Paths

SIX YEARS LATER

As she sat in her white Mercedes Benz truck on her way to the gym, Nairobi's phone rang out with a group FaceTime call. She immediately cracked a smile, answering the phone call without hesitation. Raelynn and Shadae's face popped up as the call connected.

"Hi my loves," she sung as she looked between them and the road.

"Hey Bitch. What y'all doing?" Raelynn questioned from her own car.

"On my way to breakfast with Kotah before work," she shrugged.

"Cooking breakfast for Charlee," Shadae spoke from her kitchen.

"Please tell my niece I said hey!" Raelynn shouted. "But I called because I'm sending out the invitation's for my party next month. And I wanted to make sure your ass would be there with your man.

Nairobi giddily nodded, "Yes! of course Pooh. I'll just have to see if Phoenix will come. He's been back in physical therapy so I don't know how his schedule is."

"Yayyy," She clapped, before abruptly stopping. "Wait is it okay if Kai and his girlfriend are there? 'Cause I already sent his invite," she twisted her lips to the side. "I'm sorry I know I should have asked but since he's been out I-"

Nairobi laughed at her expression, cutting her off. "Rae your grown you don't have to explain anything to me. I get it. I know y'all hang out." she shrugged.

"I just don't want it to be too much, if you want me to uninvite him I promise I can," Raelynn rambled.

It had officially been six years since he and Nairobi had saw or each other. Both of them keeping their promise to their selves and each other that they would do their best to move on with their lives.

After serving five of his ten year sentence, Kaier was released on good behavior. After his release a year ago, he and Nairobi had yet to be in the same place at the same time. Mostly a result of her move to Texas with her now fiancée almost three years ago.

Nairobi knew that them running into eachother was bound to happen, considering they grew up in the same city and had the same friends. But even after six years she wasn't exactly sure what that was going to feel like. She had suppressed most of her feelings toward the situation down and did her best not to revisit them.

Despite how she felt when everything had first transpired. She had actually grown to appreciate his decision to let her go. But if she was being honest she couldn't help but to feel a twinge of hurt feelings for the way that it ended. Not that she had needed it anymore considering she moved on, but she felt as though she never got any real closure from him. She wasn't bitter about it though, she couldn't be, she understood that he had to do what was best for him.

"Raelynn, I promise it's fine," she sternly spoke. "We are both adults."

"And you're not nervous to see him?" Shadae messily spoke raising an eyebrow, provoking laughter out of all of them.

Nairobi pinched her fingers together, "Just a little," she spoke honestly. "But it is what it is. We are both in whole new relationship's," she shrugged.

"Yeah with yall doppelgängers," Shadae joked again.

Nairobi laughed loudly sticking up her middle finger into the phone as she looked between them and the road. "Girl fuck you, my man does not look like him," she rolled her eyes.

Since she and Phoenix had started a relationship, her friends and family never let her live down that the two looked similar.

"Girl Phoenix is just a chunky Kaier. You not fooling nobody," Raelynn chimed in.