by J. Nichole
“Whoa,” was the only thing Anaya said.
“We broke up and although it nearly killed me to know my child would have to deal with this single parent bullshit, I knew no matter how much she apologized I would never be able to forgive her.”
“Damn, babe.” Anaya reached over and pulled my head to her chest. “I didn’t expect you to say any of that.” Although she was dressed in a pair of my sweats and one of my tees, I could smell her fresh scent below and had it not been for the possibility that Yara would wake early from her nap, I may have had to please Anaya right there on the couch.
“Yeah,” I said lifting my head from her embrace. “It was all types of fucked up.” I looked in the direction of Yara’s room and clarified, “But out of it all I have Yara, and even if her mama wants to use our situation to her advantage, I love that little girl more than life.” I smiled as I thought about how my feelings for Anaya were also growing, but I kept that to myself.
“I get it.” She twisted her lips and asked, “Am I your first girlfriend after Veronica?” I nodded my head. “Makes sense why it’s throwing her off.” I shrugged. “You know we can be some crazy creatures.” To that I had to laugh, because she couldn’t be more spot on.
“Promise me”—I held out my pinky to her—“that if any of this becomes a problem you’ll let me know.” She wrapped her pinky around mine and she promised.
“Yara seems like a sweet kid, and as long as her mama doesn’t go any further down her crazy hole, I think we should be fine.”
I reached for Anaya’s chin and she gave me her lips. We kissed passionately until I heard little feet running our direction. “Sorry,” I mouthed as I saw Yara’s curly ponytail round the corner looking for me. “She sleeps though the night though.” I winked. Anaya caught on and grinned widely.
Seventeen
Anaya
As we watched Yara enjoy an ice cream cone, Russell told me that he’d miss me when I left in a few days for Atlanta. This was actually Russell’s weekend with Yara, but I had started to lose count of how many weekends Veronica found an excuse to not keep her—working, sick, change in plans. But it was cool, because Yara was growing on me.
“I’ll miss you too,” I said, looking at Yara with vanilla ice cream covering her chocolate cheeks. How kids managed to eat with their entire face, I was still trying to understand. She smiled and continued licking her cone that she earned for trying her green vegetables during lunch.
Russell placed his hand on my knee and said, “I wish I could go with you.” He sighed. Between having Yara more than usual, and trying to keep the both of us entertained, I think he needed a vacation too.
“I wish you could too.” I placed my spoon down; my ice cream was good but I couldn’t finish the entire bowl. “Do you think you’d ever have time for leisurely travel?” I asked.
The side of his mouth hitched. “One day.”
“Hopefully sooner than later.” I handed him a handful of napkins as Yara finished her cone and needed her face cleaned. “I imagined myself getting married and taking weekend trips to random locations.” I looked at him and my mouth matched his, my lip quirked to the right.
He leaned over Yara cleaning her mouth and hands. Looking back at me, he smiled and asked, “Are you saying you consider me marriage material?”
My eyes bulged and I took a deep breath. Was I saying he was marriage material? Maybe. “I would hope at this age, anyone I coupled up with would, at the very least, have potential.” My cheeks warmed as he licked his lips. “Either way, I want to be able to travel. Not feel like I’m leaving you behind.” I considered my strong desire to travel, and April came to mind. I took another deep breath and said, “One of our best friends from college, April, when we graduated she took a year off to travel the world. She didn’t rush to find a career like the rest of us. She tried to convince each of us that we should enjoy life now and not put off the things we wanted to do.” I felt my eyes becoming teary.
Russell reached across the table and held my hand. Yara crawled up into my lap as she had started to do on occasion when we were all together. “You okay?” he asked, and I slowly nodded my head.
“She finished her year of travels and when she made it back stateside, she was killed in a car accident. We all vowed to honor her and live more spontaneously.” I smiled and added, “Hence, me getting beyond my fear at the indoor skydiving.”
“Wow,” he said with his mouth hanging open. “I’m sorry to hear about your friend. But I’m glad you all are living more carefree.” He looked down at Yara in my lap playing with the bracelets on my arm. “I’d never want to stand in the way of you traveling or doing what you felt you needed to do.” He shook his head. “I can’t imagine losing a close friend at this age.” He looked away and we sat in the moment, till Yara started to sing.
I joined along with her, “The itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout.” Both of us motioned the rain coming down and washing the spider out.
That week, we spent more time on the phone together while he was out of town. Our book of the week was another romance novel, Displacement. “Could you have ever dated a stripper?” I asked as I lay in bed thinking about the main character of the book.
While I waited on him to respond, I put him on speaker and typed out a post.
Dear #FutureHusband, let’s act like teenagers and stay up all night on the phone if we are ever apart.
He finally responded, “You know, I could, but maybe only if she was retiring from the pole. I’d think it would be hard if she was still stripping while we were together.”
“Hmm,” I hummed. “But not if she was an active stripper?”
“Probably not,” he said affirmatively. “Could you?” I thought about it as I read the book. If the guy was decent and met all my other criteria, I might be able to make it happen.
“I’m with you, dancing on stage for everyone else then coming home to me might be alright, but I could only imagine my jealousy radar would be on one hundred majority of the time.” He laughed and as he started to yawn, I wished him safe travels. “Have a good weekend,” I said sadly, knowing we wouldn’t be spending it together.
“I love you, Anaya.” I coughed because that caught me off guard. I didn’t expect the first time he told me to be over the phone. I was thinking about telling him soon, but he beat me to it.
“Russell?” He told me not to overthink it and just roll with it. Said he didn’t want to wait to tell me. “You’re right, I’ve learned that life is unexpected and we shouldn’t put off anything.” I thought about my next words carefully as he tried to tell me goodnight. “Wait, I love you too, Russell.”
The smile I had when I fell asleep was still plastered on my face the next morning. It made it through my morning routine, a day of work, and was still there for Marley to comment on at the airport. “Damn, cheesy, we’ve been to Atlanta before,” she said sarcastically.
“We have,” I said nonchalantly as we made our way through the security line.
She left it alone until we were seated at our gate waiting for our flight. “Alright, spill it.” But before I could, she started guessing. “You pulled a mega client?” I shook my head. “You closed on a house today?” I shook my head again. “Your man isn’t traveling anymore.” My smile turned into a frown.
“I wish he wasn’t traveling anymore, although our phone game is on point.”
“Yeah I know, Dear Future Husband,” she mocked. I told her what he told me the night before. “Did you say it back?” I nodded my head and my smile was back. Her shoulders slumped and my frown was transferred to her. “Just give me a heads up before I’m replaced on the trips.”
I laughed. “Fortunately, for you, he won’t be joining me anytime soon.” I reminded her of his forever responsibility.
“Right.” She turned in her seat to look at me. “How’s that going? Any baby mama drama?”
I explained how Veronica had been switching it up on weekends that he would have not ha
d Yara, and that he was playing it super cool and not making a big deal of it. “I think he feels obligated because he’s the daddy.” I admitted I didn’t agree. “I think he should force her to change their agreement so he doesn’t have to guess when she’s going to change plans. She would have her all week, and he would have her every weekend.”
Marley’s eyebrows arched and she asked, “How would y’all hang out?”
I shrugged. “Same way we do now. Our dates have become kid friendly, and she has an early bed time and sleeps through the night.” I wriggled my brows as the gate attendant called our boarding number.
“You’re a good one,” she said from behind me. “I don’t think I want any parts of a single daddy.”
“I mean”—I considered how things had changed for me over the past couple of months—“I don’t think anyone has that on their wish list.”
Our plane landed not too long after takeoff, and we headed to our hotel to drop off our bags and hit the streets. “Where to first?” Marley asked as I grabbed our hotel keys and headed for the door.
“Let’s hit a bar,” I said. “I could use a couple of drinks.” I laughed. Marley was game, and we headed to Brklyn Kitchen and Lounge.
“Look at the graffiti,” Marley said with her eyes wide open, gazing at the art surrounding us. “It speaks to me.”
I side-eyed her and said, “Oh yeah? How’s that?” Marley wasn’t the artsy type. She was actually the opposite of that, but maybe she was changing.
“I could definitely date an artsy type. Tour museums, watch him paint, that whole thing seems serene.” Obviously this was a far fetch from her ex, the financial consultant with a business degree. We ordered tequila shots from the bartender and she sighed. “About that time for me to switch things up a bit.”
I slapped her a high-five and agreed, “Yes, honey, switch that shit up.” As I celebrated her new-found free spirit, a couple of guys approached us. “Right here,” I whispered to her as they stood to her side.
“What are y’all drinking tonight?” One of the guys asked, his attention fully on Marley. He would test her new theory, with a piercing in his nose and a sleeve full of tattoos. I waited for her response.
“Just had tequila shots, probably switching it up to Margaritas though,” she said with a grin. He nodded and signaled the bartender, ordering us each a margarita. “Thanks,” Marley said as he stood asking her questions about herself. “My name is Marley.”
While they got acquainted, his homeboy squeezed himself beside me. “And what about you?” he asked, the small bullring in his nose catching all my attention.
“I’m Anaya,” I said smiling as I observed the rest of his canvas, tattoos all over his arms and one on his neck that I could see. “How many tattoos do you have?”
He looked down at his arm and then responded, “I lost count, upwards of twenty.” My mouth nearly dropped, but I kept it together. I hadn’t ventured into tattoos, yet. But had considered getting one. “Do you have any art?” I shook my head. “Is it a turn off for you?”
I thought it was a good time to inform him of my relationship status, but before I could my phone rang and “Bae” flashed across my screen sitting atop the bar. “Oh, my bad, you’re taken?” I nodded my head. “Hopefully he’s secure enough to not mind us chatting.”
“He has nothing to worry about,” I said as I grabbed my phone and sent Russell a text.
Anaya: Out at the bar, call you when we get back to the room.
When I placed my phone down, he shared his name, “I’m Dean”—he held his hand out, and I found another tattoo—“nice to meet you.” We chatted about the Atlanta area in general, the Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ festival we were there for. “You travel a lot?” he asked.
“I do.” I thought about the next trips I had planned but considered cancelling so I could spend more time with Russell.
“Me too,” he said with a grin. “Next weekend I’m headed to Brazil.” My eyes grew and a grin spread. “I’m going down to collect a couple of art pieces. You should join me,” he said with a straight face. I couldn’t tell if he was bullshitting or hadn’t heard the fact that I had a man.
“Ugh.” My eyes squinted then he snickered. “Actually, had I been single, I might have taken you up on that offer.” He cocked his head and I said, “Bet you wouldn’t expect that.”
“No, I’ve yet to meet anyone who was willing to be spontaneous and had the time and money to do it.” I considered how true that was. Russell had the spontaneity, and the money, but no time.
Before we could get too deep into conversation, he excused himself, leaving me alone while Marley continued her conversation with his homeboy. I ordered another margarita and swiped open my phone.
Anaya: Wish you were here.
I found a sappy gif to send along with it and waited for him to reply. He sent a picture in return—bare chest, sleepy eyes, and puckered lips. I looked around and wondered what I was still doing in a separate city. For the first time in a while, I just wanted to be home.
Eighteen
Russell
“Just bring that ass over here,” I said from Anaya’s couch. We were supposed to be going out for the night, to a jazz bar in Maryland, but after a couple of weeks of either not seeing each other or spending time with Yara, I needed some one-on-one time. Just the two of us. Free to fuck on the couch, in the kitchen, in the shower, all before bedtime.
She snickered before she grabbed a glass of wine and made her way to me. “I may need this to calm my nerves,” she said, taking a gulp of her wine. In the same amount of time since we were last together, she hadn’t had any leads with her clients. “These folks are as picky as you were.”
“Uh huh,” I said as I pulled her down on my lap. I wanted to hear all about how picky they were, and I’d ask her what she had planned to do to get them out of their own way, much like she did with me. But not till after I delivered to her what she really needed to calm her nerves.
I sucked on her neck gentle enough to not leave a mark, but strong enough to make her squirm beneath me. “Babe.” She placed her glass down. Before I continued kissing, I waited on her to make a move. Her lips met mine and we were on, my hands roaming her body as she maneuvered her legs to straddle my lap. “I don’t know about you, but I miss our adult time.” I laughed ‘cause I knew exactly what she meant.
My laughter didn’t last long because her hands made their way beneath the hem of my pants. I sucked in my breath as I felt her cold fingers wrap around my dick. “Shit, bae.” That didn’t stop her from continuing the motion she had started. Up and down.
I didn’t want to cum too soon so I wrapped my hands around her wrists to halt her movement. “Unless you want this to end soon, you have to move your hands,” I warned. She cackled and removed her hands from beneath my pants.
Instead of resuming our kiss, I moved her to the edge of the couch where I propped her legs on top of the coffee table. Then, I squeezed between the opening and removed her leggings and her panties. I stared at her pretty pussy while she lay with her eyes closed, her scent making its way to my nose, turning me on even more.
Flicking my tongue against her lips, I held her legs in place as they started to wriggle around me. I licked and sucked, and sucked and licked, until her body began to lift from the couch. “Shit, babe,” I heard her say when I sucked on her clit. I didn’t stop. I kept going until her legs quivered in my hands and her body sat motionless against the couch. She released a loud sigh, and I placed a kiss to each of her thighs.
When I looked up from between her legs, I watched as her eyes re-opened and she made eye contact with me, her cheeks flushed and a thin layer of sweat on her brow. “Where do you want it?” I asked. I certainly wasn’t done with her yet.
She smiled and stood from the couch, shoving me down. She unbuckled my pants and released my dick. As she slid my pants to the floor, I grabbed the condom I placed on the side table and slid it over my dick. She looked down with her eyes half clo
sed before straddling my lap. She guided me inside of her before she eased completely down. I bit my lip as I watched her head fall back, the taste of her still remained.
I propped my arms under hers, grabbing her shoulders and raising my hips to deepen our connection. As I did, Anaya moaned and all my senses were in overdrive. “I love you,” I whispered against her exposed neck.
Her hands wrapped around my head, keeping me in place as she whispered, “I love you,” into my ear. Hearing her say those words as she rode me was enough to unravel me. Her tongue flickered in my ear as she mumbled, “Hmm,” before she stopped her hips from rocking.
She tried to rise off of me and I asked, “Can we stay here for a minute?” She nodded her head before placing it on my shoulder. She shivered against my chest and I felt around the couch till I had my shirt in hand, placing it around her shoulders. When I heard her snores, I settled in, resting my head against the back of the couch.
We didn’t stay like that all night. Eventually we moved to the shower where we lathered each other up and she stroked my dick, preparing it for another round that we finished in the bed. Dozing then waking in the middle of the night with her legs intertwined with mine, we started round three. Finally, we fell asleep, her arm over my chest and my head resting against hers.
“Good morning,” I heard her say from a distance. Before I opened my eyes, I felt around the empty bed. “I was thinking we could go for a walk.” Anaya wasn’t all that athletic; although lately, she had been trying to be more active. I opened my eyes and saw she had already gotten dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a long sleeve shirt.
I had brought a bag, because I hadn’t planned on leaving her side till it was time for me to go home and get ready to fly out on Monday morning. “Alright, give me a second to hop in the shower,” I said as I threw a leg from beneath the covers. “What happened to our Saturday morning sleep-ins?”
