Page 67 of Falling Into Gravity

“Cause Lunar always told me I was and your daddy treat me like I am. That’s that pressure, baby.”

Bu’s name flashed across her phone, beeping into her facetime. “Ma, this Bu calling me, let me see what he wants.”

“What you done did ‘cause I might’ve heard something?”

Aku sat up. “What?!”

Solar laughed. “Go’on and answer for him ‘cause I know he calling to fuss. That boy swear he’s older than he is. But he stay on y’all asses and I fuck with that.”

“Bye, since you don’t want to tell me why I’m the center of the family gossip.”

“You know I ain’t ever lettin’ nobody come for my girl too crazy. Just know, yo’ daddy gon’ lose it when he find out about that boy—‘cause he damn near a younger version of him. I love you.”

“Love you too.” Aku accepted Bu’s call. “Yea?”

She could hear a lawnmower in the background. “Don’t answer like that, Aku. Where you at anyway?”

“At my house.”

He could hear the attitude in her voice. Bu grunted. “I heard you was in Crescent last night. I also heard they had some shit go down. You good?”

Rolling her eyes, she smacked her lips. “Do you really care or just being nosy?”

“When have you ever known me to be a nosy nigga?”

“Well, I wasn’t there,” Aku half lied.

“Where that nigga was?”

She inhaled deep. “Bu, I like him.”

“I hear you.”

“Listen though…I like him so if I want him to come around, I need you to putourfamily before the red one. You think you can do that?”

Bu got quiet then a deep sigh pierced the phone. “You think he know how to love you?”

“I think so…”

“What he think though? ’Cause it ain’t ’bout how much you feel for him… it’s ’bout what he feel he deserve. Lots of good women get broken tryna prove their worth to a man still at war with his own heart.”

Aku threw her head back, letting Bu’s words seep in. “I hear you.”

“Aight, Aku. Let me get back to work these niggas acting like they on a break or something.”

She didn’t say anything else. She just let him hang up the phone while she stared at the ceiling. But she heard him loud and clear, and he wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t fair to her to pour into Malik if he was going to run when he started to feel things too . She’d rather live unloved than to force someone into accepting what their heart was already telling them.

Aku wasn’t in love with Malik, however, she felt strongly for him. Those feelings showed up last night when that gut feeling black women carried around pushed her belly in. So she laid hercards out in not so many words. It was on him to apply pressure now. In the meantime, she was about to be outside.

chapter 12

. . .

Malik leanedagainst the side of a boarded-up corner store near Longley Ave, duffle at his feet, and a cigarette hanging from his lip—not lit. He didn’t smoke, but sometimes he needed the feel of something to hold between his teeth when his thoughts got too loud. It was usually a toothpick, but he bummed a smoke from Gran Betty.

He was back at work even though mentally, he was in Aku’s condo watching her sleep. He shot her a text when he thought she was up, but Aku hadn’t responded yet.

Malik pushed all that to the back of his head, because he needed to keep his head on the swivel. When he saw his customer walking up, he handled his business.

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