Page 23 of Lily In The Valley
He tensed, a subtle movement that anyone else in the room would’ve missed. “You got your match results?”
I sighed. “I’ve had them since the morning.”
“I called and texted and you ignored me.” His heart began to race against my back, his body heating with nervousness.
“I didn’t open the email until a few hours ago. The day’s been a little distracting.” I settled further into his chest, closing my eyes to rest my mind. “And don’t ask me. I promised I’d tell my girls first.”
The doorbell rung, followed by hammering knocks. Khalil stood and stretched, shooting me a look full of longing. Like he knew my time here wouldn’t be long. Like he was preparinghimself for goodbye, even though we’d never started. “You’re lucky I like you.”
“You love me, Big Head,” I shot back, instantly regretting it when his smile deepened.
“As long as you know,” he said casually. “I’m just waiting for you to stop pretending it’s more complicated than that.”
I couldn’t look away from his gaze. He held me there, my heart skipping too many beats for comfort. We could’ve stayed there, lost in our tug-of-war of emotions and unspoken feelings, were it not for the cackling of laughter filtering in from the foyer.
“I’m sorry to kick you out, Khalil, but it’s girls’ night,” Vanessa said, shooing him away.
“You mean I’m not part of the coven? I can cackle all night, too.” Khalil proceeded to mock the laughter he’d heard moments earlier.
“Please, Khalil,” Lynn started. “I’m sure there’s something more useful you could be doing than running your mouth.”
“Don’t make me call Wesley, Lynn,” he shot back.
Laughter chorused around the room as Lynn’s eyes went wide, green pools of guilt letting on more than she’d ever admit.
“Come on, Khalil. I need help painting the rooms upstairs.” Xavier turned to Vanessa, kissing her on the cheek before heading upstairs. “Call me if you need something,” he tossed over his shoulder. Khalil followed behind him, mumbling something too low for me to catch.
Once they were out of sight, Vanessa said,” Who’s ready to try some mocktails?”
We stared at her in disbelief, mouths gaped open.
“Girl, if you don’t go grab some wine,” Lynn shouted. “Matter of fact, I’ll find it myself.” She brushed past Vanessa, entering the open-space kitchen.
“Find the tequila,” I shouted from the couch.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Nyah added, settling beside me. She pulled her fresh braids away from her face, tying the strands behind her head to stay put. Her eyes looked worried, tired, as they had for the past few months. Lynn walked back over to the living room, sitting in the chair next to the couch, a bottle of expensive tequila and plastic cups in her hands. She still wore the heels, pencil-skirt, and white blouse she favored when heading into her law office.
“I don’t know about y’all, but I need something strong,” Lynn said, kicking off her heels. “If I had $100 for every time I had to sit through a meeting with white men explaining structural racism to me, I’d be able to do pro-bono work for the rest of my life.”
Vanessa settled on the couch with a glass bottle of blood-red liquid. “I hope you set them straight.” She drank from the bottle, wincing. “Ugh, this tastes like dirt.”
“What is that?” I asked. Nyah stole the bottle, swirling it around.
“It’s beet juice. I saw a video saying it helps boost iron.” Vanessa took another sip, wincing again. “They left out the part about it tasting horrible.”
“Nessa, did your doctor say your iron was low?” I asked.
“No, it’s just a precaution.” Her eyes held the solemnity we all understood. Losing her and Xavier’s baby the first time devastated her. Devastated all of us. It hurt worse knowing I couldn’t be there for her, being I was away at medical school.
“Hey,” Nyah started, taking Nessa into her arms, cradling her like the baby of the group that she was. “Everything is going to be fine. We’re all praying for this baby. It’ll be spoiled before it arrives.” We all laughed misty-eyes giggles. Vanessa pressed the back of her hands to her eyes.
“I know. I just…” She reached for our hands. We met them, tangling our fingers together. “We want this baby so bad. I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose it again.”
I moved to kneel in front of Vanessa, placing my hands on her knees. “You’re not going to lose my baby.” She laughed softly. “I’m serious. You were stressed out of your mind back then.”
“I’m stressed now.” She laughed, tears easing down her cheeks. “Scared shitless.”
Lynn moved closer on the couch, wrapping her arms around Vanessa’s waist. “Aww, baby girl. It’s okay to be scared, but we got you, no matter the outcome.” We allowed Vanessa to shed a few more tears until she collected herself.
