Author's note: Last chapter there were numerous amounts of fights for again, the same thing that has happened in several of my other books. Arguments over liking/disliking characters someone else likes or dislikes. Please cut it out and do not start arguments with other readers over your opinion. People are allowed to comment what they want, you don't get to curse them out over it. If I see you replying to comments being rude and deliberately trying to start fights you will be muted.

TORYN AND SAMIR WALKED around the arcade trying to find something else to do. Toryn was attached to Samir like glue even though it's been less than three months. Even after his trial with Takashi, it hadn't changed anything between them. With the big fight that happened at the Thai restaurant, $3,632 dollars in damages had stacked up and both Takashi and Samir's brother Dupree had been ordered to pay it. Takashi had to pay 80% of that since there was enough witnesses and video footage showing he was the aggressor and had deliberately destroyed most of the property. Toryn loved that it didn't affect her and Samir's lives together.

Samir and Toryn walked side by side with Toryn holding a handful of coins, wondering which game she should go on next.

"Baby, what about the motorcycle game?" Toryn asked, pointing to a virtual game where she had to play against other motorcycles on a screen while sitting on a prop motorcycle.

Samir didn't mind watching her little butt tooted up on the bike. He narrowed his eyes, "Go ahead."

Toryn squealed, running off like a little kid. She jumped on the bike and put her two coins into the slot while she began the game.

She was so happy, Samir stood off to the side watching her tilt herself on the prop motorcycle so the one on the screen could turn as well. She was like a big kid sometimes. She was a lot different from the Toryn he remembered. It was almost like two different people.

For that reason he wanted to take it slow. He didn't want to rush into things, especially since it's been seven long years. He could tell Toryn didn't have that same idea though. She was already referring to him as her 'man' and they just started speaking again after seven years.

He didn't want to mislead her into anything. Samir was so lost in his thoughts he hadn't even noticed Toryn was already off of the motorcycle and standing next to him. She nudged him with her body and he looked alarmed then confused. "How the heck did you get over here?"

"My game ended silly, you were spacing out. What do you wanna do next?" Toryn asked.

The arcade was filled with a bunch of kids, but that didn't matter. They were having fun and spending time together. Samir licked his lips, "I don't know, what you wanna do."

"I wanna talk about us."

Samir chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. He grimaced slightly and looked away from her and toward all the other restless souls running up and down the place. He saw a few employees catching up to people to reiterate the 'no running' policy. Others sat down eating and a few kids walked around salty because they didn't have enough coins to play more games.

"What you mean us?" Samir questioned.

"Us." Toryn smiled. "It's almost been three months. We're super close with each other, I'm comfortable around you and I'm getting flashbacks of us daily. Don't you think it's time for me to meet the family? Or re-meet them in this case?" She giggled.

Samir smirked, he felt like Toryn was moving at such a fast pace. It just didn't feel right. He didn't even want to tell her his family wasn't the biggest fan of her. They didn't know the quiet Toryn. When he started bringing her around that was when she was in her schizophrenic paranoid stage. That was the Toryn who thought every girl was his sidechick including his own family members. She brought constant drama to his household and even though she was just a teen when she did that, they did say some people never change.

"What's with you and this need to be a couple so quickly? I feel like you might ask me to marry you in the next month."

Toryn chuckled, she wasn't trying to be pushy; she was just excited because being with him showed her a glimpse of her past. A past she couldn't get with anyone else.

"Look, let's worry about family more down the line and just ride the waves and see where this takes us. Cool?"

Toryn huffed, even though she wasn't feeling it she agreed. "Cool."

*******

MARY-ANN, BECCA, ISABELLE AND BRAELYN sat inside Braelyn's living room, eating snacks. They were all Braelyn's female coworkers. All the women ranged from ages twenty two to twenty six but not one was a year past their mid-twenties. Growing up with God being their number one priority, all the females clicked as coworkers and as friends.

All of them in the group were also married, some with kids and others without. However, because they all did have such a busy life, it was almost impossible to get them all together. Finally after months they were all able to find some free time to catch up, though.

"Braelyn these snacks are delectable! Low fat cheese, wheat bread? What wonderful choices." Mary-Ann said. She was the oldest in the group and had three children with her husband who was in the top thirty percentile of doctors in New York.

Braelyn smiled, Mary-Ann was the fussiest about health so Braelyn mostly picked up all the healthy and organic stuff for her. "Thank you." Braelyn said taking a seat next to Isabelle.

Isabelle was the youngest in the group and had no kids. She was a newbie when it came to marriage since she had only been married one year. Braelyn felt she could make a wonderful wife but her husband was so much older than her. Isabelle said her parents had actually picked her husband because it was in their family tradition.

"I know, this cheese is so subtle on the taste buds." Isabelle complimented, picking up a cubed cheese stick.

Braelyn laid out turkey sandwiches on wheat bread, fruits, low fat yogurt, cubed cheese on toothpicks and water.

"Where's Brielle?" Becca asked, speaking up for the first time.

"At my parents house." Braelyn said. Brielle loved spending time with her grandparents and her grandmother Laura. So Braelyn often sent her to one of the houses for the day or a weekend over. She was coming back home later in the day, however.

"Aww. I love the little munchkins but never really was ready to have any of my own." Becca said.

Becca always asked to babysit Brielle for a night but Takashi wasn't having it. He said that he didn't want his daughter at a stranger's house. Especially when Becca had a man living there. Becca was a White woman from the countryside. Both she and her husband were blondes with green eyes.

Mary-Ann smiled, picking up another cubed cheese stick. "Their great! You just have to raise them right." She said. "And speaking of raising them right, the other day my husband was listening to the hip hop."

The women gasped.

"And in the song the boy said once when he was fourteen he was at home by himself with the burner. What do you guys think that means?"

"T-the burner? I have no idea." Isabelle said.

"I think that means his mother left him at home with the stove on," Braelyn suggested. "You know, the burner on the stove top? She probably forgot to turn it off."

Mary-Ann and Isabelle gave each other a look and quickly agreed with Braelyn. The kids of the ghetto had it super hard. Mary-Ann would never forget to turn the stove off if her kids were in the house by themselves. They wouldn't even be home alone. They would be out doing some extracurricular activities, servicing God.

"I don't know guys, I think the burner means a weapon...like a gun?" Becca suggested.

"Or it's probably an iron," Isabelle said whipping out her smartphone to double check. "I think back in the old days they use to call the burner an iron because it was hot."

All of them pulled their phones out to look it up and Mary-Ann was the first one to come up with a response. "Becca was right guys. It says here in the Urban dictionary that a burner is a weapon. A handgun."

"Wow Becca," Mary-Ann said, "You're so informed on the urban lingo."

Becca smiled from ear to ear. "I also know that when Brooklyn natives say good looks, it means thank you." She reached forward for one of the glasses of water then took a sip, putting it back on the table near her so the ladies would know it was her's. "Good looks for the snacks Braelyn."

Braelyn put a hand on her chest and furrowed her eyebrows, a slight smile on her face. "Pardon me?"

"I was using the cool talk on you. Good looks means thank you, so I was saying good looks for the snacks you made for us."

"Oh...um...good looks Mary-Ann."

They talked about everything that didn't have to do with their job, like complimenting each other's clothes, talking about what they did outside of the church to help the community and donating their time and money to shelters and organizations. Before any of them knew it, hours flew by and the front door opened. Braelyn had been so wrapped up in her girl's time she had lost track.

Takashi opened the door and was surprised to see his living room was turned into a church gathering with women still young enough to wear mini skirts. Braelyn was shocked to see him and it showed on her face. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. He hadn't come home last night, it was why she decided to bring her friends over. She had kind of assumed he wouldn't come again, so she was a little caught off guard.

Even though they weren't talking, she approached him with a small smile so it wouldn't be obvious something was going on. They stood by the front door but still in view of everyone. Takashi had a suit on with his briefcase in hand, indicating he just came from work.

"Good evening ladies." Takashi said.

"Good evening!" They responded.

He looked back at Braelyn, lowering his voice as to make sure he couldn't be heard. "What's this?"

"I invited them over to talk..." She said searching his face nervously to see if he was upset. It was the first set of words she said to him in two weeks. Because even before he wasn't home, he'd stop talking to her way before that.

"Next time would you mind just leaving me a voicemail to let me know you have company over?"

"I'm sorry, it slipped my mind."

Takashi nodded his head and walked around her, beginning to walk up the stairs. "Ladies." He said making his departure.

"Good looks Mr. Maxwell." Mary-Ann said. She wondered if he was informed on the new talk.

"Excuse me?" Takashi said, pausing on the steps.

"Mary-Ann." Braelyn said slowly shaking her head from side to side. That was their little inside joke. She didn't want Takashi to think she was trying to learn bad stuff.

"What?" Takashi said looking around the circle.

"Nothing." Braelyn said.

Takashi shrugged and walked up the stairs.

"He's so handsome!" Becca gushed. Growing up she was taught to marry her own, but that didn't mean she didn't find men of other races attractive.

The other two girls agreed making Braelyn blush. "Thank you..."

The girls continued to talk for a few more hours and use their secret slang.

*******

BRIELLE GIGGLED AS SHE splashed water around in the tub. She sat on top of Braelyn's lap, hitting and kicking the soapy water as she squeezed the yellow rubber duck in the tub. It was finally evening and her friends had went home. Braelyn usually ran her household on a schedule for her daughter; so since her grandmother had dropped her back home, it was time to turn into a housewife again.

Brielle had already eaten so now it was bath time and then bed. It was seven thirty and Braelyn figured by time she read Brielle a story and got her to go to sleep it would be eight which was the time she went to bed herself.

"Mommy," Brielle sang, soap sliding down her cheeks.

"Yes honey."

"How come daddy no bathe with us?" She asked, now realizing her father never took a bath with them.

Brielle was at the age when she was starting to question and notice a lot of things. At three it was now too old for her to be showering with a male, even if it was her father. Takashi and Braelyn had both agreed on it and had stopped when she was around one and a half.

"Because daddy is a big grumpy bear and wants all the space to himself." Braelyn said nuzzling her nose against her daughter's.

Brielle giggled and looked at the closed bathroom door. She knew her dad was right in his room watching TV. She wondered if he could hear them.

"Dada grumpy bear?"

"Big grumpy bear, baby.

Brielle giggled uncontrollably, finding it to be the funniest thing ever. In five minutes they were out. Braelyn wrapped herself in a towel and Brielle in a separate one. She dressed her in a pamper and a yellow onesie with gray rabbits all over it before she read her a bedtime story and tucked her in.

Just as Braelyn went to turn the doorknob Brielle called out to her. "Mama wait, I no get to say night to daddy."

"Okay come on." Braelyn said.

The baby hopped out of her bed and went running into her parents room. Takashi was laid back on the bed shirtless with a sweatpants on, skimming through TV channels. Nothing good was on now but he wasn't tired at all. He didn't even notice Brielle approaching until he felt the sheets being pulled from the bed. He looked to his side to see her trying to climb on top of the bed.

Takashi put the remote down and picked her up. Braelyn just stayed by the bedroom door, looking everywhere but at them. It was still awkward between her and Takashi. All she could wonder is where he had gone last night. Braelyn didn't know at the time Takashi wasn't home, he was sleeping in a bed with Toryn at his second home. And he still hadn't apologized for how he spoke to her father the other night at dinner. They were basically like two strangers living under one roof, that's how bad the communication had gotten in the last weeks.

"Goodnight daddy," Brielle said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I have to go bed now. It nighttime."

"Oh really?"

"Mm hm."

"Daddy..." Brielle said placing her hands on his cheeks. Takashi looked at her in amusement.

"I'm listening superstar, talk to me."

"When you no here yesterday at nighttime, I sleep in you bed with mommy. And mommy start cry."

"Bri it's bedtime, come on now you have to go back to bed." Braelyn said.

"And I say, why you cry mommy? You scared of dark? Mommy say no. So I say it okay mommy, I call daddy to save you from the dark and mommy start cry even louder."

"Brielle please listen to mommy, it's bedtime."

"Mommy cry loud when I say your name so I say, you miss daddy? And mommy do like this," Brielle said nodding her head up and down to reenact her mother from last night. "So I know it not that mommy scared of dark. Mommy sad 'cause you no home, so she cry. Mommy miss you daddy, but you come home today so mommy no cry no more. See? So come home all the time so mommy don't cry." Brielle said sliding off the bed.

She scurried past Braelyn who watched her go into her bedroom. Braelyn pulled in their own bedroom door but left it open a crack. Even though Brielle's room was a couple feet away, they always left it open when she was home in case of anything.

Braelyn turned back around and looked in the room to see Takashi staring her down. There was no expression on his face but he was looking really hard. Braelyn was super embarrassed as she averted eye contact and went into the bathroom to finish getting dressed. Coming out in her ankle length long sleeve night dress and smelling like cucumbers, Braelyn crawled into bed.

Seconds later the TV turned off and automatically her heart started racing. Usually when the TV came off and they were alone in the bed she knew Takashi wanted sex, but she urged herself to calm down. She should have known he wouldn't want that because he hadn't touched her in three weeks. He even slept on the other side of the bed with his back to her. Braelyn saw him masturbathing and watching porn several times but he never touched her.

Call her flip floppy but she sort of wanted that again. No she didn't really like sex so she should have been content with Takashi not bothering her for it anymore. But it just became something she was use too. It was like walking down a block and being hit on by the same guy day after day. It was annoying and you couldn't stand him. Then one day he doesn't approach you and after that he never speaks to you again. You start to miss it because it was something you were use to. That's how Braelyn felt. She sort of missed the attention and wanted him to bother her for sex even though she didn't like it that much.

Braelyn closed her eyes but couldn't sleep, the tension was so high there was no way another night could go by without it being addressed. Blowing out a quick breath, Braelyn turned around to face him. She stared at his back for a moment before reaching out and using her index finger to poke him.

"Takashi, we need to talk, it's very important."

Takashi paused for a long while, then titled his head back some even though he couldn't see her. "You pregnant?"

"No."

He turned back around and closed his eyes.

"I just feel like you owe my father an apology."

"That's cool, I feel like I'm owned a lot of things too." He mumbled.

Braelyn knew this side of him well enough to know he was still in his mood. It came different ways. Sometimes he'd obviously be angry, other times he was very calm but sarcastic or rude when you spoke to him and she could tell he was in the second kind of mood. He already ignored her for so long and didn't even come home last night and was still mad.

"Can you call my father an apologize for the remark you made? It was very disrespectful and you made me very upset. You disrespected me, my mother and my father. How could you think saying something like that is okay? I can't even look my father in the eyes now. Do you think that sort of behavior is acceptable?"

"Yup." Takashi said.

Braelyn quickly looked away and shook her head. "Wow." She mumbled.

"Do you think the way your father acted was cool? The dinner was going fine until he wanted to get up and play himself. I'm a grown man and he standing over me yelling and screaming like I'm a kid. Talking about he gonna bury me. But you missed that part though, right? Your father threatening to bury me in my own house was not disrespectful?"

"He was talking in regards to how you treat me! He's my father, any parent would be upset. You call me names when you get mad, you throw things, and your so rude and aggressive. I'm scared being around you."