If This Isn't Love by ShanicexLola Shanice Swint

Author:ShanicexLola Shanice Swint [Shanice Swint, ShanicexLola]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SXL Publications
Published: 2019-12-05T22:00:00+00:00

Karim

Pressing in the gate code to access his father’s home, Karim drove up the long driveway and gaped at the mini mansion his father seasonally resided in. Xavier was always on the road traveling, blowing money and exploring his options like he was thirty years younger than his fifty years on earth. His spacious, red bricked home was nearly vacant. Beautiful from the outside with dozens of large, lavish windows—empty on the inside with only full-sized beds in each room and tall, wooden dressers next to them.

Xavier was hardly in town. His time spent in Orlando was always quick. He was occasionally in and out to check on his family. Each time he arrived, he summoned his sons to meet up with him, then blessed their pockets to suppress his guilt of tearing their family apart. He always offered them his knowledge toward their endeavors.

Karim parked behind Khalil’s Acura and sighed before stepping out. This wasn’t where he wanted to be. He was too far away from his heart, perplexed because he and Amiyah were on bad terms. Whenever she cried, it stuck with him. The tears she didn’t deserve to shed were imprinted in his head, taunting him whenever he closed his eyes.

Karim fought an anxious urge to start his car and race back to her. Stepping out into the night’s air, he brushed his hand down his face and channeled his thoughts. The last thing he needed was for his brothers to call out his emotions in front of their father.

He approached the door and looked around. Karim didn’t have to knock; the threshold was prepared for him to enter.

“Yo!” he shouted. His deep voice echoed and bounced off the walls. Karim’s steps were loud on the tile floors. Following his father’s booming voice, he met them in the kitchen standing around with glasses of whiskey in their hands. Rashad’s face harbored a scowl while his father and Khalil chopped it up with smiles on their faces. Rashad appeared relieved that Karim was finally there.

“My boy!” Xavier sat his glass down and approached Karim with open arms. Pulling him into a rough embrace, he patted Karim’s back and chuckled. The slur in his words along with the liquor on his breath confirmed he was intoxicated.

“What’s up, pops? Where you in from?” Karim inquired. He held his breath until Xavier freed him, then looked to Rashad and Khalil for answers. Khalil shrugged.

“I’m not shocked.” Rashad muttered and scoffed. He’d never been a fan of their father.

“Some of everywhere. You know how I get down, son.” He laughed. “But what’s been up with you, Rim? Fill your old man in on your life.”

Karim patted his father’s growing belly and chuckled. “Working hard. Everybody ain’t able to lay around and have bitches feed ‘em grapes and shit.”

“Grapes ain’t do that.” Khalil laughed while scrolling through his phone. He headed toward the doorway and announced his departure by waving it in the air. “Duty calls.”

“And he rode with me,” Rashad added. Gulping the rest of his drink like it was a shot, he mumbled good luck in Karim’s ear and rushed out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.