Page 4 of Standing In The Sun

“She good… Luna Girl gets freaky when that liquor in her system.”

The whole table hollered, because Luna slapped a hand over her face like they didn’t already know she was a freak for Javen.

“And let Noodle breathe a little, nigga,” French called over to Bu.

Bu and Noodle had been engaged for a little over a year now, but the way they still loved on each other was how everyone knew what they had was real. When time permitted it, the two of them were attached at the hip, always loving up on each other. Maybe Bu’s stint in jail made Noodle love on him more, just in case it was her last time.

Solar snorted, taking a sip of her drink. “You worried about Noodle, but you need to have your eyes on Aku over there all on Devin’s cute ass.”

French’s head snapped to the side. “Aku know not to play with me,” he said loud enough for Aku to hear, his voice laced with warning.

Aku smacked her teeth, rolling her eyes as she immediately put some space between her and Devin.

Everybody fell out again.

Aku turned to Devin, sighing dramatically. “C’mon, before my daddy starts acting up.”

Siasia giggled, snapping a few more shots—this time, zooming in on the timepieces shining in the dim club lights.

“How much money y’all think in this picture?” Little Lunar asked, tilting his head.

“The picture only represents afractionof what’s going on in this room,” Maverick drawled, not even looking up as he grabbed Tiny, stopping her from slipping past him. “Where your fine ass going?”

Tiny’s bright skin flushed as she glanced up at him. “I’m making me another drink before me and the girls hit the dance floor to turn up like old times.”

Maverick arched a brow, hands sliding lower, gripping her ass like he was palming a basketball. “Don’t get nobodyfucked upin here.”

Tiny just smirked, standing on her toes to whisper something in his ear that made him exhale through his teeth.

Lunar scrunched his face. “Y’all too old for all that,” he fussed, trekking over to the couch with Bu and Noodle.

“How you think you got here?” Tiny fussed at his back as he passed her, making his steps falter.

“Forties are the new twenties!” Maverick hollered at his stepson.

Maverick had been in Lunar’s life since he was almost two. He was the only father Lunar knew since his had been killed before he was even born. Lunar loved Mav—called him dad but still yearned for the man whose face he walked around with. Lunar was dark-skin with deep dimples— it looked like Big Lunar had spit him out. But that couldn’t be because Lunar wasn’t earthside when his baby boy was birthed into this world.

Lunar’s body flopped onto the velvet couch with a thud, splashing the remaining liquid around in his cup.

“You on one?” Bu asked, giving Lunar his full attention while Noodle held her breath waiting for his reply.

Lunar shook his head. “Nah…I’m just chilling.”

The lie wasn’t as subtle and smooth as he thought. He wasn’t just chilling - hadn’t chilled in a long time because something in his throat and heart bothered him more lately. Back when he was just a jit, the aching feel would come and go so quickly, he’d forget about his heart hurting. But now as the world turned, the pain seemed to rumble around his body like it belonged. It was too familiar as it swam in his blood.

“You need to get back in the studio.” Noodle pursed her lips with equally low eyes from the shotguns Bu had been blowing her all night.

Lunar, Noodle, and Aku had grown up together. They were close and loved each other so much that when one hurt, the other hurt too. Over the last year, he and Noodle became closer since she was fully immersed in her music and had signed to Lunar’s label.

“Man,” Lunar murmured, not trying to hear that. His fans had been on his head enough asking when his next project was coming out. He didn’t know when it was coming because all the studio time turned up fruitless.

Bu adjusted Noodle in his lap, twisting towards Lunar. “You ain’t recorded nothing good?”

“Hell nah! Shit hard when I’m trying to put out the best album of my career.”

“You was born for this shit. How it’s so hard all of a sudden?” Bu asked, his voice loud enough for Lunar to hear over the thumping of the music.

Noodle’s chest hurt because she knew what was holding Little Lunar back…

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