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"So, let's discuss. Who wants to start?" Jennie looked in between the couple with curious eyes.
The two just stayed silent, not sparing each other a glance. Jennie sighed, "one of you needs to speak." Kallie stayed quiet, staring at her nails, the only noise heard was the sounds of Kami giggling at the television on the other side of the living room. They were at Kallie's LA house, after coming to an agreement they would stay there. She didn't feel like going to Monaco or London, and neither did he apparently.
"Fine. I'll go. She's extremely hard to work with. I feel like I'm getting no where." Lewis said, shrugging his shoulder.
"Kalliope, how do you feel about his claims?" Jennie asked, both looking to her.
"Uh, I don't know. All I hear is agitation when he opens his big fat mouth," she said, smirking when she heard his scoff. "See what I mean? All she does is insult me- in front of our daughter, as well. I can't get anywhere with her. She's always in a sour mood- probably because she's still pissed about losing to me." He accused. "Maybe that sour mood is because I'm being forced to live with you! You are so intolerable," she shot back in irritation.
"I'm intolerable? You can't even follow simple instructions. We're supposed to live like a couple, and couples sleep in the same bed." He argued, neither of them giving their therapist a chance to speak.
"You only want me to sleep in the same bed so you can seduce me!" She scowled, hitting him with a pillow.
"So you admit I can seduce you?" He smirked smugly.
"Enough. Both of you," Jennie scolds, and they look away from each other. "Seeing as you are getting no where- I have a suggestion. Do a family bonding activity. Take Kamiyah to do something fun, as a family. There's one more thing before I go." She spoke, standing up and brushing herself off. "You have to share a bed-" as Lewis smirked and Kallie went to argue, Jennie added, "but, no sex at all. I mean it, no sex. When I come back, I want to see progress."
"What about if I want to have sex with someone else?" Kallie asked, ignoring the scoff that came from Lewis.
"Well, I can't stop you. But I don't suggest it, if it affects your progress." Jennie grabbed her stuff and offered a smile and wave to Kami before making her exit.
"You wouldn't be able to have sex with anyone other than me anyways," Lewis mumbled, standing up from the sofa as she scowled. "Is that a challenge?" She smirked. He smiled, leaning down to be at level with her, "even if it was. You'd lose at that, too. Nobody pleases you like I do and you know that. That's why you're always coming back. But if you wanna give it try. I welcome it. I'd love to see who you come up with." He stood up straight, a small smirk etched on his lips.
"Kami, what'd you wanna do today?" He asked, and she ran over, Roscoe following her to ensure she didn't trip. "Sarmies!" She cheered, spinning around, almost falling over but Roscoe caught her. "And what else babygirl?" Kallie asked, picking her up and setting the girl on her lap. "Don't know," she shrugged, nothing coming to her little mind.
"We can go hangout at the beach. How does that sound, princess?" Lewis proposed, sitting at the arm rest of the sofa.
"Yay!" Kami cheered enthusiastically. Kallie huffed, not feeling like wearing a bikini in front of him. "We should invite Kez, too. Like a family." Kallie added pointedly, receiving a glare from Lewis. He wore a forced smile, patting his daughter's little hand, "sounds like a wonderful idea."
Next thing they knew, they were sitting on a beach in the warm sun with smoothies and sarmies. Kallie and Lewis both watched with tilted heads and squinted eyes as Kez was lifting up one of her friend and running around as Kami chased them. Kez had brought one of her friends with her. Kelsey Plum. The famous basketball player who played for the Las Vegas Aces. Yeah, of course Kez was just casually hanging out with her when they called to invite her to the beach with them.
"Isn't she married?" Lewis questioned, noticing how Kez had her hands set on Kelsey's waist.
"Yeah, but I don't think Kez care all that much," Kallie said, shrugging a shoulder. Who her sister hooked up with, or hung out with was none of her business unless Kez wanted her to know. And besides, Keziyah was just an overly flirtatious person. It didn't mean she was sleeping with every person she flirted with.
"Only good with your hands, I see," Kez teased as Kelsey failed to kick the football back to her. "Fuck you. It's the sand," Kelsey said, making the worst excuse ever. "My 2 year old niece kicks better than you," Kez retorts, and Kami giggles at her. "Oh really? Let's start over. Come on, kick the ball." She urged. Kez bounced the ball onto her knee and kicked it up. Kelsey suddenly shoved her down and kicked the ball into the goal. She cheered with Kami, scooping the girl up and lifting her like a trophy. "Woo! That's how you do it baby!"
Kez chuckled to herself and Kelsey set the girl back down. The singer stood up and tackled Kelsey into the sand, "you little cheater!" Kelsey scoffs at the accusation, the two both tossing and turning in the sand, Kami just giggling at their play fighting as she held onto the ball. "This is technically promoting fighting in front of my child," Lewis says, having got up to go to Kami.
Kez sat up, technically straddling Kelsey. "Kams, give me the ball." Kami nods, tossing it back to her aunt. Kez grabbed it and threw it at Lewis, the ball bouncing off him as he groaned, falling into the sand. "Get him Kami!" She and Kelsey encouraged. Kallie quickly pulled out her phone to record as Kami jumped onto her dad. Lewis went along with it, pretending to be beat up. Roscoe barked, cheering the girl on.
Kez stood up, laughing as Lewis laid out like a knocked out Rocky. "Got him good, girl. Good job!" She leaned down to give the girl a high five.
Soon, Lewis and Kami were playing with the football- Roscoe included. Kez and Kelsey both sat together on a chair next to Kallie. "What's up with you two? I thought you were like together. I haven't seen any affection." Kelsey said towards Kallie, sitting in between Kezie's legs as the singer was doing some little braids on her hair. "That's cause we not together. We're just friends- sort of. I'm not even sure we're that either. I kinda wanna punch him at times."
"I get it. I'm currently in a fight with my husband, and divorce has been on the back of my mind." Kelsey replied, rubbing some more sunscreen on her legs. "Is that why you're in LA? Getting away from him?" Kallie asked, reaching for her smoothie that may or may not have had a little bit of tequila in it. "That, and I just wanted to hang out with my girl Kez. She always know how to cheer a lady up," Kelsey smiled.
"I'm sure she does," Kallie mumbled knowingly. Clearly Kez wasted no time after getting divorced.
"How's therapy, sis?" Kez questioned, glancing over at her before returning her attention to Kelsey's hair. "Uh, it's okay. But she want us to bond more and talk about our feelings. It's a bit annoying." Kallie mumbled, watching as Lewis scooped Kami up from the sand and spun her around, the girl letting out giggles and laughs. "Maybe you should. He looks like a good dude. He's an amazing dad, clearly. If I were you, I'd give it a shot." Kelsey rebutted.
"Nah, I ain't interested in dating anyone," Kallie shrugged.
Kelsey groaned, "that's what Kez says but she's bullshitting."
"Yeah cause I don't need to be in a relationship. I'm free from marriage. I should spend it doing whatever and whoever the fuck I want." Kez says, patting her friend's shoulder. Kelsey laughs, looking up at her, "you're such a slut, you know?" Kez snorts, shrugging a careless shoulder, "that's okay with me. I enjoy being a slut. It's guilt free. No strings. No feelings. An absolute paradise."
"Of course you'd say that," Kesley scoffs with a small laugh.
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"Where Mama at?" Kami asked, playing with the toy mermaid as she sat in the warm bubble bath.
"Uh, she's downstairs working. It's very important adult stuff." Lewis answered, searching the cabinets for the soap. "Like what?" Kami questioned with curious eyes. "Uh- maybe you should ask your mum that. She'll be up here soon." And like he summoned her, Kallie walked into the bathroom. She went over to Lewis, he turned around, her body pressed against his as she reached behind her. Her hand wrapped around the bottle of shampoo, their faces inches apart. She smirked and backed away, moving over to the tub.
He exhaled, releasing a breath he hadn't known he was holding. She had so much power of him that she didn't even realize.
"Aunt Kezie got you a new toy," Kallie smiled, handing Kami a 'Little Mermaid" doll from the new movie staring Halle Bailey as Ariel. "She look like me," Kami awed, hugging onto the doll happily. Kallie smiled and pressed a kiss to her head, "yeah, she does." She pulled up another stool and sat down, adding some shampoo to her hands so she could wash the girl's hair. Lewis sat down on the other stool, leaning against the tub as Kallie washed Kami's hair.
"Your hair grow a lot. We can put braids soon if you want." Kallie observed.
"Baba look!" Kami giggled, making the two funko pops kiss. The funko pops both being Kallie and Lewis. "You and Mama kiss!" She smiled, her two parents both wearing small smiles. Lewis's was a little bigger than Kallie's. "Kiss?" She requested with pleading eyes, wanting to see her parents get along again. It all seemed so forced and fake to her. She didn't like that feeling. "Can't, baby. Haven't brushed my teeth," Kallie excused.
"Okay," Kami sighed sadly, her head falling, guilt beginning to seep at both of her parents.
"Fine. Just a cheek." Kallie sighed, leaning over to press a peck to Lewis's cheek, but he had turned to face her, their lips accidentally meeting. Kami cheered, clapping her hands, the two pulling away quickly. "I'll go get you some pajamas. You mind drying her off?" Kallie stood up, brushing herself off. "Yeah, no problem," he mumbled, the kiss still leaving him a bit dazed- but he still wanted more. He wanted more of her. He needed more of her.
Kallie sat in the closet, holding some clothes in her lap, her thoughts racing with Lewis- and how much she wanted to give in. But she couldn't bring herself to. Kami entered into the closet and ran over to her mum, the woman smiling and pressing many pecks to the girl's face. "Let's get you ready for bed, bubs." Kallie smiled, and Kami lifted her arms so her mum could pull the little nightgown onto her. It was Black Panther themed.
"Want the shorts too?" Kallie asked but Kami just shook her head in objection.
Kallie nods and grabs the small bonnet and pulled it onto Kami's head to protect her curls. They were long enough now. "All done. Let's get you to sleep." She stood up and followed Kami into the bedroom, Lewis waiting for them. Roscoe already made himself comfortable on the small bed. They had tried to get them to sleep separately but it never worked. Roscoe always found his way back into the room.
They tucked her in on each side of the bed, Kami smiling at both of her present parents. Much happier, even if she knew something was off between them. "Can I talk to Baba? Alone?" Kami requested. Kallie nodded, standing up, "of course. I'll right out there if you need me. I love you, babygirl." She pressed a kiss to her cheek and stepped out of the room. Kami sat up and turned to her dad with a stern look, not that he could take it seriously cause she just looked adorable. "Why you and Mama unhappy?" She questioned.
"We're not unhappy-" he denied but she just shot him a small glare. "You lie!"
"Keep your voice down," Lewis shushed, glancing at the door. Luckily Kallie hadn't heard it. "Okay, fine. We're just going through a little rough patch. You gotta give me some time. I promise she'll come around soon. You know I love your mum. I'm not gonna lose her again. You don't need to worry. We'll be together soon. I promise you, sweetheart." He pressed a kiss to her hand and she smiled, happy that he wasn't giving up on her mum.
"I want Mama again." She said, laying back down as he went over to the door and pulled it open to let Kallie back inside. She smiled tightly, stepping into the room to kiss the girl goodnight. "Everything okay?" She asked, sitting at the edge of the bed, setting her hand over Kami's small one. The girl nods with a smile, "night, Mama." She smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to Kami's head, "goodnight, babygirl. I love you so much."
"Love you too, Mama," Kami smiled warmly.
She stepped out of the way so Lewis could kiss her goodnight. "Night, Baba," Kami smiled, and he pressed a kiss to her head. "Goodnight, princess. I love you," he spoke. "Love you," Kami giggled, hugging onto the stuffy in her arms. They both left the room as Kami shut her eyes to sleep. He left a crack at the door just incase.
Kallie walked down to her room, and he followed- much to her dismay. "You going to sleep?" He questioned, leaning against the doorframe. She ignored him, just pulling off her sweatpants and tossing them in the laundry bin. Turning to him, she smiled knowingly, "no, but feel free to do whatever. I'll be down in my studio. Working." He raised a brow, "without clothes?"
"It's my house. I can walk around in my panties if I want." She shrugged, walking past him and out of the room.
She grabbed a can of whipped cream in the fridge before heading down to her private studio. She sat down on a chair with a heavy sigh. Lyrics practically running her thoughts. She grabbed her book and pen, writing the lyrics down so she wouldn't forget. "I know you want me. I want you to be patient with me. Just be patient with me." She mumbled under her breath, spraying some of the whipped cream onto her hand and licking it off.
"What are you writing about?" She jumped at the sudden voice, and Lewis plopped down on the chair across her. "Not you," she rushed out defensively. "Oh, come on, Kallie. We're supposed to be bonding. Getting to know each other." He insisted. She huffed, setting her book down, "fine. What do you want to know about me?"
"Tell me about your childhood," he suggested.
"Can I speak in Xhosa? English not my strong suite," she mumbled. "Anything you want," he says.
"It wasn't the greatest, but there is still many good memories. I went to this small catholic type school, it was trashy, not many resources. I used to get in lots of fights. Kez would get bullied a lot. This girl outed her at a bonfire. So when they'd say stuff to her, I would fight and threaten the other kids to protect her. I got suspended a lot. Baba had to pick me up early cause Mama was at work, doing another long shift at the hospital. I helped dad at the restaurant a lot."
"Is that why Kez is so tough now?" Lewis questioned, and she nodded.
"When she got that scholarship and left to the US. She started working out a lot. Since I wasn't there, she wanted to be able to protect herself. She's got a tough demeanor now, but she was once just a scared girl who wanted to be accepted for who she was. But, when she left, I felt so alone. Mum and dad were focused on my baby brother most of the time. I acted out a lot, even went to juvenile for assault. Of course, nobody but my family knows about that because it was erased from my record when I turned eighteen."
"Kez flew me out to the US. Merida and her dad took us out to karting. Kez seen how good I was and asked if I wanted to do it professionally. She offered to fund all of it. I didn't even know how- and I didn't ask. She sacrificed a lot for me. Her innocence- all of it. But she said it was all worth it. Then of course, I met Nico. He was the only one who was nice to me." Kallie smiled, memories filling up her head. All the fun times she had with Nico.
"So, yeah, my childhood is a big part of who I am now. I try to only think of the good parts. The other parts...aren't worth remembering." Kallie sighed, leaning back in the chair, reaching for the bottle of whipped cream. "What else do you want to know about me?" She questioned, wanting to get it all over with so Jennie would leave her alone about the Lewis situation.
"Whatever you're open to telling me, maybe why you went to juvie?" He proposed.
"There was this boy. Everyone knew him. He was pretty popular. He told me he liked me. Which, I found odd because he was one of the main kids who bullied Kez. We met after school, and went to his house. He tried to kiss me, and I didn't want that. He got mad, and shoved me. So, I threw a TV at him. His family pressed charges and I went to juvenile for two months, got an early release for good behavior. Father made sure it was erased from my record when I got serious about racing. Not even Kaylen knows. We kept a lot from him."
"See? Making progress. You told me a secret," Lewis smiled, happy to see her open up to him.
"You're turn. Tell me a secret." Kallie spoke, and sprayed some whipped cream into her mouth.
"Okay..I uh- I didn't lose my virginity until I was 21. But I tell people I was 16 when I did," he shrugged. She scoffs, looking at him in disbelief, "no way. You're lying." He chuckles, shaking his head, "no, no, I'm serious. I swear I was 21." She blinked, holding a hand over her mouth in shock. "Seriously? But you're so good- I mean, you're experienced. Like really really experienced."
"Thank you. I guess I caught on pretty fast," Lewis chuckles, shrugging a shoulder.
"Sorry- I just- I lost mine quite young, and I wasn't very attractive back then," she spoke. He shook his head in objection, "you gotta stop saying that. You looked gorgeous. I'm serious, you were so pretty." She smiled brightly, dipping her head to hide her flustered appearance behind her braids. He smiled to himself, deciding to switch the subject to save her embarrassment. "You know, there's one side of you that I've never really experienced yet. Your music. I've never actually seen you work on music before."
"That because I have specific group of people I work with when making music. I don't make it by myself," she shrugged nonchalantly.
"I don't believe you," he scoffed.
"I'm not making a song with you," she retorts. He raised a brow, "how did you know I wanted to make a song with you?" She rolled her eyes, pushing her chair back so she wasn't so close to him. "How do I even know you can make a song? You only have one out and it's just a feature. Anyone could've written it for you." She said. "No, I wrote it myself. Took two hours in my hotel room. I actually have many other songs I can play for you if you want proof." He smirked.
"Show me you wrote and if it's good, I'll make a song with you." She shrugged.
He shrugs, pulling out his phone and unlocking it. He pulled up the notes app and slid the phone over to her. "It's not done, but that's something I'm working on." She picked up the phone, leaning back, her eyes wandering over the screen with interest. The lyrics hit a little too close to home. They felt a bit targeted. It was good, but it still felt a bit...different. "Is this about anyone in specific...?"
"Maybe, maybe not. That's for me to know," Lewis responded nonchalantly.
She sighed, a bit annoyed by his words, but it wasn't her business. "It's good. I can help you finish it if that's what you want."
"I think it should be a duet," he added, taking the phone back after she slid it over.
"Why do you feel that way?" She questioned, moving her chair closer to the panel so she could bring up some beats to go over. "Because, I feel like the song is two people talking to each other in their own ways with their own words, from their perspectives. You could add your own perspective to it- or just, a woman's perspective." He suggested with some subtlety. She nods, oblivious to his intentions, "yebo, I think I can do that."
"Listen to this. I think it fits the song well. It's one of my old beats I made when I was like 23." Kallie mumbled, handing him some headphones. He put them on, listening to the beat, picturing the lyrics with it. "I like it. It's really good," he comments, listening to it over again. "I have some lyrics scribbled down. But I'd need to hear the song recorded for me to incorporate them." She added.
"You want me to record?" He questioned.
"Yes...? Don't tell me you need a team and autotune to do it," she retorts in a mocking tone.
He scoffs, looking at her with offense. "Okay, the mocking is uncalled for. I can totally do it. I just don't want you to break the rules when you get so turned on by my voice." He teased. She rolled her eyes, snatching his phone from his hand. "Flirting won't work on me, pretty boy." She picked up her notebook and wrote down the lyrics into a document, adding small notes and such for what she pictured for the song.
"Can you read music?" She asked, pushing down on her pen- causing it to click some more.
He nods in reply and she hands him the notebook. "Okay, you don't have to follow what I do exactly. Just do whatever feel right in there. I'll be producer." She explained. He nods with a small smile rested on his lips, standing up from the chair. She remotely unlocked the booth and he stepped inside, only a bit nervous because he's never recorded in front of her and he wanted to impress her.
She was surprisingly very helpful and encouraging, not rushing or anything like that. She urged him to take his time, get comfortable and familiar with it. He liked that side of her. He liked to her so gentle and caring. It was a side that was mostly reserved for their daughter. Hopefully it could be reserved for him too. He grew more comfortable, and they started recording. She was very shocked by his voice. She didn't think he'd actually be able to hit the high notes she added.
It was late when they finished, but time was the last thing on their minds. Lewis went off to the kitchen to make them some sandwiches as she stayed to edit the recordings. He returned, setting the plate onto the table and a water bottle so she could be hydrated. "How does it sound so far?" He asked. She just handed him some headphones before grabbing the sandwich and taking a big bite, humming in delight at the taste.
"Now, all we need is your voice on it," he smiled, setting the headphones back down.
"I have some lyrics noted down that I think will fit the song," she replied, flipping to a page on her notebook and handing it over to him. He looked over them, pursing his lips in thought. "These are very good. Is it inspired by anything?" He questioned, having his own suspicions about them. "Uh..no. Nothing in particular. Guess it was just floating around in my head. But, it seems like it would fit the perspectives of the song." She replied, clearly lying, and he could tell by the way she twisted her ring three times.
"Yeah, it definitely does. It's gonna be a really good song." Lewis said, a small smile resting on his lips.
"Let's get started."
Two hours later, the song was finally finished. It was perfect- obviously. Their voices blended so perfectly. It was amazing. "What should we call it?" She asked, sipping on her cold water. "I think we should call it 'Somewhere'." Lewis answered. "Somewhere? I like that. It's good," she agreed with a smile. He returned the smile, happy she was growing more comfortable with him.
Her phone buzzed and she quickly grabbed it. "Kaylen's here. I gotta unlock the gate." She mumbled, getting standing up from the chair. "I'll help." Lewis added. They went back upstairs, Kallie going into the security room to unlock the gate. Kaylen drove through the gates, having had a late flight so they knew he'd be very tired. Lewis went outside to help Kaylen bring in his stuff. "What are you guys doing up so late?" He questioned, kicking off his shoes tiredly.
"We're working on music together. You need anything?" Kallie asked, making sure he would be okay.
"Nah, I'm good. I'll just head to sleep. It's been a long night. I don't even know how I drove here." He said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Okay, well, let me know if you need anything. Night, Kaylie." Kallie smiled, leaning up to kiss his cheek. He smiled, kissing her head and shaking Lewis's hand before heading up the stairs to his room.
"We should go to bed too," Kallie mumbled.
"Yeah, sure." Lewis nods in agreement before heading up the stairs. She switched off the lights before following him up. She tugged off her shirt and threw it into the laundry bin, not paying attention to his eyes on her. "Hey, would you mind taking out my braids for me? I have to take a shower." Lewis requested. She sat down on the bed, nodding her head, "yeah, sure." He smiled, moving to sit in between her legs.
"This still doesn't mean I like you," she added, removing the tie around his braids.
"I'm a patient man," Lewis shrugged nonchalantly.
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"Ow! Ow! Ow! Stop poking me!" Charles winced, moving to the other couch as Kami giggles.
"I don't think she likes you very much," Kaylen snorts, plopping down on the couch with a large bowl of popcorn. "What do you mean? She loves me," Charles denied, moving back to the couch as Kami smiled at him. "Frenchie," Kami giggles, hugging onto his arm. "I hate that name," Charles sighed in defeat.
These two were currently babysitting Kamiyah as Kallie and Lewis had their couples therapy. Charles had gotten there in the morning, as he was bored in Monaco so Kaylen invited him to LA. "I want ice cream," Kami spoke with doe eyes pointed up at Charles. "Ah, why are you so cute? I can't say no," he complained.
"It's a trick. She only eats homemade ice cream," Kaylen input knowingly.
"Fuck," he huffed, the girl giggling up at him. "Fuck," she repeats. Kaylen snickered as Charles began to panic, assuming he taught her that- which he didn't- but he wasn't aware of that yet. "That's a grown up word. You can't say it- yet. When you're adult you can say it. But you're a child, so you cannot." Charles stressed as she continued to repeat, getting louder each time. It was only a matter of time her parents would hear her from upstairs.
"If you make her ice cream, she'll stop saying it," Kaylen added.
"Fine. But you have to help me." Charles scooped her up and she giggled, excited to be getting her ice cream.
Meanwhile, upstairs was a disaster. An actual disaster. So much that Lewis wanted to rip his ears off. "How can you manage to be in such fucking denial? I don't get it," he complained, looking at her as she sat at the end of the couch with pure annoyance in her gentle features. "I'm in denial? You are definition of denial!" She argued, her hand squeezing the stress toy to prevent her from exploding on him.
"How? Explain how I'm in denial," he scoffed in denial.
"Okay, fine! Let's see. You cannot accept the fact that I do not want to be in a relationship with you. And that's not even all of it. You ignore Nico and all his attempts to make things better because deep down, you know the reason you aren't friends anymore is because of you. I could go on and on about how your selfishness has impacted so many relationships in your life. So, you are the last one to talk about my problems!" Kallie concluded.
They sat there in a defeating silence, Jennie sitting there processing their words. Lewis just silently prayed she wouldn't linger on the Nico stuff. But, today just wasn't his day. "Who is Nico?" Jennie questioned, crossing her legs and tilting her head with interest. "Yeah, Lew, who is Nico to you?" Kallie smirked, leaning back comfortably. Lewis sighed, his head falling back in exasperation. "He's nobody. Just a person who belongs in my past. Talking about him is unnecessary. We already made our peace."
"Really? Let's call Nico and ask what he thinks about this peace," Kallie retorts, reaching for her phone.
"Kalliope, enough," Jennie scolds. She sighed, setting her phone down with a scowl. "But, she's not wrong. Kalliope, your session here is over. We'll pick up tomorrow. Right now, it's time I talk with Lewis." Jennie spoke sternly, and he sighed in defeat. Kallie smiled triumphantly and stood up, grabbing her phone. "Have fun." Jennie shot her a warning glare and she quickly left the room before she was called in again.
"Look, I'm just doing this to help Kallie. I really don't wanna talk about me and Nico. It's long in the past and doesn't need to be brought up again." Lewis spoke dismissively. "You seem to really love Kalliope. I think, maybe she reminds you of the life you could've had, if you made better decisions in your past. Nico, he is one of these bad decisions, isn't he?" Jennie pondered.
"I mean- being his best friend wasn't a bad decision. I don't regret any of it. But, maybe I could've done some things differently back then. Even then, I shouldn't waste time dwelling on it. We're both over it and I've accepted that we won't ever be how we used to." Lewis replied, unknowingly feeding into her plan to get him to talk about Nico without force, just persuasion.
"And how did you used to be? You were close, yes?" Jennie queried.
"Best friends, so yeah," he shrugged nonchalantly.
"You want to help Kalliope, yes?" Jennie asked. He nodded immediately, leaning forward, "yeah, I would do anything. I want everything good for her. She deserves to move on and forgive." Jennie smiled at his caring words about his daughter's mother. She hadn't seen that much love in so long it felt foreign. "She does, and so do you. You cannot properly love her if you're still holding onto a pain that is fixable. You can't be there for her if you've got your own pain."
Lewis sat there in a deafening silence, contemplating her words. It made sense. For some unexplainable reason, it made sense. "Okay. Where do we start?"
"From the beginning," Jennie smiled warmly.
Kallie turned around the corner to the kitchen, pausing at the sight of an actual disaster. "What the fuck," she breathed out. Charles and Kami both paused, their eyes going wide at the woman. He had the ice cream splashed all of him, as did Kami, and the cabinets. "I uh- I used the wrong machine and it spray us," Charles mumbled, his and Kami's heads falling in shame. They knew how much of a clean freak she was.
"I need a drink." She mutters, turning on her heel and walking out of the mess that was the kitchen.
Kami giggles, looking down at the ice cream that turned out pretty well. It only took four attempts. But then, the ice cream started to remind her of Lewis, and it made her frown. "Baba want ice cream," she said to Charles who was frantically trying to clean up. "Oh uh- you mean Lewis? That word means dad, right?" Charles questioned, grabbing some wipes to clean her sticky hands, really wishing Merida was here to help him. She was always quite good with kids.
"I want Baba," Kami frowned, sniffling slightly to make him feel more guilty.
"Whoa- no crying. I'll take you to Lewis." Charles quickly picked her up, the bowl of ice cream sitting in her arms. They headed upstairs and he pushed open the door to the large office. "Baba!" Kami cheered, bringing a smile to her dad's face. "Sorry to interrupt- she was asking for you." Charles said, setting the girl down. She walked over to Lewis, careful not to drop the bowl of ice cream she saved for him.
"Thanks, man. I got it here," Lewis said, picking up the girl and bringing her onto his lap. Charles smiled and excused himself, Jennie taking the time to make more notes. "What are you covered in?" He questioned, taking notice of the liquid smeared on her dress and the drop on her cheek. "Ice cream!" Kami giggled, holding out the bowl to him with a proud smile. "Ah, that explains it. Thank you so much for the ice cream, princess. What flavour is it?" He asked.
"Stwahberry," she giggled, laying her head on his shoulder.
"Really? I love strawberry. It's the best." He smiled, eating a big spoonful to ensure she'd be happy. "Where's your mum?" He questioned, figuring that Kallie would've been with her. "Drink," Kami answered, dipping her finger into the ice cream. "You mind looking for her? I'll finish this up and we'll go spend some time with Mama together. Sound good, babygirl?" Lewis smiled, brushing her curls back.
"Lekker!" Kami giggled, climbing off his lap and running out, slowing down when she got a scolding from dad.
Her small feet padded against the flooring as she approached the studio door. She jumped up and pulled the handle down to open the door. "Mama?" Kami pulled it open and walked inside nervously. She had never been in the studio, as it wasn't allowed. She climbed up on a chair and sat down, watching with curiosity as her mother was sitting in the recording booth. The door soon opened again, Lewis walking in with some clothes in his arms to change Kami out of her ice cream covered clothes.
"Mama sing," Kami said, pointing at the booth with a smile.
He smiled softly, sitting down in the chair. "Let's get changed first before mum freaks out when she sees you looking like an ice cream sundae," he chuckles. Kami nods, and she changed out of her dress and into a t-shirt and shorts that were colour coordinated. "She looks like you," Kallie smiled, leaning against the doorframe to the recording booth.
"Hi mommy," Kami giggles, waving her hands.
"Hi, babygirl," Kallie chuckles, scooping her up and spinning her around playfully. She plopped down on the chair and Kami giggled, curling into her mum's hold. "Can you and Baba make song for me?" Kami asked in a full sentence with soft doe eyes. Her parents both look away from their child to face each other, having a conversation with their eyes. Kallie didn't want to, but Lewis wanted to, and he encouraged her also. Music was always something she had trouble bonding with Kami over.
"I-I guess we can." Kallie spoke, ultimately agreeing because she wouldn't want to disappoint her babygirl.
Lewis smiled as Kami cheered, hugging her mum excitedly. He stood up and unlocked the cabinet before picking out a guitar he liked. Kallie smiled at the sight of the guitar, her eyes sparkling with nostalgia. "That was a gift from Kez. She wrote lullabies for Mari and Kai with it and tell me it's my turn to write some for my own baby." Kallie explained.
"Is it okay if I use it?" He asked, handling it very carefully because the value it clearly had.
"Of course. It's for family." Kallie smiled, suddenly forgetting all about the argument in therapy.
Kami watched as he strung the guitar, it had a very warm feeling to it, a little bit of country vibes as well. "Reminds me of Kez after she spend time with Beyoncรฉ," Kallie comments because of how country Bey was, and because she knew Kez had produced Beyoncรฉ's upcoming album, that would come out next year. Kallie only knew about it because Kez spilled the beans. "Like a southern vibe, yeah?" Lewis smiled, messing around with the sound as Kami listened delightfully.
"And there I was, tangled up in marigold," Kallie hummed, rocking Kami along to the music coming from the guitar. She moved along to it, trying to think of lyrics, "it's got a Sunday church vibe, it's warm and inviting like lullaby," she input, Lewis nodding in agreement. "We were listening to the reverend children singing," she added in song. "Hummin' low as the garden river flows."
"While the August light becomes a golden evenin'," Lewis added, and Kallie smiled, reaching for her journal to jot down the lyrics they came up with it. The door had nudged open and they were accompanied by Roscoe, the bulldog just casually laying on the carpet floor next to Kallie's chair so he was closest to Kamiyah. "And I will lead you down that road if you lose your way," Lewis added again.
"Born to be a protector," Kallie hummed, pressing a kiss to Kami's cheek.
"Even though I know someday you're gonna shine on your own. I will be your projector." Lewis sung, smiling brightly at his daughter's sparkling eyes. "An apricot picked right off a given tree. I gave water to the soil, and now it feess me," Kallie sung after jotting it down, the lyrics reminding of her the times she helped Jae with the garden behind the restaurant because everything was so expensive.
"And there you are, shaded underneath it all. I feel proud of who I am, because you need me." Kallie continues, rocking the girl back and forth as she giggled. "And I lead you down that road if you lose your way. Born to be a protector." He added, and she noted it down. More lyrics coming to her mind as she stared down at her joyful daughter. He looked at her with curiosity as he continued, repeating some more lyrics that fit.
"I first saw your face in your father's gaze. There's a long line of hands carryin' your name. Liftin' you up, so you will be raised. Even though I know someday you're gonna shine on your own. I will be your projector." Kallie sung to Kami, the girl fascinated with her mum's voice, subconsciously reminded of her mum rocking back in forth on a chair and singing lullabies. She couldn't remember why she stopped. She just did.
"And even though I know someday you're gonna shine on your own. I will be your protector, born to be a protector." Lewis finished, and Kami giggles, beginning to cheer enthusiastically. Kallie smiled warmly, looking up to meet his eyes. Kami trying to steal the guitar is what broke their eye contact. She grabbed into it with a giggle, "again again!" She ordered.
"What do we say?" Kallie spoke in a scolding tone.
Kami released the guitar with an innocent look, "Baba, can I hear lullaby again, please?"
He chuckles softly, nodding his head, "yes, you can, sweetheart."
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"Bey would love this. It's the perfect track for number four." Kez smiled, plopping down on the sofa, her long legs hanging over the armrest. "I thought you already finished the album," Kallie spoke in confusion, eating the sushi that Kez had casually made at home because she had real life crabs sitting in her freezer. Odd. But it's Kez, so we don't question it. And don't worry, Kallie only ate the vegan friendly sushi.
"Well, we did...but Bey is convinced that something is missing. She has me looking through every song I've ever written." Kez mused, reaching for the ashtray on her coffee table. "We really just recorded it for Kami to listen to, but if you want, you can send it to Bey," Kallie said, shrugging her shoulder. "No need. She's already on her way," Kez shrugs, tossing her phone onto the table with a smile.
"W-What? How?" Kallie coughed out, almost having choked on her sushi.
"Uh, she lives like 20 minutes away, and I'm like her best friend, so yeah, this is completely normal, Kwiky." Kez chuckles, taking out her hair tie and shaking her hair loose. She had braids, locs, and her loose hair all mixed up because that was the way liked it for some reason. It was very hard to pull off and she did it perfectly, because she's Keziyah. The jet black hair from her Asian genes was also a plus. Let's just say, God spent his time creating Keziyah.
"How do you look so good at 3am?" Kallie scoffed in disbelief, rubbing her tired eyes.
"Aw, really? Thanks sisi. I wish I could say the same for you, but you look a mess, Kwiky." Kez chuckled, receiving the middle finger from her annoyed sister. "So, what do you got going on?" Kallie questioned. "Uhh, let's see. I had to film a sex scene yesterday, so that was lots of fun. Still adjusting to the fact that I'm actually filming a fucking Fifty Shades of Grey type movie," Kez recalled, taking another hit from her joint.
"That's what you get when you say you like mafia fanfiction during an interview," Kallie giggled in amusement.
"Yoh, it was a joke!" Kez laughed at the recalling of the events.
They sat there for a while, chatting about random things going on in their lives, and obviously Kezie's life was far more interesting. She was always doing the most random shit. Kallie was slightly convinced this wasn't her only life. After 30 minutes, the door was being knocked on expectantly. "You gonna get that?" Kallie questioned in confusion. Kez shook her head, "nah, she's got a key." The door was then pushed open as expected.
"I got us some Wing Stop, girl." Beyoncรฉ smiled, kicking the door shut before kicking her shoes off next. "Food. My love language next to physical touch," Kez smiled, watching as Bey grabbed some chopsticks in the kitchen for Kez. She walked over and set down the food before plopping down on the couch next to Kez, immediately hugging onto her. "Thanks for coming, baby. How's Blue?" Kallie just blinked at their casualty, like chilling with Beyoncรฉ was totally normal.
"She's doing so good. She misses you. She wanted me to ask if you could stop by her dance classes when you got some time." Beyoncรฉ answered, holding the woman's hands with a dazzling smile because well- she's Beyoncรฉ. She always has a dazzling smile. That's nothing new. Don't act surprised. "Yeah, I'll make some time. Neela can clear some stuff up for me." Kez nods, moving to grab the food.
Kallie cleared her throat awkwardly, gaining their attention- or well, Beyoncรฉ's attention. Kez was focused on the food. "Oh hey, it's so good to see you again, Kallie. How is Kami doin'? I heard she got a daddy now. How's that been?" Bey queried, and Kallie wasn't surprised by this because Kez literally couldn't keep her mouth shut about anything. She was like the Tom Holland of the family.
"Uh- Kami is good. It's been good. Her dad is great. It's been a huge help." Kallie answered with a tight smile.
"That's good. Lewis was very sweet when I met him," Bey said, leaning over Kez to grab some of the fries. "He's sweet to everyone. It's annoying, cause I wanna insult him but he's so nice," Kez frowned, Bey patting her back in mock sympathy. "He's not that nice," Kallie scoffed, slumping back into the sofa as the two singer's stared at her in judgement.
"You're so complicated. What happened to good sex = omg I love you, let's be a couple!" Kez spoke dramatically, making her voice high pitched for exaggeration. "That don't work for me because apparently I have trauma from heartbreak, so yeah, I'm absolutely fucked," Kallie grumbled. "You just need a lil' more therapy and bonding time," Kez advised.
"Maybe if they just fucked, like good good, then it would fix how uptight she is," Bey comments as if Kallie wasn't in the room hearing every word spoken about her. "You're so right. Kwiky, just fuck and take him to Red Lobster after. Then you'll be fixed. Simple as that," Kez advised in a teasing manner. "Worked for us," Bey chuckled, leaning into Keziyah comfortably.
"We're vegans, so yeah- that doesn't work for us," Kallie mumbled through gritted teeth.
"So, let's hear this song you called me over for," Bey grinned excitedly. Kez smiled and grabbed the laptop, pressing the space button to play the file. To say she loved it was an understatement. "It's so beautiful. I love it. It's perfect for the album. Are you open to letting us use it?" Bey asked. "Uh, it's not like my song completely. I make it with Lew, so you'd have to ask him. I'm okay with it, but it's really up to him. We kinda just make it for our daughter," Kallie rushed out nervously.
"Oh that's totally okay. Can I get his number?" Beyoncรฉ asked.
"Excuse me?" Kallie raised a brow, jumping to conclusions like she always did.
"Sis, relax. She means to ask if he's okay with it. No need to get all possessive. He's already yours." Kez pressed, chuckling lightly because when wasn't she laughing. Kallie nods awkwardly, "right- yeah I knew that. Here's his number." She spoke, saying the full number, both of the singer's wondering why she had his number memorized. "I can't even remember my husband's number," Bey mumbled.
"It's just for emergencies," Kallie excused.
Bey dialed the number and put the phone on speaker for them to all hear. "Hello?" A voice grumbled through the phone, clearly he had just been woken up by the call. "Hey, it's Beyoncรฉ, sorry to wake you," she spoke. Lewis blinked in confusion, completely caught off guard as he double checked the number. "Okay, Kez, it is too late to be fucking with me. You can pretend to be Beyoncรฉ after I get my full eight hours."
"Oh, fuck off. She's not lying. Kallie, tell him." Kez spoke in annoyance.
"You're a parent! Parents don't get a full eight hours!" Kallie scolded, wishing she could throw the sushi at him through the screen. "Okay fine, I believe you. What's going on? Why is Beyoncรฉ in the same room as my baby mama?" Lewis asked, purposely saying that name because he knew how much it annoyed Kallie. "Stop calling me that! Unless you want me to call you my baby daddy!" Kallie argued, filled with irritation.
"You can call me whatever you want, love," Lewis grinned, even if he couldn't actually see her face- although he wish he could.
"Enough with the flirting. We need to talk business," Kez input in a scolding tone. "About what?" Lewis groaned, falling back into the pillows tiredly. "Kez and Kallie showed me your lullaby you both made and I love it so much. I was wondering if you'd be up to letting me use it for the album. I won't change much. You can still have full rights to it. I just need to have it for the album. It would complete it."
"Oh, wow. I wasn't expecting that. I mean- if Kallie's okay with it, I am too." Lewis shrugged.
"That's amazing to hear. I will have my team deal with the rest. Thank you so much, both of you." Beyoncรฉ smiled warmly, resting her head on Kezie's shoulder. "No problem. I look forward to hear what you do with it," he added. "Yeah, of course. Thank you again. Did you want to speak with Kallie?" Bey smiled, and Kallie immediately shook her head in heavy objection.
"Yes, I would love to. Thank you." Lewis smiled, and she rolled her eyes, getting up to pick up the phone from Beyoncรฉ. "What do you want?" She huffed. "When did you leave? I thought you were finally okay with sleeping in the same bed," he said. "I am- what, I can't visit my sister now? You think you own me or something just cause we have daughter together?" Kallie scowled, jumping to conclusions and defensiveness again. Typical from her.
"You're oddly defensive. It's kinda hot," Lewis smirked.
"I hate you. Choke on pillow feathers." Kallie sneered, hanging up the phone in a rush before he could muster up a snarky reply.
"I gotta go, damn," Bey frowned, looking at the messages on her phone, wishing she got to stay with Kez longer. "What's wrong, baby?" Kez asked, perking up from her food. Bey sighed, standing up, Kezie's hand still lingering on her leg, "Rumi has nightmares. Could you send the lullaby over to my phone so I could play it for her? It might calm her down some."
"Yeah, of course. I'll call you tomorrow. Thanks for coming." Kez stood up and they shared a hug and kiss- to the cheek, obviously. After she left, it was the two sisters again- up until Kez kicks her out. "What are you doing?" Kallie pondered, removing her eyes from the TV to see her sister, who hadn't even been paying attention- too busy on her phone texting someone. She had thousands of numbers in that phone so Kallie wasn't even gonna waste breath trying to think of who it was.
"I need to keep my mouth busy," Kez shrugged, setting her phone down.
"What does that even mean?" Kallie scrunched her brows in thought and confusion.
The door was knocked on and Kez grinned, sitting up with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You okay driving at night?" She asked as she watched her younger sister get up to attend to the door. "Uh, yeah?" Kallie pulled open the door, surprisingly faced with another artist, Megan Thee Stallion. But just Meg to Keziyah. "Oh, okay. I see what it is now. I was just leaving." Kallie mumbled in realization, grabbing her coat and sliding on her shoes.
Megan made her way inside and practically jumped onto Kezie. "I missed you! Why you ain't tell me you was in LA for a week already?" She questioned, crossing her arms over her chest to appear more intimidating. Kallie glanced over her shoulder, the sight of Megan straddling her sister's lap was certainly something she didn't wanna remember. So she got out of there, quickly before she was scarred.
"I'm sorry. I was busy filming," Kez excused, sitting more upright against the arm rest.
"You always say that," Megan scoffed with attitude, hitting Kezie's shoulder.
"I know, I know." Kez set her hands on Meg's hip and pulled her closer, "let me make it up to you, baby? How does that sound?" Megan tried to bite back a smile but gave in, nodding her head. She leaned down, connecting their lips in a soft kiss. "Okay, but we gotta go to the bedroom this time. I am not falling asleep on this small ass sofa- which I still don't understand why you have if you so damn tall."
"If I got a big sofa, my friends would sink in and get lost." Kez shrugged, effortlessly picking up Megan like she weighted nothing.
"You forgot our phones!" Meg laughed, already halfway up the stairs when she realized.
"Fuck the phones. I finally got you all to myself. Nobody is interrupting that." Kez spoke smoothly, pushing open the door to her bedroom that Megan was very familiar with.
"I ain't getting no sleep, am I?" Megan smirked, Kez laying her down on the bed gently.
"Now you're starting to get it," Kez chuckles, pulling her shirt over her head."If you called more, I would memorize it perfectly," Megan retorts with hints of sass, looking up at the singer, her eyes lingering on the tattoos and muscles that Kez had. "Shhh, baby, just let me help you relax," Kez shushed smoothly, her tattooed hands sliding under Megan's large anime shirt.
Her breath hitched at the coldness from the rings, and she looked down to see Kez still wearing that wedding ring. "Kez, you forgot to take it off." Keziyah glanced down at it before ultimately sliding the ring off her finger and setting it onto the bedside table. She grabbed the tie next to the ring and tied her hair up into a ponytail so it was out of the way.
"Ready now?" She smiled.
Megan nods with heavy anticipation, "always ready for you."
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a/n: kez back in her lewis whore era ๐๐๐๐ but it makes me so sad bc she's in so much hidden pain ๐ had to write a beyziyah moment bc they're my fav lil besties ๐ now we just need a written kez & riri moment
i can't wait until nico gets involved with this, my baes boutta reunite again ๐คญ
KAMI TERRORIZING CHARLES >>
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