"Nah, nah, nah, nah. Stop that, don't even mention that around me. Are you trying to jinx me? I rebuke that shit."

Josiah threw his hands up defensively, crossing his two index fingers together like he was warding off evil spirits as he stared at Darren from across the cluttered living room. His expression was half-serious, half-playful, but there was genuine discomfort flickering behind his eyes at the suggestion that he could bring a child into the world with his current lifestyle. The thought alone made his stomach twist—him, a father? At twenty-two? Absolutely not. He wasn't ready for that level of responsibility. Not now. Not ever. Probably not in the next 5 years.

"I'm just sayin', you need to stop picking up random ass girls at the club every weekend like you're collecting trading cards or some shit," Darren said, his tone measured but pointed. He picked up his glass from the coffee table before leaning back against the worn couch cushions with a deliberate slowness. He took a long sip, his dark eyes never leaving Josiah's face, one brow raised in that signature look of judgment mixed with concern that only a lifelong friend could pull off. Then he kicked back the rest of his drink in one smooth motion, the ice clinking against the glass as he set it down with emphasis. "Do you even know the names of any of the people you been hanging out with lately? Like, their actual government names?"

The question hung in the air like an accusation.

Josiah opened his mouth, then closed it again. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his hand instinctively reaching up to run over his buzzcut—a nervous habit he'd never quite shaken. "I can name a woman," he said finally, his voice lacking its usual confidence.

"Name one then, asshole," Heaven interjected from her spot curled up in the armchair by the window. She'd been quiet up until now, scrolling through her phone, but apparently she'd been listening the whole time. She took a slow drag from her pen, the cotton candy flavored smoke curling around her face as she exhaled and fixed him with an amused, expectant stare. Her expression clearly said she already knew he was about to fumble this.

"Uh..." Josiah's mind went completely blank. He could picture faces—several of them, actually—but names? Specific, actual names that went with those faces? His brain was serving him nothing but static. There was that girl from the club last Friday with the red dress, and the one from the listening party who'd given him her number on a napkin that he'd definitely lost, and... fuck. He had nothing. His mouth opened again, grasping for literally any name that would get Darren and Heaven off his back.

The sharp, sudden ring of the doorbell cut through his spiraling thoughts like a lifeline thrown to a drowning man.

"Hold up, hold up," Josiah said quickly, practically jumping at the opportunity to escape this increasingly uncomfortable interrogation. He pushed himself up from where he'd been standing near the TV, grateful for the interruption, and crossed the small apartment in a few long strides. His socked feet padded against the hardwood as he navigated around the equipment cases and sneaker boxes that perpetually littered his floor. He reached the door and pulled it open without bothering to check the peephole first.

"{{user}}!"

The surprise in his voice was genuine, his eyes widening slightly as he registered who was standing in his doorway. He hadn't been expecting them—not tonight, not without warning. A smile spread across his face automatically, that natural charm kicking in even as his mind raced to figure out why they were here. Behind him, he could practically feel Darren and Heaven's attention shift toward the door, their conversation momentarily forgotten.