#like if kali came into the picture again and had a moment with gabriel i dont think sam would mind at all

[nobodymitskigabriel]

Something about Sabriel is that I consider it non-monogamous by default like if they were really "established" I think Sam could walk in on Gabe and Rowena and just be like "nice".

[kumkaniudaku]

Heard About Us: One

A/N: Maya and CoCo are finally meeting. I won’t say too much until the last part is posted but, I would like to say (type) a huge thank you to @brianabreeze for creating such an iconic character and agreeing to work with me on this. If you want to be added of removed from the tag list, let one of us know. Enjoy. 

Friendly conversation pinged from table to table as women from all walks of life settled into the Ritz Carlton ballroom for the scheduled event. Spearheaded by a Los Angeles based support group, the weekend was reserved to celebrate and encourage women that have endured miscarriages. Ladies from all walks of life were invited to share their stories of pain and triumph in a safe and uplifting environment.

Tasha Boseman stood in the near the door, assisting with check-in to distract her brain from the nervous energy surging through her body.

“T, why are you over here,” her best friend and event planner, Yvonne, asked walking up to the table. “I appreciate the help but, I think I got it from here.”

“Damn! Excuse me for wanting to help my girl.”

“Don’t start, heffa. I know you well enough to know that you don’t want to go in there and talk to people.”

“You don’t know shit,” Tasha mumbled, looking around the room at the unfamiliar faces. Motherhood and being a wife had been her security blanket for five years. Now, she was forced to interact with people that weren’t her husband or daughter and she was uncharacteristically nervous. “Okay, you’re right!”

Grabbing her shoulders, Yvonne led a deep breathing exercise. “You are here to meet and bond with women that share your story. It’s okay to be scared but, you’ve gotta get out there and make new friends.”

“Are you saying you don’t want me anymore?”

“I’m saying,” Yvonne turned Tasha’s body to face the large ballroom. “Go mingle. It’s time for you to make more mommy friends. Go on!”

With a light shove, Tasha found herself shying away from the moment. Always the life of the party, she never had issues sparking conversation and meeting new people. Life managed to force her into a cocoon, making her first event since having her daughter feel like her first day of high school.

Nervously, the threaded through the see of people to reach her table. She sat alone and observed the cocktail hour, mentally complimenting outfits and eavesdropping on nearby conversations. Curiosity got the best of Tasha as she began to wonder who she was seated next to for the night.

“Serena Williams, oh thank God,” she commented, thankful that at least one familiar person would join her. “Jacquelyn, Tracy and...Maya Udaku, Queen of Wakanda.”

Her eyes bugged at the nameplate situated beside her seat. Tasha had met various women at the top of their professions from Beyonce to Soledad O’Brien but never a Queen.

Whipping her phone out, she tapped away in the Google search engine, trying to gather any information she could before the event began.

“Bachelor of Arts from Yale, songwriter, and award winning actress? Okay, sis, I see you!” Scrolling through the images, she smiled at a photo of the Queen in her sorority attire. “Uh oh, we got a ‘K’ in the house.”

As an alumnae chapter member of Delta Sigma Theta, Tasha had long pushed past the undergraduate jokes between the sororities and enjoyed spending time with other members of the Divine 9 organizations.

“Good evening, ladies,” Misha, the event’s organizer, started. “If I could get your attention for a moment, we’ll be starting in about ten minutes. Please, continue to mingle as you find your seats.”

As Tasha sent a quick text to her husband to find out more information, a regal presence settled over the room. Maya, in all her glory, came sauntering into the event space flanked by two fierce warriors on either side.

Her energy was warm despite seeming physically uncomfortable. Others would mistake her short introductions and nonchalant demeanor for snob behavior but, Tasha knew better. She was all too familiar with the defense mechanism because she frequently employed it in unfamiliar company. Maya was nervous.

“She looks familiar. Think I’ve seen her on stage before when we lived in New York.”

Chadwick sent back, not answering any of the questions that his wife had asked. Closing the message thread, Tasha focused her attention on the two guards flanking the owner of the last seat at the table.

“My Queen, your seat,” the deep brown woman informed the monarch. All eyes fell on Maya as she took her seat in silence.

“Thank you Ayo. You and Kali can stand outside the doors. I’ll call you if I need you.”

The guards eyed her curiously, remaining steadfast until they were given a reassuring nod. Turning back to the table of women in front of her, Maya gave everyone a once over, trying to decipher the various facial expressions around the table. When she stopped at Tasha, she was greeted with a warm, half smile and extended hand.

“I’m Tasha, Tasha Boseman. How you doin’, sis?” Her familiar Southern accent made Maya smile as she reached out to return the gesture.

“Maya Udaku, Queen of Wakanda. I’m good, girl. Nervous as hell.”

“Girl, you must be reading my mind!”

The new acquaintances shared a brief smile before their attention was drawn to the woman stepping to the podium at the front of the room.

“Again, good evening,” Misha waited for the responses to die down before continuing. “Welcome to our first ever women’s retreat, sponsored by my women’s support group based in LA. We’re so excited to have you here with us. To kick us off for the night, we have a few ice breaker questions in the bowls in the center of your tables. We want you to find a partner at your table and pick questions from the bowl to learn a bit more about each other. How does thirty minutes sound?” Murmurs of agreeance sounded in response. “Good! Time starts...now!”  

Pairing began immediately as the women around the room began to gravitate toward those they knew best. Tasha attempted to turn to Serena, finding that her friend had already paired with Gabrielle Union. Looking to her left, she noticed Maya nervously tapping at the table, watching the commotion around her.

“Should I go first or do you want to?”

Maya snapped out of her daze, offering a small smile. “You go ahead.”

“Okay, first question! Where are you from?”

“Originally? Savannah, Georgia. But, my parents raised me in New York. What about you? I hear that twang in your voice.”

“I was born and raised in Lithonia, Georgia. We’re basically next door neighbors,” Tasha laughed. “Your turn.”

Maya reached for the bowl to pick a slip of paper to unravel. “Oh, this is a good one. Share an interesting fact that not many people know about you.”

“Damn, that’s hard. Uh...not too many people know that I have my husband’s initials tattooed on my ring finger.” Tasha removed her wedding band to show the small “CAB” inscribed on the inner portion of the digit. “Don’t judge me. In my defense, he got his first!”

“Girl, how can I judge? I have my man’s name on me too!”

“Oop,” Tasha quirked her eyebrows at Maya. “I’m gonna assume that you not showing me where it is means that you got it somewhere that only he would see.”

Maya mirrored Tasha’s expression causing the two to fall out in a bout of loud laughter.

“Okay, you caught me! What’s the next question?”

“Alright, let’s see what we got,” Tasha fished for another piece of paper. “Are or were you a member of any organizations?”

“I think the one I take the most pride in is my sorority.”

“Sorority? Let me find out you’re a soror!” Though she knew the answer to the question, Tasha decided to let Maya reveal the information on her own.

“Only if you’re part of the first and finest sorority in all the land.”

“Oh no ma’am. I prefer to identify as a woman of vision, a devastating diva!”

“A Delta! Girl, I’m so sorry.”

The ladies shared another laugh, both of them silently excited to find someone that shared their sense of humor. Had Maya attempted that shade with anyone else, it would almost always turn into a passive aggressive altercation. With Tasha, she felt comfortable enough to drop the tidbit of sass and know that it could be appreciated.

“I’ll let you have that one! So, line name and number? You look like the tre.”

“Close, I was the quad. Akatress is what they called me. What about you?”

“I’m the lovely four duck known as Legend4ry in Deltaland,” Tasha answered, flipping her twist out dramatically. “I didn’t get the undergrad, Alpha chapter experience unfortunately. I was in way too much to pledge but, I’m an alumnae chapter member back home in Los Angeles.”

“You all have time for one more question!” Misha informed the group.

Maya unraveled the last slip of paper and read the question, “This is a cute one! Do you have any kids and, if so, do you have any pictures?”

“Lord knows I love showing off my baby,” Tasha beamed, reaching for her phone to show off her only daughter. Clicking the button in the side of her phone, she revealed an adorable picture of Micah showing off the awards she received at her kindergarten graduation. “This is my little one, Micah Noelle.”

“Girl, she is gorgeous! She looks likes my baby Malaika when she was younger. Here, look!” Maya opened her phone to search for a baby picture of her oldest child.

“Wooooow! Literal twins! What does she look like now?”

It was true. Give or take a few features, Mala and Micah could’ve been mistaken as twins at that age. Swiping to the next picture, Maya came to a more recent picture.

“This is her now with her brother, Abdul.”

“She’s such a little model. And look at this handsome young man! Your kids are beautiful!” While viewing the photo, Tasha scrunched her face in curiosity at a figure in the background. “Hey, who i-”

“Times up, ladies!” Maya, oblivious to the confusion on Tasha’s face retrieved her phone before turning to focus her attention on the front of the stage. She didn’t want to seem crazy but, she couldn’t shake the familiar face in the background of the picture.

“Tomorrow is about sharing our stories but, tonight is about fun!” The women in attendance applauded, happy for the opportunity to let their hair down and enjoy themselves. “There’s food, music and enough alcohol to make sure everyone has a good time. Feel free to indulge and mingle. Remember, our panel discussion starts the day at 11 am, followed by some group therapy sessions. Now, let’s get this shit started, shall we?”

On cue, DJ Queen of Spade started the mixer with Rihanna’s “Pour it Up” to encourage women to get up and move around. The energy of the room created an open environment for all in attendance, famous and blue collar alike, to spark conversation and enjoy the festivities.

Like magnets, Tasha and Maya remained close for the remainder of the night. As Maya moved, so did Tasha and vice versa. They shared stories of motherhood during dinner, introduced each other to their respective friends and colleagues and made time to take keepsake pictures in the provided photobooth. In a short time, the two women from worlds closer than they thought, became inseparable.

By the end of the night, they were holding each other up, drunkenly engaging in a battle of compliments while they took the elevator from the hotel lobby to their respective floors.

“Oh my God, Star, your shoes are so cute.”

“No no no, Co, your hair though...it’s like, so beautiful.”

“No, your hair is fuckin’ amazing. In Wakanda do they-” Tasha paused to hiccup and laugh at herself. “What was I saying?”

“Girl, I don’t know. What was I saying?”

They laughed together, missing the soft ‘ding’ of the elevator as it reached the19th floor. Neither of them noticed the annoyed figure that stood in front of them with his arms crossed as the doors slid open.

“Kitten, where have you been? It is time for you to come to bed. Do you know how long I sat awake waiting for you?”

Maya kissed her teeth and rolled her eyes at her husband’s pestering, “Cletus, I was having fun. Take your grumpy ass upstairs!” Turning to address Tasha, she noticed her company’s strange expression. “This is my husband, T’Challa. T’Challa, this is Tasha.”

“Good morning, Tasha. I assume you are the one that kept my wife away from me for so long?” He extended his hand to the bewildered woman, growing more agitated when she did not return the gesture.

“Ch-Chadwick?”

“I’ll give you one minute, Maya. Do not make me come and find you.” He warned, ignoring Tasha.

“Yeah, whatever, nigga. I’m grown, too!” Maya shook her head at her husband before turning to address Tasha. “He’s such an old man but, he’s so fine.”

“That’s your husband?”

“Most times. Some days I feel like trading him in for a bottle of Hennessy,” the joking tone in her voice dropped when she noticed Tasha’s expression. “Girl, you are fucked up. You sure you can get back to your room by yourself? I can have one of my guards escort you. Ayo!”

Snapping out of her haze, Tasha shook her head. “No! Don’t...I mean...I can make it on my own. I’ll be okay. I just need to get to my man so he can fix all this.”

“Oooh, same, girl! Challa is mad and I love Daddy when he’s mad! See you in the morning. You wanna meet for breakfast. I don’t know if their food is good but, we can try it out.”

“And if it’s not, I know a place where can go get some good ass biscuits!”

The two Southern women shared a moment, grasping hands while they bonded over their love of a fluffy biscuits and authentic breakfast items.

“Good night, Tasha. Thank you for helping me loosen up.” Past the thin, alcohol induced gloss over her eyes, Maya’s sincerity was on display for Tasha to observe.

“Don’t mention it. We gotta stick together out here. Even if you are an AKA.”

“Oh, girl!”

“KITTEN! I A-”

“I’m got damn coming, T’Challa! Go to bed!” Tasha watched in amusement as the King rolled his eyes and recoiled to enter their suite. Maya returned her attention to the woman in front of her, adding a small smile. “Is 9:45 a good time?”

“It’s perfect. Now, go ahead and get to your man before he comes back. I don’t want no problems.”

“Eh, he’ll get over it. He shouldn’t have followed me here if he was going to complain the whole time.”

After a brief hug, Tasha stayed put to make sure Maya got into her room safely before pushing the button to get to the next floor. The stagger in her walk prolonged the trip and, when she finally reached the door, she fumbled with the key to grant her access to her bed and husband.

On the fifth attempt, the wooden door flung open to reveal her shirtless and groggy partner.

“Somebody had a good time,” He yawned while scratching his chest.

“Are you really Aaron or is this a joke?”

“What are you-” He paused to identify the smell oozing from her pores. “CoCo, you know you can’t drink. Come in here so I can get you in the bed.”

“Aaron, I-”

Chadwick tuned her out as he pulled her inside and closed the door behind her. Her sloppy recounting of the night’s events fell on deaf ears while he undressed her and did his best to tie her scarf around the perimeter of her head. When he was done, he carefully guided her to the bedroom to tuck her in before crawling into the space beside her and pulling her body into his.

“Baby, I swear he looks just like you!”

“Mhmm, he looks just like me. I hear you, sweetheart. How about we save this conversation for the morning. Hm?”

“M’kay,” the alcohol was beginning to transform her talkative spell into drowsiness as she snuggled closer to her husband. “You don’t think I’m crazy, right?”

“Of course not, baby. I think you’re drunk,” he kissed her forehead and pulled the covers over her bare shoulders. “And crazy.”

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