only family calls him that. Are you a family frie-"

"I gotta catch my flight." The guy cut me off, walking around me and speed walking towards the other side of the airport, not once looking back.

I don't know what it was about that conversation, but it left me really uneasy. Nobody calls my dad 'T' unless their family, and our family isn't big at all so we all know each other, or at least know of each other.

I didn't know him nor did I know of him.

"Who that was?" Angel asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I shook my head. "I- I don't know."

"Thank you so much for picking me up. I didn't expect my aunt to get called in so last minute."

Angel smacked his teeth. "Mane, you ain't gotta thank me fa' that. You know I got you."

"I know, but it's getting late and-"

"I said I got you, ain't it?"

I nodded. "Yea, tha-"

"Stop thankin' me, ma. "He chuckled.

"Okay, sheesh."

He pulled his phone out, going to the Maps app.

"What's the address?"

I went to my phone, opening the thread between my aunt and I. Just as I was about to tell him the address, I remembered something.

"I don't have a key..."

"What you mean?"

I face-palmed myself. "I don't have a key to her house. We were expecting for her to pick me up so I don't have a key."

"So what you finna do?"

"Sleep outside."

Angel smacked his teeth. "Mane, I ain't finna play wit' you. You care about comin' to my house?"

"No- I mean yea, but- no, I-"

"Aight you comin' to my house then."

I was a little shook, but I really didn't have a choice right now. "Okay."

"You already met my mama and she ain't even hea' so let's go meet my pops." Angel insisted, pulling me through this mansion.

Well, it wasn't a mansion, but it was a nice, big ass house.

"Pops!" Angel yelled.

As if on cue, an older, handsome man walked out of one of the many rooms in the house.

"What, boy?"

"I want you ta' meet somebody."

Angel's dad turned towards me. "Oh, hello."

"Pops, this my girl Audriana-"

"I'm not his girl." I laughed. "Just his friend."

Angel smacked his teeth. "You coulda just let me get away with that." He shook his head, laughing. "This my friend Audriana. Audri, this my pops, Daryl."

"Hello, Mr. Daryl. Nice to meet you."

He pulled me in for a hug. "Likewise, but we don't shake hands around here, Audriana. We hug"

"Even better." I slightly giggled, hugging him back.

He looked at my bag on Angel's shoulder. "Will you be spending the night?"

"Oh, no." I quickly shook my head. "I'm just waiting here until my aunt gets off of work. I think you know of my aunt, Trinity, she works with my mom and your wife."

"Oh, yes. I do know her. Your aunt and your mother are wonderful women." Mr. Daryl nodded. "I'll tell my wife to bring something to eat on her way home then."

Angel patted his dad's arm. "Tell her ta' bring some WingStop."

After a short conversation with Mr. Daryl, I was upstairs in Angel's room while Angel was in the bathroom. I took that time to let me my mom know that I had landed and that I was okay.

I left out the part where auntie Trini had to work late so I was now at Angel's house. I'll leave that for my aunt tell her another day.

She might not even ask which would be great.

"You want somethin' ta' drink? You wanna showa' or somethin'?"

I thought for a second. "I would like to shower actually."

Going into my bag, I picked out a white tank top, black biker shorts and a thong. Not on purpose, that was just all I had in this bag.

"It's towels and rags in the closet in thea'." He informed as I walked into his bathroom.

"Okay, thanks." I closed the door, making sure to lock it behind me.

Looking around his bathroom, it was really neat for him to be... well, to be Angel. You never really expect for a boys' room or bathroom to be neat and organized, but his was which was a little shocking, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

I hate dirty.

I took my time in the shower, spending most of it praying and talking to my dad. Something I hadn't done in a while, but I needed it a lot more than I thought I did.

I felt so relieved stepping out of the shower.

"You good?" Angel asked me as I walked out of the bathroom and back into his room. He was sitting in front of his tv, playing Fortnite.

I put my clothes in my bag. "I'm fine, thank you."

He nodded, keeping his attention on the game.

"Is it really that fun?"

"What?"

"That game, Fortnite. Is it what people make it seem it is?"

He scoffed. "Mane, this my shit hea'. I'on play no otha' game, but this."

"Let me play."

He looked back at me, pushing his lips to the side before laughing. "How 'bout no?"

I scooted closer to him. "Please. I can win."

"You prolly don't even know what to do."

"I do." I pouted. "You shoot people and stay in that circle thing."

He looked at me again. "Hea', man."

I got overly excited, grabbing the controller from his hand. Crossing my legs together, I locked my eyes on the 65" flatscreen that hung up on his dark red walls.

"You see dat right thea'?" He pointed closer to the numbers on the screen so I could see what exactly he was talking about.

I nodded.

"That mean it's only eighteen people left so-"

"They're shooting me! How do I shoot back?!" I yelled, getting frantic trying to figure out how the hell to play this game.

It popped up on the screen that somebody killed Angel, making me bust out laughing. The expression on his face was hilarious.

"Mane, that ain't funny. Angel don't lose and you just made me lose." He snatched the controller out of my hand.

I pinched his cheek. "Aw, is the baby mad at me for making him lose? It's just a game."

"You fuckin' suck. Don't ever' pick up anotha' controlla' in yo' life, aight?"

I snatched the controller out of his hand, and before I knew it, he was tackling me backwards into the bed. I was dying laughing while he struggled to get the controller out of my hand.

He started tickling me so much to the point that I thought I was going to pee on myself.

"Okay!"

He smirked. "That's what I thought. Stop playin' with me, Dri."

"Such a big ass baby."

He was still hovered over me as our laughter died down. His eyes wandered from my eyes and down to my lips.

"Angel..."

Leaning in, our lips smashed into each other as we both let out a breath of relief. It was like this was what we've been waiting for, what we've been needing, what we've been wanting.

Not a forgotten drunk kiss, not a 'truth or dare' kiss, an actual kiss.

My hands went up to his face and stayed there. I held onto him while his right hand gripped my chin, holding it in place so that we were in sync.

"Food's here!" I heard Ms. Juliet yell from downstairs, pulling us away from allowing that to get any further.

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