An Encore for Love

by Alexandra Warren

  And while I was tempted to punch him in the chest for making jokes, I also knew he was right. I definitely would’ve went and offered to help any ol’ neighbor, especially if they were as gorgeous as Amerie. But for me, going over to deal with this particular neighbor was the exact thing I was trying to avoid until I came up with a real game plan.

  So instead of agreeing out loud, I attempted to change the subject when I replied, “Didn’t I tell you to shut up already? Don’t you have some work to be doing? Some coding to do for the site? Some interviews to be transcribing?”

  It was a gift and a curse to have my brother under the same roof as me, though I knew I wouldn’t have had it any other way considering how many times it almost wasn’t an option in the past. And it really hadn’t been too much of a bother since I spent a lot of my time traveling meaning I was hardly ever there. But now that I had to be there full-time for the show, the fact that we were both adults with lives and careers of our own made the arrangement seem a little juvenile.

  Still, that was the last thing on Elijah’s mind as I followed him out of the room while he answered, “If you would’ve taken your eyes off the glass you would’ve known the answers to your questions. But actually, the only thing left on my agenda is to go reintroduce myself to my new neighbor and her fine ass sister. Maybe I should bring a pie with me. Or a bottle of Hennessy.”

  I laughed to myself as we made it to the kitchen knowing good and well, “We only have one of those in stock, so I guess your decision is made.”

  “You coming with me?” he asked as he opened the pantry door and pulled out one of the bottles of Hennessy from our stash.

  No matter how tempting the invitation was, I had no choice but to tell him, “Nah, you go ahead. I got some paperwork and shit I still need to fill out for tomorrow.”

  But my responsibilities weren’t enough to change Elijah’s mind as he insisted, “Man, it’ll be here when you get done. Just come on. I know you want to.”

  Of course I wanted to. I had practically been watching them since the small moving truck first pulled up, including when Amerie insisted on helping the movers so that they could get done faster. Even though the house was already fully furnished, it was clear Amerie couldn’t help herself in adding a few touches of her personality according to the different decor that was brought in. And I honestly appreciated it since I had no idea how to give the house the warm, woman’s touch it needed.

  I suppose since I was a little interested to see how things were going in that department, I decided, “Aight, fine. Just for a few minutes though.”

  “Few minutes for you, and possibly a lifetime for me. I mean, did you see those shorts she had on? Ass clearly runs in the family,” Elijah added with a laugh as we headed out of the front door, not bothering to lock it since this was only going to be a couple of minutes situation.

  And as we crossed the lawn, I was sure to tell Elijah, “Hey man. Keep your eyes to yourself when it comes to Amerie.”

  “I got you. I got you. Don’t even trip,” he whispered as we stepped onto the front porch.

  Since it was technically my home, it felt weird ringing the doorbell. But I also knew if I wanted to stay on Amerie’s good side, barging in wasn’t even an option. And considering this was Elijah’s idea anyway, I let him do the work while I waited to the side. Though that didn’t seem to make a big difference as Amerie noticed me first once she made it to the door.

  Her face looked more concerned than anything when she pushed open the glass to step outside as she said, “Knox. Hey. What’s up?”

  While it was definitely easy to get distracted by a ruffled hair, skin a little damp, tanktop with no bra and little shorts-clad Amerie, I still had to play it cool when I told her, “What’s up, Ri? You remember my brother Elijah.”

  She turned his way, offering him a full smile when she replied, “Elijah. Yes. How are you?”

  Elijah held nothing back, going against my request when he took an appreciative scan of Amerie’s body before he answered, “I’m excellent. Oh, and I brought you a gift.”

  Amerie laughed, accepting the bottle Elijah had extended her way. “Hennessy. Exactly what I’ll need after unpacking all of these boxes.”

  “Are there any left on the truck? Knox and I can grab the rest if you need us to,” Elijah offered before I could, probably making me look like the lesser gentleman.

  But just as Amerie was getting ready to reply, she was cut off by a voice coming from inside. “Sissy, who’s that at the… Oh. Hi. I’m Miranda. Amerie’s sister,” she said with a syrupy sweet smile directed right at Elijah as she stepped outside to join us.

  It was honestly hilarious to watch my little brother have his breath taken away, completely clamming up now that the spotlight was on him when he stammered, “E… Elijah. Knox’s brother.”

  Miranda chuckled as he snapped out of it enough to kiss her hand which made her blush the same way I made her sister do - well… used to make her sister do - before she replied, “Nice to meet you. And… nice to see you again, Knox.”

  “Likewise, Miranda,” I told her with a nod before turning my attention to the rest of the group to say, “Well… looks like y’all got everything all squared away. I’m gonna head back over,” before turning to head back down the porch.

  But I didn’t get too far when I heard Miranda call after me, “Knox, wait. Amerie and I were just getting ready to test out the new grill in a minute. You wouldn’t mind giving us a quick tutorial, would you?”

  Amerie groaned with annoyance, her voice slightly muffled as if she was speaking between clenched teeth when she said, “Miranda, I told you I was just going to look it up on YouTube.”

  “YouTube? Oh, hell nah. Can’t have y’all burnin’ your damn eyebrows off trying to follow a damn video. We’ll be happy to show you how it’s done,” Elijah offered, once again outdoing me as Miranda pulled the door open to invite him in, leaving Amerie and I alone; the exact predicament I had been trying to avoid. And it was clear Amerie felt the same way as she released a heavy sigh before pulling the door open and stepping inside while also holding it open behind her for me to catch.

  I followed her to the kitchen where she immediately made herself busy looking for a place to keep the welcome gift, though I was sure she was just taking her sweet time in an effort to continue ignoring me. But considering she was the one to invite me in, even if it wasn’t verbally, I figured she wasn’t completely against my presence.

  So instead of letting the silence linger, I decided to start with something simple. “So… everything alright over here? Looks like you’re getting good and comfortable.”

  She didn’t look at me, instead reaching on her tippy toes to set the bottle on top of the refrigerator which made her shorts ride up, and… shit. This was a bad idea.

  I was in such a trance that I barely heard her reply, “I am. It’s a beautiful home, Knox. Beautiful space. You’ve done well.”

  “Thanks, babe. I mean… Amerie. My bad. Not tryna offend you, I promise,” I told her, holding my hands up to make myself clear.

  But to my surprise, she didn’t seem as bothered as usual, offering a small smirk when she finally turned my way and replied, “It’s fine, Knox.”

  Smirks, a calm demeanor, and an invitation inside were all good signs that maybe things between us weren’t so bad after all. Maybe she had left her grudge back home. Or maybe she was just making an extra effort for this whole process to go smoothly.

  Either way, my shoulders were finally able to sink in relief when I leaned against the countertop and asked, “You all ready for filmin’ to start tomorrow? Seems like it came quick as hell.”

  In fact, I could still remember the first day I had brought it to Blaise right after the idea had been shared with me, along with a request to get me a meeting with Amerie. And even though that whole process had taken more than a year, it was worth the wait to see Amerie’s smile when she agreed, “It did. But I’m ready.”

  “Yeah
, I’m not surprised. You’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. Or get nervous about anything really,” I told her, thinking about how much I envied her ability to block out the world whenever it was time to hit the stage no matter the size of the audience.

  It was as if every performance for her only consisted of the stage, the music, and whoever she happened to be paired with, which only got to be me when other dancers had to sit out. And while that would’ve usually been a choreographer's worst nightmare to have to fill in on a moment’s notice, it was actually something I used to look forward to since it meant getting to experience Amerie at her best.

  My mind was set in the past, but Amerie was sure to brush me off in the present when she clarified, “Oh please. I get nervous all the time. Just can’t let y’all see me sweat.”

  “Well you do a damn good job at it then cause I could never tell,” I replied honestly, though I wasn’t exactly expecting to see her blush in response. But it was her blushing that made me feel comfortable enough to step to her and add, “I’m glad you’re here, Ri. Wouldn’t even feel right doing somethin’ like this without you. Hell, it hardly feels right to have Blaise missin’ out.”

  She nodded, gnawing at her lip as she agreed, “Yeah I know. But… I guess we just have to make the best out of an unfortunate situation, right?”

  This time, it was me nodding as I smiled and said, “My thoughts exactly.”

  When she smiled back, my heart instantly bloomed, making me feel at ease until I heard a panicky Elijah barge in screaming, “Knox! Knox, where did we put that fire extinguisher?!”

  “Right next to the door, Eli,” I replied with annoyance, mad that he had ruined what seemed to be a good moment between Amerie and I, not to mention whatever he had done that started the fire in the first place.

  And as I watched him scramble towards the door to find the fire extinguisher, I heard Miranda yell, “Elijah, hurry up! It looks like it’s getting bigger!”

  “I’m coming, love!” he yelled back as Amerie and I made our way outside to see what was actually going on. And I could only shake my head as Elijah followed behind us, looking like a bootleg superhero as he rushed to spray down the fire he had surely started trying to show off for Miranda.

  I waved a hand in front of my face to combat the smoke, coughing as I told him, “Damn, man. Bouta burn the place down before I even get a chance to get my money’s worth out of it.”

  And as the fire finally simmered down, Elijah worked to catch his breath while he replied, “My bad, bro. It heated up way faster than I expected, and well… you know the rest.”

  “How about we just order a pizza or something?” Miranda suggested before covering her own cough.

  Amerie was the first to turn her down when she whined, “I can’t eat a damn pizza. I have to be on camera tomorrow. And you know it already adds ten pounds.”

  “Well… Elijah and I will order a pizza, and the two of you camera-bound people can figure out what you’re going to do on your own,” Miranda replied with a little pat to her sister’s shoulder before slipping past us to go back into the house. And of course, Elijah was right on her heels like a damn puppy, leaving Amerie and I alone once again.

  But this time instead of things feeling a little awkward between us, I felt completely comfortable when I offered, “I have shit to make salads back at the crib if you wanna walk over real quick. Or I can just gather up all the ingredients and bring them back.”

  “Nah, that’s too much work. We can walk over. It’s fine,” she replied with a wave of her hand, turning to walk back towards the house and giving me the perfect view on the way.

  Once we made it inside, Amerie was sure to stop in the living room to let them know, “We’re going next door to make salads. We’ll be right back.”

  “Sure you will…” Miranda trailed with a little laugh that made Amerie roll her eyes. And while I was interested to know what kind of sisterly conversations had led to that reaction, I wasn’t ready to jeopardize the good thing we had going by overstepping.

  So instead of asking about that, I took a different route when I asked, “So… what’s been new with you, Ri? Elijah and I went to one of Zalayah’s shows with Blaise to see Malia perform, and the choreography was on point. Not that I was surprised.”

  She nodded with a smile, trudging through the grass as she replied, “Thank you. But yeah, just wrapped that up. Getting ready to start working on some new choreography for a few other artists. And I have a performance coming up with Liam at the American Music Awards.”

  “Busy woman. That’s what’s up,” I told her as I pulled the front door open to let her inside, taking notice of the way she instantly became fascinated with the high ceilings and spiral staircase.

  And as she continued into the house, looking at the assortment of artwork that covered the walls, she tossed over her shoulder, “What about you? What will the viewers be getting an inside look at?”

  I shrugged, shoving my hands in my pockets as I answered, “Mainly the classes I’ll be guest teaching, couple of auditions I have to be on the panel for, a few special guest spots for the different dance shows. Nothing major.”

  She turned back my way wearing a smirk when she insisted, “That’s definitely major, Knox. But then again, what did I expect? You’ve been a big deal since I’ve known you.”

  “And I knew you’d be a bigger deal the second I laid eyes on you,” I tossed back, not even realizing the weight of my words until the room went completely still.

  In fact, Amerie seemed frozen in place as she stared me down, clearly reading deep into my words before snapping out of it to say, “Knox… let’s just leave the past in the past, alright?”

  Again, I shrugged, leading us towards the kitchen as I told her, “Absolutely, Ri.” And as I began to pull different vegetables from the fridge, I decided I had nothing to lose by asking, “But what am I supposed to do about what I’m feelin’ in the present? Or even the future?”

  “Uh… well… that’s a good question,” she stammered, obviously flustered as she leaned against the countertop and watched me go back and forth between the fridge and counter.

  Since I knew I at least had her undivided attention, I also decided to take the opportunity to ask, “Can I be real with you, Ri? Without you flippin’ out, or callin’ me a liar, or any of that other bullshit you insist on?”

  “You shouldn’t have to ask,” she replied quietly, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for me to speak my peace.

  So I did, closing the fridge before I stepped to her to say, “Well on some real shit, I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you like crazy.”

  I expected my admission to surprise her, or annoy her, or… something. But she only cocked her head to the side with a smirk and replied, “That’s nice.”

  “You haven’t missed me?” I asked with a chuckle, a little hurt by her nonchalant demeanor but also glad that she hadn’t bolted towards the door.

  And she only managed to rub it in when she shook her head, still smirking as she said, “Not in the slightest.”

  “Well I bet she’s missed me,” I challenged, getting even closer as I ran a gentle hand along her abdomen and got the reaction I had been looking for all along. One that was full of interest, and passion, and… desire.

  It was a desire that I knew still burned in the both of us no matter how much our predicament said otherwise, and no matter how much Amerie weakly verbalized, “She hasn’t.”

  “You sure about that?” I asked as I continued my exploration and watched Amerie squirm under my touch, especially once I made it to the waistband of her shorts.

  But before I could see how far Amerie wanted to go, Elijah interrupted once again when he came in and asked, “Knox, do we have any batter...oooh shit. My bad, y’all. Just… looking for some batteries. Do we have any?”

  “In the drawer, Eli,” I told him with a roll of my eyes as Amerie slipped away from me.

  And I was hardly surprised when
she said, “I’m… gonna go back to the house,” before turning to leave.

  Still, I attempted to get her to stay when I called after her, “What about your salad?”

  “I’m not hungry anymore,” she shouted from the hallway, followed by the front door closing behind her.

  I was just about ready to strangle my brother when I cursed, “Damnit, Eli. I don’t think you’ve had worse timing since the day you decided to show up on earth.”

  “Man, how was I supposed to know making salads actually meant tossing salads?” he asked with a laugh as he pulled a four pack of AA batteries from the drawer.

  And since it was the batteries that had gotten me in this situation in the first place, I had to ask, “What do you need batteries for anyway?”

  He shrugged, stuffing them in his pocket as he answered, “I don’t. Miranda does. She said they’re a surprise for Amerie.”

  “Well why does Amerie need… nevermind,” I said, instantly becoming annoyed with the answer to my own question as if I wasn’t right next door to take care of her.

  But I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d ever get the chance to, especially with nosy ass Elijah around asking questions like, “So was that really what I think it was? Amerie was letting you make moves already?”

  “I wouldn’t know since your ass decided to show up,” I snarled as I started working on the salad that was supposed to be for two.

  Elijah seemed a little more hopeful than I was when he suggested, “I mean… it looked like a good sign though. Like, she might actually be open to it.”

  While I knew there was definitely a point to his words, and I had caught the same vibes as well, there was still a lingering concern because, “I don’t even know what “it” actually is. Our sexual chemistry has always been crazy, but I can’t rely on that this time if I wanna do right by her.”

  “So don’t. Keep your dick in your pants and your hands to yourself. Get to know the updated Amerie. And let her get to know you. The real you. Not the dancing ass, showboating ass nigga. All in the videos…” he trailed, mimicking Suge Knight’s infamous speech.