Once we pull up to the hotel, Josh goes to the front desk to grab the keys. I lock arms with him as we walk to the room. Stretching my neck to look up to him, I say, “You okay? I know you are like my brother, Nick, neither of you approve of the thugs. I get it. Let’s just try to get along and not let it ruin the weekend.”
Josh flexes his muscle before letting my arm go. “Sure, Laila.” Devon isn’t here and he is already messing up my game. Feeling defeated, I leave Josh in the living area and join Tanya in the bedroom of the suite.
“At least the room is nice.” I place my bag on the bed.
“Don’t worry about Josh. He is on one right now. He’ll get over it soon.” Tanya walks across the room to look out the window with her shoulders slumped. “Hopefully,” she whispers.
We hear a knock. I don’t even attempt to move towards the door. I’m sure it’s Devon. I unpack my bag, then hit the bathroom to freshen up.
While Tanya and Devon chat it up, I try to distract Josh from his thoughts.
“That dude doesn’t have any bags.” Josh stares Devon down as he talks to Tanya. “Good. I don’t have to worry about him staying here.”
I elbow Josh’s arm. “How about we leave that situation alone. Tell me about A&T.”
Finally, a smile crosses Josh’s face. Just as he tells me about his classes, Tanya interrupts, telling us it’s time to grab lunch. I roll my eyes. I hope she doesn’t have us on a schedule the entire weekend.
Tanya grabs Devon’s hand and practically skips ahead of us, and looking back she yells, “Lunch is your pick today, Laila!”
Baytowne has a lot of restaurant options. I spot a daiquiri shop, and Josh looks over at it, then at me.
“I would stop in and indulge, but I would feel bad drinking by myself.” He stares at the building for a minute, never breaking his stride.
“Even if I was of age, I would pass. I’m not a fan of liquor.” I keep searching for a restaurant.
Josh chuckles. “Humph, well, if Lee is anything like A&T, you will have plenty of opportunities to change that opinion.”
I shrug. Acme Oyster House. Looks promising. “Hey Tanya, let’s try this place.” I look over at Josh, and he nods in approval.
The walls are decorated with college flags. I scan the room and find the LSU flag. My parents’ alma mater. Surprisingly, I find a flag for Lee also.
I poke Josh’s hand and point up to the flag, “The best HBCU.” A wide grin crosses my face.
He smirks and scans the room, having no luck finding a flag for A&T. “It’s only because they are down the street.”
We all decide on a Po-Boy of some sort, and then I insist we order a dozen raw oysters. Tanya smiles at Devon “You know, oysters are an aphrodisiac.”
I place my hand on my head, looking over at Josh, who has a deer in the headlights look on his face.
Josh stops the waitress and says, “Let me get a hurricane.” Then he looks at Tanya, shaking his head, “I’ll need it to get through this day.”
The waitress smiles and politely says, “I’ll get your hurricane right away.”
Devon perks up. “Damn, I wish I could get one of those. This 21st birthday needs to hurry up.”
Josh begins to tell us more about A&T while we eat. He tells us about his freshman year and how he adjusted to classes.
I listen intently, hanging on every word. Not that it’s interesting, but he lights up when he talks about school, making him sexy as hell.
Tanya leans over and whispers in Devon’s ear, bringing his attention back to the table.
“Parties at A&T are wild. Those freshman girls be loose, they couldn’t get enough of me last year.” Josh does a shoulder dance.
Josh’s smooth skin, curly hair, and hazel eyes are undeniably sexy. Who wouldn’t be attracted to him?
I clench my teeth as I listen to him describe the wanting females. Why am I tripping? Josh is just a space filler. I’m sure nothing will happen between the two of us.
“One thing you two better watch out for is the food. So many chicks come in freshman year real cute, but by the end, after they’ve gained that freshmen fifteen, they look a hot ass mess!”
We all laugh, and Devon finally chimes in. Through most of the conversation, he was staring out of the windows. “Tanya, make sure you don’t gain that fifteen, unless it’s all in that...” He stops in the middle of his sentence and looks up at Josh. Josh can’t help but laugh.
When we get back to the room, we all cluster in the living area. Tanya finds The Blind Side on Showtime, and with no objections from Josh and Devon we watch until it’s time to get ready for the concert.
As Tanya and I start getting our outfits ready, I can hear Josh ask Devon about his clothes.
“I didn’t know how big this suite would be,” Devon says. “I went ahead and got a room. My clothes are over there.”
Josh’s eyes narrow as his back straightens. “I hear you, but know this, my sister is not staying with you tonight, so go ahead and cancel those thoughts.”
Tanya steps in before the conversation gets heated. “Josh, you already know we aren’t staying together tonight. So don’t worry. I’ll be here with you and Laila.”
Devon has a smirk on his face. His eyes dart from Josh to Tanya and he shakes his head and stares at her. Tanya looks away from Devon and then slowly walks back to the bedroom.
“I should have stashed some liquor for this weekend.” Tanya grabs her clothes and gets dressed in the bathroom. Once we are all finished, we walk over to the concert.
After some unknown artists hit the stage, T.I. finally steps out. I almost forget about the sexy beast of a man standing next to me when I see T.I.
As soon as the beat drops for Ball, the crowd goes crazy, and Tanya and I start dancing. I toot my booty towards Josh to give him a peek, and he laughs. Then he starts dancing with me. I only have a few moves, so I look over at Tanya for inspiration. She is face down, ass up, and Devon is grinding behind her. Too much for me, I’ll stick to my few moves.
T.I. performs a few more songs from Trouble Man, and then he hits a few oldies. From 24’s to Whatever You Like, and finally ending it with Live Your Life.
Tanya is really feeling the song, well, she’s feeling all over Devon.
“Damn, Tanya, calm that shit down.” Josh pulls at her arm.
Tanya rolls her eyes and grabs my hand, leading me out of the crowd.
We return to the hotel. I guess it was a long day for us all, but of course, being out in the Florida heat will make you extra tired. After chatting for a while, we all start nodding off.
I wake up in time to catch Devon and Tanya sneaking out the door. I close my eyes and pretend like I don’t see them leaving. Shit, now I’m left here to explain to Josh. I’ll play sleep until Tanya is back in the room. Hopefully, they will be back before he wakes up.
Chapter 5
As the door closes, I hold my breath but hear Josh moving around. I shut my eyes tight, as if that will make me invisible.
Josh taps me on the leg. I act like he wakes me up. “Yeah?” I say with my eyes slightly open.
“Did Tanya tell you she was leaving with Devon?”
“No, isn’t she here?” I look around the room in search for Tanya. I’m a horrible actor.
“Hell no. I heard the door close, and it had to be them leaving. This dude has some nerve.” Josh leaps out of his seat and starts pacing. “I specifically told him he couldn’t stay with my sister tonight.” Even with a hideous frown on his face, he is still cute.
I don’t think I’ve seen Josh so upset before. But I am familiar with the reaction; my brother can be very over protective, too. I’d rather not be on the receiving end of this lecture.
“Have a seat.” I begin straightening up, and then patting the seat beside me. “Josh, you are away the majority of the year.” I stare him in his eyes. They’ve changed from bright hazel to dismal brown. “Your sister is just fine on her own. Trust and believe she is responsible and wi
ll control the situation. You have to remember she is eighteen and is leaving for college soon.”
As I say this, Josh’s face loosens up. I look at the table for my phone. No texts from Tanya. She better be having the best time of her life.
“Laila, college life and dudes are so different from high school. By the time Tanya steps on campus, I’m sure she will forget about that thug, Devon. She just has to make it through this summer.” Josh leans his elbows on his knees and shakes his head.
I nod my head. Josh is right. I’ve already forgotten about Travis and I’m not even on campus yet.
“I know it’s still fresh, but what happened with you and your girl? She has to be crazy to leave a man like you. You have so much going for you. Not to mention you are sexy as hell.” Josh flaunts that smile and my vagina pulsates.
“Everything that glitters ain’t gold. I have my flaws, more than you would ever know.” He looks at me and shrugs his shoulders. “Her reason was pretty lame, though. She claims she needed some time to enjoy her last year of school. After three years of dating, we are about to finish school and she thinks now is a good time to party? She is as ass backwards as they come. Most junior chicks want that dude who wants to settle down and make her a wifey.” He reaches over and touches my chin. “My advice to you is to enjoy your time when you get to school. Party. Live it up. Stay single for at least the first two years. Then junior year, it’s cuffing season. Find someone to chill out with.”
“Be honest. Were you cheating on her? Did you really see her as wifey? Or were you just telling her what she wanted to hear?” I sit back and cross my arms across my chest. A frat boy and a basketball player. Committed? Yeah right.
Josh laughs. “Between her, school, and sports, I was too busy to have someone on the side. There were a few chicks I could have been with if I was not in a relationship, but I never approached them. I think she could have been wifey. She held it down. She was always cooking and doing the whole domestic thing. Enough about her. Now that Travis is locked up, what are you going to do?”
I bite my lip, and Josh stares at my mouth. I was hoping he wouldn’t bring up Travis. “Honestly, I’ve had some time to think about our relationship and I just don’t think he really loved me. Doing what he did on my graduation night... especially with what we had planned. I’m over it now, though. Like you said, college will have so much more to offer.”
Josh’s eyes widen. “Were you about to lose your virginity to that dude?”
Before I can respond, Tanya walks in ... finally. Thank God, she is alone, it’s too late to hear Josh confront Devon.
As Josh starts going off on Tanya, I go into the bedroom and shut the door. I can hear them yelling through the wall.
“Josh, calm down. It’s not that serious. We weren’t even gone that long.”
“It only takes a few minutes to fuck, Tanya!”
“Josh, I’m eighteen. I’m not a kid anymore.”
“Fuck being a kid, that motherfucker is a thug. No telling who he has been with. You don’t need that shit.”
Damn, Josh. I can’t listen any more. I go into the bathroom and start the shower.
Chapter 6
“Let’s skip the small talk. I just want to hear all the details of that night!” I gush before Tanya can start with her inquisition about my night with her brother. After speaking in code over the weekend, I need the juicy details.
She giggles and starts talking, in a low whisper. The girls at the table next to us are ear pimping. “Girl, Devon is ah-ma-zing! When I left, I was super nervous but when we got to his room he made sure everything he did calmed my nerves. We took a bath together, and then he rubbed my body. He kissed me... everywhere!” Her eyes roll to the back of her head then she sighs. “I must say I wasn’t prepared to have sex at the moment he entered, and it caught me off guard to say the least.” We’ve always talked about how painful it would be to lose our virginity. It can’t be all that bad if she isn’t complaining about the pain.
“Was it romantic like you hoped it would be?” I smile and hunch my shoulders.
“Rose petals, candles, music. Almost perfect.”
“Almost?”
“Josh crushed my ecstasy when he cursed me out about leaving.” She looks away as tears gather in her eyes.
“I feel you. Devon should have picked a different night. But regardless. I need more details! Were you stiff as a board, or did you ride him like we saw in that porno? You definitely threw it back at him while we were at the concert.”
“I definitely wasn’t like that porno. I was too nervous. I tried to get in rhythm with him and gyrate my hips but I couldn’t keep up. He was thrusting hard and fast.” She pats her chest.
My eyes widen. I’m missing out. Sex sounds amazing.
“Did you have an orgasm?”
“Did I? I had one before he even entered me. When he was kissing me down low, it was like never before. Then we were in a few different positions before he put me on my knees.” She looks at me with a raised brow. “You know I’ve always said doggie style seems like random fucking and not love-making. Well, forget all that. He hit my sweet spot from the back and I had the best orgasm ever.”
“Damn. Were you done after that?”
Tanya continues telling me the details, down to the messy sheets.
“Sounds like it was better than either of us could have imagined, right?”
She confirmed that the pain was well worth the pleasure. We both made a promise to each other that we’d always make the guys wear condoms, even though we are on birth control. I just have to ask to make sure she kept her promise. “Tanya, did he strap up?”
“Of course, Laila, you know I couldn’t get down without him strapping up.” The look on her face says otherwise, and then she looks away.
We haven’t known each other all of our lives, but long enough for me to know when she is lying. Why is she lying to me?
I let her slide, today. I change the subject. I know she would like to know about her brother and his healing process. As soon as I mention his name, she smirks.
“After talking to Josh, I’m getting really excited about starting school. I could use a change of scenery and definitely different guys. It’s hard to believe we’ll be going to freshman orientation in a few weeks.”
“You know, I really wanted to include my brother in our adventures this summer to cheer him up but I think we should go back to our original plans of just the two of us.” Her voice fades. “After this weekend, I’m sure Josh would rather not spend too much time with us anyway.”
I pout my lips. “I guess that’s cool. Did Josh say anything to your parents about you and Devon disappearing?”
“No, thank God he didn’t break the sibling code. There are many things I’ve kept to myself about Josh. He would have been one bold Negro to go tell the first thing he has on me.” I couldn’t help but laugh, as I can relate to the sibling code.
We finish our food, then get up and walk around the mall a bit. In Macy’s, our friend Jessica walks towards us. She is all smiles, as always. When she reaches us, she gasps. Tanya and I exchange a glance. Jessica can be so dramatic at times, but her gasp was random.
“Damn Devon, he did that didn’t he? That after-sex glow is fierce on you girl!” Jessica reaches out to give Tanya a high-five.
“Jessica, why in the world do you think I had sex?” Tanya says, barely smiling.
“Girl, whatever. You and Laila are the only naive girls left in Fort Walton Beach. The rest of us have experienced this glow. It’s pretty easy to sense when a girl has lost her virginity.”
Tanya rolls her eyes, then gives Jessica a shy smile as she looks towards a mirror. “Yeah, I guess recently fucked does look good on me!”
Before I can even chime in, Jessica is asking for all the details. The story isn’t as interesting the second time around. I wander off into the shoe department. Naive? Does being a virgin really make me naive? I shake the thought out of my head. In due time, wi
th the right guy, it will happen.
Just as I’m paying for my shoes, Tanya and Jessica walk up, laughing. “I was just telling Tanya about my first time and how awkward it was. I won’t wish that experience on my worst enemy. On a park bench, in the middle of the night. Between the creepy crawlers and his clumsiness, my experience was nowhere as nice as Tanya’s.” Jessica grins at Tanya.
I’m happy Tanya’s first time wasn’t horrible. Tanya isn’t the free spirit, and an awkward night would have ruined her sexual escapades for a while.
I try to laugh along with them but it seems like an inside joke. Me, on the outside, the only remaining virgin. Will I ever lose my virginity?
The mall is only one level, with a few worthy stores, but we manage to walk around for a few more hours. We make it to Tanya’s house in time for dinner. As we walk through the door, we hear her parents talking. We ignore them and head back to Tanya’s room.
“Now that you have given up your cookies, do you feel any different? Jessica said we were naive. Do you think you’ve gained any wisdom from your night with Devon?” I lean my face on my hand and stare into her hazel eyes. Nope, I still don’t see the glow.
“Girl, Jessica is crazy. You know she lost her virginity a while ago. She would say anything to make herself feel better. I don’t think losing my virginity all of a sudden made me so much more aware of my surroundings. Don’t let it get to you. Your time will come.” She reaches over and pinches my cheek.
Tanya knows just how to calm me down. I appreciate her reassurance. Although it doesn’t matter much. Had she said otherwise, it’s not as if I have a man around to help me test the theory.
“I’m starting to get hungry. Are you ready to eat?” I’m glad she asked. The sound of my stomach rumbling is getting louder than the conversation.
“Ready to eat is an understatement. I hope your mom cooked up enough to feed an army ‘cause I feel like I could eat a cow right about now.” We both laugh and head into the kitchen.
As we approach the kitchen, I can still hear what seems to be arguing between Tanya’s parents. This isn’t unusual, they typically bicker about politics or something going on in the news.
Freshmen Fifteen Page 3
