Londyn
“So… do you like it or do you love it?”
My gaze traveled around the Airbnb that had subtly been transformed into some sort of shrine to Londyn, from the treats, to the balloons, and everything in between without making me sick of myself. And while I might’ve been against my mother throwing me a big party in the beginning, everything was way too cute for me not to answer, “This is adorable, Mommy. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, beautiful. Now go finish getting dressed before people start showing up. C.P. time only extends so far,” she insisted, giving me a little push towards the stairs that made me giggle. But since I knew she was right and the party was technically supposed to have started thirty minutes earlier, I followed her instructions to a tee which included slipping into the dress she had let me borrow.
The woman seriously had impeccable taste.
After applying the Fenty makeup Chance had bought me as an early birthday gift and putting a little extra heat on my flat iron, I finally made my way back downstairs to find music playing and… my dad?
Even though I had invited him to come, I certainly wasn’t expecting him to be one of the first guests. And not only that, I wasn’t expecting to see him already pressing up on my mom, her demeanor obviously flustered once she pushed out, “Langston. I… didn’t know you were coming.”
I hadn’t ever realized it before, but my dad had actual swag, his tone deep and smooth when he answered, “Our baby girl invited me, so I figured I’d show my face for a little bit. But it’s good to see your face too, superstar.”
My mother blushed almost instantly, tossing a hand his way as she squealed, “Oh, stop it! The world has already moved on from my little video.”
“Doesn’t matter what the world thinks, Annie. I’ll never forget it,” he replied smoothly, my eyes going wide once I watched him lift her hand to his mouth for a kiss.
She fanned herself in response, making my dad laugh - making my dad laugh - before pointing him towards the refreshments. And once he was alone, I snuck in behind him, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention when I teased, “I see you still got it, old man.”
He peeked over his shoulder before turning around completely with a smile, just seeing the light in his eyes already feeling like a birthday gift. But when he also slipped a little cash into my hand, I figured that was the actual gift as he replied, “I guess if you’re getting older, that means I am too. Happy Birthday, Londyn.”
I immediately showed my appreciation with a big hug. “Thank you, Daddy. And thanks for coming. Though you might have a little competition around here if you’re really checking for your old thang.”
While I was only joking, my dad seemed completely serious when he said, “Nah. Annie and I have history. There’s just no competing with that.”
I gave him a nod of touché before grabbing a glass of champagne and leaving him to greet some of the other people who had arrived. But the second I found my mother alone, I couldn’t help sidling up next to her to tease, “Well, well, well. You two sure looked cozy.”
Once she realized it was me, her party host grin fell flat and her tone turned into more of a harsh whisper. “Why didn’t you tell me your daddy was coming?”
“I didn’t think it was important to note since I wasn’t expecting you to get so flustered by his appearance,” I answered with a giggle that only made her scowl.
“I’m not flustered. Just… surprised. I mean, he looks good, right?” she asked, not really needing me to agree since it was clear she was already thinking it.
Still, I doubled down on her observation when I answered, “Of course. Who do you think I got it from?”
“Girl, please. Your daddy is still checking me out for a reason. I look just as good as the day I met him almost thirty years ago,” she replied with a familiar arrogance that I had definitely gotten from her.
But since she was clearly on her high horse, I decided to play a little bit, leaning in to whisper, “Well no wonder he can’t stop looking over here.”
Her eyes immediately flashed in the direction I was already looking, only to find my dad talking to Miss. Ellen. And now that I had gotten her good, I pushed my glass of champagne into her hand and asked, “Thirsty much?”
She sucked her teeth as she smacked me in the arm before breaking into a fit of giggles. Then she held the glass up and took a humble, hearty sip to let me know my message - joke - had been received just as I saw my best friend walk through the door.
Of course, he wasted no time flipping on the turn-up switch the second I left my mother to head in his direction, his Snapchat already filming as he bounced my way singing, “Fuck it up if it’s your birthday, bih!”
For the few seconds of camera time, I gave a little jig as he cheered, “Aye! Happy Birthday, LoLo!” And once he got a little clip to share with his followers, he put his phone down to pull me into a hug that almost lifted me from the ground before handing me a small gift box. “Here. I got you a little somethin’.”
I gave him a skeptical smirk, gnawing at my lip as I took my time pulling off the wrapping paper. But once I saw the designer label on the top of the box, I couldn’t pop it open fast enough, gazing at the intricately-patterned silk scarf while asking, “Khalid, is this real Gucci?”
“Only the best for my best friend. You deserve it. Plus, we gotta coordinate, right?” he asked, turning around to show me a scarf of the same pattern hanging from the back pocket of his denim jeans.
The fact that he had been able to afford not one but two of them had me asking, “Just how much is that little security job paying you?”
He didn’t answer with a number, instead giving a little jig of his own when he explained, “Your boy is officially off his sixty-day probationary period with the raise and benefits to show for it.”
“Oh my God! Congratulations, Khalid!” I squealed, pulling him into a hug just as tight as the one he had given me a few minutes earlier.
The grin he was wearing beamed with pride. “Thanks, LoLo. Now let’s fuck it up for your birthday one time.”
I was just getting ready to join him in a birthday dance when I felt a familiar arm wrapped around my waist, his lips near my ear as he said, “Nah, let me get the first one.”
Before I could melt against him, I turned around to look his fine ass in the face and gush, “I got somethin’ better you can get…” stealing a kiss that I wanted everyone to see so I wouldn’t have to answer any questions about us later.
But I shouldn’t have been surprised when the only person who made a big deal about it was M.J., giving a round of applause as he wiped away his fake tears and teased, “Well isn’t this just beautiful?”
“Do you always have to be so annoying?” I asked with a roll of my eyes, though it was paired with a grin since we were, in fact, beautiful.
Chance must’ve thought so too considering the way he immediately brushed his lips against my cheek and ear before grabbing a handful of my ass, our audience almost becoming an afterthought until M.J. said, “Just let me be happy for y’all, birthday girl.”
“Whatever,” I told him with a giggle, turning my attention back to Chance as he pulled away to hand me the gift bag I hadn’t realized he was holding.
His instructions were, “Don’t open this in front of company.” But I pretty much heard the exact opposite since his request made me way too curious not to see what it was right away, not to mention he had already spoiled me rotten with more than enough gifts up to this point.
With a smirk, I dug right into the bag, him groaning, “Londyn…” not doing anything to stop me as I said, “What could it possibly be that I shouldn’t… oh my God.”
For someone who didn’t know what they were looking at - Khalid - it wasn’t immediately alarming. But for someone who did know what they were looking at - M.J. - it was something that definitely should’ve been opened in private regardless of how intrigued the variety pack of butt plugs had me.
“I knew y’all were some freaks!” M.J. shouted, Khalid eventually catching on with a wide-eyed, “Ohhhhh…”
Chance only shrugged as I dropped them back in the bag. “I tried to warn you.”
Since enough of our business was already out now, I pulled his ear down to my lips, being sure to keep it between us when I whispered, “The only warning I want from you is the one that comes right before we try one of these out later on tonight.”
“Noted,” he replied with a short nod, biting into his bottom lip as if he was already thinking about it. And honestly, watching him bite into his lip had me ready to cut the party short. But for the sake of all the people who had shown up, I knew I had to stick around at least a little while longer.
Of course there was one notable absence, the person only my mother and M.J. had been in contact with since our little blow-up. But since I knew my mother had at least extended Eric an invitation, I wasn’t going to sweat it, much more focused on the people who were present solely to celebrate me.
“So you gonna let me get that dance or nah?” Chance asked, already grinding against my butt which meant he wasn’t really asking. But he didn’t have to ask, the vibe already set thanks to the playlist Khalid had curated specifically for this event that had everybody on their feet.
Including my parents.
From across the room, I could see them getting a little cozier than they probably should’ve been if Officer Stevie was still in the picture, my mom swaying her hips against his lap with a grin on her face that my dad matched. It was adorable, which meant I wasn’t going to knock her game, far too tickled seeing them sharing a moment for the first time in far too long.
Almost like a bonus birthday gift.
With that in my view, my man wrapped around me, and all of my family and friends filling the room, I literally couldn’t stop smiling, tossing back the champagne glass that never seemed to be empty between Chance, Khalid, and my mom. But I suppose I needed every lick of alcohol once I saw Eric walk in, his face unreadable as he glanced around the crowd of people.
“I’ll be back,” I told Chance, stumbling a little on the takeoff thanks to all the champagne I had consumed.
Once he realized where I was going, he asked, “You good? Or you want me to come with you?”
“Nah, I got this,” I told him with a wave of my hand, knowing this was something I needed to handle alone the same way I should’ve handled it long before things even got to this point. And though he didn’t exactly look too convinced of my stability, he let me be, gliding my way through the crowd until I got to Eric who looked surprised to see me as if it wasn’t my party.
“Happy Birthday, baby girl,” he said with a half-hearted smile, pulling me into a quick hug that felt more out of obligation than truce.
When I stepped back, I leaned against the wall for support to say, “Thank you. Wasn’t expecting to see you since you’ve been ducking and dodging me for the last few weeks.”
He slipped his hands into his pockets as he pushed out, “Yeah. Guess I’ll just never be ready to accept you growing up.”
It sounded good, but I knew his little attitude was deeper than that. And I had no problem letting him know it, not even caring who was around to hear when I said, “No, I don’t think that’s it. Cause you don’t have a problem watching me prosper in my career as a grown-up, you didn’t have a problem with me becoming a homeowner as a grown-up, and you’re here, which is literally a reflection of how much older I’m getting.”
“Okay, so it was about Chance,” he admitted, continuing on to explain, “That’s one of my best friends, LoLo. And to know he went behind my back to get at you just… it fucked with me.”
“But, why? It’s not like Chance is a fuckboy. He’s a good guy, E. And I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be friends with him if you didn’t think so too,” I replied, gnawing at my lip to add, “And to be honest, the only reason he stayed behind your back was because of me. I didn’t know what I wanted, and I didn’t want you involved until I figured it out.”
Considering there wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a little fling between Chance and I, letting my brother in on that seemed completely pointless, especially with the short time frame I was expecting Chance to even be around. But things were obviously a lot more serious than that now, and I hoped my explanation would be enough for Eric to come around, hating to be caught in the middle of their friendship since that was part of what I had been trying to prevent all along.
“Are you happy?”
His question seemed to come out of nowhere, snapping me out of my own thoughts to consider it. And when a smile immediately grew to my face just thinking about the man who was steadily solidifying a place in my life, it only felt right to answer, “Incredibly. Chance is… good to me. Like, really, really good to me.”
“Man, don’t drag it out. He can’t be all that,” Eric challenged with a teasing smirk, giving me a playful shove that I was thankful to have the wall to support me through.
“Seriously, Eric. You need to start taking notes from your boy, cause he has your little sister doing…”
With that, he cut me off. “Alright, alright. I got it. He’s here, ain’t he?
I nodded, pointing over to where Chance and M.J. were standing, engaged in a conversation of their own. And once M.J. saw him, he waved him over, Eric leaving me to join them for what I hoped would be a pleasant reunion as I followed a few steps behind.
“You’re a little late, ain’t you?” M.J. asked, glancing at his wrist that didn’t even have a watch on it.
Eric laughed, dapping him up as he said, “Fashionably, bruh. Something you wouldn’t know anything about with your dusty ass.” Then he turned towards Chance to say, “What’s good, man?”
I could tell Chance was a little uncomfortable, wanting to go with the flow while also being unsure of what to really expect from my brother. But you would’ve thought they never had beef at all once he pulled him into a hug and said, “Glad you came out, E.”
“Man, you ain’t the only nigga who cares about this little bobblehead girl,” he teased, tossing me a smirk before giving us both an apology that honestly surprised me. “My bad for trippin’ out on y’all like that the other day. Wasn’t expecting you to swoop into the city and snatch up my little sister, but I trust that you’ll do right by her.”
With his arm wrapped around my shoulder, Chance looked down at me to reply, “Only way I know how.” the attention making me blush as I got lost in his eyes. And I believed what he said with my whole heart, no longer worried about what might happen with us moving forward because I knew what we had was completely worth any extra effort required.
I was just getting ready to seal my commitment with a kiss when Eric huffed, “Damn. This shit is gonna take some getting used to.”
“You’ll have plenty of time, E. Cause she ain’t getting rid of me any time soon,” Chance offered with a heated gaze that, once again, had my tipsy ass even more ready to cut the party short.
But instead, I did a little teasing of my own when I asked, “Wanna bet?”
I suppose our flirting got boring to everyone watching since M.J. and Eric both found something to be interested in across the room, Eric the one to speak on whatever had stolen their attention. “Damn, who is that?”
My eyes pulled away from Chance to see who they were looking at, though I shouldn’t have been surprised to find out who had stolen the show. “Oh my God, she really came. That’s Jayla Anthony. Khalid’s little crush.”
“His crush. My future wife,” M.J. said as he rubbed his hands together, looking as if he was preparing to make a move.
I didn’t allow him to take a single step, putting a stiff hand against his chest when I said, “Back up, M.J. I invited her here for one reason and one reason only. Now where is he is the question?”
My quick glance search around the room came up empty and I worried Khalid had already gotten away before I could get ahold of him. But to my surprise, he was the first person to greet Jayla once he emerged from the kitchen with a drink in his hand, pulling her into a hug that told me they were at least more familiar with each other now.
“See what happens when you mind your own business?” Chance asked from behind me, obviously catching the same sight I had and doubling down on his support of Khalid to do things on his own time.
Since Khalid and Jayla seemed to be hitting it off, at least to some degree, I turned to face Chance and admit, “You’re right. So what’s up, business?”
He smirked, wrapping his arms low around my waist. “Nothin’ much. Just enjoying the festivities with my baby. What’s up with you?”
My smirk was almost identical to his when I gushed, “Nothin’. Just waiting for my business to get me outta here before I drag his ass upstairs.”
The way his eyebrow piqued in response only made him look even sexier which meant I really wanted to drag him upstairs by the time he asked, “It’s like that?”
“Always has been when it comes to you,” I answered, gnawing at my lip as he tightened his hold on me, getting ready to give me a kiss until we both heard someone shout, “Go Annie!”
“Not again…” I groaned, turning towards where it had come from to find my mother... giving my dad the business.
There were already a few people filming them - probably hoping it would go just as viral as her previous video. But I couldn’t help pulling out my own phone to capture the moment as well since I had never seen my parents like this before, and I had never seen my dad so happy. He wasn’t exactly a slouch either, one of the few men I’d seen who could actually keep up with her on the dance floor which only seemed to make my mom go harder. And while I wasn’t sure what any of this meant moving forward - or if it meant anything at all - I was just happy to see them having such a good time with each other.
In fact, seeing them have a good time only encouraged me to have a better time, drinking until I couldn’t anymore, dancing until my feet and thighs ached, and having to be carried out of the house by the time it was all said and done. But even that was an adventure, having Chance drive me home feeling like déjà vu of his first night in town.
Our first night together.
“What were you really thinking that night?” I blurted, that part still a mystery to me since it wasn’t something we had ever really discussed.
But just because it was on my mind didn’t mean Chance had a clue what I was talking about, his expression confused when he asked, “What night?”
I turned towards him in my seat to clarify, “After my mom’s party. When you told her you were giving me a ride home. What were you thinking?”
Now that he had more information, he grinned, the memories obviously still as fresh for him as they were for me. “I’m not sure if I was. Not with the head I should’ve been, at least,” he replied with a smirk that made me blush as he continued, “Honestly, though. I just… wanted you; from the second I laid eyes on you when I came up those stairs. And once you showed me you felt the same, there wasn’t really any thinking necessary. But maybe I should’ve since I had no idea that night would eventually lead to me falling in love with you.”
His words just barely registered in my head before I teased, “I mean, it’s pretty hard not to love me.”
He put his hand against my thigh to agree, “You’re right. And I didn’t stand a chance ever pretending otherwise.”
His touch only made me feel even giddier as I covered his hand with my own, linking our fingers together as I gnawed on my lip just staring at him. And while I hadn’t come into this with the expectation of really making him mine, I was glad it had worked out that way, allowing me to admit, “If it makes you feel any better, I was in the same boat. Still am in the same boat. Drifting at sea. Drunk in love.”
“Oh, I know. You aren’t the only lovable mothafucka around here, Londyn,” he replied with one of his signature chuckles as he pulled into my driveway. And before I could make a move to get us inside, he dug into his blazer pocket and handed me an envelope. “Happy Birthday, baby.”
“Okay, seriously. Stop with all the gifts already,” I complained, while also contradicting myself since I practically snatched it out of his hand.
“You don’t mean that,” he insisted with a grin as he waited for me to open it.
But I didn’t budge, keeping it pinched between my fingers as I told him, “You’re right. And considering this is only an envelope, I’m pretty sure it won’t end up inside of me like the last gift. Unless you have some weird papercut fetish...”
He shook his head with another laugh. “Londyn, just open it.”
With my lip pulled between my teeth, I took my dear sweet time peeling the seal before plucking out, “Airline tickets?”
“I still owed you that trip to Italy,” he explained, my eyes finally zeroing in on the details since I just knew he had to be bullshitting me.
He wasn’t. The destination, date, and every other important component all there, though I still managed to squeal, “Chance, shut the fuck up! Are you serious?!”
“It’s got your name on it, doesn’t it?” he asked, prompting me to find not only my name on a ticket but also his on the one behind it. And just the idea of taking another romantic trip together, this time internationally, had me bursting with excitement - and love.
Yeah, this is definitely love.
“I just… I don’t even know what to say. I mean, are you sure you don’t have a papercut fetish? Cause I might just be down to fulfill your craving now,” I told him teasingly, dropping the tickets so that I could pull his face closer to mine for a kiss that quickly turned into much more once I crawled over the center console to straddle his lap.
It was the same move that had kicked things off that night, though this time we were in a much different place.
A much better place.
A place I hoped we could always remain, especially once Chance replied, “The only thing I’m craving is you, birthday girl. So what’s up with that cake?”
My grin was aching as, instead of answering his question with words, I made quick work of getting us out of the car and into the house; everything about the moment feeling familiar yet also fresh now that we were embarking on a new journey together. And even if he didn’t see it that way, I knew this was all new - and exciting - for me, especially once I pulled out his little birthday gift from earlier and asked, “You ready to play?”