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“Thank you, daddy.”

“Hmm,” Carolyn hummed, settling into her seat. “At the rate they’re going, we’ll be in graves before they pull it together.”

Kohl smirked. “Don’t worry, ma. Dal is swinging by later to pick me up before we head to the gym. You’ll get your chance to grill him later.”

“Okay!” Sevyn’s hands created a clapping sound as she brought them together, turning to her brother. “Where’s Anise? I thought she was going to be with you this morning?”

Kohl shrugged, but Sevyn saw right through his nonchalant demeanor. “Change of plans. My baby will be here later, though.”

Making a mental note to get to the root of what was going on with him later, Sevyn left him alone. Leaving the table just long enough to wash her hands, she returned and settled back into her spot.

Breakfast with her family was just what the doctor ordered to push her over the moon. She’d never remembered a time when things had been so perfect. Although, she could have done without her mother asking her about Dallas every two seconds.

Sliding upstairs to escape her, Sevyn holed up in her old bedroom, basking in the mounds of emotions she’d been feeling when Avery called.

“Hey, girl,” she answered cheerfully.

“Can you please, please talk to your friend?” Avery begged. “Lorren will not leave me alone about this New Year’s Eve party.”

“Oh noooooo,” Sevyn laughed. “The two of you seemed to get along just well when you were jumping on me.”

Avery whined. “Sevyn, that was then and this is now. I know that Kohl is your brother, but as a woman, please try and understand where I’m coming from. I don’t want to see him.”

Sevyn couldn’t help but feel a small amount of sympathy after hearing the sadness in her friend’s voice.

“I know that we’re hard on you about this, but believe it or not, it’s because we care. We want you to be included in things, Ave, and part of all the memories we make together. But I do know how hard it is for you to be around Kohl. I’ll try and talk to Lor.”

“Thank you.”

“But,” Sevyn added. “Shit is different now. He’s going to be around and as your friend, I’d be wrong if I didn’t tell you that the only way to get over things is to face them. Running isn’t going to help yo—”

“Well, anyway,” Avery cut in, her tone laced with annoyance. “How goes the Dallas train?”

Rolling her eyes, Sevyn fought the urge to call Avery out on her shit. The fact that it wasn’t the time or place kept her in check.

“Everything has been dope. As much as it kills me to admit it, I’m really glad that I stopped being stubborn and allowed things to flow.”

“Does this mean that you’re going to agree to explore something with him and see what happens?”

Pulling herself up from the bed, Sevyn absently walked around her room. “The odds of that happening are very much in his favor. That’s of course if nothing changes. It’s easy to be on your shit when you want something and then slack off when you have it.”

“The story of Pardi’s life.”

“Bitchhhhhh,” Sevyn snickered. “Shut up. Anyway, I’m just glad that I dropped that dumb-ass plan to purposely go through with the week just to turn him down at the end. You and Lor were right. It was fucked up of me.”

“Even though you told her well before you told me, same.”

“I only told her a day before I told—”

“You planned on doing what, Sev?”

She froze. Sevyn went completely rigid as a voice she hadn’t expected to hear reached her ears. His voice.

For the first time that she could remember, she was afraid. Afraid of facing the consequences of her conversation, and afraid of the fall out of hurting someone that she loved.

Swallowing hard, she forced herself to turn around. Dallas was so incensed that Sevyn almost shrank beneath the brunt of his anger.

“Dal,”