by Sequaia
“Prentice, I’m not sure what you’re thinking as far as me staying here, but it won’t be for long. I’m not moving in.” I trailed behind him up the flight of stairs.
“This right here is my room.” He opened the door, and I peeped my head inside. Truthfully, I was anxious to go all the way inside and look around. I refrained from doing so, however. From what I could see, the room was decorated in black and grey. Bachelor decorations and relief washed over me.
“This is your room.” He led me to a room directly across from his.
“You mean the room I’ll be sleeping in,” I corrected him. I don’t know why he was trying to move me in.
Chuckling, he told me, “If that’s what you want to call it.”
Stepping inside, I saw a huge room. I mean, it was almost the size of the entire front entry of Adrian’s and my apartment. Like, the living room, kitchen, and dining area put together.
This room was decorated in beige and burgundy, much warmer and more welcoming colors, so I assumed this room was used strictly for guests. He walked over to the closet with my luggage and placed it on top of what I assumed was a folding table. The closet was huge as hell as well . . . rows of drawers, hanger space, and shelves.
“Let me show you the bathroom.”
I followed behind him and walked into a huge bathroom, the biggest I’d ever seen. There was a Jacuzzi tub, walk-in shower, his and her sinks, a linen closet. The shower and bathtub were decorated in burgundy and gold marble.
Breathtaking.
“If you go straight through this door, it’ll lead to the small lounge area in my bedroom.”
“So, this is your bathroom too?”
“No, the master bath is on the other side. I had this bathroom connected to my room, just in case.” He shrugged like I was supposed to get it. Like I was supposed to know what the just in case is for.
“Just in case what?” I inquired.
“I had a kid and wanted him or her to be close to me.”
“Oh, so you don’t have any children?”
“Not yet. And if I did, this room would be occupied,” he spoke as I followed him back into the bedroom. I took a seat on the bed as he walked back into the closet.
“What are you doing?” I questioned as he opened my suitcase. Had he been facing me, he’d see the meanest mug my face could muster.
“Putting your clothes away,” he said like it was no big deal. Standing with force, I marched a couple of steps to him and snatched my favorite Mickey tee from him.
“No one asked you to do that. I prefer to grab what I need from my luggage because it’ll be much easier to keep up with. Besides, I have underwear in here, and I would prefer you not pick up my panties.”
“It makes no sense in you living out of your suitcase when you have more than enough space in front of you to put your things away.”
“Stop, please,” I yelled at him. I didn’t mean to yell, but I was becoming annoyed. Frustrated.
Why did he keep trying to make me do stuff? Why did he want me here so badly? My tantrum didn’t faze him much as he gently took my hand, leading me to sit back on the bed while he stood in front of me.
“Aúrea, I know it’s been years since we’ve seen each other. I know so much has changed in both of our lives. I promise you that my heart beats for you just the same. I’m still your friend before anything else, so you can trust me. I only want what’s best for you; always have. Just give me a chance to show you that.”
The sincerity in his eyes was all I needed to know that he was telling the truth. His tone proved it before his eyes—still, fear of giving him my trust after so long consumed me. Years had passed. No way was he the same person. I sure as the hell wasn’t. And he wasn’t. This new Prentice had swag, was a bit rough around the edges, and was getting money . . . from where I had no clue, though everything about him screamed paid hustler.
Looking at him, I contemplated a response, and one didn’t come to mind, not verbally at least, so I nodded.
And he smiled. He smiled wide, showing all thirty-two pearly whites. His smile was infectious. It shot right over to me, making me smile as well.
“There she goes. You’re beautiful, Aúrea.”
“Thank you. You can stop saying it now.” I knew I was blushing, and the compliment felt good. It was just becoming overwhelming.
“Okay, so since the mood has lightened up some because you were tryin’a act like a nigga was a serial killer or something, how about we go out to eat? Can I take you out?”
I raised my right brow in skepticism. He needed to slow his roll once again.
“Not as a date; just two friends catching up. Relax, girl. Sheesh.” He shook his head.
Maybe he was right. I had to relax because as much as I was fighting being here, I wasn’t ready to leave, well, ready for him to kick me out. I was playing harder than a motha, but his constant organic reminders of him still caring about me, wanting me here, had chipped away the hardened parts blocking my heart.
“Sure,” I smiled . . . genuinely, and it felt good.
“Cool. What you have a taste for? Well, you wanna try something old or new?”
“New,” I answered without hesitation. I was back home to deal with the old and moving forward. I wanted everything new, and we could start at dinner.
“Cool, I know just the place. Give me a minute to make our reservation. You can get comfortable for a li’l minute if you’d like,” he instructed, standing.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. And, Aúrea,” he said as he stood at the door of the bedroom.
“Yes?”
“At some point, you should realize that you can still talk to me about anything. I care why you’re back. Not as much as me caring that you’re back. I’ve missed you. Thought about you every day since the day you left. I’m not trying to pressure you into anything. A nigga a little extra ’cause I’m happy you’re back.” He winked.
“Thank you,” I smiled as he walked away.
Why did I have to run into this Prentice? I mean, the first one was great, but Grown Man Prentice was doing something to me, and I didn’t like it because I wasn’t here for this. I wasn’t here to fall in love again. However, seeing as Janae stood me up and had yet to reach out, might I add, it looked like Prentice was also a part of my past that needed fixing.
“You straight?” he asked, coming back into the room.
“I came back to go to Von’s funeral. I ran for so long. I need to face him, take back what he took from me. My power,” I told him. I wasn’t too fond of this form of expression, but this was the first step.
“Damn,” he mumbled, coming over to take a seat next to me. Taking both of my hands into his, Prentice urged me to look him in the eyes. “That’s big of you, A.”
My nickname. He called me by the nickname he gave me. I bit gently on the inside of my mouth. It was the only way to prevent my cheeks from spreading into yet another smile. Fighting off the grown man that he was—was becoming hard. He was so damn attractive.
“You don’t have to go alone. I’ll go with you if you’d like.”
“You will?” I checked because that was the last thing I expected him to say.
“I will. When is the service?”
“In two days, according to Facebook.”
“That’s how you found out?” He looked at me as if he couldn’t believe it.
How else was I supposed to find out, though? I lost touch with everyone. “Yes, it’s not like I speak to anyone.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Like this is something I have to do. I mean, before I got here, I had a bunch of emotions, and now that I’m here, I guess I’m just numb. Not to mention, tryin’a keep you in your place has been a distraction,” I chuckled.
“What you mean, keep me in my place?” He smiled so sexily, making my palms feel like I’d just put them in a puddle and pulled them out.
“Because you keep telling me that I’m moving in . . . and
I’m not.”
“I never said you were moving in. Since you said it, though, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” he laughed, and I shook my head. This new Prentice was slowly growing on me.
“What’s that?” The sound of his dogs barking like crazy just about made me jump out of my skin.
“My dogs—hold up.”
He rose, and I could see the tension in his body.
What kind of shit was Prentice into? I speculated as I calmly stood from the bed and crept to the door. I was probably safer in the bedroom if something were to pop off because I didn’t know where any other exit was beside the front door where we came in. My curiosity got the best of me, and I wanted to know who or what had his dogs barking like madmen.
I held my breath as if my breathing could be heard way up here, listening as intently as possible. The barking had stopped, and I heard the front door shut. It was quite still, so I moved farther out of the bedroom, yet close enough to get back into the room and lock the door in two-point-two seconds.
“Prentice, can you please tell your dogs to back up?”
My ears perked up, and I was sure that was a woman’s voice I heard.
Prentice did what she asked, and I heard the patter of their paws rushing across the floor.
“What are you doing here, Brittney?” He was annoyed.
“Why is it always an issue with me showing up?”
“Why is it always an issue with you doing what I ask?” he shot back.
I rolled my eyes, an inch away from being pissed. Did he ask me to stay here, practically move my bags in, and he has a girlfriend?
One thing I wasn’t going to do was be in a place where I wasn’t wanted, nor was I about to disrupt what he had going on. I’d love for him to go with me to Von’s funeral still but not at the expense of drama. Plus, if he really wanted to go, I didn’t have to stay with him for him to go. They were going back and forth, and I wasn’t sure what they were talking about as I went into the room and grabbed my luggage. Without hesitation, I made my way down the stairs, walking right into Prentice and a pretty girl, Brittney, I’m assuming because that’s the name I heard him say.
“A, where are you going?” he asked, taking me by the arm, stopping me before I could get to the door.
“Prentice, who is this?” she asked with a full-blown attitude, looking me up and down like I wasn’t shit.
“Don’t worry about it,” he told her flatly, and I can’t lie; I was offended.
“Prentice, I didn’t come here for this. You could have told me you had a . . . situation—”
“There was nothing to tell you. There isn’t a situation.”
“You’re right. We’re more than that. I’ve been with him for over a year,” she snapped.
And my heart sank. Why did I care? To hear he was sharing himself with her for over a year did something to my feelings, and I didn’t like it.
Fuck that.
“Brittney, you have to go. You doin’ too much right now,” he stated.
“You’re really gonna put me out for her? Who is she anyway? Prentice!”
As I looked at her, I could recognize the pain in her eyes. It was the pain of a woman wanting to be loved by a man who just didn’t love her. I doubted he was anything like Adrian. Still, I remember having that same look in my eyes while with Adrian, knowing that if he truly loved me, he wouldn’t have been beating my ass and putting me through all he had.
“I am. No one comes before Aúrea in my life.”
My face, I was sure, was as frowned and showing confusion as Brittney’s was. My ears couldn’t have heard him right. She no longer mattered—her standing there no longer mattered. I was too busy trying to wrap my head around what he just said. Did he really just say that?
“What?” she asked fairly above a whisper, obviously not expecting him to say that.
“Still?” I asked. My voice wasn’t as low as hers had been, though there was definite uncertainty in my tone.
Turning to me, focusing on my eyes, he spoke. “Still.”
17
Prentice
Today was the day I would be sitting inside of a church to watch the homegoing of the man I killed. I can’t lie. I was nervous—scared shitless. I knew there was a special place in hell for men like Von, but what about dudes like me? I guess I would find out. Experience was one of the best teachers, and this was possibly the most fucked-up lesson I’d learn. I shut my eyes tightly and said a silent prayer, asking for exemption and understanding. He knew why I did what I did. But showing up to see the effects of my handiwork was wrong as shit. I released a light chuckle, imagining myself walking inside, and my hair starts smoking like Eddie Murphy’s did when he played Preacher Pauli in Vampire in Brooklyn. Damn, that would be some shit. Still, being there for Aúrea was important, so I was willing to take the risk of that happening . . . or worse.
Thankfully, she was still okay with me accompanying her after the incident with Brittney’s ass. Speaking of Brittney, she’s been blowing my phone up since I put her out of my house. I know it was fucked up of me to do her like that, and I have every intention of making things right with her. Well, right by way of apologizing and explaining myself a little bit. My main concern then and now . . . was and is . . . Aúrea. When I saw her with her bags heading for the front door, I panicked. She may not have seen it, nor did Brittney. Internally, I was melting like ice in front of a fire. I knew if she left, I wouldn’t see her again, and that was not an option.
After Brittney left, Aúrea and I had a long talk, and I did my best to convince her that Brittney was not my girlfriend. Though she said it was okay, my gut told me she didn’t believe me. If she gave me time, though, I would show her I wasn’t lying.
Someone knocking on my door pulled me from my thoughts, and as I looked over my shoulder, Aúrea was walking into my bedroom. She looked gorgeous in an all-black dress that stopped a little below her knees. The small portion of her legs that were showing was toned and flawless. I mean, not a mark or hair in place. Her smooth, butterscotch skin was easy to envision resting on top of my shoulders. My eyes left her legs, slowly rising up her black dress that was snug against her hips, flat belly, and melon-sized breasts. The slight dip, well V-shape on the dress’s neckline, showed a small amount of her cleavage. Still, it was enough to have me lusting over her.
Since being at my house for the past four days, Aúrea mostly wore clothes that hid her figure. Even the night I took her out on the town, she wore slacks. They did very little to expose her curves. When she was growing up, her body was the shit, but now, she was a grown woman, and it showed.
“Are you almost ready?” she asked, anxiously biting her bottom lip.
Damn, how I wanted to take that same lip into my mouth and suck on it.
“Almost. You good?” I turned all the way to face her, and I could see the hesitancy in her eyes. Aúrea’s hazel eyes under long, thin lashes met mine. Her butterscotch complexion looked flushed, and I knew she was embarrassed or nervous, possibly both.
“No. I thought I was ready to do this. Now, I’m not so sure.”
“It’s cool to feel that way. I’ma be at your side the whole time.”
“Thank you.”
Slowly, I approached her, placing a hand on each of her shoulders. I pulled her into my chest, kissing the top of her head. She stepped back some after I did that but not enough to break our embrace. She looked up at me as I looked down at her.
“You’ve changed, but I still see a glimpse of the old you,” she spoke softly.
It felt good to hear those words from her. If she noticed a change in me, then maybe she would trust that I could do all that I promised to do now. If she saw even a small part of the me she used to know, she would know that I still cared, still had a love for her. Then she would chill some and let me care for her like I always had wanted to do.
“That’s good to know you see it. Maybe now, you’ll stop trippin’.” I smiled at her before winking.
&n
bsp; “Maybe,” she shrugged, and we both let out a quick laugh.
“You know you can do this, right? You came all this way to do this, and if there’s one thing I know about you and have always admired about you, it’s that you can get done whatever you put your mind to.”
“This is different, though.”
“Not really. It’s only another obstacle to tackle and a bit longer of a hike to the top. You can do it, though.”
“Thank you.”
“You don’t have to keep thanking me, Aúrea.” It felt good, and I was probably blushing and shit. Though I meant what I said, she didn’t have to keep thanking me. Shit, I should be thanking her for being here and letting me back in after all this time.
“I know, but if you only knew what I dealt with when I left, you’d understand why I appreciate all of this as much as I do.”
“I’ve been ready to listen.” Since she returned, there was so much I wanted to know. I wanted to know where she had been, what she was doing, how life was for her, and she had yet to speak on it.
“Now isn’t the time.” She shook her head and stepped back from me, and instantly, I felt empty. I needed her close. I didn’t know how much until she put more distance between us.
“All right,” I agreed, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.
“I’ll meet you downstairs.” She left my room, and I sat there staring at the door for a moment, confused as hell. Heading back to my dresser, I made sure my tie was straight, sprayed on my Gucci cologne, and headed out. It was time to get this chapter over with.
* * *
We sat in the back of the church, and when it was time to view the body, Aúrea surprisingly stood without hesitation. She walked the entire way with her head held high as I trailed closely beside her with my hand on the small of her back. My feet began to feel heavy the closer we got to his casket. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. I knew people murdered and showed up to funerals like it was nothing. I wasn’t that type of nigga, though. Had I known this was going to be the case, I probably would have burned his ass. Aúrea made it to the casket, and I stood back. Her body shielded his face, and I was grateful for it because I didn’t want to see his ass.
