Emerging from his all black GMC Yukon truck, Exodus pulled his jeans up while simultaneously closing the driver's side door. He headed up the path to his parents house, shaking his head once he was able to just walk right in.

Even though they lived in high-class suburbs now, Exodus still had to repeatedly remind his parents to keep their doors locked. Just because they were in a better environment didn't mean that they couldn't end up as a lick.

"Ma?! Why the front door unlocked?" He called out into the house, putting his keys in his pocket as he walked further in the house.

Not receiving a response, he shook his head again at the voices he was able to hear from the back patio since that sliding door was wide open as well.

"Oh, hey baby. What you doin' here?" His mother, Deborah, casually greeted him as if she'd done nothing wrong-which to her knowledge, she hadn't.

"Ma why that front door unlocked and pops ain't here? What I tell you 'bout that, woman?" He leaned down to give her a hug, listening to her chuckle at his statement.

"You ain't nobody damn daddy. It's 'bout ten Ruger pistols hidden in this bitch." She waved him off while he sucked his teeth at her vulgarity.

"Wassup mama? I ain't even see you over here." He hugged Semaj and Siraj's mother, Sinatra, as well.

"Yeah 'cause you 'bout big as a swole ass F-1 Ford 50 truck." She held her cup of hot tea in her left hand while using her other to hug him back, and he rolled his eyes at the sound of the women's joint laughter.

It was pretty obvious where Siraj got her smart mouth from. Her mother's comebacks were unmatched, and her father could definitely attest to that.

"Y'all so lame. That's why a nigga don't be over here now. All y'all old ass do is talk shit." He sat down in a chair at the patio table that they sat at, mildly joining in on their laughter. It was a funny joke, he couldn't lie. Plus, he really was a tower standing next to them.

"And who gon' beat our ass?"

"Nobody."

"Mhm, yup. Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout." Sinatra gave her best friend a high-five, and Exodus sat there trying to figure out how they were so caught up in TikTok lingo. They probably used the app much more than he did.

"Where you coming from, son? Being fast somewhere? Making me another grand-baby I hope." Deborah closed her crossword puzzle book after putting her pen in the middle as a place holder.

"Y'all always think I'm being fast. Youn' think you would've been had a grandkid from me if I was?" He chuckled, shaking his head as she whistled.

"You could be like ya' uncle and just have strong pull out ga-," Sinatra was cut off once Exodus covered his ears, saying 'La La La La La' to childishly drown out what Sinatra was about to say.

"Shut yo' ass up, damnit." Deborah mushed his head, causing him to laugh while pulling his hands down.

Exodus had actually just came from closing on an album deal with Semaj. Along with being his best friend and right hand man, Exodus had also been Semaj's manager ever since he'd took on the career of rapping. He was one of the only people Semaj trusted not to fuck him over.

He'd also went to college and majored in business management, so Exodus definitely knew a thing or two about being in such a high position and dealing with marketing, finances, and things of that nature. The two of them had made millions of dollars together since Semaj's rap career took off, and he was now signed to Cash Money Records.

Being that he was already on this side of town, Exodus had decided to stop by and visit his parents. He was hoping that both of them would be home, but his father and Semaj's father were actually out watching a football game with some of their other friends.

To be as old as they were, both sets of parents definitely had overly active social lives. At times they were like teenagers, and their kids would have to constantly ask their whereabouts because they were always out doing something.

Exodus had really just came over to waste time until Siraj got home from work. He loved that she was a hustler and made her own money-a lot of it, at that-but damn, he wanted her home more often. It was so hard not talking to her all day since she didn't like being on the phone while she was working.

On top of that, she worked long hours too. Sometimes she'd even have to finish working through the night while at home. Exodus was obsessed with her ambition to be so successful though. It was nice to see a mindset like hers at such a young age.

Anyway, she wasn't supposed to be getting off until an hour from now, then she'd have to make the half hour drive home, which Exodus probably wouldn't be able to see her until later on tonight. He had nothing else to do today, and he was hoping the time passed by quickly so that he could go home to her.

He ended up spending the late afternoon with Deborah and Sinatra, and took them on a mani-pedi date since they also had nothing else to do-except gossip and spend their husband's money online.

After their nail appointment, Exodus took them out to eat to waste even more time. He didn't eat much because he knew that Siraj would most likely cook dinner tonight, and he didn't want to be full with no room to eat her food. She could cook her ass off, too.

Soon, night fell and Exodus had finally gotten a text from her that stated she'd arrived at home and was waiting for him. It took him no time to pull in his garage, parking next to her all black colored Benz.

"Baby?" He called out into his house, removing his shoes at the door. Siraj had bought him a rack from Amazon to put his shoes on, one of many of her own little personal touches to his house. He loved it.

He didn't get a response from her but did smell the scent of food, so he went to the kitchen. It smelled like a mixture of barbecue sauce and bleach because Siraj had deep cleaned his kitchen after making dinner.

When he looked on the stove he saw a small pan of oven baked barbecue beef ribs, a pot of macaroni and cheese, and a pot of greens. The sight alone had his mouth drooling, but he wanted to see her before he ate.

"You sleep fat ma?" He pulled the covers back from over her face, climbing in the bed next to her after realizing that she was-or at least appeared to be.

"You sleep?" He gently kissed on her face to wake her up, feeling her hand go to his chin while he did so.

"Get out this bed with those clothes on Jacere." She mumbled, causing him to chuckle as her eyes fluttered open.

"Girl this my bed. I ain't gotta do nuffin'." He kissed her forehead next, watching a smile grace her face as she rolled her eyes.

"I missed you." Her arms went around his neck in a hug, Exodus of course wasting no time to hug her back. It was pretty obvious that he'd missed her as well. She was all he thought about.

"I missed you more. You get my flowers today?" He rubbed her back for a few seconds before letting her go, and Siraj nodded her head.

"I'm sorry for not calling you. I got side tracked right after they were delivered. I love them though, they sitting next to my roses. I'm running out of room for vases." She chuckled, and he did too, shrugging.

"You ain't gotta apologize. C'mon, come eat with me." He helped her out of the bed, and Siraj put her house shoes on, following him out of the bedroom moments later.

He pulled her to walk in front of him, spotting the slight limp she had as she walked, most likely a sign that her feet were hurting. He mentally reminded himself to rub them when they got back in the bed.

"Baby can you put extra greens on my plate please?" She asked him after sitting down at the dining room table, and he nodded, starting on both of their plates.

He filled his plate up with servings on servings, knowing he'd eat it all. He also grabbed them both a mini bottle of Milo's lemonade from the fridge, before sitting down at the table with her.

She opened her lemonade as soon as she got it, taking a sip from it while her plate was sat down in front of her.

"Bow ya' head mama." He held his hands out to her, and she grabbed his, closing her eyes at the same time that he did.

"Thank you, Lord, for this food that we are about to receive, and for the nourishment to our bodies. Allahumma barik lana fima razaqtana waqina athaban-nar. Bismillahi fee awalihi wa akhirihi. Amen." Exodus said grace in English for Siraj, and in Arabic for them both. Every time he prayed, he definitely prayed over her too.

"Amen. Thank you stink." She leaned over to kiss him in appreciation, and the two of them pulled apart a few seconds later to begin eating dinner.

"Thank you for cookin'. I took ma 'nem out to dinner but I ain't really eat 'cause I knew you was gon' throw down." He mixed some hot sauce in on his greens, putting a forkful in his mouth when he was done.

"Was my daddy and Baba there too?" She asked in reference to her father and his father as well, watching him shake his head no.

"They went to go watch football at the bar with Ahmad 'nem." He told her after swallowing his food, and she nodded in response.

"What else you do today?"

"Nothin' much. I was with Maj earlier, talking to the label about how much they gon' be paying him for his album. That 'bout it. I been waiting to see you." He shrugged his shoulders, making a smile spread across her face.

"I really am sorry for not calling you. I know you be missing me like I be missing you."

"You got work, I understand that. I still get to come home to you so it's cool."

"I know, but I feel like I should still be able to make time for you through the day. I'ma work on that." She pulled her legs into her seat, using a knife to cut the meat off her ribs so that the barbecue sauce didn't get under her nails.

"The fact that you acknowledged that on your own means a lot. So thank you." He was grateful that she thought of spending more time with him without him mentioning anything. Her work hours didn't bother him enough to where he'd ever ask her to change them around, but he was appreciative she'd do it anyway.

"Mhm. You got your haircut today," She said in more of a statement than she did a question, her eyes scanning over his appearance. He looked good.

"Yeah. My shit look good, huh?" He smirked, and she amusingly rolled her eyes at his cockiness, though she agreed.

"I ain't say all that playa'." She waved him off, and he nodded as if he didn't believe her, making her laugh.

The two of them continued on with their conversation over dinner, and Exodus ended up making himself a second plate while Siraj ate a slice of strawberry swirl cheesecake from the fridge.

Then, they went on to do their nightly routine together-and Siraj sat on the bathroom counter to keep him company while he showered since she'd already had when she first got home.

Exodus made sure she was settled comfortably in bed before going to go warm up a bowl of coconut oil, also soaking a small towel in scorching hot water. When he came back in his bedroom he stood near the bottom of the bed, pulling Siraj's legs towards him.

"Stop 'cause I'll fuck the shit out you while you sore and all." He grabbed her ankle as soon as she rubbed her foot down his chest, and she laughed, rolling her eyes.

"You nasty. Why you got a feet kink? Wasn't loved as a child?" She smirked, laughing again once he rolled his eyes too.

"You just be talkin' out ya' ass 'cause I ain't got no feet kink."

"Boy, please. You suck my toes like it's a ritual." She waved him off, covering her mouth as she yawned.

"So? That's not a kink that's regular shit. You act like I be putting ya' feet on my dick or somethin'. I just kiss on yo' shit 'cause they pretty." He rubbed coconut oil in through her white polished toes, holding her ankle in his hand to keep her foot steady.

"You probably would like it if I did touch your dick with them."

"I'd like it if you touch my dick with anything. So, your point means nothin' again." He massaged her calf muscle, and with a low chuckle, she hummed in response.

He looked up to see her eyes closed, obviously enjoying the massage he was giving her. She really just loved the feeling of his hands on her, plus her feet had been hurting bad from the heels that she often wore.

"You gotta stay up out them heels mama. They bruising yo' shit up. I'ma take you to get some sandals or somethin' tomorrow." As if he'd read her mind.

"Thank you baby. Can you lay with me now?" She mumbled, having grown tired from the massage and she was now ready to cuddle with him.

Exodus went to put up the things he used, then he climbed next to her in the bed, letting her wrap herself up in his arms underneath the covers. The place she felt the safest.

"You did a lot today at work, huh?" He rubbed the small of her back, playing with the string of the thong she wore.

"A little bit. I had to go look at some of my properties with Kaila because one of the city's waterlines busted. So now I have to find an electrician that can get the water back working for the renters because the city gon' take too long."

"And I had a meeting with a credit card company; they wanted me to start advertising their services for $5,000 bi-weekly. I don't think I'll go through with that though."

"Yeah, don't. That ain't enough money. Yo' credit and tax business can make $5,000 in a day. Don't settle." His hands traveled to rub her ass, knowing that it was the quickest way for them both to fall asleep.

"That's what I told Kaila. But she thinks I should do it because they're a really big company, so like, if I bring them good business they'll recommend me to other companies. You know like, building more connections to make way more money in the future."

"Is it worth it though? The focus you put on them, you can put towards your own company and make that money on your own without having to give them no payout for it." He explained, and she nodded her head to agree with him.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll probably send them an email tomorrow with an official 'no'." She chuckled, bringing her hand up to briefly rub her eye.

Exodus pulled her closer to him, and she laid her head on his chest, realizing that sleep was closer that the both of them thought. It was crazy how one another's presence made them comfortable enough to go straight to sleep.

"Exodus," Siraj called moments later, to which he hummed in response to let her know that he was still awake and listening.

"How am I doing?" She asked him, causing him to open his eyes since he was confused on the question.

"How are you doing?"

"Yeah, like, as your girl? Like is there something I could work on?" She asked, and his eyebrows remained furrowed because he was still a bit confused on where the question originated from.

"You good mama. What you talkin' 'bout?"

"Like I've been trying to work on my mouth and I know it still needs some work, but I just wanted to know if anything I do or have done is still bothering you. If it is, I don't want you to keep that type of stuff to yourself." She explained to him.

"What you getting at, Raj?" He figured she had more to say but was holding back for some reason.

"Emari." She spoke as if she was nervous, and finally, his eyebrows relaxed back to a resting state. She'd been trying to work up the strength to have a real conversation about it for a while now.

"Before you say you not worried about it, I be seeing how you look at me when I'm with him. I don't want you to have some one sided issue with him over me, Exodus." She now had her head propped up in the palm of her hand, and he didn't say anything for a few moments.

"I will never get into it wit' my brother 'bout no girl. I ain't tripping 'bout that Raj. Go to sleep." He tried dismissing the conversation he didn't want to have, making her frown.

"I'm trying to talk to you. Why you dismissing me?"

"I don't wanna talk about that."

"So you're just going to stay mad every time he hug me then?" She asked, and he didn't respond to her, his arm now thrown over his eyes.

"I don't like when you ignore me and I've told you that before. That pisses me off Exodus." She removed herself from his grip, then turned to face the opposite direction of him.

"If I just said I didn't want to talk about that, why you still tryna get me to talk about it? You see how it's turning into an argument? I was tryna avoid that."

"It wouldn't be an argument if you wouldn't have ignored me. Stop talking to me now please." She buried her face into her pillow, and he groaned in frustration at the use of her favorite line whenever she was mad.

"Don't go to sleep mad at me. C'mon, I'll talk. Turn this way Siraj." He picked her up, and her hands went over her wrists as he effortlessly turned her over.

Her face now had a frown on it, so Exodus leaned his head down to repeatedly kiss her lips until it disappeared, listening to her quietly sigh.

"I ain't mean to make you mad. I'm sorry. I'm just tired of this conversation; it's like the third time we done had it." He apologized to her.

"You don't have to say sorry. You don't have to talk about it either, it's fine."

"Nah, don't say that. What, you just caught that attitude for nuffin' just to say I ain't gotta talk about it now?" He chuckled, and she did as well, covering her face.

"No but if it makes you mad, and you make me mad by being mad, then the conversation is pointless." She moved her hands to fold them across her chest, now laying on her back.

"I ain't got no issue with my brother behind you. I ain't dumb either though; I know niggas, and I know that nigga the most. You can say all you want that he don't want you, but it's clear as day that he does."

"You told me yourself that recently he been more affectionate with you than normal. He bring his daughter to you every time he get her because he like the mother role you take on for her. You know what mommies and daddies do? They like each other."

"He kiss on you like he me or something, and it's beyond the lil' cheek kisses he usually do. I know my brother Raj, I been thinking y'all went together for years. You can pretend to be blind to that shit if you want to, but that don't mean I have to, too."

His rant ended, and Siraj didn't say anything, yet her expression did soften. She could tell that he was legitimately bothered by it even though he didn't speak on how it made him feel.

She didn't want Emari to be a constant discussion in their relationship, but she was afraid to confront him about it, and didn't know why. Emari was the sweetest person ever, and had always been by her side no matter what. He barely ever asked her for anything, and probably loved her more than he did anyone else.

If Siraj were to tell him that he couldn't hug or kiss on her as much anymore-no matter how small that seemed to some-she knew it would hurt his feelings. Especially since he didn't do it with bad intentions, which was what was really making it hard for her to bring it up to him.

"What if I can prove to you that he doesn't like me? Then will you let it go?" She furrowed her eyebrows again, but this time in a questioning manner.

"Siraj I didn't even bring it up, you did. I been let it go." He shrugged with a low chuckle, though his statement wasn't very comedic.

"I did, because I knew it bothered you and I'm trying to work on what comes with being with me, for us. But I feel like you should work on your insecurities too.."

"Insecurities? Yo, what?" He had to sit up at that one because was no way in hell she genuinely thought he was being insecure over his brother.

"Exodus just be foreal for a moment. Semaj kisses my face and treats me the same way that Emari does. The only reason Emari even bothers you is because he isn't related to me by blood the way that Maj is, so his affection can't be excused, according to you. To tell you the truth, I really don't even wanna bring this up to him because he hasn't done anything wrong."

"The only reason I will talk to him about it is because it upsets you and I don't want you to have some kind of animosity with him over me-even if you say that you won't. I know you Exodus. If he does something too 'affectionate', you'd probably fight him, when whole time he don't even know about us."

"Is that what this is about? Nobody knowing about us?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, literally bewildered at where this was coming from.

"Are you even listening to me?" She frowned.

"Yeah and you ain't making no sense. First you saying I'm insecure, now you making up some scenario where I fight him over kissing your cheek? I don't know where this shit coming from. This shit dumb as hell yo, what is you even going on about?"

"Oh my god. Fuck it. Forget about it, I don't wanna talk anymore." She turned herself over once again, feeling herself become frustrated.

"You can't just shut down whenever you get mad Siraj. You got pissed 'cause I ain't wanna talk about it, now that we talkin', you mad again and don't wanna talk now? The way you play victim every time we get into it is starting to piss me off. That shit get old."

"I'm done w-stop fucking touching me before you make me mad foreal." She grabbed his wrists to stop him from turning her over for the second time, pushing them from off her waist.

"Oh, I can't touch you now? Over some shit you started?"

"I was trying to fix it, Exodus! Damn. Leave me the fuck alone about it. You made your point and I made mine. It's done and I won't bring the shit up no more." She pulled the covers back, and he watched her stand up from the bed to put her house shoes on.

"Where you going?" He stood up as well, keeping his hands to himself since she didn't want to be touched, apparently.

"To be by myself so I can calm down. I'm so fucking mad man this shit aggravating." She sniffed, using the back of her hand to wipe her tears away as soon as they begin to fall. Then walked out of his room and slammed the door so hard behind her that he could've swore the ground shook.

Exodus pinched the bridge of his nose, pacing the free space by his dresser to figure out where the hell he went wrong in that conversation. This was exactly why he was trying to avoid it from the get-go because he knew how her attitude was, and also knew how she only ever saw things from her point of view.

My Lawd, a snapping turlaaaa!!!!! 😲