Love 101: Box Set (Love 101 #1-4)

by J. Nichole

  "No." He shrugs. Wiping his face he looks at me and says, "But I hope we can date, and work back up to where we left off."

  Grown & Sexy Senior

  Love 101

  By J. Nichole

  Not the Last Page

  www.notthelastpage.com

  To you… thank you for your support. Thank you for reading.

  Chapter One

  My mother looks at me in the mirror and says, "Getting ready for your boo to come over?" She leans against my dresser and smiles.

  I hand-comb my curls and smile back. "Yes ma'am."

  She picks a piece of lint from my shoulder. "You've grown so much in these four years away from us." Her eyes tear up and I shake my head. She's been getting sentimental all winter break. "You'll be graduating from college in a few months."

  "Mom, you have to pull it together. You're going to be a complete mess when I walk across that stage." She nods her head then pulls me into a hug and gathers my head into her bosom. I pull away to avoid smearing my makeup on her beautiful, winter white dress. "Ma, really? You're going to mess up your dress."

  She sniffles. "I don't care. I only have a couple more days with you before you're gone again." Fort Walton Beach is only three hours from L.U., where I've been for four years, but my mom has made few unsolicited visits the entire time I've been there.

  My dad peeks through the door and says, "People will be arriving soon, and I think the pies are ready to come out of the oven," and then he disappears again.

  My mom throws an annual holiday party, and although my dad participates in the party he doesn't assist in preparations. My mom hugs me tight one last time before she walks out of the room, undoubtedly to tend to her pies.

  I smooth my hands over my dress, tugging at the hem, and shifting until the wool sits on my hips and hugs my ass. Looking over my exposed shoulder I nod my head and say, "Feeling good, looking great."

  Laughter escapes from behind the wall and I jump. Tanya taps the door as Ava runs past her and into my arms. "Feeling yourself?" Her gaze travels from my bare feet to my loose curls. "Toes did. Dress snug in all the right places. Hair and make-up flawless." She pinches my butt. "Guess you have reason to." She reaches out for Ava but the little girl squirms out of her reach and lays her head on my shoulder. Tanya shakes her head in defeat.

  "Aunty over mommy." I kiss Ava on her forehead and say, "Right, Ava?" Tanya turns to walk out of the room. "I see that ass is still determined to stick around." Tanya's head snaps around as Ava giggles. "My bad. I'm not used to having little people around."

  Tanya has been my best friend for years. We even had plans of starting L.U. together, but she got pregnant our senior year of high school. She stayed home and went to community college, and when she finished she decided to attend her parent's Alma Mater and my school's rival while Ava stayed back home with her grandparents.

  Our mothers are gathered in the kitchen. Ms. Jackson is raving about a piece of pie she snuck from the dessert table. My dad yells from his recliner, "Wish I could have a taste of that pie." Our mothers laugh and keep chatting as Tanya and I watch Ava twirl like a ballerina through the kitchen.

  A few more guests arrive, and while we wait for others my mom offers the group hours d'oeuvres. As she passes me a deviled egg she tells me to come with her and I follow her to a corner of the kitchen. "I haven't heard from your brother." She takes a deep breath while she places the platter in the sink. "Can you call him?"

  My brother is a prison guard and although he's never been in any harm my mom is always worried about him. Walking out of the kitchen in search of my phone, my dad yells, "Any more of those eggs?" Under his breath he continues, "I'm hungry as hell." I shake my head and walk into my room.

  I find my phone and tap a message to Nick, asking him to hurry the hell up. My door shuts and I look up to see Josh walking towards me. I drop my phone and smile as he wraps his arms around me. "What took you so long?"

  He snuggles his nose into my neck and inhales. "My mom forgot a dish and I had to run back to the house and pick it up."

  I step away from him and say, "Better keep my distance from you. You can't keep your hands to yourself." I look at the door. "It won't be long before someone busts into my room."

  "Yeah your dad eyed me as I walked back here." He steals another kiss and then says, "He was complaining about being hungry and waiting for everyone to arrive." He traces his finger down my neck to my chest. "Are we still on for tonight?" Josh made plans for us to go to the club. Tanya is bringing one of her latest flings.

  "Of course." I grab him by the hand and lead him out of my room before he starts something we can't finish. As we walk through the living room our dads both look at us and shake their heads. Josh releases my hand and joins them in the living room and I walk into the kitchen.

  "I don't know if I can keep your dad waiting much longer for your brother." My mom looks at me and says, "What'd he say?" The doorbell rings and we all breathe a sigh of relief.

  My dad answers the door and says, “It's about damn time. Got me over here about to eat my fingers." Tanya and I start bringing the food to the tables as everyone finds a seat.

  Josh saves a seat for us at a table with Nick and Ava. Nick is describing his girlfriend to Josh when Tanya and I finally sit down. I look at him and say, "You should have brought her over. We could have found an extra seat for her."

  Nick looks between me and Josh and smirks. "And have her thinking we'll be getting married." He shakes his head. "No, I'm good." Josh grabs my thigh beneath the table and I cross my leg over his hand, locking it into place.

  After dinner, Josh steals me away from the festivities for a ride to the beach. The road is clear, and as we cross the bridge to the beach I can tell the waters are calm. If I were in a different place I'd have mistaken the sand for snow. Josh pulls into a parking space at the boardwalk. We've been here together a number of times. "Take a walk with me?"

  I smile and nod my head. He grabs a blanket from the back seat and then opens my door. He wraps the blanket around me and we walk side by side with his arm wrapped around my shoulders, keeping the blanket in place.

  Laughing, he says, "Do you remember our first kiss?"

  I look at him out of the side of my eyes. I take a seat at a bench on the pier. "How could I forget?" Our first kiss was underwhelming. So much so that I thought our chemistry would never work out. It was spring break during my sophomore year, right after Chris broke up with me. Instead of my Girls Gone Wild trip to Miami, I ended up back at home. A complete mess. Josh and I ran into each other at the grocery store and we finally spent time together after all the years of me crushing on him.

  He kisses my neck. "I will say, after all the dreams I had of seducing you, the kiss was not what I expected. Or dreamed."

  "Aren't you glad we didn't give up there?" Josh didn't give up on us then, or through my wanting to be free for the summer, or even after Chris decided to make a comeback. He fought to stay relevant even when I wanted him to give up to make things easier for me. Choosing between him and Chris was difficult. I despised Chris after our break up. Was so upset that he could just break up with me without an explanation and walk away. But then he returned and explained the reason he broke up with me was to spare me from his crazy-ass ex-girlfriend, Courtney. Our entire relationship was riddled with her desire to be with Chris, or at least for him not to be with me. Guess she couldn't take us ignoring her.

  "What do you think?" Josh rubs circles into my hand. I bite my lip for not listening. "You there?"

  "Sorry." My eyes shut briefly and then I look at him. "What'd you say?"

  "I was just saying how different this Christmas break has been." He stops talking and looks at me with a straight face. "Just a few more months before we don't have to worry about the awkward goodbyes." He scoots closer to me and slips his hand under the blanket.

  "Can you pour me some of that water so my glass can be half full?" Josh is hoping that I'll be offered a job in the a
rea, but I haven't devoted much effort here. I've been focused on bigger cities. My backup plan will be to return to Jacksonville, where I did my internship at the local magazine.

  "I'm sure you could get hired at The Daily News. I don't even know the last time I opened that paper." He smirks and says, "It probably was when you interned that summer."

  I look at him, amazed. I interned there the summer after freshman year. He was still at A&T and I didn't realize he was keeping up with me.

  The sun begins to set over the water and the breeze from the ocean makes me shiver. "We should probably get going if we plan on hitting the club tonight." Josh leans in for a kiss and our tongues are much more in sync than our first kiss. He deepens the kiss and rubs his hand up and down my thigh, between my legs, and the cold breeze doesn't feel as cool.

  I hear snickering, and I pull away from him as an old couple passes by us. Josh stands and takes my hand as we walk back to his car.

  "I want to be old and kissing my wife in public." Josh smiles at me. We haven't discussed our relationship beyond the next year. I am in no rush to get married, or even live with him.

  "I may be a prudish old lady, grasping my pearls at the young kids when they kiss in front of me." I grab at my neck clutching my invisible pearls to illustrate.

  Josh spins me around, kisses me on my neck, my nose, and then my forehead. "You just killed my fantasy." I giggle and wriggle out of his embrace. He pulls me closer and whispers, "You aren't an old lady. PDA isn't off limits yet, right?" I shake my head and lean in to kiss his lips.

  "Laila." I freeze when I hear a voice, my lips still on Josh's.

  "Damn. Josh?"

  Josh pulls away from me and looks over my shoulder. I don't turn around. The voice is too familiar. Without looking, I know exactly who is behind me. There once was a time when hearing him say my name would give me a tingling feeling through my toes, but now I'm fighting back my gag reflex.

  Josh looks down at me and says, "Are you ready to go?" I nod my head and take a few steps away from the voice. Josh wraps the blanket around me again securing it with his arm draped across my shoulders.

  "It's like that? I haven't seen you in what... four years." The voice follows us. "Alright. I got you."

  I stop walking and turn around to face him. "You're right. It's been four years."

  Josh interrupts me, "You don't have to do this."

  I shrug out of the blanket and put a finger up to Josh. "It won't take long." I look back at Travis. "Travis, we don't have to rehash the reason why it's been four years. No need to ask what I've been doing or where you've been. You picked the streets over me that night."

  Travis and I dated in high school. I fell in love with his bad boy image and I'm sure taking my virginity would have just been another one of his conquests. I was devastated when he was arrested on my graduation night. The night he would have earned his bragging rights. I'm sure he feels I neglected him, but I took his arrest as a sign from God that it was time for me to move on. And move on I did.

  Travis' head drops. The fade that he maintained at all cost has grown out and the fresh edge that always defined his fade is nowhere in sight. His shoulders that were once broad and steady are now sunken in and his belly overlaps his belt.

  Before he can respond and get me even more worked up I say, "Take care, Travis." Josh grabs my hand and gives it a firm squeeze.

  Chapter Two

  I pass a crowd of people waiting in front of the student administration building, but before I make it to the door someone says, "If you are going to financial aid the line is back there." The guy points behind him and I follow his slender finger. The crowd I thought I passed was a line, and it flows into the parking lot.

  A few people nod in agreement as I sigh. "Anyone know what's going on?" The same guy shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head. I start my trek to the back of the line. Of course, nobody knows what's going on with financial aid and the faculty isn't spreading the good news.

  I stand in line and scroll through my phone, looking for a number for financial aid. "Looking for the number?" The guy in front of me shifts his weight then leans on a parked car. "Maybe you'll have better luck calling in. I've been calling all morning, trying to avoid this." He throws his hand in the air. "This some bullshit."

  A smirk spreads across my face and I put my phone in my back pocket. "If you listen to the alumni they'll tell you the financial aid line is what made them strong."

  He raises an eyebrow and says, "I'm over the strength building. I'm starting to feel like this is hazing. I should have crossed that line two years ago." We both laugh and he reaches his hand out. "This wait is making me rude." We shake hands. "I'm Tre."

  I introduce myself and ask him what happened and if his classes are canceled too. "Canceled? No, I can't even register because I have a financial hold on my account."

  "Guess it doesn't make a difference either way … we can't go to class. I graduate this semester. They better get this shit straight soon."

  He cocks his head and stares at me before saying, "I would have thought you were a sophomore."

  I laugh at him. "I think passing for younger only works for older ladies. Are you used to the cougars?" I wink at him and this time he laughs.

  "And cougars are only for the desperate dudes." He looks in front of him and nods toward a few girls. "The younger ones are where it's at."

  We banter back and forth until a faculty member comes out and apologizes for the wait. She then says, "If you are unable to register for a class, we've waived all holds." Tre rejoices and steps away from the car, getting ready to leave. "If your classes have been canceled you'll need to wait to talk to a financial aid advisor." I roll my eyes.

  Tre pats my back, "Sorry, Laila. I can bring you back a few snacks to hold you over while you wait." The line begins to disperse and I close the gap as Tre walks beside me. "What do you like?"

  I look up at him and consider his offer. "Are you going to come back?"

  He gasps, "We'll have to talk about your trust issues some other time. But of course, I'll be back. Candy, chips?"

  "A bag of chips would be cool." He nods his head then pulls out his phone.

  "Let me get your number so when I come back I can find you in the line." I scowl but give him my number anyway. I could be here for a while.

  Tre walks away and the girl in front of me watches him. "He sure is cute." She turns to me and says, "In that Langston Hughes kind of way."

  I cock my head and try to imagine the comparison, but I do not see it. Tre looks like many of the guys on L.U.'s campus.

  She laughs and says, "He just looks like he belongs in a coffee shop reciting a poem about the movement." How this girl gathered that from the few minutes he was standing there is beyond me. "Maybe it was his glasses and button down shirt."

  "How long have you been in line?" I look ahead to see how much longer we have to wait. "If you are thinking that you may be starting to hallucinate." She chuckles and nods her head. "I'm Laila, by the way, might as well get to know each other." I point ahead of us. "The line is barely moving."

  "I know you, Laila." I look her in the eyes and try to recall where we've met. I'm horrible with names, but faces I hardly ever forget. "I mean. I don't know you. But I read the paper every week." Right, our articles typically have our headshot in the byline. "Wow. I sound like a stalker." She blushes.

  "Funny how familiar you feel with someone after reading their articles, right?" She nods her head. "What's your name though?"

  "I'm Christy." My phone rings and I smile when I see Josh's name. "Now that must be someone serious." I nod as I answer the phone.

  Josh doesn't usually call in the middle of his workday, but I'm thankful for the distraction. "Hey there. You must've been able to sense I was having a rough day."

  "Sorry to hear that. I was calling to see if you could sneak up here this weekend. I just found out I have a work event, and it won't be right without my main girl with me."

&nbs
p; "Main? I better be the only."

  Josh laughs.

  "If I can get my classes figured out today I may be able to make a trip up."

  "Wait, what's going on with your classes and why are you having a bad day?" Christy nudges my elbow as the line begins to move. I mouth thank you to her and move forward.

  "My classes were canceled, and I'm standing in the forever long financial aid line."

  Josh coughs and then says, "You know if you went to the better HBCU you wouldn't have these issues." I roll my eyes at his comment. "But really, anything I can do to help?" My phone beeps and I look down at an unrecognized number. I send the call to voicemail.

  "Unless you know a faculty member in financial aid I don't think there's anything you can do."

  Someone taps my shoulder and says, "Damn, I told you I'd call you." I look up at Tre as I hold the phone and hope Josh isn't listening too hard. "I bought you a couple of bags of chips." Tre looks down at me as I shake my head. Then, as if he realizes what's going on, he whispers, "Damn. Sorry."

  "Who's that?" I can hear Josh telling someone in the background to give him a minute. "I have to run, but before I go, call me if you think of something I can do?"

  "That's Tre. Call me when you get off of work?" Tre smiles as I end the call with Josh.

  "My bad. I assume that was your dude?" Christy confirms with a mumble and Tre looks at her as she stares ahead.

  I call out to Christy and she turns around. "Tre this is Christy." They shake hands and Tre offers her the second bag of chips.