***

I walked out of the nail salon and over to my car. It's been a long, stressful school week so I decide to treat myself to a mani-pedi. I couldn't wait to get home and unwind. I planned on take a nice hot bubble bath and have a few glasses of wine.

I unlocked the front door and walked inside. I could hear Michelle blasting NBA Youngboy in her room. I tossed my keys onto the counter and went into my bedroom. I kicked off my shoes and plopped down on my bed.

"Paris you home?" I could hear Michelle yell out from the living room.

"No" I yelled back reaching over for my remote to turn on the tv.

"Okay I've been thinking" She said as she bursted into my room. She plopped down beside me and sat with her legs crossed giving me all her attention.

"Would you be mad if I started talking to Jacobi?"

"Uhhh why would I be mad?" I asked with a confused look upon my face. I tried to play the situation cool because I didn't know how much she knew about Jacobi and I.

"Cause you know how shit get when muhfuckas start dating within the friend group. Ion even wanna date him for real, I was thinking more like fuck buddies."

"Ew why Jacobi of all people?" I made a stank face and sat my phone down beside me giving her all of my attention.

"I don't know" She shrugged, "He been looking fine as hell lately and I know how he get down. He won't make shit weird and catch feelings"

I felt a relief knowing that she didn't actually have feelings for him. That would make things even worse. I still didn't know if I should tell her that I've been sleeping with Jacobi for the last few months.

"I gotta tell you something?" I said sitting up.

She opened her mouth to speak but then her phone started ringing in her hand. "Oop it's Jalen hold on I'll be back" She hopped off my bed and ran out of the room.

I grabbed my phone and sent Jacobi a text letting him know we needed to talk. I know Michelle is my best friend and I should just tell her but this isn't only my business to tell. Maybe Jacobi doesn't want anyone to know. I've kept my mouth closed this long about it, I can wait until I get the okay from him.

"Hold on she right here" Michelle said coming back in the room. I looked at her confused as she handed me the phone. I took the phone from her hand and it was Jalen on facetime.

"Ummm hi" I replied raising an eyebrow at him.

"Wassup P. How you been?" He smiled at me. I could see the large windows in the background so either he was at Q's loft or in the art studio. Either way it goes I know there's a chance Q was in the room with him.

"Aht aht whatchu want?"

"Damn I can't check up on you. That's crazy" He laughed shaking his head.

"I'm doing fine. How are you sir?" I replied just feeding into the conversation waiting for him to get to the point.

"I'm good, I'm good. I haven't seen you in forever. When you coming back out here?" Jalen questioned.

"Boy" I smacked my lips and Michelle started to laugh. "Girl take this phone" I laughed rolling my eyes.

"Wait wait wait wait wait." Jalen laughed "But nah foreal though. Why you block my mans?"

"Who is your mans?" I asked furrowing my eyebrows at him, just playing dumb.

"You know. The lightskin nigga I be with. Tall, tattoos, wanna be Lebron James." Jalen said listing off Quincy's and I just shook my head.

"Nope not ringing any bells" I said pretending to think.

"Kinda ugly"

"Ohhhh, yup now I remember" I replied and we all started laughing. I could see his eyes looking off camera, confirming that Quincy was indeed there with him.

"I don't recall blocking him" I knew good and well I blocked his ass. I blocked him on that Uber ride back to the airport. There wasn't shit else for us to talk about. I didn't want to be accessible at all so I made sure to change my number as well.

"So he not blocked?"

"Nope he shouldn't be. I'll check later" I replied back with a shrug. I could hear a baby crying in the background and my mood instantly changed.

"Running a daycare over there huh?"

"Nah that's the tv" Jalen replied shaking his head.

"Righhhht. Anyways, Imma let you go be an uncle. I'm finna unblock your mans but tell him don't take that as an invitation to message me. I will block him back" I handed the phone back to Michelle and shoo'd her out of my room. I laid back down getting more comfortable and unlocked my phone.

The text from Jacobi read. I sat up and reached for my Airpods off the nightstand and went into the bathroom. I locked the door behind me and sat down on the floor before calling him. It rang a few times before he finally answered.

"Wassup, what we gotta talk about?" He said glancing at the phone for a split second. I could tell that he was driving.

"I gotta tell Michelle about us"

"Why?" Jacobi asked scrunching up his eyebrows.

"I can't go into detail but like some stuff came up and I think I should tell her. If I don't Imma seem fake as fuck" It also wasn't my place to let him know that she wants to fuck him. It was hard playing both sides and respecting everybody's privacy.

"I mean if that's whatchu wanna do" He shrugged his shoulders.

"You cool with that?"

"Ion really got no other option but to be cool with it"

"Huh?" I raised my eyebrow in confusion.

"Ion want nobody knowing my business. You and I both know she can't keep her mouth closed for shit. You tell her, you might as well tell the world"

I nodded my head agreeing with him. "What're we hiding from though? We're grown as fuck. You acting like I'm a dub or something" A silence filled the air as I waited for him to answer.

"Ohhhh you got a girlfriend"

"Ion got a girlfriend" Jacobi replied shaking his head.

"Oh so you don't got a girlfriend, but you're somebody's boyfriend. Noted." I nodded my head, "You know ion move like that, you should've told me you was fucking with somebody"

"Like I said ion got a girlfriend. Niggas find out I'm fucking you now all of a sudden you got every nigga in your dm tryna hit too"

"You can't be serious" I just started laughing "Ion care who slide in my dms, I'm not fucking em. I mean unless Drake hit me up, then I'm kicking you to the curb"

"Man whatever" He laughed.

"So can I tell her or what?"

"Yeah ion care." Jacobi shrugged, "I'm finna run in this store though. I'll hit you later"

"K" I replied standing up from the floor and hanging up the phone. I walked into my bedroom and Michelle was sitting on the bed.

"Why were you hiding in the bathroom?" She asked me confused.

"Huh?" I replied trying to allow my brain to process what to say next.

"Who was that? Why didn't you tell me you had a nigga now? What's tea?"

"Because I don't have a nigga" I told her taking my airpods out my ear and putting them back in the case.

"So who are you kicking to the curb of Drake comes around?" She questioned raising an eyebrow at me.

"Damn you was listening hard as fuck" I laughed shaking my head.

"Bitch just tell me"

"It's Jacobi"

She just starts to laugh and I looked at her confused. "Oh wait, you're serious" She said with wide eyes, "When the fuck? How the fuck? And why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

"It started like 3 months ago?"

"THREE MONTHS AGO?" Michelle exclaimed hopping up from the bed. "You've been fucking Jacobi for 3 months and didn't tell me?"

"I didn't want shit to get weird."

"Ion even care about y'all fucking, it's the fact that you didn't tell me bro. That's fake as fuck"

"How? I get it we're best friends but I don't have to tell you everything" I told her "It would've been fake to let you shoot your shot knowing what we got going on"

"Okay Paris whatever" She rolled her eyes and started walking out the room.

"Fuck are you mad for?" I questioned scrunching up my face. She ignored me and closed the door behind her.

"Whatever" I rolled my eyes and went into my bathroom to draw myself a bath. I wasn't in the mood to bicker back and forth with her.

I poured some epsom salt and bubble bath into the water. I went into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of wine before going back into my room. I grabbed my speaker and turned on my chill playlist.

Permission by Ro James began to play as I stripped out of my clothes. I climbed into the tub and slowly eased down into the water trying to give my body a chance to adjust to the temperature.

"Come on give me that green light and you can let your hair hang down" I sang a long with song. I laid back and opened up instagram. I went to my blocked accounts list and clicked on Quincy's account.

As soon as I clicked unblock I scrolled through his page. There was just pictures of him and his art, none of the baby. Not a single one. Damn he really pulling a Drake on us.

I followed him and tossed my phone onto the bath rug.

•Quincy's Point of View•

***

I poured myself a cup a fruit punch before sitting down at the kitchen counter. I was reading over the contract Jalen just over from one of the companies that wants to work with me designing some of their merchandise.

"You agreed on this percentage? This ain't shit" I said looking over at Jalen who was sitting across from me on his phone.

"Nah I haven't even looked at it. I just forwarded it straight to you" He replied. "So did shorty unblock you?"

"You worried about the wrong shit" I laughed shaking my head "How am I designing this shit and only getting 2 bands and 20% on profits. They got me fucked up. Tell em up that price"

I glanced over into the living room making sure Jayden was still straight. He was knocked out on the couch. He barely slept through the night so I knew he was about to be asleep for a while.

My phone started to ring on the counter beside me so I reached a grabbed it before it woke up Jayden. It was an unsaved number calling.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Good afternoon, I'm calling from Sunrise Clinic, am I speaking with Mr. Quincy Allen?" A female voice spoke. My nerves instantly went through the roof.

"Yes" I replied nodding my head as if she could see me.

"Hi, Mr. Allen I'm just calling to let you know that your test results just came through but we close in about 30 minutes and won't be open until Monday. I'm not sure if you can get here in enough time but if you can I'll leave them at the front."

"Yes I'll be there in like 10 minutes" I said hopping up from the counter.

"Alrighty see you then. Bye-bye" The lady said before hanging up the phone.

"Who was that?" Jalen questioned.

"The paternity test is back. I gotta go pick it up" I said grabbing my keys. "Watch him right fast I'll be right back"

I rushed over to the elevator and headed downstairs to my car. So many thoughts was running through my head.

I want this kid to be mine. These last three months and even through out Sydney's pregnancy I finally felt like I had a purpose. I had a reason to keep grinding and hustling.

I've been in his life since the start. I cut his umbilical cord. I gave him his first bath. I've been at every doctor's appointment. I've been here through it all.

All my friends and family told me to get a paternity test months ago. Sydney and I weren't dating so there was no reason for me to just automatically believe this baby is mine but as soon as he was here all the doubt when out of my head.

I sped all the way to the clinic getting there quicker than I should have. I walked inside and went straight to the front desk.

"Hey, I'm here to pick up some test results. My name is Quincy Allen" I told the lady and showed her my I.D just in case she needed it.

"I have them right here. Here you go" She said handing me the manila envelope.

"Thank you" I replied as I took it from her hand. I went back to my car and sat in the drivers seat. I sat there contemplating on whether I should open it now or wait until I got back home.

I've already waited 3 months what's another 15 minutes going to hurt?

I pulled out my phone and facetimed my mom. It rang a couple times and once it said connecting I propped the phone up on the dash board.

"Hey whatchu doing?" She questioned. She was in her kitchen just sitting at the table.

"I got the results"

Her eyes widened "What does it say? Is he yours?"

"I don't know I haven't opened it yet" I replied showing her the envelope.

"Open it! Where's Jayden? Do you still have him?"

"Yeah he's at the crib with Jalen. I just ran out to grab the results they called me and told me to hurry up"

"Open it, don't wait until you get home. I'm too thirsty now. You should've called me after you opened it"

"I should just throw it away. That's my son, I know it is. Ion need this paper to confirm that"

"I know you love him but you do need to know the results. Now open the damn envelope Quincy"

"Fuck it" I said to myself and opened up the envelope. I pulled out the paper and looked at it.

"What does it say?"

There was a chart filled with bunch of different numbers. "I don't know how to read this shit"

"There should be like a percentage or something at the bottom. It'll say like "Paternity percentage" or something" My mom replied.

I kept skimming through trying to find the simplified version she was referring to.

"You see it?" She asked me.

"Yeah"

"What does it say?"