The Games We Play Read online

  The Games We Play

  Copyright 2018 Alexandra Warren

  Cover Art by Visual Luxe

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to real locations, people, or events is coincidental and unintentional.

  Londyn

  The quicker we get in, the quicker we get out.

  That’s what I kept telling myself as I rode shotgun with my big brother Eric on the way to our mother’s annual “After the Holidays” party, attempting to prep myself for the night to come.

  It was the event of the year for my mother - a highlight - a reason for her to get fancy and fucked up with her friends as opposed to their usual beer-buzzed barbecues on Saturdays and brunch drunk Sundays. And while I couldn’t truly knock their game since they were all successful, paid, living their best lives and representing the black don’t crack tribe to the fullest, I was already dreading the hangover I’d more than likely have tomorrow on their behalf.

  Unless we get in, and get out.

  My brother was busy bobbing his head to some playlist compiled of new age bullshit when I interrupted to ask, “What’s our exit strategy, E? You know mama will have our asses passed out and sleeping over like last year if we let her.”

  He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. “Shit, I ain’t opposed. You know Auntie Sheri and Auntie Linda are gonna have the bomb brunch spread poppin’ in the morning.”

  Morning?

  “Ugh, I wish you would’ve told me that before I had you pick me up. I would’ve driven myself if I knew you were planning on snuggling up with cougar gang all night,” I said with a roll of my eyes, pulling out my phone to check the Uber rates and discovering they had already surged for the night meaning I was trapped.

  Of course Eric didn’t see it that way, pulling into the circle drive of the Airbnb my mother had been renting out for the past three years just for this event as he insisted, “They’re nice people, LoLo. Shit, they all raised us one way or another. And besides, what I look like turning down top-shelf liquor and breakfast food cooked with love?”

  While I wanted to be annoyed, I couldn’t help but laugh since we both knew those were practically his two favorite things on the planet; something he had inherited from our mother. Truth be told, they were exactly alike. Life of the party types, loved to have a good time, loved to live in the moment and deal with the consequences later; all things I learned from instead of absorbing since I saw the types of situations it had gotten the both of them in.

  But the fact that my brother was my mother’s twin made him tighter with cougar gang than I could ever be, allowing me to reply, “Yeah, they love you cause you gas them up and they think you’re oh-so-handsome. All I get is looks of sympathy because their old asses think they get more play than me. Little do they know…”

  He cut me off. “Aight, chill with all that. I don’t wanna hear nothin’ about what you be on when I’m not around.”

  I may not have been on as much as I was leading on, but that still didn’t stop me from following him to the front door while asking, “Why not? I hear about you everywhere I go. Nail shop, hair salon, grocery store…”

  “Grocery store?”

  “The chick who works grocery pick-up said y’all were in the same gym class back in high school. Told me to tell you hello,” I explained, still unsure of how she made the connection that we were related, though it was something I was forced to grow used to over the years; being known as Eric’s little sister.

  “Aww man, I know who you’re talkin’ about. She got a gang of kids now, but she still be lookin’ thick as hell in those khakis,” Eric finally replied, only making the whole thing even more annoying.

  I didn’t get a chance to offer a full response, groaning instead as my mother opened the door with a glass of champagne already in her hand. Of course she had gotten the party started without us and didn’t waste a minute rubbing it in our faces when she acknowledged, “My tardy children. Glad you two finally showed up… notably empty-handed.”

  Eric was the first to pull her into a hug as he reasoned, “Come on, ma. We knew you had the liquor stash on lock.”

  “But that still doesn’t mean you should show up with nothing. Haven’t I taught you any party etiquette?” she asked, pulling away before offering me equal love.

  While I may not have been her mini-me like Eric was, I still knew to answer, “Yeah. Balance your alcohol intake with water. Don’t drink anything you didn’t see the bartender make with your own two eyes. Always ask for a double instead of ordering two drinks, cause then you’ll get the liquor you want without all the juice…”

  Her smirk was proud as she cheered, “That’s my baby. And you look cute. Let me have this dress when you’re done with it.”

  “I’m pretty sure I took it from your closet,” I replied, taking a glance down to double-check.

  Yep. Definitely hers.

  I wasn’t sure if it was good for her or bad for me that we could - and did - share clothes. But she didn’t seem pulled either way when she squealed, “Well no wonder!” Before leading us deeper into the house that was already full of people, surely ready to start down the line of annoying introductions as if we didn’t already know everyone here. But to my surprise, she didn’t get too far without telling her son, “One of your little friends is here. Ellen’s boy.”

  Eric’s face scrunched. “Ellen’s boy? Chance? My ni… brother Chance is here? Where he at?” he asked, looking around the crowd pouring out of the kitchen into the living room.

  She tossed her free hand towards the hall when she answered, “I think he’s downstairs playing pool with some of the other guys. Go get yourself acquainted because one of them might be your stepdaddy after tonight. Hell, it might be your little friend. He’s grown up real nice.”

  Now it was my face scrunching. “Ew, mama.”

  My disgust didn’t last long though once Chance emerged from the basement looking even better than I remembered. He had always been crush-worthy; the apple of all my homegirls’ eyes back when we were freshmen and they were seniors, with all the attributes that made up a fine upperclassman in our shallow minds. Toffee skin, good hair, full lips, a car of his own - albeit, raggedy at the time - instead of his mama’s, played sports, not a complete idiot even though he hung out with my dumbass brother.

  He was “that dude” back then. And now, what were once boyish features had sharpened into those of a grown ass man, with the facial hair and chiseled jawline to show for it. In the words of my mother, he had definitely grown up real nice.

  Unfortunately, my lusting couldn’t last forever once Eric shouted, “Yo! Why you ain’t tell me you were coming in town?! Ol’ handsome ass, Odell Beckham lookin’ ass nigga.”

  While Chance laughed - damn, when’d his laugh get so sexy - my mother put her hand on her hip to scold, “Eric, I will embarrass you in front of all these people. You better watch your mouth.”

  “My bad, mama. I just wasn’t expecting to see my boy. It’s been way too long,” he gushed as he pulled his friend into another shoulder hug as if he hadn’t just given him one, making my mom smile before she was yanked away by one of our “aunties”.

  Chance was a good sport about the extra attention, embracing one of his best friends even when he teased, “Fool, you’re actin’ like we don’t talk almost every day.”

  “Group chat ain’t the same as dappin’ you up in real life though,” Eric reasoned as Chance finally looked past him towards me and whispered, “Damn.”

  “Yeah, you aren’t the only o
ne who’s grown up real nice,” I thought to myself as I said, “Hey Chance.”

  He extended his arms for a hug that I greedily stepped into, immediately noticing that even his signature scent had been replaced. No longer the cheap body spray all the boys had relied on to cover up their funk back in the day, but a manly, woodsy cologne that had me sinking deeper into his arms on the exhale.

  “My girl Paris. What’s up, little one?” he asked teasingly, making me roll my eyes as I - regretfully - stepped away.

  “You know my name is Londyn and that corny ass joke hasn’t gotten any funnier over the past decade. Feel free to let it go,” I replied, crossing my arms over my chest since mom’s dress did nothing to hide how hard my nipples had gotten from just the smell of him; not to mention how strong his arms felt wrapped around me and the sexy smirk he had on his face as he unashamedly gave me a onceover.

  Ol’ Chance was definitely checkin’ for your girl. But in true big brother fashion, Eric had to be a hater, interrupting our moment to ask, “So how long you been in town? And who all found out before I did so I know how mad to be?”

  Chance laughed that sexy, full laugh again. “Damn, man. You’re actin’ like you’re my girl or somethin’. I just got here earlier this evening. Settled in at my hotel, got over to Moms, and then she dragged me straight here.”

  Eric seemed satisfied with that explanation, nodding as he quietly replied, “Yeah aight. As long as I’m not the last one to find out.” Then he continued on to ask, “So how long you here for? Just for the weekend?”

  For whatever reason, Chance looked my way when he answered, “I’ll actually be back for a month and some change.” Turning back towards Eric to explain, “My company got contract for an assignment here that I probably could’ve done remotely, but they thought it’d be cool to send me in the flesh so I could spend some time with the fam and all that.”

  Even if the conversation wasn’t for me, I nodded as I absorbed the information along with the fact that he’d be around long enough for me to at least make a pass at him without Eric’s watchful eye.

  But to my surprise, Eric actually - and probably unintentionally - gave me an opening when he mentioned, “You know LoLo does that same shit you do.” Watching Chance’s eyebrow pique before he added, “Yeah, baby girl is a whiz when it comes to all that gaming shit.”

  This time, Chance fully turned my way, a hint of amusement on his face as he said, “Should’ve known. Your ass stayed in the computer screen or on a system back in the day.”

  “Y’all did too. Making all that noise playing Madden like a check was involved. You would’ve thought one of y’all would be an offensive coordinator in the league or somethin’ by now,” I teased, making Chance chuckle while Eric muttered, “Shit I wish.”

  I was just getting settled into the conversation when my mother returned with two glasses of champagne, shoving one in my hand as she whispered, “You looked thirsty.”

  My first instinct was to turn her down since it was still way too early in the night to be accepting what I knew would be never-ending liquor offerings. But when I looked at her face, I realized she wasn’t talking about an actual dehydration, instead pointing out the fact that I hadn’t taken my eyes off Chance since he came upstairs. The glass of champagne was nothing more than a, “Take your foot off the gas pedal, baby girl. Let him come to you.”

  So I took her advice, taking a cute little sip to show her message had been received as I listened to her take over the conversation. “So Chance, Ellen was telling me you’ll be here for quite a while. Don’t let that woman work you to death trying to turn that trap house of hers into a home. If she wants all those handy projects done, she needs to pay somebody instead of being cheap. She knew what she was getting into buying a fixer-upper knowing good and well her prissy behind can barely hold a nail straight.”

  While Chance and Eric both burst out laughing, I replied, “Dang, mama. You ain’t have to go in like that.”

  She shrugged, taking a sip from her own glass. “I’m just saying. If she’s gonna have you slaving on your off time, you better keep track of the hours and submit an invoice when you’re done.”

  The sincerity in her voice had me joining in on the laughs, especially since I was sure she had given the same message to Miss. Ellen verbatim. But I was glad Chance still knew my mother well enough to know this was typical her, only smiling when he defended, “Now you know I owe that woman everything, Miss. Annie. A little handiwork around the house is like paying off the interest on my life loan.”

  “Life loan, huh? If that’s the case, how come I haven’t been receiving any payments from the two of you?” she asked, turning her attention to Eric and I with a challenging glare that would’ve easily straightened us right up back when we were younger.

  But now, it only made us giggle, Eric wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he reasoned, “We showed up tonight. That’s gotta be worth something, right?”

  Instead of agreeing, she smacked a hand across his chest. “Minimum payment, boy. That loan is barely budging,” she replied, finally cracking a smile. But then she peeked over at me, giving me a look that I didn’t quite understand before she continued, “But you can make a real payment by going to get those ice bags out of the garage for me.”

  “I’ll help you, bruh,” Chance chimed in, though my mom was quick to stop him in his tracks with a hand against his chest.

  “Oh no, baby. You stay here. He’s got it. He owes me,” she insisted with a smirk before flashing another look my way. And once again, I didn’t get it until she dragged Eric into the crowd, leaving Chance and I alone.

  Ohhhhh.

  I immediately took another sip of my drink, trying to buy myself some time as Chance stood there just… waiting for me to say something. But nothing worth talking about came to mind, other than, “Are you thirsty? I can get you…”

  My feet were already turned towards the kitchen when Chance put a hand against my arm to stop me, pairing it with another one of his little chuckles. “Londyn, relax. You’re acting like I’m a stranger or somethin’.”

  I turned back his way, quickly sizing him up and coming to the conclusion that, “You kinda are though. I mean, you haven’t been back in so long - I haven’t seen you in so long. You probably have a whole ass wife and kids somewhere now.”

  Even if it wasn’t something I had heard through the grapevine, I wanted to clear any possibilities before I got too invested. And I was glad when he only laughed again before he replied, “Come on now, LoLo. Between Miss. Annie and your knucklehead brother, you’d know if I had a family. Shit, if anything, I’m surprised you ain’t doin’ the whole family thing yet.”

  My face scrunched when I fired back, “With what money? Kids are expensive. I ain’t got it.”

  “LoLo, I’m in the same field as you. Meaning I know no matter what you do, you definitely got it,” he insisted with an enthusiasm that seemed to extend beyond just my salary once paired with the heated stare he was giving me.

  But before I could make any real use of it, Eric returned from his journey to announce, “The ice was gone, so I gotta make a store run right quick. Chance, you tryna roll?”

  For a moment, it seemed like he was contemplating his answer as if he wasn’t quite ready to dead our conversation. But I assumed I must’ve imagined the whole thing when he finally replied, “Yeah, I’ll ride.” Leaving me to deal with the afterglow of our brief interaction alone.

  &

  The party had officially gotten out of control.

  Maybe if I was as drunk as everyone else seemed to be, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, too busy having my own fun to be worried about what could go wrong. But being the mostly sober saint in the bunch had me trying to keep everything intact while my mother let the liquor lead the way, changed out of her fancy party dress and heels into a snow bunny pajama onesie to match the rest of our animal “aunties” now that the crowd had loosened up.

  “Man, where in the hell
did they get these matching pajamas from though?” I asked Eric, annoyed to the max as I did my best to clean up some of the mess they had already created, though I was sure my mother had a cleaning crew coming by tomorrow. Even then, I didn’t want the cleaning crew judging us for completely trashing the place like college kids when these were all grown ass people.

  Of course Eric didn’t care either way, at some point turning into the DJ that had them really acting up when he shouted back, “I don’t know, but I want some too! You think they got extras?”

  Instead of answering, I only rolled my eyes, dragging my bag of trash towards the kitchen to collect the litter there when a familiar voice asked, “LoLo, you need some help?”

  Considering he was a guest, I felt terrible putting Chance to work. But since he appeared to be the only other one still in his right mind, I answered, “Yeah. Can you just… take this bag out to the curb, please?”

  “Come with me,” he insisted, grabbing the trash bag from my hand. And while my mind was still moving a mile a minute trying to stay ahead of the chaos, my feet stopped as if they had processed his request on their own.

  “Come with you?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Get some fresh air. You look like you could use it.”

  While fresh air sounded amazing compared to the heat all of these bodies were creating in the house, the fact that winter was in full effect had me replying, “Uhh… it’s cold outside.”

  Instead of catching my drift, he sat the bag down to take his blazer off then handed it my way. “Here. You can wear my jacket. Now come on.”

  My nerves were so frazzled from dealing with these grown children that I almost turned him down again until I realized the opportunity he was really offering; an opportunity to pick up the conversation we hadn’t gotten to finish because of my meddling ass brother. And with that on my mind, I took his jacket and slipped it over my shoulders, immediately catching how strongly it smelled of him.

  Too damn good.

  I was already swooning from that alone when he smiled and said, “Looks good on you.” Before picking up the trash and leading the way to the front door. And once we stepped outside, the silence was deafening compared to all the noise inside, providing a much-needed relief for my ears until Chance said, “So back to you and your future family. You tellin’ me you ain’t got a man around here tryna make that happen?”