by Vera Roberts
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Savior was brilliant, of course. I’ve never seen him in action so it was nice to see how well he worked the room. He lectured on the Machiavellian theory and how even today’s society, we all have a little Machiavellian within us. The hardcore hip-hop fan, Savior also drew comparisons to Tupac’s Makaveli album with Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly.
After the lecture, students crowd around Savior to get more insight. His fan girls hang onto his every word and I can’t honestly be mad at them. I know how he affects everyone around him. He’s more than just a gorgeous face; Savior is a truly good guy.
And maybe his apology actually does mean something.
I slip out of the lecture hall as Savior stops and answers questions. He’s so busy answering the questions, he doesn’t notice me. During his lecture, we made eye contact a few times and each time it was like the first time all over again.
Realizing I was still in love with Savior is beyond heartbreaking. I see him in every man I interact with. Some of them had similar cologne as him but the scent was all uniquely Savior. A few Nupes tried to holler at me, but they were just another version of Savior.
I wanted him. I wanted the real thing.
I shrug my shoulders and keep walking out of the hall. I hadn’t seen him in forever and I’m sure I’m just a blip on his radar now. There’s no point of me reshashing a memory from long ago. Savior has moved on and so have I. I will always cherish the brief time we’d spent together and I can honestly say I loved him more than any other man.
And maybe one day, I will love another man just as much or even harder.
“Gorgeous…”
My feet stopped moving as a rush of emotions coated my body. His smoky, purring voice fills with an awareness I’d long forgotten about. I close my eyes, slowly inhale and exhale, and hope I can relieve some emotions.
Slowly turning around, I see Savior walking in long strides towards me. He’s not in a hurry but he’s not taking his time. He walks like a man on a mission, and doesn’t want to waste time with small details. For the first time, I notice he’s wearing FBLs and I have to say I’m savoring over that red colorway.
When he approaches me, all of the feelings I’ve ever had for that man come rushing back like an ocean current. My heart is pounding so hard and so loud, and my body once again becomes so aware of him.
His brown eyes are soft, warm, and inviting. His scent was a combination of earth, and wood, but all Savior. His brownish-blond hair had the right amount of bed head but still looked perfectly coiffed. I resisted the urge to touch the corn silk strands.
There are some people you can go weeks and months without seeing each other and it’ll be like nothing ever happened when you see each other again. That’s what’s going on between me and Savior. It’s almost as if we never broke up at all.
“You grew out your hair,” his eyes peruse over my head, “I like it.”
“Yeah,” I shake the loose curls. No amount of YouTube tutorials could it just perfect but it would suffice. “Something different.”
“It looks great.” He lets out a subtle breath and briefly looks around to see if no one was listening. “I wanted to talk to you about everything.”
My body stills upon knowing what Savior wants to talk to me about. The home. My neighborhood being gentrified and his father’s firm was responsible for it. I clench my teeth and plant my feet on the ground. This might be a short reunion. “Yes?”
“My father was trying to build up Inglewood before you and I met. I had no idea what he was doing until after the fact. My offer to send you to college had nothing to do what he was doing. When I found out about it, we got into a huge blowout fight and well, me bringing you to the gala only made things worse.
“The ski trip was originally supposed to be for all of us. My mother backed out at the last minute, more than likely because my father pissed her off. My father decided he just wanted an all boys’ trip with me, Soul, and Ocean. I knew what he was trying to do and I just went along with it because I didn’t want to fight on vacation.
“I told my father I was leaving the firm because I had enough of his bullshit and he didn’t take it well. He was actually quite pissed off at me and I think he still is.” A flash of anger and sadness runs across Savior’s eyes. “I’m not going to have my father determine what to eat and how to shit for the rest of my life. It’s bad enough I had him do it for as long as he did.”
Savior locks eyes with me. There’s rawness and love within his eyes and my body is so fine-tuned to his emotions. “I’m telling you this, Keisha, because I want us to be together regardless. Our backgrounds are far from perfect, but you’re perfect for me. If you want me to move to Inglewood and live there with you, I will. If you don’t want to live in Bel-Air, we’ll find somewhere else to live. I don’t know what our future will hold but I do know I’m not leaving his campus today without you being mine forever.”
Tears threaten my eyes and I try to blink them back, but to no avail. They still fall down my cheeks. Savior cups my face and thumbs away the tears as a small smile curves his lips. He gave up everything for me and is willing to do more. It’s a selflessness I’ve never known before.
“Savior, I…” My voice is lodged in my throat and I can’t form the words to speak. Various feelings of emotion chokes my voice and I’m struggling to find the perfect words, and it’s all coming out in a jumbled mess.
I missed Savior terribly. I missed the way he held me, the way his body pressed into mine as we made love. I missed how he smelled, and how his scent lingered in the air long after he’d left a room.
I buried myself into a social life I wasn’t that comfortable with and gaining more girlfriends. I wanted a life that was different from what I was used to but I wasn’t sure if Savior’s world was where I fit in.
“Speak to me,” he encourages, “tell me how you feel.”
I nod and sniffle. “You know what bothers me about all of this?” I lock eyes with him. “That you cheated.”
“What?” Hurt etches across his face. “What are you talking about? I’ve never cheated on you.”
“You said Cappadonna was an original member of the Wu-Tang Clan and he wasn’t! He didn’t join until later.” I jab my finger into his muscular chest. “I should’ve won that night!”
Savior’s face relaxes and the delicious, sultry smile reappears. “You’re right. He wasn’t.”
I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him and Savior caught me by surprise. He wraps his arms around me and lifts me up into an intense kiss. His tongue plays with mine as he again makes love to my mouth.
Savior slowly sets me back down on the ground and we walk out of the hall, holding hands. “So, what now?” He asks.
“I have a date in a few hours,” I begin, “the rowdiest people at the convalescent home on Wilshire.” I turn to him. “You can be my plus one, if you want?”
“Will your boyfriend there mind if I show up?” Savior teases. “I don’t want to cause trouble.”
“Hmm…” I turn towards him and kiss my boyfriend one more time. “…I think you’re the good kind of trouble I need.”
The End
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