Until I Met You

” We need to talk…”

I blink my eyes at her as she walks in.

” Ariel, who’s at the door?” Leslie asks and peeks her head out to the living room. She freezes when she sees mom.

” Mom.” Leslie mutters.

My mom sighs and looks around our house.

” Ariel, where’s your room?” She asks.

” Everything okay?”

” No. Now where’s your room?” She asks and stalks down the hallway.

I follow behind her and point to my room. She opens it and we enter. I shut the door behind her and lean against it as I cross my arms.

” I’ve been calling you for over a week now. You didn’t respond to any of my calls.” Mom starts.

” Probably because I didn’t see any calls.”

” Where did you go? I came here almost a week ago to check on you guys and Leslie told me you went on a trip. What type of trip?”

I sigh.” Mom, I went on a trip to Hawaii with Gray that week. And this past weekend we visited Canada for Mia’s birthday. Why are you here mom?”

” Mia’s birthday? You’ve seen Mia?”

” Yeah. And she’s extremely nice and not judgemental despite the fact that she dated dad. I told her about it and she didn’t even freak out.” I snarl at mom.

” Why did you choose to follow Gray?”

She’s beginning to piss me off.” Maybe because we’re in a relationship and I see nothing wrong in accompanying my partner to see his mom.”

” Ariel, you need to quit this.”

” And why should I do that?”

” Maybe because he’s too dangerous and you’re gonna get hurt. Can’t you think?”

I chuckle deeply and glare at her.” Oh so you know he’s in the mob right?” I question, as she widens her eyes.

She looks at me with surprise as she finds it hard to speak.

” Mom, who told you? Why didn’t you even tell me? Why do you even want me to quit my relationship with Gray just to please you?”

” Ariel, you’re gonna get hurt. I didn’t know he was part of a mob. I found out through someone.”

” Who’s that someone?”

” Mia told your father the reason she left her husband was because he was a mobster. Eventually he died. She told your dad.”

” If you don’t get out of it , they are gonna kill you. And you’re weak Ariel. You can’t fight for yourself and you’re just gonna end up as a burden to your so-called lover. I won’t stand and watch the son of a woman who destroyed my marriage to destroy your life in the name of love. Why don’t you walk out when you have the chance. The mob isn’t something you try to live with. Mia couldn’t. Nobody can, I can’t watch them take away your life like it’s a toy. Why don’t you do what’s right and make a good decision for once.” Mom says calmly. She should be yelling by now.

” I can’t.”

” Of course you can and you will.”

” Mom, don’t tell me what to do.”

” I’m not telling you what to do. I’m telling you what a real parent is definitely gonna tell their kid who thought it’s nice to start sleeping with someone in the Mafia. They are gonna start using you as bait to hurt Gray. You might be lucky because you didn’t get hurt , but you know the ugly truth , you won’t be lucky all the days of your life.”

I stay quiet and bite my bottom lip. If I should look at the bright side , mom’s right. Sinclair even lost his wife slash mistress because of a crazy fight. Gray’s mom was just extremely lucky. Maybe she even traveled out of the country. But I’m already way past that bridge, and I can’t come back to start thinking about a decision that I’ve already decided on. I can’t leave Gray. We’ve already gone far with this and I’m not turning back.

” Mom, it’s already too late. I’m already deep in this. Leaving him is not a choice. Almost every single Mafiosos knows me as Gray’s girlfriend. Leaving him will change nothing. They are still gonna come after me if they want to.”

” No honey , they won’t. Don’t be stupid because of love. If you even care about your parents , you shouldn’t have thought about being in a relationship with Gray despite their family’s bad reputation.”

” Mom, stop okay. I get it , I understand everything, but I’m not leaving Gray.”

She narrows her eyes at me as she walks toward me. She stops in front of me and smirks.

” These are one of the reasons I wanted you to be a sister in church. Falling in love with some crackhead and living wayward. Why can’t my kids show good examples for once. Look at Leslie, pregnant for her stupid professor and she’s already dropping out of college cause she’s fuckin pregnant. And you , I thought you would be different, make us proud and live better , hell no. You decided to date a tatted drug dealer and a crackhead. What’s wrong with you both? What happened to the ‘you’ who wants to be a nun. The ‘you’ who would never sleep with a drug dealer and smuggler.”

I bite my bottom lip to keep me from crying as I take one step so we’re looking at each other eye to eye.

” You broke that ‘you’ mom. You looked down on that ‘you’ and treated her like she was a piece of garbage. You bullied me as a parent. You know what you did. My decisions don’t ever matter. Each time I tell the truth, you always don’t wanna believe me. You were busy comparing me to Leslie. Reminding me each day how she’s better than me. Now what? Your precious Leslie got pregnant and you’re here trying to make me look bad because I’m in love with someone who never judged me. Who loved me like I’m the only girl in the world. I should leave him because of your selfish reasons? You know I won’t. Stop wasting your breath.” I tell her.

She doesn’t say a word but just stares.

” Who’s Sinclair mom?”

She freezes and suddenly she turns pale.

” Who told you about Sinclair?” She asks.

” Maybe because I’ve met him too. There are rumors going around that I’m his daughter. What do you have to say about that?” I ask and cross my arms.

” I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She says in a rush.

” Mom, you know what I’m talking about. If I find out he’s related to me in one way or another I will never forgive you.”

I open my room door and walk out leaving her behind.

***

” So Leslie, how’s it – being a mom?” Mom asks Leslie.

Leslie looks down and avoids my mother’s gaze.

” I can tell it’s terrible considering your lack of voice. I hope you learn your lessons and teach them to your baby.” Mom looks my way as she walks to me.

” I might not be a great mom but i made sure I did my best. You know Gray isn’t good for you and he’s just gonna hurt you.” She whispers and opens the front door and leaves.

” You’re okay?” Leslie asks.

” Yeah. I should be asking you that too. Are you okay?”

She nods.” Yeah. I’m good.”

I sigh.

She smiles and stands up.” Come on, let’s go eat.” She says and I smile.

Who knew she could be sweet like this?

~GRAY~

” Maybe you should shut up and let me teach you how to aim. You’re the worst shooter I’ve ever seen.” Manny tells Nick as he aims at the targets.

I chuckle and lean on the rails of my balcony and look down at the guys. I light a cigarette and rub my temple as I inhale the stick. My phone rings.

” Speak.”

” Gray.”

” Yes?”

” I’ve seen one. It’s pretty and well designed. She might like it.”

” Hmm…”

” Distance from her school? Is it that far?”

” Not really. And it’s kinda expensive.” Kinda expensive. Nothing should be kinda expensive for her. She deserves it. And I’m willing to get her anything within my power to make her happy.

” How much.”

” Fifteen million.”

” Mmm…” I pull out the stick and puff out the smoke.

” Send a picture of it to me. We’ll come check it out later.”

” Sure thing boss.”

I hang up and keep back my phone inside my pocket.

” Nick , what the fuck!” I yell at Nick who finds it hard to make a perfect target. I can’t believe he can’t shoot real good.

” I’m sorry boss.”

” I thought you shot really well? Who recruited you in the first place?”

” Damn. You did. I can shoot , just not good with far range. Manny is just exaggerating things.” He mutters.

I roll my eyes and watch them.  Nick reloads the gun and aims at the plastic cans. He pulls the trigger and shoots them out but misses one. Ariel wasn’t even that terrible.

” Gray.” I turn around to see Reid. He leans against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets. I raise my brows at him.

” Damon’s here.”Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

What the fuck. I thought he wasn’t coming back from Canada anytime soon.

” Isn’t he supposed to be dead? Dude went MIA right?” He asks.

” Yeah, yeah. He’s back. Showed up at my mom’s birthday like he was Jesus. Where the fuck is he?”

” Downstairs.”

I drop the half smoked stick on the ashtray and walk out of my room. I climb down stairs and he’s right there. Standing and observing my house like a goddamn CIA. He looks at the boys in every corner , most of them with guns. Spencer and Drake thought it’s nice to sniff coke in my house.

” What the fuck Is all of this?” Damon asks once I get down the last stairs.

Spencer raises his coke face to look at Damon like he’s just seeing my lost older brother.

” Take that shit out of here. Why would you fuckin do that in my fuckin house?” I ask Spencer and Drake.

” Sorry boss.”

He’s high as fuck. They pick up the other packet and the dollar bill as they saunter away. I motion for Damon to follow me and we walk out of the living room to the backyard where Nick had been giving terrible aiming and wasting my bullets.

” Hi Damon.” Reid greets him and walk past us.

” You’re still in this?” He asks like he’s a fuckin saint.

” What’s your shit old man? Are you here to ask me if I’m still in the mob?”

” Gray coke. Those crackheads of yours were sniffing coke.”

” Am i supposed to give a fuck? Why are you here Damon?”

” How come the cops aren’t on your tail yet?”

I chuckle and shake my head. Of course they won’t dare. Except they don’t value their jobs anymore.

” Why are you still doing this? Wealth? I thought you graduated from college? How did you even do that?”  He asks and looks around my property.

” Damon what the fuck do you want?”

” You shouldn’t talk to me like that, Gray. You’re just acting like a sick fuck right now.”

I bite my bottom lip and chuckle quietly.

” I’m here because of Kennedy.”

” I don’t have her, you of all people should know that.”

” Does she normally come here?”

” Yeah. Two weeks in, two weeks out.”

” And she sees all of this? The drugs, the guns, and you smoke in front of her too?”

” Bro, we don’t do coke here and yes she has seen me smoking and shooting a fuckin’ gun. What?”

” Why would you do that in the presence of my daughter? Gray, she’s young and knows nothing. You had to rub your bad habit on her. What the fuck is wrong with you Gray? Because she’s not yours?” What!

” Seriously Damon. What is your shit! Because she saw me smoke or see my men shoot a gun? This a fuckin’ Mafia house for fuck’s sake. I paid your daughter’s fees, you idiot. I took her as mine and I looked after her when you weren’t even there. Now you’re trying to go all hulk and get angry because of guns? What the fuck is your problem? Maybe I should break it to you , she even wants to shoot a damn gun.”

Manny and Nick stop shooting as they stare at us. Reid included.

” Get the fuck out of here. Both of you.” I point to Manny and Nick.

They nod and walk out one after the other. Reid walks to stand in between the two of us.

” Calm down , Dame. You’re taking this far. Gray was a good dad even when her mother was a bitch. Forget the gun part , it’s in her blood. She liked it. And also you shoot guns too. You were a soldier and in the army.” Reid says.

Damon glares at me and looks away.

” You’re taking me to Jhene. I need to see her.”

” Is that like an order?” I ask Damon.

” Gray, you’re gonna take me to her. I need to see Kennedy.”

” I won’t. Except if you drop your big brother act, and talk like a normal person.”

Reid rolls his eyes.

” Really Gray?”

” Yes. And i will be inside when you’re ready. And one more thing.” I stop and turn to look at him.

” Don’t think about going against me to talk shit about my business to anyone. I will kill you Damon and I won’t even blink.” I tell him and walk inside.

***

I can’t believe I’m doing this. Driving this fucker in the form of my brother. He’s always annoying. Controlling and annoying again. How dare he judge me after everything I did for him? So ungrateful. I can’t even imagine Kennedy’s reaction when she sees him. She doesn’t even know what her daddy looks like. I bet she sees me as her daddy despite calling me by my name.

” Was that a threat?” Damon asks as I ignore him. He’s always talking and he’s trying to piss me the fuck up.

” I wasn’t threatening you Damon. I would fuckin kill you if you try to act good citizen. Fucker.”

I took my father out because he was a rat and Damon is trying to test me. He knows I would do it and I won’t even care as much as blink. I put so much effort to get to the point I am today. And a crazy fuck called a brother won’t take that away from me.

” The fact that you’re rich doesn’t give you a right to threaten people.”

I chuckle and stop for a red light. I turn to look at Damon and smirk.

” I wouldn’t go back to the military if I were you. Cause you suck. Quit talking about my business and mind yours. That’s if you have any.” I scoff and resume driving.

I park my car in the parking lot and get out. Jhene lives in a penthouse in Buffalo. That’s like a long drive for me. We enter the elevator once it arrives. I lean against the transparent walls of the elevator and i was grateful Damon didn’t start a conversation.

” So , did you continue your fling with Jhene when I left?” He’s annoying. He would never stop talking.

I ignore him and internally pray for the elevator to reach the top floor. I’m getting bored of this ride. Finally we arrive at the top as the elevator slides open. I step into the hallway and ring Jhene’s doorbell. The door opens as Jhene looks down at me. She didn’t see Damon because he stays at the other side of the wall. Don’t even know why?

” Gray. What do I owe this visit? It’s been a long time since you checked on me.”

I roll my eyes and huff.” Come outside fucker.”

Damon peeks his head out as Jhene freezes. Yeah. Long time memories. Can’t believe Damon fell in love with her. She’s a psycho.

” Oh my God.” She flings her arms around Damon, almost knocking me out. Fuckin bitch!

” I can’t believe you’re real.” She begins to sniffle. I bet those are fake. Or maybe she’s been single for a long time and she needs love. Or maybe she hadn’t had an orgasm for a long time and she’s acting all emotional. Fuck her!

” Where’s she?” Damon asks and disengages from the hug. Damn there’s still that chemistry there.

” Kennedy?”

” Yeah.” Jhene smiles and hurriedly walks inside her house.

I sigh and watch Damon enter.

” Are you coming in or not?” Damon asks and turns to look at me.

” Yes, dad.” I glare at him and walk in. I shut the door and look around her living room. There are so many whites and peach colors here. Ladies.

” Jamal…” Kennedy calls out as she runs to me.

“Whoa.” I squat to her height and lift her off the ground.

” You’ve added a lot of weight..” I tell her and she giggles. She didn’t even look at Damon.

Damon watches us as different emotions flashes through his face. Defeat? I drop Kennedy on the floor and hold her hand. She turns to look at Damon as the smile on her face falls.

” Um… Kennedy , this is uh..” Jhene stutters.

” That’s your dad, Kenny.” I tell her and ruffle her hair.

She doesn’t say a word or make a sound. She looks at Damon and looks down at him. Yeah, she’s weird.

” Can you take me out to buy me ice cream, Gray? I don’t wanna be here.”