In the Heat of the Night

SO edit: Kenji

A/N: This chapter is pretty short, but hopefully, you will still like it. Also, I have a few other stories in the process but not sure which one I should post first. I'll let you decide on the titles which should be published first. If not, enjoy Chapter 2.

Baby, it's Cold Outside.

Kiss Cousin.

As the funeral procession went down the street, the mood was somber and reflective. Yasmine and Mama Joyce walked at the front of the group, their faces etched with grief. Behind them, came a long line of friends and loved ones, all paying their respects to the person who had touched many lives.

As they approached the cemetery, Yasmine could no longer contain her frustration. Through the crowd, she could see Gio's face. Yasmine felt like Gio's appearance was a selfish act, a way to make himself feel better, rather than a genuine show of support for her and King's family. The funeral service was supposed to be a time for her to grieve and say goodbye to her husband, but instead, she was angry and upset at one particular person, Gio.

Yasmine had never been fond of Gio. She found him arrogant and obnoxious, and she knew King had often felt the same way. Although he never expressed that to her, Yasmine just knew it. However, King had always been too polite to cut ties with him. Yasmine had hoped that with her husband's passing, she would never have to see Gio again. But he had shown up at the funeral, uninvited and unannounced.

As the service continued, Yasmine couldn't help but feel like Gio's presence was a slap in the face. How dare he show up here and pretend to care about King. Yasmine couldn't contain her anger as she sat in the seat.

"Why the fuck is he here?" Yasmine mumbled.

"Who, Giovanni?"

"I will tell him to leave, and he shouldn't be here," Yasmine huffed in annoyance, as she stared at Gio.

"What are you talking about?" Mama Joyce said, as she looked around to see what Yasmine was looking at. "You're not about to do anything! King loved that boy. He should be here. I even asked him to be a pallbearer," Mama Joyce said, proudly. "Now, hush."

"But Mama," Yasmine raised her voice. "Without asking me? How could you."

"I don't need your permission about what needs to be done for my only grandson."

"Mama, I love you, but black folks need to stop giving certain people non-color passes."

"Yasmine! What the hell are you talking about?" Mama Joyce spat out, confused.

"You all act like it wasn't his fault that King is dead!"

Mama Joyce's eyes grew big as saucers, with her mouth agape. "Girl, I wish your mother would have let you wear that Special-Ed helmet when you were younger. Because I know you have officially lost it!"

"Mama Joyce!" Yasmine sounded, embarrassed. "How could you say that about me?"

"Because of the silly thing you just said, Yasmine. Are you blaming him for something that can't be helped? It's part of the job, Yasmine, and you know that, and I know that. Stop trying to blame somebody. If you wanna blame someone, blame the killer."

"But, Mama, if King didn't."

"Yaz, I ain't trying to hear the bullshit you came up with, so you can feel better, or justify what you're doing."

Yasmine chewed her lip, and groped angrily for words to describe Gio, but she couldn't think of anything. Yasmine hated that Mama Joyce was defending him.

"I promise to God, if you embarrass my son and me on this day, I swear Yasmine, I may be sixty-seven, but I'll send your ass right to heaven! Because you're being hateful. Now, shut up! And behave yourself. I will greet the rest of the guests since you need some time to cool off."

Mama Joyce was upset by things, but she had to consider it a relatively minor thing she would deal with later. Mama Joyce felt Yasmine's pain, but she had to bury her only grandchild, and she needed to be strong, as she fixed her dress before she walked away from sulking Yasmine in her seat.

Mama Joyce looked at Yasmine. "Lord. Please give this servant of yours, strength. You have my son and my daughter-in-law. Now you took my only baby. When can I see them," Mama Joyce whispered her silent prayer to herself.

Yasmine felt she needed some fresh air before speaking to any of the guests. Yasmine walked around, greeting each of the guests, thanking them for coming. As she continued to greet guests, she ran into a few of King's cousins, who were the only ones to bring alcohol to a dry funeral. Yasmine welcomed them, and for her loss, they gave her their flask, which she downed in three seconds. With the warmth that spread through her body, the way her mind slowed down, all her troubles seemed to disappear within the empty flask.

As soon as she started to walk, she began to feel dizzy, and Yasmine knew she shouldn't have drank that fast. Yasmine stood there, rubbing her head, trying to shake off her buzz, until she heard his voice, causing her to sober up. She could see Gio laughing. What could he be so happy about? Yasmine thought.

Yasmine felt even more annoyed by Gio. Yasmine clenched her jaw and felt a knot of tension in her stomach. Yasmine wanted to ignore him, but his laughter seemed everywhere, echoing off the walls and bouncing around the air, driving her crazy. Without warning, a hand reached out and smacked him hard. Gio's head snapped to the side, and he let out a yelp of surprise. Gio turned to see who had struck him and saw Yasmine glowering at him with fire in her eyes.

"How dare you disrespect the memory of King by being here," Yasmine hissed.

Gio was speechless, his cheek still stinging from the slap. He mumbled an apology.

"I'm sorry, Yaz."

"Don't call me that! You have no right!"

"Yasmine, I'm sorry, but listen to me." Gio knew Yasmine was angry, but why? What did he do? It wasn't his fault. He already felt like shit, and to see Yasmine crying made him feel even worse. How could Yasmine treat him that way? Gio was determined to talk to Yasmine. He knew she was hurt, but to slap him in front of all these people, Gio bit his lip and stood there silently.

"I hate you! I hate you so much I wish you were dead. If they told me that killing you would bring back King, I would do it in a heartbeat."

"Yasmine, you don't think I wouldn't trade my life for his!" Gio shouted, as he felt his heart breaking. "He was my brother."

"Brother! Oh please, you killed him when you didn't take that last call. You remember that."

"Yaz. I mean, Yasmine, that wasn't my fault. I didn't know that was going to happen. I'm sorry. Please, don't shut me out. I need you and Mama Joyce right now. You're all the family I have." Gio's voice sounded harsh, but his eyes were wells with tears.

"Stop your damn lie! You don't need King's family. If you need us, then it should have been you in the ground and not King."

Gio's ruddy face looked hurt by the words. Yasmine didn't care. She wanted him to feel her pain and never be happy again.

"You know what? I can't even look at you right now. It should be you and not him here. I'm warning you now, for my mama's sake, leave."

Yasmine stormed off as tears rolled down her face onto her collar, wetting her throat; leaving Gio standing alone at the back of the crowd. He apologized to everyone who saw the incident between him and Yasmine. As the services began and ended, Gio didn't carry the casket. He didn't want to upset Yasmine even more. He couldn't bring himself to stand in front of Mama Joyce either.

The coffin was lowered to the ground, and a hush fell over the crowd. The pastor began to speak, but Gio was only half-listening. He was devastated. He couldn't imagine life without King's family, and the thought of losing them filled him with overwhelming grief and despair. Gio sobbed uncontrollably, and something shifted inside him. Gio realized he couldn't control everything happening to him, but he could control how she responded, and Jasmine had told him to die, and that was what he felt inside, as he looked toward the sky.

In the following days and weeks, Yasmine tried her best to adjust to life without King. She threw herself into her work and hobbies, but nothing could fill the void in her heart. To make matters worse, her Mama Joyce, who had been living with her, passed away just five months after King. Yasmine buried Mama Joyce next to King, feeling overwhelmed by grief.

Yasmine stood before King's tombstone, staring at the etched letters of his name, as the raindrops began to fall heavily around her. She had come to the cemetery to pay her respects to him and Mama Joyce, but now she was getting drenched in the unexpected downpour.

Quickly, she turned to leave and find some shelter, but then she saw a familiar figure in the distance. It was her Gio, walking away from her. Yasmine's heart raced as she realized that she had been wanting to talk to him for months now. She tried to rush after him, her feet slipping on the wet grass, but Gio was too far ahead. Yasmine called out Gio's name, but he didn't stop. Yasmine felt a pang of guilt wash over her. Yasmine had been avoiding Gio since her King's death, unable to face Gio without feeling overwhelmed with emotions.

Yasmine remembered how Gio had tried to reach out to her after her King's passing, but she had pushed Gio away, believing that he couldn't possibly understand what she was going through. She had shut him out completely, and now, standing in the rain, she realized that she had been wrong. Yasmine had lost both King and Mama Joyce. She had no one left besides Gio, and she promised Mama Joyce she would make amends with Gio.

Yasmine ran as fast as she could, trying to catch up with Gio. She didn't know what she would say to him, but Yasmine knew that she had to apologize for shutting him out. Yasmine could see Gio up ahead, still walking away from her, but then Yasmine stumbled and fell hard on the ground. Yasmine's knee was bleeding, and she could feel the pain coursing through her body. Yasmine looked up, and Gio was gone. She felt tears welling up in her eyes filled with remorse, she sat on the ground and cried.