hurt bae.

loyalty

texting my phone while right beside him

Los Angeles, California. 10:37pm

"I don't wanna be your ex

We're way too good at being friends." 

Kehlani recorded Kiana singing in a nightclub with a new camera that she purchased from Target. It didn't pick up much of the nice lighting in the club, but it definitely picked up Kiana's beauty perfectly. Kehlani smiled as Kiana hit a falsetta and winked at her from across the room. She knew that her man was in the area, but that meant nothing.  Whatever was going down was nothing serious. Keh just wanted to have some fun. 

Kiana looked like fun. 

"Thank you everybody for coming out tonight. Shout out to my new friend Kehlani. She came all the way from Oakland." She smiled. The spotlight fell on Kehlani. Apart from the warmth in her cheeks, the warmth of the spotlight made her sweat a little bit. She forgot how hot LA was. Plus, this club was stuffy as hell. The humidity from outside poured into the open doors of the club. 

Kiana's man side-eyed Kehlani as he was only a few feet away. Kehlani stopped filming and placed the camera in its sling bag before blowing a kiss to Kiana. Admittedly, it was the inner toxic fuckboy making her act out like this. She didn't care, though. She deserved to be a little dangerous. 

Kiana stepped off the stage and signed people's bags, body parts and polaroids. Kehlani watched as she did so. She made it look graceful. She had not been interested in another creative spirit in a while. It was quite sexy, yes. When Kiana wrapped her arms around her man, she looked at Kehlani with such a sexy look. The tension between the two increased. 

She needed to see what Kiana wanted. It was a curiosity. An itch that needed to be scratched. When they all left the club, Kiana's man went to fetch Kiana's Corvette from the parking lot. Kehlani waited for an Uber that was like 30 minutes away. While standing by the club, Kiana strutted up to Kehlani and grabbed her by the chin and kissed her lips. Kehlani's hands explored Kiana's curves and grabbed the belt loops of her jeans. Kiana smiled into the kiss and pushed Kehlani up against the cement wall of the club's veranda. Their fingertips explored each other's tattoos. They stopped once they heard the hum of the Corvette come out. 

Kiana released Kehlani. "Where are you staying?" 

"The Marriott by LAX." Kehlani licked her lips. She watched Kiana get in the car with lustful eyes. 

The uber showed up not long after. LA traffic was crazy. Keh had not been down here in a long time. It was only a few days down here and the vibe was immaculate. Maybe she'd move all her stuff down here. The setting was perfect to get to know different people. Not a lot of people in her circle were down here, so she could start anew. More hungry actors were down here. Last time she was on these streets, she met Solana. Though she had her regrets, this time was for certain...no more picking up random people on the streets at a YMCA. 

Kehlani opened her phone and called Megan to check on her. There was no hesitation. Even though she was not being everything she said she would be, she still had an urge to see how she was doing. She had to know if she was okay. If she still felt the same. A huge part of her also prayed that Megan didn't find someone else. They both experienced different things that pulled them together for a reason. It was just that right now...Kehlani was very unsure on what she wanted out of them two. 

Megan answered after 5 trills of the Facetime chime. The sun was beaming down on her and she was in a bikini. "Hello," her southern accent purred through Kehlani's airpods. "What's up?" 

"What's good with you?" Kehlani asked, trying to sound chill. 

"In Greece." Megan raised a champagne flute. "Thank you, daddy." 

Kehlani groaned at the way she spoke. Even though it was alluring, she knew that that credit bill was going to be atrocious. She was not surprised that Megan would aim that low, though. Luckily, a big break was coming in for a documentary project she was working on. 

"When you coming back to Oakland?" 

"I don't know." 

"Let me know." Megan smiled sweetly. 

That was when the call ended. Kehlani sucked her teeth and rolled down the window. The balmy but windy SoCal air smelled like opportunity, sex and weed. Nothing really good. Maybe she needed some stability. Maybe walking out on Megan was a mistake. 

The lonely hotel room at the Marriott was cleaned by the staff to perfection. All of Kehlani's writing supplies was neatly organized on the desk. There was a complimentary bottle of champagne, but Kehlani did not feel like drinking or smoking. She stared outside on the balcony. She wondered if she truly needed Megan in her life or was that just pure infatuation. She did not want to do her like Solana did and fuck around. Or even take advantage of her just for a creative project. Maybe that was what really made the connection not real to her. Megan was a human...and not a perfect mistake. 

There was a loud knock on the hotel door. Kehlani went to answer it and saw Kiana in a trench coat. Kehlani widened her eyes. "Yo..." 

"Hey," Kiana said, her voice sounding sweet. "What were you doing?" 

"Just thinking." Kehlani took her hand. "Come in." 

Kiana sat in the swivel chair across from Kehlani's bed. "What were you thinking about?" 

"I don't wanna talk about it, shawty. Just come here." 

"Uhn Uhn..." Kiana smirked. "As fine as you are, I can sense something is wrong. And I'm not finna be some damn pity pussy." 

Kehlani laughed and got out a bottle of sparkling water. "I just am in a weird stage of life. Quarter life crisis maybe. I'm 26. Been in 2 bad relationships. I promised this shawty the world and now I'm in a hotel room while she has my credit card in Greece. I'm here with you in LA, trying to figure my life out." 

Kiana nodded. "Well, why are you here?" 

"I'm running away from everything. Trying to start a new life." Kehlani yawned. "I don't know." 

"Keh...you gotta figure it out. This girl you want is probably missing you like crazy. Unsure on how to deal..." Kiana crossed her legs. "What happened in Oakland that was so bad?" 

"I need a change of scenery." 

"Was the last break up that bad?" 

"I lived with her for our entire relationship. And when I met this new girl...." 

"She came right in and everything felt right?" 

"Yeah." 

Kiana smiled. "Damn. She must be lucky." 

Kehlani shook her head. "Nah. I'm kinda fucked up." 

"You're not. Everyone has their moments." Kiana sat beside Kehlani on the bed. "Me and Jerome are not on the best terms right now because I'm craving something else. I want freedom. He held me down for such a long time, but whole time, loyalty is not everything that can keep a person. It's other things he can't give me."

Kehlani placed her hand on top of Kiana's. "I get that. I feel like I can't give Megan what she deserves." 

"You can. You just have to take that leap of faith. If you want her, get her." 

Kehlani nodded. "Okay. But, let me get this interest in you out of my system." 

Kiana smirked as she straddled Kehlani. "I'll let you fuck just this once. But, afterwards..." 

"Look...I'm just gonna break you off since your man can't and after this we can make off like we never  did it." 

"I can do that."