“Just don’t cry.”
Kelvin pulled up to Aliyah’s at sunset. They made plans that evening for a late dinner and date on the balcony. She said they needed to talk. The sky grew dark on the horizon. He parked in the grass but waited to get out. Under his hood, the sway bar clunked. Even that reminded him of her.
“Just don’t cry.”
That was Rule Number Five. He did the math earlier that week. Aliyah left for her vacation in two days, and her new role started right after she got back. That didn’t leave much time for them. He imagined Tiffany was thrilled. It all added up to one thing.
Tonight was the break-up dinner.
“Come on, man.” He rubbed his eyes. “Stop crying. You knew what this was. Ain’t nothing to be sad about. You did way better than you expected. She got work, and you helped with that. She said it herself. What more could you want?”
He took out his phone as a tear rolled down his cheek. He texted Imani yesterday, but she hadn’t gotten back to him yet. They both let themselves drift that summer. Their last phone call was a month ago. He scrolled through her social media recently. She posted a lot of pictures with friends and family. Things still seemed rough with her dad.
Kelvin also saw another guy on her feed. In several photos, she hung on him while smiling like she used to smile with him. Maybe she had a new boyfriend. Maybe he didn’t want to know.
He brushed his hair aside out of habit. His bangs, however, no longer fell in his face. He felt silly and ran a hand through his hair instead. The tufts bristled between his fingers. Aliyah liked it short and feathery. They plucked his eyebrows, too. He loved his new look, but he worried he wouldn’t be able to see himself without thinking about her.
“It doesn’t make sense,” he said, staring in the mirror, “She wouldn’t do all this just to end it, would she?”
The firepit crackled outside. A group of people gathered around it, eating and drinking. Jamal worked the grill. Music played from the corners of the courtyard. Everybody greeted Kelvin when he walked up. They knew his name. He didn’t know theirs.
Once Aliyah answered the door, she immediately gave him a hug. It knocked the wind out of him. Her hair tickled his neck. He wrapped his arms around her a moment later. Her silk dress was glossy and flowed in the breeze.
She led him into the kitchen, holding his hand. The scent of onions wafted through the hallway. For the meal that evening, Jamal and his team prepared a pasta bar. Skillets of meat and vegetables simmered on the stove. Kelvin froze at the sight of it all.
The lights overhead cast the room in a warm glow. A small table waited for them, set with ceramic plates and fine silverware. The cider shimmered in their glasses. A ring of candles stood in the middle and made for an intimate centerpiece. He didn’t expect the night to be so romantic. He should’ve worn something nicer than a button-up.
“So,” Aliyah said, walking to the table, “I have good news and bad news, but this time, I have to tell you the bad news first.”
Kelvin shuffled in behind her. The floor was rough with cracks in the stone tile. They each took a seat and sipped their drinks. He fiddled with his collar then rubbed his eyes again.
Aliyah placed her hand on his. “You alright?”
“Yeah, no, I think it’s just the onions.”
She snickered. As she held his hand, he used his other to hide his face.She cocked her head to peek around it.
“You know this ain’t the break-up dinner, right?”
He put his hand down. “It’s not?”
“Come on, now. I just cut your hair. I haven’t even gotten to enjoy it yet.”
His cheeks flushed red. She could read him like a book. He laughed at himself while he scooted his chair closer.
“Like I said, though, there is some bad news, and it is pretty bad, but I’m confident we’ll get through it.”
She pointed to the projector overhead. A screen by the wall extended from the ceiling. She turned it on with her phone.
“Are we watching something?” he asked.
She nodded. “I wanted to start tonight by telling you I’m not mad. Or hurt. I just wanted you to know that things are gonna change between us. Whether this goes well or not, our relationship will be different now.”
Her tone sent a chill down his spine. And he shivered. If it wasn’t the break-up dinner, he thought, how bad could it be?
“Okay… I’m ready.”
She pressed play.
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