14

sierra and rayana enter their grandparents home, empty handed and hungry. it's been awhile since their entire family has been together, rayanas kids included, and their mother and grandparents insisted that a family dinner was way overdue.

their grandparents greet them in the foyer, a huge smile on their grandmothers face. "hey, granny," they say i'm unison, stepping out of their shoes. their grandmother bounds over to them in an apron with a spoon in her hand.

"oh, look at you two! sierra, have you been eating?" she asks, pulling her in for a hug and holding sierras head to her chest. sierra only chuckles and nods her head, hugging on tight to her grandmother.

they pull apart and sierra walks deeper into the house to greet her grandpa. he puts his glasses on as he approaches. "sierra?"

"hi, papa," she says, opening her arms for a hug but he doesn't get up from his spot, just looks at her like he can't tell who she is.

"you need to eat more. you look thin," he states, finally getting up to engulf sierra in a bone crushing hug. he's a thin man, though he's strong and loves hard. "but how's work? you doing well in school?" he holds her at her upper back and peers down at her through beady, wrinkled eyes.

"everything's good, grandad," she says. he kisses her on the forehead before releasing her. they both sit down at the table, and sierra looks around for her mother.

"in the back," her grandfather says, taking his glasses off and picking up the newspaper. sierra only nods and watches him while he reads. he's getting old, and every time sierra thinks about it, her eyes start to get misty. out of both of her grandparents, she is closest with her grandpa. he played the father and grandfather role for her growing up, since their father wasn't around—he left before sierra got the chance to really understand that she had a father. rayana at least knew him for 5 years.

her grandpa looks up at her, feeling her stare. he looks up at her underneath his eyebrows, in that old man way, his face twisted up. "what you looking at, little girl?"

"you, papa," sierra says. he shakes his head at her and goes back to reading the paper, a small smile on his face.

"you bothering granddaddy?" rayana asks, walking around the table and slinging an arm around him. he pats her hand and puts the paper down.

"when are the kids coming?" he asks, looking up at rayana.

"rakim said he'll be here soon," rayana says. their grandfather makes a disapproving noise at the mention of rayanas kids' father, but doesn't say anything else. "be nice to him when he gets here too, grandad."

"this is my house, i aint got to be nice to nobody," he says, going back to reading. rayana rolls her eyes and parts from him, taking a seat next to sierra and tapping on her phone. their grandfather doesn't approve of any men they bring around, and never will. most of the time, the sisters doing bring their men around their grandpa because of the way that he is, but in rayanas case that is almost inevitable.

minutes later, their mother comes into the kitchen and hugs them both, squeezing onto sierra a bit longer than she does rayana. sierra is around less than rayana because of her work and school schedule. though she calls her mom a lot, it isn't the same as seeing each other—especially when they only live twenty minutes from each other. "this is a cute dress," her mother, london, compliments. it's a simple black wrap dress that hugs her body nicely. "and i like this color on you. gon' 'head then, girl!" she says, referring to her hair.

"thanks, mama," sierra kisses her mother on the cheek and retakes her seat and looks around her grandparents kitchen. it's barely changed since she was little, minus the paint job it gets every couple of years, along with new counters every five. she missed being here almost everyday, and every time she's here as a grown woman, she realizes how old she really is and it brings tears to her eyes.

"how does it feel to have all of your girls under one roof?" london asks her father. he doesn't look up from the paper and just grunts, but they know his heart. sierras grandmother whacks him on the shoulder with a towel before returning back to cooking.

twenty minutes later, all five of them are sitting at the table, their hands joined to say grace. her grandfather blesses the food quickly, eager to eat the food, just like sierra who has missed her grandmothers cooking.

her grandmother dishes out everyones food, putting extra on sierras. "don't give me that look, girl. you need to eat," her grandmother says when sierra looks at the large portions in confusion. she takes the plate, though, and immediately digs in. "see? how's work, sierra?"

sierra swallows a big bite of food before answering. "work is good, i've been working in the maternity ward lately, though. it's pretty nice," she says. she's held a lot of newborns in the last week and it's starting to become her favorite part of the hospital.

"and school?"

"same old, same old."

her grandparents nod in approval and they move onto rayana, asking about her kids who still aren't here yet. "i called him, he said he was on the way," rayana says, wiping her mouth and checking her apple watch. their grandad makes a noise of disapproval and rayana sighs heavily. "stop, grandad."

"raymond," her grandmother says in a warning tone, cutting her eyes at him. he waves her off mumbles to himself as he digs into his food. her grandmother rolls her eyes and mouths to rayana to ignore him. she's the only supportive one when it comes to sierra and rayanas relationships. she's a big fan of rakim, mostly because of the fact that he's the father of rayanas two kids. she also really likes jack, though, and jack really likes her. he's a polite guy and wins over grand mother's easily with that baby face of his. "what about you, sierra?"

sierra looks at her grandmother skeptically. "hmm?"

her grandmother smiles at her, and sierra already knows where it's going. "have you found a boy?"

"she bet' not!" her grandfather says, looking at sierra with wide eyes. all four pairs of eyes rest on her, and her face starts to burn. she feels rayanas stare the hardest, and her mouth feels dry. she should have known this topic was going to come up—her family is too nosey for this to be left untouched.

sierra licks her now dry lips and makes the mistake of glancing at her sister. rayana lifts her glass to her lips and raises her eyebrows at her over the rim. "are we going to get to meet him?" her mother asks, an accusatory look on her face. sierra opens her mouth to tell them that they've already met him, but she's literally saved by the bell.

rayana and their grandfather both get up to get the door, but rayana gets there first and her eldest daughter, tamari, comes bounding in. "hi, mommy!" she yells.

"hi, baby!" tamari runs further into the house and jumps onto london.

"hey, baby girl," tamari doesn't stay still long enough and jumps onto sierra. sierra catches her and holds her firmly in her lap.

"hey, mari."

"i missed you, sisi!" sierra kisses her forehead and runs her hand over her braids.

"i missed you too! how was school today?" sierra isnt able to focus on what tamari is saying, due to the increasing volume of her grandfather and sisters voices. tamari doesn't seem to notice—maybe care—about that fact, and keeps talking. her grandmother stands up from the table and puts her hands on her hips, her lips pursed as she watches silently from the table.

it's only when her grandmother yells, "raymond!" at her grandfather that tamari is quiet, her eyes wide and confused as to why her great grandmother is yelling. "raymond, leave that boy alone! rakim, come on inside." her grandmother is crossing the dining room in seconds, grabbing sierras grandfather by the forearm and dragging him into the back.

sierras mother sighs and rubs her forehead, standing to greet rakim. tamari and sierra stay where they are, and tamari picks off of sierras plate. "hey, rock," sierra says after her mom greets her "brother in law". rakim and sierra dap each other up, but he doesn't take a seat.

"what's up, sierra?" his voice is grave, and he doesn't wait for a response. he only passes his youngest child over to rayana and kisses her on the cheek. "i'm about to head out, ray. tell pam i'm sorry... it was nice seeing you, sierra. ms. howard." he gives a curt nod to her mother. "come here, baby girl." he says, taking tamari away from sierra. rakim and jack always referred to sierras grandmother by her first name, because she insisted on it. their grandfather is always mr. allen.

just as quick as he got in, rakim is gone and it's just sierra, her sister, her mother, and her nieces. none of them eat, except for tamari who now has her own plate. "so, whos this boy?" her mother asks, putting her chin on top of her hands.

sierra looks at her mom and runs a hand over her hair in an uneasy manner. "mom..." she says, her eyes now downcast.

"what?" she asks. when sierra doesn't respond immediately, london's face starts to fall, morphing from curiosity into disbelief. "sierra." she says, unable to comprehend what her daughter isn't necessarily telling her.

"you already know him, mom."

her mother goes mute at the confession, and sierra looks up, only to be met with wide eyes. "i just can't believe it," london says, shaking her head. her grandparents emerge just at that very moment.

"believe what?" her grandmother questions.

london and sierra look at each other, sierras eyes silently begging her to keep quiet. but her mother ignores her silent pleas. "we already know her little boyfriend."

a delighted smile takes over her grandmothers face. "that's nice to hear, baby!"

"mama! don't say that!" london cries. pam waves her daughter off and walks around the table to pat her granddaughter on the shoulder.

"are you happy?" her grandmother asks, looking down at her.

sierra doesn't even have to think about her answer. the last couple weeks with jack have been eye opening, but fun nonetheless. it's so clear that they've both grown since their split and that jack is actually trying to keep her. the effort he's putting in alone makes her happy.

"i am."

they crowd in the living room, sierras nieces playing on the floor in front of the TV.

sierra: are u almost here??

jack: chill, im otw

she avoids rolling her eyes and flips her phone in her hand. sierra loves her family, but after it became public news that she was trying again with jack, both her mother and grandfather lectured her the entire duration of dinner, and continued to do so until they all sat down to watch the news. so she texted jack to come pick her up.

sierra shifts in her seat, drawing her legs up onto the couch. "get your feet off my furniture, sierra," her grandfather says without looking away from the TV. she huffs and puts her legs back on the ground. her grandfather makes a disapproving sound, and sierra forced herself to keep her eyes out of the back of her head. he's just an old man, she tells herself.

a few minutes later, her phone buzzes with a text from jack.

jack: i'm outside

sierra stands up and grabs her purse from off of the floor. "alright, yall, im gonna head out," she says as calmly as possible, tryinf not to seem happy and eager, even though she wants to run out of here and jump in jacks coupe.

all eyes land on her again, and she nervously pushes her hair to one shoulder. "you're leaving?" her grandfather asks, looking at her over his glasses. sierra nods and he continues to stare at her over her lenses. "it's that boy, ain't it?"

sierra only shrugs. "he's outside," she says, putting both hands on her left hip. he only sighs and goes back to watching TV. sierra glances over at her mom, but she's too engrossed in her phone. "i'll see you later, mama." she says, giving her a hug. london hugs her tightly and kisses her cheek, wiping off the lipstick stain afterwards.

"be safe," is all she says. sierra nods and makes her rounds, hugging her sister and her nieces next. rayana just tells her to call her soon. her grandfather accepts her hug, and when sierra pulls back, she notices his pained expression. "what, papa?"

"you just take it easy, sierra," he says, patting her hand. sierra doesn't know how to take his words, whether they're encouraging or not. she hovers over him until he says, "gone on, girl. he's waiting, aint he?"

sierra hugs her grandmother and then pulls her up with her. "come on, granny."

"okay, baby."

she says one last goodbye before her and her grandmother walk outside to see jack. he rolls his window down as they approach and waves. "hey, grandma pam," he says from the car.

"hi, jack, baby. how you doing?" she asks. jack gets out of the car to greet his grandmother, giving her a big hug. jack is a family man, which initially attracted her to him. he's big on family and the both of them getting along with each other's family. he made sure he won over her grandparents first, and still fought for her grandfathers approval even though he's sure he's never going to get it.

"i'm good, and yourself?" he asks, pulling back but keep his hands on her shoulders.

sierras grandmother shrugs and waves a hand in the air. "can't complain," she says. she glances over at sierra and then back at jack, a small smile on her face. "well, im gonna let y'all get to it. it was nice seeing you jack, come around sometime, okay?"

"yes maam, it was nice seeing you too," they hug once again and then sierras grandmother starts back up the driveway, squeezing sierras shoulder on the way past her.

once jack and sierra are finally alone, she wastes no time and wraps her arms around his torso, putting her head in his chest. jack wraps his arms around her back and pulls her flush against him, running his hand up and down her back. "hey, princess," he says, kissing the top of her head. "you alright?" jack asks when she doesn't answer.

"mhm," she mumbles, looking up at him and resting her chin in the center of his chest. she puckers her lips and jack glances at her grandparents house. she groans and pulls away from him. "let's go."

they get in his car and he drives down the block before pulling over on the curb. he leans across the console and holds her chin in his hand and then places his lips on hers. sierra holds onto his wrist and relaxes against his touch. she hums against his lips and tangles her finger in the hair at the base of his neck.

the two of them pull apart seconds later for air, resting their foreheads together. "where do you want to go?" he asks, pushing her hair behind her shoulders. jack smiles at her and places a quick kiss on her lips. sierra smirks at him and further tangles her hands in his hair. "come on, dawg." jacks says, a smile on his face.

"fine. i want ice cream," sierra replies, pulling away from him completely, crossing her arms over her chest. when jack pulls off and notices her without her seatbelt, he stops in the middle of the road and reaches across her to grab her seatbelt, rolling his eyes the entire time.

sierra smiles in satisfaction. she really always gets her way

-

jack stands in line with his arms wrapped around sierras waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. sierra rests her arms atop of his and sighs, tired of waiting in line for ice cream of all things. "bro, i want to go home," she whines, sighing heavily and pulling herself out of jacks hold.

he straightens up and drapes an arm around her shoulders. "relax, sierra. whats up with you?" jack asks looking down at her. she doesn't respond and crosses her arms over her chest. he rolls her eyes at the attitude she's had since he picked her up, that has only worsened, but kisses her head to try and ease her.

finally, it's their turn to order and sierra sweetens up, the attitude she's had for the last thirty minutes flying out of the window. she orders her ice cream and then jack follows. the employee looks at him with furrowed eyebrows, a look of recognition on their face but they're not sure from where. they don't say anything and scoop the ice cream for jack and sierra.

"it's gonna be $8.25," the employee says. jack pulls out his wallet and hands the person a twenty dollar bill.

"keep the change," jack says, grabbing sierras hand and walking her out of the ice cream parlor. he leads them to a table outside and they sit down, sierra pulling her chair right next to jacks. he looks at her weirdly and she returns it.

"what?" she asks, taking a bite of ice cream.

"why you all up on me?" he asks, a smile on his face. he doesn't mind, actually. he likes her being clingy and all over him, even when he acts like he doesn't.

sierra rolls her eyes. "shut up," she says, but she doesn't make an effort to move her chair. they eat their ice cream in silence, watching the people around them in the process. sierra looks over at jack who looks out at the parking lot. she scans her eyes over his face, letting out a small breath.

jack turns to look at her and sierra shyly looks away from him. a small smile stretches across his lips and he sets his bowl of ice cream down. "what?"

"what?"

"why were you staring at me?" he questions, gently pinching her cheek. she bats at his hand and moves out of his reach, her face and neck hot from being caught. "it's okay, baby."

"literally shut up," she says, turning away from him to hide her embarrassment. he catches her arm and pulls her back. "stop." sierra whines, an embarrassed smile on her face as she faces him.

"aww," he coos. sierra rolls her eyes and buries a hand in his hair, gently massaging behind his ear.

"i'm gonna miss you," she says after a moment, looking him in the eyes.

"it's only four days," jack replies. four days halfway across the world, he forgets to mention. jack has a few business ventures to take car of in the UK and he leaves tomorrow morning, leaving sierra all alone. he wanted her to go with, but she immediately told him no, and he rolled his eyes the entire time she explained that she had work and school.

sierra sighs dramatically and stops rubbing his head momentarily. "so i've been told," she replies, starting the massaging back up.

"you're gonna miss me that much, huh?" sierra has no shame when she nods her head 'yes'. jack looks down as his cheeks redden and a cocky smile grows on his face. "i'll be back." he says.

there's no doubting that.

•

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jackharlow in london wit it 🙏 man of the year awards @GQ thanks for having me

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urbanwyatt prada u

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——

tbh i thought giveon was british and he's from california that's so crazy

also much love for ella mai but she had to catch strays idc this my narrative!

hope this one wasnt so boring lollll

love ya