Page 20 of Keeping Busy
“What’s good, Joya? Congratulations. Five years.”
“Thank you. What brings you to my humble abode?”
“I was invited, and since I spent so many years showing the Watson girls unnecessary and undeserved shade, and I knew you would all be here, it felt like the perfect opportunity to offer one, big collective apology.”
Immediately the deck got quiet as hell. In the words of my Aunt Bo, you could’ve heard a mouse pissing on cotton.
“So, let’s hear it.” Prompted Clarke. “And it better be good. I mean, we’ve waited long enough for it.”
“Right.” Indigo agreed.
“I apologize for the way I acted when we were growing up. You all were always cordial and friendly, and instead of returning that energy, I was…”
“Rude as fuck?” Clarke supplied.
“Aloof?” Joya tossed out.
“Obnoxious?” British chimed.
“Arrogant as hell?” My cousin River asked.
“Distant?” Kyndall questioned.
“Well, fuck.” Nasir said loudly. “What the hell was going on over on 72nd and Paxton back in the day? Next door neighbors was sworn enemies and shit?”
“Basically.” I mumbled.
“I won’t say we were enemies, but Maddox Mayhew definitely wasn’t checking for my cousins.” Joya told her husband.
“No, he wasn’t.” Clarke agreed, giving him the evil-eye. “He barely spoke to us. Any time he was forced by his grandmother to be in the same room with us, he spent all of his damn time looking over our heads. I don’t know what the hell was on the ceiling, but it was obviously more interesting than us. I’m surprised he can recognize us or tell us apart from each other. He neverlookedat us.”
That was when Northern McKinley stood up and walked over to Maddox. He extended his hand, with a smirk on his handsome face.
“What’s up, dude? I’m Northern, nice to meet you.” Northern leaned in close and said something that was only meant for Maddox’s ears.
Maddox laughed out loud, nodded, then shook Northern’s hand. “Good to meet you, too, Northern.” Then he gave his attention back to the Watson women. “You’re right, Clarke. You’re right. And I apologize. I was young, and dumb. And as Mecca has since pointed out to me, there were so many other ways I could’ve handled that. I chose the wrong one. I fucked up. Please forgive me.”
I took that as my cue, moved closer to Maddox and put my hand inside of his, giving it a squeeze.
“Uhm, looks like somebody already forgave you.” British commented.
“Thankfully.” He pulled me into his side, hugging my body to his. I looked up at him, not even trying to do it “adoringly” or whatever the hell Sydnie Whitmore suggested, but when he looked down at me and our eyes met, something moved in me. Like, I felt like maybe he meant it when he said he was thankful that I forgave him.
“Nah, Mecca just finally figured out what it was all along.” Cairo said from where he was chilling at the bar. “That Busy couldn’t afford to pay attention to y’all, because you’re distractions.”
“Gorgeous, distractions.” Northern added.
“Distractions who would’ve fucked up his head, when he needed to keep his head in the game.” A dude that I didn’t even recognize said.
“Dudes. They don’t even know him, and they’re jumping in to take up for him, about why he showed us so much shade back in the early 2000s.” Clarke sucked her teeth.
“But we’re men, Clarke. So, when he’s trying to talk around it, so you won’t start to feel a way, we understand what he’s not saying.” Nasir explained.
“I understand what he’s not saying, Nasir. He couldn’t get caught up in romancing one or two or all of us, because first of all, Miss Vera would’ve put her foot up his ass. Secondly, how was he supposed to choose? I mean, we’re all fucking show-stopping.”
That comment received catcalls, and shouts of agreement from every corner of the deck, including from me.
“And third of all; that would’ve made things mad awkward if there was a bad break-up or a teenage pregnancy or something, since we were neighbors. We get it. We could’ve gotten it when we were in high school. The thing is, instead of just keeping it a buck, he…”
