Kane wasn't really happy with the way things were but for now, this is the way it had to be. It had been a month since the argument with Nadia in which he chose to leave her alone, a choice he was already beginning to regret.

He still loved her but everything right now was so fucked and all this led back to one person.

Maya.

He couldn't have been more shocked when he heard Nadia say her name, her knowing completely messed with his chance to confess to her properly. He wanted her to know he was in love with her and that day couldn't have been a better day to do that.

He was still reeling from what he said to her, he knew that it would hurt but he had to say it because she was getting too close to finding out the truth.

A truth that he still hadn't accepted yet and he knew that deflecting was the best way forward, at least for now.

Scratching his scruffy beard, he got ready for the day and made his way out of the terraced house he had lived in all his life. He walked past a few cars before getting in his own, knowing where his first destination was.

Bumping some grime and UK rap music, he finally made it to the place he had avoided since the funeral: Jordan's grave.

He held the flowers tightly as he nervously sauntered towards the marble tombstone, it was weird seeing his smiling face since it had been a while. The last time he saw it, he was so afraid which for him was rare.

He kneeled, placing the flowers next to another pair that lay there. He knew she had been here too, probably not that long ago. He sighed deeply as he thought of what he wanted to say and then it came to him.

"Bro, you're really gone, huh? It's been a year since you were killed and ain't a day gone by when I haven't thought about what happened. I know I fucked up, not just with your sister but with the way I handled things back then. I should've been there so this wouldn't have happened at all, you're family, man. Ugh, I can't believe how fucked this situation is right now, you shouldn't be in there at all. You were never in the streets like that and now look, if I'm being real it should be the other way around but knowing you, you'd probably be here chatting like this" Kane chuckled as sad tears fell from his face.

" I'm sorry that I knew what happened to you and didn't tell anyone, especially your sister. I just didn't want her to hate me and now she does more than ever, I wish I could let her know who killed you but that person is someone I care about too. What kind of Catch-22 situation is that? Anyway, rest easy, bro" He got up, patting the tombstone as he averted his eyes away from Joradn's smiling picture.

He made his way back to his car, lacing his fingers on the back of his head in despair. The guilt was real, he couldn't even deny it anymore. He was really out here, letting Jordan be betrayed like this but in his eyes, he saw no other way.

He had to talk to the one person who knew how to deal with these types of things: his older brother, Kevari who was currently locked up for a ten-year drug sentence.

Arriving at the prison, he went through his usual checks before sitting at an assigned table, waiting for Kevari to come out. His legs bounced fervently as he saw a flood of inmates entering in room, clothed in grey tee and sweat pants. He saw a memorable angel tattoo with his mum's birth and date on a muscular forearm and knew it was Kevari.

Kevari was a slightly older version of Kane, with the same caramel complexion and similar height but in terms of personality, the two brothers couldn't be more opposite. Kane was more level-headed and remorseful whereas Kevari was brash and reckless.

" What's up, little bro?" Kevari dapped him before they sat across from him.

" Same old,  how they're treating you in here?" Kane questioned, given how his brother was, he was sure that he probably got into some fights.

" Narrowly escaped solitary, innit? Niggas like trying me in here so I had to let  them know, you get me?" He smirked, he really couldn't care less.

" I ain't surprised. You should probably stop that before they actually do put you in there for real" Kane shook his head.

" I know you didn't come to chit-chat about me so what's going on?"

Kane sighed, knowing that he might be digging a hole by letting his brother know the situation but he needed some advice on what to do.

" Aite, cool, you know my boy, Jordan?"

" Yeahh?"

"He got stabbed like a year ago and I know who...did it" Kane confessed quietly, looking around to see if anyone else heard.

" Oh swear? What's the big deal? If nobody else knows, it don't matter" Kevari shrugged it off.

" Except his sister decided to be fucking Nancy Drew and now she's sniffing around. And you know whose annoying self is involved in this?" 

Kevari thought for a second before becoming pissed when he realised who Kane was referring to.

"Fucking Maya," they both said in unison, earning them strange looks from people around them.

" That girl is such a fucking nuisance, always getting herself in trouble. What did she do now?" Kevari queried.

" How am I finding out that she got pregnant by him through his sister's investigation? I swear, she really be pissing me off" Kane was fuming, even thinking about it.

" She's so fucking stupid, honestly don't know how Auntie dealt with her when we were growing up"  Kevari expressed.

" Time's up!" The guard announced.

The two brothers stood up to hug each other, something they had both needed for the longest. " Keep an eye out on his sister, there is only so much she can do without the police's help.  Maybe give her some of that wood so she can cool off" Kevari joked, patting Kane on the back.

" I already did, might have to do it again" Kane confessed, making Kevari crack up as he made his back way into the prison population. 

Kane shook his head as he left the room to get his stuff, it was nice being able to spend time with Kevari. He was the only immediate family since his mum passed and his dad made sure to stay missing after he was born, not that he cared.

That visit at least justified a reason for him to go back against his choice and see what she was up to. He knew that he had to keep himself updated with what she was doing because he couldn't risk her finding out any more info that implicated him.

He drove to his next destination desperately, excited at an opportunity to see her for the first time in a month. He parked across from the nail salon and saw that it was busy as always with people going in and out.

He thought about the first time he met her and how defensive she was, she couldn't stand him at the time but that didn't stop him from being attracted to her.

...........................................................................................................................................................

Kane walked up to the Victorian house, admiring how nice it was in comparison to where he lived. He knocked on the wooden door, hearing rushed footsteps approach the door.

Jordan opened it wide, dapping Kane as he walked in.

"Yo, you get here, ok?" Jordan questioned, gesturing him to take his shoes off.

" Yeah, just took a couple of buses. Your house is nice tho" He looked around the nice interior as they went to get some snacks.

"Yeah, my parents worked hard to get this, I'm grateful for that, " He said somberly.

" It gets better, you know"

" What?"

" The grief, I know it's been a year and a bit. At least, your sister is here with you" Kane mentioned.

" Yeah, she's been taking it harder than me but I do what I can to give her no stress, she doesn't really need that right now" Jordan expressed as he poured some juice for him.

" So where is she now?" Kane looked around curiously.

" You're so thirsty, she's upstairs, dummy." Jordan pushed him playfully.

"Nah, I just want to see what she looks like. Jay said she's bad" He sipped his juice.

"Jay is stupid and you don't need to see what she's like. She's ugly"

" Says you, I know she's bad." Kane grinned, not knowing he was going to get his wish sooner than later.

The boys both turned as they heard footsteps come closer to reveal Nadia in a hoodie and sweatpants, looking at them both suspiciously.

" Who are you?" She pointed at Kane.

" I'm Kane, you must be the lovely Nadia" He stepped close to her only for her to back away.

" Aren't  you the one with the brother in prison?" She asked him with a piercing glare. He was instantly mesmerised by her beautiful brown orbs, doey eyes and plump lips. Not even his ex was this good-looking.

Her face was makeup-free with her lashes being done in such a way one couldn't tell it was extensions.

" Yeah, he can be stupid sometimes" He nervously scratched the back of his head.

" You're not involved in what he did are you? I would prefer that Jordan doesn't get into trouble" She folded her arms.

" Nads, it's cool. He ain't really in that life like his brother, we've got some games to play so see you later" Jordan interrupted her, gesturing to Kane for them to go upstairs.

Jordan left immediately, leaving Kane alone with Nadia. He took his time to admire her for a little longer before following Jordan. He knew that eventually he would get through to her but for now, he was happy to wait.

.........................................................................................................................................................

He was very happy that he waited for her to let him in and now, he didn't want to let her go.

Fuck leaving her alone, after what they shared, she practically belonged to him whether she liked it or not. He was gonna wait right here to see when she would come out because he needed to see her, he yearned for it.

The day became night soon after and he noticed the employees had gone with Nadia being left alone to check on things, he had the urge to go and see her right now but it made more sense to follow her home and see her there.

The lights switched off as she locked up, making her way to her car. As soon as he heard her ignition, he turned his car on and followed close behind before slowing down a bit as she reversed into the drive.

He drove slowly, seeing that she was already in the house and parked across the street, waiting for the right time to go in. He figured that she probably didn't want to see him so he chose a different approach that allowed him to see her without any rebuttal.

A few hours passed and it looked to him that the house was finally quiet and he knew that this was the perfect opportunity to go in. He put away his empty food package and locked the car, stealthily approaching the house.

He remembered the way that Jordan used to open the side gate whenever he left his key and did the same, locking it behind him. Pulling out a spare key Jordan gave for the back, he unlocked the kitchen back door and entered the silent house.

He carefully closed the door behind him as he walked quietly towards the stairs, climbing up gently so he could make no unnecessary noises. He tip-toed past Jordan's room to see that her bedroom door was perfectly ajar as if she knew that he was coming. He slipped in quietly to see her sleeping figure.

Her chest was rising as her arms were spread out and the covers barely covered her legs, exposing her hiked-up nightie. He was in complete awe of how beautiful she looked, sleeping in a way that seemed so inviting.

He moved closer to her, falling to his knees gracefully. He could smell her sweet scent emitting from all over her body and her lips were ready to be kissed. Never in his life had he been so tempted to touch somebody.

Something about her awakened something dark in him,  a simple flashback of that night and he wanted to take her right now. But with the way he was in her house right now, there were too many implications that he couldn't afford to have.

He raised his hand, hovering it over her cheek before lightly caressing her face with his fingertips, she was unmoved for now. So he decided to be bold, inching his face closer to hers as he placed a small kiss on her lips. He almost got sucked into kissing her deeper but instantly remembered that she wasn't supposed to know that he was there.

His hand gently trailed down to pull the cover off, revealing her folds free from any kind of essence. That slight movement was enough to make her turn a little, which got him frightened. He couldn't risk her finding him in this way and made a quick escape with little to no noise.

Locking the side gate, he bolted to his car as he felt adrenaline pumped around his body and his bulge started to grow. He knew that he shouldn't have enjoyed that but the thrill was worth it.

He drove to his last destination, dealing with his arousal before he made his way to the door of a semi-detached house. He knocked incessantly, knowing that would get her attention.

The door opened, revealing a familiar face.

"Maya"

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Yay, more chapters.

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Love,

Tam xx