Honey and Spice(87)

“Kiki.” He reached out to grab my arm just like he’d done at FreakyFridayz, but his hand dropped away at the sound of the firm male voice behind him.

“You didn’t hear what she just said?”

Despite knowing I could handle Zack, I felt my heart flip at the sight of Malakai. It wasn’t that I thought Zack could hurt me, but it was his imposition on my space, the fact that he saw rejection as a game he could win. Confusingly, Simi followed him in, for no other purpose, it seemed, but to bear witness to drama.

Now, Zack stepped away, back straightened, chin angled up. “Chill, man. We were just catching up. Reminiscing, right?”

The anger roiled in my blood. “You’re fucking sick.”

Malakai had walked further into the room, standing next to me and opposite Zack. His voice was calm and low but there was fire trapped in its cool, an inferno trapped in steel. “Yeah, I think you’re done here.”

Something ugly flickered in Zack’s eye, a glimpse of what was beneath his pretty. His smile was a snarl. “You know, it’s mad you and I aren’t boys. We have a lot in common. We’re handsome, have the same taste in women.”

Malakai stilled. “Walk away, man.”

Zack picked up the beer he had placed on the counter and shrugged. “Relax. I’m going. But come to me for advice whenever you wanna know how to make Kiki feel good.”

“Zack, what the fuck is wrong with you?” He was so predictable in the worst ways but Malakai had pushed himself forward from the counter, angling himself so he was in front of me. His jaw clenched as if he was trying to contain something. “Talk about Kiki one more time.” Voice placid, a cobra quiet in its coil.

Zack laughed.

The fact that four of us were missing from the main party must have rung alarm bells because in that moment, Aminah, Shanti, Chioma, Ty, and Kofi entered the kitchen. I was holding on to Malakai’s wrist and felt his pulse quicken; the air in the room soured and thickened.

“Kai, he isn’t worth the energy.”

Kofi had moved in closer, eyes narrowed, and the girls tried and failed to pull me from Malakai’s side. I’d noticed that Simi had picked up her phone. Did she really hate me enough to live tweet my drama?

“Zack, go home.” Ty’s usually affable demeanor had shifted, as he levelled a glare at Zack that made it clear why his opponents were terrified of him on the field, the full bulk of him seeming magnified. Malakai’s fists were balled tight. It was as if his whole body was vibrating in restraint.

Zack smiled menacingly and gestured to the room. “Shit man, everyone’s so tense. Chill. I’m just being friendly to the new kid. I’m just saying I can be like”—his smile widened—“your tour guide or study buddy for Kiki. I can give you tips. I know all the right spots to make her—”

It happened in a blink. Malakai leapt toward Zack, making him drop his beer, grabbed him by the shirt, and shoved him against the kitchen island. Though Zack attempted to fight back, Malakai had him pinned. The boys moved to break up the fight just as the girls successfully disrupted my attempt to reach Malakai, pulling me away. Two of Zack’s boys belatedly entered the kitchen, too drunk to make out what was happening, but somehow figuring out that it might be too late to save their man after seeing Ty’s involvement. They made noises that approximated macho aggression and pretended to try and get involved just in case anyone clocked their cowardice.

Malakai breathed hard, his fist hovering as Ty and Kofi held him back. He eventually dropped it with reluctance but maintained his grip on Zack’s shirt. He lowered his voice. “Let me not catch you fucking breathing in her direction again.”

Kofi released Malakai, his eyes on Zack. “We won’t hold him back next time.”

Ty stood between Malakai and Zack, ensuring he was towering down over him. “We’ll help.”

Zack made a strangled sneer of paltry hypermasculine bluster as he pulled himself up and readjusted his shirt. “Whatever, man. Pussies. Party’s dead anyway,” he said before summoning his boys to leave. He nodded at me, “You know where to find me.”

I released a false, wide grin and chirped, “Rot in hell.”

Simi, clearly bored by the absence of a true fight, had already made her way out. The boys made sure Zack and his minions were moving along while the girls assisted with a chorus of cusses, Shanti shouting, “Shoo, motherfucker,” as Aminah released a string of Yoruba curses and Chi made sounds that might have been a summoning of malevolent ancestors. A strange lump formed in my throat as I watched them, and I felt my eyes start to fill.

“You okay?”

I turned to Malakai to see the wild fury in his eyes had now mutated to soft concern. I exhaled heavily. “Yeah, I just . . . I haven’t really had a group of people . . . friends, stand up for me before. It means a lot. And I hate that I brought all this drama to you.”

Malakai’s brows creased as he reached for my shoulders, holding them with gentle hands. “Scotch, we care about you. A lot. . . . And you didn’t bring the drama. Zack did. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you about not following you, I really did try and wait it out, but I couldn’t sit there knowing you were alone with that fucking creep. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I am. Thank you. I just . . . kind of don’t feel like going back to the party.”